Fakiru Week 2016-Day 1: Spring
He watched her stick her tongue out, trying to catch the falling snowflakes. They were walking back to the school dorms after celebrating New Year's dinner at Charon's the previous night.
"Do they taste like anything?" Fakir asked, knowing full well that the answer was going to be 'no.' What surprised him next was her answer.
"Of course, they do, Fakir! Like sugar from the sky, or the lightest of feathers!" Ahiru smiled and looked at Fakir. "Like a dream-because they're there one moment and gone the next."
He didn't think snowflakes would be the same for him again.
Two weeks after the new semester started, Fakir walked through the school gardens to take a shortcut to the literature building. There, he saw Freya and Ahiru happily chatting by one of the plots of land. Ahiru noticed him first and waved at him. "Hello, Fakir! How are you!"
"Oh, hello, Fakir. It's nice to see you," Freya said. She stood up and patted the dirt off of her gardener's gloves. Ahiru quickly stood up from her crouch and almost tripped over her own feet while getting up, but Fakir steadied her, not minding that she was getting dirt on his coat.
"I'm doing fine, thanks. What are you two doing out here in this weather?" Fakir asked. A light snowfall had begun and it only seemed to punctuate his words.
"Ah, well, Freya looked like she needed some help in the garden, so I'm doing that," Ahiru said. "Helping her, I mean."
"We're just making sure that the bulbs don't freeze during the winter. The snowdrops and crocuses that bloom in early spring will be a lovely sight to see," Freya added. "Ahiru has been a great help."
"That's good. Just make sure not to stay out for so long and get sick, okay, Ahiru?" Fakir said, giving her head a good pet.
"Fakir, my hair! And I won't!" Ahiru said. "I just want to be able to help Freya, that way when spring comes, the flowers will seem that much more beautiful! Because we helped them survive the winter!"
Fakir nodded and walked away. He didn't voice it, but he couldn't deny that it would be nice to see the garden when the flowers bloomed.
Fakir didn't hate Valentine's Day, but it sure was an annoying day with all the girls fluttering about, and the extra noise in the hallways and dorms. The boys also seemed to be more anxious, loudly proclaiming about wanting to receive chocolates and candy from their beloved-or rather, any girl who would give him the time of day. That is why Fakir made it known to all his admirers that he wouldn't be accepting any gifts; besides, candies were too sweet for his tastes and why accept things he wasn't going to eat?
Fakir finally found a quiet corner in the library where he could read and wait for Ahiru; he had been helping her improve on her grammar and spelling this week before her writing test the next day, and he didn't mind too much that he had to wait an extra five minutes for her to arrive.
"You're always here early, Fakir!" a voice called out. Slipping a bookmark in between the pages, Fakir shut his book and gestured to the seat next to him.
"Seems like you're actually on time, Ahiru," Fakir replied.
"Well," Ahiru said, taking a seat and looking through her bag, "today is a special sort of day, and I didn't want to be late. Now, I know you said you won't accept any candy from anyone today, but I made you this, and I wanted you to try it!" Ahiru presented Fakir with a clear cellophane bag tied with a red ribbon. Her eager eyes were hard to ignore, so Fakir sighed and accepted the bag.
Well, it wasn't chocolate, at least. "I made you some chocolate chip, banana bread!" Ahiru exclaimed. He spoke too soon. Untying the ribbon, he took a slice of the bread from the bag and, after eyeing it wearily, took a bite. He was surprised that it wasn't a sweet as he thought it would be. Instead, the chocolate and the banana flavor enhanced the muffin-like texture of the bread.
"This is really good," Fakir said, finishing the slice.
Ahiru smiled wide and clapped her hands together. "Oh, I'm so glad you like it! I had Ebine help me bake it and I've been working on it all week! It's my gift to you thanking you for being such a good friend to me, Fakir."
Fakir blinked a few times before sputtering out a "Right-you're welcome." He didn't hear too many compliments like that, so Ahiru's words took him by surprise. "You're a good friend, too, Ahiru," he said after a minute. Ahiru blushed gently and smiled at him.
Perhaps he could grow to like Valentine's Day if there were less candies and more chocolate chip banana bread.
"Fakir!" a voice called out to him. Fakir was sitting near a tree, away from its shade in hopes of catching some sunlight that peeked through the clouds. It was early March, so the occasional breeze that came and went still sent a chill through his spine, but sooner, warmer days would come.
"Ahiru." Said girl now collapsed beside Fakir, sprawled out on the grass before him.
"Fakir! I ran all this way to tell you something! Well, I want to show you something; will you come with me?" Ahiru asked.
"It's not something ridiculous, is it?" Fakir asked, placing a bookmark between the pages of his book. "Because last time-"
Ahiru gave out a huff of annoyance. "I didn't mean to walk right into the lake, okay? Brr...don't remind me! That water was freezing cold!" Ahiru sat up and faced Fakir. "It's Freya's garden! Remember how she planted some bulbs and I helped take care of them? Well, they bloomed, and I want to show you!"
"I see," Fakir said, standing up and patting the grass and dirt from his pants. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go."
Ahiru smiled and giggled. "Oh, wait until you see them! She said that these flowers were late bloomers; she was expecting them at least a week ago! And it's almost spring!" Ahiru grabbed one of his hands and started pulling him towards the garden.
Fakir humored the girl and decided not to pull away. It was almost spring, he agreed.
Ahiru was at her window sill, humming a little tune and watering her potted plant. The week before, when she visited Freya at the gardens, she received a little seedling from Freya as a gift for her help during the winter. This morning, she woke up to the bud having opened up to reveal pale pink petals; she couldn't wait to show Fakir!
Ahiru set the empty glass aside and looked outsider her window. The first few leaves were beginning to grow on the tree outside her window, and she could imagine all of the new flowers that were starting to bloom across the school. She opened her window out wide to let in the fresh scent of green in, and stuck her head out to catch a breeze.
"Ahiru, be careful that you don't fall out!" someone called from down below.
"Huwaaaa?" Ahiru's hand slipped from its place on the window, but her knees hit the wall, keeping her from taking a nasty tumble.
"Ugh, idiot, and right after I just told you, too." The voice said.
On cue, Ahiru cried, "Fakir, don't call me an idiot! It's because you surprised me!" Ahiru rubbed her knees, trying to soothe the redness. Her scowl turned into a smile when she remembered something. "Oh, I was just thinking of you, Fakir!"
"Thinking of me?" Fakir looked away, and Ahiru thought she fall his ears turn red.
"Yes! I wanted to show you my plant that Freya gave me!" Ahiru held out the potted plant, making sure that the flower was visible to Fakir on the ground. "It bloomed! Isn't it great? Spring's here!"
Fakir smirked at how happy Ahiru was, and he was glad that the warmer weather had finally arrived. He stared up at the giggling girl poking at the flower petals and Fakir had to wonder: when did it all start? When did seeing her smile mean more to him than reading a book or writing a page for his story? Fakir shook his head; that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered right now was that spring had arrived.
I've just come back from camp. I have a sore throat, am sneezing so much, and am tired in my bones, but now I'm here, so get ready for a week long of Fakiru!
My youngest sister doesn't really care for Princess Tutu, but she insisted that the line "spring has arrived" needed to be in here, so there it is!
Day 2 will be up tomorrow since I'm not feeling well, but you're in for a double treat if you check out my DeviantArt (same username), because I mostly draw. See you tomorrow!