rojo seda rosa

a fanfiction by vivi scarlet-sedai

Disclaimer: I own only what is laughingly referred to as the plot. Nothing else. I have zip, zilch, zero, nada.

Dedication: to anyone born on Valentine's. I mean, there's gotta be SOMEONE out there who was.

Rojo seda rosa

It's that day. The day she has grown to hate. No-one ever noticed how much that one day got her down. The day all the other girls in her class always made such a big deal of. Except Hana. But then, Hana was, quite frankly, barely in this universe.

Yes, today was the fourteenth.

The day she hated. The fourteenth was a curse.

The second-worst day possible to be born on, in her opinion.

Remember her thirteenth birthday?

Today is a very special day, girls. But of course, they hadn't remembered what it was for her. Today is Valentine's Day. And no-one said anything to her. Nothing. No-one. Because she was no-one. Just the girl who spent the afternoon of her thirteenth birthday crying bitter tears, because no-one cared, no-one cared.

Born on Valentine's, and no-one cared. What cruel jokes Fate played…

Now, her seventeenth birthday, she drifted through classes. Taking notes. Glaring at fan club girls. To anyone watching, she seemed perfectly normal. But she barely heard the girls in her classes chattering, barely felt Hana trying to get her attention, rivalry with Kyou half-hearted, lost in a sea of numbness. Because no-one cared, no-one cared.

At the end of the school day, she was first to the lockers. She couldn't wait to get out of the numb uncaringness of school, and spend her birthday afternoon with Hana and Tohru, the only people who knew about this cursed day.

Arisa opened her locker.

And the look on her face made it all worth it for him. The look of surprise and joy.

Tohru jumping up and down. Hana smiling slightly.

Rojo seda rosa. Red silk rose.

Someone had noticed. And even remembered her issues with pollen. Even the shocked looks and snide comments of the prettier, more popular girls couldn't dent her mood.

He allowed himself a smile, before heading over with an irritated expression to tell them to hurry up. To act surprised. To tease her. And she would never suspect it was him. How much he enjoyed their play-fights and mock-rivalry. She would never know. And it was best that way. After all, he was the cat.

A/n: I just made the birthday thing up…but it fit with the story. Please review, and all flames will be used to toast marshmallows.

Tide: Marshmallows? Did you say MARSHMALLOWS?

Vivi: Uh, yeah…

Tide: YAY! Marshmallows, marshmallows… I love you so much, Vivi! Huggles I really do!

Vivi: Okay, okay…I can take a hint, honey… +goes out to buy marshmallows for Tide + damn it, he SHOULDN'T be able to do the cutesie thing!