Crossing Paths

Chapter Two

(Heart to heart)

So even rain can reach this already devastated land? It was a long, pouring morning. The sun that was supposed to be affixed in the east was nowhere to be seen as the dark clouds masked the sky. Seated on her wide windowsill, the pink-haired witch watched the drops of rain hit the glass of her window.

The day barely begun and the heavens were crying incessantly. It was almost as if the gods were foreshadowing a gloomy day. With a sigh, Dorothy traced her thumb along the rim of the saucer she held. She took a sip from her steaming Jasmine tea before turning her back on the awful weather.

"It's not like I can go anywhere," She then paused briefly. "if I were actually going somewhere."

Immediate thoughts of the small built cottage suddenly came up. It was during these rainy days wherein she flew to him. It was in that cottage she sought warmth and refuge due to the fact her castle was awfully cold and…empty. And Seravy was always the type of guy to welcome her with a warm smile and open arms.

Seravy. He was the wizard she was supposed to marry but fate wasn't so kind. Without a doubt he was head over heels in love with her...and her hair to the point it drove him to obsession. He was obsessed with her natural golden curls that it caused him to plunge into an abyss of delusions—delusions that never could be real.

In his eyes, the eight-year-old Dorothy was the epitome of his ideal bride to be. When she dyed her hair pink, he never looked at her the same way again.

After the said failed wedding ceremony, there was an inevitable heavy verbal exchange of insults from the supposed bride and groom. Little did he know that he upset her more than she actually showed. When the guests and everyone else busied themselves with the food intended for the reception, she took it as her chance to escape. She snuck behind her castle and hopped on her broom to fly away from it all…from the embarrassment, from the hurt and from him. She quickly got off at a clearing in the forest. After making sure no one was there, Dorothy cried her heart out.

As it continued to pour outside, Dorothy drew the curtain across her window. She had enough of it.

With some hesitation holding him back, the world's greatest magician gave a soft knock on the two tall doors before him. The rain had gotten stronger and the only object protecting him from being wet was a small neko umbrella he brought with him. If the homeowner wasn't answering any time soon, he will be sick with the flu the next morning.

"Dorothy-chan~ " He called through the hallow doors. "I know you're in there! I brought some meat pies with me."

There was no response…just an echo of his voice bouncing off the wide halls.

He wasn't going to give up. "… I was worried you might be cold so I brought some lumber wood for your hearth—"

"Baka." His doll, Elizabeth said as she clung to his shoulder. "She won't answer knowing it's you."

Dorothy definitely wasn't going to answer the door anytime soon. Instead of letting his efforts go to waste in vain, he thought of another way.

Dropping his neko umbrella, he summoned his broom and he rode on it. Feeling the droplets of rain hitting his skin, he stirred his broom upward until he reached the highest story of the castle.

He stopped at the only window with purple drapes upon it.

It took him a minute to decide whether to intrude or not. He opted for the logical course.

Taking in all the air his lungs would allow, the wizard soundlessly blew open the windows and lightly landed on her carpeted floor. His eyes caught sight of the half empty green mug sitting on the windowsill. Judging from the steam rising, it was still warm.

Without a doubt, his dear Dorothy was home.

As Dorothy felt the breeze brush coldly against her neck, she knew. "Seravy,"

Almost automatically, she turns around just as he stood up to face her. The world's greatest magician was drenched from the cold rain—his viridian tendrils were dripping and his soaked immaculate robe, which was safe to say not so immaculate at this point, revealed his polka dotted boxers and bare skin.

It was a sight the witch dare not imagine in all her years of witchcraft. Dorothy felt her cheeks puff as she let out a very sound laugh. To be honest, she hasn't laughed in days and this was definitely a good starter.

"Ah this is quite embarrassing." The green-haired wizard clears his throat. "…but there are much more important matters to attend to. Dorothy-chan. I—"

"You're soaking wet." Dorothy cuts in, her smile impossible to miss.

"I did knock, if you must know." He then quickly dries himself off with one snap.

"Oh." She flatly says in response. "I didn't hear. Well, what of it? If you're here to ask for more herbs, I have sorry news for you." The witch then walks past him, headed to the window he used to enter. Pulling the purple drapes aside, she let her eyes wander stories below her. "It seems this heavy rainfall has destroyed my garden. Had I known the weather forecast was right, I would have picked out the berries this morning."

Seravy clenched his fist. He was once again mentally debating if he should say what he came here to say. Before he could open his mouth, Dorothy leveled her eyes with his and gave him a half-hearted smile. "I do have other herbs in stock if you'd like."

He cleared his throat. "…that's alright… I didn't come here to expand my inventory."

The witch sighed and crossed her arms. "Okay. Why else would you come here?"

"I wanted to share my freshly baked meat pie." He lifts the basket he brought with him earlier.

Dorothy eyes him seriously. "After yesterday, I wasn't really expecting you to come."

He flashes her a small smile before saying, "You know I can't just leave you alone and…forget you. You would be taking a huge toll on my poor heart."

On my poor heart.

Dorothy repeats the clause once again in her thoughts.

It's always about you, isn't it, Seravy?

"Dorothy," He calls on her lightly, catching her attention all at once. "Six years I waited for you. I prepared meals for two everyday, thinking that maybe, just maybe, you might come to see me. There was some part of me telling me during the earlier years to give it up…" trailing off his mid sentence, he paused for a minute or two just to make sure she was intent on listening. "But my heart won't let me. I waited. You never came."

The pink-haired witch averted her gaze as she felt the lump in her throat rise.

He eyed her carefully before speaking once again, "After Shiine and Chacha left to further their studies at the imperial castle, you deliberately cut off all the remaining ties you had with me. I thought you were just busy brewing up some plans for my defeat up your sleeve and I was actually dumbfounded due to the fact— not once did you come at me—which wasn't like you at all. I waited for weeks before I decided to pay you a visit, just to ask if you wanted to come down for tea. Believe it or not, I stood outside your castle 5 hours knocking and calling out to you. You never answered any of them."

"Didn't you ever stop to think as to why I didn't see you? It's quite simple really." She held his gaze before muttering the words,

"I didn't want to see you."

The answer was brief and yet it felt like a hundred knives immediately piercing through his heart. After all these years, she couldn't defeat him with her magic yet she knew the words that would make him fall weak on his knees every time—the words that would shatter him to pieces.

In spite all that was said, he managed to crack a halfhearted smile. "I missed you quite terribly."

"So you miss my blond hair." She responded, although, it did feel more like a retort.

He wasn't just about to give up. "That's not what I meant."

She laughed dryly, her eyes humorless. "Okay, so enlighten me. What else do you love about me aside from my blond hair because I can't think of anything else as to why you'd sabotage our wedding day for something as trivial as that."

"…Dorothy."

"No, let me speak." She told him. "I love you, Seravy, I really do but I can't understand …" She felt the tears run down her cheeks. "I don't understand you. I always think back to the day we were supposed to get married and I can't help but be angry with you for what you did."

"I fell in love with you when we were young. From the moment I saw you, I just knew you were the one. You were a very sweet girl and they kept telling me you would be betrothed by the time you turn eighteen, so I made you promise me that you'll marry me no matter what. To me, you were the embodiment of a perfect bride. It all changed when you ran away to acquire the title of the World's Greatest Magician." He smiles fondly at the memory. "I remember you were so pissed at me for defeating you by accident—you were always the better magician—but I, upon congratulating you, knocked you out with my giant bouquet. You changed your hair to pink in high hopes I would challenge you back. I never did for the same reason—I didn't want to fight you. You pushed me away so hard because I smothered you with attention so I thought doing the opposite would draw me closer. I tease you everyday because it's a sign of my affection, you know that."

He then brought out Elizabeth. "I made this doll to remind myself of that time I asked you to marry me. A promise I intended to keep."

"…The reason why I get so obsessive when I see you blond is because, I get deluded into thinking that maybe you'll want me back. Like you used to. The purpose of dying your hair pink was to make me hate you, wasn't it? Well, I'm still here aren't I? If your pink hair repulsed me so much then why did I still choose to stay with you? It's because I love you. If you want a fair duel with me, so be it, I will accept it if it makes you most happy. You are far worth more than a title or this doll. Dorothy, I was stupid for casting spells on those wedding rings because I thought it was the only way to make you mine forever. My feelings never changed, Dorothy. You're still the girl I want to marry."

She held his gaze with her eyes bearing tears. "It was always my dream too, Seravy, to be able to walk down the isle knowing you'd be at the end to take my hand. As we said our vows to each other, I knew deep within my heart that I was doing the right thing. I was wrong."

"Please don't say that." Seravy held her hands firmly. "I was wrong. I screwed up."

You could put the blame on me, I'll take that blame from you.

"If I could turn back time, Dorothy, I would redo everything. I was a fool for thinking I could have the old Dorothy back because all this time," He gave her a light smile. "She was just standing right in front of me. Please forgive me. I was selfish and for that, I'm really so sorry."

"I can't live another day without you." He held her face with his hands, brushing the tears away.

It seemed like an eternity but she finally nodded in his hands. After five minutes of trying to get a read out of each other, Seravy pulled her arm and caught her in a warm embrace.

She stiffened underneath him, but eventually got herself to wrap her arms around him.

He brushed his lips against her hair and whispered,

"I will always love you."

Dearest Writers and Readers,

After what seemed to be two years, I'm finally continuing this fic. I apologize for the late update. I was terribly busy with life. I do not expect anyone to be keeping track of this but if you read this, I'd very much appreciate your sentiments. Oh, Seravy and Dorothy will always be my first OTP. Ah, yes, it was too fast-paced so I apologize. I'm bad at pacing. Most of you may be wondering, "is this the end?" and to answer that, no my friends, it's only the beginning. There are just so many facets to their relationship. I promise you with frequent updates :D Promise.

Always,

Ellora's Death Wish