This has been officially the fastest story I have ever written, in total, about 3 days to come up with a plot and have it typed up from the written copy. XD I feel sort of proud, I guess I do work well under pressure, plot bunnies like to come after me at times of stress :P Halane, I posted it, now its your turn to write one! (But do take your time, you know I'll wait.) :3
Prompt was: Rabi, Yuu, a garden and a flower of your choice. (I know rosemary is not exactly a flower... hope I didn't break the rules DX)
XXX
The Garden
XXX
I saw the frost in his eyes, the icy touch to that blue right before he reached out to seal the metallic water tap shut. I leaned against the wall and watched, feeling his presence and catching those curves beneath the thin layers of black and white. Absentmindedly I toyed with my bottom lip, blunt fingernails running along the edge as I stared, shamelessly at that pale wrist.
Adorned by that beaded bracelet, obnoxiously plain in sight.
He tilted his hand, bony wrist jutting out as if it was all just a common display but horribly tainted with that taste only Yuu's seduction could have.
The water spiraled out from the watering can, splashing through the air to splat right on those emerald leaves, brilliant enough to compete with my own right eye.
The sky was gray, like the ashes I had tasted during my short time as an exorcist. But I caught the faint light, right behind that translucent cloud of condensed water and I wished dawn would hurry up and come because I didn't known how long I could stay in focus when the light circles right over his head like a halo, giving him such an angelic glint to those sharp Oriental features.
I was hallucinating so badly and that innocent glow was just enough to make me sick of nostalgia.
"Junior."
So he was the one listening in that day when Bookman decided to give me an earful of nothing that I haven't heard of before. It just ended particularly bad that day.
So he did know.
How unfortunate.
"You don't seem to be the type to eavesdrop, Yuu." I pushed myself off of the wall and gave a few easy paces towards him.
"I just happened to have caught a word or two."
He watched the water mix with the morning dew as his shoulders let out a small careless shrug.
And the sky seemed to be a few shades brighter, the halo seemed to glow and I swallowed thickly, suppressing down the urge to feel the sick regret bubbling in my stomach.
"Do call me Rabi, Yuu." And I think that was the point when I had finally fallen for the gray sky. Reaching out, I wrapped my arms right around his waist and pulled him close. "Junior is not my name."
"I heard otherwise, Bookman Junior." He gave a particularly nasty laugh; it was frosty and cold, branding me right there and then as a liar of the worst kind. I could hear the taunting smirk thrown right back at me.
"Shh…" I let out a thin smile, true to Rabi as I laid my chin right on his shoulder. He tensed, but it was just a little, barely even there and I didn't pay any more attention as I stared down at his ivory fingers, curved right around the watering can.
"You should never believe words other people say, they could be lies for all you know."
The water ran out and our words ran dry.
"Do you know why I never called you Kanda?" He didn't reply and I took it as an urge to continue on with what was left of my initiative. I felt him slump back against my hold, and this time he didn't even bother to hide it. "I always thought we could be equals if I just called you by your first name."
He repeated the word and I could hear him chewing over it, tasting it before swallowing it. "Equals."
I didn't know how long after that word did he ask me a question, stopping the gears in my head right in their tracks.
"Do you know what rosemary means?"
I gave a shook of my head, not quite bothering to leaf through the pages of all those flowery books in my head.
"Remembrance."
That morning I breathed him in, along with the hundreds of species he had carelessly planted.
The garden was in full bloom that summer but I wasn't there to watch it happen.
000
I love you baby
Won't you bring
All the flowers you
Find out in the garden
Don't tell me the truth
That your heart has hardened
But you don't want me anymore
How can it be
Look what you've done to me
000
The water went past the limits before I finally noticed, his gaze on the back of my head was not something I could easily ignore and I was stepping on the edge as I reached out to seal the tap shut. The icy droplets of water that fell on my skin made me scowl, but only just by a bit.
The sky was just the right shade that morning, not entirely dark but not overly bright either, it felt as though hope had dwindled back down to reality. And I tiled my hand and waited as the cracked soil soaked into a rich brown, I had an urge to reach out and toy with the beads on my bracelet but his eye traveling over my body was enough to keep me in focus and alerted, pretending as if this was all fine between us.
It was sort of pathetic.
But I could still feel that eye, trailing after each bone on my body as he leaned against that wall, shameless alluring in that early morning air with those crisp flaming locks flaring up at the sky.
The daisies were in full bloom, tasting each drop in a desperate hunger to stay alive. The garden was small, just barely a patch off to the north end of the Order but it was big enough to satisfy my strangely comforting hobby that has developed over time, right before ending off the morning with an intense sparring in the woods with the red head lying right along the bricks.
The first time he caught me in the act was right after the first blade of grass had grew green and with a wide smile he strutted up to me.
Never thought the garden would be yours, Yuu.
His eye was green, compared to the dawning spring it seemed so much more. And that started off most of our mornings, mine's for sure but sometimes he would be too exhausted to show, doing what the night before? Some nights I knew and some I don't. He would watch me water the plants and I would watch him when he pulls out yet another makeshift sword against Mugen.
"Junior."
It was a slip but the word came out like an intentional but thoroughly awkward stab. I don't want to explain myself or say something that would seem too much like a lame excuse. I left it the way it was and it wasn't long before he replied, voice smooth like per usual.
"You don't seem to be the type to eavesdrop, Yuu."
His sentences always ended with that all too familiar first name, dripping with closure that did not even exist (at least in my point of view) and the regret of calling him Junior quickly dispersed. I gave a small shrug, as if I really didn't give a thought to the words I heard.
He walked closer and when my back was at just the right angle, I let out the tremor in my fingers, and the spiral of water gave a shudder.
"I just happened to have caught a word or two."
The reply came out a lot easier than I thought it would but by then I could smell that musty Bookman scent draped over me as he wrapped his arms around my waist, settling his hands right above my belt, as if he fucking owned me.
"Do call me Rabi, Yuu. Junior is not my name."
Upon hearing that I had to suppress a dry laugh, the way he defended his character was just a bit out of character for someone named Rabi of all people he could have chose. "I heard otherwise, Bookman Junior."
It was the way those words sounded, tasted, felt on my tongue that made it so irresistible to taunt the rabbit, and the laughter spilled over. I knew he wouldn't take those words well, I just didn't thought he would use the physical attribute of our situation against me.
"Shh…" I could feel his breath on my neck as he laid his chin on the crook of one shoulder, draping his body right on my back. "You should never believe words other people say, they could be lies for all you know."
And almost as if right on cue, the water ran out and our words ran cold.
It wasn't after a few minutes of staring, breathing and feeling did he started to speak again.
"Do you know why I never called you Kanda?"
I didn't want to know was more like the reason I had in mind but I pursed my lips and waited for his reply.
"I always thought we could be equals if I just called you by your first name."
I let out a silent breath from my lips before slumping against his chest, the word he used was flat out weird and I repeated it, for the sake of understanding.
"Equals."
It was awkward to say the least because I knew we stood on the opposite ends of the spectrum, there was never an equal sign that could be placed between us. And that tiny tip of a recognizable leaf made my lips pull into a thin frown.
"Do you know what rosemary means?"
He shook his head; I felt it against my body as I let that word slip off my tongue.
Never will I forget you.
That summer, the garden was in full bloom and the scent of rosemary was especially heavy on my conscience.
XXX Kuro
If you understood all the hints I left in there, yes Rabi did leave the Order and Kanda knew from the conversation he over heard between Rabi and the Bookman. The switch in point of view was obvious, just hope it wasn't twice the torture on any readers out there XDD The lyrics are from part of a song call 'The Garden' by Mirah, awesome song but the melody doesn't really fit with this story :P