Hello all! Sorry for my long absence, I graduated High school and had to deal with a multitude of family members. So this one-shot is to make up for my delay in writing 'Narumiko, Kogitsune no Yoko', which I still won't be able to update for a bit; thanks for your patience. Sorry, if this story doesn't make much sense, I switched the tense and way its written a few times through out; I hope it flows okay. If not? I tried.
Warning: fluffy towards the end, possible spoiler if you havent read up to book 4.
Disclaimer: +Anima belongs to Natsumi Mukai and the song 'Fly on the Wall' to T.a.T.u
He had hated her, yet tolerated her presence within the group. At first it was guilt. Simply the feeling of being responsible for the others' blame; he had left, refused to be around her because she was a girl.
And he hated girls. Right? Possibly.
He did, until he started travelling with her. She got loud and demanding, and often acted way too girly to be travelling with a group of boys; just like all the other girls that he had met. Yet, somehow, she had wormed her way, not only into his good graces but, into his heart.
Not that he'd ever admit it. Right? Maybe.
When you're naked in the shower
When you're sleeping for an hour
When you're big, when you're small
Oh, I wish I was a fly on the wall
She despised him, at first. Then she was jealous. Why did he deserve such pretty things, such good friends? Did that make her vain? She wanted pretty jewels and baubles, friends that would stick by her side during grand adventures; she wanted more than just her dark cave and stolen goods. So, she took the pretty things from him. She didn't expect him to come looking for them, let alone find her.
So she told a lie, just like always, to get what she wanted; that was okay. Right? Usually.
This time was different, though, she saw how close he and his friends were. She wanted that, too, but how? Maybe they'd let her come with. But, as she thought about it, they probably wouldn't want her around; especially since it was her fault he lost his pretty treasure in the caverns of rubble. So, she followed; discreetly. When she saw the opportunity to offer them something in return for their company, even for just a little while, she took it; she never expected for dinner to run away, though. They let her stay for their dinner, instead; but he didn't want her to stay any longer. So he left.
It didn't hurt, though, that wasn't her problem; she didn't need him to agree. Right? Sure.
It still hurt, why? She wanted his approval, to know it was okay; that he didn't hate her over the loss of his pretty pearls.
When you're with her after midnight
When you kiss her in the dim light
When you break Barbie Doll
Oh, I wish I was a fly on the wall
When the Crow came back without the Fish, she went to try next. It was her fault after all. It was getting dark, she was becoming nervous but didn't want to disappoint her new friends; The Crow and the Bear didn't mind her and she knew they were sad that the Fish left. She found him easily; not that she could miss his silver hair when it glinted in the waning light that filtered through the trees.
When the Bat found him, he was immediately upset. So, as he hid in the water, they argued; he noticed that the darker it got the more tense she became. He didn't understand, why was the Bat so skittish when the dark forest was where she was built to be? She jumped at every sound and he began to feel guilty. So, he left the water to settle her nerves; yet, she flew off, screaming in fright. Why did he chase after her? She was probably just using her tears to trick him; like the other girls. Yet when he caught her, she trembled; the others found them and she hid behind him, clutching his shoulder in desperation.
Wanna see who you are
Every inch, every scar
She told her story, then he saw that her fears were real; she hadn't tried to trick him. Was that when he accepted her? He wasn't sure, but he stayed as the others asked. Perhaps he could allow one girl in his life.
One was fine. Right? Probably.
He could let her in, just a bit, to let her have a family; if only for just a little while. So they all traveled together. They'd check each other for wounds after each adventure they had. They'd find jobs to get a place to stay and buy things they needed and couldn't get while camping; they'd even find fabric, to patch up what holes their clothes had, that they'd find in the markets.
From your head to your toes
I would be there
From your bed to your clothes
I'm in the air
She would watch him in the markets, as he saw pretty jewels and baubles. She saw how he wanted them, yet refrained to save money; he was good at saving his money. Every time a pretty item caught his eye, she would look closely; eventually, she realized. He only liked the best quality things.
She grew jealous again.
Deep inside she knew only he could pull off having and wearing such fine things; but she could look nice in such things, too, so she said as much. The Fish merely scoffed and said she wouldn't look good in such refined jewels. She grew upset and angry at the Fish. Her heart told her she only wanted such things because they would catch his purple-tinted, blue eyes; as she reasoned that out in her mind, she realized she wanted to catch his interest like he had caught hers. The Bat knew she could catch his eye with jewels, even if she herself wasn't enough. Yet he told her pearls and jewels wouldn't look good on her; that simple things would, instead.
When you think you're alone
I'll be down in the hall
I could see it, if I was a fly on the wall
What you do in your room
I could see it all
You undress, I wish I was a fly on the wall, yeah
The Bat had misunderstood him again. She had thought he meant his words as an insult; he had meant the opposite. He felt bad when he saw her eyes glitter with tears that she tried to bravely hold back. He had to make it up to her before she hated him forever. He asked the Bear for a favor, one to be kept secret from their girl. So he had dove until he found the perfect gift, all to be kept hidden from their girl; no, his mind had corrected, his girl.
That's when he knew.
For the drama that you're drinking
And the dark thought you are thinking
And the love notes that you scrawl
Oh, I wish I was a fly on the wall
He knew that he couldn't deny it to himself anymore. He wouldn't be able to get rid of her, nor would he want to anymore. And yet, he couldn't tell her. She would leave; tease him over his feelings, then leave. He didn't want to feel that pain and he didn't want to lose the one that could cause him such pain; that did cause such confusion to run rampant through his heart and mind.
It was okay to keep it secret. Right? Unsuitable.
Silently I arrive
You don't know I'm alive
Why didn't he see her as she saw him? She wanted so desperately to let the Fish know of her affections; but could she do it? Was she brave enough to face possible rejection or, even worse, his scorn of her feelings? She feared, with all her heart, that he would toss her aside; leave her while she was at her most vulnerable. She felt her heart slowly breaking.
It was okay to hide her heart. Right? Undesirable.
From your head to your toes
I would be there
From your bed to your clothes
I'm in the air
He was nervous in giving her his gift; he had said she wouldn't look good in pearls or jewels but he had offended her with a misunderstanding. What if she rejected it? Was it good enough? What if she figured out how he felt about her? He worried more and more over what she would do; his nervousness nearly made him turn back. One look at her standing cutely next to the Bear, with the cool breeze ruffling her skirts and lifting her hair to form a light brown halo around her delicate features, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep his gift from her; besides she was looking at half of it right then anyways. Who cares if she found out about his feelings; he was a guy, he would deal with it if she rejected him. So he took the flower pendant from her hands and turned his back to her to insert the stone and thread a string through it; he took a deep breath and turn back to her slipping the necklace into her hand. "Here, Nana. It's yours," he turned his head to the side but looked, from the corner of his eyes, into her eyes as she looked down at his gift to her.
He'd be alright as long as she remained with them. Right? Definitely.
When you think you're alone
I'll be down in the hall
I could see it, if I was a fly on the wall
What you do in your room
I could see it all
You undress, I wish I was a fly on the wall, yeah
She thought of the Fish, of the pain she felt when she thought that he'd never return her love. Did she love the Fish, was that what caused her heart to skip beats or stop altogether when he looked her in the eyes? When her green met his purplish-blue? Yes, was the answer that came forcing its way to the front of her mind; yes, when her forest green eyes got lost in the boundless waters of his own, she knew that it was love she felt no matter how childish it seemed. Such depth she saw within his eyes that it was hard to focus upon what he wanted of her when he turned and stared intently into her own eyes; seemingly trying to make his will understood through the shear intensity of his look.
Wish I was a fly on the wall. yeah, yeah
Ever closer, ever nearer
When you're looking in the mirror
I would know who you call
If I was a fly on the wall
When she pulled herself away from being swallowed within his bottomless blue eyes, she noticed he looked nervous and slightly embarrassed as he slipped the pendant back into her hands. When he removed his gloved hand from her smaller one, she realized it was a gift. Why was he giving her a present? Surely he hadn't spent any of his precious money on something for her, right? Then she realized that it wasn't a jewel in the center of the hand-carved flower pendant, that was now a necklace. Her eyes widened, "Huh? This stone..." She looked back up at the Fish and noticed the pink tint across his cheeks as he looked at her from the corner of his eye, "Those kinds of stones get washed down rivers and collect in lakes... I thought I'd be able to find one... Although it's not a jewel."
From your head to your toes
I would be there
From your bed to your clothes
I'm in the air
She looked at him sharply, hoping he wouldn't insult her again for not looking pretty in jewels or pearls. Her eyes widened as he continued to speak, "That's... A flower shape. It'll look better on you than pearls. I had Senri make it." Her eyes widened further as she heard Cooro speak up from behind her, "Yeah, Nana looks good in cute things like nuts and flowers!" She watched as he walked away, a blush crossing her nose as she latched the necklace around her throat and followed the boys. She had misunderstood when he had said she looked better in humbler jewelry. A smile crossed her face as she realized that he had spent his time looking for the stone that sparkled prettily from the carved flower around her neck. She thought of the yarn she had bought earlier with the money from her job; she'd have to finish their gifts soon in return. She smiled happily as she called out a thank you to her darling Fish, he didn't turn or pause in his walk.
When you think you're alone
I'll be down in the hall
I could see it, if I was a fly on the wall
What you do in your room
I could see it all
You undress, I wish I was a fly on the wall, yeah
That night as they camped beneath the stars once again, Nana couldn't sleep; she had thought over why her Fish had given her a gift that had so obviously taken quite a bit of time and consideration to create. The only reason she could come up with was that he cared for her; but that couldn't be it, right? Nana jumped a bit when she felt somebody settle next to her; right next to her. She glanced from the corner of her eye and let out a soft gasp as she saw the moonlight glitter off of his silver tresses. He wasn't wearing his cape so she saw when he twitched nervously, as though waiting for her to send him away; she'd never do that, though. She turned to him and took a calming breath before asking the question that would tip the balance of their precarious companionship; which direction it would tip was unknown, but Nana was willing to take the leap of faith to find out. "Husky..." she started hesitantly. He turned to her, his sapphire earrings sparkling in the soft light, giving his full attention. She started again, "Husky, why did you take the time to find me such a nice present? I thought you hated girls... I'm so confused."
Wish I was a fly on the wall. yeah, yeah
From your head to your toes
I would be there
From your bed to your clothes
I'm in the air
What you do on your own
I could see all
When you think you're alone
I would go
Husky looked steadily into Nana's green eyes, slightly shadowed by her long lashes, as his heart beat sped up. His mind raced, coming up with a multitude of things to tell the pretty girl sitting beside him in the tall grass of the meadow. However, no matter how many excuses his mind created, his heart wouldn't let him tell his Bat anything but the truth; so he did. Looking deep into her eyes he told her in a soft voice, "I took the time because you're worth it and deserve a present that'll make you happy. And I do hate girls; however, you..." He leaned to his side pausing when his lips were millimeters from hers. He whispered his words to her, his breath ghosting lightly over her lips "You are more than just some girl to me." Husky slid his eyes closed and gently sealed hips mouth to hers. He kissed her lightly and held it only long enough for her to press her own lips to his, to let him know his feelings were returned. He leaned away from her and looked back into her eyes, noticing how they sparkled with happiness. He stood and offered his hand to escort her back to the campsite where Senri and Cooro were resting against a fallen log near the fire.
When you think you're alone
I'll be down in the hall
I could see it, if I was a fly on the wall
What you do in your room
I could see it all
You undress, I wish I was a fly on the wall, yeah
The Fish slept peacefully with his Bat snuggled comfortably into his side. Sharing his blanket and warmth to prove he had meant his whispered words. In the morning when the Bear and the Crow woke, they noticed the comfortable silence between the two who sat just a tad closer to each other than was the norm. But seeing how content their travelling partners were, they said nothing and let them be giving slight knowing smiles to each other as they set about the morning chores. It was about the time that they stopped for lunch that the Bat and Fish noticed the glances the other two were giving each other, so they asked what had caught their attention. The Bear chuckled and the Crow had merely commented that they hadn't know that a fish could catch a bat; the Fish and Bat in question simply blushed and replied that it wasn't an easy task. The Fish and Bat looked to one another.
The leap of faith had been worth it, though. Right? Absolutely.
