Safe (to Land)
Perhaps it was because she'd slept for so long that she now had trouble falling asleep. After all, 2 years in a coma ought to compensate for at least half a person's lifetime of slumber.
But it wasn't just a simple case of insomnia; even in her waking hours, she felt uneasy and restless. Like there was something she was supposed to do but kept forgetting – an assignment she'd not completed or handed in even after having completed all forms of schooling for some years now, or the door that never seemed to be locked despite the many times she'd checked.
To be more precise, it felt more like there was something lacking, something important missing in her life that made her incomplete.
No, it wasn't a something, it was a someone; and one day, there he was.
She'd dropped the keys to lock up the shop for the day, and had ducked down behind the counter to retrieve them. When she stood up again, she saw him standing just inside the door, looking tired and solemn, and for all the world like he'd just come from the frontlines of war where the fiercest fighting had been.
And maybe he really had just returned from battle. She had no idea what he'd been doing these past few years. And now she had no idea what she was supposed to do.
He'd been looking around the shop slowly, as though remembering the words on the pages of a book read numerous times in the distant past. His eyes met hers as she came round the counter, and they stood in place as though time had stopped, looking uncertainly at each other.
An invisible wall of awkwardness separated them, parting what had once been so familiar.
Finally, he spoke just when she decided to move – they always did think alike, or at least they understood each other well enough to anticipate what the other would do.
She'd already started running for him when he said in a voice just barely above a whisper, broken and laden with emotion, "Aya-chan…"
She threw her arms around him, years of unshed tears flowing freely.
"Ran…Ran-nii…Ran…," she choked out repeatedly in between sobs against his chest, savoring the taste of a beloved name that she'd not been able to voice out loud for so long.
Not being one for words to begin with, Ran simply caught and held her, burying his face in her hair, her scent and voice and touch reassuring him that she truly was alive and well and there in his arms.
The weight of their emotions and the moment became too much, bringing them down to the floor. Ran leaned against the doorframe and let Aya cry to her hearts content as the sun went down, casting panels of light on the floor before the darkness overtook.
When she opened her eyes again, no doubt red and puffy from all her crying, Aya found that she was lying in her bed, but in place of a pillow, her head was resting in Ran's lap. She didn't know if he'd slept as well, but he was now sitting up, stroking her hair.
Aya shifted to face her brother, lifting a hand to his cheek. Ran took her hand in his and smiled down at her.
"Tadaima," he said softly, seemingly completely oblivious to the whole complexity of what they'd gone through and their current situation.
"Okaeri nasai," she whispered back, playing along.
There were so many things she wanted to ask him; where had he been? What had he been doing? Why – besides one ambiguous phone call – had he not contacted her?
How was he?
Too many questions for even a whole day of conversation to answer. She'd let him take his time, if he even wanted to explain anything at all, and she'd take hers, once again getting to know him.
***
Ran had few things and moved in easily, taking the spare bedroom. Not having a job, he helped out with the shop, teaching her much about the flowers and the art of floristry, as well as keeping the part-time help in check at times, much to her amusement.
He'd changed though; become quieter, more serious, wise beyond his years, while she on the other hand, had aged slower than the norm and even now still gave the impression of being younger than she really was.
But any initial awkwardness their overdue meeting brought was quickly completely forgotten and they got along perfectly. They were practically inseparable, sharing evening walks and late night talks; filling the void in their lives when they were apart, just about dead and a mere memory to each other.
She soon noticed that she was sleeping better, that first night with Ran the most restful sleep she'd ever had in far too long a time. But though a great grey cloud had cleared for her, there were still nights when she woke with a pounding heart, panicked that it was all a dream and that Ran had never come back, still lost somewhere in a merciless world.
Those nights, she'd go to his room and crawl under his blanket, curling up next to him. He didn't mind at all, and hugged her gently, like a delicate porcelain doll, not wanting to crush her with his love.
He never told her, but he slept better when she was with him too. And he didn't need to tell her, because she knew, for in the mornings after those nights, he'd look less haunted, and he'd smile a little more unreservedly.
And so, when it was Ran who had trouble sleeping, momentarily overcome with fear that she'd been taken away again, or that she'd never wake, she welcomed him with open arms, cradling him to her bosom.
They understood that life was fragile, and that they themselves were fragile things, vulnerable as butterflies being tossed in the wind. But together, they were all right.
No matter what they'd done, what had happened in the past, and what circumstances had caused them to become, they could always rely on each other's love.
They'd always have a safe place to land, and that was knowledge enough that these two restless butterflies could sleep easy with.
Standard disclaimers apply
Notes:
1. Credit for this fic's title goes to the song "Safe to Land" by Jars of Clay (JoC) from their album The Long Fall Back to Earth.
2. Actually, before the 'JoC' song, Tori Amos' song "Sleeps with Butterflies" (The Beekeeper) came to mind as the words of the fic were stringing themselves into sentences and paragraphs in my head. You'll find the influences of both in the very last three paragraphs (seems Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things worked its way in there as well).
I suppose "Safe to Land" could be Ran's perspective, while "Sleeps with Butterflies" (SwB) could be Aya-chan's. Well, at least up until closer inspection of the lyrics (especially for 'SwB') and you realize that their natures don't exactly apply to Ran and Aya-chan's relationship – heh, subtle incest undertones? No, not at all; not intentionally, that is.
3. Thank you very much for reading, and have a blessed day. GoDspeed :)