Eternal Starlight (Kaito x Maki)

Chapter 11: Star-Crossed

Time slowed to a crawl, and the world around seemed to freeze entirely as Maki stood on top of that hill. She was awed into total silence, her breath suddenly halted in her lungs as she gazed out at the astonishing sight before her.

A vast pond stretched out as far as the eye could see, and tall, colorful trees traced the edges of the water. The soft glow of the pale moon filled the sky, its reflection shimmering gracefully atop the undisturbed water. The star-speckled night above was a deep black with magical swirls of white, blue, and indigo dancing across the sky. The forest around was in a peaceful slumber; the beauty of the evening was in full bloom.

The different scents of the forest mingled and swayed through the air; the crisp autumn and soft spring water blended seamlessly as Maki slowly savored every breath.

Now she understood why Kaito had dragged her out here. This place was almost deserving of the word perfect. She was so entranced, she hadn't even noticed the shock painting her face, and the happy pink bubbling on her cheeks. Her eyes felt alight as she took in the view. Somehow, her animated expression had exceeded even Kaito's expectations.

A bright, wide smile spread across his face as his eyes drifted from the view to Maki, then back to the view, then back to her again. She looked so delighted; words couldn't describe how much he valued spending time with her when she was happy like that. He always loved hanging out with her, but she was rarely this excited, so he couldn't help being excited too.

Maki was the first to disturb the silence, "This is... amazing..." she murmured in awe. That forced a small chuckle from Kaito.

"Isn't it, though?" he agreed, letting his hand rest on his hip, "I won't take the credit, Fuyuhiko found this place. He just told me where it was, and I'm glad he did."

Tearing her eyes away from the gorgeous view, Maki looked over at Kaito and asked, "Why did you want to know about this place? Last I heard, Fuyuhiko's very reserved. He doesn't often give out tips like that."

"Nah, he's not such a bad guy; just misunderstood." Kaito said earnestly, "I asked him about it so I'd have a good place to-"

His mouth snapped shut as he tripped over his words, a scarlet blush suddenly shot across his face. He started fidgeting with his hands while searching for a way to finish out his half-baked thought.

"N-Nevermind!" he yelped, earning him a bewildered look from Maki. She clearly didn't believe him.

"Yeah, you aren't buyin' that, huh?" he laughed nervously, the heat on his face refusing to leave as he squirmed awkwardly. She shook her head, but her stern expression was on the verge of wavering as she watched the typically-confident Kaito struggle to piece a sentence together. It was certainly amusing.

He huffed at the ground as he calmed himself down, "Okay, yeah, I wanted to come here with ya' for a reason." He paused for a moment after saying that, most likely to compose his next sentence with a bit more certainty.

"Ever since we first met, I've felt drawn to you in a way that I've... never experienced before. Even now, I still don't have a strong grasp on why that is." Kaito explained, only then noticing how he'd completely captivated Maki's attention as she stared into his eyes, curiosity gleaming in her gaze, "But now, I'm grateful to be able to say that we've become friends. You, me, Shuichi, Kaede, all of us. We're all friends now, and being able to say that always puts a smile on my face."

Maki nodded in agreement. He was right; she was very lucky to have people who so blindly cared for her. But knowing that only made her feel that much guiltier. Guilty that they would willingly give their time and attention to someone like her. She quickly suppressed the thought as she returned her focus to Kaito, who seemed to have found his fire. He was standing up straight and wore an expression of courage. The intensity of his face confused her slightly, since he was just answering a simple question.