Unselfish Wish

Chapter 18- Yes or No?

At school, Kiyoshi was nervous. Atsushi caught on to him and eyed him with suspicion.

"So, Kiyoshi, what's going on? You are a bundle of nerves today. Don't you usually come with our goddess?" Kiyoshi jumped, a little upset that he'd been caught.

"Er, I'm fine, just... I don't know." He explained what had happened to Atsushi, who began to laugh.

"Why did you do that to someone so serious? You realize that you've really given her no choice, right? That's rather cruel of you. More like the legends I've heard." He knew he was pushing his luck, but he didn't fear Tsukiyomi for some reason. He felt that they were true friends. Luckily he was correct, as Kiyoshi laughed.

"You're right, it reminds me of my less cultured moments. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait and see." His shoulders slumped. He truly was being difficult for no reason.

"Most likely, but you've created one heck of a headache. Speaking of which, here comes our goddess now." Kiyoshi turned to see her approaching with a very determined look. He wasn't sure he could take it and started to turn away, but Atsushi held him.

"No, Tsukiyomi-sama you can't do that." He bowed his head and turned back. He had to admit she was intimidating, nearly as much as his sister, when she had that look on her face. It was certainly beautiful. He could see Hinata grinning at him from behind Fumiko. Perhaps he should have sent Yutaka to escort her to school instead.

"Kiyoshi, may I speak with you?" She seemed a little out of breath.

"Right now?" For the first time ever, he found it hard to look her in the eyes.

"Right now." So saying, she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the courtyard.

"Don't worry, we'll cover for you!" Called Hinata, still standing with Atsushi. They looked at each other and laughed. How could a god be so clumsy?

Fumiko still had a hold of Kiyoshi's hand. She had a feeling that he would try to escape if she let go, though why she was not really sure. He looked very nervous.

"Kiyoshi, please look at me." He stopped his panic, startled by the distress in her eyes. Now that he had looked, it was impossible to look away. "I must ask you something. It's very important." He nodded. She took a deep breath. "How would you feel if I started dating someone? Recently I was confessed to, and I'm not sure how I should reply." She had looked down as she spoke, and looked up at the end of her statement. He stared. She had actually asked him, though not in the way he expected. Her eyes seemed to be begging him to stop her somehow, and her lips trembled as his response didn't seem to be happening.

To Fumiko the silence was deafening and she suddenly felt like crying. She released his hands as he stood frozen. She supposed this was the answer to the question. She wanted more than a short love with an adored god. She wanted to share her life with her gentle Kiyoshi. Now that she had asked the question, she had her own answer, no matter what he said. It began to rain, large droplets spattering. She spoke haltingly.

"I'm sorry,,, I've made you uncomfortable.... I shouldn't have asked you that.... I don't really have the right... Forgive my arrogance. Perhaps it's wrong of me, but I feel it must be said as well that.... I love you. More than I realized, apparently. I shall be happy if we can remain friends at least. Umm, forgive me but I need a moment alone." She turned and ran towards the school entrance. Hinata would cover for her. She had to get home.

Kiyoshi stood there staring after her. He really didn't know what to do for a moment. What should he have said? Or done? If his rival was not himself, it would be easy. If he won, his other self lost, and vice versa. He knew that he had just hurt her, and badly. He supposed he could simply disappear and take over in his god form, but to be honest he was enjoying this time spent with their mutual friends and experiencing human life. He had wanted to give her more time before revealing himself and what was to come.

Suddenly he realized that she had left alone, and was not in a balanced frame of mind. Should a battle befall her- he began running after her, as quickly as he could.

Halfway between the school and her home was a park. She was already thoroughly soaked, and though she knew she should get dry, she just couldn't seem to keep going and collapsed on her knees, not realizing they were bleeding. Tears flowed, and as her grief intensified, so did the rain. She heard a strange growling and noticed a large, wolf-like Yokai that had approached her. She could hear the desperate whispers of the guardians to let them aid her, but she simply watched as the beast approached.

She was so tired, suddenly. She closed her eyes, wondering what an attack would feel like. For all the risk while growing up, she had always been protected. She wondered if Tsukiyomi was angry with her, as he surely knew of her choice and was not helping her any longer. This made her even more sad, and the rain intensified again. The creature looked up at the rain and howled before running away. She laughed bitterly while tears continued. Thunder rolled, lightning striking nearby. I can't even be attacked properly, she thought, just as she lost consciousness.

This was observed by Kiyoshi, who at first didn't know what to think. She had caused the rain and other weather, typically abilities used by other gods and goddesses. The rain had essentially purified all Yokai in the area or caused them to leave. The storm continued despite her unconscious state. He ran over and scooped her up.

She was completely soaked, her shirt completely transparent. He was upset with himself for noticing such an irrelevant thing. He became angry with himself even more when he noticed her bloody knees. She was far too pale, and as long as he'd known her she had near perfect health. Why had she simply passed out? And why had she not allowed her guardians to help her? He carried her home, and let himself in. He could hear the guardians' whispered grumblings, along the lines of "just wait till we get out you brute,"

Thankfully, he had a key. Fumiko's parents were away on a short vacation. Fumiko had elected to remain home with her friends, feeling that her parents deserved some time alone. They were more at ease with her many friends and Tsukiyomi protecting her. They had made sure to give him a key for emergencies, since by now he was viewed as a son-in-law. After all, they were now second years and her seventeenth birthday was only three days away.

He took her upstairs to her room and laid her on the floor before getting the first aid kit to clean up her knees. Once he had the blood cleaned up, he began to remove her wet garments. Once down to her underwear, which he had to forcibly ignore, he covered her with towels, rubbing as he went to get her warm. Leaving the towels wrapped around her, he dug in the drawers for a warm nightgown, finally locating a thick flannel one clearly used for winter that was extra long in length and sleeve. He removed the towels, then her undergarments, trying to look away as much as be could. He put the gown on her swiftly, scooping her up once again to place her on the bed. He wrapped her blankets around her, then exposed her knees. He kissed each wound, healing them within minutes.

She was still far too pale and cold. She was breathing, at least. He tried patting her cheek to wake her, to no avail. He ran a hand through his hair. This is all my fault, he thought. He felt a rush of air behind him.

"Oh ho, brother, what have you done? I haven't seen a girl so broken-hearted for at least a hundred years. Wasn't this your precious one?" He looked over his shoulder to see his smirking younger brother.

"Susano'o! What are you doing here?"

"Sis sent me to see how things were going, finally. Something about testing the young lady. But, if I'm right, this storm is her doing. You sure she's only a demigod? She's got an awful lot of power. It's like being near Amaterasu, oddly enough."

"Why are we having this conversation right now? I need to take care of her. If I hadn't- Ugh! Just get out, I'll talk with you later." He started pushing Susano’o out of her room.

"Eh? So rude. Anniki, we will definitely talk when you're done right?" Kiyoshi nodded. "Fine then, I'll leave you to it. Can I eat something?" This was said with a huge grin. Kiyoshi nodded and waved him away. He didn't have time for Susano'o right now. Fumiko was still cold as ice and looked even more pale.

There was no choice, he'd have to warm her up himself. He removed his wet clothing, leaving only his boxers. It would be embarrassing for Fumiko, but at that point he wasn't concerned with appearances. He climbed into the bed with her, grateful that it was a large bed. He pulled her back against him, wrapping his body around her. He hadn't been tired until then, and he fell asleep almost in an instant. He dreamt of Fumiko, caressing her and kissing her. She was soft and warm. He woke up, realizing that it was not a dream. He had his hands all over her and she had clearly been kissed, but still slept soundly. She whispered "Kiyo" in her sleep. He didn't know anymore who she meant. He checked to make sure she was warm enough before tidying up like he'd never been there.

He gathered the wet items and went downstairs to wash and dry them. Susano'o approached him, snacks in hand as he placed items in the washer. He smiled as he looked at his brother in human form, not nearly as scary as he was used to. And so flustered.

"So, Anniki. What's going on with you and that... girl?" It was clear he thought she was much more than meets the eye.

"Hmm... well I was jealous of myself and really messed things up." Susano'o laughed out loud.

"Seriously? Why not just take her if you want her, then?"

"Is that how you did things with your ex-wife?"

"Come on, that was over a thousand years ago. Things are very different now. Any girl would love the idea of having a god as a lover." He said with huge grin, popping a handful of snacks into his mouth. No matter what you could get in Takamagahara, mortal snacks were the best.

"Fumiko is not just any girl. It's not that simple." Kiyoshi sighed.

"I don't really see why not." Susano’o said, crunching loudly.

"I can't ask her to give up everything here so soon. She's just begun to enjoy her life."

"Anniki, she made that rain and storm with her feelings alone. I don't think she's enjoying things right now. I mean, it's softened to a misty rain now since I left you guys alone, but even so..."

"Wait, I need to see if she's awake now. Sorry, Susano'o." He dashed away from his younger brother running up the stairs.

How silly, Susano'o thought. Just tell her everything and carry her off. Wait too long and other gods will notice that treasure. Even myself. He grinned.