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I stared at him in shock, unsure how to react. I came from a life where no one would think to apologize to me. I wasn't worthy of such empathy because I wasn't a shifter like the rest of them. I'd apologized plenty of times in the last four days, but seeing Yoshimitsu down on his knees made me tear up and my heart hurt.
My Kitsune whimpered, and I could already imagine her pink eyes becoming glossy with tears.
"I care dearly for you, Yoshimitsu. Just like I've realized I care about the others. When I died...I regretted not giving my fullest in this life. I was displeased with the fact that I hated myself so much for not being something that everyone else wanted me to be. I'd put up a strong front that told the world I was a tough human who didn't give a damn about their opinions...but in reality, I did," I admitted before I knelt down before him.
I lifted my hands to cradle his face, tilting it up so that my eyes met his. "I also realized how precious life can be and how vital it is to tell the people you love how much you care about them. Hearing that you were the Emperor's son...yes, it hurt, because I was afraid that I ended up in a situation where I didn't feel good enough. I was scared that I'd have to one day face your family and deal with the same backlash I dealt with from James’ family," I confessed, taking a trembling breath before I went on.
"I'm mad because I feel pathetic. I'm afraid of not being accepted. I'm upset because we live in a country that is trying to modernize themselves so we can be like western countries, but our mindset for our own people is still stuck in the past. I'm frightened I won't be good enough for you, and that would spread to the other guys and, well, six months later, we’d drift apart and I'd be back in my flat with no one to love. I’d be lucky to have Urufu with me," I whispered.
"Crimson, we'd never abandon you like that," Yoshi defended.
"A part of me knows that, Yoshi. A big chunk of me knows that once you guys commit, you do it till, well...you can't anymore. I've seen it with my own eyes and I know I'm only lucky enough to be loved by you guys thanks to Storm Yuna. It's just that tiny part inside me, the little bit that whispers in my ear questioning if you'll stick by me. What if there comes a time where you have to choose? Or, I don't know, you have to make the decision to be loyal to me? I just...my insecurities are what I'm mad about, and maybe I'm just using the fact I didn't know that you were the son of the Emperor of Homatomashi as a pathetic excuse to hide it all," I confessed, my voice barely a whisper.
Yoshi sighed and pulled me into his arms. "Crimson, we'll never abandon you. Doesn't matter what trials we have to deal with in the future," he whispered.
"What if the battle is with myself? What if I lose hope or make the stupid decision to think this won't work out because I'm scared?" I asked.
"Then we'd have to prove to you that it will work out and that we'll love you regardless of the bumps on the path of our future as lovers. All we need is for you to believe that no matter how hard things may get, we'll always find a way to conqueror them, together as a team," Yoshi reassured, placing his hand under my chin to lift my head up to look at him.
"I hope I’ll never have to keep secrets from you again, so if you could give me one more chance and trust me, I can vow with confidence that I'll always fight for our love. I know you're new to dating all of us, and well...we're new to dating you, but that's why we have time to grow and learn about one another. When this is all over, we'll have all the time in the world to strengthen these bonds and even tackle the insecurities we have in ourselves."
He pressed his forehead against mine, his lips just inches from my own. "I'm really sorry, Crim. Can you forgive me?"
Instead of saying the words, I closed the distance between our lips, pressing mine firmly against his. He responded immediately, kissing me back with force as his hand pressed gently against my cheek, making it impossible for me to move my head, not that I wanted to pull away from his deep kiss anyway.
We broke apart for air, and I gently tugged his lower lip with my teeth while my eyes remained locked on his. His eyes darkened with lust, and in seconds I was pinned down to the blue mat and being kissed passionately while covered by Yoshi's body .
I moaned quietly and tried to think straight, even though I felt dizzy from the exchange. After another minute of deep kisses, Yoshi pulled away, pressing his forehead against mine as we both tried to catch our breaths.
"Does that mean you forgive me?" he questioned with a silly grin on his face that made me giggle.
"You look kinda high right now." I continued to snicker and he grinned, leaning in to quiet my giggles with his lips.
"High because of you,” he whispered.
I laughed. "That sounds totally hot, but also like something you wouldn't say ."
"True. That's Malachi's job." He chuckled before giving me a gentle kiss on the nape of my neck.
"Tickles." I squirmed, just before his hands let go of my wrist and lowered to my stomach where he began to actually tickle me.
I laughed hysterically, trying to move away from him and he grinned with amusement. He pulled back and shifted to his knees. I sat up, crossing my legs to face him.
"I forgive you, Yoshimitsu. Kinda hard being mad at you anyways. I burn stuff," I admitted.
He looked to the remains of the punching back and nodded. "You do burn stuff. So when we train, we should focus on fire first,” he suggested before his expression softened. "Thank you, Crimson. I'll make sure to work hard to regain your trust."
"You never necessarily lost my trust. It just derailed and bumped into a few things, but it’s back on the tracks," I explained.
"Ready to go back?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm actually exhausted. I think my little training session is beginning to take a toll on me," I confessed.
"That's what happens when you go against the doctor's orders," Yoshi scolded playfully and rose to his feet. I uncrossed my legs and was ready to try and get up, but Yoshi shook his head. He reached my side and leaned forward, scooping me up with ease.
"You don't need to carry me!" I exclaimed.
"Just till we get back to the house. Then you can walk on your own straight to bed." Yoshi met my gaze and raised an eyebrow at me. I pouted my lips but sighed.
