1 of 1,000
By Nameless Ookami
The sounds of laughter are slowly drowned out by the thud of his shoes against the pavement. Gradually, the brilliant lights of the bar are consumed by the dark city streets. He shivers a bit and pulls his coat tighter around his tall, slim frame, eager to get home, and to all the things that make it home At this he smiles to himself, slowly and sadly, a ghost of the wide grin he had flashed just a few hours before.
Something crashes against him and the fluttering of paper fills his ears. He hears a voice yelp "Sorry!", beating him to the apology on his lips. He tells the person not to worry, and immediately kneels, gathering the squares of origami that litter the pavement. He looks up to pass them off to-
A boy.
The small frame already hinted this, but looking at him, even in the dim street lights, he is struck dumb by the child roaming these empty streets. This is no place for him, he thinks. But he bites his tongue, choosing instead to offer a respectful,
"Are you alright?"
The boy's blue eyes are bright as he gives him a smile, and he can't help but smile back; it seems the boy's energy is almost infectious.
"Yeah, thanks a lot, mister!" His face scrunches up in a displeased frown that almost makes the taller of the two smile again. "Damn, the paper's ruined… at least this is alright, though." In his hands lies a small, perfect paper crane.
He's usually not one to ask questions- if it's not his business then he shouldn't ask, that's his philosophy- but something about this boy and his little paper crane make him ask why. The boy gives him another smile.
"Haven't you heard? If you make 1,000 paper cranes, you get a wish!"
A wish…
The man frowns as all the warmth from the boy suddenly leaves him. The boy seems to notice this and, after running a hand through his curly hair (Is it red? He can't tell with so little light), he offers him the paper crane. The man politely declines, but the boy insists, and so he gently takes it from the boy's outstretched hands.
"1,000 for a wish, huh?"
"Yeah. You look like you need it more than me."
He's not quite sure how to respond, wondering if what the boy says is true and if he isn't actually stealing this boy's wish.
"What would you wish for?"
The boy looks up at him and smiles, and suddenly he doesn't look much like a boy.
"I'd wish to be normal again."
With that he turns to leave. After a few paces the young man (he can no longer bring himself to call him "boy") looks back at him.
"It was nice meeting you. My name's Hanna, by the way."
Years from now Hanna makes another paper crane. He holds it out to Gallahad with the same sad smile he gave someone once so long ago.
"Here he is! No. 1 of 1,000!"
The undead man gently takes the crane, holding it like an invaluable piece of treasure.
And in both of them there is a twinge of something, a strange mix of familiarity and an overwhelming sadness that goes completely unspoken.
Just a short little HinaBN fic I thought up one day.
I probably got the timeline mixed up a bit, since assuming the story takes 10 years later Hanna would be 14 and I think somewhere it was mentioned that he got into magic when he was a bit older. But the idea seemed really cute to me, and since I ship Hanna and Gallahad I couldn't bring myself to write about Mr. Tall Dark and Rotting getting the crane from a past lover or something. So, despite the time paradoxes I hope you enjoyed it!! Any constructive criticism or comments are appreciated!