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Winter was perhaps Kaede’s least favorite season.
Not simply because it was cold, and she’d often get sick; or how she’d unfortunately encounter many snowstorms that would force her to cancel some of her piano shows.
But rather because it was exactly around this time that she had once participated in the famously known show, “Danganronpa”, about 4 years ago.
Now that she thought about it, today would mark 5.
Despite it all having been nothing more than a simulation; Kaede and the rest had suffered its cruelty, and even now continued to struggle with the trauma of what they had undergone throughout those days inside the game.
As a sort of ‘compensation’, the participants were all allowed to keep their ultimate talents afterwards. But of course, that would never be enough to serve as an apology after what they had been through.
Though therapy afterwards did help; it of course could not solve all of their issues alone. And in the end, they were all forced to simply adapt- and learn to move on.
Some of them did so alone however, such as Kokichi and Maki; whom Kaede hadn’t heard of since then, as they went their own ways. Though others remained close however, believing that it would be easier to get through this together-
Just like her and Rantaro.
-
Letting out a shaky breath, she tightly clutched onto her jacket for further warmth as she was capable of feeling her cheeks and nose both grow numb from the sharp cold air. It didn’t help that it had just begun to snow once more however; with small particles slowly falling down, and onto her blonde hair.
Nonetheless, she remained sitting on the steps outside the concert hall she had just finished performing in. Of course, at this point she could just call a taxi and head home.
But there was someone she wanted to see today more than anyone.
And so with a sigh, she pulled out her phone to check the time; wondering if perhaps her show had ended sooner than expected- hence why she had been out here for a while now.
“8:34..” The blonde mumbled, her eyes slightly narrowing.
He definitely was late. But before she could even ponder further, her head instantly lifted up the moment she heard a vehicle approach. The bright headlights made it impossible to see who it was however, and just for a moment she had been about to glance back down to her phone, assuming it was someone else till she heard that voice-
His voice. Her raison d'être .
“..Hey. I didn’t keep you waiting for too long, did I?” He spoke with a chuckle, upon rolling down the window in order to meet her eyes. Immediately, Kaede’s own lavender hues brightened up as she faced him and quickly stood from her spot.
A simple fleeting moment in where they eyes would meet, was all that she really needed for her day to instantly illuminate once more. Those memories that plagued her mind, and the pain that she swore that still lingered on her body- they all went away, with just a simple look from those green orbs of his.
And that warmth that always bubbled within her chest whenever she was with him, instantly came back again.
With a bit of a smile, she began to make her way over; no longer wanting to wait outside in the sheer coldness, as the snow had finally begun to pick up.
“Of course you didn’t Taro; it’s not like my fingers weren’t about to completely freeze from how numb they got, or anything..” She joked, rolling her eyes as she proceeded to enter the vehicle. Upon having gotten adjusted into her seat, she was quick to roll the window back up- already having faced enough of the wintery weather.
“Hahah, well that’d be a shame, no? We can’t have those talented fingers of yours falling off.” Rantaro faced her with a coy smile as he reached out to take her hand in his. The blonde blinked at his words and expression, before her already rosy face darkened even further.
Having been a couple for about 3 years now, of course they had already undergone the majority of the steps that’d be taken when in a relationship. Including experiencing such.. Intimacy.
But the mere reminder of it, caused Kaede to completely flush.
And when Rantaro noticed, he let out an amused laugh; realizing that his phrasing had caused her to assume the wrong thing. “Sorry, sorry.. I meant as in when you play the piano. You need them to play after all, right?” Raising her hand, he brought it close to his lips and placed several small kisses on top of her knuckles.
“Oh. Y-Yeah..! I suppose so..!” Kaede awkwardly laughed, now feeling even more embarrassed for having allowed her unholy thoughts to get the best of her.
Rantaro on the other hand found this further amusing, and chuckled to himself,
“..But I’ll admit your fingers are also talented for that too.”
“Wha-..! R-Rantaro!”
-
The moment they had arrived home, and set foot into their apartment, Kaede was quick to rush towards the couch and toss herself onto it. Once she laid on her back, she kicked off her boots and let out a heavy groan, “Ahh.. I’m tired. And still kind of cold..”
“Was your show this time more tiring than usual?” Rantaro held a gentle expression as he locked the door behind him, then began to remove his own coat and set it aside.
“Sort of. We were supposed to have a guest perform a couple of songs today; but she ended up having a cold and couldn’t make it. So I had to fill in and perform those songs instead. I basically performed twice..!” Kaede groaned as she rested an arm over her eyes, very much relieved to finally be able to relax.
Or so she was hoping so; because she knew that no matter how hard she tried to forget what day it was today- it continued to bite her at the back of her mind. She could smile and laugh, and pretend to have forgotten about it all, but in the end.. Those memories always came back.
Before she could even allow such thoughts to enter her mind however, she was startled as she felt a sudden weight on top of her. Immediately moving her arm away, she opened her eyes and was met with Rantaro’s own orbs as he laid on top of her.
Normally she could complain about him being heavy, as she usually was the one who preferred to lay on top of him; but she wanted all the comfort he could currently give.
“You’re thinking about today’s anniversary, aren’t you..?” Rantaro spoke with a concerned tone, as if he almost seemed to have read her mind and taken notice of her vulnerability.
Kaede’s eyes darted aside, and she merely nodded in response.
There was no use in hiding her emotions from him after all; by this point, he knew her better than anyone else. And she was very much aware of that.
“..Yeah. It’s hard to just.. forget about it all.” Kaede sighed as her eyes landed back on him. His expression softened, but rather than providing words of comfort; Rantaro instead relied on his actions.
Leaning downwards, he placed a gentle and chaste kiss against her lips. Her skin was still cold to the touch, though he did not seem to mind, as instead- he leaned downwards again and offered several more.
It wasn’t long till he took note of the way warmth made its way back to her skin, as both her lips and cheeks began to turn into its usual rosy color. He couldn’t help but smile, as relief washed over him; relief about how they had managed to live.
That they had managed to move on from that horrible game.
And that they had managed to be here now; alive and together.
The past was the past, and Rantaro had been one of the first to move on and adapt to this new way of life. But as much as he wanted it so, he knew that it was not the same thing for his lover. She continued to hold onto such guilt for having killed him, and still experienced the trauma of having been brutally executed-
That was something he thankfully never got to experience.
But even so.. He was willing to be with her every step in her recovery process; even if he couldn’t understand her pain. Whether it’d take weeks, months, years; they were already sworn to one another. And he had all the time in the world.
-
“Do you want to take a warm bath? Afterwards, we can make dinner together.” Rantaro offered, despite fully knowing that Kaede definitely was not to set foot in the kitchen- her cooking skills were far worse than that of a complete beginner.
Kaede blinked, also finding his offer rather odd, but nonetheless; she accepted.
Any time with him- even if it’d be trying to turn off a fire she somehow caused in the sink, was more than enough to bring her comfort.
“Yeah, that sounds good.” She contently nodded before watching as Rantaro proceeded to crawl off from her, and stood up. He then extended his hand out and held onto hers, helping her stand as well.
As they then began to walk down the hallway, with their fingers tightly intertwined, they suddenly halted upon reaching the bathroom door. Rather than opening it and entering however, Rantaro turned to look at the female, with a bit of an intriguing smile.
“W-What is it..?” Kaede confusedly blinked.
He let out a chuckle, “Well, go ahead. It’s best if you go in first..”
Her eyes slightly widened, and she gave a bit of a nod in response. Like always, Rantaro was rather unpredictable- but it was one of the reasons she’d genuinely love him. There was always something unknown to expect; and being the curious and determined girl that she was..
They were just the perfect puzzle pieces; ones that only fit, and were only meant, for each other.
She couldn’t but soften her expression as she gave a bit of a laugh, then released his hand. “Okay Taro.. if you say so~” Landing her hand on the knob, she slowly began to turn it; then pushed the door open.
-
Rather than being met with pure darkness as the lights should regularly be off; Kaede was instead met with various lit candles placed all over the ground and counter, completely illuminating the bathroom in a comforting glow.
She was quick to catch the scents of the candle too, and her eyes widened as she almost instantly recognized the scent. Scents she was rather fond of; and was admittedly surprised that Rantaro even remembered.
And despite the candles all being different and the scents mixing throughout the air; Kaede still managed to recognize them all, from how often she’d use them after stressing shows.
‘Strawberry.. Orange.. Lemon.. Pineapple.’
All incredibly fruity yet simple scents indeed. But those were the scents that comforted her the most; as they were scents that inside the game of Danganronpa- they were lacking. But now that she was free, she could enjoy them to her heart's content; and even use them as a reminder that she was far away from that nightmare.
And that she could relax, and ease her anxiety.
Though admittedly the mere thought of Rantaro having even remembered the scents of her new little candle collecting hobby- it caused her heart to race. And the feeling only intensified as she stepped in further, and caught sight of the various rose petals that were scattered throughout the floor; and some even on top of the bathtub, which was filled with the fluffiest bubbles.
“Taro.. you.. did this? For me?” Kaede asked while shock was written all over her face, as she gently rested her hand over her chest- still capable of feeling her heart rapidly beating.
The taller male couldn’t help but lightly laugh at her expression.
“Of course, Kae. I know that.. you get incredibly depressed around this time of the year. And also considering you had a show today.. I thought the best thing for you to do was just to relax and take it easy.”
As he spoke, he approached her from behind and proceeded to wrap his arms around her waist. Kaede quickly melted into his touch and tilted her head to the side, allowing him to plant kisses against her neck.
Her face then flushed, “You really didn’t have to do all this for me, you know.. Just being with you is enough for me to feel okay.”
Rantaro blinked at her comment, before then feeling his own face grow hot.
“..I know. But still.. you need to learn to relax a little, okay?” He mumbled before continuing to kiss her neck, before then slowly moving towards her collarbone.
Kaede simply nodded in response before shutting her eyes as she felt him slip his fingers underneath the hem of her sweater.
“Can I help..?” He asked in a hushed tone, and once more- she nodded.
“Yes.” She spoke out, allowing him to help her undress.
-
Although the bath was only meant for Kaede, as Rantaro had initially meant to offer to wash her back; she had insisted on him joining her as well. And of course; he couldn’t deny her.
So before he knew it- he shared that peaceful relaxation and cleanliness of the bath, along with her.
Kaede currently sat on top of his lap, and was laying back against his chest, meanwhile Rantaro himself was leaning against the bathtub.
Their hair was soaked with warm water, and their bodies had seemed to absorb the floral scents that the petals offered; with a couple even seeming to stick against their skin. This wasn’t a bother in the slightest however, as they kept quiet- and simply enjoyed the overall atmosphere.
This was comfort for them. This was home.
“Hey, Taro.. I really am glad that.. you chose to stick around with me. I always worried that everyone would want to go their own ways like Maki and Kokichi, but you- you stayed with me despite what I had done. So thank you.” Kaede’s voice was soft.
“No, I want to thank you . After I had found out that.. I really never even had sisters, and was actually an only child; I felt alone. But you allowed me to stay by your side.” Rantaro matched her gentle tone, and proceeded to then push her blonde hair to the side.
“..I guess we were both lonely, huh?” Kaede let out a chuckle, before glancing back upon feeling him move. She kept quiet as he began to kiss her nape.
However, before he could continue any further, she suddenly turned; causing him to blink in surprise, before then forming a smile upon meeting her eyes.
“I l-love you..” Kaede mumbled out, before proceeding to cup his cheeks.
After their gaze lingered for a few more seconds, she then leaned in, allowing her lips to connect with his, and further deepen as she pressed herself.
Rantaro responded by wrapping his arms around her waist; and allowed himself to melt into her touch. And he was once more reminded that with her- he as well felt all his pain ease away.