Year 1922
Taishō Era
"Wow...." the girl leans against the guardrail of the bridge that overlooks the lake. There's an overwhelming feeling of reverence and admiration that stirs in her chest. She smiles in awe, "....isn't it pretty?"
Fujigoko (Fuji Five Lakes), is a region at the base of Mt. Fuji. Yamanaka, Kawaguchi, Saiko, Shōji and Motosu are the five lakes that surround Japan's highest mountain. Out of the five, Kawaguchiko (Lake Kawaguchi) is the second largest and by far the most visited.
Kawaguchiko offers many activities and sights to see to all its visitors, one being the stunning views of Mt. Fuji. This place was especially beautiful during certain seasons. During the spring season, cherry blossom season, Kawaguchiko is surrounded in pink from the sakura that adorned the trees. Around late-June to mid-July the parks (Oishi and Yagizaki) were embellished in purple from the fields of lavender that flourish. And during the autumn season, when the leaves are of deep warm hues, people come to enjoy the fall foliage. Especially Momiji tunnel, where the walk feels like a kaleidoscope of yellows, oranges and reds. This place is more than just a tourist trap. It's a breath taking experience.
It's currently spring. The air is warm. The sakura trees were the sweetest baby-pink against the clear sky which on this beautiful day, thankfully, is the softest blue.
Sukuna makes a face, one that disagrees with her. The man didn't think it was that pretty. It's just flowers, "Meh..."
The girl's posture drops from her enthused form. He was always so aloof and detached. She throws him a look, "Oh, come on. Is there anything that you even enjoy?"
He thinks for a brief second then he says, "No."
She smiles at him. She still couldn't understand how someone could be this incurious and disinterested in everything you could possibly imagine. Most people would find someone like him difficult to be around but she found him quite interesting. His lack of concern and his indifference only made her more curious to figure him out. He was interesting to her. Maybe because they were polar opposites.
Sukuna's hands are rooted inside his pockets. He watches the girl intently. He wonders what she's smiling about and her eyes don't seem to leave him. Whether he knew it or not, this is a look of adoration. The man decides to provoke her, because that's one of the only things he actually enjoys in life, "It's a nice view, huh?"
He's not talking about the sakura or Mt. Fuji. Because of her stare, Sukuna talks of himself. Why else would she be staring at him the way she was?
The girl laughs quietly through her smile. She looks out towards the lake and her smile grows before she brings her gaze back to the man.
"It's okay if you don't think it's pretty...." She brushes some of the loose strands of hair behind her ear. She also doesn't answer his question. She teases back, "....its not as pretty as me anyway."
Sukuna looks off to the side and he makes a face. His lips twist and his shoulders go up (it's his way of questioning her statement) and then he lets her know his response. It still doesn't agree with her, "Meh."
"How dare you!" She gasps at his rude remark in saying she was anything else but pretty. But the girls not offended. If anything, she laughs. She found his mockery and ridiculing humor entertaining.
Her laugh has always been contagious. Ever since the first day he met her (again) about a month ago in this specific era. The smallest smile crept onto his lips as he watches her in good humor.
She shoves him lightly at the arm and then she points a finger at him, "Are you smiling???"
The man rarely smiles. Unless he was making fun of someone (in the most cruel and derisive way imaginable).
Sukuna looks right into her eyes. His face blanks instantly, "No."
She makes a face at him, one that shows him that she doesn't believe him. She affirms it, "You were smiling."
The man shakes his head before he walks around her. He'll never admit to it, "You wish."
The girl follows him, "Where do you think you're going?"
He continues to walk, "Thought you wanted to see more of this shitty place."
"If you hate it so much-" the girl crosses her arms behind her, "-why did you agree to come with me?"
"You were practically on your knees begging me."
She laughs again before she shoves him again. He's a strong man, so he barely budges, "I definitely was not begging."
Sukuna Ryomen was likely smiling to himself again. It may be true, he didn't care for these types of places. It's safe to say he didn't care for a lot of things. And what few things he did enjoy in life, her company, is one of them. It's a forgotten feeling. A feeling that he had to relearn. And it's something that was hard for him to grasp and understand after so many hundreds of years later (once again). It only took a 'please' or two out of the girl to convince him to tag along since all her friends were busy.
There's a short period of silence before she speaks again, "You should really smile more."
Sukuna arches a brow. He's still looking ahead as he walks through Kawaguchiko with the girl trailing beside him. Smiling seemed like a lot of forced effort that he did not want to interest himself in. Unfortunately, after all this time, he still hasn't taken notice yet how smiling was absolutely effortless when he was around her. He doesn't respond.
But the girl doesn't care. She seemed to do most of the talking anytime they were together anyway, "It looks good on you."
"I told you...." He stops walking once he found the place he'd been looking for. He turns around to face her before he revisits the previous joke that boasts about himself, "....its a nice view."
There's a clearing surrounded by sakura trees. The soft breeze comes by, it makes the loose strands of hair dance across the girls face. It also makes the flowers shed from their branches. There were so many petals falling. They drift slowly through the air before they float to the ground. It truly was a nice view. And not just the scenery.
"It's really pretty here...." She lets him know that she appreciates his effort. In this moment, she realized that he cared more than he let on. The girls eyes go from all the pink of the trees to the man's unwavering gaze. He watches her. She smiles at him, "....unless, you meant....I'm the nice view."
Sukuna lets out a quiet laugh. His hands that still sit inside his pockets clench slightly. He wasn't sure when this flirty exchange exactly began but it seemed to have grown exponentially this past week. His mind replays the moment he met her in this era, by chance, at a local cafe. She had accidentally spilled something on him. Then he thinks about everything else in between leading up to this point. Sukuna knew he wasn't the nicest person. He often does whatever he wants and says whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He knew he was difficult to handle and also not the most fun to be around. But despite his shit personality, this girl seemed to see past all of that; just like the very first time. He has a hunch that this version of her may be interested in him romantically. Though, he really doesn't know what she sees in him. Her personality, her views on life; she was someone completely different in comparison to him and that is what may have caught more than just his attention.
It's too quiet. Sukuna had been silent this whole time but his eyes, that still continue to watch her with unwavering attention, were loud. He steps closer.
"Thanks for coming with me...." The girls eyes flick down. His approaching figure makes her nervous. She finds it hard to finish her sentence. There's not a lot of room between the two of them. Her gaze goes back up.
Sukuna remains a mute. He brings a hand out of his pocket and it goes to the side of her face. She feels the soft caress of his thumb against her skin. The sakura continue to fall all around them. The man's eyes continue to admire her. Her temperature rises.
She finishes her sentence, "....even if you didn't want to."
"Can I...." Sukuna completely disregards her words. Not because he's being disrespectful. But his mind is occupied with another agenda. His fingers and thumb are gentle. He runs them down her face until they find her chin and she sees the man's eyes go to her lips, "....kiss you?"
Her breath may have hitched. It was the last thing she expected to hear from someone like him. Someone with the inability to take a normal interest in things such as a relationship, due to dullness of mind or self-centeredness. She may have thought he was kind of attractive but never did she imagine it going any further than him just being her eye candy.
"Even if you say no...." Now he's the one doing all the talking, ".... I might not have the confidence to hold back."
The man continues to render her speechless. And he doesn't want to force himself onto her like he once did some eras ago. This girl never had any recollection of her past lives or any recollection of him. Whatever Sukuna was hoping for at the time, certainly did not end in his favor.
"Hey...." He just wants her to say something-anything, "....tell me that it's okay."
Sukuna's eyes leave the girls lips and his gaze goes back to meet hers. She appears slightly muddled. Her minds currently disorganized and she can't seem to collect her thoughts.
"I can just easily do it but...." His touch goes back up slowly against her skin before his fingers lace into her hair by the ear, "....I want to hear it from you."
She finally manages some words and there's no ounce of confidence in her voice, "What if I really did say no?"
Sukuna's other hand comes out and it goes to the other side of the girls face, "You'll need to forgive me."
He shows her his lack of confidence in holding back. But just as he suspected, she kisses him back with much fervor; like she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
The sky bathes in the richest colors of dusk. The sakura continue to fall somewhere in Kawaguchiko. In a clearing surrounded by these shedding trees, they share their first kiss.
Once more.
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Author Note
Credits to Sukuna ASMR.
♪ 春に微熱 ♫♪
クボタカイ, Shun Maruno
(I was listening to kubotakai while writing this chapter and felt like sharing the song, haha!)