Singing Mountain
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Weiß Kreuz. This fic is a side-story to my other fic, "Crying Mountain." It takes place a few hours after the Ani Museum sinks. Also, strong shoujo ai (Aya-chan/Sakura) hints. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?
"Hey Aya-chan, do you want some ice cream?" Sakura suddenly asked her new friend, the young Fujimiya girl Aya.
"Uh, sure," Aya agreed, mildly surprised.
Tomoe Sakura and Fujimiya Aya had only met a few hours ago, and already they were close friends. After the Ani Museum had sunk into the sea, Aya had woken up from her two-year coma. Sakura had attempted to explain what had happened with her older brother, but it had been very difficult. Occasionally the busty red-haired woman named Manx threw in a comment of her own to clarify things, but overall she was quite vague. Sakura didn't fully understand everything with Aya's brother, and what had been revealed to her by the German telepath Schuldig hadn't felt like the truth.
Despite her secrecy, Manx seemed like a very kind woman. She had driven the two young girls to Sakura's house so that they could get dressed in normal clothes. After that, at Sakura's request, Manx had taken them to a barbershop so that the young girl could have her hair cut short. Aya had not understood this. She thought Sakura had looked very pretty with long hair. But she was still pretty, even with her hair cut short. And once that was done with, Manx had dropped the two girls off at the Kitty in the House, where Aya had been introduced to the old lady Yamaguchi Momoe and her sleepy calico.
So now Aya and Sakura were walking to a small ice cream shop in downtown Tokyo. Sakura had decided that walking would be the best way to get Aya's muscles accustomed to movement again; after all, they had not been used much in the last two years.
"I'll pay for the ice cream," Sakura told Aya once they were at the ice cream shop. "What flavor do you want?"
"Um, I'll take vanilla," Aya answered.
Sakura smiled softly. "That's the first flavor I brought Aya-san," she remembered, a wishful expression on her face.
"Aya-san," Aya repeated. "Why do you call him that? His name is Ran. I'm Aya."
"I don't know Ran," Sakura explained vaguely. "I only know Aya-san, and I don't want to forget him." Still, Aya didn't quite understand.
Sakura ordered two vanilla ice cream cones and paid for them. She handed one to Aya and the two girls turned away from the small shop.
It was then Sakura saw them; a pale red-haired man and a sporty man with messy brown hair. "Aya-san?" Sakura whispered quietly. The redhead looked in her direction, and his cold orchid eyes met Sakura's warm cherry blossom eyes, but only for a brief second. Aya's brother grabbed Ken's arm and they quickly dashed into a nearby alleyway, and out of sight.
"That was my brother, wasn't it?" Aya asked gently, breaking the fragile silence. "Why did he run from us?"
"Because he believes it's better if he stays away from us," Sakura explained. "Aya-san doesn't want to involve us anymore in his nightlife. Look at how much we've been through already." Hints of tears were just barely visible in her pale eyes. "Still, I'm glad to know that he's alive…"
"Yeah, that's something to be thankful for," Aya agreed, licking her ice cream. "Hey, your ice cream's starting to melt."
"Oh, right!" Sakura exclaimed, suddenly remembering her ice cream cone. She began licking it as she grinned broadly at Aya.
This all felt strange to Aya. One minute she had been looking into the bright headlights of an incoming car and then the next she was laying on the lap of a strange woman dressed in a red blazer and a miniskirt. Two years separated those two events, but to Aya, it didn't feel like it had been that long.
Aya wished that she hadn't been in a coma for two years. Her brother had changed so much. He was a murderer now. But Aya-san wasn't a murderer, Sakura had protested. However, Aya thought differently. Her brother Ran was dead; an assassin with her name now lived. And he had stained her name with the blood of his victims.
The young girl sighed. She still loved him like a good sister should, but she hated what he had become. And she resented herself for that feeling of hatred.
The two girls were now sitting on the stone rim of a large fountain. They were almost finished with their ice cream cones. For a while, neither of them said anything. But soon, Sakura spoke.
"You know, this is the spot where me and Aya-san first ate ice cream together," she remembered. "I don't think he really knew what ice cream was…"
Aya gazed down at the remains of her ice cream cone. "Was my brother really as…'good' as you say?" she wondered. The question was for Sakura, but she sounded as if she had merely mumbled to herself.
"I don't know," Sakura admitted, her voice also a whisper. "To me, Aya-san was a good person, but he told me several times he wasn't. He said that he didn't deserve to be loved…"
Aya looked up at her brown-haired friend. Maybe this wasn't the time for depressing questions. After all, it was a beautiful day; the sun was shining, the sky was clear, and the weather was calm. Putting on a big grin, the blue-haired girl jumped to her feet. "C'mon Sakura-chan, there's someplace I want to show you," she said cheerfully. She grabbed Sakura's wrist and took off running, dragging the other girl along.
"Aya-chan, slow down!" Sakura requested, a bit breathlessly. "Is this healthy for your muscles?"
"Yeah, perfectly!" Aya reassured without looking back, not really all that concerned with the question.
The two girls dashed through the park as Aya led Sakura around the trees. Suddenly the blue-haired girl halted, and the brown-haired girl nearly bumped into her. But Sakura forgot all about that as soon as she gazed in amazement at the scenery.
Aya had led Sakura to a grassy cliff that overlooked a large, sparkling lake. Sunlight reflected marvelously off the clear waters. The bottom of the blue sky merged flawlessly with the surface of the lake. It was a wondrous sight to behold.
"Beautiful…" Sakura breathed quietly, unable to say more.
Aya smiled softly. "My brother and I used to come here often when we were little," she explained wishfully. "Whenever I was sad or angry, he would show me this place to cheer me up. I loved it…"
The two girls sat down on the warm grass. Without saying a word to the other, they stared out at the shimmering lake as a sense of peacefulness fell over them.
o o o o o o
The sun slowly began to sink into the crystal lake. The bottom of it just barely touched the tranquil surface. The sky became different shades of orange and pink, as did the reflection in the lake.
Sakura and Aya had not moved from where they were sitting. Nor had they spoken to each other. They were content with just this feeling of tranquility that they had wanted for so long.
Aya was quietly humming. Her song was soft, and it seemed to become one with the gentle wind. It was like the wind carried the song into the mountains in the far distance. The young girl's song was peaceful enough, but it carried hints of sadness. It was probably a manifestation of her inner feelings.
Aya's humming was comforting to Sakura. It helped relax the brown-haired girl. She welcomed that with open arms. With everything that had happened lately, she was thankful to have even this brief moment of relaxation.
Soon Sakura found herself resting against Aya. The blue-haired girl was as strong as her brother, but was she also much gentler and less forbidding. It made Sakura happy. She got along so well with Aya. They were so close, and yet they had only known each other for less than a day. Maybe it was destiny, or maybe they were meant to be.
Sakura chuckled at the thought. Her, with the sister of the man whom she thought she loved? It seemed silly, but not entirely impossible. It did feel like she was getting over her childish crush on Aya's brother.
"Hey Sakura-chan, what are you thinking about?" Aya wondered, a small smile on her lips.
"Oh, nothing much," Sakura answered cryptically. She slid her hand over Aya's. "Do you want to sleep over at my house tonight?"
Aya enclosed Sakura's hand in hers. "Sure, I'd love too," she accepted. "It'll be fun."
Sakura smiled broadly, her cherry blossom eyes filled with indescribable happiness.
o o o o o o
It was dusk when the two teenage girls reached Sakura's house. They were both up in her room and dressed in nightgowns. Sakura wore a crimson nightgown with thin shoulder straps and an open back while Aya's was a pale pink with long, frilly sleeves.
Sakura sat at her desk, writing something as Aya lay on the bed. She wondered what her brown-haired friend was writing. Sakura had been quite secretive about it.
Aya stared up at the ceiling as she thought about Sakura and her brother. From what she knew, they never talked much, but they had a different kind of close bond. Aya had never known her brother to willingly allow another person so close to him. Still, Sakura did resemble Aya in a way, and that may have caused the redhead to drop his guard just a little. Just enough for him and Sakura to develop some sort of friendship.
A friendship that her brother felt he did not deserve, and a friendship that Sakura never fully understood.
Aya rolled over onto her side and looked over at Sakura. It was strange that, despite only having met not too long ago, they were already good friends. Sakura was very caring and protective of her, much like her older brother had been. Brother and Sakura-chan are alike in so many ways, Aya noticed, a soft smile on her pale face.
Sakura put down her pencil. She folded the letter and slipped it into a thin envelope. She wrote something on it, and then turned to face Aya.
"So, um…" The brown-haired girl blushed madly. "Do you want to share the bed?" she asked, gazing off to the side. "I mean, I can always get out a sleeping bag for myself."
"No, no, you don't have to," Aya protested, her face slowly turning scarlet. "I don't mind sharing the bed."
"But if you're uncomfortable-" Sakura was cut short by the sound of her mother's voice.
"Sakura, Aya-chan, there's a woman named Manx here to see you!"
"What does Manx-san want?" Aya wondered aloud as she stood up. She then noticed that Sakura was clutching her envelope rather tightly.
The two girls left the bedroom and headed downstairs into the living room. Sitting comfortably on the couch was the red-haired woman Manx. Her smile was like a smirk, but also sincere in a way. She got on her high-heeled feet and walked over to Aya and Sakura.
"Hello girls," Manx greeted. She looked very sophisticated in her casual red blazer and matching miniskirt. "How have you two been doing?"
"Um, fine," Aya answered nervously. "Do you need to talk to us?"
Manx shook her head, her fiery curls barely bouncing. "I just wanted to see if you were doing all right."
Timidly, Sakura stretched out the hand that was clenching the envelope to Manx. "Could…you give this to Aya-san?" the young girl finished quickly, her face redder than Manx's hair.
"For Aya, huh," Manx repeated, accepting the envelope. She laid her hand on Sakura's head. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he reads it."
Sakura forced a small smile. "Thank you," she said, letting out a sigh of relief.
Manx also smiled. "Take care, girls," she requested as she turned around. She left the house quietly, and closed the door behind her.
"What did the letter say?" Aya asked as she and Sakura stepped up the stairs to the brown-haired girl's room.
"Just some things I needed to tell Aya-san," Sakura answered vaguely. Her voice sounded a little sad, so Aya didn't push the question further.
Once they were back in the bedroom, Aya headed over to her day clothes and pulled something out of the skirt pocket. It was a golden, dangling rod earring, exactly like the one her brother wore.
Aya handed the earring to Sakura. "My brother gave me these earrings on my birthday two years ago," the blue-haired girl explained. "I guess he took one after I fell into that coma. So, I want you to have the other earring."
Slowly, Sakura took the earring into her own hand and held it to her breast. "Thank you, Aya-chan," she accepted quietly.
It was now time for bed. Sakura turned off the lights and then the two girls got into the bed. It was a little cramped, but still moderately comfortable. Sakura and Aya were turned away from each other.
Sakura's mind wandered to Aya's brother. She wanted to see him again, and she wanted to wait for him. She would wear the earring everyday and think of him.
But it wouldn't be out of love.
Aya didn't quite understand the relationship, Sakura noticed. There was no love between the young girl and the swordsman assassin. Instead, it was a strong bond of true friendship. Somehow, Sakura was over her crush on Aya's brother. Maybe it was because he would never have returned her love. Or maybe it was because she had finally realized she loved the wrong "Aya."
Sakura rolled over to face Aya. The other girl was still awake. They raised their hands and their fingers intertwined.
"Is this fate?" Aya whispered calmly.
"It seems so," Sakura whispered back, smiling peacefully.
Aya began humming again. The song came from faraway, as if from the mountains in the distance. The wind returned the song, and the two girls fell into a deep slumber as they rested against each other.
o o o o o o
Sakura and Aya awoke at the morning's newborn light. They were comfortable enough to get dressed in front of the other. It was strange, but it felt natural. The bond they shared ran as strong as diamonds.
Sakura picked up the golden earring off of her desk and put it into her left ear. She looked at herself in the mirror for a brief second and then turned to face Aya.
"Do you think we're more than friends now?" the brown-haired girl dared to ask.
Aya nodded wordlessly, a kind smile upon her lips.
The voice of Sakura's mother came suddenly. "Girls, there's another woman here to see you!"
Without hesitating, the two girls left Sakura's room and dashed down the stairs. Standing near the front door was a woman with dark brown hair tied back in a pony-tail. She was dressed in a lavender business jacket with a matching skirt. She was like Manx in a way, but more distant somehow.
"Hello, my name is Birman," the woman introduced herself. "I'm a friend of Manx." She reached into the breast pocket of her jacket and pulled out an envelope. "Here, this is from Aya," she said, handing the envelope to Sakura.
"Aya-san?" Sakura repeated, accepting the envelope from Birman. She opened it and took the letter out. It read:
"Sakura, forget about me. I'm not returning to Tokyo. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I don't want you to wither away while chasing false hope. I do care about you, even though I don't share your strong feelings. Please take care of my sister. I know you two will be good friends. Sakura, I will miss you. But please, don't wait for me. Sincerely yours, Fujimiya Ran."
Tears silently crawled down Sakura's cheeks. "I don't care if he's never coming back," she said, mostly to herself. "I'll wait for him." She looked up at Aya, her cherry blossom eyes holding some sort of sorrowful hope. "Aya-san was wrong; we're not good friends. Aya-chan, we're something a bit more than that."
"Yes, we are something a bit more than that," Aya agreed, gently wrapped her arms around Sakura's shoulders from behind. "And we'll remind that way as long as we are happy."
And, Aya began to hum her special song again, filling Sakura's heart with hope and love. Even if Aya-san never came back, she would always have someone by her side.
She now realized which "Aya" she really loved, and that Aya returned her love.