'Crap crap crap... when did she get here!?' I bite my tongue as a million thoughts run through my head, my right-hand clenching, holding the flower -I was now hiding behind my back- tightly.

"Ah, what are you doing here?" I ask as calmly as I can, though cursed myself for my loss of words at the start of the sentence.

"I saw you up here and just came to check on you I guess... How are your eyes?" Kazane fidgeted in her spot as she asked the question, turning her gaze to the floor before up into my eyes.

"Yeah~ better, thanks to you," I tilted my head slightly at her.

"Oh ah, yeah, no problem," She blushed.

'Come on Ukai... you can do this! Tell her!' My inner battle raged on as I stared at my partner.

"Yeah so..." I began, playing with the flower behind my back, looking to the side.

'Do it... Do it!...' I clenched my eyes shut and held my breath for a second.

"Are you ok Ukai?"

'...I can't...'

"Y~yeah... fine," I turn my back to her to face the village again, rotating so she didn't see the flower.

'You coward...' I hissed at myself, looking down at the purple bloom.

"No your not... I can see something's bugging you... you can tell me you know," Kazane walked up next to me, making me drop my hand that held the flower to my side so she didn't see it.

"I know... I just don't know how to..." I mumble as I lower my gaze to my shoes.

"Hmm?" Kazane turned to me.

"... I, how do you tell someone something, knowing there might be a chance they might despise you afterward?" I turned my eyes to her's, seeing the sunshine in them made me feel a little calmer, though I was still nervous out of my mind.

"Oh... it's one of those huh? Well... from personal experience, all I can say is that if you have to tell them, and they don't like it, then it's something they need to hear," She explained.

"Yeah... I don't think that works with what I have to say..." I turn away.

"Well, what do you have to tell them?"

I looked back at Kazane's face and choked on a breath.

'Ok come on... come on..' I tried to motivate myself.

"Well..." I grip the flower and turn to her.

"Kazane I need to tell you something..." I began.

"Now you might not want to see me after this, but I'm hoping it won't come to that..." I say determinedly, watching her cheerful face drop to one of shock and worry mixed.

"O~oh... me? Um~ ok..." She cleared her throat and turned to me.

"I've... given this a lot of thought ok... It took me a while to understand and even longer to convince myself that telling you was the best thing..." I moved my eyes from her to her shoes, repeatedly clenching my fists.

"I l~ I love~... I love you," I stuttered, feeling my voice get caught in my throat and my body shake as my nerves started getting the better of me.

"And I've never felt this way about anyone before," I continue softly, slowly pulling the Clematis out into view, and lightly playing with the petals.

"I would go to the end of the world for you... or time... because for, the first time, in my life... I've found the one person I want to share everything with..." I add, lifting my eyes to lock with hers.

"No one's ever stuck with me for as long as you have in a long time... and, when I'm with you, I feel like~... I look at you and I'm home," I swallow back a lump in my throat, blinking the moisture in my eyes away.

"And I promise I will never~... I will never let anyone, or anything, hurt you... because I care about your wellbeing, more than my own..."

"When I'm with you, I feel happy... I feel, like nothing in the world could ever bring me down because you're by my side, I feel... I feel loved."

"I love the way you stayed by my side, stayed with me, even when I was rude to you, or pushed you away... especially when we first met, and I nearly killed you trying to get my mask..." I laughed lightly at the memory, biting my lip and looking down again.

"You're always so cheerful, you're always smiling... and... when I'm with you... I feel like a new person."

"Being with you is like... being somewhere... I have never been before," I look up into her eyes one last time, swallowing the last of my fears as I prepared to finish my confession.

"When I'm with you, everything around me fades... when I look at you, you're all I see... you've brought so much into my life I~ I can't imagine going on without you... you're the person I want to spend every second, till my last, with... I... I promise to give my all to you and~ I'm going to choose, to be the best I can... for you..." I finish, staring at her shocked, tear-filled eyes.

'I~is she crying?' I clench my jaw and lower my gaze.

'Idiot... this is the second time you've made her cry.' I scold myself, clenching the stem of the Clematis so hard I thought it would break.

"And I..." I heard her whisper.

"What?" I raised my gaze, staring at her with a sad look on my face.

"And I, you..." She removed her hands from covering her mouth, showing me the small yet bright smile on her face.

"I'm going to choose, to see the best in you, and give my best to you... Ukai," She said again, wrapping her hands around the one of mine that held the flower.

"I love you... too," She said quietly, tears falling from her shining eyes and over her bright red cheeks.

"..." I shifted my eyes between hers, darting them down to her lips for a second before back.

"You do?"

"I do..." She nodded.

The wind blew over us again, flapping both our clothes lightly, as we stared at each other. We stood only inches apart, her hands intertwined with my right one, her head tilted back as she looked up at me. I stood with my head bent forward, my hair flying in the wind as I looked down at her, into her beautiful eyes. I slowly raised my left hand and placed it on her cheek, stroking her smooth skin lightly as my eyes scanned her face. Kazane released a light breath, her eyes fluttering a blink but never leaving mine. I dropped my gaze to her lips once again and slowly began to lean in, feeling her let go of my hand slightly. I closed my eyes, as she did, and paused a hair away from her mouth before connecting our lips. The world around me faded as she brought her hands up to hold my face, my right hand going to her waist and pulling her closer. I felt like I was floating as my lips moved with Kazane's. This felt so right... it felt like she was meant to be the only one I was supposed to kiss for the rest of my life... and I like it.