Chapter 74 New Life 07 A Night of Chaos
Ayana hesitated for a moment, but still opened the door.
The old wooden door groaned under its strain as it opened inward.
Outside the door, Kuroro still stood there quietly. The moonlight fell on him without obstruction, gilding his handsome features with a cool silver edge.
He didn't come in immediately, but instead shifted his gaze from the window back to calmly fall on Ayana's pale and tense face inside the door.
A threshold separated the two, and silence spread through the night.
The sea breeze blew through the open door, ruffling Aiana's bangs and also stroking Chrollo's soft black hair.
Ultimately, it was Kuroro who broke the suffocating silence.
"May I come in and have a seat, Ayana?"
Ayana felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing her heart.
She slightly turned her body to make way for the narrow space in the doorway.
Kuroro stepped across the threshold.
He glanced around, his gaze sweeping over the herbs and fungi piled up in the corner that she hadn't had time to process, then over the simple wooden table and the only chair, before finally settling back on Ayana.
"It seems you really enjoy life here," he commented, his tone ambiguous, neither approving nor telling.
Ayana did not answer.
Kuroro didn't seem to expect a response from her.
He took two steps forward and stopped in the center of the hut, just a few steps away from her.
“I’ve been looking for you for a long time,” he added, “starting from the moment you disappeared from my sight again.”
Why leave?
His voice was soft, yet it struck Ayana's heart like a heavy hammer.
The door to the cabin was still open, and the night breeze and moonlight rushed in together.
Ayana could feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, filled with disbelief and astonishment.
"Why?" She heard her own voice dry and hoarse. "You're asking me why I'm leaving?"
She took a deep breath, her voice gradually carrying a hint of suppressed emotion: "Kuroro, what do you mean by 'being together'? Is it like being in the warehouse, constantly watched by countless eyes, with no space of your own, no room for independent thought?"
Her fingers unconsciously tightened, gripping the rough hem of her skirt: "That's not companionship, that suffocates me. I did have feelings for you before, and perhaps they haven't completely disappeared now, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to trade my freedom for them!"
"Freedom?" Kuroro repeated the word, his tone thoughtful, as if he were seriously trying to understand this concept that might be somewhat unfamiliar to him.
“Yes, freedom!” Ayana’s voice became firmer, filled with earnestness. “You can decide for yourself where to go, what to do, and who to meet.”
"I can live in a simple wooden house like this, work with my own hands, watch the sunrise and sunset, and feel the wind on my face. These things may seem ordinary to you, but they are things I absolutely cannot give up."
She finished speaking in one breath, her chest rising and falling slightly, looking at Kuroro with a hint of stubbornness and expectation, waiting for his reaction, her heart already prepared for the worst.
However, Kuroro simply watched her silently, his usually deep and unfathomable black eyes now churning with even more complex and indescribable emotions.
He gazed intently at her, as if trying to imprint every expression and every word she uttered into his heart.
A long and strange silence fell over the cabin.
Outside the window, the sound of waves gently lapping against the shore.
After a long while, Kuroro finally moved.
He sighed softly, so softly it was almost inaudible, yet it carried the weight of a resolute decision.
His expression changed, taking on a gentle, almost compromising quality, as he uttered a sentence that nearly stopped Ayana's heart.
"I see."
Ayana froze, her pupils dilating slightly.
Kuroro leaned forward slightly, closing the distance a little, but his posture carried no sense of oppression, only a seriousness as if he were making a vow.
He looked into Ayana's wide, astonished eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately.
He paused, as if confirming his next words, and then continued in a tone of great patience and accommodation.
"Then, let me get used to you."
"It's no longer about binding you to the spider's nest and demanding that you follow my rules."
"Instead, I will follow in your footsteps and protect your freedom."
Kuroro gazed tenderly at Ayana, took her hand, and kissed it.
"If you want to stay on this peaceful island, I will stay here with you and watch the tides rise and fall. If you want to explore a wider world, I will stay by your side to protect you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the cabin fell silent, but it was no longer a suffocating stillness; instead, it was filled with a subtle and warm atmosphere.
Ayana froze on the spot, her mind blank.
Looking at the man before her, a huge, unreal warmth suddenly overwhelmed the dam in her heart.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that her throat was blocked by something, and she could only make a faint sound.
My eyes started burning uncontrollably, and my vision blurred rapidly.
Kuroro looked at her reddened eyes and incredulous expression, said nothing, and simply waited quietly.
The moonlight bathed him, gently softening the aura of darkness surrounding him, leaving only a gentle figure willing to change his pace for the one he loved.
At this moment, the night on Whale Island seemed to become exceptionally gentle.
Ayana finally managed to squeeze out a sound: "Why...why?"
Kuroro looked at the tears glistening in her eyes and the incredulous questions in them. He held Ayana's hand tightly, as if trying to convey the turbulent emotions within him through this contact.
His voice was lower and hoarse than before: "Because I can't bear the pain of losing you again, Ayana."
These words were like a thunderclap, shattering all of Ayana's confusion and hesitation.
She stared at him, gazing at the undisguised fear and deep emotion in his eyes.
“Last time, you died decades ago somewhere I don’t know,” he continued, each word seeming to be squeezed out with difficulty from the depths of his chest.
"Those blank decades were an unfathomable darkness for me. I didn't even know where you went. That feeling of helplessness was enough once."
His thumb gently stroked the back of Ayana's hand, the movement carrying a tenderness of cherishing.
"I told you, this time I won't let you die again. I will protect you." Kuroro's gaze was fixed on her, with an almost obsessive determination.
His tone carried a cautious plea: "So please let me stay with you, okay?"
Ayana looked at Kuroro, who was so close to her, and listened to his completely unexpected confession. Her last line of defense collapsed completely.
Tears finally streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably, but they were no longer tears of fear or sadness; they were tears of a complex emotion of being deeply touched, cherished, and understood.
Faced with Kuroro's heavy and sincere feelings, Ayana could no longer bring herself to refuse him.
She choked back tears, and with almost all her strength, she nodded slightly, her voice weak but clear.
"…good."
This single word seemed to have exhausted all her strength, and it also dispelled the last trace of gloom in Kuroro's eyes.
A genuine, faint smile finally appeared on his usually calm and composed face.
Kuroro gazed at Ayana's tear-streaked yet slightly flushed cheeks, his eyes gradually becoming deep and focused.
He raised his other hand and gently wiped away the tears on her cheek, his fingertips burning hot.
Then, Kuroro's gaze slowly fell on the woman's parted lips, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
A silent longing permeated the air.
“Then…” His voice was low, almost a whisper, with a hint of tension and probing, “may I kiss you, Ayana?”
The question was so sudden that Ayana's heart, which had just calmed down, started racing again.
Her cheeks flushed instantly, her mind went blank, and before she could respond, Kuroro leaned down.
Warm breath brushed against Ayana's cheek, and she stared at him in astonishment as he kissed her lips.
It was a gentle and restrained kiss, yet it contained unfathomable emotions and the preciousness of something lost and then regained.
Moonlight streamed through the open wooden door, quietly enveloping the two people embracing.
As their lips rubbed together, the long-suppressed emotions erupted completely.
Kuroro's arms unconsciously wrapped around Ayana's waist, pulling her into his embrace. His initial restraint was gradually replaced by an increasingly ardent desire.
Ayana was stunned by his sudden deep kiss, her mind went blank due to lack of oxygen, and she could only instinctively cling to him.
Driven by passion, Kuroro embraced her, his steps faltering slightly as he backed away until Ayana's lower back gently pressed against the edge of the simple wooden table.
He gently pulled her back slightly, making her lean against the edge of the table, deepening the kiss. Their lips and tongues explored more deeply, with an eagerness and certainty of something lost and found.
In her dazed state, Ayana felt Kuroro's hand, which had been around her waist, begin to move tentatively across her back, its heat burning.
The touch, even through the rough fabric, still sent shivers down her spine.
His hand slowly moved in front of Ayana, his fingers touching the hem of her blouse.
Just then, Kuroro suddenly stopped his deep kiss.
Their foreheads touched, their breaths mingling, both rapid and unsteady.
The cramped wooden cabin was filled with ambiguous sounds and scorching air.
Kuroro's voice was terribly hoarse as he called Ayana's name and asked, "Is it alright?"
His fingers lingered near the buttons on her blouse, but he didn't make any further moves. Instead, he gently pressed his burning palm against her skin beneath her thin clothing, waiting for her permission.
His eyes were filled with undisguised desire.
Ayana gazed at the almost overwhelming desire in Kuroro's eyes, feeling her own restless heartbeat and the unfamiliar heat surging within her.
She looked at Kuroro's taut jawline, at the fine beads of sweat that appeared on his forehead from his restraint, and the words of refusal stuck in her throat; she couldn't bring herself to say them.
The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the heavy breathing of the two people and the continuous low murmur of the waves outside the window.
Finally, under Chrollo's almost scorching gaze, Ayana nodded.
At the same time, she closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings, concealing the shyness and tacit consent in her eyes.
This action was like unlocking the final shackles.
Kuroro's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and the restraint in his eyes completely crumbled, replaced by a surging darkness.
Without further hesitation, he leaned down again and kissed Ayana deeply, more passionately and irresistibly than before.
The hand that lingered beside her clothes, burning hot, slowly slipped under her clothes, touching her delicate, warm skin, and something else.
The wooden table made a slight creaking sound, which mingled with the rhythmic sound of the waves outside the window.
A night of chaos.
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