Reflection
Setsuna stared out the large front window of her house, seated at a coffee table with her chair turned slightly toward the window. The sound of silence was loud in her ears, save for the muted clink of ceramic on wood every time she took a drink from her coffee cup. It had long since gone cold, like so many other things in this house, but she hadn't yet found the energy to reheat it or otherwise pour herself a new one. Her eyes found the four foot tall tree sprout in the front yard, almost coming even with the top of the fence that bordered her property, and she once again felt tears coming to her eyes, against her will. She tried to hold them in, but they fell anyway, leaving wet tracks down her cheeks and dropping slowly to the worn surface of the aged coffee table below.
Setsuna leaned against the door frame, door wide open and a smirk on her face as Konoka looked at her, a wide grin lighting up her face and bringing a glowing warmth to Setsuna's heart. The love of her life, her reason for existing, was kneeling in the dirt in the front garden, unmindful of the fresh soil greedily staining her brand new blue jeans that Setsuna had bought for her just a week ago. Setsuna couldn't find it within herself to fault her for it, she was just too damn cute.
Konoka had dug a small hole in the front garden, tying her hair back so it wouldn't get in the way as she dug, half with her hands, and half with a tiny, cheap metal hand spade that had a slight bend in the handle from being forced against a rock or something, some time ago. Setsuna wasn't sure; she had dug it out of a box in the basement at Konoka's request.
Now though, Konoka gently lowered in the tiny, eight inch tall fresh sprout of a tree, taking great care to ensure it was pointed straight up and wasn't leaning and crooked. With great pride, she scooped soil around the base, packing it in tightly to hold the sprout erect. Once she had a small mound of damp, fresh soil securely holding the tree, she carefully smoothed out the mess in the garden she had made, stood up, and clapped her hands together in accomplishment of a job well done.
"Setsuna, Setsuna!" Konoka had exclaimed, happily skipping over and throwing her soil-blackened hands around her lover's neck. Setsuna at once shied away from the dirt, feeling bits of soil fall from Konoka's clothing only to land at the base of her neck and find it's way under her shirt, but that feeling was nothing compared to the warmth of her wife. She leaned in, and fully embraced Konoka, unable to resist the desire to kiss her. So she did. Setsuna slipped her arms around Konoka's waist, and pressed their bodies together, kissing her deeply on the mouth. Konoka giggled happily and returned the kiss, her dirty hands coming to rest on the back of Setsuna's neck. Setsuna didn't notice, too deeply entranced by the feel of Konoka against her.
When Konoka eventually pulled away, her eyes shone brightly with excitement and happiness.
"Setsuna, one day, when we're old, that tree is going to be twenty feet tall and bigger around than either you and I could imagine!"
Setsuna couldn't stop herself from laughing happily at the prospect of herself and Konoka living out their lives together, but Konoka couldn't know that, and swatted her arm playfully.
"Hey, don't laugh at my tree! It may be small now, but it will grow!"
Setsuna's only response was to pull her close again and kiss her, determined to show Konoka just how much love she held for the lively girl.
Setsuna blinked, tears blurring her vision as she let her eyes stray up the tall length of the tree, massive compared to the twig that it was when it was planted. It wasn't all that long ago either that it had been brought home from the store, roots all wrapped up in a tiny little bag of moist soil. It had brought Konoka an unimaginable amount of joy, Setsuna reflected, to have that tiny tree in her hands. Setsuna didn't understand how something so small could make her love so damn happy, but it did. Maybe it was her passion for nature, or her undying love for living things that made her so proud of the hole she had dug in the garden, planting her very own tree, Setsuna wasn't sure. Her eyes followed the weathered, worn brown bark from the base of the roots, to where they disappeared underneath the leafy green canopy that had sprouted from it's branches.
The first winter after planting the tree had come, and Konoka sat on the edge of her sofa, watching the weather channel with a heated glare, as if daring it to snow. An hour after they forecast it, snow it did, and Konoka quickly donned her bright red scarf, tiny mitts, and the cutest little hat Setsuna had ever seen. Slipping into her boots, Konoka ran out the front door, leaving it wide open and letting a burst of cold air blow into the otherwise cozy house. Unbothered by the lower temperatures, Setsuna once again walked to the door and leaned against the frame, arms folded across her stomach and a happy smile on her face as she watched Konoka once again fall to her knees and brush the snow off the tree so it wouldn't die.
Setsuna watched this for about ten minutes, before a smile graced her lips and she inhaled deeply, scenting the brisk cold scent of frigid winter air.
Exhale.
"Konoka." She breathed, the name of her love rolling off her lips effortlessly and garnering the attention of the excited girl jumping around in the front yard.
The chocolate-haired girl looked up at her in excitement, and bounded over, the happiness in her eyes suddenly turning to surprise as her wet boots lost traction on the front step. She almost lost her balance, but Setsuna reacted quickly, throwing a hand out and grabbing her wrist, steadying her. Laughter erupted from the raven-haired girl as embarrassment flooded Konoka's cheeks, but it was fleeting and then it was gone, as Konoka carefully closed the remaining distance between them, wrapping her tiny mitted hands around Setsuna's neck once more.
"I don't want the tree to die, Setsuna!" She pouted, although the gleam was not lost from her eyes.
Setsuna slipped her arms around Konoka's waist, and effortlessly picked her up, carrying into the house.
"And I do not want YOU to catch a cold!" Setsuna replied, pausing for a second to kick the door closed behind her with the toes of her left foot. There was something nagging the back of her mind...Had Konoka gotten lighter, or was it just her imagination...? She dismissed it, and set Konoka down, gently kissing her forehead. The girl in her arms hummed happily, and nuzzled against her, giggling.
Heart near ready to burst with happiness, Setsuna pulled her as close as she could with the clothing separating them, and just held her, thankful for such a wonderful gift in her life.
Setsuna cried silently, tears streaming down her cheeks in full force as she remembered all the happy days that had ended far too quickly. They were supposed to grow old together, and now, she was...Her fists clenched, trembling, and she knew better than to try to take a sip from her ice cold coffee now. It would just make a mess.
Konoka was beautiful, smart as a whip in some ways, and dumber than hell in other ways. Setsuna knew that they needed each other, they balanced each other out perfectly. Konoka would come bounding up to her with a chagrined expression on her face, and a broken drawer knob in her hand, pleading her to fix it. Chuckling to herself, Setsuna would easily replace the screws, tighten them and make sure the knob stayed securely affixed.
The next morning, Setsuna would rouse Konoka from bed, embarrassment tinting her face as she showed Konoka the burnt frying pan, windows open to try to vent the smell of burned eggs and bacon before the smoke detector went off. Konoka would laugh, get dressed, and come downstairs, only to adjust the heat settings and add a bit of oil to the pan. Some time later they ate their breakfast, cooked by Setsuna but directed by Konoka, and they would agree that the cooking was best left up to Konoka from now on.
Setsuna wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, and although her vision was a bit clearer, it did nothing to ease the raging, agonizing pain in her heart that made her feel sick to her stomach.
"Konoka, I miss you so much." She whispered, finally tearing her gaze away from the tree in the yard as she heard the faint sound of a pilot light clicking. Seconds later and there was a muffled whump as the heater kicked on.
Her eyes found the small framed picture of Konoka sitting on the table right in front of her, and she reached toward it with a trembling hand. She touched the glass and traced Konoka's face, voice breaking as she spoke once more.
"I miss you so much. I'm being good, you know." She whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks once more. "I'm working hard, and taking care of the tree you planted...you should see it now...it's so much bigger than it used to be. You don't know how much I want to be with you right now. I hope one day soon I can, Konoka."
Her fingers slid across the glass, smudging the surface and doing nothing at all to ease the heartache she felt.
Her dark empty eyes reflected her empty, meaningless life as she mechanically turned her head once more to look out the window. She wasn't aware of how much time had passed, but she had been sitting in that same chair for three days. She hadn't eaten in four; her day old coffee the only companion to her sorrows.
She didn't know it yet, but she wasn't much longer for this world. She would not have to grieve much longer for the love she had lost, as she would soon find out, it's very, very possible to die from a broken heart.
A/N: Just a one-shot, may revise it in the near future, add some things, maybe change the ending, haven't decided yet. May just leave as is. Either way, comments and thoughts are welcomed. In the process of writing Shatter chapter 21, and needed a creative break =3