So lately, I've had strange dreams, strange dreams about a boy I've never met, never spoken to, or even seen. He just appeared in my mind one night, and ever since, he's popped up everywhere.
Kiku Honda sat at his desk, the lamp shining bright overtop his piece of paper. Its white space was already colored in shades of grey, careful lines drawn here and there. A small smile appeared on his lips as he pressed the button on his music player to change songs.
When the basic sketch was done, he began to add the details of the picture, like on the clothes, and hair. He paid close attention as he did the creases and folds of the costume.
It was looking great.
The first night he came to me, I drew him exactly how I saw him in my dream. Magnificent, graceful, stunning, donned in his outfit of elegance. But the most beautifu about him had been his eyes.
When Kiku finished the main drawing, he set down his pencil to admire the image of the person he'd created. It was like a photograph, a person caught in action, frozen forever in that instant.
His smile widened as he set to work inking it, trying to give it a shaded glow. He wanted to color it as well, especially his eyes.
I tried to capture that image. I drew him countless times, and whenever I had a spare moment.
Kiku's fingers skillfully colored the image, bringing it to life. The shading, the creating, the living. It all looked so real to him, now. He continued to grin as he did so.
When he was satisfied, hours later, he held it up and admired his work, but he frowned a bit. He never could get the eyes just right. They always lacked the glow of before. He closed his own eyes, trying to envision it again, but to no avail.
Soon, I began to create him. I made him my own. I gave him a name, occupation, ethnicity, a being. I have him a soul, and a heart, and more importantly, a story.
Kiku took the picture and shifted through his things, pulling out a binder, and upon finding a sheet protector, slipped the illustration in.
He checked the clock. It was almost time for classes. Kiku slid the binder into his bag and headed off to his class.
I named him Antonio, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. He was of Spanish descent, a matador no less. His features were again, those in my dream. Curly, chocolate hair, warm, caramel skin, and of course, mesmerizing jade eyes. I thought of him daily, wherever I went. The more I thought of him, the more I wanted him to be real.
"Matadors still fight in Spain today. It is one of their most popular sports…" the teacher droned on.
Kiku yawned a bit, but continued to take his notes of the lecture. All around his notes were doodles of matadors, bulls, flags, but most of all, Antonio.
The bell rang; class was over. He rose from his seat, and slowly walked out, dodging the crowds of students that bombarded him.
"Kiku!" a voice cried out over the roar of the students. "Hey!"
Kiku turned, and saw Yeu Nha, weaving her way through the crowd. He smiled. "Yeu-Chan."
She stopped in front of him, but then pulled him to the side, out of the way. "Hi Kiku, listen, Matthew, Tino, and I are going down to the café later, care to join us?"
The gesture was sweet, and Kiku was grateful. "That sounds wonderful, I would be honored to join you."
Yeu smiled. "Great! See you then!"
I never told anyone about Antonio. I just kept him in my mind. Everywhere I went, Antonio followed. At one point, I don't know exactly when, I think I fell in love with him, despite his status as a dream.
Kiku sipped his drink quietly, a slight grin on his lips as the Canadian and the Finn argued over who got to sit next to Yeu.
"She's my girlfriend, I should get to!"
"Exactly! So you should sit in front of her, so you can see her! So that's seat is mine!"
While they argued, Kiku had moved out from his position across from Yeu and sat next to her. She giggled.
The two boys stared dumbfounded for a moment, before begrudgingly sitting next to each other.
While everyone chatted, Kiku couldn't help himself as he doodled Antonio onto one of the napkins. He'd just so happened to have a pen on him, and was already sketching out his curly hair when he realized everyone was staring.
"Wow Kiku, that looks great," Tino complimented graciously.
"Yeah, agreed. You draw like, amazing," Matthew agreed, smiling.
"But who is it?" Yeu inquired.
The Japanese man felt a bit of a blush cross his cheeks at all of the attention. He flipped it over. "N-no one…"
"Aw, come on Kiku, show us! Who is he?" Yeu pressed.
"Maybe it's a lover~" Matthew teased.
While they all laughed, Kiku couldn't erase the feeling of butterflies in his stomach.
There was a binder I kept everything in. It was Antonio's binder, where I kept all of his drawings, and information. It was probably the one thing I always had on me…save for that one night.
"Kiku! Yo, bro! You going to come to the karaoke party tonight?" Alfred asked, finding the Asian at lunch.
Kiku smiled at his friend, nodding. "Hai. Yes. Though…I can't guarantee how…active I will be…"
Alfred grinned. "That's cool. You'll have fun, I'm sure! See you there, remember, six o' clock, don't be late!"
A light laugh escaped his lips as he walked through the courtyard to get to his next class. The sun was bright, but it made his smile widen.
The sun always reminded him of Antonio.
I should've brought it with me to that party. I don't know what possessed me to forget. Maybe I didn't forget— Maybe Antonio was trying to tell me something. Or maybe it was fate. I'll never know.
The party was loud, music blaring from all directions with voices entangling with one another. It was fun, Kiku admitted. He was quite enjoying himself.
He looked up when Victoria, the Seychellois girl from his class, motioned for him to come out with a worried expression. He rose, and followed her out.
"Yes, Victoria-San?" Kiku asked quietly, gazing at her with a bit of concern.
"I just arrived. And while I was getting here, I passed your neighborhood. Kiku…there's a fire in your area. Fire trucks were all everywhere. You might want to go check it out."
The Asian's heart stopped, as he thanked her over and over before heading out. It wasn't his home; it couldn't be. There's no way, something like this wouldn't happen to him…!
His heart raced as he saw the swarm of fire trucks outside his home. There was smoke clearly visible, rising high into the air. He fought through the crowds of people. "My home…!"
Kiku tried to rush over, only one thing in his mind. All of his drawings, his life, Antonio, were in this burning house. Two officials halted him, grabbing hold of him and forcing hum back. "It's not safe young man, stay back!"
"Antonio…!" Kiku cried out, unable to think clearly.
"Is someone still in there?" the man asked him, but he couldn't speak.
All he could do was watch the flames, the flames that were engulfing his entire life.
The house was charred horribly, but in time it was fixed. All traces of my artist life were destroyed, including Antonio. I was crushed, feeling as though I'd failed him. From that day until I graduated, I didn't dare draw him again.
"Congratulations, Mister Honda. You've excelled in everything you've done. You deserve this diploma."
"Thank you, sir," Kiku said quietly, taking the document slowly.
He sat back down, listening to all of the other names be called. Images, pictures he longed to create danced around his head, yet he could not. He dared not draw his dear Matador again.
Soon, they were dismissed, and they dispersed, getting together about plans for the future, and how to keep in contact. Alfred came ad found him later, asking him the same question.
"I think I would like to travel, some. Just a few places here and there. I want to see what's out there," he said softly.
He knew exactly where he wanted to go.
Though my drawings were lost that day my memories remained. And in a way, fate finally paid me back.
The hot Spanish sun beat down on him, but it felt sweet. IT was warm, and it made him smile for the first time in a while. Camera clenched in his hands, he began to walk around.
Picture after picture, the Spanish scenery was quite beautiful. He knelt down to get another when someone bumped into him.
His camera jerked, and the picture ended up blurred, he already knew. Kiku sighed as he turned to the cause.
"Oh, dios! I'm sorry about that! Did I mess up your photo?"
Kiku felt his heart slow, and his breath catch as the sight of the person. He had curly, chocolate curls, warm caramel skin, and a pair of mesmerizing, jade eyes.
He could only stare, and the man, seeing he was all right, smiled a beautiful, sunshine smile.
"Nice to meet you! My name is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo!" he grinned, extending his hand.
Kiku took it. "I know. Oh, I know."
More SpaPan for randommanatee and Bri Nara :D SpaPan is adorable and you know it. SHIP IT. SHIP IT LIKE I DOOOOOOO.
Anyways, I had a great time writing this, and I really liked the idea, so hope you enjoyed! Same format as Melodious Memories, Lay Me Down To Sleep Tonight, and Take A Chance.
Read and Review~?
-IchigoMelon