"I know that times have been rough
For the both of us
But I'll pray for a change
You see this world has lots to offer
But in time it will go dark
And if this love is what we see it is
I'm sure we will go far
And with a girl as sweet as you
There's not much else I can do
But fall for you."
- Hummingbird; Never Shout Never
001. The Beginning
"Why is your hair purple?" she asked.
He looked at her, his cheeks turned red, and his hands balled into fists. "Shut up, it just is!" he yelled, storming away from the girl in a huff. Everyone made fun of his hair...it wasn't his fault! His eyes stung with tears, and he rubbed them angrily away. Why was everyone so mean to him?
But the girl followed closely behind, peeking over his shoulder with interest. She was surprised to see him crying. The young girl hadn't meant anything bad by it; she was legitimately interested. She had never seen such a pretty color on a person's head before.
"I was actually asking, you know," she said after a moment, which made the boy jump in surprise. "I didn't mean to make you sad."
He blinked, eyes still red from crying. Sniffling, he looked at her. "...really? You..weren't making fun of me?"
"Nope," she grinned. "I like your hair. It's pretty." The girl reached out to touch it, and the boy blushed a bright color. Giggling, she moved closer to him. "...do people make fun of your hair a lot?"
He nodded, still a little pink. "...yeah. That's why I yelled at you. 'Cause I thought you were, too."
"Oh." The girl frowned at this; how could anyone make fun of his hair like that. It was so pretty! She shook her head, smiling again. "Well, I wasn't. Really. I think your hair is very pretty."
The boy only blushed again, and she giggled once more. "...thanks," he mumbled, looking away from her.
Laughing, she took his hand in hers, squeezing his fingers. "I like you. You're cute. What's your name?"
Still blushing, he reluctantly looked up at her, squeezing her hand in return. "Kafei."
She smiled. "I'm Anju."
"Are you gonna do that someday?" Kafei asked her, swinging his legs back and forth, as they watched a wedding ceremony from the wall above the Carnival.
"Someday." Anju shrugged, looking over at him. "Why?"
He shrugged, too. "Just wondering." Kafei watched the wedding for a moment longer before turning back to her again. "If you didn't find someone, would you marry me?"
She giggled, pushing him lightly on the arm. "I'm only seven! I dunno who I'm gonna meet."
Kafei laughed with her, pushing her back. "I know that. But would you?" His crimson twinkled eyes with excitement.
Now she was blushing. "If I didn't find anyone better than you...then yes, I would. I'd marry you."
He grinned. "There's not anyone better than me."
Anju rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway. "I already said I'll marry you. Isn't that good enough?"
"Yes," he answered, still grinning. "If I don't find anyone better, either, I'll marry you, too. Right there." Kafei pointed to the wedding they had been watching.
She leaned against his shoulder, unable to stop smiling. "You promise?"
He leaned against her, as well, relaxing just a little. "I promise."
Eleven years later, he still had managed to keep his promise.