After the Rain

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It was one summer afternoon when Lavi came across that abandoned Ferris wheel. And that long haired person. Something about that person instantly captivated him. Maybe it was the way that silky black hair danced with the wind, or the way that stalk of crimson rose was held in front of that person's chest, or how that person stood still, looking at the Ferris wheel. Or maybe how the scene felt a little too familiar to him, as if it were bound to happen. There he stood, next to his motorcycle, his glances moved from the black ribbon decorating the stalk of rose, to the back of that slightly oversized shirt that person wore, to the bangs covering part of that person's face as the rose was put somewhere near the small gate that leads to the Ferris wheel. That person took a last glance at the Ferris wheel, as if there was something important, something emotional there. And then, much to Lavi's disappointment, that person walked away.

Another time that he walked past that Ferris wheel was unintentional. He was on his way home, walking leisurely as he enjoyed the slight summer shower. But before he realised what he was doing, he found himself nearing the place where he first met that beautiful person. And there he saw that person again. He stopped somewhere close enough to observe, yet not close enough, he hoped, for that person to realise his presence. There was another stalk of crimson coloured rose with black ribbon, freshly put near the entrance to the Ferris wheel. The long haired one stood up quietly, gracefully, as those strands of black hair glided past that person's shoulder. That was when he finally realized that the drizzle had gone too heavy to be called a drizzle. Clumsily yet swiftly, he took out his umbrella from his sling bag as he approached the owner of that beautiful hair. His body moved before his brain could even process what was going on.

"Miss, wait!" He called out when that person took a step away from the vicinity, before he finally got close enough to shelter that beauty from the rain.

To his surprise, that person turned to look at him with eyes sharp enough to make Lavi's mouth open halfway, unable to utter the words which had already been at the tip of his tongue one moment ago, and muttered something under his breath.

"I am NOT a girl."

Apologies flew out of his mouth as the other boy attempted to get away from Lavi by quickening his pace. Lavi too followed suit beside him, insisting on sharing the umbrella, for a reason he himself found difficult to point out. He had never shared his umbrella with anyone before, partly because most of the time he was too lazy to make use of his umbrella, and he felt a little awkward sharing it with this beautiful stranger. He didn't even know his name. He didn't even know where they were heading. He didn't even know what on earth he was doing.

"Hey... forgive me? Please?" No answer. Lavi sighed. "At least let me do something to apologise." And that person stopped.

"What do you want?" He asked curtly. Not bothering to look at Lavi.

"Hmm... what do I want eh?" He rolled his eyes, thinking of what sort of things he could do to earn this boy's forgiveness. "Ah! Now will you please just follow me? The rain is getting heavier and I think it would be best if we go somewhere and get dry."

He had expected another protest but to his surprise, that person replied with a soft grunt and followed him anyway. He chuckled lightly and led both of them to somewhere that looked like a small shop. They entered the place and Lavi put his umbrella somewhere near the window to let it dry when the rain stops. The long haired boy was looking around the place when Lavi disappeared to another part of the shop.

"You can sit anywhere you like. It's a shop run by some of my friends and me," he explained, voice raised a little so that the other boy could hear him.

That boy made himself comfortable on one of the chairs surrounding what looks like a dining table. There tables, three of them, but the other two, he thought, looked more like desks than just table. He had his left elbow on the table, hand supporting his chin as he looked out of the window. It was still raining.

"Here. As a token of my apology," the redhead suddenly appeared next to him, putting a cup of tea on the table before sitting right across him.

The boy didn't bother to say anything and took the cup of tea on his hand and blew the hot steam before taking a sip. And another. And then he put it back on the table before resuming looking out of the window. Lavi used this opportunity to look more closely at the boy's features. The long eyelashes, the pale complexion, the thin fingers... Suddenly he felt it again, that familiar feeling. The boy turned around and their eyes met. For a moment, Lavi thought he had forgotten how to breathe. Those eyes, those midnight coloured eyes shone with something Lavi could not put in words. It was as if he had looked into those eyes thousands of times before this.

"What are you looking at?" Ah, that harsh tone too.

"I... Have we ever met before?"

"Of course not." Short and sharp. And he took another sip of his tea.

"Ah, of course." Lavi leaned back on his chair. "How silly of me..."

The black haired boy put the cup down as he stood up as elegant as ever, or so Lavi thought. He pointed out of the window when Lavi looked at him questioningly, before looking out of the window and realising that the rain had finally stopped.

"Hey, will I... Can I see you again?" He must have sounded pretty uncool there, he thought. He had had experiences with pick-up lines, flirtations, invitations to future dates, but all those are addressed to girls. And this beauty before him was not just some girl. He would want to see him again. He needed to. He just knew it.

"...Maybe." The boy replied softly, almost sentimentally, as he opened the door. "It was... good. The tea." He added just before he walked out of the small shop, disappearing before Lavi could say anything. Upon realisation that he was gone, the redhead suddenly felt so stupid that he could almost hit himself on the head.

"I didn't even ask for his name!"

"Whose name?" Came a girl's voice.

"Le-Lenalee-chan? A-aah... There was someone here a moment ago. And he said my tea was good. And stupid me didn't even ask for his name!" Lavi almost wailed at his friend.

"Does it bother you so much? I mean... it is possible that you will find him again here if you think he likes your tea."

"I... don't know about that." Something about him felt so distant, yet all too familiar. "Ne, Lenalee-chan... Do you know about that abandoned Ferris wheel?"

"Hmm... if I'm not mistaken, it is said that some hundreds years ago, there was a fight between the exorcists and the Noahs there. I'm not sure what it was about because my history isn't that good. And among the exorcists, two died there. I think nobody had bothered to repair or renovate the location ever since that battle. I don't know. Maybe it's the people's way of respecting the exorcists..."

"I know about that war but I... didn't know that two exorcists died there." But what does it have to do with that boy putting a rose there?

That question plagued Lavi's mind for quite some time, unanswered. There was another time that Lavi walked past that abandoned Ferris wheel after that meeting with the beautiful boy. And that time too, there was that crimson red rose, with a black ribbon on it.

Suddenly it doesn't matter anymore why that boy put a rose there. Because with that boy, the rose, and himself, the picture just looked so right, felt so right to him. And somehow, just somehow, Lavi knew that he would see that boy with those beautiful black locks again. He would wait, even if it takes forever for that to happen. And the next time it happens, Lavi made a mental note, he would ask for his name, and maybe his number if he got lucky.

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aQx

[14072008 - 0651]

An old piece about these two I adore so much. It is sort of too soft for my taste now but I do hope you enjoyed reading it. :D Reviews would be greatly appreciated. :3