How Rain First Came To Fall
"Talking"
'Thinking'
Flashback
Once upon a time, in a land where it never rained, a young maiden was walking through a field of flower and decided to pick some. Little did she know, the guardian spirit of the field was fiercely protective. As a cold wind blew through the field, the flowers swayed, the maiden shivered and snow began to fall.
"Snow, in the middle of summer. How strange," the maiden whispered to herself.
"How dare you. You took my flowers and plucked them from the ground, allowing their spirits to cross over," a ghostly whisper caressed the field as the voice faded away as though it had never existed. "You have angered me."
"Who are you?"
"I am the protector of this field, Akito. You, young lady, have tainted this sacred place with your human filth," the anger in the protector's voice caused the young maiden to cringe.
"I did not realize I was in a sacred place, I apologize for my rudeness. Is there any way I could atone for sending away the souls of these flowers?"
"Girl, tell me your name."
"My name is Fuyuki," the maiden spoke her name and Akito relaxed his face until it became passive.
"Interesting, your name means winter spirit," Akito states as he watch the flowers the fall from Fuyuki's hands. "I have decided the perfect punishment for you."
"Wh-what are you going to do," she stuttered.
"You are now the co-caregiver to this field. Your responsibilities include talking to the flowers and looking after them. After I leave this plane you will no longer be able to leave this field. Tour entire life will revolve around this field and these flowers," Akito ordered as he faded from existence.
"Wait! How do I look after the flowers?"
Fuyuki ran around the field for hours until she realized that her fate had been sealed.
Every day after that Fuyuki visited the flowers and spoke to them. Day after day, the flowers listened and grew and grew. For years she lived among the flowers. Eventually a fox began to watch her talk to the flowers, curious as to why she remained in the field and never left. Over fifty years had passed but she had yet to age a single day.
'Is she immortal or have the flowers been keeping her alive to satisfy their need for human companionship?' the fox thought as he watched her one rainy day.
Fuyuki was unable to leave field and still the fox watched her. Day after day, doing the same routine and at some point the fox finally realized that he had fallen in love with the girl who looked after the flowers.
'I cannot express my love for her as a fo…'
His thought was suddenly broken by the voice of the one he loved.
"A fox? I know something has been watching me for many years, but I never expected a fox of all things. Why have you continued to watch me?" Fuyuki questioned the fox but all she got for an answer was a tilting head and foxy grin. "I guess you won't be answering me, will you." Sighing she continued her work, planting new flower in the place of those that had died, watering the flowers and weeding the field. "I wish you could talk, little one, I haven't spoken to another being in years and Akito has disappeared."
Flashback: 27 Years Ago
"Fuyuki, I have reached my limit. I am no longer able to remain on this plane. As of now you are the sole caregiver to this field. I will be transferring my abilities to you in order for you to be able to care for the flowers. After I leave you will be able to summon seeds, water, food for yourself and anything you need to stay alive and care for the flowers," Akito had begun to shimmer into nothingness. Soft flakes of snow began to fall, just as when they had first met.
End Flashback
It was then that the fox realized just what she had become.
'A snow spirit who fell in love with flowers, how strange.'
"Mr. Fox, do you mind if I give you name?" Fuyuki asked and hearing the sharp yip she got in reply assumed he had said yes. "In that case, I think I'll call you Youko. Does that sound okay, Youko?"
Youko could only yip in reply once more. Youko stayed with Fuyuki until the moon rose and cold mist began to form, enveloping the field. Turning away from Fuyuki, Youko went to find the one person he knew could help him gain a human form in order to speak with the woman he loved.
After weeks of walking through the wilderness Youko found the one person who could allow him to gain a human form, the witch Dorothea. As young as she looked she was hundreds of years old. She remained young by switching bodies every 40 or so years.
"What do you want, fox?" Dorothea had been watching the field for many years and had been awaiting Youko.
Youko let out a few sharp yips and Dorothea, who could communicate with animals, replied to his request for a human form.
"Of course you can have a human form but, getting one is going to be difficult, even for me. I need you to go find a single red berry that is centuries old. It resides on the top of Mount Hiei. There is only one berry bush and only one berry. If you pick it and bring it back I will make the potion needed to give you a human appearance."
Youko immediately left her home and made the journey to get the berry. It took him several weeks but he soon found his way back to Dorothea's home and gave her the berry. She had seemed delighted at the sight of it and immediately put it into a cup of boiling water.
"Ahhh, this is going to be the most delicious tea I've ever had," hearing an angered growl she turned and saw Youko's fangs barred at her in warning. "Okay, okay, I get it."
Dorothea walked over to cabinet, pulled out a single vile of a silvery liquid and gave it to Youko to drink.
"There is one side effect you should be wary of. If you don't drink the blood of the one who managed to make you want to be a human within a year, you will turn into water, and fade from existence," Dorothea seemed depressed as gave the warning but no sooner had she finished speaking than Youko had gulped down the vile.
A silver light started to wrap around the fox's form and consumed him. Mere moments later, a handsome, golden eyed man with long silver hair appeared as the light was absorbed by his body. The only thing that hadn't changed was the fox ears and tail, still attached to the former fox's flesh.
"I see, so you have made your choice. Everything you need to know in order to survive in the human world has been transferred into your mind. Be sure that the love you seek is truly there and never forget my warning. Leave and do not return, for I only grant one wish per life," Dorothea's house seemed to fade away, leaving only a white pair of pant and a white shirt for the fox to wear.
A mere week later Youko had made his way back to the field and saw that the woman was still alive and doing the same thing she always had, caring for the flowers. He approached her and spoke.
"Miss, I see you are attending to the needs of flowers as usual. Would it be too forward to ask your name?"
"My name is Fuyuki and… You're the fox, aren't you?" Fuyuki had stopped watering the flowers and had turned to face the man standing behind her.
"Yes I am the fox and I must say that you have a wonderful mind in order to have guessed my true name," Youko smirked as her mouth opened slight in took in the smallest gasp or air.
"Why are you here?"
"I wished to let you know that I have been watching you for many years. You seem to want something that is not within this field. What is it, perhaps I could assist you in obtaining your desire," Youko offered his services with a gentle face and yet he could not help but hear the Dorothea's warning in the back of his mind, replaying over and over again.
"I merely wish for someone to spend the days with me. I do not want for someone to help me care for the flowers, I only wish for another person to speak with," Fuyuki was now fully looking at Youko and taking in his new appearance. "You have ears and a tail."
"Yes, I am a fox after all. If you wish for someone to spend you days with I will more than happily keep you company."
"Really, I won't be keeping you from anything important will I?" Fuyuki's eyes had started tearing up by now.
"I assure you, I have nothing more important to do."
"In that case, you are more than welcome to keeping me company," Fuyuki smiled and started speaking to Youko about something of little importance.
Months passed by in the blink of an eye and the two beings that lived in a flower field had become close friends. However, as summer passed, as fall passed, as winter passed and as spring arrived once more, Youko remembered Dorothea's warning. He couldn't bring himself to ruin their friendship, having already been rejected once, he knew what would happen. So, the fox that fell in love with the human maiden resigned himself to his fate and awaited death while living with the one he loved.
Fuyuki had been worried about Youko for many days. He seemed to be growing complacent and she had no idea as to why. Talking with him yielded no answers and one afternoon, Youko fell ill.
"Youko, why are you ill? I thought that animals don't get sick like humans do," Fuyuki sat by his side, in the field of flowers where they first met and awaited his death.
Days later Youko faded and as he died a single tear fell from his left eye and hit the ground. Seconds later many more followed. However, these were not from Youko. They fell from the sky; thousands of tears fell and continued falling well into the next week. This had never before happened and the citizens of Suna were at a loss as to what was happening but, Fuyuki knew. She knew that the falling drops of water were Youko's spirit, crying from where she would never go.
"It's raining, it's pouring, and this world is boring. If I find a way to die, I'll dead by morning," Fuyuki sang sadly the song that appeared in her mind.
From that day on no one has ever seen the field of flowers that forever lived or the girl who cared for them.