Oh wow I'm alive! (Barely)
I'm so sorry for the hiatus. A lot of stuff went down in my life, but hopefully it's all died down now.
Here's an old one-shot (unless you guys really like it) just to give you something to read while I finish up Chapter Five of "Remembering, In April".
This one if for "Snow White With The Red Hair" a couple of years later. I hope you guys like it, feedback is always appreciated!
He'd always watched her from afar, from the very first moment he laid eyes on her.
Three horses, one white, two brown, had come clopping in through the gates. Someone was riding with Mitsuhide, with a hood covering her eyes. Obi had been waiting outside the gates, since Lord Haruka had no targets to be disposed of. So he just got to wander.
But now, he was sitting in a tree. He had nothing else to do.
Except watch them coming in.
Mitsuhide's horse ran into a small rock, causing a small bump, making her hood fall.
Her hair.
Bright red. When he first saw it, he didn't want to say it looked like a simple apple. It was more beautiful than that.
Her green eyes weren't a sickly type of green, they were more beautiful than that.
Her hair was the petals, her eyes the stem to a thorn-less rose.
His blushing almost matched the shade of her hair once he realized how he was thinking, instead of the way he was supposed to. The way of an assassin.
Obi quickly leapt out of the tree as the girl pulled her hood back up. It was like she was ashamed of it.
How could someone who looked like that be insecure? She was the only person in the whole of Clariness to look like someone other than a carbon copy of the last person.
He shook his head as he made his way to Master Haruka's office to tell him of the girl. Anyone riding with Second Prince Zen must be of importance. Master would want to hear about her.
That was just the first incident.
He watched as she ran up the spire, moving his arrow slowly along as she moved.
Oh, how he regretted telling Master of her. He didn't realize at the time she could've been someone of no royal importance.
But he had to.
He blinked a few times. He couldn't simply kill her.
Scowling to himself to how weak he could be, he put down his arrow.
Obi's eyes watched her carefully as he worked.
By the time his arrow whizzed right in front of her, he felt a tiny bit better about his decision. But, he was missing a strip of cloth from his shirt.
When she yelled out to the general direction of where the arrow came from, he was blushing again.
Beautiful, headstrong, and courageous.
Now, he wasn't physically far away. He'd be able to catch her if she managed to slip on her veil. But he had never felt further away.
As she got closer to Obi, he couldn't help but blush. She was even more beautiful than she was at Price Raji's ball.
It went in slow motion as she came nearer. It lasted an eternity. Her white dress trailed behind her, Shirayuki's arm locked with her father's.
Once she got in reach, Obi wanted to bring his hand out. He so desperately wanted to.
He wanted to lace his fingers with hers, to pull her close and, damnit, he'd run away with her if it meant that Obi could be with the red-haired-beauty. But no.
It was too late for that.
Obi restrained himself obviously, keeping his hands clasped together behind his back. He didn't like this suit. He hated this suit. He hated standing upright and tall and right at the front with all eyes mere feet away from him as he held back his blushing. Anyone with decent peripheral vision could see him.
But as Obi restrained himself, Zen smiled with joy. He reached his hand out gracefully, and Shirayuki kissed her father's cheek before stepping up next to the Prince with their hands locked together. Not just 'the' Prince… Obi's Prince.
Mitsuhide grinned at the couple as the preacher started reading his lines. Obi tried his hardest not to scowl.
What was he doing? He was… Being upset over Shirayuki's happiness. She wanted Zen. Zen made her… Her. Zen was the reason she was here. Zen was a fair and just leader. Even if Obi loved her, shouldn't he be able to respect her decision?
He didn't know if he could.
She was too… Everything. Intelligent, gorgeous, witty, kind, brave… Obi couldn't watch her from afar anymore. So he decided.
He wouldn't watch her at all. No more from afar.
Not from afar… Not from afar…
Obi could picture every time they were together, and everything about her face.
Obi hated seeing her looking out her window, from the other side of the courtyard. And that happened far too often.
So he settled for her, in his mind.
Obi was interrupted as Mitsuhide brought out a pillow with two rings. He looked forwards. The preacher had put away his book, and he looked at Zen and Shirayuki. Everything to Obi right now made him feel like his head was covered with a fishbowl. Shirayuki was in tears.
She loved Zen with all her heart.
Zen loved Shirayuki with all his heart.
And that showed as they put on the rings.
And that showed as the couple kissed, and the crowd cheered.
And it showed that Obi had settled for her, in his mind, as he walked away.
Never to be seen again.
Not even from afar.