Fan Fiction ❯ Rose ❯ Rose ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

It wasn't the first time she'd found herself wandering the streets, alone, embracing the brisk air of the night. A soft breeze caressed her cheeks, something she really should have felt, but for some reason, couldn't. She should have been freezing, out so late without even a sweater, but she was numb.

She puzzled over the fact that she had nothing to feel badly about. It was terribly lonely, however...

The wind was picking up, biting into her skin. She shivered and thought vaguely about going home to a warm fire, then quickly forgot about it. Something about tonight entranced her, the way it seemed as though someone had painstakingly painted every star in the sky, gorgeous in it's picturesque perfection. Even the ground she walked on seemed purposefully lighted by moonlight, as though to show her the path she was to take. She ignored the fact that she didn't exactly know where she was, or how she had gotten there. It had been a blind walk, drawn subconsciously, the rest of her presence lost in thought. Of what, she didn't know that either. Perhaps this was some cleverly created dreamscape her mind tricked her with, and she was actually home, warm, and in her bed.

It certainly had dream-like qualities to it.

She finally raised her head to gaze at the sky, and she stopped and stood still, eyes half-lidded. Her normally porcelain pale skin almost looked lively, as the cold air tinted it a lovely rose. A thin hand reached up to run through her hair, black, shimmering black to match the night sky and make the stars envy. It settled softly, the ends tickling her ankles. She'd never cut it, even as a child. It had gotten too long to leave it down, so now she had some of it neatly pinned in two buns on either side of her head.

She sighed softly, and suddenly she was irritated. At herself for feeling this way, for getting lost, for forgetting to bring a coat, knowing she'd go home and tomorrow she'd wake up with a devil of a cold--

She sunk to her knees, the cold, dewy grass a surprisingly welcome comfort instead of the dirty annoyance she expected it to be. She knelt there, staring at the sky, almost as though she were praying to the moon, because she was lost in more ways than one. This wasn't like her.

It felt like she'd been there, in that position, for centuries. She felt as old as the moon itself.

"Miss?"

Her head turned slowly, painfully slow, almost as though she was dreading who she'd turn to face.

"Why so sad?"

Her eyes opened a little wider as she came face to face with the girl who interrupted her feeling sorry for herself. Her breath caught in her throat, because surely this girl wasn't an earthly creature.

Wide-eyed and innocent, her expression was warm, a gentle smile touching her face. Wildly curled hair was pinned in the back of her head, was that...blue? It was. An interestingly pale shade of blue, a shade that fit with her silver eyes perfectly. Such odd coloring, but so very fitting. She was moonlight personified.

She wore pristine white kimono, an elaborate print of blue flowers at the seam. She held a beautiful arrangement of white roses in the crook of one arm, and distantly she wondered what she would be doing out this late, dressed so formally and carrying flowers.

She watched intently as the girl carefully, gently extricated one of the beautiful flowers from her bouquet, as though the fragile flower were something precious and dear, and held it out to her.

From her position kneeling on the ground, Yasoukyoku looked up at this girl in wonder. She took the offered rose, stroking it's petals. "Why?" She finally asked.

"The person I'm bringing them to won't mind. You looked as though you needed them more than she did, anyway." The other girl knelt down to meet her eyes. "Cheer up. There are more things in this world to be happy about than sad, nee-san." She stood slowly.

"Who are they for?"

"My mother." Yasoukyoku immediately began to protest taking something willingly that this girl intended for her mother, before she cut her off. "Don't worry about it. I doubt she would mind. Eleven flowers or a dozen, the dead don't count. It's yours, nee-san. It won't live long, but hopefully it will bring you comfort for a short amount of time." With that, she turned and left.

She saw the hidden meaning in the girl's words: happiness doesn't last forever, but it's worth treasuring when it's in your grasp.

She thought of the girl and her warm smile. She thought of her going home to a house with no mother. She thought of herself, of her father at home who would probably be worried sick about her right now. She thought of how miserable she felt, over nothing, while this girl would go the rest of her life without her mother's care.

How could she smile?

For some odd reason, she no longer felt the need to be here. The stars no longer held the same appeal, and the grass was sticking to her knees uncomfortably. The illusion was gone. A crazy feeling welled up in her, and soon she felt herself smiling, and then laughing, and she stood from the ground and twirled, arms spread in childish joy. Someone cared. And for now, that was enough.

From the shadows of a weeping willow, a girl smiled, then walked away on her lonely task.