KINTSUkuroi
[Chapter IV] - Fixing with Gold

Ciel felt conflicted. For the longest time, she had thought of Nicolas as her best friend. Yet she was certain about her feelings towards him. She knew her love for him was much too intense to consider it the kind of affection one dedicates to a friend, even a very close one.

Ciel and Nicolas had only known each other for about six months when the Giant kid was forced to leave the Human male, but those twenty-five-ish weeks they spent together proved to be more than sufficient for the two of them to leave a lasting memory in each other's heart. During the twenty years they were separated, both of them longed for the day when they'd meet again.

Ciel's mind travelled back in time, wanting to relive the memories she had created with him. She first recalled the events of that first time in which her eyes met his. She remembered how bruised he was, how those kids would bully him without him standing for himself. She recalled how angry watching that scene unfold made her, how she felt the dire need to take action. She imagined herself running to his aid again, shielding him with her body. She felt a tight grip in her heart as she once again witnessed in her mind the short boy's indolent expression.

"So, what's your name? You probably heard mine from mom, but if you didn't, I'm Ciel!" the Giant woman recreated the first dialogue between the two of them with speechlessness-worthy accuracy.

"U-Um... I-I'm Nicolas..."

'Nicolas' she silently repeated. Her heart once again was made aflutter whenever his name crossed her mind.

Ciel remembered how strongly her desire to protect the short male burned at that time. That flame had not dwindled in size nor intensity in the last twenty years. If anything, it now shone more brightly.

The Giant woman also remembered how overcome with grief she became when Nicolas decided to escape from the hotel room she, her mother, Savan, and him were staying in. She felt the same pressure in her chest as she did back then when she considered the possibility that she may never see him again. Though she wasn't crying, she felt the unmistakable sensation of tears falling down her smooth-skinned cheeks as she found him hiding in one of the very many dark, narrow alleyways Buenos Aires had to offer.

"I was worried about you!" she repeated in her head.

'Was it then than I fell for him?' the Giantess thought. It seemed unlikely. For the next six months, she couldn't really say she fancied him in a romantic manner, or at the very least, if she did, she was unaware of it.

Something changed after that event. They couldn't tell, but the seeds for a new beginning had been planted. Ciel devoted herself to getting Nicolas out of his shell. She deeply regretted that he would have to spend his afternoons in the often-hostile environment he knew as 'kindergarten', whilst she spent hers at school. Still, she would make up for those hours in which they were separated by spending the rest of her day with him. To her this wasn't an imposition. She didn't even feel forced to do so. No, she wanted to be with him.

Ciel had always had a natural talent for reading others' emotions, and it was even easier when it came to Nicolas, thanks to him being as transparent as glass.

Glass... that was a good analogy for Nicolas. Just as transparent. Just as fragile.

Ciel's innate ability and Nicolas' honest —almost to a fault— nature made it so that he could never keep things hidden from her —not for long, anyway—.

The ravenette-haired woman recalled the first time she had the need to address this with Nicolas. It was mid-May, 2000. The first weeks of cold weather made Buenos Aires look much more solemn. Greyish skies were now much more commonplace, and people overall looked less chirpy than they did in summer. The slow transition from the current fall to the slowly-but-surely approaching winter took its toll on the citizens, who looked more reluctant to leave the comfort of their homes. Ciel remembered the events that had transpired that day so vividly that it was hard to believe that it had been two decades since then.

School and kindergarten were over for the day, and Ciel wanted to go with her mother with haste so that they could pick Nicolas up from the kindergarten. As usual, Ciel wished that the bullies would leave him alone at least that day, but she was always ready to punch some idiots if she had to.

A few minutes later she found the short male standing in the middle of the rather large, outside playground area that connected to the exit. It wasn't the first time this happened, but it wasn't exactly commonplace, either. Upon first inspection, Ciel and Savan noticed he had no fresh wounds. That was good at least: no one had hit him that day.

However, something was not right. Ciel noticed this immediately after seeing him. Even as she, Savan and Nicolas walked back to the dorm the regent of the Giants was renting, the short male was silent, even more so than usual.

"Nic? What's wrong?" Ciel remembered asking her friend.

"Nothing..." his response came out, barely audible.

The rest of the walk back home was in complete silence. Ciel gently yet firmly held Nicolas' hand, never letting go of him, occasionally glancing at him, whilst the male simply looked down.

Once they reached the dorm, Ciel didn't even took the time to remove her winter clothes, nor did she give Nicolas any time to do so, either. She walked into her bedroom, dragging the Human with her, and closed the door.

Surprisingly enough, it was the first time Nicolas paid attention to the room he was in. This was Ciel's bedroom. Naturally, since this was a rented dorm, the overall feeling the area gave off didn't differ too much from that of the whole house: light brownish tones were strongly predominant in the walls, whilst the floor tiles and doors were a much darker shade of brown. The only element that stood out were the wall, floor and ceiling plinths, which were a pristine white.

But Ciel had already made that standard, generic, run-of-the-mill bedroom hers: standing proudly on the very centre of the bordeaux, wooden nightstand, a picture of her and Nicolas could be seen, beautifully adorned by an elegant silver and golden frame. It was obvious she wanted that picture to stand out.

Nicolas remembered that picture. Savan had taken it on a warm, sunny Sunday of early-March. The short kid was slowly but surely starting to open up to Ciel, who showered him with affection every day. At first, Nicolas didn't know how to react to her hugs, her kisses in his cheeks, and overall her willingness to spend time with him, but as the days went by he began to replace himself longing for those moments. Normally, he wouldn't let it show, and only when he was alone would his face reflect that he had enjoyed his Giant friend's affection, but of course Ciel knew better, which is why she continued to act the way she did with him.

However, this time was different. It was special. The two of them, together with Savan, were sitting on a wooden bench in a very picturesque park in Buenos Aires' Downtown. Behind them stood an elegantly-sculpted ivory fountain. The birds chirped beautifully, the breeze was gentle and soothing, and the greenery was very aesthetically pleasing. Nicolas wasn't a fan of being outside, but it was fair to say that parks were perhaps the only exception to this rule.

"Okay, you two, let's take a photo of you! I want you to treasure this moment forever!" Savan commented cheerfully before pulling out a portable camera.

Without wasting any time, Ciel wrapped her hand around Nicolas and brought him closer to her. As she was expecting, he was initially startled by her sudden action, but soon he found himself relaxing to the warmth of her body. And then...

SNAP!

The picture was taken. It was a momentous occasion, much more so than Savan could have hoped for. Nicolas and Ciel would both remember this day for the rest of their lives. After all...

It was the first time Ciel saw Nicolas smile.

"Nic —Ciel spoke, bringing the short boy's attention back to her—, did you really think I would accept your answer from before? I know something is hurting you, so why won't you tell me?" the black-haired girl demanded an explanation.

"I-I don't want t-to worry you..."

"Well, guess what? If you refuse to tell me what makes you suffer, you make me worry twice as much. If I know what is wrong, at the very least I can try to help you. But if you don't tell me, how can I possibly heal your pain? Not to mention I feel as though you don't trust me." she explained.

Nicolas' eyes widened in realisation. She was right. He thought he would burden her if he told her how he felt, but the real burden she was enduring was not knowing how to help him overcome his suffering.

Ever since then, Nicolas never again attempted to keep things hidden from Ciel. The Giant girl became not only his best friend, but also his confidant.

That was, until now.

It had been two decades since Nicolas and Ciel had last seen each other. So much happened for both of them in that time. There was so much they ignored from one another, so much catching up to do. It made perfect sense that Nicolas would be reluctant to tell her everything that had happened, and yet... yet he trusted her even now. He trusted her enough to tell her the full story, even after being apart from her for twenty years.

Now Ciel knew.

Now Ciel knew there wasn't a specific moment when she fell for Nicolas. Rather, it was a feeling that built slowly over time, not only during the six months the two of them spent together, but also during the long two decades during which she longed for the moment when she'd see him again.

But still, she determined it was not the moment to tell him how she felt. He was still in much pain from Setsuna's betrayal. Besides, she had made her decision to support him as a friend until he could fully heal.

'Like a broken glass vase fixed with gold, I promise I will make you even more beautiful than you already are.' she promised herself.