The Maple

Chapter 3

Meeting Is Such Sweet Miasma

"Don't go too far, children!" the teacher exclaimed, fretting as the thirteen year olds ran off into the ominous side of town. Leon stood next to the bus however, staring out at the horrendous and slightly demolished area. Anything could happen here, and there was cemetery next door as well…

"Libra?"

"AH!" Leon almost shrieked, jumping, his trench coat swirling slightly, before he landed on the ground, his pupils contracted, his breathing heavy, hand resting on his heart. He looked up and glared at Darla, who looked shocked and slightly amused. "Don't sneak up on me like that." He said icily, standing and brushing himself off and straightening himself.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to go explore with me." Darla whimpered, giving Leon big copper eyes, pouting, making Leon stare at her, then sigh. He hated it when she did that…

"Fine… But not into the-"

"Let's go into the woods!" she chirped, making Leon widen his eyes drastically, about to protest, when he was pulled by his wrist by Darla, who, despite her frail looks, was very strong.

"Darla!"

"Traipsing through the ground, underneath corpses lie!" she sang, smirking at the small whine that came from the boy she was currently dragging. "Don't worry! They're long gone by now!" she added, but that only made Leon choke in panic.

When Darla finally stopped dragging Leon, who had been silent the whole way, she looked around with a slight smile.

"Creepy…" she murmured, reaching out a free hand to touch a branch. Leon managed to get out of Darla's grip and stood, wiping himself off and looking around uneasily.

"Yes. And now, I'm going ba-" he suddenly clutched to Darla, gasping. "S-s-s-s-something just crawled over my foot!" he exclaimed, stuttering, eyes darting around.

"Ooh, I didn't know you were the clingy type, Libra." Darla purred, making Leon realize just who he was clinging to. In an instant, he was brushing himself once more.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…" he stuttered, flinching as leaves rustled in the distance. "I-I-" shivers ran up his back as he suddenly felt someone approaching. "I don't-" a twig snapped. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!" he shrieked, grabbing onto Darla's wrist and tearing out of the cemetery like a bat out of hell.

*

"Wow…" Fuyu murmured, listening to the echo of the howl he had just heard. "I wonder what that was…" his feet, clad in white tennis shoes, scuffed against the dry foliage , his hands coming up to touch branches and pushes them away gingerly, not wanting to hurt the trees.

He let his fingers dance upon the air, letting it kiss him easily, humming to himself absently, letting his eyes navigate through the melancholy atmosphere. There weren't many colors Upstairs, he noticed. Simply black, gray, and melancholy blue. Odd.

He paused as he saw something in the not so far distance. He squinted for a moment, before his eyes widened in delight. A swing! He voiced his exclamation and ran towards the rusted object and hopped onto the wooden seat, not caring that it was much shoddier than the one back home.

He sighed as he began to rock, closing his eyes and letting the fresh air, seeming so mush cleaner Upstairs, touch him again, his hair blowing back slightly.

&

"Ha…ha…ha…" Leon panted, hands on his knees, his body still shivering from the shock and fear of being in the woods. "God I hate places like that…" he managed, straightening up, and blinking when he saw Darla walking away towards the abandoned park. "Darla-"

"Come on! I haven't ever played in a playground before! I've only heard of them!" she called, making Leon frown, before he followed after her. Even though he didn't want to go, she was his friend. However annoying she may be.

When he reached it, his eyes laid on a carousel, his nose scrunching up at the grime and rust that laden it. Revolting. He glanced over to the left at the sound of laughing, to see Darla swinging on what he remembered were called monkey bars.

'She's so annoyingly slow-witted' he thought, turning away and roaming more into the playground. His eyes slowly looking around in a bored fashion. He paused however at the faint sound of chains squeaking. His brows furrowed, thinking it might be one of the other students, and looked around for the sound. His eyes landed on a branch full with leaves. The sound was coming from behind the foliage.

Feeling a chill run up his spine, he backed away slightly, getting a bad feeling.

"What are you looking at?" Leon whipped his head over his shoulder and relaxed slightly at the sight of Darla, before pointing to the branch.

"There's something coming from behind-"

"Well let's look." Darla said, pushing Leon forward and ignoring his quiet protests. Reaching out a hand, she pulled back the branch until Leon could also see what was beyond the foliage. He currently had his eyes closed tight, afraid of what he might see. "Feh. Just some girl…" she muttered. "You can look." Leon kept his eyes closed for a moment, before opening his left eyes open slightly, before he blinked both of his silver-gray eyes open, staring at the girl who was making the sound.

The image was slightly eerie, the sight of a girl swinging slowly back and forth, the faint sound of the squeaking chains that held up the swing, her feet scuffing against the ground, eyes closed serenely. The girl was, oddly, blue skinned, her hair a lilac, her clothes slightly ripped, but otherwise well fitted, only the top, perhaps a coat or a thick shawl? was fluttering as she swung, scarf, a misty white, was tied gently around her neck.

As Leon continued to stare, he was able to catch the slight sound of a gentle tune, eerie, haunted, peculiar, saddening, and yet corruptively sweet. It sang against his ears, played with his hair, danced on his body and made his mind start to drift. His eyes glazed as a hand came up to push the leaves even farther down, his eyes taking in the unnatural scene.

"Leon?" he could hardly hear the questioning girl as his heart seemed to slow, his lips growing parched, making his tongue dart out to wet them unconsciously. His eyes followed the girl's swinging movements as she swung, her humming filling his ears. It was similar to his own song, he realized absently, but not quite. His was slower, and sad, and heartbreaking, no question about it. But the girl's it was misleading, making you think it would be a soft, gentle, loving song, not one that dove into drawn out notes that could make one cry if they were one to be very emotional. Then, she opened her eyes.

Leon's eyes widened as their eyes connected, as did the girl's, the humming cutting off suddenly. Instantly, Leon stumbled back into Darla, gasping and shaking his head, his hand letting go of the branch and coming up to hold his head.

"Leon? You okay? You got dazed again." Darla questioned, laying a hand on his shoulder, making Leon flinch.

"I…"

"Are you okay?" they both looked up to see the girl peering at them from behind the foliage, looking concerned, her garnet eyes catching Leon by surprise again. He had never seen an eye color like that in town…

"…" it was then that he noticed he hadn't answered, and he straightened up. "Yes, fine." He replied, looking down at the slightly shorter girl. "I… we, didn't mean to spy, I-" he stopped himself as the girl giggled, covering her mouth.

"You were spying?" she questioned, letting her hands clasp behind her back and tilting her head to the side, a peculiar smile quirking her lips. They were blue. Probably because of the lighting. That must be what was making her look so blue.

"Well, we… I…" Leon trailed off, feeling very confused. "What else would we be-"

"Discovering," the girl cut off. "Searching. Exploring." She then looked back to him, and smiled, head right side up. Leon stared at the odd looking girl for a moment, thinking over her answer. He blinked as he was suddenly pushed out of the way.

"Sorry about him." Darla said, smiling slightly. "He's rude. My name's Darla Penningway." She introduced, raising a hand out to the girl. She looked down at it a moment, before she shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you." She said, smiling up at the girl, before she walked around her to Leon. "And you?" it was then that Leon said something very intelligent.

"Zuh?" he questioned, looking down into those penetrating eyes.

"Name. What yours is?" the girl questioned, mixing up the words and giggling slightly.

"M-my name?" Leon stuttered, blinking, before his eyes widened in recognition. "Oh! Right, yes. Leon. Leon Vandort." He introduced, watching as the girl tilted her head to his left, her hair falling onto her face, revealing her shoulder.

"Le-on…" she sounded out, looking thoughtful, the syllables careful on her lips, as if she was tasting it, savoring the flavor of his name. It sent shivers up his spine.

"R-right…" it was then that his eyes focused on the black thing on the girl's shoulder. "Oh, you… your shoulder." The girl blinked, before she looked down at her shoulder. After a second, she simply smiled.

"That's my birthmark." She explained, her eyes twinkling. "Mom and Father Guternick says that it's very important." Leon's brow furrowed.

"Father Guternick?"

"That's what Mom and me call him."

"Mom and I." Leon corrected, watching as the girl's eyes widened.

"You know him too?"

"Er, no. I was just-"

"He was correcting your grammar." Darla butted in, smiling. "He always does that." Leon shot her a withering glare.

"I do not."

"'Course ya don't." Leon opened his mouth to correct her, but quickly shut it when he saw her smirk.

"Oh." The girl murmured, looking slightly confused, before she brightened. "But, with my birthmark, they say it's very special and it makes me someone important where I live." Leon dismissed the odd plummeting feeling in his stomach.

"You're not from around here?"

"Oh, I am." She said, smiling, making the two friends glance at each other.

"Where?" Darla questioned. The two watched as the girl raised a hand and spun it in the air for a moment, before pointing down at the ground.

"Downstairs." The two stared at her, before Darla burst out laughing.

"A-are you insane?!" she exclaimed. "No one lives below the ground, dummy! And I bet that birthmark isn't real either!" the girl puffed out her cheeks.

"Is so!"

"As if! Right, Leon?"

"Er…" Leon glanced to the ground, unsure of how to answer, not wanting to hurt the girl, but wanting to point out that it was impossible to live in the ground.

'Unless you're a corpse' he thought, shuddering.

"It is so!" the girl exclaimed, her voice rising a pitch, before, quite suddenly, Leon's hand was taken forcefully from his side. "Here! Feel!" and suddenly, his hand was laid upon cold, soft skin, his fingers feeling the delicate imprint of the maple leaf birthmark. It was slightly rougher than the rest of the girl's shoulder, but it still felt soft and frail and dainty to his fingers, which traced the birthmark idly, never having seen, much less touched one before. "See?" the girl questioned, smiling again. "Real, ne?"

"…Uh-huh." Leon murmured, letting his hand fall away from the girl's shoulder, his eyes trained on his fingers, which seemed to hum with electricity. Darla frowned, looking at the girl that childishly stuck her tongue out at her.

"Told you so. Baaaaaaa-ka!" she drew out, drawing a confused look from the girl.

"What does that mean?" she questioned, feeling like she had been insulted, but she was only ignored as the girl looked back to Leon, who was still staring at his fingers unsurely.

"Le-on-kun!" she drew out, instantly catching the silver eyed youth's attention. "I'm Fuyu. Dozo yoroshiku." She said, bowing low.

'Fuyu…' Leon thought, his lips mouthing the name idly, but not speaking it. It was foreign. The girl must be Japanese. He had never met someone of Japanese culture before. She then stood straight and reached forward, taking Leon's tingling hand. "Ne, ne, dozo yoroshiku?" she, Fuyu, urged, her garnet eyes holding Leon captive, making his breath come slightly short.

"D-dozo y-yoroshiku…" he stuttered, his lips unfamiliar with the foreign tongue. Fuyu beamed, sparkled really, before surprising both Darla and especially Leon as she hugged him- and it was so cold and brisk and odd and le gods he had never felt anything better-before Leon was pulled back into Darla.

"Hey! Get off of him, girly!" she bit out, narrowing her eyes, and snapping Leon out of his trance, his brows furrowing as he wondered what had happened to him. Fuyu pouted.

"Eh? I'm not a girl! I'm a boy! And I was hugging him!" he huffed, stomping a foot. Both Leon's and Darla's eyes widened. Boy?!

"Y-you're a… a boy?" Leon stuttered in disbelief. Fuyu nodded, crossing her- his arms and puffing out his cheeks.

"Why does everyone think I'm a girl?" he muttered to himself childishly, and Leon found a slight smile curving his lips at his behavior. It was so… refreshing to meet someone that wasn't like the adults, like the children. It was so… refreshing… Never mind that he seemed to act weird when Fuyu got too close, it was alright. Wait! Shouldn't he be disturbed by that?! No one makes him act out of character! He shook his head and removed the smile, only for it to try and come back with a vengeance when Fuyu sniffled and rubbed his eyes before seeming to get better at an alarming rate.

"Ne, ne, wanna play, Leon-kun?" Fuyu questioned hopefully, tilting his head to the side and fidgeting slightly, his girlish coat swishing against blue skin. Leon was then struck by the fact that Fuyu's skin was blue, and it couldn't be the light since his own skin was still the same color, and with a quick glance to Darla, so was hers. And why was the boy dressed in such a girlish fashion? It made no sense. None the less, as he stared into Fuyu's eyes, he found that smile-why wouldn't it stay away?!-returning, his lips about to form an agreement, when, quite suddenly, the bell of the teacher calling them back rung loudly.

"Oh, too bad." Darla said, her sad tone obviously fake. "We have to go. C'mon Leon." She said the last part forcefully, taking Leon's wrist and pulling him away from Fuyu, making him exclaimed angrily and try to walk on his own.

"I can walk on my own, Darla." He insisted, before he glanced over his shoulder at a saddened cry. Fuyu was running after them, distress written on his face.

"B-but I would very much like to play!" he insisted, running along side them, Darla having picked up the pace. "I thought we could- I really-" he kept cutting himself off, before he finally said, "I… wanted to play with you, Leon-kun."

Leon felt his heart skip a beat, looking at the purple flush on the boy's cheeks, before he blinked, wondering why he was taking in the other so greatly.

"…I'm sorry, but I and Darla have to go back to school. I'll… see you another time perhaps?" he questioned, making Fuyu look truly fearful with grief.

"B-but-"

"C'mon!" Darla exclaimed, now running from the short and girlish boy, who had stopped at the edge of the now misty playground, a hand stretched out. "We have to go!"

"But he-" Leon tried to protest, feeling his heart constrict at the panicked look on the boy's face.

"You'll see him another time!" Darla insisted, making Leon glance at her unsurely. Looking back behind him, his eyes widened at what he saw. Or, what he didn't see. Fuyu was gone.

*

"How was your trip dear?" Emily questioned as Fuyu returned, and blinked at the panicked and confused look on the boy's face, his hand grasping the air. "Fuyu…?" the garnet eyed boy looked up and blinked, before he looked up at eh ceiling, his brows furrowed. "Are you alright?" Emily felt worry begin to fill her skeletal bosom. "What's wrong, darling?"

"Ah!" Fuyu gasped, his eyes focusing as if he just realized where he was. "N-nandemonai!" he insisted, smiling in an almost forced manner. "It was fun, Mother." He said formally, making Emily's suspicion rise. "Very much so. I think I'll retire to my room. Good night." He said, before turning and walking, stumbling slightly, away from Father Guternick's office.

"… I knew this was a bad idea." Emily murmured, glancing up at the contemplating skeleton sitting behind his pedestal.

"… Perhaps you were right, my dear."