Title: Orange Hearts

Written for Live Journal Community: 30Kisses

Author/Artist: mellonemrys
Pairing: Narumi Ayumu and Rutherford Eyes
Fandom: Spiral Suiri no Kizuna
Theme: 19: Red
Disclaimer: Spiral does not belong to me…
Thanks to: cocacat15 for beta-ing! And for ideas to keep it moving!
Notes/Warning: There are spoilers for Episode 20 and up. Some dialogue is from the Anime-Empire fan-sub, Episodes 20, 21, & 23. Fic starts at the end of Episode 23.

"…you can't do anything…right...you would give up…"

"…explain it to me…talk again…stay silent…why…say something…why…tell me…because you are involved…you are making me suffer…you are only a kid…"

"You can never be like Kiyotaka-san!"

"Ayumu-kun, Ayumu-kun…"

"Hn…"

"What is your favorite color?"

"What?"

Hiyono mused over her question; she was hoping that by distracting Ayumu-kun she might cheer him up. She was trying her hardest to get Ayumu-kun to stop thinking about the Blade Children and his brother, Kiyotaka-san, but it was hard to reach him from outside of his trance.

She pulled out a stack of origami paper and spread it out on the grass for Ayumu to see.

"Here, pick a color."

Ayumu-kun gave her a puzzled stare and then looked down at the paper. He picked up a piece of orange paper. Hiyono did the same.

"It's almost Valentine's Day, so I thought we could make origami to put on cards."

She smiled in a matter of fact way and started to fold a crane out of the paper. Half way though she turned and looked to see what Ayumu-kun was making. She saw a small heart on the grass next to him, and that he had already started another.

"Ahhh, Ayumu-kun is sooo fast! Why did you make an orange heart though?"

"You asked me my favorite color didn't you?"

"Sorry, I just didn't think you liked orange. I always make red hearts since it represents love, and courage."

Hiyono remembered reading what orange meant, but could not think of it at the moment.

"Who are they for?"

"…"

This wasn't going as well as she had planned, Ayumu-kun was still lost in his own world.

"What should we do next? Is there some where you want to go?"

"I'll leave it to you."

"That's right…an outdoor café is good. It's warm, to relax in the sunshine and enjoy time passing by."

"Right…"

"Should we start walking since it's so splendid? Actually…it's a pasta place, is that okay?"

"Yeah."

"That's good! I wanted to see the new store which I found recently plus it's really cute. I wanted to see it just once. But I thought it'd feel weird if someone went in alone…Thank you for hanging out with me-"

Ayumu-kun stood up and started walking away. She was losing him to his confused and churning mind.

"Wait for me!"

Hiyono quickly picked up her origami paper and chased after Ayumu-kun. She realized that Ayumu-kun must have picked up his orange hearts without her realizing it. She started wondering again who the hearts might be for. She always dreamed of getting something from Ayumu-kun, maybe he was just too embarrassed to tell her one was for her. No, she shook her head, that wasn't like him; they were probably for someone he wanted to keep a secret.

"Ah, Rutherford-sama, someone left this for you."

Eyes looked at the envelope in the man's hand. He took it from him and turned it over looking for who it was from. Upon finding only his name on the front he started walking up to his studio. He turned on the lights, took off his coat and stood by the window staring at the envelope in his hand.

He peeled back the flap and took out a folded white card. The front and back were blank, but when he opened the card two orange folded hearts fell to the ground. After bending down and picking them up, he read the card, 'Eventually fate can be changed…but I am sorry I could not do more for you at the moment.' The card wasn't signed but Eyes knew who it was from.

The sender was correct, fate could be changed.

Hiyono sat staring at her computer; with the Blade Children gone she wasn't as busy trying to find information, and thus had nothing to do. Then she remembered something and began typing feverishly. A window popped up on her screen and she read the contents of it.

'Orange is the color of joy and creativity and promotes a general sense of wellness. A balance of orange will let a person handle the ups and downs of life with finesse, quickly recovering from disappointments or wounded heart or pride. Out Going, Busy, Cheerful and Bright, stimulates enthusiasm and creativity.
Too much orange and we become self-centered and self serving, disregarding the needs of others. Pride and arrogance will push us out of balance.
Too little orange and we lose our motivation, our self esteem suffers, and we have a tendency to isolate or become rebellious.'

Hiyono stared in disbelief, wondering if this was Ayumu-kun's meaning. Did he think he needed more orange in able to succeed in everything, to surpass his brother? She pushed back her chair and looked out the window, the bright sunlight kissing her face.

"Ayumu-kun, I hope that you find your orange…"