F l o w e r b e d...
Fai buried his hands deep into the earth. Dirt had such a solid smell. An acquired smell. Much like aged wine or vintage perfumes. Fai found the smell and the touch to be relaxing, especially under such a ripe, spring-time sun. Curiously, Fai rarely became too dirty when gardening. The dirt would slide gracefully from his lean fingers and back down into the earth.
Fai scattered the seeds throughout the newly-dug holes, letting them slip from his hand and bounce across the garden, much like when a beaded necklace snaps and the tiny glass beads dart to the floor in a series of bounces and collisions.
He then went on to filling the holes back up with dirt and patting them down solidly. They would definitely grow safely. Moving over to the crooked shed, Fai let a hand run over the lids over all of the different bottles. There were poisons and chemicals and then fertilizers and nutrients. Fai smiled faintly and then rested upon a watering can.
"Water, sun and love," he said delicately, "That's all they need,"
Fai filled up the watering can clumsily and went back over to the new-born flowerbed.
"When you bloom," Fai chirped to himself, letting the watering can drift over the garden, guided by his wrist, "I'm sure you'll be just as wonderful as your brothers and sisters!"
Fai signaled around the whole garden, which was full of blooming, colourful flowerbeds. Some wild and out-of-place and some incredibly exotic and intriguing.
"You're talking to plants as if they are people again," Kurogane leaned against the cool wall which lay under the roof, in shade of the sun.
"Kuro-wink!" Fai exclaimed, twirling round in such a fashion that the watering can almost carried him in a full circle, "Come to do some gardening?"
"No," Kurogane said blankly, "I just looked out my window and saw you floundering out here like the idiot you are and came to see what the hell you're doing,"
"What?" Fai cried incredulously, "But I was only gardening!"
"And skipping around the garden," Kurogane added, "And speaking to the seeds,"
Fai laughed, drizzling the last drops of water over the flowerbed, "I'm having fun, Kuro-flower! You should do the same,"
"Whatever," Kurogane said, rolling his eyes, "By the time they grow, we'll probably be long gone,"
"You think?" Fai said cheerfully, "I don't know, it's spring, and it's only peony and crocuses. I'm sure we'll be around for the shoots,"
"Anyway, are you finished?" Kurogane asked hopefully.
"Yes," Fai muttered, nodding his head, "But now I'm worn out!"
"Yeah, yeah, you're always worn out. Do a tiny bit of work and you're flat out sleeping on the floor," Kurogane said, "Lazy mage."
As if Kurogane's words had triggered a magic effect, Fai stretched out his arms and fell gracefully backwards to one of the overgrowing flowerbeds.
"What are you doing?" Kurogane barked, kicking his foot off the wall and walking over to Fai, "You'll squash them all!"
"They're old and withering," Fai pointed out, still grinning, "Come lie with me,"
Kurogane raised an eyebrow, bending over Fai in a way that the sunlight seemed to pour from his ear if you looked up at him. "Not a chance."
"Why not?" Fai pouted, burying his head within the lilacs.
"Because," Kurogane said, "It's a flowerbed. In case you don't know, people are supposed to lie on beds. Not flowerbeds."
Fai shrugged, "Well, I guess I'll sleep a little while. I'll come in to make dinner later," he then placed his arms nonchalantly behind his head.
Kurogane stared at Fai a moment and then raised his arms and gave his best 'i-give-up' look.
Fai eyed him in a cat-like fashion as he began to walk away and then slyly looped a finger in a button hole on Kurogane's sleeve, pulling the ninja down to the dirt in a second.
"There we go," Fai said comfortably, beginning to snuggle his head close to Kurogane's arm.
"You say that as if I had problems getting down here," Kurogane said darkly, but Fai had already closed his eyes.
Kurogane allowed Fai to let his arm intertwine with his and then looked up at the spring-time sun, letting Fai trace a finger lightly across the skin on his arm.
"Hey," Fai said lightly after a little while, "Hey, Kuro-leaf, what's this on your arm?"
Kurogane cast a glance to where Fai's fingertip was pointing. It was hovering upon a tiny moon-shaped scar.
"It's a scar," Kurogane said casually, "I've had it since I was young,"
Fai raised his head in shock. "Since you were young?" he repeated.
Kurogane raised an eyebrow at Fai's reaction, "Yeah, why?"
Fai looked at the scar again and then to Kurogane, "How can a cut not have healed and faded after all this time?"
"Because its a scar," Kurogane said bluntly, not sure how to explain, "When you get hurt badly, sometimes it leaves a scar that never goes away."
"It does?" Fai asked with child-like curiosity, "I never knew that. I thought that wounds just healed and left, leaving you with a whole new layer of skin."
Kurogane contemplated the strange look in Fai's eye.
"But sometimes scars are important," Kurogane stated, "Kind of a symbol of growth. You get hurt but you still go on. It's a sign of humanity if anything. Just to show that maybe you made a mistake or you went through difficuly pain. You'll still have the scar to remind you how strong you are. You'll still have the scar that holds all the lessons you've learned,"
"But," Fai began, "Isn't it better to grow safely? Isn't it better to grow without pain and suffering?"
"You could say that," Kurogane said faintly, "But where is the proof you have lived at all?"
Fai blinked and stared at Kurogane as if he had opened a chest of gold. "You mean, these scars are proof we exist?"
"They are proof we are human," Kurogane said distantly, "And proof we can get over pain,"
Fai pressed his fingers to Kurogane's scar. "I can't," he breathed, "I'm not so good with getting over suffering. I don't think my wounds would ever truly heal."
Kurogane stood up, leaving a faint impression upon the lavenders and the daisies.
"Watch," he said, before disappearing into the old moss-ridden shed.
Fai said up in the flowerbed, his legs crossed and his hands upon his chin.
Kurogane came back out of the shed holding a green container. "Chemicals," he said bluntly.
Fai opened his mouth to protest, but it was too late. Kurogane was already tipping the contents over the newly dug flowerbed.
"Why did you do that?" Fai asked, his voice quiet with slight twinge of anger.
"Just to show you," Kurogane said, reaching for Fai's hand, "That every living thing goes through some form of pain. And that every living thing grows stronger just the same."
-
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The signs of spring were already disappearing from the air. Fai clutched his glass of water to his chest and flicked open the curtains of the room he and Kurogane shared.
"Hey, Kuro-petal!" Fai said excitedly, shaking Kurogane by the shoulder, "Come see!"
Kurogane rubbed the back of his head gingerly and went to join Fai by the window.
Fai pointed to the flowerbed, a host of green shoots standing brave above the soil.
"Look," Fai whispered, smiling carelessly, "They all grew."