The sun appeared weak this morning. The sun rays brighten the room. The dim light awoke Amaya. She rapped her eyes and stretched yawning lazily. It took her a second to recall what happened last night. Her facial expressions changed as her memories kicked in. She turned to the right only to find a very sleeping Hiroto. Her eyes rested against him. He seemed so peaceful and calm. Far away from the loud and strong Hiroto he usually was.

She recalled Masaki words. One evening while talking randomly Masaki admitted how worried he was about his younger brother. 'He has a softer side... He doesn't allow people to see!' Back then she didn't believe Masaki. But right now she started to believe that. He had already surprised her so many times in a good way. Hiroto was much more of a man than she thought him to be.

"Baka! Stop staring! It's creepy!" a monotonic voice said. "How long are you going to stare?" Hiroto asked her as he opened his eyes and looked at her. His eyes lightened up and his lips formed a smile.

Amaya lost her words once again. How on Earth could he keep it together and not being panicked? "You are the ert here! Don't forget that!" she responded as she felt her cheeks burn and her heart skipped a beat. What was wrong with her?

What Amaya didn't know was: that Hiroto had woken around dawn in a worse state than her. He remembered what happened last night. At first, he hit a few times his head against the wall. Thankfully Amaya didn't wake up. Then he thought to run away maybe escape abroad. Somewhere were Cobra could not find him. Yet when his gaze dropped against Amaya he maned up agreeing she was worth it. And he decided he would face Cobra after they return home.

"Idiot! I'm hungry let's have breakfast." Hiroto announced after he leaned in and kissed her lips softly. "We need to talk!"

It was one of the rare occasions that Amaya didn't argue back. She just nodded and looked at him with a foolish smile on her face.

---

It had once been an impressive dining-room but years of neglect had taken its toll. The table was long and solid wood. It was made of railway sleepers that had been stolen in the dead of night, then sanded and polished to hide their origins. The chairs made from the same solid wood. And the room looked like it appeared from an older era.

Amaya and Hiroto sat across each other waiting for the breakfast. At first, no one of them dared to talk. Their faces were still showing the morning confusion. They needed a few minutes and deep breaths before they could face each other.

"You have booked the room for two days?" Hiroto suddenly asked her as an old lady was serving their breakfast. Coffee and a few toasts.

Amaya thanked her and then answered "Yes! I booked it for two nights actually!" she corrected him.

"Then we can stay one more night?" Hiroto asked again gazing at her.

She sipped her coffee and nodded. "It's already paid. Technically we can stay! Why you think we should stay?" she asked him.

"A!" his voice came out low but clear he paused and rested his head against his palms. "Amaya let's make it official!" he suddenly added.

Amaya wrapped her head confused. "Eh? Make what official? The room?" she puzzled.

Hiroto cracked a smile and leaned in tapping her head "Idiot! Pay more attention! Us! I mean us!" he responded with a lower tone now.

"Huh!" she yelled and jumped up surprised. "You mean ... we... dating?"

Hiroto took a deep breath. Today he had to remain calm. "A! You and me dating! Why do you have a problem with that?" he uttered now serious.

Amaya sat down smiling like a small child that tastes chocolate for the first time. "Not a problem at all!" she mumbled and started eating her own toast.

Hiroto acted calm and proud. But deeply his heart was beating faster than Amaya's. His inner child was jumping up and down.

"Are we going to keep it a secret?" Amaya said after a few seconds. She earned Hiroto's now full attention.

"What?" he paused his actions and cast a glance at her "Oe! Idiot! I am serious here! We are dating officially means, it's not a secret!"

Amaya sighed and dropped her head "So we are going to tell Cobra, Yamato... Masaki! They will ..."

"Baka!" Hiroto called her lifted his arm softly running his fingers against her cheeks and pulled up her head. "Everything will be alright! We are going to explain to them in a way they will understand!" he lied. He was more worried than Amaya. Because Cobra had already warned him to stay away from his sister. Yamato, since he didn't like Hiroto at all, would kill him. As for Masaki after finding it out, he would mock him for good.

Amaya gave him a big smile and nodded "Yet, you are going to be the one who gets the beating!" she .

Hiroto tilted his head in agreement "Deal!"

---

After finishing their breakfast, Hiroto and Amaya took a small tour around Mt Fuji. They took a small break at Yamanaka Lake. The snow had already melted as it was not full winter yet. The sun was shining and it was a perfect day to walk in the coast of the lake. Amaya was wearing a white shirt and jeans. Yamato was wearing a black shirt and his ripped jeans.

They walked around the lake for a while. Amaya had a silly smile on her face as she was informing Hiroto about random stuff about Fuji-san. And the deadly Amamiya gladly followed and listened to her. For far-away, they looked like a couple in love. Like simply normal couple that was sharing a walk outside.

"The creation of Mt. Fuji is itself a matter of legend - the tale goes that the mountain was born in a single day," Amaya told him pointing at Fuji-san "The story relates the experiences of a woodsman named Visu. He was awoken one night by a loud noise, seemingly coming from under the Earth."

"Hai, sensei!" Hiroto responded smirking as he followed her "Then what about that woodsman?"

"What! You don't know! It's a very known legend! Well, the woodsman believing it to be an earthquake, grabbed his family and ran from their home. When he emerged from the doorway, he saw that the land near his home, which had been flat and dead, had become a mountain! Visu was so in awe of this occurrence, and the majesty of the mountain, that he named it "Fuji-yama", (the Never-Dying Mountain)."

"I have heard the myth of Visu. Another version though. My father used to narrate at nights." Hiroto said spacing in the memory.

Amaya turned and faced him "Do tell! Please!" she asked him in a sweet tone "Hiroto-kun!"

Hiroto was still lost in the memory but he narrated Amaya through the story. "There was a warrior who lived around the lake Yamanaka, named Visu. He use to be a deadly warrior, shadow of the lake they called him. He lived close to Yamanaka lake as a fisherman now. He had a family and turned his back to his warrior days. Yet, the empress needed him once more to fight for her. Visu declined leaving the Empress embarrassed. 'I am a fisherman now!' he bowed 'and I have a family.' His words met the Empress's wrath. The same night she called her troops and order them to kill Visu and his family. The troops arrived at dawn across the lake to murder Visu. But they couldn't reach him. Between the troops and Visu rose Fuji-san. Fuji erupted and killed the troops. Visu escaped calling it "Fuji-Sama"!"

"Nanda sore? (What the hell?)" Amaya interrupted him and started laughing. "Hiroto-kun is a softy! That myth is totally wrong!"

Hiroto dropped his gaze "You asked about it?" he tried to defend himself. He recalled why he stopped telling people about this story. He would end up being mocked.

Amaya giggled and walked over wrapping her arms around him standing on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Now now! Don't be sad!" she said as she broke the kiss.

"I'm not sad! It's a very strong legend. Heartbreaking one!" Hiroto mumbled as he wrapped his own arm around her waist "People make fun of it because they don't get it."

Amaya rolled her eyes and decided no to argue with him about it. If he cared so much about the legend why would she spoil it? "Well, not everyone can see through a story with the same logic. Hiroto can always read through the lines!" she told him and gave him a hug.

The couple, if couple we dare to call them, stayed one more night in the same room. And the next morning Hiroto was driving them back in Tokyo. The road assistance had already pulled Amamya's car to a garage. And now they would have to face reality. Those two days in Fuji-san were dreamy and magical. It was like they have taken a two days vacation from their lives. Now it was time to face reality and their feelings.

「Upcoming Chapter: Act Twenty Seven」

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