Hikari tightly held the cup of coffee, allowing the heat to seep through her hands; warming them as a cool autumn breeze blew by and played with her hair. She was on her way to visit Wizard, as she had been doing for the past season or so. There was a benefit in bringing his daily cup of coffee; she had an excuse to have some herself.
"Hikariii, why do we have to do this every day?" asked Finn, leaning against her neck. Her annoying, whiny, high-pitched, sweet, (mostly) optimistic, lovable harvest sprite always followed her around everywhere… all the time. Of course, there were certain limits; but other than that he went where Hikari went, no matter how far. Deep down, Hikari appreciated his dedication and companionship; at other times, he was a nuisance. This was one of said times.
"Finn, I'm only being the good neighbor you said I should be. Besides we're friends… I think," here, Hikari paused and stopped in her tracks. This was not something she considered before; it was never really 'declared' that the Wizard and she were actually friends. What if I'm just a distraction and annoy him by showing up every day? It is true that I have been visiting him daily, but he hasn't ever told me that I'm a bother… I'll ask him today if I am.
Seeing there was a possibility of him saying 'yes', Hikari felt a little disappointed. It must have shown though, since Finn suddenly flew in front of her face, and leaned against her nose to look at her. Crossing her eyes to see him, Hikari then shook her head, trying to shake off the orange-clad sprite.
"Ugh, Finn, You know that I don't like crossing my eyes to look at you, it gives me a headache." The sprite let go and flew back whilst giggling into his hands.
"But you look so funny when you do!" replied Finn before bursting out in laughter. Hikari sighed through her nose, whilst her mouth curved upwards into a smile, chuckling at the sight of the sprite rolling in mid-air during his fit. Eventually, Finn floated back to her shoulder and settled down, with the occasional small laugh at the memory. Hikari resumed her walk, a smile on her face, hands still holding the coffee.
Not really paying any attention, Hikari looked down at the darkened, gravel ground, strewn with ruby red, pumpkin orange and marigold colored leaves. Her focus on the slightly hypnotizing right-left movement of her red-brown boots; she was a little startled when Finn suddenly spoke up.
"Hikari look! It's the Wizard!"
Her head snapped up; and there indeed, was said man. Odd, Wizard never really left his house during the day (at least, she wasn't aware), and she knew he was not the most social person. About ten meters away, there indeed was the ashen-haired Wizard; dressed in his usual attire of purple coat and white pants, both with their own patterns. Yet something was off. His clothes looked disheveled, even from this distance, his left arm was extended outwards, whilst his right arm was brought across his face; his steps were uneven, as though he had too much to drink.
Hikari was worried now. Wizard had always looked calm and collected, no matter the situation; but here he was stumbling about like a blind beggar. She called out to get his attention.
"Wizard! Wizard, it's Hikari! Are you alright?"
He stopped, and turned to the sound of her voice; lowering his right arm in the process, with his eyes still closed.
She made her way over to him. Finn was clinging tightly to her shirt, hiding behind Hikari. Normally Finn isn't so easily frightened, and he knew about the Wizard; so why was he so scared now?
As Hikari got nearer, there was still enough light so she could see the flushed face of the Wizard, his chest moving rapidly, and the small beads of sweat that rolled down to side of his face; eyes still closed. She stopped a few feet away, a concerned look on her face.
"Wizard?" At the sound of her voice, he started to shake; and began to collapse.
"WIZARD!" Hikari cried, dropping the now luke-warm coffee, and rushing forward. She managed to catch him before his head hit the ground; she slung his left arm around her once Finn-occupied shoulder. Face flushed even more, his breath was ragged and he was shivering uncontrollably. Hikari quickly pulled off her own scarf and wrapped it around him, hoping that it would do some good. "FINN! Where are you?"
"Here," he popped up next to her and flew to get a look at Wizard. "Hikari, he doesn't look too well. I think he has a fever."
"I think so too. Let's get him back to his house, maybe we can-"
"I don't think so. His house doesn't seem to be in good shape."
Hikari turned and craned her neck to see what the sprite meant. "Oh."
Just further down the path, between Marimba Farm and Julius's house, stood Wizard's home… or what used to be of it. Pieces of glass were strewn across the surrounding grass, his engraved door blown off its hinges and laying on the pathway. Grey- white smoke was billowing out of the shattered windows, but it wasn't exactly behaving… smoky. Now normally, due to air currents, it would travel upwards, but here it was travelling outwards only.
Smoke.
"Oh my goddess Finn! His house is on fire!" Hikari was panicking now, having Wizard out cold and his house on fire at the same time was almost too much to handle at once. Looking at Finn desperately she asked, "What will I do? Wizard really needs help, but I can't just leave him to save his house… but I know there are things in there that are really valuable to him, and he may never forgive me if I don't try to stop the fire. ARGH!" she cried, clutching her hair with her free hand, "What. Will. I. Do?"
"Hikari, Hikari please calm down," begged the little sprite. Seeing her in this state aggravated him and he tried to figure out how to console her. "There… there's something not quite right about that smoke coming from Wizard's home. It feels almost… magical in a way," he paused allowing his words to sink in. "I-I'll go and check it out if you w-want..."
Hikari lifted her head up to look at Finn, tears in her eyes, "You-you would do that Finn? For me?" Finn nodded his head solemnly. "Oh Finny! You're so wonderful! Once we get Wizard here situated, I promise I'll make you a cake!" The threatening tears now gone, and a beaming smile on her face, she hugged the harvest sprite a gently as she could without dropping the Wizard.
With new confidence, she got to her feet, supporting Wizard as he leaned heavily on her shoulder. "Alright Finn, you go check his place out, while I take Wizard back to ours. Meet you back there, okay?" Finn nodded eagerly (the idea her cake was really motivating) and waved before flying off. I hope he'll be alright, I would never be able to forgive myself – and neither will the Harvest Goddess - if anything happened to him…
Shaking her brunette head at such pessimistic thoughts, she focused on the now pale Wizard. She needed to get him back as quick as possible, and it wasn't helping that he was kind of heavy to begin with; or the fact that the sun was ready to disappear. With his arm still around her shoulder, she started off at a slow pace, slightly dragging him along the way. Now Hikari knew she wasn't the strongest girl around (or the tallest), but farming had helped her muscles develop; even so, she only managed to go half way before coming to a stop. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, not realizing why her house decided to be so far. It was hard work, especially when Wizard pretty much had his full weight on against her. An idea came into mind, and she decided to go along with it.
"Wizard? Wizard, if you can hear me I need you to try and move along with me. I'm trying to help, and frankly it's hard to do so when I'm pulling you along like this. The sooner we get to my home, the quicker you'll get better, alright?" It was only after she said this Hikari realized how silly it must sound, talking to an unconscious person. "You know what, never mind. I will get you there one way or another."
She took a step forward, intending to resume her original pace, and tugged at the Wizard, prepared for the full weight of his body. He came along, but seemed lighter than before. What? She looked at him, and he was still unconscious. Taking another step, she realized that he, indeed, was less heavy. Unsure whether she really was losing it she continued her walk, too tired and focused on Wizard's health to even question this phenomenon, and simply smiled in appreciation, even though he couldn't see it. Now that they were able to move at a quicker rate, they soon reached her farm. As they neared her house, she gradually felt the Wizard get a little heavier.
As fast as she could, she kicked open her Big-Green-Door (as Luke calls it) and brought him over to her bed. She pulled back the colorful blankets and laid him down as gently as she could. That was when she really noticed how much his coat was ruined; it had holes in various places, stains along the sleeves, and some sort of powder dusted along the bottom. Without a second thought, she removed it, revealing his long-sleeve, black turtleneck and various chains. She pulled the covers over the shivering Wizard, draping the coat over her couch, before getting a couple more blankets from the closet. She was just putting them onto the bed when Finn showed up right next to her, covered in a film of grey.
"Finn! Is everything okay? What happened? Was his house alright? Why are you grey Finn? Are you hurt? Oh please tell me-"
"HIKARI!" yelled Finn, trying to get her attention. Hikari promptly shut her mouth and looked at him with pleading eyes. She was bombarding him with so many questions so fast, it hurt his head. Of course he knew she was really worried about him and he found that comforting; but not right now. "Everything's fine, so don't worry. I was right; it was a magical smoke, so there actually wasn't any fire. His house was a quite messy from what I could see, but otherwise it was still in shape. The smoke just sort of stuck to me, so I'll need to get cleaned up. And no Hikari, I'm not hurt." Finn completed his little speech with a smile at Hikari's relieved expression.
"Thank you Finn, for everything. I owe you one," Hikari finished arranging the blankets and got a bowl of cool water and a washcloth from the kitchen.
"Actually, you owe me a cake," replied Finn, crossing his stick-like arms and giving an expected look.
Hikari laughed at his expression, "Don't you worry about that. It'll be the best cake EVER!" she said twirling in a circle. Finn giggled at her actions and told Hikari that he was going to clean up, asking if he could wash his favorite orange outfit. He rarely wore anything else except his pajamas, and even that was rare.
"Sure thing Finn, I'll wash it with Wizard's coat. Right after I cool him down okay?" Finn complained about having to wear other clothes, but stopped when Hikari pointed out that Wizard's health was a bit more urgent. Finn reluctantly agreed before heading to the bathroom. Wondering at Finn's behavior towards his clothes, Hikari went over to Wizard, pulling up a chair in the process, to try and cool down the fever.
She wet the cloth and gently started to wipe down Wizard's face. He flinched slightly at her touch, and she almost pulled her hand back, when he relaxed and sighed, shifting slightly. Hikari smiled softly and continued, observing Wizard in such a defenseless state. He seems so peaceful. Not a thought normally associated when someone has a fever, but Hikari was known to be a bit odd at times. Usually he's so reserved, with hardly any expressions showing. Right now though, he looks almost… happy, in a sense. Placing the back of her hand lightly against his face, she was sure that Wizard's fever had definitely gone down, and just needed to sleep now.
She rung out the washcloth so it was a little damp then placed it over his forehead, lightly running her fingers through his ashy hair; experiencing an unusual, almost protective, feeling towards him. There was something about Wizard that was so compelling, in a way. Even though he always acted that he had no problems, deep down Hikari knew that it was just a mask for what was really hidden beneath. She had no idea what it was, but she hoped to find out; simply to ease the invisible burden that Wizard carried.
"So, is he any better?" Hikari jumped upon hearing Finn's voice so close. She was so caught up in thinking about Wizard, she hardly noticed Finn had finished and was next to her. "Hikari?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. His fever's a lot lower and now he just needs to rest," replied Hikari, once she realized Finn was still waiting.
"Oh… okay then. So now what?" asked the harvest sprite.
Hikari gave him a skeptical look, "Well, like I said, he needs to rest. So we need to do something quiet, obviously."
"Would that include making cake?" then after noticing exactly what he just said, he looked down shamefully, "I-I mean if that's okay… w-with you, I mean him, I mean-" he was cut off by the muffled sounds of laughter.
"O-Oh F-Finn! Is that all you c-can think a-about?" Hikari was trying to get the words out AND resist the immense temptation to laugh – which would not have been vey quiet.
Flustered now Finn stammered, "Y-yes. I m-mean no. It's just e-ever since y-you said you would, I-I guess I've sort of b-been thinking a-about it…" he trailed off, his face as red as a cherry, enhanced by the orange-red pajama's he wore. He was so embarrassed; he unknowingly started to sink down to the ground.
Hikari cupped her hands, and caught the red-colored sprite, "You really like cake don't you?" She stated, rather than asked; with a small, slightly amused, smile. A tiny, if not ashamed, nod answered. "Chocolate or yellow?"
Finn looked up at her incredulously, "Chocolate," he said, in a squeaky voice.
"Then let's go make some," Hikari grinned. As soon as she had said so, Finn flew over to her kitchen area, and started getting the ingredients out. As silently as they could, the utensils were gathered, cake batter was stirred and placed in the oven. Once that was done, and the timer set, Finn sat tiredly on the arm of the couch, whilst Hikari went to the bathroom to wash the sprite's outfit and Wizard's coat.
Said items of clothing proved easy to wash by hand. She didn't want to put them in the machine since Finn would flip if she did so (Finn had adamantly expressed a dislike for the machine), and she didn't want to accidentally shrink the Wizard's coat (perhaps that's why Finn didn't like it). Either way, the job was done as soon the timer went off with a single 'beep'. Leaving them to dry, she hurried over and took out the cake.
Finn immediately came over and breathed in deeply,"Mm… this smells de-li-ci-ous," he exclaimed, punctuating each syllable. "Can I have some pu-lease?"
"Sure you can, once it's cooled down a bit. Would you like some strawberry ice-cream on top? I'm pretty sure we have some left over."
Finn spun around in little circles exclaiming happily, "Yes, yes, YES!"
"Shush, Wizard's still sleeping," Hikari tried to calm down the excited sprite. By the time she did, the cake was ready to eat; so it was cut, one slice for each (a slightly smaller one for Finn), with a scoop of ice-cream on top. Finn polished his off before Hikari had even eaten half, and tried to get more. "Ah-ah-ah Finny," she wagged her index finger at him, "No more until after supper."
"Supper? But that's like hours away!" complained Finn.
"Once we clean up this mess, and make the supper, it'll be time to eat it. But before we do that, I need to make sure we enough ingredients to make some soup for Wizard," Hikari took their empty plates over to the sink and proceeded to wash them, whilst listing off the different soups she could make. "Hmmm… there's egg soup, corn soup, tomato soup, Oh! Which reminds me, I forgot to ask Gill about that job during winter and-"
"Hikari," Finn interrupted, "focus. Wizard, soup."
"Right, right," she tapped her chin in thought, "I got it! How about mushroom soup? He likes those weird mushrooms from the forest. I'll make some sandwiches as well, that should go with the soup."
Finn settled along the arm of the couch, "Okay, that sounds good. Do you have all the ingredients?"
"I think so. Can you check on Wizard while I start cooking?" Hikari asked as she opened the refrigerator for the milk.
"Sure!" Finn flew over and hovered near Wizards face, looking over him carefully. Observation made, he returned, "He looks the same, and is still sleeping."
"Mhmm…" she replied as she cut the mushrooms. She thought about her farm and animals, and realized she needed to put her animals in for the night. "Hey Finn, could you stir this soup while I get the animals back to the barn? Please?"
Finn nodded, and Hikari left. With the light of the day already gone, she quickly rounded up the animals, apologizing for being a little later than usual. One they were all inside, and settled down for the night, she walked back towards her house; but not before picking some shining coffee beans and flowers. Thanks to the same sick man currently lying on her bed, this was a habit she formed, since she never bothered to leave the house until having a cup of that freshly brewed drink. She had also noticed her vase sitting empty inside, and decided to spruce up the house a little bit. Her hands now full, she entered, noting a delicious aroma.
Hikari filled the vase, placed the beans in a jar, and walked over to Finn, who was flitting around adding some unknown herbs to the soup. "Are you… cooking?"
"Oh! Hikari!" he jumped, surprise and guilt crossing his little, sprite face. "I, um, well there was this show on TV once, and the cook was making the same soup. I got bored of just stirring, and tried it myself. Oh please don't be angry! I promise I won't do it again!"
Since when did he ever watch cooking shows? "Don't say that Finn, I thought you didn't know how to cook. But this smells 'de-li-ci-ous'," quoting his earlier statement about the cake.
He blushed bright red, "Th-thank you. I did learn a couple things from those people working at the bar before you came."
Hikari wasn't even going to wonder why Finn had been at the bar in the first place. Leaving him to the soup, she prepared the sandwiches. Soon enough, they were both done. Grabbing two bowls, Hikari filled them and took said bowls and the plate of sandwiches over to the table. They then sat down and enjoyed their supper.
After supper, and another serving of cake for Finn, Wizard still hadn't woken up, and Hikari was starting to get worried. "Do you think he'll ever wake up?"
"I don't know Finn… I mean rest is one of the best medicines, but he hasn't moved a muscle since we brought him here," Hikari sighed, and brought out another blanket – a tartan to be exact – and some pajamas from her closet. "Let's not wake him up, if he does, we'll know anyways." She placed the blanket on the couch, and went over to the bathroom, "I'm going to change, but you can watch some TV until bedtime. Just make sure the volume is on low alright?" as she closed the door.
Since it was getting cooler, she changed into a pair of warm sweatpants and a large shirt that once belonged to her father. Oh dad, I miss you so-
"HIKARI!" Finn flew at the door, and promptly rammed into it.
"Finn!" she whispered as loud as she dared, and opened the door, "What do you not understand about being quiet?"
The accused sprite rubbed his head; he didn't think the door was that hard. "It's Wizard, he's awake!"
Hikari gasped, scooped up Finn, and rushed over to the wakening Wizard.
The light was everywhere, searing, white light that left him blind. It reached into the furthest corners of his mind to expose whatever he had to hide. He was trapped, caught in the midst of this rampage. Then, the darkness came.
At first, it was a miniature waterfall trickling out of a side, then it bubbled out from underneath and dripped from above; all slowly mingling with each other. Yet, it wasn't a liquid. The darkness was empty, and if you tried to grasp it, it wouldn't seem to be there. It grew in size, overtaking most of the light; only to leave small pin-points of it. He embraced this new scene and was quite content to stay there, had it not been for one particular spot of light that was getting brighter by the second. However, this one was different. It had a warmer hue to it, and emitted aura's that were foreign to the Wizard. Friendship, comfort, and other sensations he hardly recognized. It advanced towards him, pausing briefly before fully encompassing him. Soon he was falling… falling… falling.
…
He didn't know where he was, or how he got here. The last thing he remembered was creating a new potion, when an unidentified bottle accidentally fell into the concoction. There had been a bright flash, and an intense burning pain in his left eye, but that was all. Even now, the pain felt fresh, but in both eyes; so he left them closed. He felt damp, and his limbs burned, yet his forehead felt oddly cool.
He tried shifting his position, but noticed that there was something heavy keeping him down. He tried to move, and was succeeding, when a new force was applied. He fought at it, coming to the conclusion that he had been captured; after all this wouldn't have been the first time either.
"… zard… Wiz… Wizard! It's okay! It's me, Hikari!"
Hikari? He came to a stop. How could that be? No, it wasn't possible; whoever it was must be impersonating her. With that in mind, he resumed his frantic struggling. His capturer must be powerful, and frighteningly intelligent, to mimic the one person he may have considered a friend.
All of the sudden, the pressure fell away, and he quickly sat up. However, his freedom was short lived as he felt two arms wrap around his torso and a small body hug him, the warmth seeping into his now, strangely cold, body. The person was rocking them back and forth, back and forth.
"Shhh, it's alright Wizard. You're safe," a soft voice murmured into his shoulder. It-it couldn't be Hikari. Yet, her voice, her warmth, even the ever present smell of earth was there. It was all so real, he was having a hard time believing there even was an impersonator.
"Hikari?" he coughed, his throat was a little rough.
He felt her head shift, "Wizard?" she asked timidly.
"Where… am I?"
"In my bed," she stated, with her head still leaning against him. A small blush rose up to his cheeks at the sudden awareness of how close she was, and as unwanted thoughts clouded his mind. He most certainly did NOT remember even coming near her house. "I brought you in here after you collapsed on the road; I mean I couldn't just LEAVE you there or anything! And you had a fever and –"
Here she stopped and gasped, he could tell she was looking at him, "Wizard! Your cheeks are red! Oh no, your fever must be back! Just hold on and I'll be right back with some soup! Finn, stay right there!"
His mind still whirling from what she just told him, he barely noticed her take leave; but once she did, it was uncomfortably silent. Rearranging his thoughts, he figured out what must have happened. Apparently after the… failed potion (if she ever heard of this, Vivi would never let him live this one down), he lost conscious along the road and Hikari brought him to her house and tended to him. A question formed in his mind, and he wondered if the orange harvest sprite was still around to answer it.
"… Finn?"
The harvest sprite's high voice came from the right, "Yes Mr. Wizard?"
"How long… have I been here?"
"It was near sunset when we found you. It's night time now."
So he's only been here for a few hours. Funny, it felt more like days.
Hikari's footsteps could be heard, "Here you go Wizard, I made some mushroom soup for you!"
The bed sank a little as she sat down, "Ummm, Wizard? Are-are your eyes alright? Can you open them?"
He hadn't even realized they were still shut, "I… I'm not sure…" He tried to open them, but a fierce burning pain stabbed his mind. Wincing, he quickly stopped and sighed, "It hurts… to do so."
Noticing the flicker of discomfort across his face, she nodded, "Oh, okay. So I guess I'll feed you huh?"
Embarrassed at such a suggestion, Wizard shook his head, "There is… no need to…"
"Well you have to drink this soup, and it's the only way since you can't see right now. Come on, please?"
Again he shook his head, "Hika-" he was cut off as a metal spoon was shoved into his mouth, the warm liquid travelling down his throat. Surprisingly, it was quite delicious.
Some expression must have shown, because Hikari giggled slightly before questioning in a teasing tone, "You were saying?"
Silence was the reply; he was still trying to process what exactly just happened. Once that was sorted, he answered, "It is… very good."
She beamed, and it got even wider when she said, "Now open wide Wizzy!"
"Do no-" once again, he was interrupted. Once he gulped that down, he sighed and obediently opened his mouth again, knowing that it was futile to even try to mildly retort.
Only when the bowl was empty (evident by Hikari's scrapping to get every last drop) and he leaned back to relax, was he able to speak. "You did not… have to do that Hikari…" here, unbeknown to him, she pouted, "But thank you… it was a kind act…"
Hikari smiled a small smile, "It's alright Wizard. I mean, what else are friends for?"
There was a momentary pause; so long, Hikari wondered if she shouldn't have said that. Then faintly, she almost didn't hear it was a soft, "Yes… friends…"
Hikari watched Wizard as he nodded asleep. As gently as she could, she laid him back down and tucked him in, whispering, "Goodnight Wizzy."
She suppressed a smile when he rolled over at the mention of his new nickname; that guy was really something. Hikari watched over him for an hour or so, just in case he'd wake up again. Finn accompanied her, but after the twenty fifth yawn she told him to go to sleep. Tiredly, he drifted over to the arm of her couch and settled down, using the blanket Hikari made for him to keep warm. Hikari, on the other hand, was used to staying up later; even though Wizard seemed alright, that protective feeling arose again, and she just wanted to make sure. To make use of her time (and occupy her fingers) she decided to patch up Wizard's coat.
Needle, thread and spare cloth in hand (she was lucky to have some roughly the same shade of purple) she began the rhythmic motions. Candace really is a wonderful teacher, not to mention her techniques have helped me quite a few times already. Three pricked fingers and another hour later (10:30 for those who were wondering), she was done. She folded it up and placed it across the end of the bed, before wearily going over to the couch to sleep. Hikari picked up the lightly snoring sprite, cradling him between her arms as she lay down. She covered herself with the green and red tartan – a gift from Shelly – and soon fell asleep; pleasant dreams of green and gold hues filling her mind as she slipped away…
.:.~ Time span of seven and a half hours ~.:.
Hikari opened her eyes wide, taking a moment to figure out why she was facing the television. Once yesterdays' occurrences made themselves known, she shot upwards, looking towards her bed.
"OW! Ugh… Hikari?"
She glanced down to see a bleary eyed Finn craning his head to look at her, "Oops! Sorry Finn!" He must have rolled off when she sat up.
"S'alright. I was gonna get up anyways." Finn rubbed his back, "What time is it?"
Hikari looked at her watch since she'd forgotten to take it off last night, "Whoa, it's exactly six! Freaky huh?"
"Ya… Hikari I'm hungryyy."
"What do you mean? You had two helpings of dessert yesterday! Where do you put it all?" she asked, while swinging her legs over to the side.
"How should I know? I don't even know why sparkles come out of me when I fly!"
There was silence for a few seconds, as the human and sprite looked at each other. Simultaneously they burst into giggles, Hikari stuffing her face into the nearby pillow to muffle the sound.
"Okay – okay…" Hikari tried to get under control and stood up, walking towards the kitchen. Finn instinctively followed, and as he did so, she eyed him carefully. He noticed, and Hikari looked away, forcing down a chuckle.
Since Wizard was still around, she decided to make some pancakes. A steaming hot breakfast on a cool autumn morning sounded particularly good today. Flour, eggs, milk and a good helping of cinnamon were added together, then left to set as Hikari changed into her usual attire of working clothes. The pan was heated and the batter poured, cooked and flipped as the oh-so-tantalizing aroma of fresh cinnamon pancakes filled the air. The two odd companions ate their breakfast quickly to try and preserve the heat.
That said and done, Hikari proceeded to go about her daily routine, finding Wizard's presence hardly disturbing. Just to make sure he didn't wake up anytime soon, she asked Finn to get a start on her farm chores as she washed the dishes. Soap spuds sprinkled across her bare arms and humming an unknown tune, Hikari failed to notice Wizard getting up.
"Good morning..."
She immediately stopped and turned her head to see him sitting up and rubbing his eyes (a small part of her mind couldn't help but notice how adorably child-like he was while doing so), "Morning Wizard! How do you feel?"
"My head is… much better… thank you… for asking."
"Eh, comes with the job," she shrugged, before playfully winking and turning back to finish off; "I'm kidding. So, you up for some breakfast?"
"There is… no need to… Hikari…"
Hikari huffed as she rinsed off the cutlery, "Let me rephrase that; I've got pancakes I made this morning, and you're not leaving this house until you eat. It's up to you whether they are eaten now or later."
If she had been facing Wizard, she would have noticed a quirky smile make its way across, "Very well then… you drive a… persuasive argument… I shall… eat now if it… pleases you so…"
Hikari grinned as she wiped her hands off, "Oh, it pleases me greatly to have an all-mighty Wizard eat the humble food of a mere simple farmer. Then again, you practically live off coffee. Speaking of which, would you like some?"
"If I was… to refuse… you would still… go ahead… wouldn't you?"
"Yep, and that counts as a yes too you know," using the beans picked yesterday, she busied herself with the caffeinated beverage and reheating some pancakes. When she turned around to figure out where to place the heated food, she noticed Wizard was already at the table with his head laid across his arms, the coat she worked on last night messily thrown on. "I guess you're not used to being up so early huh Wizzy?"
"You have… no idea…" he groaned through his sleeves.
Hikari quietly giggled, this side of Wizard wasn't seen often and she was pleased that he was showing such trust. Placing the food in front of him she tapped his head to get his attention before going back for the coffee.
Groggily, he raised it, silently impressed with the pile placed before him. He hadn't had pancakes for the longest time (keep in mind with his immortality it was a very long time) and certainly none that smelled so good. The left-out syrup was eagerly drizzled onto them before he – politely – downed them.
A slightly tanned hand placed a yellow and blue striped mug before him, its intoxicating contents gently steaming. Following the hand, he gazed up into the face of Hikari. He once considered her a nuisance, another happy-go-lucky soul that would become dejected upon discovering the previously deteriorating peninsula (despite being called an island) and leave. Yet, she persisted; enough for him to actually acknowledge her when she stumbled into his home that day. He had to give her credit, she could be undeniably stubborn at times, but not at like Vivi. She was much more… endearing.
This train of thought would have normally been reprimanded by the logical part of his mind, warning him of the consequences mingling with mortals would have on him. However, the Wizard was currently too caught up trying to figure out why Hikari was widely and intensely staring at him. As though in a trance, her hand moved hesitantly towards his face and he stiffened. Placing the tips of her fingers directly below his left eye, she continued to almost gape.
He blinked.
At that small movement, he felt as though he had just broken a spell of some sort. Hikari pulled her hand back, "Your eye…"
He blinked again, "… What?"
Suddenly, she grabbed one of his hands, momentarily dragging him out of the chair and kitchen area as Wizard tried to find his feet. Rushing into the bathroom, she screeched to a stop, Wizard stumbling behind her. She grabbed his shoulders and turned him to face her mirror.
"Look."
And he did. He saw a rumpled, ashen-haired, dark-toned man with bags under his eyes gaze at him.
…
His eyes.
The reflection shifted the fallen hair covering his right eye. The white mark of entrance to magic stood out below his tawny-gold coloured eye; but it was his left eye that caught his attention, now a light forest-green. He was now, oh what was the word?
Heterochromatic.
As the man in the mirror fell, he lost sight of him. He wanted to get up and look for him again, yet for some odd reason he found himself on the floor and couldn't seem to get up. A recognized pair of arms wrapped themselves around him, so he didn't react. Couldn't react.
"Oh Wizard…"
Aaaaand cut.
*Dun dun dunnn*
Eh, not really I guess.
This was a small project I've slowly been working on whenever I felt like writing about Gale. I often found that in fanfic's it was his right eye (the goldish one) that would've changed for various reasons. This, well, this is my different take on the idea of him gaining his heterochromatism. I will again remind you, this is only a one-shot and I have no intention of making this a sequel.
HOWEVER (and it's a big one), if you want to incorporate this idea or even as a parallel chapter into any of your fanfic's, then that is fine by me. A little forewarning would suffice though okay?
Thank you for reading though! Now go off and read something that's longer and probably better than this one-shot! ;)
- Syra