Flavour
by Ickle-Penguin a.k.a Ruin
"He always looks like," she paused for a minute. No, no – forget it. Use other means of means of describing him. Anything but that! It couldn't be helped. It's what described him best. So she said it. "He has the weight of the world on his shoulders."
It had been their first meeting. An ice-cream parlour – oh how typical of him. She couldn't decide what flavour – he picked for her. There were no empty tables but his. Imagine that? She asked if she could share the table. He said yes with his ever so charming smile. They began talking idly about nothing and everything all at once. She was remarkable at conversation. She was shy, polite and sweet. She reminded of him of someone; but he just couldn't remember who. She was sure her brother would have liked the man if he wasn't subconsciously plotting the world's impending doom.
Two orders of cherry ice-cream in cups. Placed on the table; next to a pack of cigarettes (his cigarettes at that). Cherry - He was quite fond of the flavour, but it wasn't his favourite. He didn't really have a favourite – it wasn't that he was indecisive or particular. It's just; he didn't want to admit to have a specific liking to anything or anyone. How stupid.
"Hmm – I knew someone whom had a sort of messiah-complex" he laughed. "He was bent on saving everyone. But he ended up loosing the people important to him." She wondered if she was still important to him. But frowned a bit when the man had laughed and told her he was to blame for his losses. She asked him why, and he distracted her with cherry ice-cream among others.
"And what about you-," She said his name in a flourish, politely adding his desired honorific. He gave a chuckle, and before he could say anything, changed the topic. She wasn't easily distracted; but accepted it anyway. Very much like a girl the man knew only without the ludicrous fashion-sense. He was musing and the girl noted it when he let her spoon dangle near his lips for five-seconds before taking it with his mouth. She laughed and said, "You like cherries don't you?"
"Do you like cherry-blossoms?" He asked his typical question. She shook her head and he commented slightly, "You should it fancies you, Kotori-chan."
She looked surprised but smiled and said almost surely, "Thank you, Sakurazuka-san. I like you too." All she could taste afterwards was cherry-ice cream served in a plastic spoon.