Here we go. Insightful-Hayabusa-talking-to-inanimate-object chapter. Enjoy! Thanks ever so much for helping me hit the 400 review mark! I love you guys!
One thing I don't love, though, is the fact that QuickEdit won't let me put my stars in. So now I have to use these ugly lines. :( Oh well...
Was it actually the best thing to tell her? Most likely all that's going to happen is she'll dismiss it, I'll get uncomfortable around her and not be able to talk to her, then with some twist of fate Father will find out and try and get through her because of it. Or Raidou will come out of nowhere and start perversely attacking her. That twisted…
Yes… why did I tell her? Almost embarrassing, really, that I've somehow managed to like a girl completely out of my league. Besides, what about Irene…?
What about Irene? Have I just forgotten about her? Dismissed her and her death for somebody alive and better?
He sighed softly. Despite the bell having gone minutes ago, he was still sitting there, now lying down on the seat that Ayane had vacated, staring up into the sky through some tree branches. For some reason, I always like being outside.
He smiled bitterly. Especially when nobody else is…
"What am I going to do now?" he asked aloud, eyes fixated on the sky. "Chances are she's going to say no, you're being a fool to even think about me in that respect, you sick bastard or something like that. And then… we'll be right back where we started,"
I should probably get back to class. People just won't accept that I've stopped mourning Irene's death as much as I will. They'll probably think I'm out here to do something foolish. And all that fuss that Father caused probably didn't help matters any… nothing like equality. I wish it was just paranoia making me think like this, but it isn't.
He glanced at his watch. He had just missed a music lesson. My mistake.
"Ayane, you confuse me,"
He was about to say something more when suddenly, a butterfly flew down from the tree and landed on his knee.
Staring at it for a moment, he realised just exactly then and there something about Ayane which he hadn't noticed.
"I wonder if she likes butterflies," he mused, watching the butterfly's wings slowly flap as it sat on his knee. "Because there are a lot of parallels between you,"
Sure enough, as he reached a tentative hand towards it, it hesitated for a moment before taking flight, back to the safe-haven of the tree.
I think I understand now. Ayane really is a lot like a butterfly. So beautiful, so delicate, but forever in fear of getting too close to somebody and being crippled for it. So they just fly away, rather then let people get close to them and forever be damaged because of it.
He raised his eyes to the tree. The butterfly was sitting on the branch, almost watching him contemplate. "Thankyou," he said aloud, to the butterfly. "For helping me figure out something about her,"
To his surprise, the butterfly flew down to him, landing on his knee again. Almost as if it was trying to say thankyou as well. He held out a finger to it once more, and, instead of flying away, it gingerly inspected his finger before hopping onto it and staying there, wings slowly beating in the wind.
He smiled, watching the small insect on his finger. "Thankyou… Ayane. You've helped me figure out something about me, too,"