Holla, amigos! I'm on a roll here, and why? Because it's SUMMER VACATION! *throws confetti* HIYEY!
Anyway, while I celebrate here like the moronic idiot that I am, you guys enjoy this little on-shot I made after bruising my finger with my guitar.
Enjoy, kora!
Song: Man Who Can't be Moved
Artist: The Script
This was where it happened.
Where his heart had fallen, and someone had caught it.
The place where he knew he should wait, even if it was forever.
No.
He's not going to move.
"E-excuse me, kora," he stuttered. The lady under the small, elegant umbrella turned around.
"Can I help you, young man?" she asked. Instead of answering, he handed her a picture.
"I need a favor to ask of you," he told her in an almost shaky voice. She looked at him, almost with pity, but he didn't care.
Pity won't bring her back to him.
"What is it?"
"If you see this girl, can you tell her where I am, kora?"
The lady looked at him softly, then back at the picture, and then back at him again. She couldn't tell if he was crying or something from underneath the cold, harsh rain, but she was certain she could hear a soft moan coming from his trembling lips.
"You poor thing," she whispered, reaching for his hand, and pressing something thin and somewhat hard, as if they were paper. The man realized what they were, and immediately pushed them back to her.
"You don't understand, madam. That's not what I need, kora," was his only statement before he ran away towards the darkness.
Indeed, she didn't understand.
He's not broke, just a broken-hearted man.
"I know it makes no sense," he mumbled when he reached the empty waiting-shed that provided him with temporary shelter since he first came to that place. "But, what else can I do, kora?"
He knelt down, body shivering from the countless nights staying under the heavy rain. The picture in his hand, soaking wet, fell down from his trembling fingers, towards the almost damp ground. He stared at it, and it was as if she was looking back at him in a gentle yet reprimanding glare that conveyed a silent message.
The man scoffed.
"How can I move on, when I'm still in love with you, kora?"
-m16-
"Listen up, maggots!" the voice reverberated across the whole field where a group of cocky-faced young men were sitting together, looking up almost terrified at the small woman in uniform. She, in turn, eyed them all one-by-one, as if to count them before she began her usual "welcoming" speech.
Just as she had thought, one was missing.
"Who's missing?" she growled in a warning tone, making the others almost cry in fear. She double-checked, and indeed, there was someone gone.
"There are only twenty-four of you," she barked. "Where's the other sorry soul?"
One shaky man raised his hand, and she nodded at him.
"Ma'm, the missing one walked over towards that direction . . ." He pointed at the direction towards the river. "We didn't know why, but, he said that he wanted to check something out, so he . . ." His voice trailed off as he felt himself melt with trepidation as the Spartan Commander stared at him hotly.
"What's his name?"
"C-Colonello, Ma'm . . ."
On a nearby shed, just near the deep, soft-flowing river, a certain blond stretched himself in a relaxed manner, lying himself down at the built-in bench, unaware that just behind him, a well pissed-of cobaltette was glaring at him murderously, hoping that he die then and there.
"Why this . . ." she muttered through grinding teeth. A trainee stood behind her, readying himself to stop her and order the poor student to run for his life when the time called for him to do so.
Surely, the man sensed that someone was watching him so he did what others might actually do at this state.
He yawned loudly, and lazily asked whoever it was to beat it and bother him later.
"What's that?" she snarled, attempting to pounce on him, but the trainee acted fast and grabbed her arm.
"You're too loud, kora!" he whined, sitting up to look at the disturber, only to find an irritated yet unbelievably gorgeous woman glaring at him as if she wanted to bite him.
"C-Commander, please calm down," the trainee begged when she tried to wring his neck. Surprisingly, her muscles began to loosen as she composed herself to watch him idly stand up, and tried his best to look cute.
"Hey," he said in an arrogant voice. "How are you doing?"
"Excuse me?" she hissed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. He smiled seductively, pursing his lips together as he examined her from head-to-toe.
"Ah, the quick type, I see, kora," he hummed. "Okay, I'll cut to the chase. You and me, dinner." He gave her a wink, and she reacted with a disgusted raise of an eyebrow. She looked behind her, and saw the trainee make a barfing action with his mouth.
"Who do you think you are?" she asked in an irritated manner.
"Me? I'm Colonello," he answered matter-of-factly, as he reached out his hand. "But, you can call me 'The Guy You've Been Waiting For', kora!"
She stared at him blankly, and gave him a pinned smile as she reached for his hand, and easily crashed it into a million pieces, making him cry in pain.
"You're not him," she said simply, before pulling his arm. She kneed him on the stomach before throwing him out of the shed.
The man struggled to at least stand on fours, wiping the bottom of his lips. Again, the feeling of someone glaring at him resumed, and when he looked behind him, there she was, cracking her knuckles, a dark, lethal aura seemed to be emitting from her body.
And what a body!
Brutally, she grabbed him by the collar, nearing her face to him and started spitting out words that would scare the average man.
However, this man was everything but average.
No.
He was in love.
-m16-
"Excuse me, sir, but you can't stay here," a voice suddenly called out, making him raise his head up. He looked behind him, and found a younger man looking at him expectantly.
"Oh, uh, sorry, kora," he chuckled, wiping his tears away as he turned himself to face him. The younger man examined him from head-to-toe, and then looked at him curiously.
"Are you a COMSUBIN member?" the man asked. He smiled.
"Yeah . . . Well, I used to be anyway, kora."
"Are you here to meet with some old comrades or something, because, just so you know, the organization relocated their bases a long time ago . . ."
"Pardon, kora?"
"I said that the COMSUBIN forces relocated years ago because of some accident with the armaments."
"Oh, that. I'm well aware of that, kora."
"Well, then why are you here?"
The older man smiled, tears still evident in his sky blue eyes.
"There's someone I'm waiting for, kora."
"Someone . . .? An old member as well?"
"Yeah, something like that, kora."
"Oh." The younger man gave a sidelong glance before looking back at him.
"I don't mean to dampen your spirits, but, whoever that someone is, he or she would not be coming back here. Rather, that person would go to the new base, if I'm not mistaken."
"That's where you're wrong," he replied softly. "She probably won't care about the new base or other things like that. She's long forgotten about COMSUBIN and other things related to her past. The last place she'd want to be in is the new home of an old organization she once treated as family, kora."
"Well, then why are you waiting here? I mean, what difference would it make?"
The old COMSUBIN member smiled as he patted the other good-naturedly on his head, something the latter did not find gratifying, but rather disturbing.
"That's because if she ever changes her mind, this is the first place she will go, kora."
-m16-
"W-wait . . . You're leaving me, kora?"
The woman refused to give eye contact, but she did give away a light nod that sent him near to tears. He shook his head furiously and immediately wrapped his strong arms around his commander.
His most beloved commander.
"Lal, you can't go! Don't! Please, don't! I'm begging you, kora!"
She thrives to hinder herself from weeping at all cost, but what he was doing is breaking that resolve. How can she leave the place she has now accepted as home? How can she detach herself from the group of people that she has now considered as the family she never knew?
Moreover, how can she leave this man who now holds her heart so tenderly yet possessively?
"There's still so much for me to learn from you, kora! I want you to stay here and watch me grow stronger for you! Stay, and let me protect you!" He raised his face and stared at her straight in the eye.
"Lal, I love you, kora."
"Colonello, you're being pathetic," she whispered, dodging his pleading glance. "This is ridiculous. What you're doing is ridiculous. I was never here to stay forever, and you of all people should know that! Don't make this harder than it needs to be . . ."
"But . . ."
"Let me go, and that's an order."
"But, Lal, kora!"
"I'll count to three, and before I say the last number, let me go . . ."
"But, Lal, at least . . ."
"One."
"At least . . ."
"Two."
"At least tell me you love me too, kora!"
"Three."
With that, she grabbed his shoulder and pressed, making him loosen his hold and fall unconscious on the ground.
The ground where they first met.
She watched him lie there for a minute or two, and soon, she turned around and ran outside the shed, towards the pouring rain, not allowing herself to ever look back.
-m16-
He woke up at the sound of birds chirping from outside the small hut. The rain outside had stopped some time during last night, but its aftermath was still evident.
It was a good thing the other guy left and let him sleep there in peace last night, but, maybe it wasn't such a good idea.
The former COMSUBIN member was trembling wildly, and his clothes were all wet.
Great.
He had a choice, though. He could always go home and forget about this nonsense forever. Then, he'd be able to move on someday, and he could be happy somewhere else.
Nevertheless, a voice still screams within his head, and various questions always left him frozen, and, after a few moments, as determined as ever.
What if she does change her mind?
What if she does love him?
What if she does come back . . .
. . . And she finds no one waiting for her?
It's been three weeks since he first camped out there to wait for her. Goodness knows where she was, but just like now, back then he was sure that she'll come back. He kept on to the expectation that she loved him as well.
There's still that big possibility.
He stood up, but he had to sit down again. His legs were trembling too hard, and he needed to at least let it pass before he tries to move again. Shortly after, they did stop, but his body was still very weak. He could have gotten very sick from last night. Or maybe it was exhaustion. Or perhaps, it was a sign from his body that it was finally giving up.
Nonetheless, he stood up, and walked outside. He had a good look at the whole place, and still could not believe that the old training field was quickly turned into a small community. Many things have changed since he was last here, and that was the day he quitted the whole organization to try and forget her.
He didn't though, obviously.
From behind him, he could still hear the soft humming of the deep, flowing river, and it brought back such fateful memories.
How many times had she thrown him into the exact river? Several times the least, and yet, he never got enough of it, because, in the end, she always comes to pull him up when he couldn't, giving him a chance to hold her hand even for a short while.
Where has those times gone to?
He sat on the wet soil, brushing his fingers through the damp grass, taking in the morning breeze. The river still flowed smoothly like before, despite everything around it transitioned into something different.
This river is the sign that there is still hope for his wish, but, who knows when that proof will fade away as well?
-m16-
"Well, won't you listen to this? The old COMSUBIN base supposedly exploded some time ago . . . My, my . . . talk about fatal casualties . . ."
She stopped staring outside the window to steal a glance at the others sitting at the table.
"We all know of that, Reborn," she replied hotly. "It was on the news two years ago. Why are you reading a newspaper from that time period?"
"Nothing really. Just happened to catch my attention since I was bored. Oh look, they have a picture . . ." He slid the paper across the table towards her direction. It was opened at a page that contained a large black and white picture of a wide, empty crate filled with smoke and rubble. The photo itself wasn't in good resolution, but, despite that, she could still see something very significant.
The small, empty shed at the corner of the field, next to the river. It was barely spared, but still, it was the only thing was still in shape and is in good condition.
She had to look away in pain.
"I hear that the group relocated, and that field is now a town with a very large market. But, even if that is the case, this portion in the picture was still left unoccupied to this very day. They say that poisonous substances still loom within the winds that surround the space, and some sort of vile but undetectable kind of acid has supposedly fell to the river, making it in itself a pool of deathly chemicals. It would be far too dangerous for anyone to stay there for a really long time; don't you think so, Lal?"
"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" she asked. "Are you trying to irritate me again?"
"Are you irritated?"
"No, Reborn! As a matter of fact, I'm so damn happy you're reminding me that somehow, a few important people may have gotten involved in that explosion!"
"You say 'important'. Who are we talking about?"
"Go die in a ditch."
The man smirked, finding the woman's failed attempts to cover her feelings still as amusing as ever.
"Well, if you must know, I'm bringing this up because of the article I've read in the current newspaper. Interested, Lal Mirch?"
"No."
"Okay then, here you go." He slid another set of paper towards her, and her eyes gave a small glance at the small feature article. She was supposed to look away again, but a photo caught her eye, and she had to look back to make sure.
He looked vaguely familiar.
She checked the article again, and the title along was enough to make her read until the last period.
The Man Who Can't Be Moved.
-m16-
The sound of twigs breaking woke him up, and he turned, almost excitedly behind him, but all he found was a cat who hissed at him. He stared at it for a moment, and even watched it jump at a nearby tree. The tree shook at the cat's sudden throw of weight, causing some leaves to fall into the river.
However, they didn't float like how they should have, but rather smoked rapidly, and then disappeared.
His eyebrow arched in curiosity.
He stood up and took a stray stick, and then dipped it at the river. More smoke came out, and when he raised it up, it wasn't as long as before, as if the part submerged was cut off. He stared at the stick with a grim face.
So the river has changed as well.
That means nothing here was ever the same.
Everything changed.
Which also means he believed in nothing.
Frustration seeped through his veins as he stood up.
What was he thinking? It's been years, so what gives him the idea that she would come back after all this time just because he did?
The whole thing was ridiculous, and he knows it.
He just kept on denying it.
But, everything had already changed, and perhaps, so should he.
With a heavy heart, he pulled off his jacket and boots, and laid them neatly down. He didn't bother taking off his shirt, since it didn't hold as much as memory as those other two did, and he was ready to leave them there.
Until he remembered his headband.
He pulled it off his head and scrutinized it. This may have the most memories to hold from all his belongings. She gave this to him when he graduated, before she said goodbye. Although she wouldn't admit it, he knew she made it with her own hands, which is why he loved it.
Which is also why he needed to let it go.
After giving it a small, sweet kiss, he threw it into the pile, and headed towards the edge of the contaminated river.
-m16-
Cos if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me
"Colonello!"
She ran here and there, hoping that somewhere . . . anywhere . . . she'd find him waiting for her.
"Colonello!"
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I can be,
Where was he? She had scoured the whole first part of the base, and yet, she couldn't find him.
There were still more places to look for him, and ninety-five percent of them, he was likely to be found. Where would she start looking? She didn't have much time. If only she could ask for information, but she was told specifically to not go anywhere near the town.
Her eyes wandered for clues—no matter how small and subtle—that may somehow lead her to him, but she couldn't find anything. She tried heading for what used to be the camp where he once stayed, but a big wind stopped her in her tracks, and when she opened her eyes, a lone scrap of paper was stuck underneath her boots. She bent down and picked it up, and found the same picture from the newspaper that was shown to her earlier on.
Thinking maybe you'd come back here to the place that we'd meet,
It was the picture of the empty crate with the shed and river, and, somehow, it gave her an idea.
She knew where she needs to go.
And you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street.
"No," she choked, looking down at the pile of clothes neatly placed at the side of the tree. Even if many own these kinds of garments, she knew who these specifically belonged to. She forced herself to look forward, and she found the river that was supposedly contaminated.
Was she too late?
She tried checking other nearby places. He was not in the latter part of town, not in the middle of the crate, and neither was he in the shed.
He was nowhere to be found.
Despaired, she returned to the pile, and fell down on her knees, soaking the cloths with her hot, soothing tears.
She had come too late.
He had waited for her, but she came too late.
He grew tired waiting.
He moved.
He was gone.
"Colonello . . ." she mumbled, gathering up the clothes close to her, hoping to absorb at least some of his warmth from them, but no. They were already soaking wet and cold.
It was all too late for her to cry now.
Two years too late.
So I'm not moving...
I'm not moving.
From behind her, a tall man in white was watching her in slight shock. He watched as she yelled her apologies and regret, and how she gave all the affection she could give to the pile of clothes.
Soon, he found himself crying as well.
"Lal . . ."
I'm not moving...
I'm not moving.
She heard the familiar voice call her name, and, naturally she turned around, and found him looking at her almost with disbelief.
Going back to the corner where I first saw you,
"Colonello . . ." she sobbed as she stood up, and slowly moved her legs towards him. Gradually, her stride went wider and faster, and soon, she found herself running towards him. He, in turn, spread his arms to welcome her back, and she threw herself towards him.
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag
"Hey there, Lal. Welcome back, kora."
I'm not gonna move.
-FIN-
I'm not moving . . . I'm not moooviiiiiiing . . . *shatters nearby glass*
Lal: Shut the hell up, Maggie! Some people are trying to work here!
Oohh . . . I wonder what kind of work she's doing with Colo-senpai? *grabs camera and creeps towards their room*
Thanks for reading everybody! Forgive my shrewdness, but, I can't help it! Please do review!
P.S.: To those who are subscribing to "Colonello's Heart", my updates will be a little slow because . . . how shall I put this? I want a lot of people to wait and urge me to post . . . Yeah, that's it!
LoveLots~