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Free Bird
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"Reki, aren't you cold?" a huff of air formed a small white cloud in the somewhat chilly breeze, only to be evaporating the second after. The little blonde girl asking wrapped her arms around herself in a futile attempt to get herself warm, her gloved hands stroking up and down her shaking form, trying to get some life back into them. From time to time she pulled up her knees while walking, to see if her legs hadn't gone numb. She looked up at Reki, who was casually dressed in a summer jacket as if she weren't harmed by the cold at all.
"Ah, you're just too sensitive."
"But it's really cold! Don't be so cruel."
Reki laughed and put her arm around the blonde's shoulders, taking a deep breath of her cigarette and blowing out the smoke. "Honestly Rakka, you should grow some resilience to the cold. This place is famous for its chilly autumn and cold winter months."
Said girl slumped her shoulders and let out a sigh. Winter wasn't really her season. She loved warmth, the sun, the flocks of birds that flew over on humid summer nights. She'd often look at her own wings and pitied the fact that she couldn't fly. But it was all good with Reki around. For some reason, being with Reki and looking at the black-haired woman's ruffled, blackened little wings while she still wore that crooked grin of contentment on her face made it seem like it wasn't all that bad. It's was okay to be bound to solid ground. Humans couldn't ever fly, anyway.
"Don't you just love autumn, Rakka?" Reki asked, looking at the blonde from the corner of her eye, "I just like watching the nature change, watching the trees go colourful and bright and eventually lose their leaves, only to grow them back next year. Isn't that amazing?"
Rakka merely nodded with a smile. not wanting to interrupt Reki's musings as they walked down the path, straight into the forest. The raven-haired woman wasn't usually this talkative. The blonde knew that Reki preferred to stay indoors and paint, surrounded by clouds of cigarette smoke, pieces of art sprouting from the tip of her paintbrush. Rakka loved her art as much as Reki herself.
"Have you ever wondered why the leaves fall?"
"Because they are dying and are sad, but they know they'll re-appear every time? So, maybe it's kind of like, losing your skin but growing a new fresh one afterwards." Rakka exclaimed, looking up at the trees and leaves Reki was questioning about.
Orange; deep, scarlet red; yellow and ocher and all the colours that fit in between graced the branches of the silent, motionless trees. Some trees even seemed to be on fire, bright red and vermilion shooting everywhere. As they watched, many leaves fell down on the ground that was already littered with them, even though there wasn't a lot of wind. Some of the leaves crunched underneath their feet. Rakka could understand why Reki liked autumn. It was beautiful in all its sad and cold glory.
Reki smiled and pulled the blonde a little bit closer under her arm, her beautiful brown eyes twinkling. "That's a pretty interesting theory, kiddo. But I don't think it's like that."
"Then why?"
"You see, sometimes things need to fall into place, for the greater good. Or just to help something or someone. The leaves all drop down to serve the tree, to give it new life after they're gone. It's all part of a plan, a cycle. Some might see a leafless tree like it's dying, but I see it as a fresh start." Reki started, her eyes shifting to the amber ones of Rakka, "Just like you."
"What do you mean?" the blonde asked.
"Have you never wondered why we gave you the name you have now? It's because in your dream, you said you fell from the sky, right? Rakka literally means falling. And you fell right into a new life." Reki smiled, taking yet another drag from her cigarette, the end of it lighting up in the same colour as some of the trees before it went back to grey. She blew out the smoke.
"You fell into my life. I had never thought anyone would help me as much as you did. You came here, and helped for the greater good. You served a purpose, and next year it will all be even better, when you will start to bloom and make my life worth living. Just like the leaves. They make the world livable again, and that's exactly what you do to me."
Rakka couldn't help but to feel her face light up. The blonde had always felt an affection for her fellow Haibane, but to have her speaking so fondly of her made her heart jump. When she'd entered their world, Reki had took her in. Reki had taken care of her since day one. Of course the others had been there to help her too, but something had drawn her to Reki over and over again. The older woman had got her to remember, to discover her past life. And though Reki couldn't recall her own, she would just not stop helping Rakka. The latter had found herself into the safe arms of Reki a number of times, whether it was for her own or for Reki's feelings. They had supported each other so much, that Rakka had grown to love Reki.
"Reki..." she merely whispered, rendered speechless. The young woman in question only smiled knowingly as she took a last drag and then threw the cigarette away, trampling it as she halted in her steps and kept Rakka at an arm's length, her eyes piercing those of the blonde.
"I just want to say that I'm very thankful for having you."
"Y-you don't have to th- mmph!" Rakka couldn't continue because Reki had pressed her lips against her own in an uncertain kiss. The blonde's eyes flew wide open as the raven-haired woman gently stroked her cheek with one hand, sending an unknown feeling through Rakka. The feeling traveled from her lips, to her heart down to the pit of her stomach and to the tips of her wings. She could swear she felt her halo getting brighter as well.
Reki pulled back rather quickly, her eyes filled with worry as they tried to scan Rakka's facial expression for any sort of emotion. But said girl just stood there, her eyes still wide open, her arms uselessly hanging down. Little did Reki know that a hundred and one thoughts and emotions raced through both Rakka's heart and mind, rendering her speechless again. Her fingers tingled with the unfamiliar but amazing feeling as it still circled through her body, the cold that had slowly seeped in from being outside making way for a safe kind of warmth. The warmth Rakka had felt whenever Reki had held her in her arms. Whenever she saw that crooked grin of contentment on that beautiful face on those dark and lonely days. Every time.
"...Rakka? I'm sorry, I just," Reki began, panicking slightly, her hands flying all over the place because she could find a good way to hold them anywhere, "I-I thought you felt the same. With all the things we shared and- I thought you... never mind. I'm so sorry."
The raven-haired girl pulled out her pack of cigarettes, popping one out and putting it between her lips with shaking hands, her eyes ever so nervously darting to Rakka and back.
"Reki." the blonde then finally began, nearly whispering, snapping out of her trance. The brown-haired girl looked up in record speed, the cigarette hanging loosely between her open lips, the flame of the lighter inches away from the end. In her eyes glinted a spark of hope. Rakka casually walked up to her, stood on her toes, then plainly took the cigarette out of Reki's mouth and caught the taller woman's lips once more, surprising the latter this time.
"What does your name mean?" the blonde asked after she broke the kiss, a renewed feeling of warmth rushing through her veins.
"I-I... it means pebble. But Rakka, that's not important, I ne-"
Rakka silenced the young woman by putting a slender finger on her lips. "There's a reason I'm with you. Not only because I fell into your life, but you also entered mine. I had nowhere to go but you, so I took every chance I could get. You were there to catch me if ever I'd fall, but I was there pick you up whenever you were down." Rakka said, watching Reki's expression grow more and more confused by the second, her jaw hanging open slightly.
"Don't you see? Our names are made for each other. We need each other." she continued, "And that's why I do feel the same. I don't see why you'd doubt that. Ever."
The wind suddenly grew strong, a gust blowing up all the leaves on the forest path, making both Rakka and Reki disappear in a flurry of red and yellow. The latter stood there for a second, marvel written all over her face as she gazed into Rakka's eyes. Her statuesque form then changed as suddenly as the wind had, and she rushed forward and captured Rakka's lips with her own once again, pulling the blonde impossibly close to her.
They stood there for God knows how long. Just the two of them, their halo's glowing as the sun began to set. Reki just stood there when Rakka broke the kiss, seemingly mesmerized, but then she slowly cracked a smile. Rakka noticed it wasn't the usual grin; no, this one was way better.
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A/n: this is written for a autumn contest on deviantART. The theme was 'walks down leaf-covered trails'. The more trail and leaf, the better. But the whole contest is insignificant here, let's talk about the fic! I picked Reki and Rakka from the anime Haibane Renmei, because I instantly thought of them when hearing the word autumn and seeing the theme. They are just the perfect couple for that setting, a bit moody but sweet. I love describing nature also, so that was a plus (:
I think I'm quite satisfied with this all in all. I like the dialogue a lot, it's not my strongest point, so you can imagine that I'm very happy with it in this one. It actually makes some sense XD Anyways, I hope you guys like it too! Read&Review please! (:
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Disclaimer: I do not own Haibane Renmei or any characters used
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