Hi, guys! :) I'm surprised that I still have my internet, since I thought it would be gone by now… But I'm certainly not complaining. XD It could still happen, though, so that's why I'm waiting before I put up the poll. Anyway… The title, Kare no Nozomi, means "His Wish", which is a nod to Episode 26 (Kanojo no Nozomi) of Tenkai. You could call this a follow-up drabble to Recovery, although they're not directly related, and you don't need to read one to understand the other. I actually started this thing over a year ago, but only got around to finishing it today… Which works out, because this year Tanabata will be tomorrow. :D So, after the disclaimer, read on!

Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Dragon: Tenkai no Shichi Ryuu. Or the first season. I don't have time to think of anything else. XP

He sighed softly, leaning further back in his wheelchair. In a few minutes, it would become quite busy - an enjoyable busy, but busy all the same - and he wanted to savor as much of the quiet and stillness as he could.

Outside, the insects were singing their nightly song, and he was sure that if he looked out the window, he would see uncountable numbers of fireflies.

It was kind of nice to have a minute to himself - before, in a life that now seemed so very far away, his time had never really been his own.

He heard the echo of children's voices mixing with the other night sounds, and knew that he didn't have that much time to rest after all. It wasn't a bad thing, though - this event about to happen was a great occasion that came around only once a year.

And, besides... If the children were coming, that meant she was coming back. And he certainly looked forward to that.

They arrived in only a few minutes. Kluke opened the door, and Rome and another boy scurried inside the house; she was smiling over her shoulder at the three girls and one boy still behind her.

And then she turned her head - and looked straight at him. The way her smile became so much brighter as she saw him made his heart flutter.

The other children followed their teacher inside - once she had closed the door behind them, she headed towards Andropov.

"I'm sorry that you were here by yourself for so long," Kluke said as she approached him; she stopped just a few inches away. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. And don't worry about leaving me." He grinned. "I can't use my legs very well, but I can still take care of myself."

She sighed wearily. "Because that's so convincing and won't worry me at all."

"I still have the crutches." He offered.

"Still..." Kluke started fiddling with her hands; he knew this to be a sign that she was very worried.

He took it as a sign that he needed to change the subject. "So. You have the papers?"

She shot him a look, clearly having figured out what he was up to. Eventually, she said, "Yeah. There might be a bit too many, but we'll just save those for next year."

Kluke had opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something more - but then Marie piped up, "Kluke-sensei, are we going to make our wishes soon?"

Though it was a little tired, Kluke gave the young girl a genuine smile. "Yes. Let's go ahead and get started."

When he'd been very small, his mother had told him the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi - how they had fallen in love, and then had been forced apart, but still allowed to meet each other for one day each year. More than anything, he remembered tying his paper wish to a bamboo branch, and then looking up into her smiling face. She would always tell him to wish hard, so that his wish would come true.

Andropov would wish her back if he could. But as far as he knew, nothing could bring back the dead.

He glanced at their little bamboo plant. The brightly-colored tanzaku were covered with wishes, mostly the traditional wishes of children - wishes for good handwriting, studies and such. Kluke had also attached paper cranes, which were for family safety, health, and long life. Andropov felt warmed that she would even consider him a part of her family.

Kluke's wish was maybe simple to anyone else - a wish for world peace - but Andropov knew it had been from the heart, and that was what mattered. Long ago she had become tired of conflict - the reason she hadn't joined Shu and the Resistance, something Andropov was thankful for every day. The very thought of her being involved in that war terrified him; to have her with him, safe and sound, was a blessing. Just as he thought of that, he finished writing his wish, and reached over to tie it onto the branch.

When he pulled back, his gaze involuntarily went to Kluke. She was staring at the dark blue paper, her face red. It was probably too bold of him by far, but Kluke's wish had been from the heart, and he wanted his to be as well.

But, she smiled at him, and as she had the year before, she began to sing... She had told him last year that it was a traditional song, one they had sung in her home village of Talta. But this time, she sang it holding his hand. "Sasa no ha, sarasara... Nokiba ni yureru..."

The wind picked up, carrying Kluke's melodic voice into the distance. Even though it was just for a moment, his wish floated on the breeze, as if it were reaching for the stars.

I wish for Kluke to always be happy and smiling.

"Ohoshi-sama, kirakira... Kingin sunago..."

And it's done! Such as it is, at least. Credit goes to Wikipedia and Web-Japan for the helpful and informative resources about the star festival, Tanabata (you can also read about the legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi, and the variations, on Wikipedia if you like). Also, the song that Kluke sings at the end is the actual traditional Tanabata song, and here is the English translation below:

The bamboo leaves rustle,

Shaking away in the eaves.

The stars twinkle;

Gold and silver grains of sand

I think I gave it a different punctuation than the actual song, but I think it works out if it's different anyway – Tanabata is celebrated differently depending where you go, so on an Earth that's different and/or changed from our own, I think it stands to reason that a song could be sung differently as well. :P But I'm rambling again…

So, if you can, please review and let me know what you think. Since this is only a drabble, I won't be replying in the next chapter since there is none, but I'll try to reply as quickly as I can to reviews. I'm still trying to find a way to reply to anonymous reviews for oneshots and drabbles; if anyone has ideas, please let me know. But, I think that's all I need to mention for now. Thanks for reading! :D