"A Faint Cooing"
Chapter 2
After Jewel lifted her head from the cup, Blu decided to return to her, eager to try some of the lines he'd conjured in his brief period of thought. He hopped off and spread his wings to catch the air, and as Jewel turned around to face him, became awestruck. As if in slow motion, she watched as he descended, the bright aviary light behind him creating a heavenly aura around Blu, the tips of his wings twinkled in the light. Her jaw dropped, and she plunged into thought. [He looks amazing… So handsome, like an angel… an angel who's getting really clos-] her thought interrupted as a squawking Blu collided into her, a product of his clumsiness when flying. They tumbled, and stopped abruptly with an "Oomph". The next thing Jewel knew, Blu was lying, dazed, on top of her. Jewel was still speechless at what she'd just witnessed, and remembered how Blu had stared at her with his dreamy smile when they'd first met, and couldn't blame him for staring.
Blu tried to clear his head, and when he opened his eyes found himself gazing into two, dazzling sapphires glinting in the light. For a second he couldn't breathe, finding himself entranced in her eyes. He snapped out of his mesmerized state, quickly jumping up and pulling Jewel to her feet with one swift tug of her right wing. He retracted, covering his head with his right wing, cowering in anticipation of physical retaliation. He spread two feathers to peek through, only to see Jewel staring at him with her jaw dropped and eyes wide. "Sorry Jewel, I-I, th-that's not what I was-"Before he could finish, Jewel took action, wrapping her right wing around him and forcing her beak upon his own. Blu's eyes shot open in surprise toward her adverse reaction. His eyes slid shut as he embraced her kiss, and wrapped his wings around her. They parted, and Blu opened his eyes to see Jewel widen her own, and the sapphire orbs glazed against the light stole his heart. Unconsciously he muttered, "I-I love you Jewel." He retracted from the hug in horror of what he'd said, not knowing how she would react to his confession, the weight of suppressed emotions abandoned him, and he felt as if he could soar to the heavens and back in a blink, or traverse the world in a heartbeat. He could hear his heart racing, throbbing, pulsing throughout his entire body.
Jewel took a step back, she wanted desperately to say she loved him back, but couldn't. Not because she didn't love him, but because she didn't know what love was. She turned and darted into the foliage, leaving Blu behind, so she could recollect herself and think about what happened. "Jewel!" Blu called, unsure of why she ran, "Jewel! I'm sorry, I didn't…" His voice was drowned out in the distance by the artificial birdsong. She ran until she found a branch to perch on, under a cliff like rock.
Blu was angry at himself, and self loathing thoughts intruded his mind. [Can't you do anything right Blu? Why didn't you just land properly? You probably hit her wing…] as this last thought entered his mind, he threw himself into the air with a powerful thrust of his wings and headed out of the vent. [I'll bring her food tonight and drop it off when she isn't looking] he thought, adamant that she wanted nothing to do with him, [And in the mornings and lunch like usual]. With this, he realized he needed somewhere to stay so that Jewel wouldn't have to tolerate his foolishness any longer, as he was convinced he wasn't good enough for her.
Though Jewel was deep in the foliage, she still had a decent line of sight towards the grate, and had turned just in time to see Blu flying away, and with his departure, she felt as if a part of her heart was ripped out of her chest. She didn't feel… complete… She needed Blu beside her, and now he was gone. [Why didn't I just tell him I love him too? What have I done?] Her eyes swelled, and a lump formed in her throat. [Come back… please…] She thought of all the things he'd done for her, selfless deeds with only her in mind, and how did she repay him? She hadn't, and she decided that that was why she didn't deserve him. [I've never even slept next to him] it was true, that she had always insisted he was too clumsy and might injure her wing in the night, though she knew he was the next best thing to a statue in his slumber.
She thought of how attentive he'd been during her recovery. He hadn't seen Linda for three days straight, tending to Jewels every whim, being there to talk to her and cheer her up. Sometimes she'd wake in the mornings slightly enough to know he was stroking her as she slept, lovingly, defensively. He'd put his life on the line for her, and she knew that. She reached the breaking point, and could bear it no longer. Tears ran down her face, [Why hadn't I seen that he cared about me?] She'd taken his company for granted, to her it was just any other day since she'd met him, but the thought of him gone ripped her apart. Even the day of his arrival she had felt a spark of some foreign feeling, assuming it to be nothing, but when she found herself being amused by his antics decided to push him away.
She tried to separate herself from him on numerous occasions throughout her two day endeavor with him, yet here he was, yet here he wasn't. She knew she had to do something to win him back, or get rid of him. Wicked thoughts ran amok, and she began to plan and plot, until she decided there was only one way to rid herself of the guilt she carried with the thought of him gone; if all went according to plan, his life as he knew it would end, and he couldn't leave her… He'd be back tomorrow with food, she knew he'd still care enough to stop by… "Stop by" perhaps, for the last time.