"Snow"
A one-shot Furuba story by KeroTrigger
Note: Furuba is not mine in any way, shape or form.
This tiny bit of fiction takes place from Yuki's point of view. Please keep that in mind when reading. Thank you.
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During the summer, rainy days were always a welcome thing. The rain always cooled down the heat, making it enjoyable. Many of the adults would sit and watch, content to just listen to the songs created by the rain as it plummeted to the earth. Children would run out and play in it, splashing in the puddles, spinning with their faces turned to the sky and arms outstretched. It was a common thing to see when we were younger, it happened all the time, and I even joined in the dance some days.
As it got colder, there were less dancers until finally there were none at all. The puddles sat there, only disturbed by the rain which seemed to long for the joy it used to see. Even the adults would turn away from it, no longer soothed by it's sad song. But soon the rain itself would change, and the dancers would return. The rain, that clever rain, would find a way to transform itself into something the people wanted to see, to something the people would be amazed by.
It would begin to snow.
I was never allowed to play in the snow like the other children did. I was always told I was far too ill to do such a thing, and I had a far too important role to play in life to risk by playing. I sat there, staring out the window, watching the others run and play, disappearing behind the fog on the glass caused by my own warm breath.
Even now, so many years later, I wish I could be that young child walking home after school, spinning and humming a song, arms outstretched and smiling to the heavens, thankful for the joyous event of a snowfall. I see them from time to time when I glance out the window, or when I walk along by myself down the sidewalks of town.
Oh, how I long to be carefree like they are.
Even here at our secluded small house, you can feel the warmth of the people inside it. Many of us try to push it away, try to hide it, but it seems to spill out from the seams for all of us to enjoy.
That could be because she is here, though.
That wondrous girl that stumbled into our lives, such a comical event to remember. She was living in a tent in the woods, lying to her Grandfather that she was staying with a friend until she could return home. We let her into our home, and we began to feel like a family.
But her family wanted her back, as we all knew, and we had to give back our little treasure we had found.
We saw each other at school from time to time, but I was so... suddenly overcome with grief, that I couldn't bring myself to talk to her like I had. I thought it would be better to just forget the wonders that had happened, and live like she had never been there.
But she had already engraved herself into our lives. Everywhere around the small home there was traces of her. A little note she had left us, an area she had taken hours to clean up for us to use again. She had even forgotten one of her towels, a soft yellow fabric decorated with strawberries.. her favorite.
Soon we all found that these traces of how she had lived here were ones we could not ignore. We came to find that we needed her back, we wanted that sparkling gem, one that people found to be so common, back in our lives. We found that we could not live without her.. that she had made a more permanent home.
In such a small time, she had made her home in our hearts. We needed her, and to our joy, we discovered she needed us too.
We rescued her from what she was telling herself was okay, and brought her back to our home. She cried when we told her it was time to go home.
She cried.
The events that followed I must say are nothing but joyous occasions, some of which bring tears to my eyes to recall. She was our beautiful gem, our wonderful treasure. She brought us all together, filling our lives with so much we had forgotten.
Hope. Warmth. Caring.
Love.
She did the impossible. She pulled our family, broken and afraid, back together once again. People began understanding each other again, we all began to become friends.
And she smiled. She smiled that sweet, carefree smile that warms our hearts. For once, we all smiled back, and they were real smiles.
Even now she still is here, working her magic in such careful ways. I can see her standing outside, staring up at the sky with her arms outstretched. She has on her white coat, her scarf dancing as she spins around. I can hear her laugher, sweet as a bird's song, as she dances around.
I can't help but smile.
She comes up to me now, smiling, happiness dancing in those blue eyes of hers. Her hands are cupped together, she kneels in front of me, opening her hands to reveal their secret to me and only me.
"Look, Yuki... It's snow... Isn't that what your name means?"
It was such a simple little question, but I was struck speechless. I didn't know what to tell her. I had no words that could answer her in the way I wanted to.
She just smiled at me, standing once more. She spun and left the room, her hair floating behind her in a wave that made it shine like the finest silk.
"Snow..."
My eyes trailed outside, seeing the white flakes make their slow descent onto the ground. A small sigh left my lips, and it was then I felt the weight of something being put across my shoulders. I looked down, hands grabbing onto the familiar material that now covered me.
It was my coat.
She stood in front of me, smiling that smile I can only dream is just for me. Holding her hand out I took hold of it, slipping an arm into the sleeve of my coat. She let go of my hand, just long enough for me to put my other arm into its sleeve, busying her hands with buttoning up my coat, before our hands once again met.
"Come on."
That voice, that sweet song, was all I needed to hear. She led me outside, out into the snow I had always been forbid to play in.
I smiled at her, and she smiled back.
It was with her that I would first come to understand the wonder of a snowfall. It was with her that so many things I thought could never happen to me occurred. She had done so much for me, for my family, that I couldn't begin to think of a way to thank her for everything she had done.
Tears began to show in my eyes, and she turned to me. There it was, that concerned look on her face, something she showed for everyone but herself.
"Yuki, what's wrong?"
I smiled, shaking my head.
"Nothing's wrong."
She smiled back at me, and I felt my whole body become warm.
I stood there watching her dance, thoughts running through my head. One day I would tell her all I wanted to say, one day I would thank her for everything she had done for me.
Instead I joined her in her dance, laughing along with her. I held her hand, dancing, smiling with her.
And I swore that day, to myself and anyone who could hear my thoughts, that I would protect her as long as I could.. and one day I would tell her the secret I've only whispered in the dark as she said goodnight.
"I love you..."