Maintaining a farm was no easy task, and Suzu knew this all too well. There were animals to take care of, chores to be done. Sometimes, she felt she couldn't work any harder, and even then it was barely enough to sustain her and her brother. Miharu was a growing boy, and too curious for his own good. His penchant for living creatures had helped them keep more than one sick animal, but Suzu didn't share his talent. She was awful with animals, and larger ones scared her a bit. The amount of times Miharu had surprised her by bringing home a mouse or snake was countless. He didn't just bring mice or any normal animals, he brought ones she couldn't see.
When he'd first done it, it was after he had vanished for a night and returned unconcious, and didn't awaken until spring. It had taken quite a lot of insistence on Miharu's part to get her to believe there were mysterious invisible bugs that only he could see. But when she remembered there was someone else in the village who could see them, too, she believed him.
She kept it secret from the villagers. It was easy enough, living as far from the village as they were.
Miharu would begin to notice that, as fall came to an end and winter drew near, his sister could be caught looking out at the hills by their shared home. If he brought her out of her reverie, she would quickly resume her task, sometimes with a faint blush on her cheeks. But maybe, Miharu thought, that was the cold air.
Most times, Miharu would let his sister daydream, because he knew who she was thinking about.
Suzu didn't let herself do this often, there was work to be done. But there were still times when she slipped, and let a certain white-haired stranger wander through her thoughts. Dressed in dark, unfamiliar clothing, with a strong jaw and a pensive expression. He seemed so mysterious, but it wasn't a cold mystery. He was warm, his presence comforting and unchanging. His mystery was unspoken words, replaced by long, silent nights by the fire.
Suzu loved his silence, but she loved his words too, the way he'd speak to her with just the hint of a small smile. His voice was comforting, soothing like the sound of running water. His green eye was the color of spring, but it reminded her more of a welcome darkness, hazy dreams and warm summer nights.
Suzu realized she'd been daydreaming again.
Suzu pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked hastily around. Miharu was nowhere in sight. She chastised herself a bit. She should be working, not letting her thoughts wander as they please! Suzu felt like a teenage girl again, and a bit silly for thinking about Ginko so much.
She looked out of the window, giving a sigh in spite of herself. She told herself she shouldn't be pining after a man she saw once a year. But that was just why she pined after him; it contributed to his mysterious aura, giving her a sensation as if it were a forbidden love. When she was around him, too, she felt like it wasn't entirely one-sided.
Suzu resumed the chore she'd been doing. It was only fall now, and there was no reason to be looking out the window as though Ginko would appear any minute.
She knew it was reaching the end of autumn, not because the weather got more dreary and the air got that sharp chill, but because the thought of Ginko's return was stuck in the back of her mind like the pretense of love.