As They Come
by Meiran Chang – chang_meiran@mailcity.com
The only thing that can compete with the sunset is the sunrise, and I
can never quite decide whether I like one better than the other. They
differ in subtle ways; one gives way to darkness, the other light,
but that doesn't influence their beauty in the slightest way. I love
watching the sun set and rise; no one can ever, ever take that right
away from me. The right to sit down on dewy grass and feel a cool
wind brush past me, and just watch nature's majesty unfold before my
eyes... for a little while I forget about war, and feel a gentle
completion fill my soul.
Right now I'm watching the sun rise. It begins easily, almost
sneakily, with a pink edging slowly bleeding into the clouds. It
rises higher and now the sky seems to be overflowing with soft pink
and gold. Everything is covered in that same calm, quiet light; the
light of early morning; nothing can go wrong now, nothing dares to.
It is quiet; commuters have not yet begun their daily trek back and
forth. Even tucked up here in this short repreive from battle,
usually you can still hear the whine of civilization. But not now. No
one's up this early except me.
I don't mind this. I'm used to being alone, and the feeling's a
comfort to me now, no longer a hindrance. I adapt; I'm a creature
that adapts. I'm human, after all, and that's what we humans are
famous for. There's only one thing nagging at my mind now - the one
person that could make my world, right here and now, an utter
nirvana.
I wouldn't want to wake him and disturb his peaceful dreams. I know
that today they're peaceful; I've made a near science of the
subtleties of his expression. I can tell whether he's upset and
putting on a cheerful face for us - for me - or whether he's truly
happy. Always when I wake up for my sojourn out here - my body clocks
itself - I make certain that my angel sleeps well. Today his face was
calm in the light of the very early morning.
I never wake him up - how could I disturb his quiet sleep with a
request for companionship? When he's awake it's different, but I
don't want to bother him so early. It's also, I guess, a little
selfishness on my part: I'm not used to telling anyone about my
fascination with sunrise and sunset. I'm a secretive person by
nature, and though I've never regretted my open relationship with
him, there are some things about me which he has to find out on his
own.
I sigh deeply, a sigh of contentedness tinged with a quiet regret.
About then, I hear footsteps approaching me. Immediately I freeze.
A voice laughs. "Trowa, calm down. I'm sorry if I bothered you."
My back to the stranger, my eyes widen. The voice... he knows about
this place?
"Quatre?" I ask hesitantly, turn around.
Sure enough, he's standing there, dressed in a long, simple, loose-
fitting white shirt and pants of the same material, a small smile on
his angelic face. "Am I bothering you? I'm sorry," he says again.
I shake my head. "Don't worry about it..."
"Anou... can I, um, sit?"
I nod. "Sure."
Quatre sits down next to me, pulling his knees up quietly, and I can
sense his hesitation. He feels as if he's still bothering me; as if
he's interrupted something special. He's feeling a bit of
regretfulness. /No, Quatre,/ I think to myself, /you've got it all
wrong!/ "I'm glad you came," I say. "This sunrise is really
beautiful."
His face breaks into one of those lovely, genuine smiles of his. "Are
you really?"
"Of course," I reply, and enboldened by this early morning's fragile
beauty, place an arm around his slim shoulders. I feel him relax
immediately, and he sighs gently and lets his head slip onto my
shoulder. His warmth, the feel and slight weight of his body, seeps
into me.
It's because of him that at last, I can take my days as they come. I
kiss his forehead gently, and we sit together, watching the sunrise.
~owari