AUTHOR'S NOTES
So today I bring to you...my second fic! xD
It's a bit longer than the last one (it has 4 chapters) and I hope you like it! Also, I remind you I'm not a native speaker of English so...sorry if there are many mistakes... .
Chapter 1 – Moonstone
It was a pleasant summer afternoon. The sun was still shining brightly and the birds' chirp delighted the ears of those who passed by. On those vast fields under a tree laid a girl. Her golden locks swaying as the breeze blew through…
She was surrounded by books of all sorts you can imagine. In front of her laid a thick book, which she leafed through its pages with incredible care, almost like touching a rare treasure. Once in a while, she would hum happily as she picked small flowers to put in her hair. That was the perfect portrait of tranquility.
Not far from there, a slim figure strolled on the dirt road, enjoying the sight around him. Each step taken, leaded him closer to the girl. As soon as he caught glimpse of her, he fastened his pace to reach her, trading the dirt road for a greener grass.
As the girl heard his footsteps, she looked up at his approaching form idly. When he finally got there, he greeted her cheerfully.
"Hello, Victorique!"
"You're late" – stated the girl in an upset tone.
He chuckled at her statement. "You know I have to work" – explained the boy – "But you also know I came as fast as I could"
"Hmpf" – she pouted – "that doesn't change the fact you're late"
"Ok, ok. Sorry" – he apologized as he sat beside her – "This time was for a good reason though"
"A good reason, you say?" – She gave him a curious look.
"Yeah" – said the boy putting a hand in his pocket – "Since, as you said, I was late, I decided to take a shortcut. Well, I didn't know the path very well…"
"I assume you got lost…" – presumed the girl teasingly.
"Er…a bit" – he admitted – "The truth is that the path leaded to a river, a very beautiful one if you ask me, and by its bank I found this…"
He took his hand out of his pocket and with it came a small translucent bluish stone, which he showed to her. When she saw the stone, her emerald eyes acquired a different glim. She was, somehow, amused.
"Adularia?" – asked the girl, interested.
"Yup" – answered Kujo – "Moonstone"
The girl extended her hands like a child, as if asking for him to give it to her. Proud for being able to bring something of her interest, he handed it to her.
"Strange" – said Victorique studying the stone carefully – "You are not supposed to find this kind of gemstone in this country…"
"Really?" – He asked in surprise.
"Yeah" – she confirmed – "It's mostly found in Asia. In India, for example, it's considered a great wedding gift. Also, it's known as the Traveler's Stone for the said protection it affords, especially at night or in sea voyages"
"Got it!" – Exclaimed the boy snapping his fingers – "Someone may have lost it, possibly a foreign traveler"
"Oh, good deduction. Looks like you're smarter than I thought!" – She teased him – "I commend you"
"Urgh, there you go again with your bantering…" – grumbled the boy as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, the girl smirking.
As he muttered, she seemed mesmerized by the stone. Her irises would grow darker whenever she looked at it.
"Moonstone…" – said Victorique suddenly, interrupting Kujo's muttering – "Passionate love that will fly you to the moon"
Her words caught his attention. He turned his eyes to her and for a moment, felt jealous of the way she looked at it so affectionately. "What do you mean?" – He asked.
"Some believe that the romance of the moon is reflected in this stone. It is said that if those who seek their true love give a moonstone necklace to their lovers when the moon is full, they will always have passion with each other" – explained the girl – "Also, a moonstone was often exchanged between lovers who had quarreled to help bring tranquility and love back to them"
"Do you believe in that?" – asked the boy, bringing his face closer to hers. She looked away from him, her cheeks tinted in pink – "T-That's nonsense!"
He chuckled and then asked – "Do you think that'd work for us? For some reason, you were the first thing on my mind when I found it…"
"Lovers…?" – She whispered to herself. He waited for a reply, but she didn't look back at him nor said anything else. He could barely see her eyes, somewhat lonely eyes…
He sighed and leaned against the tree. Whenever he tried to talk about that she would avoid him. He changed the subject – "You know, when I found the stone I met someone. An old man…he was very small but also very kind…When he saw the moonstone, he smiled brightly and mentioned something about its secrets and-"
"It's just lore, Kujo…" – claimed Victorique, standing up – "Sun is just about to set. We better go home…"
"Er…sure…" – he said as he watched her walk away…
The night had come at last.
Victorique was incredibly quiet. Even during dinner time, the more he tried to talk to her the less she would answer. After they had finished, he turned the radio on in order that he could soften that tense atmosphere.
He sat in the couch, reached for a newspaper and started reading. Now and then, he would look at her small figure leaning on the window's parapet, enjoying the fresh breeze. Millions of thoughts invaded his mind and among them the old man's words. What if it's true? – He wondered. Feeling silly for such thoughts he shook his head and went back to his reading – As she said, it's just lore…
As the clock ticked hours away, Kujo could feel that the room was getting colder. The window was still open and Victorique was still there. He stood up and left the room. When he came back, he brought a small blanket with him and approaching her, he placed it over her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" – asked the girl, looking up at him.
"Making sure you won't get cold" – he answered.
"I don't need it. Take it off"
"Come on, don't be unreasonable! You-"
"I said take it off! I don't need your worries!" – shouted the girl angrily as she turned to face him.
"I agree that you don't deserve them!" – Replied Kujo raising his voice – "What is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?"
"Why are you doing this? What do you want from me? Just leave me alone!"
"Leave you alone?! You've spent 14 years of your life alone! I thought that at least now you'd want to feel what is like to have someone with you!"
"Well, you thought wrong!"
"Honestly, what happened to you? When I came back from the war you were like…the most caring person on earth but then in a teacup you've become even worse than you were before!"
His voice was loud and that frightened her, even if she hated to admit it; he had never spoken to her like that. She gritted her teeth. They gazed at each other, the atmosphere was getting heavier and for a minute no one said a word. She tried to say something but was interrupted by him.
"Maybe I should just leave you at once…"
Her eyes widened in shock. This time his voice was lower and she could feel the frustration that echoed from it. She lowered her head and started walking towards her bedroom. Realizing she had nothing else to say and was leaving, he grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back in order to stop her, but…
"Victorique, we're no fin-…"
Slapt!
He felt pain…that wasn't, though, what troubled him the most…she had just slapped his face. He let go of her arm, her body quivering and her breath unsteady. He lifted a hand to touch his aching cheek as he stared bewildered at her. A misty-eyed Victorique glaring at him…
"You're an idiot, Kujo!" – She said in a trembling voice as tears coursed down her cheeks – "I hate you!"
And then she left the room, leaving a petrified Kujo behind. He watched her as she ran to her bedroom and slammed the door crying.
"Victorique…" – he uttered under his breath. When reality finally hit him, he let himself fall in the couch with hands over his head, his heart beating painfully…What have I just done?
In her bedroom, Victorique was lying in her bed crying continuously. In one of her hands was the moonstone, which she held tightly as if it'd take away her suffering. She cried and cried…
Eventually, she would drift off and so would the boy. Little did they know that that night, someone had a special surprise for one of them…