Being lost wasn't a problem for Fubuki. Quite the reverse, in fact. He often took walks away from the Academy buildings to feel the whispering breeze in his hair, the dappled sun on his face, the murmuring calm in his mind. Sometimes he'd make it back before dinner, other times he'd stay out and strum his guitar under the stars. Lately, though, there was an itch in his mind. He wasn't wandering to be lost any more. There was something he needed to find.
His current path through the forest was blocked by a fallen tree. In accordance with arcane rules of his own making, he struck out to the right rather than cross over it. That would take him back towards the centre of the island. Probably. Maybe.
There was a rustle of leaves behind Fubuki. The girl had been following him for a little while, maybe since he'd passed the ruined arch. He would acknowledge her presence eventually – once he was in sight of a suitable escape route. He loved every member of his fanclub but they could be exhausting.
A pang of guilt, then. That wasn't the right thing to be thinking. He certainly shouldn't be thinking how much easier it had been last year, first with half the school sucked into a desert wasteland, and then later, when he'd been –
Whatever he had been, it was cold, and dark, and full of pain. The emotions they had each borne festered, amplified, in their own little pocket of hell, even the comforting warmth of Manjoume's insistent touch denied to him there as Manjoume fixated on cursing Judai and all that he had wrought. Fubuki had held solely Asuka, and the two had cried together, long after the constant thirst should have dried their tears.
Shades of anguish would haunt Fubuki for the rest of his life. He had carried that burden long before he had set foot in the dark world, though – that itch again – he wasn't sure he knew the full depth of it yet.
He started humming, a pretty pop tune. Living well was just another part to play and Fubuki had always been a method actor. A tangle of vines up ahead should have forced him back. Ever determined, Fubuki found a suitable tree and began to climb. His white coat picked up some dirt along the way, but Fubuki cared for his clothes, and there was never a stain that he could not best in single combat.
The tree was a little taller than the others around it, and he managed to get a peek above the canopy. He had to shade his eyes from the late afternoon sun. It didn't take him long to locate the huge Academy building with its mismatched domes and spires. The volcano acted as another point for triangulation. He figured out the likely direction and distance for the Blue dorm, added on some time for cutting back through the forest, and figured he could probably still get to the evening meal. His empty stomach didn't mind that thought at all.
Fubuki scrambled down from branch to branch and swung himself elegantly to the ground. He managed to land right in front of the surprised girl. He brushed off the leaves before offering her a courteous bow. He would just have to address her a little sooner than planned.
"Greetings! Kobayashi-san, isn't it?"
She stared in the direction of Fubuki's feet and nodded, her short black hair bobbing with the motion. "I'm happy you remembered my name."
"Of course!" Fubuki smiled with a wink. "I make it my mission to learn all my classmates' names."
"There's so many… How can one person ever stand out?" Kobayashi looked up at him, her dark eyes wide beneath her bangs.
"Everyone has something that makes them special." Fubuki leant back against the tree and crossed his arms. "Sometimes you see it in class, or on the duel field. Sometimes you see someone comforting a friend, or standing up to bullies. Sometimes I see you volunteering at the infirmary."
"Oh…" Kobayashi flushed.
"Shall we walk back? The dorms are this way." Fubuki started walking, but Kobayashi stood rooted to the spot. He turned back to her. "Kobayashi-san? You shouldn't stay out here alone." He would have to send her on ahead once they were in sight of the buildings, lest his fanclub grow too excited, but he could escort her most of the way.
"Before we go," Kobayashi opened her backpack and took out a small pink envelope covered in cute stickers. Fubuki's name was written on it in sparkly gel pen. "I wanted to give you this."
Fubuki's heart leapt into his throat, as it always did. He would treasure each and every confession. He let his fingers run over hers, which were hot and trembling, as he took the envelope. Her gaze dropped back to the floor and she stumbled through her words.
"Ever since I first saw you, Tenjoin-san, I knew I liked you. You're so good and kind. You bring so much happiness to me. I had to tell you."
"Yua-chan," Fubuki said softly, lifting her chin with a soft finger. "Love is the greatest thing anyone can give, and truly, I appreciate it. I'm sorry, but I'm unable to give you something so precious in return."
She laughed, then, hollow and choked. "I was ready for this. I don't mind. I just had to try."
"Keep trying," said Fubuki earnestly. "Give your heart freely, and one day you'll find someone deserving of holding onto it. I'm sorry it couldn't be me."
"It's fine, really," said Kobayashi. She turned away and coughed.
Fubuki gave her space at first, thinking she was attempting to cover tears. But the cough became more strident and wracked her small body with uncomfortable spasms. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Kobayashi-san?"
"I'm sorry," she sniffed, fishing in her bag for a tissue, and face mask. "I might be getting a cold. Please wash your hands when you get back, Tenjoin-san."
"After we get you to the infirmary." Fubuki rubbed her back. "And you can call me Fubuki, now we're properly acquainted, if you like. Or Bucky."
"Fubuki," she said, smiling through her reddened eyes. "I liked it when you called me Yua-chan, too."
As she straightened up and pulled her backpack back on to her shoulders, Fubuki noticed stray yellow petals at her feet. She had probably pressed some flowers inside her note for fragrance. He would look forward to reading it later.