𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑴𝒚 𝑯𝒂𝒏𝒅 | 𝐃𝐑 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬

*+. Strawberry Sunrise .+*

"For god sake! You're not a tool!" Kuzuryuu shouted. The room fell silent once more. He still could not for the life of him understand why Peko thought of herself so lowly. She was a talented swords woman, and she did her absolute best to ensure that the yakuza boss was safe at all times. She did good at her job, and she even managed to capture Kuzuryuu's ice cold heart.

But Peko had troubles understanding her worth sometimes. She would constantly call herself a tool, even though she knew she did well. She knew she was more than just a tool, she was everything to Kuzuryuu. The truth was that he was just too shy to tell her. It had gotten to the point where his friends and family would tease him about it everyday. And confessing was all his little sister Natsumi would talk about at this point.

Peko of course, felt the same way. But they both struggled with communication. They could spend time together and be happy, they could understand the concept and feelings of love as well. But both did very poorly with expressing it. Kuzuryuu thought it wasn't fair. Natsumi teased him about it almost every day, but she never offered him any support or help. It was the same with Peko, her friends never provided her with the proper help she needed.

The room was still silent as the two stood there. The air was stiff and neither moved an inch. They were all alone in that room together, just them. Kuzuryuu clenched his fists several times, trying to suppress the anger that was building up inside him. Peko looked away, slightly ashamed. She inhaled quickly before speaking.

"Young Master...I appreciate your concern for me...but I am nothing more than just a tool for you." Her speech was blank. Kuzuryuu looked into her ruby eyes, they were blank. His temper was getting the best of him, and he couldn't control his rage anymore.

"Shut up! I know you know that isn't true! Because it's not! You're more than that!" Kuzuryuu roared, he turned so that he was facing the wall and took a deep breathe. Peko's eyes widened as she watched the boy taking deep breathes of air. Shouting at her was very rare to Kuzuryuu. But whenever he did, it would always be to help her understand.

"You're not just some stupid tool! You are a person! You have feelings just like any of us! You're my everything! And I love you! But I just wish you'd stop convincing yourself that you're nothing! Stop trying to see yourself as something you aren't! Please!" The last word came out as more of a beg. Peko was left lost for words, and Kuzuryuu could feel tears stinging in his eyes.

"Young...Master?" Peko spoke, almost like she was calling out to him. Her voice was low and confused, and he could tell she was starting to cry too. Without thinking, he ran to her. Trapping her in a tight hug. Peko gasped, binging her arms around Kuzuryuu and holding him just as tightly. They stood holding each other, holding onto each other like their life depended on it.

"Please don't talk about yourself that way...it upsets me..." Kuzuryuu sighed, pulling away slightly and looking into Peko's eyes. Her face was red and she stared back into his faded yellow pupils. Peko took a deep breathe and nodded. Kuzuryuu took it as a sign that she would do her best to stop calling herself those names.

Humming contently, he kissed her quick on the nose and pulled her to the floor. He rested his head on her lap and the gray haired female gently stroked his hair. She did this until she heard his soft snoring and soon the girl fell asleep next to him. By then, Natsumi had heard the commotion and made her way to the window, watching them from the outside.

The sun was burning, and the blonde girl felt the top of her head. It was warm, and sweat was dripping from her forehead. But that didn't matter right now, for she could just take a shower later. What mattered now was the fact that Natsumi had recorded the whole thing starting from when the two hugged.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her away from their home. Some strands of her blonde hair stuck to her face, and she quickly lifted a hand to brush them away. She couldn't wait to tell everybody at school about it. Meanwhile, Kuzuryuu and Peko remained sleeping in the room. Thankfully, no one was home that day, so they wouldn't see them together.

But having Kuzuryuu shout at Peko was normal for the family to hear. He had yelled at her many times when they were all there. And Natsumi would always complain from the kitchen table about them getting together. She would always get shushed by her parents about this. But even still, Kuzuryuu could still here her complaining through the thin walls, and it would make him even more mad.

He had known Peko since they were infants. When they were little, both agreed that it was just a close friends relationship. But as both grew up, they realized it was more than that. It felt great to finally get out all the feelings Kuzuryuu had been keeping for so long.

The sun was setting, and Natsumi was heading home once more. She had ran down to Sato's house to tell her about what had happened. She wasn't as thrilled as Natsumi, which made the blonde get a little angry. Nonetheless, she continued to head from door to door to tell all her friends in the neighborhood what had happened.

Kuzuryuu rubbed his eyes and squinted. He used his hands to feel around him since the room was dark. It was then that he remembered Peko was asleep, and he gently tapped her shoulder to wake her up. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. When she caught Kuzuryuu staring at her she smiled. The boy took one look at her beautiful eyes and laughed.