Never Again
Fuu sipped her tea in silence, quietly turning the pages of the photo album. She set down her cup with a soft sigh, resting her chin in her hand and gazing at the page.
"Fun in the sun at Umi's!" read the caption beneath one picture. Fuu --- a Fuu several years younger and with far fewer worries on her mind --- was laughing, sitting on the shoulders of a very handsome young man with wild green hair. Behind them, Hikaru was sitting on a towel on the sand, laughing. In the far background, the ocean met the perfectly blue sky. That had been a gorgeous day.
The two in the foreground were a bit blurred, as though they had been moving when the picture was taken. Or perhaps it was because Umi had been laughing when she took it, and the camera may have slipped. A faint smile tugged at the corners of Fuu's mouth. She remembered that day perfectly...
"Not now, Fuu," she chided herself softly, closing the album. "You can reminisce later." The pretty blond woman stood, set her half-empty teacup in the sink, and grabbed her jacket, sweeping herself out the front door without another glance at the photo album.
Her friend stepped inside as Umi closed the door. "Thank you, Umi-san," she said as the sapphire-eyed woman joined her in the walk to the living room, "but why did you want me over?" Fuu raised one eyebrow suspiciously. "You sounded very mischievious over the phone."
Umi grinned, pointing at the couch in the brightly-lit living room. "You'll see. Sit."
As Fuu sat down on the plush navy couch, folding her hands in her lap and glancing around, Umi collapsed into an armchair, swinging her legs up over one of the arms. "Pfft. Stop being so formal, Fuu. You aren't at a business meeting. You're at Umi's house! Hel-looo!"
Her blond friend's cheeks pinkened in embarassment. She immediately relaxed her posture. "Sorry. Habit."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Umi glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Where's Hikaru gone to? She should've been back by now..."
The conversation drifted. As they were chatting about Fuu's new kitten, a blue-eyed calico named Cricket, there came a knock on the front door. Umi grinned suddenly. "I'll get it," she insisted, leaping to her feet and dashing out of the room.
Fuu stared after her, listening. She heard the door opening, followed by Hikaru's cheery "Hey, Umi-chan!"; Umi's immediate "Shhhh!"; and a series of whispers and giggles. Fuu furrowed her brow, confused. What was Umi doing?
Her graceful friend peeked into the room just then, beaming. "Fuu," she said, her voice dripping with sweetness, "let's go out on the back porch, ne?"
Fuu gave her a skeptical gaze. "Hasn't Hikaru-san just arrived?"
"Oh, she'll... she'll be along in a minute." Umi skipped in, pulling Fuu to her feet and ushering her out the back door. "Go on now, hurry up, time's a-wastin'!"
They finally got out on the porch, and Umi shut the door quickly, hopping up on the railing that ran around the porch and patting the spot next to her for Fuu to come up. They sat for a moment, staring out at the ocean that lay just beyond Umi's small back yard, then Umi suddenly bursted out, "Oh, I've completely forgotten to bring out that book for you, Fuu! Just give me a second!" She leapt down from her perch, dashing back into the house, giggling to herself. Fuu stared after her, bewildered.
"Umi-san is most certainly up to something," she voiced to a little bird sitting in the sand.
The back door opened again. Fuu glanced up, her lips parted as she prepared to ask Umi just what was going on. The words never quite made their way out.
He was standing in the doorway, staring at her silently. His deep amber eyes met her own jade ones, and neither of them was able to look away.
Fuu slowly stood, stepping forward and gazing up at the man with the wild green hair. She squinted her eyes slightly, as though searching for something; she reached up, gently tracing the scar on his jaw with a fingertip. "Ferio?" she whispered disbelievingly.
"None other," he whispered back, equally entranced.
"But how?" Fuu's lower lip trembled slightly as she spoke, a giveaway to the tears she was struggling to hold down. "I thought... I thought you had to stay with your sister..."
"She's not ill anymore." Ferio's eyes never left hers for a moment. "Emeraude's sickness passed a long time ago, Fuu."
She bit her lower lip. "Then why didn't you come sooner?" she asked softly, her voice shaking.
Ferio melted completely. He reached out, taking Fuu in his arms and pulling her close. His touch was gentle as he stroked her blond hair, her head rested on his chest. "I couldn't, Fuu," he answered, his voice very low and tender. "I was... I was so afraid that... that you had changed, that you didn't... didn't..."
"Didn't love you anymore?" Fuu lifted her head, her eyes meeting his again. "Ferio, I could never stop loving you."
He smiled. "I knew you couldn't, deep inside. But I never heard from you, and my mind started... started to wonder."
Fuu furrowed her brow, perplexed. "Never heard from me?" she echoed. "I've sent plently of letters."
He shook his head. "I never got them."
"I don't understand..."
"Neither do I." Ferio's smile widened. "But when Emeraude called Hikaru one day, Hikaru told her at some point how much you missed me. Emeraude called me later on, and..." His smile widened even further, till it filled his face brightly. "And here I am."
"Oh, Ferio..." Fuu lay her head on his chest again, closing her eyes. "I've missed you so, so much..."
"I know, Fuu-chan." He kissed the top of her head softly. "I know. But now I'm back, and we'll never be apart again."
Maureen. Happy birthday.