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☾ ⋆･ﾟ:⋆･ﾟ: ⋆.:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: . ☁
The first time you saw Hyuga, you were left breathless. The aura he held was one of fury and the way he fought was unstable. He didn’t have a set style, he was a wildcard that couldn’t be predicted, and that terrified you. You had always heard the stories about him and your friends had warned you on more than one occasion to avoid him at all costs, but you had always been attracted toward danger much like a moth to a flame.
You knew it would probably burn you, but you just couldn’t help yourself. You knew there was something deeper to this man, deeper than the fury he displayed, deeper than his unwillingness to cooperate peacefully with the rest of S.W.O.R.D. You wanted to know what it was, even if that meant you had to toss yourself into the line of fire.
At first, you settled for watching him from afar. For the most part, he remained at the temple while his men went out to fight and make deals in his place. They were easily powerful enough to get the job done without him, but there were a few occasions when he would rise up and make an appearance himself. You loved watching Hyuga fight, it was equal parts terrifying and mesmerizing.
As time passed, you stopped being quite as careful, wanting to get closer, to learn more about him, but this proved to be a fateful misstep for you. It had been innocent enough; you stepped around the tree farther than you should have to get a better look at him as he sat in the entryway to the temple much like a king would sit upon his throne. And really, you believed he was a king in his own right. Perhaps not in the traditional sense, but there was definitely something about him that fit the role.
One of the members of Daruma Ikka just happened to glance over his shoulder and he saw you peeking out from the tree, your eyes trained on his leader. Without a second of hesitation, he started to scream about an intruder, pointing and yelling at you. It took you a moment to realize that the sudden uproar was because of you and by that point, it was far too late.
You tried to run when you saw a wave of angry men rushing toward you, but you weren’t fast enough and they easily overcame you, grabbing at your body so you couldn’t escape. And you really did try, wriggling this way and that to free yourself, but their grip was like iron shackles against your arms.
Your heart hammered in your chest as they dragged you toward the temple before their boss. It was the first time you had been so close to Hyuga and you swallowed hard when his dark eyes met yours. He was intimidating but… he was also quite beautiful, complimented by the mysterious aura he kept about himself. He was a man that demanded loyalty and it was given to him quite freely, that much was obvious. His men may carry some fear in their hearts, but that’s not what drives them to follow him.
They truly respect and look up to him for guidance, following his will with no resistance. Of course, most of S.W.O.R.D was like that, following their respective leaders for one reason or another, but it felt different with Daruma. Less like a group of friends and more like a royal family, each person knowing their place and never stepping out from it. How had he come to command such power? You didn’t know, but you most certainly wanted to.
“Who are you?”
His voice sent a chill down your spine, a drawl of command mingled with half-hearted laziness that had you lowering your head. It made you wonder if he actually cared who you were and why you were in his territory. More importantly, you wondered what he would do to you for invading his home. Would he have his men attack you and then dump you like a piece of trash? Would he keep you around, forcing you to work for him? You tried to calculate the chance of you getting out of this with minimal damage and it didn’t look good for you.
“Oi!” one of the men snapped at you, his large hand grabbing the back of your neck and giving you a shake. “Hyuga-san asked you a question!”
You winced at how loud his voice was right beside your ear. Was he trying to burst your eardrum? It certainly seemed so. You slowly lifted your head to meet his gaze again. Should you be honest? No, that wouldn’t go over well. “I, uh… I got lost…”
The men erupted with exclamations, calling you out on your bullshit lie. More specifically, the man that had first discovered you stepped forward, a scowl on his face. “Bullshit. You were starin’ at boss like you wanted to kill ’em!”
The hand on your neck tightened to a painful degree as he forced you backward. “Hah? You came here to kill our boss, did ya? Like we’d let you!”
“What? No, I -“
The men continued to yell and scream at you, lobbing insults and threats at you, most of which were far more violent than you had hoped. You were beginning to feel like a mouse caught in a trap and it was definitely not a feeling you enjoyed. You had to find a way out of this situation and fast. Your eyes flickered back and forth, but the men were like a wall surrounding you, offering not a single crack in their defense.
A hand gripped your chin, forcing you to look forward into the dark eyes of Daruma’s leader. “I asked you a question. Who are you and what are you doing here?”
You felt mesmerized by his gaze as if he were putting a spell on you. “You’re like a mad king,” you replied without thinking, feeling the tension rise around you.
“What did you just say?!”
“How dare you speak to Hyuga-san with such disrespect!”
“We’re gonna beat your ass!”
Swallowing hard, you tried to collect your thoughts and explain yourself. “I-I mean, you’re very interesting and I just wanted to get a closer look…”
“Hah? He’s not some animal at the zoo!”
“Who do you think you are?!”
The corners of Hyuga’s lips tugged upward, amusement dancing in his eyes as he straightened up, releasing your chin. “What’s your name?”
“Y/N…”
“Let’s talk, Y/N.”
“Eh?” You blinked in confusion as he turned around, heading back up the steps.
He stopped halfway, looking over his shoulder at the two men that still held you tightly. Without a word exchanged, they released you and took a step back, giving you room to finally breathe properly. His eyes fell to you, his brow quirked up. “You comin’?” He didn’t wait for your reply as he finished climbing the steps, disappearing into the temple.
For a moment, you stood there frozen, trying to process what had just happened. You could feel the tense, angry gazes of the men behind you as you slowly followed after him, uncertainty filling you. You had no idea what was waiting for you inside that temple, but you wanted to know, you wanted to follow him. So you did.
☾ ⋆･ﾟ:⋆･ﾟ: ⋆.:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: . ☁
You clutched the plastic bag in your hand tightly as the temple came into a view, a smile sliding onto your lips. The members of Daruma parted for you to pass by, giving you nods of acknowledgment or greeting you with a grin. It was still a bit strange how they had been so quick to accept you into their circle, but they didn’t seem to hold any more animosity toward you, which you were grateful for. Once you got to know them, you came to realize that they’re all pretty nice guys with a good sense of humor. Above all else, they like to have fun and enjoy life. You really liked that about them.
You slid the door open, stepping inside and removing your shoes. The door of Hyuga’s room was opened the tiniest bit and you could easily see him from where you stood, sleeping peacefully on the floor. He’s been stressed out recently because of Kuryu and Cobra trying to form an alliance between all of S.W.O.R.D. Then there was that creepy guy that came to see him, also wanting to form an alliance against S.W.O.R.D. Things have gotten crazy and it was clearly taking its toll on him, as it was everyone involved.
You quietly made your way to the makeshift kitchen, beginning to prepare dinner for him. Food had always been a comfort to you in times of stress and you hoped it would also help release some of the tension in him, as well. At the very least, he’d be fed and not have to worry about that – not that his men would let him go hungry. Shu used to be the one in charge of getting him food and he’s told you on more than one occasion how grateful he was that you had taken over that duty, allowing him to focus on other equally important tasks that had been entrusted to him. You hummed softly as you turned the stove on, grabbing a pan from beneath the sink.
Hyuga was well aware of your presence, so much so that he tended to wake up whenever you returned to the temple. He didn’t understand what it was about you, but you put his mind at ease, made him feel as if everything was going to work out in the end. He had never gotten so close to someone in such a short amount of time and he knew it was a risky move on his part, but he didn’t care. He craved you and the serenity that you brought with you. You always gave him your undivided attention, looking at him as if he were the only person on earth. You had looked him in the eye on your first meeting and declared that he was interesting. That took guts, for one, and he had seen only sincerity in your eyes.
With no effort at all, you had wormed your way into his heart. A part of him hated it, hated himself for falling for you so easily, but the other part of him was so grateful to have you by his side. Sometimes, it felt like you were the only thing keeping him sane, the only thing that kept him going.
A grunt passed his lips as he pulled himself up, running his hand through his mess of hair. You were so focused on the food that you didn’t notice him coming up behind you until you felt his hands on your waist, the scent of smoke and earth filling your nose and bringing a smile to your lips.
“What are you making?”
“One of your favorites.”
He hummed, resting his chin on your shoulder. “What’s the occasion?”
“Does there need to be one?” you replied softly, not wanting to tell him that you had noticed how stressed out he’s been. He didn’t like showing weakness, especially not to you, so he went out of his way to act as if nothing was bothering him and you respected that. If he didn’t want you to know, you’d pretend as if you noticed nothing. “It just seemed like a stir fry kinda night, you know?”
He huffed out a laugh, his arms sliding around your waist. “You don’t have to cook for me.”
“I want to.”
“Why?”
“Why?” you echoed thoughtfully, setting the spoon down so you could turn around in his arms, your eyes meeting his. You brushed some hair away from his forehead and smiled. “Because I care about you and I want to take care of you.”
He didn’t show it, but his breath caught in his throat, his heart hammering against his chest. Was this what love felt like? It was intoxicating, overwhelming. His grip tightened around you, his forehead resting against yours and, no matter how badly he wanted to reply, he just couldn’t seem to form any words. But that was fine, you didn’t need them. His eyes always betrayed him, saying what he couldn’t.
You brought your hand to his cheek, your voice soft. “You will always be my king and I’ll remain by your side for as long as you’ll have me.”
He chuckled, squeezing you to his body as his head found its place against the side of your neck. “Don’t say something you’re gonna regret, doll.” The happiness he felt was immeasurable and he was certain that there were no words to describe what he was feeling.
Your hand found its way to his hair, something you knew he enjoyed even though he often complained when you did so. “I won’t ever regret meeting you, Hyuga Norihisa.”
☾ ⋆･ﾟ:⋆･ﾟ: ⋆.:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: . ☁