Eternal Melody

YUHI

This is really bad. If this continues, there is no doubt that he would lose her. Yuhi wanted nothing more than to rush over and rip the two apart. But his entire body felt like it was frozen. 'I know it's not what it looks like. I can see from here how pale Sumire looks, and Mashima just talked about her having sea sickness.'

But, it hurts. It hurts seeing her so close to another guy. It hurts more knowing that Sumire still likes Mashima.

Yuhi decided to step into the room and make his presence known. Mashima didn't flinch, despite being caught cuddling with his girlfriend.

Sumire turned to him and walked over. She slumped into his arms. "My dear, I'm exhausted. Take me to bed?"

"Yeah." Yuhi said warily as he picked her up.

During the short walk back into the room, Sumire kept playing with his hair and kissing his neck.

Yuhi scanned her face. "So, you and Mashima get along."

At those words Sumire stopped kissing him. "Well, I suppose?"

This is awkward. She has no idea that he feels uncomfortable. He should just tell her directly.

"Yuhi." Sumire said softly. "I want to return the favour for this morning."

Yuhi freezes. When she decides to do something, no doubt she will. "Let's take a bath first together?" Yuhi suggested.

Sumire nodded and he led her into the bathroom. Although this was no cruise ship. It was still a decent ship with good facilities. At first he was wary about boarding it, worried that it was one of the black alice organisation vessels. But Mashima explained that his grandmother was the one who sent it over.

He places her in the tub, quickly discarding her clothes and his.

"My dear, you're upset."

"I'm not." Yuhi said a bit defensively.

"You are." Sumire sighed. "Yuhi, you have to talk to me. I won't know unless you do."

"I'm okay Sumire, really."

'I'm not okay.' Yuhi screamed in his head. He isn't okay but how does he explain that to her without coming?across as needy and selfish? Without coming across as a huge mess?

Sumire sighed again but nodded as she continued to kiss his neck. "Mmm, okay. So since you're fine, I'll repay that favour." Sumire muttered.

"Sumire." Yuhi groaned. If they do this here, Mashima will hear. The walls are thin.

Had Mamoru come with them, he could have used his powers to block out the noise. So, it would have been fine.

No. It wouldn't, he would have still felt bad if they did it with Mamoru here.

He needs to stop acting like a saint.

"I'm jealous." Yuhi mumbled.

It was the most he was willing to admit at the moment anyway. Eventually he knows he will have to confront the situation with Mashima. It hurts not being able to tell her, it feels like he is lying to her.

Sumire looked up. "You are?"

"I don't want, anyone but me to get near you. To touch you."

'Mine, she is mine.' It was almost like Sumire heard what he was thinking. Since her eyes brightened - and with the same look of possessiveness. Sumire started to place kisses on his chest. Not just normal kisses, she started to bite and suck his skin.

"Yuhi. Yuhi. I love you."

Just hearing her say those words does something to him. His wife, his. Yuhi didn't do anything and let Sumire do whatever she wanted.

After Sumire calmed him down, she looked at him with a devilish expression. "I think I have repaid the favour now."

Yuhi grunted. "After we finish here, I'm taking you to bed, properly."

Sumire laughed. "Okay."

Yuhi kissed her eyelids. "Are you okay? I didn't know that you get sea sick."

"Ah, I should have mentioned it."

He shakes his head. "No, I should have noticed."

"It's okay, Yuhi." Sumire paused. "Hmm, my dear. I do have a question for you."

"Hmm?"

"When you went abroad, did you meet any pretty girls?"

"Nobody as pretty as you."

"So, there was someone pretty?" Sumire wondered.

"I made a friend. Her name is Satsuki."

At that comment Sumire's gaze dimmed and he sighed. "This is why I didn't say anything."

Sumire didn't respond to that and he looked at her expression. So, she already knew about Satsuki? It must have been the media. Hino warned Cassie to stay away from him when she went abroad. So the media couldn't use her as leverage.

"Sumire--"

"Do you, love me Yuhi?"

"Yeah, I do. Why-" Yuhi paused.

He didn't get a chance to voice out any of his thoughts, since Sumire hugged him tightly.

"I love you Yuhi. I know things are weird between us right now, but I can say with confidence. I love you, I love you."

It was almost like Sumire was in a trance because after she said those words, the girl fell asleep. Yuhi wiped the soap and remaining hair conditioner from her hair before picking her up and taking her back to the bedroom. He made sure to dry her body slowly, memorizing each curve in the process.

Deep down he is still afraid, afraid that one day she would leave him. So, to prepare himself for that day. Recently he has been working hard to memorize every detail.

Yuhi kissed a strand of her hair and pulled Sumire into his arms. 'I truly do want to be with her for the rest of my life.' When he discovered Hijiri was Hikaru, all the feelings he suppressed since regaining his memories of his past lives unleashed.

He truly wants to have it with her this time, the future that she mentioned.

'Husband. In the next life, you will find me again won't you? In the next life, we will marry and have children. Oh, remember you promised me a large house with a large garden.'

'Yeah, and I promised to build you a better place so you can paint. We can paint together. You always said you liked my pictures."

In their next lives, he promised to find her no matter what. Perhaps it was because he was weak when he conducted the ceremony, but he didn't have his memories of her until seeing her in the facility. Even those memories were blurred, all he knew then was he had to protect her, to love her and give her happiness. It wasn't until much later on when he started to recall everything.

'I should have had my memories.'

What went wrong?

Did Hijiri's thread of madness start affecting him too? Seeing Sumire stir, Yuhi placed the covers on her. For now that can wait. He ought to get some rest while he can.