(Author's Note: Apologies for the late update. I have no idea why, but Tsubaki really isn't a character that's easy for me to write in. I didn't want to not write this chapter, but at the same time I kind of avoided it... also, basketball has been a total badword and has eaten all my time. This means less writing, but I'll do my best to update weekly! I'm thinking every Thursday or Friday? Sorry for the short chappie, again, but please enjoy!)
Chapter Eight: Tsubaki's Still Such a Silent Flower
Rising with the sun, lying with the sun. Tsubaki's days felt like they had grown considerably longer since she had come to Africa, though it wasn't so much that they had grown longer than she had begun learning to spend it wiser. It wasn't the only thing that had grown, however. The small bits of fat that had given Tsubaki her round appearance had slimmed away, leaving her with deadly muscles and thinner curves. Her skin, which had always been stuck at a milk-white, had tanned to a slightly darker brown through a series of painful sunburns. Snow had begun with the basics of fighting kishin when she had arrived, working on their interaction as weapon and meister until they could communicate with only a look. The white-haired African was a man of few words, making Tsubaki often feel as if she was the one that spoke too much.
Beyond his quiet nature, Tsubaki felt very comfortable talking to Snow. He didn't make her feel quiet, or like a simple partner. Though Tsubaki and Black*Star's relationship had always been deep, she'd often felt as if the assassin had often forgotten that she was a person, with her own wants and needs and wishes, in his rush to become stronger. When it came down to it, Tsubaki knew that her meister did indeed care about her, but… if she admitted it to herself, Black*Star had never cared about her in quite the same way as she had him. It was one of the reasons she had decided to apply for the exchange program: a bit of space from Black*Star had sounded like the one thing she needed to get rid of her surplus of affection for the boy. So far, it did prove effective. She was far more worried about things such as hunting the next Wildabeast – a common kishin transformation on the plains – or how she was get better grades.
School was a strange experience. It was much more lax than school in Japan, the hours being unclear and flexible. For the first few weeks Tsubaki hadn't been able to understand how everyone knew when to come to class, until, one day, Tsubaki had notice a peculiar charm hanging from a rope around Snow's waist. It was a small ruby, barely the size of a dime,that at odd times turned dark blue. When she had asked him about it he had explained that it was the gift to the DWMAAf from one of the surrounding tribe's witch. It allowed the teachers to contact the entire student body when classes were being called, even working at long distances. Snow acquired one for her soon after she had asked, and she had braided her own belt and tied it around her own waist.
Her bare feet were coated with dirt and, as she inspected them, she realized that Liz and Patty would die if they saw all their hard work on her toenails revert back to their untended state. She had begun wearing what was normal of most teenage African girls, plus a chest wrapping because she still had her Japanese sense of modesty. Gone were her fur boots, her long slit dress. She now wore the cloth that was typical around campus, having originally to bargain for it at the camp store. The only thing that really made her seem out of place anymore was the fact that she really could never hope to attain the darkness of her new friends' skin.
Tsubaki sighed, frowning slightly as she sat out the heat of the day in the hut that she shared with her new meister. At first she had been confused, but it seemed that most pairs shared a hut between them despite their gender. After a while she had grown accustomed to seeing his face in the morning, taking shifts bathing and changing, and saying goodnight every night. She blushed to think of the number of meisters and weapons that were more than just fighting partners, many of them dating and apparently going on to marry. Thankfully Snow wasn't the type to take advantage of such situations.
Just then, the meister she was thinking of ducked under the hide that they used as a door and let out a small sigh as the cooler air cooled him off. His white hair – one of the many things that set him apart from the other students – was full of dust. Tsubaki guessed he had been out hunting, an act that all meisters were tasked with. He never used her on animals, saying that one intelligent being was enough and that it was disrespectful to use her for such purposes. The Japanese weapon had become accustomed to occupying her own time while her meister was out. As a weapon – and as a girl – she had many jobs of her own. Tomorrow night was her night to cook the food, and this weekend she would take part in doing much of the laundry. Unlike when she was living with Black*Star, however, Tsubaki didn't really mind doing the household chores. Most of the other girls all did it while she did, giving them the ability to gossip and form bonds. Snow wasn't pushy either, never once forcing the work on her.
"Good afternoon," Tsubaki greeted, smiling as her meister settled onto his bed and cast his arm over his face, his skin also coated with the dirt that dulled his hair. "Did you enjoy your hunt?"
"It was hot," Snow complained with a sigh, "I shall never get used to the heat, even after living here all my life. I love the way we live here, but," the white-haired boy lifted his arm, peering at her, "I always wonder why we could not make it a little cooler."
She giggled slightly, nodding before returning her attention to the book she'd been reading. Snow had fetched it for her the last time he had driven into town, a trip he made monthly as he was the only student legal to drive currently. It was a romance novel set in an American town about vampires and werewolves and such. Tsubaki didn't usually read such things – who had time for reading with a meister like Black*Star? – but she found herself at least enjoying the escape. Her mind now strayed, though, to the envelope that rested beside her. A professor had stopped her after class and told her to open it when her meister returned, not to show anyone, and to read through it carefully.
"Snow?" She inquired of the dark-skinned boy. In response he lifted his arm so he could look at her, raising a single white eyebrow. "The professor gave me a packet today after class and said I had to open it with you. Would you like to do that now?"
He simply grunted, rolled to his feet, and padded over to kneel by her bedside as she delicately tore open the envelope. The paper was the thick, formal kind that was heavier than paper had right to be. It was a moment before the actual letter slid into Tsubaki's palms as she attempted to grasp it between her fingers. Flowing script, carefully written, spelled out what the expensive stationary was all about: The First Annual Exchange Program Ball.
Meisters and Weapons,
Lord Death is proud to announce that you have been invited to the first-ever Exchange Program exactly six months and one day from the beginning of the Exchange Program. On that day, please remain near a full-length mirror. It will be a black tie affair so please show up in as formal clothing as possible. Shoes are required.
We will await your arrival.
Tsubaki hummed, taking the information in. Tomorrow, it seemed, was going to be an unproductive day if she had to be around a full-length mirror the entire time. Plus, she realized that she had no formal dresses. The weapon bit her lip with a stressed expression on her face, worrying about how she was going to find a dress on such short notice. It wasn't as if she could just walk to the nearest store! A small groan, almost a whine, escaped her throat as she glumly thought about missing her chance to see her friends because she couldn't get a dress. Of all the things!
"You do not have a dress, do you?" Snow asked, amused. Tsubaki watched the corners of his mouth turn up slightly as he asked, the hint of a smile showing how amusing he actually found her reaction to her lack of formal wear to be. When she nodded, he stood and crossed the room, going to his clothes trunk and opening it. She stared with open-mouthed confusion as he dug deeper into the crate, nearly up to his hips. Just as she was beginning to worry that he would never emerge he began backing out, his head appearing at first, then his hands. In his right hand he held part of a cloth. He stood, shaking out the dress as he did so, revealing a floor-length dress made of batik cloth. It was black, but a pattern of white dots that reminded her of stars covered the bodice and flowed through the skirts. One arm was covered in a flowing sleeve, the other sleeveless with a slit down the leg. The skirts themselves flowed, but it seemed the top would be slightly tighter, showcasing her substantial chest. S
The dress was perfect, she decided, and she barely could contain her emotions.
Snow waited for her to say something as she held her hand to her mouth, her dark eyes staring at him with emotions he never could quite decipher. He was terrible with feelings, really. Such a sweet weapon should not have a meister such as he, who could barely even figure out his own problems. Did she like the dress, he wondered? Tsubaki was awfully quiet, as usual, and he couldn't help but feel his skin begin to heat and prickle. He was lucky he was dark.
When Tsubaki finally spoke, it was barely a whisper. "It's beautiful.
"It was my mother's," Snow smiled slightly, both at her and the dress as he handed it to her. "She would be glad to see such a beautiful woman wearing it after she did."
There was a slightly awkward moment that followed that statement, neither of them quite ready to accept what had just been said nor ready to completely deny it. Instead, Snow turned on his heel and began digging for his own formal wear. He had a tux somewhere, but truly he was giving his Japanese companion a moment. She did not have the benefit of his darkness and her cheeks were quite bright, even in the shadow of their hut – which suddenly felt a tad too small.
"Thank you very much, Snow." Tsubaki said softly, stroking the fabric in wonderment.
"Always."
