Adore You (Kaede Rukawa Fanfiction)

13

"Kaori...."

The familiarity of Kaori's face left Rukawa wondering if he'd actually seen her before. Rukawa was sure of it, he just couldn't quite place when and where it was.

As of this moment that thought crawled into Rukawa's skin and crashed itself into the back of his mind in constant whispers, but he can't be bothered so. He relegated it for a later time since he has an important task at hand to accomplish.

Kaori, on the other hand-- didn't forget Rukawa: neither his face, not even his noble chivalrous deed that entwined their lives that day. Why didn't she mention it to him you ask?

She thought of this as an improper time. It'd be better, she thought, if Rukawa brought it first, and and she certainly won't when they're both standing before the school's pool.

"This is the school pool."

Kaori thought Rukawa might push her to the pool in case he'd get too surprised. She already spoke her words of gratitude back then and for her it was enough. She'll let time work its hands in her favor and she just have to wait.

You might wonder now why Rukawa knows where all these places were, and I have the perfect explanation.

When he was roaming the whole school to find the best place to take a nap, he sought everywhere-- the courtyard, the storage where staff kept janitorial supplies, a vacant room-- but it was in the rooftop where he found perfect tranquility (unless of course when delinquents clobber against each other, Rukawa's forced to fight them to get some peace or go sleep someplace else).

Now, Kaori couldn't quite understand why they were going upstairs, much more why she was still following him, him, this bleak docent.

Was there an interesting thing at the rooftop? Will Rukawa show her something heartstopping? Why was he taking her to the rooftop?

Why?

Why?

"And this is....." Rukawa stared at the rooftop's floor with sleepy eyes, husky voice and pinched lips as he tried to hold in a yawn, "....is where I take naps."

He finally let the yawn free he was holding back all this time with a sound that came out from the pits of him as he tried to find a comfortable spot to wane the rest of his afternoon away.

Oh.

So this is why we were headed for the rooftop.

"So the tour's over?" Kaori asks quite firmly, eyes glazing over Rukawa's nape, who's now laying on his side, back against her.

"Yeah....."

Rukawa didn't know exactly why he found the rooftop a perfect place for his naps but he just felt it so. With every time he spent in this place, he was vaguely unaware of the magnificence of the heavens above him for he never once tried to look at it.

Kaori looked up into the sky, and was taken away by the vastness of it, by the beauty of it.

The cerulean sky, its billowing ivory clouds, the mighty gold sun and its rays and the winds-- in that moment, she wanted time to stop, to intake this aesthetic in one go.

"......but you can stay with me if you want to."

Rukawa's words were swept by the cool breeze that blew.

If Kaori was a Rukawa fangirl, she'd faint the instant she heard Rukawa say that but she wasn't one, so she took it as naturally as a normal person would.

Kaori let Rukawa's words linger in the air before walking a few steps, and when she peered at Rukawa he was already sleeping.

She sighed.

Roaming her eyes in the whole area of the rooftop, she was embraced by silence, a stark contrast from the busy and noisy hallways. With sore legs tired from all the walking, she sat on the spot beside Rukawa.

The only sound that cuts through the stillness was Rukawa's subtle snores, and through time she kept stealing clandestine glances at him.

Kaori wondered if anyone had this opportunity to be this close to him, to the point that she could scrutinize his face.

Goodness, Rukawa is such a gorgeous boy. A drop-dead one.

Occasionally, when a bug lands on Rukawa's face, Kaori was there to swat it away.

With this, our duo pivoted their time into calmness and nothingness.