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1
Pink. That could only be the word to associate with all that was surrounding him at that moment with grace and elegance, almost with an unknown and immense fragility.
(Pink. An endless scented expanse of sakura petals, the dishes carefully placed in the bentō decorated – of course – in pink for the occasion, the hanami-sake that Ryoken so adored in stark contrast to the juice and lighter drinks that Yusaku favored... it was all so beautiful and genuine).
(And of course it was all pink).
The scent of sakura petals tickled his nostrils, intoxicating his senses. Yusaku had to be honest: until the previous hanami that had occurred the spring before, he had never paid any attention to it. Maybe it was because he had never been in the company of Ryoken, but rather of the chaotic nature of his group of friends, guys who were nice and kind but also so chatty and lovably goofy.
Yes, that had to be so: the years back he had been too busy to keep Yuma from devouring all the onigiri and Judai from doing the same with the fried dishes, Yuya from not blowing something up in one of his impromptu magic tricks in the moment, Yuto and Yugo from not killing each other over simple squabbles, and Kaito and Ryoga from not doing the same, even though everyone was now aware that they tended to change their attitudes radically when they were alone in their more unique than rare intimacy.
As if that were not enough, Yusei – as well as his best friend – and all the rest of the group were not doing who knows how much to calm things down; on the contrary, they seemed to be having the time of their lives at the sight of a picnic that even started out quite quietly only to go into spontaneous combustion due to too much liveliness and even some shouting from some over-exaggerated kids.
In short, during the annual picnic devoted to hanami Yusaku had his hands full, and in the end he always tended to forget how much that age-old tradition was also partly devoted to personal reflection, which Ryoken was finally allowing him to do.
Yusaku only had an hour before a huge hurricane hit the park and struck him full force – his group of friends would arrive at a later date – but for that one time it could be enough.
(Everything was absolutely perfect).
2
To celebrate hanami, there were no real rituals to follow; even just being in company eating and drinking something pink that evoked the flowers and cherries was fine, and maybe that was precisely why those moments were so special, because they were moments of sharing in which nothing was bothered about – overly hungry and exaggerated friends aside.
As a shower of petals danced around him, Yusaku closed his eyes, letting the enchanting scent and the warm wind sigh.
Meanwhile, Ryoken held him close and gently stroked his hair.
(Yes, everything was really perfect).
3
Maybe he had been asleep. Maybe he had let himself go too much and sank into dreamland without realizing it.
When he opened his eyes again, however, he noted that not even five minutes had passed.
«How did your reflection on life go?» Ryoken asked once Yusaku broke away from him to stretch a little.
«I just dozed for a few minutes» he admitted a little embarrassed. «I guess I'll need to, given what I have to face next...» he tried to make a joke and relaxed a little when he heard Ryoken chuckle.
«Are your friends really that chaotic?»
«Yes, although I don't mean that in a bad way. Let's just say... they're my exact opposite, that is. Especially when it comes to being outdoors and in a public place».
Ryoken seemed to mull it over for a moment and then replied: «You are a very private person».
«Precisely» Yusaku pointed out. «They don't even know what the meaning of the word discretion is».
It was there that Ryoken's giggling turned into genuine and infectious hilarity, so much so that eventually Yusaku too found himself curving his lips along with him.
«I love them too much, though... they're the closest friends I have» he finally continued, letting slip a smile filled with sweetness.
«One more reason to want to meet them. From the way you described them to me, they all seem like very good people».
«They are, I can assure you».
Ryoken smiled, and Yusaku wished he could sink into the curve of those lips.
«I'm glad you invited me to celebrate hanami with you and your friends. After all, we just started dating ourselves relatively recently and... well, I'm very pleased».
(What was the spectacle Yusaku was witnessing? It was something totally planned for, since he was aware that he would be surrounded by the color pink that day, yes, but he certainly never thought that Ryoken's cheeks could also be veiled in that faint hue, making the features of his face even more attractive).
(It was usually Ryoken who was the more resourceful of the two... but after all they were still getting to know each other, although Yusaku loved from the start that gentler side of his person).
(It had been enough for him; with Ryoken it was always enough).
(And Ryoken couldn't get enough).
«You're welcome. In fact, it is I who thank you for accepting the invitation. Being able to spend time with you is always pleasant and... I mean, you know I enjoy your company and like you a lot, so...»
Yusaku was getting wrapped up in his own awkward but, at the same time, candid and sincere words. Fortunately for him, the thought related to the little surprise he had prepared for Ryoken knocked timidly at the doors of his mind, leading him to breathe an inward sigh of relief.
«I've prepared a surprise for you...» he whispered, stepping closer to one of the bags he had brought with him for that sunny afternoon now well into the evening.
He only hoped that he would not sink elsewhere from too much excitement that just then had well thought to mock him...
4
The hanami bentō that Yusaku had prepared was really pretty – Ryoken had repeated it to him countless times throughout and praised his culinary skills as well.
It was a hanami bentō that was a little smaller than the others and absolutely perfect for two people who did not want to overdo it with food before their friends arrived.
Inside were two sakura onigiri – for that special occasion, the rice balls tended toward pink and had a floral flavor thanks to the presence of the salted cherry blossoms –, some karaage – Yusaku just hoped he hadn't overdone it by frying the chicken – and two hanami dango as small desserts – the five colorful dumplings lined up neatly in the bamboo skewer reflected the light thanks to the sweet soy sauce that coated them.
This was not the first time Yusaku had cooked for someone; indeed, usually during previous hanami he had been the one to prepare the decorated bentō for the occasion
(and he had a veritable army to feed)
only he had never cooked for the person with whom he had been dating for the past few months, which was why his friends, yes, already knew his cooking and appreciated it, Ryoken on the other hand had been a giant question mark until that day.
Hearing Ryoken compliment him really made Yusaku happy and loved. And at that moment, as Ryoken thanked him for the surprise with a gentle kiss on the lips, Yusaku thought that the blue blanket used for the picnic was not that big, although there were still many people missing from the roll call.
There were the two of them. Only the two of them, and for the moment, before Hurricane Friendship arrived, that was fine.