You Saved My Life
Rain was pouring down heavily on the streets of Bohdum from the heavy skies that hung before it. A silver, wavy haired boy with violet eyes sat in the back of the classroom staring blankly out the window, just waiting for the bell to ring. Being known as the snobby, stuck- up rich kid didn't exactly make him very popular amongst his peers, unless you were someone he choose to let in. Getting lost in his own thoughts he didn't notice when a girl with long pink hair tied up on her left side slowly made her way to the back of the room and sat in the seat next to him.
He probably would have gone on the whole period without even noticing her sitting there next to him if it wasn't for a small whimper and the headache brewing in the back of his head from her negative emotions. He slowly turned his violet eyes to face the girl, who's gentle sky blue eyes were staring straight down at nothing, wet with sadness. "Serah?" he asked just a little confused. "It's not like you to sit in the back of the classroom, is something wrong?"
"Please just leave me alone Joshua, I'm sorry but I don't feel like talking to anyone right now." She gently whispered, bringing her hands up to the sides of her head for support as she put all her focus into her text book.
Joshua found himself confused at this point, since he moved to Bohdum two years ago and transferred to this school, he's never seen the Farron girl without a smile on her face, ever. It made him uncomfortable. His curiosity was driving him crazy and since he needed to find a way to kill time before school was out, he slid out a small silver cell phone out of his pocket and flipped it open, placing it on his lap under the desk. His fingers started to dance across the keypad without thought as he looked up at the teacher, to see he wasn't even looking towards the class, but grading papers. He then looked down at the text book and pretended to read as he finished keying in Bohdum city news into the crappy internet browser his phone provided him with and hit the enter button, and waited for the news page to load.
After a moment or two the home screen for the website loaded up, giving links to different event and news updates for Bohdum. He quickly scrolled through the site, ignoring everything until he came to an article that caught his eye. "19 year old local girl killed in a fatal accident, investigators say the continuous rain is to blame." Joshua's eyes shifted from his phone to the girl sitting next to him, who hadn't moved an inch and clicked on the link, linking to the full article. His eyes quickly scanned thought as he found the information he needed.
"Last night, 19 year old Lightning Farron was killed in a fatal accident. Police and investigators say she was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street, due to the rain the oncoming vehicle could not stop in time, hitting the girl and killing her on contact. Farron's only remaining family is 16 year old Serah Farron, who attends Bohdum High. A memorial for Lightning has been set up for tomorrow night for those who want to pay their respects..."
Joshua read all he could manage and everything he ever needed to know. He quickly snapped his phone shut and slid it back in his pocket, then went back to pretending to read his text book again as he sighed. He slowly brought his hand to his forehead and rested it there as his headache gradually got worse. He was used to getting headaches when someone nearby was depressed, but this was something else, something he's only felt a few times in his life. His eyes drifted over to the pink haired girl who was now packing everything thing a way and looked at her eyes which now appeared lifeless, that's when he got his answer. Serah Farron had disconnected from reality, and probably wouldn't live to see tomorrow.
The silver haired boy had no idea what possessed him, but when the final bell ring he didn't grab his stuff and head home like he normally did, but he followed Serah from far behind. He kept her in her sight but stayed far enough behind to not be caught by her, not that she was paying attention in the first place. Once they were outside the rain had let up and there was a break in the clouds. Joshua shivered a little as the rain-cooled air hit the exposed skin on his arms, but the girl in front of him didn't seem effected by the weather at all.
Serah left the school yard and walked down the road and ended up near the docks by the seaside. Joshua hid behind one of the sheds for a few moments so she wouldn't see him and think she was followed, not that she even noticed him following her for a mile or so. He just sat there in silence until the sound of crying filled the air and he couldn't take it anymore. Just as the girls sobs started become shrieks and cries of pain, the silver hair boy, came out from hiding and sat next to the girl on the dock, not saying a word. It stayed quiet between the two for a while, even thought they were both aware of each others presence.
"Why are you here Josh?" The pink hair girl asked as she looked up, her face streaked with tears.
He slowly turned his head to face the girl, his eyes and features calm, different from the coy smirk and stuck up attitude he always displayed to everyone. "To cheer you up obviously, you look like you could use someone right now. I'm sorry about your sister, she was the only family you had, was she not?" he was actually rather curious, but more so just trying to get her to talk about her feelings.
Her blue eyes locked dead straight with his violet ones as she tried to catch her breath. "I want her back!" she screamed as her hands lurched out and grabbed onto Josh's white uniform shirt with a death grip, causing the boy to stiffen. "She was too young, make her come back!" she commanded tightening her grip as tears started pouring out of her eyes. She clung to him, thinking he was the only one that could make things right.
The boy brought his hands up slowly and wrapped them around her wrist and spoke calmly to her, "Serah, you know I can't do that, No person can. I know you hurt and you want to see her again, but there's no way she's going to come back. I'm sorry, but it was her time. Everyone has a time Serah, you just got to learn to live with that."
"Shut up!" she shouted as she slammed him down onto the dock, his head colliding solidly with the wood below him. "You don't know shit Josh! If she can't come back, I'll just go to her!" she said looking down at the boy that was underneath her, squeezing tighter on his chest.
He just looked up at her with an apologetic look. "Please just listen to me, I'm so sorry that she had to go but, I don't think she'd want you to give up on your life just because she died. You have so much to live for, I know what you're thinking, and nobody wants that for you." he pointed out as his eyes drifted to her school bag and noticed the bottle of pills slightly hanging out. "I don't want you to do that."
The girl looked angry at this point and lifted him up by his collar and shoved him into a nearby shed. "How do you understand how I feel or what I'm going through? Huh, Joshua? How about you're prissy ass explains that to me, cause you don't understand anything!"
The boy just stood there, his palms on the walls to steady him. He wasn't angry, he didn't smirk, he just kept a neutral look on his face. "I had a family once too you know. I lost them all by the time I was twelve, why do you think I keep people at a distance? It hurts like hell and you feel like you have nothing left but you just keep going one way or another. In time things will get better."
His words angered Serah and her body tensed up and started running towards him as she raised her fist up to punch him, like her sister had taught her a few months back. All she wanted to do was punch the boy so hard in the face, maybe she'd bust his nose, but really all she wanted was him to feel pain and suffer like she was right now. "Shut up! You don't know me, or us! I want her back, she was the only family I had, she was the only one I trusted! The only one I had to love, the only best friend I had in this world! One way or another I will see her again!" just as her fist was about to slam into his face, the silver haired boy quickly raised his hand up and caught it in time. The pink haired girl became flustered and brought her other hand swinging at him, which he caught as they both were slammed back against the wall behind Joshua.
The boys eyes filled with sympathy for the girl as her anger and frustration grew until it all drained, leaving only sadness in her eyes. "Serah, I know it isn't much but I'll be your friend. I'll do what I can to make you happy, do what I can to ease the pain a little bit every day. I know what it's like to loose, I became afraid and pushed people away. But you, you were my inspiration since the day I moved to Bohdum. I watched you, always smiling and laughing no matter what hardships you faced. To me, you were the girl who could never break, never give up and loose hope. I wanted to be like you, as silly as it sounds. You were the girl who saw the beauty in life through the pain, I could never do that, so to see you give up now is painful. Do what you can to stay strong for me, and for your sister."
The pink girls strength drained out from her body as she began to cry and sob uncontrollably, her whole frame shaking with each breath. Joshua quickly caught hold of both of them as she lost the strength to hold herself up and he slid against the wall, leading them both safely to the ground. "I miss her." she sobbed as she brought herself closer to him and rested her head between his shoulder and neck.
He sat there and let her cry as he held her closer and gently ran his fingers through her hair the best he could remember how to. "I know you do Serah, I know." they stayed like this for almost an hour, not even realizing the time passing by. Joshua didn't mind the fact that his shirt was soaked with tears or that his shoulder ached as long as she felt better. Soon after the girls sobs began to quiet and she eventually stopped as she fell asleep on his shoulder. He then shifted a little, stroking her cheek before positioning himself so he could easily pick her up and carry her to a safe place.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Serah's eyes fluttered open as bright orange sun started shining through the partly opened blinds. She ground a little as the light hit her sore, sensitive blood shot eyes, her head starting throbbing from crying. Letting out a small groan, she pulled the sheets up close to her eyes and closed them again, trying to recover her energy. She then realized that she wasn't in her house and quickly sat up, noticing she was in a rather spacious bedroom in an apartment. Her eyes scanned the room until she found Joshua who was starting to stir in the recliner chair across the room. There was a small pang of guilt in her chest as she realized that she was probably the reason he woke up.
Joshua let out a small yawn and stretched as he stood up and made his way over to the well sized bed across the room. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
The pink hair girl shifted a little to make room for the boy to sit down. "My head hurts quite a bit, and I'm still sad. But I guess I'm feeling a little bit better than yesterday. Sorry that I woke you up." She apologized as she took a look at the boy and realized he changed out of his school uniform into a simple pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt.
The boy shook his head and smiled a little, "You didn't wake me up. I stayed up most of the night keeping an eye on you, then kept waking up to make sure you were alright. But, I'm glad you're doing alright."
"I'm so sorry, you must be exhausted. I kept you up all night because you were worried! What time is it? It must be late, you look so tired." the girl cried out as she brought her hand to her mouth trying to control herself.
Joshua rested one of his hands reassuringly on Serah's shoulder, "I'm fine really. I would have rather stayed up all night in case you needed someone than let you suffer." his eyes then scanned the room to the alarm clock. "It's only five forty-five, so it's still rather early. On top of that, it is a weekend so it's not like we have to be up within an hour or two."
Serah moved over some more to make room for him to lay down, "Well, you can lay here with me. I still feel a little tired anyway so we might as well get some sleep."
He smiled kindly at her as he lifted the sheets and the both got situated. "Thanks Serah, that's rather kind of you. I didn't think you would enjoy sleeping in bed with a boy you barely know." he said.
Once they were both situated , the boy slid over to the girl who was laying on her side facing the window and wrapped an arm around her abdomen, which she didn't pull away from. "Well, it is your house, you have a right to sleep in your bed. Plus yesterday was a little rough so to make it where you couldn't sleep would be wrong."
Joshua giggled against her shoulder blades, heating up the area where his breath had hit. "I think I'd rather sleep in awkward areas than have you think I was trying to pull something on you." he explained as he started closing his eyes.
It was silent between them and both were nearly asleep when Serah broke the silence. "Hey Josh, you're a very sweet guy. You're not the stuck up guy who you pretend to be. Also this is going to sound silly but I would have thought you lived in a mansion and not an apartment."
The boy kept his eyes closed but couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Like I said before, I had my reasons for acting that way. On the other hand, what would I do with a mansion? I am only one person."
The pink haired girl felt her cheeks heat up at his answer. "Of course. And I really am terribly sorry about yesterday, I was just upset and I said and did things I didn't mean."
"I know." he responded before yawning slightly.
"I owe you a lot. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here right now, I would have killed myself later that night. I'm here because you decided to follow me and talk to me, took care of me when I thought I had nothing to live for anymore, you gave me a reason to keep going. You saved my life Josh, you know that?" Serah explained as a tear escaped from her eye and fell onto the pillow.
The boy slightly cracked one of his eyes in response, "In all honesty if I thought you were going to pull through I would have left you alone, but something felt off. You're a strong girl and could take care of yourself, this time though...I think I felt you break. It's safe to say I got a little worried, you're to special to let go of."
"What do you mean?" the girl asked, waking up a little more and growing curious.
Joshua gave a sleepy shrug, "There's just something about you I can't really ignore. That's the best way for me to explain it. I'm not going to lie though, if none of this happened we probably would have never talked. It's hard for me to drop the act and let people in, but I chased after you and I don't regret doing so. Not seeing your smiling face around school just seems wrong to me. The happiest girl I know dying is wrong to me."
"Thank you." Serah whispered as she started shaking a bit, controlling herself the best she could.
The silver haired boy tightened his arm around her to comfort her, "She loved you, just remember that whenever you feel sad. You made her happy." he said after a couple minutes. He could feel the girls body start to tremble in his arms.
The pink haired girl smiled a little as tears started slipping from her eyes. Joshua had made her remember how happy her and her sister were, how her sister always cared for her and had high hopes for her. Lightning had always did her best to keep her younger sister smiling and wanted her to live a happy life and to stay strong, throwing it away would not have been something that she would have wanted for her. It took this boy she was just starting to know to make her realize something she knew along, to help her see past the haze of her own emotions. "Would...it be alright if I stayed with you for a while? I don't think I'm ready to stay in my own home by myself yet, you know there's just to many memories there and it would feel wrong with my sister wrong. Plus you're the only person who understands what I'm going through, you lost your family as well. I would like to stay with someone I trust."
"You can stay here with me as long as you want to. I would never force you to go back to a place that would only make you sad right now." He told her as his fingers started tracing circles over her stomach as he tried his best to comfort her. "But, I think we should go to her memorial service tonight, just so you can say goodbye one last time. I never went to my parents and I still regret it to this day."
The girl gave a tired nod as she felt her eyes flutter close and focused on Joshua's fingers lightly brushing her clothed skin. "I'm alright with that, one day soon though I think we should go back to your old home so you can visit your family. I bet it's been a while, I couldn't imagine not going and visiting any of my family."
The boy shifted his head a little and placed a small kiss on the back of her head and settled back in. "That's a good idea, I never really thought about it. When this whole thing settles down and your still up for it we can both go there together."
"It's a promise then." Serah smiled a little as her body started to feel heavy and she let sleep take over.
Joshua smiled and pulled himself a little closer to Serah and whispered mostly to himself, "I'm glad I saved you, it's hard to imagine I didn't get to know you sooner. I may not know you well yet but, you do surprise me. I would have regretted not getting to know you if you had died." he sighed and finally gave into a restful sleep, holding the girl he secretly cared for in his arms.
Authors Note: Yay, I'm so happy I finally created a short one shot for the pairing I had created! Yeah it's a little short and crappy but it felt good to finally do something for these two since I absolutely adore them now. I hope everyone will at least give this pairing a chance and grow to like it too. It came out a little angsty but hey, sometimes it takes something tragic before someone can actually start to show what they actually feel toward the other person.