A/N: I got this idea when I was looking at the really cool clouds out my window when I woke up this morning. I was trying really hard to remember what they were called, and the first word that popped into my head was "deciduous". I knew that wasn't right and got a kick out of it, and it gave me this idea for a one-shot. So I hope you like it!
Deciduous Clouds
Nagihiko pulled a giant book out of his school bag and dropped it on the table we were sitting at. Why was I sitting at a table with Nagihiko, of all people? Well, that wasn't my fault. Actually, it kind of was, but I'm blaming it on my stupid science teacher who says I'm failing. She told me that I had to get one of my friends to help me out. So why, of all people, did I chose Nagihiko? It was kind of like this:
~Flashback~
"Amu, I need your help," I said into the phone.
"Sure, Rima-chan, anytime!" She replied.
"Can you help me with science? I'm failing that class."
"…" there was no reply at first. "I'd love to, but I'm not doing so hot in that class myself. I don't think I'd help much."
Well, there goes that idea. Which of the other guardians could help me? It would be useless to ask Yaya. Tadase might… I didn't like the thought but called him anyway.
"Moshi-moshi?" Tadase answered.
"Uh… can you help me? I'm failing science class."
"Mashiro-san?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry, I—"
"That's okay." I hung up. Who else could help me? I thought of calling Utau, Kukai, and even Ikuto. After sitting for about a half-hour trying to figure out what to do, I opened my phone and hit the "talk" button. Soon, a familiar voice spoke.
"If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again. If you need help, hang up and then dial the operator."
With some crazy, desperate notion in my head, I decided on a plan of action. I began to dial the operator. It had said "If you need help, hang up and then dial the operator." Well, I really needed help. However, my phone ran before I could do anything.
"Moshi-moshi?" I answered, hoping the evil sensei was calling with a change of heart.
"Rima-chan? This is Amu." No such luck.
"Yeah."
"Why don't you ask Nagi to help you?"
"…"
"Rima? You still there?"
"Huh? Eh, yeah. Maybe I'll do that." I had actually already thought of that. But… I really wanted to stay as far from Fujisaki as I could. Why? Because whenever I was around him, I got this fluttery feeling in my stomach. And I didn't like that.
Besides, he was my worst enemy, and I couldn't risk befriending him. He had that kira-kira smile, and such beautiful long hair. He was practically impossible not to like.
"Rima? Riiiimaaaaa-chaaaaan!"
"Huh?"
"Wow, you're spacey today. How's this? I'll call Nagi and ask him to help you."
"…"
"I'll take that as a yes."
~End Flashback~
So that's why I'm studying with Fujisaki.
Flipping a few pages of the book, Nagihiko stopped and pointed to a picture of some clouds.
"Okay, let's see how much you already know about this module."
"Mhm," I mumbled, not really paying attention.
"What kind of clouds are these?" he asked.
I looked at the picture. How the heck was I supposed to know? Racking my brain for the names of cloud formations we'd gone over in class, I found my mind black. So I said the first cloud-sounding word that came to me.
"Deciduous."
"There was a silence in which Nagihiko stared at me in disbelief. I wasn't sure if I'd said something wrong or if he was astonished I'd gotten it right.
Suddenly, he burst out laughing. Stupid Fujisaki.
"De-haha-cidu-haha-ous!" It took him a while to calm down, and when he did, he began explaining. "Rima-chan, 'deciduous' is a word used to describe plants that loose their leaves during the winter." He stood and closed the book, then grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet.
"What?"
"Come with me," said Nagihiko, leading me outside, through the many halls in his giant house.
We rounded his house and walked for a while before we arrived in a garden with widely-spread trees. In the middle was a meadow covered in neatly-cut grass, a few cheery dandelions sprouting here and there. A small hill rose out of the grass, and Nagihiko brought me to the top of it. Plopping onto the ground, he urged me to join him.
"Why are we here?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.
"Just lay down on the grass," he told me, doing so himself. I sighed, not seeing how this had anything to do with studying. But I did it, anyway, laying a few feet from him.
"See that one?" he pointed to the sky. I looked up, and suddenly realized why were lying on the ground like this.
"No, which one?" I replied. There were so many clouds of all shapes and sized interrupting the blue of the sky. He sighed in exasperation.
"That's because it's different from my viewpoint. We're at different angles."
"What do you propose we do about it?"
"Come here," Nagihiko beckoned for me to come closer to him. I inched a little bit in his direction—about a foot. "No, Rima-chan, closer than that." He moved towards me until our sides were nearly touching, and pointed to the sky. "What's that one?"
"A cloud," I said.
"Yes! Very good observation, Rima-chan," said Nagihiko sarcastically. "What type is it?"
"The white, fluffy type," I replied with little interest.
"Yes, but what is that type called?" I could tell he was trying to be patient.
"…um…"
"Well?"
"Coniferous!" I exclaimed.
"Rima-chan, these are clouds, not plants!" he began to laugh hysterically. His laugh was wonderful, and I had to join in, giggling a little. After a while, it died down and he sighed. "Okay, what is it really?"
"I don't have any clue," I mused, looking at the cloud in subject as it began to drift away.
"Okay, I'll tell you—it's a cumulus cloud. That one over there is a cirrus cloud."
"How do I remember these?"
"You study them," he stated blankly, "How about that one?"
"A flat-looking cumulus."
"No, its stratocumulus."
"Erg! So many fancy names!" I growled. Nagihiko laughed. "What's so funny this time?"
"Oh, Rima-chan, you're just so cute!" he said. I began to turn red, and quickly tried to distract him from my burning cheeks.
"What about that one?" I asked, pointing.
"Which one?' he scanned the sky, trying to locate the cloud my finger was directed at. Sighing in aggravation, I scooted closer, so that my head was almost resting on his shoulder.
"There."
"Oh, that's cirrocumulus," answered Nagi.
"Like a mix of cirrus and cumulus?"
"…I guess. But when they cover the whole sky they look like fish scales."
It was my turn to laugh. I could picture Ikuto chara-changed with Yoru, batting at the sky.
"Do you think Ikuto would try to eat the sky, then?"
"Maybe…" he giggled in a very girly way, his voice rising to its 'Nadeshiko' form.
An hour passed and we barely noticed it. Nagihiko would point to a cloud and I would try to name it. Eventually, we got distracted and started finding shapes in the white fluffy masses.
"Look over there," he said, pointing. "That one looks like Rima-chan when she's really angry." He was trying to make me mad. There was no resemblance whatsoever, I swear.
"No it doesn't!" I exclaimed, punching his shoulder. Nagihiko laughed at my pathetic attempt to hurt him.
"You're right, it's not half as cute. But really, you get this dark aura around you, and that cloud is the shape of your dark aura."
"It's a cumulonimbus," I pointed out. He looked at me in astonishment. Oh, great, now I've said something stupid again.
"Exactly! Good job, Rima-chan!"
My face began to turn pink again. Well, at least I hadn't said something stupid.
"Um… looks like my dark aura is about to engulf the sky," I told him. He looked up at it, but shrugged.
"Maybe, but not for a while. What kind of clouds are the high ones that look really wispy?"
"Cirrus," I answered. Nagihiko smiled.
"You're pretty good at this. I'm sure you'll pass the test tomorrow."
"What?" I nearly jumped to my feat, but managed to contain my surprise, and only rose into a sitting position. "We have a test tomorrow?"
"Yes, and it's on the clouds. So you'd better keep studying to make sure you have them all down."
Nagi tugged on my shoulder, pulling me back to the ground. But instead of hitting the grass, my head fell onto his shoulder. Smirking, he put his arm around me. I gasped but didn't protest. My cheeks were on fire, so I turned, hoping he wouldn't notice.
"Rima-chan's blushing," teased Nagihiko.
"S-so what?" Oh, great, now I sounded like Amu, stuttering while trying to remain 'Cool&Spicy'. What's worse, Nagihiko wasn't stupid. He could take a clue, and I'm sure he'd already come to a conclusion as to why I was blushing.
A faint grumbling noise emanated from the sky, and we exchanged a look. Nagihiko stood and helped me to my feet.
"It's going to rain soon," true to his word, a droplet of water fell from the sky and landed on my nose. I hurriedly wiped it off as he took my hand, guiding me in the opposite direction of the house.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"The house is a half-mile away, if you didn't notice. It will take too long to get back there." We plunged into some trees that were the edge of a forest.
Another drop of rain landed on my arm, and I brushed it away just as the sky let loose a bellow that gave me an ominous feeling. Nagihiko glanced upward, and sped up his pace so that I was nearly being dragged.
"Here we are," we stopped in front of a wooden shack. The rain was starting to dribble through the trees at a fast enough rate that we were both getting a little bit damp.
Nagi pushed open the door and led me inside. It was surprisingly not as dirty as I'd expected. Sure, it was dark and there were a few cobwebs in the corners, and the floor was made of dirt, but it didn't look as if no one had used it in years. A faint clucking sound signaled the presence of a chicken.
"This is my hideout," Nagi said. "I've never really shown it to anyone of my friends before. Okaasan knows about it, though."
"What's with the chicken?"
"Oh, there's a hen and a barn-cat and a sparrow's nest all tucked away in here."
The raindrops pattering on the roof was the only sound for a while. Nagihiko walked over to a stack of hay bales and sat on one of them. I joined him.
"What time is it?" I asked, not bothering to take out my cell phone. He pulled his out of his pocket and glanced at it.
"Nearly 6 p.m."
"Oh…" The rain kept splatting against the roof, and the silence that overcame the barn was awkward.
"Ne, Rima-chan, what kind of cloud comes with a thunderstorm?"
"… Cumulonimbus." His attempt to ease the silence didn't last for long. Eventually, I giggled. "Since the cloud is loosing all the rain inside of it, does that mean its deciduous now?"
"No, I don't think so. If it was a plant raining leaves, then it might be."
"But a cloud is like a plant, in some ways. Its rain is like its leaves."
"Yes, but trees loose their leaves seasonally."
"And it's spring, which is when the clouds rain. So maybe clouds can be deciduous," I said. Nagi sighed, then turned to me, looking me in the eyes.
"We're enemies, right, Rima-chan?" he asked.
I was shocked, and slightly hurt. I'd made it clear to him that I had hated him, but did he hate me in return? It never really seamed like it. I bit my lip and took a deep breath, turning my gaze in the other direction. Finally, I nodded.
"Then… the day that clouds turn deciduous," there was laughter edging into his voice, but somewhere behind it, I could tell the tone was fake. He, too, was trying not to cry. Girly, cross-dressing, purple-head. "The day that clouds turn deciduous is the day that you fall in love with me."
Was that really all he could come up with? I know that it probably seems ridiculous to him, but he could have used something less hurtful. Something that didn't have all sorts of hidden meanings. Like "the day that pigs fly", or something like that. And that's when it struck me: he'd meant to imply something.
"I think you meant it the other way around," I stated. He looked kind of surprised.
"What?"
"The other way around. I think you meant to say the day that I fall in love with you will be the day that clouds turn deciduous."
"Why's that?" he still looked upset.
"Because…" I didn't finish. Instead, I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. He looked at me in shock. "Today, clouds turned deciduous."
The rain had stopped falling, and I ran to the door and threw it open. Leaves were tumbling down from the sky.
A/N: This took me a while to write, but when I read it over it seemed really short. I hope you liked it! Sorry if any of the information in there was invalid. I haven't studied that stuff in nearly two years.
I will try my best to update The Million Dollar Bet soon, I really will. Actually, I have most of it written, but I haven't typed it yet.
Review, onegai!