Prompt 13:
A nose as red as Rudolph’s.
“Minako?”
Leaving his office for the last time before his holiday break, it was little less than a surprise to find her standing there on the sidewalk. She was donned in the orange coat he had first spotted her in, but this time her legs were covered by tight denim and her feet in white flats that were already a bit dirtied at the toe. Her hands were shoved deep in her pockets while the wind whipped her blonde locks around her. Shivering in the cold wind, her red bow crowned the waterfall of golden hair. Never good at hiding her emotions, her eyes looked up at him with some kind of anxiety. She only gave one word in reply, but he was sure that there were plenty more to come. “Hi.”
Katsumi was bundled up in his silver wool coat, a thick white scarf, and gloves that matched his black shoes. His work pants were a bit too thin to be standing out here, but it wasn’t the wind whipping around his legs that made him shiver. It was the sight of her shivering. “Come on, its too cold to be out here.”
Minako blushed as he began to walk, but she trotted up right along side him. “Aren’t you going to ask what I’m doing here?”
“No,” he said with a sigh, as if the question almost offended him. Only after he said it did he meet her eyes kindly. “Since none of the others live or work around here, I suppose you’d like to speak to me, if you’re coming across town just to wait in front of my building. Besides, it doesn’t matter why you’re freezing out here, but it simply won’t do.”
Minako couldn’t stop blushing as she walked beside him. He practically never looked down at her, but he kept very close to her as not to lose her. There was never a time that she felt unwanted beside him, and he even held out his arm to protect her at intersections. She enjoyed this, even though she’d probably complain that she was grown up enough to cross a street by herself. Katsumi led her towards a tiny coffee shop and held the door open for her.
“Wait,” she said, looking in through the window and seeing that the shop was packed with people. Most of them were pining for coffee to warm them for the walk home, but many of them gathered around tables and were having happy discussions, probably of the upcoming holidays and events. Minako was not here to have a happy discussion. “Not yet. There’s something I have to say.”
Katsumi let a stranger pass by him before he released the door and walked over to her. She stared up apprehensively, chewing on her bottom lip a bit. Her nose was bright red from the wind, enough to match her bow. How could such a woman always look as innocent as a child to him?
“I’m sorry,” she barked loudly, as if the words had to be forced to emerge. “For the other night.”
“No, I should be sorry. I presumed,” Katsumi started, but Minako stopped him with a hand on his chest. She had always been able to stop him like that.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I just thought going out to dinner wasn’t meant to be a business meeting. It’s fine that it was because I know we have so much to discuss, and I shouldn’t have left in the first place. I guess I just had high expectations.”
“Expectations for what, Minako?” The way he spoke was so controlled, not giving anything away. She hated feeling so unraveled around him.
“For us.” There was no room left for anything but honesty now. “The others all have reservations about it, but I didn’t. I never did. Somehow, I just expected us to pick up where we were before it all went wrong. That’s what I’ve always wanted. When it didn’t happen, I realized how stupid it was.”
His hand covered hers on his chest. “It’s not stupid, only rushed. There are a lot of things for all of us to deal with. I’m not sure if I am really the man you deserve, or if I can ask anything of you at this point. Even if you can forgive them, my sins are too heavy to forget; I could never ask that of you.”
Minako felt her heart sink as he pulled her hand away from his chest, but did not let go.
“But you should know I could never have remembered any of this if I didn’t see you one day. It was you that brought me back, Minako. I could never explain it, but I don’t think you’d need it.” Katsumi knew he’d have to say it anyway, because she’d never truly be satisfied until she heard it from him. “My heart is not able to forget you.”
Minako’s face exploded with an overwhelming joy. Her lips spread into her cheeks before parting into a giggling smile. Her blue eyes sparkled with hints of joyous tears, and her red nose, as red as Rudolph’s, seemed to glow as she giggled fiercely. Her hand pulled away from his only so she could throw her arms around his neck. “I love you, too, Kunzite.”
Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her. It did not surprise him how good she felt within his arms. He let her hug him for a moment, but soon parted out of necessity. He offered a small smile to her, taking her hand with a gentle laugh. “It’s Katsumi now. Come on, I’m buying you hot cocoa.”
