The Fairest of Them All

XI. Cracks of the Past

A/N: I do not own the lovely dress above. Hats off to the very, very talented artist who sketched this, whoever it may be~ I am very, very thankful.

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Chapter 11

Everything began to blur as oxygen was leaving her. Yui reached a hand up, desperately trying to cling onto anything...Anything that could save her. Her head was throbbing, and the water devouring her was churning and cold. Among the recent black spots at the corner of her eyes, something red was approaching her.

Less than a second after that, Yui gasped, gulping in great amounts of air as her lungs no longer burned. She turned her head to cough up water, and once she opened her eyes, she was met by the door that she entered minutes ago. She looked up to see her survivor, and was surprised that she was in the arms of the same guy that pushed her into the cold waters.

"A-Ayato? Wh-Why did you save me?" she quietly asked, following it with another cough.

Her saviour remained silent as he placed her on the floor. He then looked at the pool that almost glowed behind her, a darkened expression on his face. After throwing a towel at her shivering form, he walked away.

The clicking sound of shut doors reached his ears once he stepped outside, barely beating the small swishing sound of fabric dragging across the carpet.

"...What? Are you going to lecture me? Punish me?" His tone was less menacing that intended, while his head was bowed along with stiff shoulders.

A pat on the head made him jump. He lifted his gaze to look at the woman in front of him with wide eyes.

"No. You did well," Guinevere gently praised, her hand still placed on his head. A barely audible sound of shock escaped him. Wearing a gentle smile, she continued. "By saving Yui-chan, it shows that you refuse to let the faults within the past repeat. That you chose to not let that woman affect you. You are strong, like mother said, and for that I am proud of you."

When silence greeted her, Guinevere took her hand from his head and tilted her head to the side, attempting to see beyond his red bangs. Her hand was suddenly grabbed, and she was pulled forwards before her lips crashed into his.

Her eyes widened as this all happened in a blur. Blinking, she felt the soft coldness disappear as Ayato parted away from her. His eyes locked with hers, revealing a small, unexpected emotion that soothed the oozing intensity.

He then disappeared before she snapped out of her trance. When she did, realisation adorned her face. The emotion in his eyes...the emotion that held tenderness and sincerity...

Guinevere smiled. It was affection.

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"This feeling...this is déjà vu, isn't it?" Yui asked as she climbed on the bed.

Silver eyes blinked, dark eyelashes fluttering along. "I suppose so."

"Guinee-san, I can't thank you enough! You're such a lovely person as well, on the inside and on the outside."

Small laughter slipped through luscious lips. "Me? How absurd."

"No, seriously!" Yui's eyes were sparkling with admiration. "Helping a girl like me shows how kind of a person you are...and I couldn't be more grateful."