[A/N:] Hello. Thanks for looking. This is my entry for the Village Square's contest thread, the theme being 'Opposites'. ^ ^

I'm not expecting to get many votes, so please just enjoy (and review... if I'm lucky)! =D

This is Rune Factory, by the way, I just posted it here for the contest. Pairing, slight Sharron/Raguna, mainly Sharron-centric. (Of course.)


Good Enough

Lady Sharron did not make the conscious decision to haunt the barren Kasimir Ruins.

Even so, the townsfolk would still blame it on her. Such a strange girl, they would whisper to each other, voices washed away by the wind.

And so it was mostly a relief to the majority when she resided to the ruins, for what seemed, eternity.

But that was not to say that Sharron was happy. In fact, she was not at all satisfied with the prospect of spending her days wandering the bleak stones of Kasimir, feeling the icy gusts of wind tease the back of her neck.

And when she had nothing better to do, which, depressingly, was quite often, she wondered what she was doing here.

But the bitter thing was: Lady Sharron's love for the ruins was the glue in her emotional state; really acting as the only thing that held her together- without it, she would shatter to pieces.

She would shatter. Fall apart… and then, most likely… die from desperation.

Ha… how wonderful. How dignified.

And you know what, Sharron? They're afraid. Afraid of you. Because, why else would they run screaming at the very sight of you?


Everyday held no meaning, thus everyday was meaningless- and therefore pointless.

Sometimes, Lady Sharron would sit. Sit and stare at her reflection in the cerulean darkness of the water at her feet, and watch as her beauty grew older and older without proving its meaning at all.

And today was another one of those dismal days where the symmetrical misery of Sharron's reflection was the only thing keeping her company.

No-one else could bear looking into those haunted eyes… full of shame and sorrow and the dark remnants of her bleak and bitter past.

But this is different. It's got to be.


He didn't notice her at first; it seemed as if Sharron was not even betrayed by her shadow itself.

Her first instinct was curiosity, driven by her deprivation of human life itself- not even the bravest souls of Kardia dared to venture to the Kasimir Ruins.

How lovely it is to see a creature of warm blood after all these cold and lifeless years

She moved closer; he was resting on the grassy bank, staring absently into the deep sapphire pool- seemingly oblivious to her wispy presence.

What a strangely beautiful face he had- skin of pale moonrise, almost as pallid as her porcelain complexion; but of course not quite, as almost no-one could match Sharron's effortless ghost of an appearance.

But there was something else- a light, perhaps- that brightened his face, made him seem alive with the vibrance and sunshine of Spring.

…Something, ineffably, Lady Sharron lacked… after all, she'd faded away long ago.

But she felt drawn to this being; he radiated an enchanting aura that never could Sharron expect from a simple, normal human.

So, perhaps, she fantasised, he's not a simple, normal human at all.

And maybe it was for this reason, that she gave in to temptation and went to kneel beside the young man.

"…Nice day, isn't it?"

The question took Sharron by surprise; so innocent, so casual.

So unknowing.

She hadn't been spoken to like that for, oh, God knows how many years- thus, catching her off-guard.

"Yes…" she replied, her voice wobbling slightly, her gaze focused straight forward as to not stare at him even more.

He sighed softly, rubbing his knee and seeming completely at ease with the situation- as far as Sharron could tell.

Leaning forward, he scooped up and watched as the crystal clear water from the lake filtered through his fingers.

He remained in that position, his long slender hands poised in a cupping motion in midair, before slowly dropping them to his sides and speaking again.

"Coming to places like these… I… I don't know. It just… makes me feel better." He smiled at her, and Sharron felt her breath catch in her throat. "Nice to get away from it all, sometimes… right?"

What are you going to say now, hmm? Oh, yes, well, I live here?

Sharron inhaled deeply, her heart pounding as if it would break out of her ribcage.

"I don't mix well with people." She gave him her warmest smile, but somehow Sharron still felt cold inside.

"You're an outcast?"

His blunt remark brought a shade of pale pink to her cheeks.

"You must get lonely… don't you get lonely?"

Sharron shifted uncomfortably, the silken folds of her dress rustling as she moved, but the confident smile on her face still unwavering.

"Has anyone ever told you that you ask to many questions, my child?"

He laughed, but the blush on his cheeks betrayed his embarrassment. "It's not everyday that I come face to face with a beautiful woman wandering some old ruins, like yourself," the boy grinned.


She was sure it was meant to be light-hearted, but the statement still shocked Sharron for a painfully blind second.

Beautiful?

She'd heard it all; ghostly, freaky, creepy, even- but never had Lady Sharron been referred to as beautiful.

Never.

What a charmer.

"You don't know what you're talking about," she murmured, gazing into the depths of the water.

"I don't?"

"No." She brought her pale blue eyes up to meet with his rich dark ones, and stared into them long and hard. "Do you know where you are?"

"The ruins?" He frowned, obviously trying to figure out the woman was getting at. "…Right?"

"Kasimir Ruins," she corrected softly. "Have you heard the tales? The legends?"

He responded with a shrug, as if legends were a thing of a youngster's mind.

"Something about a ghost? I don't know… not that I believe in that sort of thing."

Sharron bit her lip in irritation. If anything, it was proving difficult to get through to this child- but she was glad that he had at least not ran away from her from the moment he saw her.

"And what if I told you that I am the supposed ghost of Kasimir Ruins?"

His lips curved into a smirk. "And what if I said to you, now, that I wouldn't be surprised that you are called that? What would you do then, Miss-Cold-as-Ice?"

"Nothing, of course." Her usually bleak eyes glinted with humour, something she'd been without for a long period of time- up to now. And the strange thing was, she'd been expecting this anyway. "They don't call me that for nothing, child."

"Stop calling me that."

"Then, please," Sharron paused, "Stop acting like a child." Immediately, she wondered whether she had said that purely for a reaction out of the inquisitive young man, but soon decided against it. After all, he was behaving in a naïve manner, was he not?

"I'm just asking questions," he interjected, "You seem… interesting."

Interesting? Was that good or bad?

Glimmers of hope tingled inside Sharron that he meant that in a good way, however once she remembered that 'interesting' usually meant 'weird', that hope began to fade, and be replaced by disappointment.

"Oh?" Her accusing voice, an almost foreign sound to her own ears, broke the silence. "AmI not good enough for you, my dear?"

"I never said that."

"Well, you certainly sounded like it," she bit back, then quickly dug her talon-like nails into her palm- for, pray to God, she'd spoken what she did not mean to.

Intently, and a little guiltily, she watched as the young man hung his head in an emotion that Sharron could not quite grasp; his eyes narrowed, his lips pressed together in a thin line.

Her mouth tried to move; but no sound came out. She could've- and would've- slapped herself right now, for speaking so carelessly.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly, snapping the girl out of her self-scolding. "I-I speak so… forwardly, and I shouldn't… I'm so sorry, miss…"

There were still no words escaping Sharron's throat- she was utterly stuck, more so with what the chestnut-haired boy had just said.

He's sorry? He apologized?

"It's just… you're so different to me… I mean, you seem so different to me," his fingers stretched and curled as he spoke.

"Almost like opposites… you know? We're like opposites."

Yes. Yes, we are.

I'm the lonely, lifeless ghost of a girl and you're the bright and energetic young man, sweeter than honey yes, my love- we are opposites.

"Go on," Sharron choked out. "Wha…What makes you think that, hm?"

A shrug of his leather-clad shoulders. "Isn't it obvious, miss? I'm, oh, I don't know- all idiotic and talkative, usually asking too many questions for my own good- whereas you," He coughed. "You're so calm…serene. Or so it seems. Whatever. I mean…you have such a tranquil air about you- don't you feel it?"

What a strange question.

Don't you feel it?

Something, just something, made Sharron feel a sense of unease in the pit of her stomach- something unexplainable, inexplicable- just there.

Or perhaps, it was just her. Yes. Imagination. Again. That was it.

"And… tranquil? Is that…?" She trailed off, half-afraid of what she was going to say, and half-afraid of what she really wanted to say.

Just keeping her eyes on him made her heart lurch, her head floaty and light- as if she was on some kind of cloud nine… a dream.

She knew what she wanted him to say- that was obvious.

"Yes," he assured her, lips spread in a smile. "…That's good enough."


Thank you very much for reading... I won't say please vote for me, however much I want to. XD Oh well. I have no chance anyway. XDD

Please review... thank you.