He-llo! What's up, Lalonello fans (or haters who're torturing themselves by clicking upon this fic)? I feel AWESOME! So awesome that I'll just shut up and leave you guys to read my FIRST EVER LALXCOLONELLO FANFIC.
Enjoy, kora!
It's always raining around here. It's like it's never going to stop. Just like the excruciating pain I am now feeling that seems so endless. Amidst all the effort to forget you, I just couldn't.
You know I'm not an idiot. I know you're not here anymore. But, it's just so hard for me to accept that I can't hold you in my arms like the way I've used to. Not after you left me alone in the dead of darkness, soaking wet under the rain.
You need not to worry, though, for I won't disturb you no more. I know you are with somebody else. All that I ask of you is that every time it rains, always remember that there's someone who loves you dearly. . .
And that's me.
-Lal Mirch
The blond man couldn't believe at the content of the letter, let alone the name that was written below it. According to her, they were just friends, nothing more. Was there something she was hiding from him ever since he went back? He tried to rack his memory to remember if there was, but he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't. All he could remember was how hurt her eyes looked after he announced that he couldn't remember anything, not even her.
Lal Mirch. . . who is she? Really?
"Colo . . . nello. . ."
She couldn't believe it. There he was. In the flesh. Standing in front of her. After so many nights of being close to killing herself after assuming that he was dead, there he was.
"I knew he'd come back," Fon, who was standing next to her, commented. He looked at her, smiling so sincerely that it didn't annoy Lal at all, and then gestured for her to come closer to the blond Italian, but Lal was too stunned to even move. She just stood there, dumbfounded.
Reborn, who was talking to Colonello, finally took notice of them, and gestured them to come closer. Fon couldn't help observing how his fellow Arcobaleno's brows furrowed upon seeing Lal, but he pulled her with him nonetheless.
"Greetings to you, Reborn, and to you as well, Colonello," Fon greeted. Reborn nodded in acknowledgement, but he still retained that stoned expression on his face. Colonello just looked confused. "Welcome back," he added.
Lal didn't know why, but no words came out of her mouth. She just focused on Colonello, and how confused he looked. Soon enough, his eyes met hers, and her heart jumped with joy. She smiled at him, but before he could respond to her, Reborn nudged him.
"How about them?" he asked Colonello. "Her, in particular? Do you remember her?"
Colonello stared at her, and then shook his head.
"No," he said, and then looked sourly at Reborn. "Don't tell me you dragged me from home just to ask me if I know whoever person we chance upon! How many times do I have to say that I don't? I barely even know who you are! Can I please get out of this blasted place already?"
"He doesn't remember?" Fon asked in disbelief.
Reborn shook his head.
"I chanced upon him in Italy. In our old hometown. He seems to be living a new life there. I asked the people he was living with, and they told me that they just found him injured, and that he couldn't remember anything. They took him into custody afterwards."
"I-I see . . . " For a second, Fon looked forlorn, but he immediately brightened up. "Well, I guess we should be happy nevertheless because he's still alive! Restoring his memory would be easy. What's important is that he's safe and with us. Isn't that right, Lal?"
Leave it to Fon to make any ugly situation seem so beautiful. Lal didn't know where he reaps this optimism of his from, but wherever it was, she wanted to get some, too. She didn't know how she's going to react. If she was going to be happy that he was here like what Fon had said, or grieve because of his condition. She chose to not react at all.
"Lal?"
"Whatever you say, Fon," she finally replied. "But, don't expect that he wants to stay here. It's obvious he has something to go back to there in Italy. Am I right?"
"Of course, I do!" Colonello replied, a little rejoiced that, finally, someone understood what he meant. "I happen to have a life back there."
"And a bunch of people you absolutely care about, I presume?"
"Y-yeah," Colonello almost muttered, amazed at how well she could read him. "H-how did you know?"
Lal shrugged.
"I was your commander and now your co-worker. If there's anyone in this place that knows your innermost personality, that would be me." Lal raised her eyes to meet his, and forced herself not to break down, crying.
"You honestly don't recognize me at all?"
"No idea."
"Well, there you have it," she said to Reborn and Fon. "He's stock memory is wiped clean, but his stubborn personality is still intact, though he doesn't seem to say 'kora' like how he used to. Reminding him with words may be enough, if only he wasn't that stubborn." He stared at the two raven-haired men.
"By my calculations, it will take you a very long time to restore his memory, so I wish you a lot of luck."
"Wait, hold up," Colonello cried. "So you're not sending me back to Italy? But, I thought you-"
"I didn't say anything like that," Lal replied. "Now, get used to it."
"To what?"
"To this." With that, she directed a punch to his shoulder, knocking him off his feet. Luckily, he landed to a chair waiting behind him.
"What was that for?" he cried.
Lal turned around.
"Take it as my way of saying 'welcome back'." She started walking for the door, feeling her tears building up. "Or 'beware', maybe."
Colonello struggled to stand up, wanting to go after her. Fon stopped him.
"And who are you, exactly?"
The woman stopped in her tracks, but she didn't turn.
"Lal Mirch," she announced, and then disappeared through the door.
Fon knocked on the door as loud as he could without making himself sound desperate.
"Lal!" he called. "Lal, please open this door! Please, you need to talk to someone!"
His voice echoed through the room, towards a pair of invisible ears.
Fon pressed his ear towards the door, and then sighed.
"You're not in there, are you?"
Lal shivered a bit at the cold breeze that passed by her, but she kept on walking. Obviously, she's not going to get some peace back in there, so she chose to go outside into the cold mid-afternoon, going wherever her feet would take her.
The wet ground she walked on started to feel soft. It was already wet soil instead of wet gravel, which meant she was nowhere near the base, which should be good. The farther she is from it all, the better.
Another cold breeze blew past her and her bare shoulders, reminding her that she forgot her cloak. As a matter of fact, she hadn't brought anything except the clothes she wore, as if a tattered-looking tank-top and shorts will keep her warm. That was really poor planning on her part.
She looked back at the direction where she came from, and can only see the higher portion of the base. The other portion was covered by trees. Not only that, but her whole surroundings as well.
Finally, her legs finally gave in, and she was forced to sit down. A good thing that there was a nice, shaded part somewhere near her where she could rest and think things over.
No. She shouldn't be acting this way. Not right now. Not ever. She was Lal Mirch, for heaven's sake! If there's one thing that she should not be doing, that would be exerting too much effort in this. There's too much work to be done. Avoiding Iemitsu will only make her even busier, which she soon decided to be a good thing. The more work she gives herself, the more chance that she could keep her mind from wandering.
"Don't push yourself too hard, kora!"
A splash of reality suddenly hit the female hitman. She tried to shake her mind to keep it from wandering again. However, the shaking was futile, and soon, she gave in to the voices in her head.
"I suggest you worry for yourself, imbecile. I'll be fine."
"'Fine'? You're overworking yourself, kora! First is these dangerous missions Iemitsu gives you, not to mention the extra work I see you do at night, and then these trainings during your free time. You're only human, kora!"
"A human capable of doing all these."
"Yes, but still a human. . ."
Colonello. He was an imbecile. An imbecile who cared for her more than anyone would have. A moron who'd be ready to give even his life for the sake of her. An idiot who would follow her to the ends of the earth, whether she asked him to or not.
He was her rain. The one who washes away her fears, her anxieties, her confusion, and most of all, her pain. Most of the time, she'd deny it, but it was true-she needed him like how the world needed rain.
However, no one, not even her, can expect for rain to last forever. There will come a time when the droplets would stop falling down, and the sun would rise up, cruelly shining unto her, drying her eyes forever. This was that time. The sun was nowhere to be seen, yes, but there was something scorching inside her, enough for the tears to turn into dust, preventing them from coming out of her eyes.
She felt something drop on her, but she ignored it. Another drop. And another. And another. And, before she even realizes it, her body was soaking wet under the rain, but she didn't move. Just closed her eyes and let herself get caught in that cold dome of hers with the hope that it might cool down the heat coming from inside her.
"Why are you letting yourself get wet?" a voice asked, more curiously than worryingly. Lal didn't recognize whose voice it was. It could be Reborn, or Fon, or anyone whose sole purpose in life is to stalk other people because they can't mind their own businesses.
"Nothing," she answered, eyes still closed. "Go away."
No response came after. All she heard were footsteps, making her feel somewhat satisfied that she can be alone again.
Somehow, the response she gave was like to those that she gives Colonello. Short, but cruel. They were the kind that's easy to process, and once you have, you'll follow it right away. But, Colonello- he never cared about these responses. She didn't know if he was really stupid or something, but whenever she tells him to go away, he'll stay, and, secretly, that was one of the many things she loved about him. He'll never leave. Or, at least, back then.
Out of nowhere, two warm arms wrapped around her trembling shoulders.
"Is that how you cope, Lal?" the same voice from before whispered. The voice was still unfamiliar, but the touch-she can't be mistaken. She knew who it was.
"'Cause if it is, then let me just say that it won't work. Trust me. I tried to cope with this inability of mine to remember by being alone, but it didn't work. I just felt even more confused." The two arms slowly slid against her shoulders, and felt the two warm hands transfer to the two sides of her face. "And, somehow, I craved to see you."
Lal slowly raised her lifeless eyes and found those two sky blue eyes focused on her.
"Colonello," she whispered. The man smiled, but to her, the smile showed no recognition of himself. "You still don't remember anything, do you? Not even me?"
"My mind doesn't," he replied. Lal's heart plunged even more, just when she thought it was already at its lowest. "But, my heart seems to."
He rested his forehead on hers. "And, for some strange reason, it's urging me to do this."
Her wide eyes widened even more, but she wasn't able to response. Colonello, occupying her lips, didn't give her a chance to.
When he let her go to catch their breaths, Lal immediately sprang forward, wrapping her arms around him, refusing to let go. Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell down together with the rain. She sobbed almost like a child, and only his arms stopped her body from shaking.
Forget that decision she made before to forget about him the same way he forgot about her. She can't do that, the same way for a year to not be able to last without rain. It doesn't matter anymore if Colonello could not remember her. As for this moment, only one thing matters.
"I love you, Colonello," she whispered. His embrace somewhat felt stiff all of a sudden, making her regret for saying it. Then he chuckled softly.
"I always knew you did," he replied. "I love you too. . .kora."
-FIN-
And the verdict from your ever expert taste is . . .? Did you love it that you want more or do you hate it with all your gut that you want to go to my house and tear me limb from limb? Let me know what you think, please, so I'll know if I should post my next fic about the adorable couple or not. (I actually have another fic 'bout them, but I want your reviews to convince me to post it!)
Again, thanks for reading! LoveLots~3