"Heya! Let's go!"
"Don't run, America!"

Under the bright spring sky, we walked our way to the shrine after getting off the cars that brought us here.

"Ve~ Look, Brother Romano! So many pink trees!" Feliciano stretched his arms out.
"Yeah, really beaut- Gwah! Watch before moving your arms, you bastard," Lovino rubbed his head where he got accidentally hit.

The fragrant Cherry Blossom flowers overhead the paved path made the place look serenely beautiful. A few traditional-looking lanterns made of stone lined against the path. I looked around in awe at the peaceful surroundings.

"We are almost there," Kiku, who was leading us, said.

A large red gate, which I remembered was called 'Torii', came into view, marking the entrance of the concrete stairway. This was the first time I'm seeing one in person.

Passing by the Torii gate, we made our way up the stairs. Yao turned to me.

"The stairs aren't too long, aru. We'll reach there in no time," he smiled.
I nodded and returned his smile.

Soon the stairs came to an end and we found ourselves in front of a big courtyard with the shrine at the end. Two statues of majestic dogs made of stone guarded the entrance to the shrine on each side.

"Woah! So cool!" Alfred was about to run towards the shrine when Kiku called out.

"Please wait, Mr. America! You need to wash your hands first," he pointed towards a fountain with ladles arranged beside it.

"Oh, yeah, sure..." the blonde nervously laughed.
Arthur sighed. "You impatient little wanker."

Kiku led us to the fountain and showed us how to clean our hands.

"Please keep in mind not to pour any water back into the purification fountain. You may now begin," he calmly instructed us and stepped aside.

I took a ladle and filled it with the fresh water to rinse my hands. After washing my hands, I kept the ladle back and suddenly realized I hadn't brought my handkerchief with me.

"Umm..." I looked around to see if there was any cloth given to dry my hands.

"Is there something wrong, (Y/n), aru?"

I turned to see Yao rinsing his hands with the water and looking at me.

"I forgot to bring my handkerchief," I told him.

He chuckled. "Is that all, aru? Here, you can -"

He stopped when another handkerchief appeared before me. I looked up to see Kiku holding out a white embroidered handkerchief to me with a kind smile.

"Please use this," he offered.

"T-Thank you, Kiku," I took the handkerchief, a bit taken aback from his sudden forwardness.

His smile brightened in response.

Meanwhile, Yao blinked in confusion. 

Kiku turned to the others. "If everyone is done, let us visit the offering hall," he said.

We headed towards the frontside of the shrine where the offering box was kept and a large metallic bell hung above it. Kiku went forward and grasped the rope hanging from the bell and rang it. He then threw a coin into the offering box, clapped his hands twice and silently prayed.

Following his steps, we did the same.

I closed my eyes and prayed in silence. "May everyone of us always be happy and all our wishes come true"

With everyone's prayers done, the raven-haired Japanese man turned to us with a smile.

"Please feel free to look around the place," he said.

"Finally! Let's go check out those statues we saw earlier!" Alfred exclaimed.
"Why are you so excited toda- Wait, where are you taking me?!" Arthur retorted as he got dragged by the American.

"I'm really curious about the architecture of this place," Francis looked around, impressed.
"I want to see if they actually have raccoons here!" Antonio said in delight.
"Ve~ Germany, I saw something fun there," Feliciano tugged at Ludwig's sleeves.

Gradually, everyone dispersed to look around the shrine. Yao and I walked together near the fountain, admiring the scenery.

"It's so nice here, isn't it, Yao?" I looked at him, smiling.
"Shì," Yao replied. However, I could sense some uneasiness in his expression.

"Is there something wrong, Yao?" I asked him.

He gazed down while walking. "I actually wanted to ask you something, aru," he said.
I stared at him in confusion. "What is it?"

Yao abruptly stopped and faced me. He looked hesitant at first but then slightly shook his head and smiled.

"It's nothing important, aru. Would you like some water, (Y/n)? I'll go bring some," he said.

"Oh, umm, sure..." I stood there, watching Yao walk back towards the shrine.

That was weird of him. He didn't look as cheerful as he was earlier. I hope there isn't anything bothering him.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed something across the fountain.

A wooden board stood alone in the clear patch, basking under the warm rays of sunlight. I walked closer towards it to take a better look. Several small wooden plaques with writings on it, hung from the board.

I touched one of the plaques and felt the warmth of the sunbasked wood on my fingers.

"These are..." I wondered aloud while carefully examining them.

"They are Ema," A familiar voice spoke from behind.

I quickly let go of the plaque and looked back in a startle.

My eyes locked with the dark brown one's of Kiku, who stood there looking at me with his gentle gaze.

A light breeze picked up and gently blew the soft Cherry Blossom petals over us. Kiku tucked a strand of his bangs behind his ear as the petals carassed his tenderly smiling face.

I felt as if I couldn't remove my eyes off him. He looked so tranquil and handsomely elegant.

Kiku stepped up beside me. "People write their wishes here and pray for them to be fulfilled," he said.

"O-Oh, I see," I felt a blush grow on my cheeks as I realized I was staring at him.

"Each of these wishes are important for their owners," he continued, glancing at the plaques. "Some pray for health, some pray for success, while some pray for love. There are even wishes for passing entrance exams. These wishes continue to live here, carrying the hopes and dreams of their owners and passing them down with time."

"I see," I looked at the writing on those small plaques. I wonder how old these were and what were written on them. Hopefully, those wishes came true.

Kiku turned to me. "What did you pray for at the shrine, if I may ask, Miss (Y/n)?"

"Well, I prayed for everyone's happiness and for their wishes to come true," I told him, slightly embarrassed.

"Is that so?" a lighthearted smile appeared on his lips. "But what about you, Miss (Y/n)?"

I blinked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Is there something that you wished for yourself too?"

I hesitated a moment before replying. Did I even wish for myself?

"I...actually didn't think anything about it," I confessed, looking down.
Kiku didn't shift his gaze from me and softly whispered, "I see." Then he suddenly added, "Miss (Y/n), do you know which deity this shrine belongs to?"

I looked up at him in surprise. "I don't know."

"This shrine belongs to Okuninushi-no-Mikoto, who oversees fortune, love and relationships. If you wish for happiness and love, he would definitely hear you," he smiled.

Hearing such words from Kiku made me giggle. "But would he listen to me?"

"He will, I promise you."

My eyes widened as Kiku leaned in close to me and smiled with a softened gaze, which felt much warmer and brighter than the sunlight falling on us. His usually stoic eyes flickered with emotions like millions of stars lighting up the galaxy.

Looking at him from so close made my heart thump harder in my chest, slowly reviving those feelings that I once held for him.

"It's alright to be selfish once in a while, Miss (Y/n)," he softly said. "Sometimes you should put your own feelings before others' or you might end up regretting."

He slowly reached his hand out to my face and almost touched my cheek. My face was already burning red, his sudden forwardness made me barely breathe.

"Please never forget that," Kiku whispered, never once shying away.

His hand gently traced my cheek as he reached out to my hair and pulled something out.

A full Cherry Blossom flower.

I looked at him, still dazed from what just happened. Kiku took my hand and placed the flower in it. "This was stuck in your hair," he said.

"I-I...t-thank you..." I looked away, flustered.

He let go of my hand and stepped back. "Please do honour our promise. I don't want you to regret anything in your life, Miss (Y/n)."

"U-Umm...yes!" I stammered. I couldn't even think straight!

Kiku nodded. "I won't regret either," he said.

What did he mean by that? I was about to ask him when a voice interrupted me.

"(Y/n)? Where are you, aru?" I heard Yao calling out to me.

"Yao!" I called out. Soon, Yao came to the spot with a water bottle in his hand.

"(Y/n)! What are you doing here, aru? And Japan is here too?" he enquired.

"We were just having a talk," Kiku curtly replied.

"Oh? What were you tw- (Y/n)! Why is your face red, aru?! Are you feeling sick?" Yao asked me, worried.
"I-I..." I could still feel the heat on my cheeks.

"If Miss (Y/n) is feeling unwell, then we should head back. I'll arrange for us to return home," Kiku suggested.

"B-But I -"

"(Y/n), let's go, aru," Yao held my hand and led me towards the others. Kiku followed us closely.

I looked back to see him walking with his gaze lowered, as if he was lost in a thought.

I still couldn't understand what happened to him today. He never acted like that before. I held onto the Cherry Blossom flower in my hand tighter, hoping that Kiku wasn't dealing with any problem again.

Recalling his words, I realized I still haven't understood Kiku. I felt as if my being here has affected him in some way.

If only I could understand his feelings better...