Title: Emerald Glint
Author: Stigmatized
Summary: Rei and Kai watch a sunset together. A brief look into the two boys' friendship. A short fluffy not-quite-shounen ai story and sappiness on my part.
A/N: An extremely short story that was inspired by a sunset I saw when I was on holiday (in the Irish Sea, no less). I'd heard the green flash story before and thought this would be a cute idea. There is a tiny bit of not-quite-shounen ai, but it's blink and you missed it kinda stuff.
(Edit: I wasn't completely happy with this so I've fixed a few things. It's not really noticeable but I'm happier now. )
Rei sighed as he walked next to the wall separating the disused gravel path from the seemingly infinite expanse of ocean. He drew in a deep breath with a small smile as his slow steady pace brought him to the end of the path. A wall cut off the road and sitting on the mish-mash of rocks was a rather distinctive silhouette, strikingly black against the orange and crimson and rose of the twilight.
"Hey Kai." He said as he approached the figure and swung his legs over the wall to sit beside his captain.
Kai grunted.
"What are you doing out here, anyway?" Rei persevered, not shaken by his cold reception. He stared out at the slowly setting sun.
"Nothing." Kai answered, watching the colours of the skies gradually change. Rei smiled.
"Watching the sunset?" Kai let the corner of his mouth twitch up as he nodded. Rei responded with another smile and a sigh.
"You?" Kai asked, the deep tone of his voice resonating around the quiet bay.
"Same." Rei answered. They were silent for a moment. "They say that just before the sun disappears below the horizon it gives a green flash. I've never seen it, though. The mountains back home are too irregular to get a real sunset." Kai's eyebrow raised slightly. "I was hoping to see it tonight."
A slight breeze blew past, manipulating Kai's scarf to brush against Rei's arm as the neko-jin hugged himself against the slight chill. His eyes flicked towards Kai, taking in the red and pink light that highlighted his strangely delicate features.
"Has anyone seen it before?" He asked, glancing at Rei and unconsciously absorbed the warmth coming from the golden eyes. Rei shrugged and smiled, turning back to the now half-sunken crimson orb, the reflection in the glassy water making it look full.
"I don't know. I heard a junk sailor talking about it the first time I was allowed to go to market when I was a kid." He indulged in a reflective chuckle. Kai moved his hand to rake through his hair.
"Hm." The sun was setting faster, now, and it was almost a sliver of scarlet light.
"I don't know if it's true, though. But it's worth a shot, right?" Rei murmured, his mood lightening considerably as a golden band expanded along the horizon. Kai nodded, leaning back on his hands.
"I guess."
They sat in silence, listening to the waves washing gently on the shore below them and the quiet songs of the birds as the sun finally sank without an emerald flash. Rei sighed as he tried in vain to tuck his bangs behind his ears. They sat there for a while, since the sky was still light without the presence of the glowing orb. Rei turned and smiled at Kai, swinging his legs back over the wall.
"Oh well." He sighed. "There's always next time." Kai nodded vacantly. "It's been nice spending time with you, Kai. We'll need to do it again some time." He let his smile drop and sighed as he jumped off of the wall and walked back along the path.
Kai sat on the wall alone for seconds, minutes, hours… he didn't know. All he knew was that there was a lighter, warmer feeling in his chest than there had been earlier that evening. Finally he let out a long sigh and walked back along the road in the muted darkness.
A/N: Review?