Author's note: First draft, unedited. As always ^_^
Green
A Word of the Day Ficlet
By Kysra
He has it all - the looks, the smarts, money and talent; yet, everytime he sees or thinks about her he is filled with something ugly, painful and completely beneath him: Jealousy.
At first, he couldn't for the life of him figure out why, and that only drove him to push her harder, hurt her sharper, then - finally - to ignore her more fully (a futile enterprise). Of course, Kotoko - for all the effort she has given to make herself less a nuisance - only persists against his own best efforts . . . and wins, continually, his notice, no matter how tinged with malice or masked with indifference.
She is something lively, pathetic, and . . . dear. The only talent she seems to possess is the ease she exhibits when making friends or comforting others; and her work ethic is nothing short of perfection, something he appreciates for the very fact that it exists though she has no discernible talent and is completely incapable of retaining knowledge. She is driven to learn regardless, and when given a goal with a substantial prize indicated after completion, he has seen for himself that she is more than able to follow through.
And it irks him, her energy and zeal; because he's never had to work for anything and lacks her insurmountable brand of character and presence because of it. She has dreams that she harbors in her mind and heart, so strongly - so soulfully - that it seems anything for her is possible despite the absence of looks, smarts, money and talent.
He wants it for himself, her propensity to be so dreamy and hopeful; and he's achingly aware that this desire only sprouted once he had come to know here, once he had come to . . . marginally accept her presence in his life. Because knowing her has shown him that he has merely existed in a life that is muted and colorless; and despite the fact that he has it all and has never had to work for anything, he is green with envy of her and understands that the one lesson he will never be able to learn with ease is the one she wants to teach him: Love.
Word: Amicable