A/N: It's a new chapter! That's twice as long! Yay! I've taken up a personal challenge. I'm not going to use identifying pronouns (he, she, him, her) or first person for the main character in this chapter. I want you to tell me if it worked. And yes, I did, in fact, make up a couple of words.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that poof in. Or the amazing song "Fix You" by Coldplay. Or "How to Save a Life" by the Fray.
The large, flat, concrete rooftop was empty. The air was silent.
The person hiding in the shadow of the little building on the rooftop gently closed the laptop containing the carefully thought out details answering the never-ending question of why? and set it aside. Slowly, the person stood up and emerged into the light. Blinking at the sudden sunlight, the person moved slowly towards the far edge of the building, resolve hardening with every step. The goodbyes were said, statuses updated, and final message recorded.
What else was missing?
The answer came with a dazzling flash of light and in the shape of four people and a fat rabbit, whose wings were rapidly contracting into its body. The person retreated back into the shadows, confused. A hallucination? Possibly.
There was an impossibly skinny blonde; a tall, muscular, black-haired Asian; and two children, easily related. The blonde and Asian could easily have been their parents.
What almost confirmed that it was a hallucination was their clothing. The blonde wore something that no person in their right minds would wear when it was sixty-five degrees out, a perfect sunny day. He—she?—must have been sweltering underneath the thick coat. The Asian was dressed in all black and red, as if he were cosplaying as a ninja. The girl wore an odd ensemble, reminiscent of a more conservative Princess Jasmine, and the boy wore things that looked as if they needed a wash and more than a few stitches.
The person in the shadows stifled the giggles that threatened to spill out when the blonde starting twirling in the light breeze. The giggles turned into a stifled gasp of shock when the magic rabbit spoke.
"Mokona doesn't feel a feather here!" it squeaked. The person was confused. What was this? An extended, all-too-real metaphor?
The dark one growled. "Then let's move on to the next damn world and MAGE!" he barked. "STOP TWIRLING LIKE SOME DERVISH. EITHER GET RID OF THE COAT, OR KEEP SWEATING."
"Aww, but Kuro-tan! The breeze feels nice when it's circulating underneath my coat!" the blonde squealed cheerfully. "Besides, don't you think it would be nice to stop and straighten things out for a little while?"
The boy was supporting the girl. "Kurogane-san, Fai is right. We need to stop for a while, just to rest. Or," he amended, after seeing the look on the towering man's face, "at least until the princess wakes up." Carefully, he let the girl slump to the ground, asleep.
The person was watching with an avid interest now. A song named bubbled into consciousness. Something from seventh grade. How to Save a Life, it was called.
They all had connections with each other; that much was obvious, the watcher decided. The young boy and girl had an attraction to each other that was hard to parallel. So simple. So innocent. Why couldn't there be more people like that? The other two, too, had a strange relationship. Something comradical and comedic. Something of a balancing act—light and dark, red and blue, white and black, yin and yang, the dragon and the phoenix. But both would have a lasting relationship. The rabbit, too. There was something about it—the carefree nature of its bouncing, the way it teased with reckless abandon—that made it seem like there was something somewhere waiting for it to come back.
The person sat down, thinking, picked up the discarded laptop and opened it. Immediately, a song started up. How had it known that? The person would never know, but now there was evidence for the seemingly impossible International Baccalaureate essay prompt.
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
It seemed to tell the story of a life that seemed far, far away. A story of failures from over-demanding teachers, parents; a story of impossibly high expectations.
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
The music, quiet and gentle though it was, had caught the attention of the four that were awake. The girl on the ground stirred. They quieted and stood there, listening. Not one dared to break the silent spell that settled over them.
And high above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try, you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Quietly, the blonde moved closer to the towering Asian. He—she? The person still wasn't sure—wrapped his arms around the other man's arm, subtly pulling him closer to the blonde's mouth.
"Would you like to try with me, Kuro-rin?" he whispered almost imperceptibly. The taller shook his arm out of the smaller's grip but wrapped the same arm around the surprised blonde.
"Why not?" he muttered. "Can't hide it from the kids for too long, anyway." The not-so-secret watcher smiled when the blonde shifted closer. The intuition was right—they were going to have a long, lasting relationship.
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something that you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I…
Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I…
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I…
Will try to fix you.
The group was staring determinedly at each other, silently promising, within the song lyrics, to stay to together. The watcher finally glanced down at the computer screen. There was an unread email. When it opened, it opened a link, which led to a live feed.
"Don't leave us," read the white poster cards that the watcher's friends held up. How'd they realize…? "We love you," said the other side. "We all do." A new card. "We'll help you." Even behind them, there was a mountain of books and paper that suggested that they were all in a similar place, possibly right next to each other. Saying they all cared.
Suddenly, Cram Week didn't seem so bad. Tears welled up in eyes and spilled over, and when the watcher looked up again, the group had left. No. They had disappeared. There was no trace of their ever being there. But they had given the watcher hope, and a feeling of new purpose.
Humming softly, the person began removing all traces of the terrible decision that had nearly ruined several lives.
A/N: It can start with such a little thing…
