Renji was ecstatic. Instead of walking, he pranced down the street to meet his friend for her birthday. It had taken him days of searching (several of which were spent trying to decipher the maps of the world of the living), but he had finally found the perfect present. He didn't even recruit assistance for this find, which made the reward of achieving it that much greater.
Renji closed his eyes and smiled, holding the wrapped box in his hands. He knew she would love it. It was perfect.
As he approached the girl sitting on the park bench, Renji allowed his eccentricity to show itself with an exaggerated wave, utilizing his entire arm to emphasize the motion.
Renji shouted loudly for her attention and she immediately turned to him and smiled, standing up to greet him as he approached.
"Hi, Renji," she stated, smiling brightly at him. "Didja get me something good?"
Renji grinned. "Of course."
He happily handed the package over. She seemed rather excited over the gift, which was to be expected, as she had made her appreciation of presents evident for the past two months, just to ensure that Renji would get her something. As she opened the box, however, her opinion quickly changed.
Her bright smiled deteriorated into a forlorn frown, the corners of her mouth falling like two shot birds. Her eyes glazed with the grieving of receiving such a thing. She couldn't help but wonder whoever would consider this an appropriate gift.
Luckily, Renji was too excited to even notice her body language. He would have been crushed had he known her true feelings concerning the present.
"Well?" he asked, finally opening his eyes. "What do you think?"
At that moment, she had never been more frustrated with Renji's apparent stupidity. She couldn't speak. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe.
Renji closed his eyes and laughed, patting her on the back. "Too shocked for words, huh? I don't blame you!"
Once again, she peered into the box. A contagious, despondent atmosphere radiated from it, and it was pulling her in. She was only pulled out of it when Renji proceeded to yell at her.
"All right! You ready to go to the zoo? That's where you wanted to go, right?"
She looked up at him, eyes lustrous with the pleasantly painful salty substance coating them. He noticed her feelings, didn't he? He couldn't be that dumb, could he? As these inquiries crossed her mind, she looked back into the box.
She hated it.
"Well, c'mon!" Renji shouted, running ahead towards the train station.
She looked back at Renji's retreating form, then peered into the box. It wasn't a bad present, but it wasn't a good one. It was more like something to give a teacher or respected superior than someone towards which one would express affection. Which was exactly why she despised it.
Sighing, she tucked the box into her pocket.
She would keep it forever.
"I'm coming!"