Hello I'm back with a new story! I have a two week holiday and it's winter so I think it's the best time for another story! I LOVE Hitoshizuku-P's works and this is one of her songs called "Departures". I love the lyrics and the music as well. The illustration/image for this is from Suzunosuke. The two of them are an awesome super team! ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own the song and the image. But the plot is mine.

Please review


Departures Chapter 1

At some point we started down this long, narrow road. At first, we were alone until we meet others on our way. We all like to be attached to others, without knowing what will happen in the wide future. No one knows when we have to cut the invisible strings that connect each other.

"Are you sure you can handle things by yourself?" A boy said anxiously.

"Are you having doubts already? You know I should be the one asking you." The girl said angrily, crossing her arms.

"Ah, of course not; I was just checking. Don't worry; I'll be okay by myself."

"I'll be okay. Go and have fun."

"Are you su-"

"Yes I'm sure!"

"Okay, okay."

Suddenly, a bell was heard through the speakers in the airport. The two startled and the conversation stopped.

'What am I supposed to do? How should I see him off? He's going to leave soon, to a faraway place….'

"Flight 235, to France is now boarding." The announcement said for the second time.

The boy looked at the screen and saw 'Boarding' flashing on his flight number. He turned back at the girl who was seeing him off. 'Now should be the best time…' He thought while he was staring at the floor, fists closed tightly beside her.

"Isn't that your plane Len? You should go now or else you might miss it." She said trying her best not to see him off with tears.

He gave a deep breath, smiled at her and kneeled down silently. The girl stayed still standing frozen, released her grip and stared at him with widened eyes.

"Rin, before I go to France," He started.

The girl, Rin blushes a colour of light pink as her heart starts to flutter.

'What is he doing? Is it what I'm think it is?'

Reaching for his pockets, he searches for a small box.

"Keep this. I didn't want you to be lonely while I'm gone." He handed her a small, wooden music box. On the sides, a clef and bass note were carved in. At the top, two beamed notes were printed in the centre and tiny topaz jewels were fixed at the corners with an orange wavy border.

"Thank you."

Truthfully, she was expecting something else. Maybe she was becoming greedy or she was stuck on her romance dream.

"Flight 235 to France, this is the last boarding call for passengers."

Rin looked happy but soon feels blue. She tightens her grip of the precious cube. He sighed, stood up from his position and smiled sweetly.

"When I come back, I have something else to tell you. So please just be patient and wait for me."

He reached for her forehead and gave it a gentle kiss, held her hand and walked away to his gateway.

He left her alone biting her lower lip. Her hands were tight, shaking as she tries to hold back her tears.

"Len…"

For some reason on the day of departure, the wind was strong.

"Hey Meiko-nee I'm bored." A girl said sitting upside down on the couch watching TV.

"What is it Miku?" Meiko said cooking their dinner.

"When is Rin coming back?"

"How am I supposed to know? Wait for an hour. By then, she'll arrive okay? Give her time; it is her boyfriend after all." The last sentence made Miku rolling off the couch.

"What! Is he her boyfriend?" She said shocked.

"What, didn't you already know? They've been together for months."

"And no one told me! She kept it from me! I'm going to get her when she comes back."

"Oh boy" Meiko sighed.

The sound of the doorbell echoed through the house.

"I'll get it!"

Miku opened the door and looked at the person with a big grin stuck on her face.

"Rin's here!"

"Oi, what's with the ugly smile?"

"…..Why you"

Miku looked at her house companion with suspicious eyes.

"Hey Meiko-nee lookie here, Rin-chan is blushing! I wonder why?" Miku laughed sneakily.

"Sh-Shut up Miku!" Rin said flustered.

"Why? What happened? Does it have anything to do on your way here?" Rin obviously found out that Miku already knows with obvious hints in her tone of voice.

"Y-yeah now let me go to my room peacefully please." Rin said.

"Fine, I'll look over this. But just this once, okay?" Miku said acting highly.

Rin entered the house and smells something good cooking in the kitchen.

"I'm back Meiko-nee" She said.

"Welcome back, I'm cooking dinner right now so you can do whatever you want until then okay?"

"Okay."

Rin walked past the kitchen, up the stairs and entered her room. She looked at the door that was on the other side of the corridor. It has a name hanged onto the door.

He won't be coming out of that door in a while.

She jumped on her bed and lied down. From her bag she took out a piece of paper; a letter from Len that he gave when he held her hand before he left. She didn't read it and decided not to until she reached home. She opened the folded paper and started to read it:

Dear Rin,

Even though I'm going to France, I will miss you and the rest of the family. Being without you will be lonely and hard but I will survive because there is something that I have to do when I come back. You can always call me and email whenever you want to, I won't be bothered. Plus, I'll only be gone for two years. Even though I'm not where you are, I will always be the one who knows you the best. When I come back, I'll give you some souvenirs. Also don't ask me what I was going to say. You have to wait, okay? Remember the promise we made to each other? Tenderness and selfishness, warmth and loneliness, sympathy and everything, I gave it all to you. So trust me. ;)

P.S. I won't cheat on you.

Len

"Idiot" Rin said quietly, covering her eyes.

After two years later…..

"See you guys! I'll be back before sundown, midnight tops!" Rin shouted. She was ran out the house and entered a taxi.

"Be careful!" Meiko said.

*fake coughs*

"Old lady" Miku sarcastically commented.

"What did you say?" Meiko said angrily.

"Let's go cook some food for when they come home!" Miku said completely off topic.

"What do you want Miku?"

"I want Leek soup!"

When Rin arrived at the airport, her head was full of thoughts and questions.

What am I supposed to say when I see him? Have I changed from two years ago? Do I look weird? What if he hooked up with another girl? What if he forgot about me? Oh no, what am I going to do?

"Rin, what are you doing?" the voice asked. Rin felt her heart squeeze. It's been a while since she heard that voice. She turned around and saw a boy who looked the same as her.

"L-Len?"

"So it is you Rin!"

He smiles just the same as before. That's a relief.

"How was France?"

"It was nice, I made some new friends."

"That's nice."

"Yeah….."

"…"

Rin who can't think of another subject looked at the floor and fiddled with her hands, thinking of new questions to slice the silence between them in half. Her mind is going through a lot of things and can't think of any other questions.

I can't think! When I actually turn to my mind for something, it ignores me! I'm such an idiot!

The silence dragged on and on until Len decided to look into his bag and took out a snow globe.

"For you" He said quietly hiding his flushed face at the side.

Rin without a word looked at the globe. It reminded her of the snow that fell from a now distant memory. That day was when the snow started falling.

"Thank you." She whispered as she smiled.

Happy with her reaction, Len smiled sweetly at her.

"Rin, before I left I told you to wait for me."

He knelt down and picked something from his pocket. Startled, Rin froze and stared with surprise.

"Rin, now that I'm here, would you marry me?"

He opened the small, blue cube case containing a diamond ring with a shape of a clef note.

When Rin calmed down she smiled and told him to stand.

"Your bangs have grown. They're about the same length as mine now." She said calmly as she stroked her hand down his yellow streaked hair. His gentle gaze never faltered, staring deeply into her blue eyes.

On the day when you weren't by my side the endless drifts of snow continued piling. I should have told you just a little of my love for you. Whenever I'm alone, I want you to always be by my side. Unable to see you in this world of white and grey, I search for the tomorrow with you beside me. Whenever I'm making precious memories, I want to make them with you.

"Yes."

Len quietly placed the ring on her left hand.

It looks beautiful.

"Rin" He looked again with soft eyes.

He grabbed Rin's hands and pulled her close. Slowly, he leaned forward and saw Rin closing her eyes. Her face was flushed, with the smell of citrus around her he reaches for her lips. Once they touched, everything around them became a blur. They focused on themselves right now. Affected by the cold air seeping through the window beside them, they separated and held onto each other.

"I love you."

While you were away, I always kept the photo of the two of us face down; but even our smiles were still shining.


So was it? Please review so I know if I can improve! :D