Written ginny who is in college now! Oh yeah!
seven: old chinese proverb
He was not much taller than her; Akira was never quite tall. But the length between their heads wasn't entirely his failing for it wasn't as if he was that short either. It was more of a combination of Akira being slightly shorter than most young men, and Akari being slightly taller than most young women.
Still, she looked so small sitting in the chair. Just looking at her like that, he would have never guessed in a thousand years that she was almost his height—Akari looked so small and vulnerable, almost like she was made of glass, giving the impression that if she tripped and fell, she'd shatter into a million pieces.
The water continued to pour into the cup, and when it reached the top, Akira let go of the switch and handed her glass. Akari's slim hand received the cup from his and she held it up to her lips. She held the glass up to her lips and drank, her throat hoarse from all her crying. In a moment's span, she placed an empty glass back on the table.
Akari looked a mess. Her dark hair was unkempt and unbrushed, while one of Akira's plaid shirts hung off her slim frame. Dried tears stained her cheeks and her lips still remained cracked even after contact with water.
Silence resumed between them and Akira continued to observe her while Akari stared at her hands.
She looked up at Akira and spoke pointedly, her words bitter and contrite, "You know, you have to take care of me now." One of her hands brushed a few strands of hair back behind her ears. "I'm living because of you, and I have no home to go back to."
He was unfazed and only continued to stare plainly into her wine eyes. He wasn't sure why—compassion was something that Akira did not daily practice, but at that moment, he wanted nothing more but to save her. The whole concept astounded him; he wanted to save her—a mere stranger whom he didn't even really care about!
Akira swallowed.
At least, not until now.
She laughed emptily and he wondered why she ever laughed at all.
"Have you ever heard that before? Once you save a person's life, you're responsible for it forever." Akari paused, her eyes distant. Akira continued to gaze at her and she quickly glanced away. "I guess it's true…" her voice trailed off, all the confidence that had just imbedded her words earlier vanished and Akira could sense the uncertainty she was starting to feel.
"I'll take care of you, Fujisaki-san."
He reaffirmed her first words. If she didn't have any confidence left, Akira did not mind reassuring her.
She did not look at him.
It grew quiet again for a while and he could see that her hesitance was growing as she started getting more rational. Finally, Akari's eyes cast back at Akira, who continued to stare at her intently with his green eyes.
"I have nothing," Akari said, speaking seriously. The uncertainty had vanished to where the confidence left; there was only honesty now.
"I understand." Akira did not care if she had everything in the world for he had only started caring about her when she was empty-handed.
"I'm prone to emotional outbursts," Akari continued, her lips curved up just the slightest.
"I know." Akira was not good with dealing with her sudden bursts of emotion but he was rest assured that would pass with time. And what of the emotional roller coasters would remain would only be natural.
"I'm never going to thank you," she pushed further. He wondered if she would go out of her way to stay true to her word.
"That's fine." Akira did not need her thanks; she never asked for his help in the first place.
The silence settled in again and the two stared at each other. Yet as the silence continued, everything around them grew much louder. The ticking of the clock seemed to be monumentally present, while the faucet with the broken leak that was not worth fixing could suddenly be heard. He could also hear Akari's soft breaths of inhalation and exhalation. He could even hear his own heart.
The moonlight scattered through the window and lit her face and as much of a wreck she was, Akari looked all the angel he had first imagined her to be on that night she flew.
"You're crazy," Akari said finally, looking away.
It was strange. Akira had believed his life to be perfectly satisfactory before he met this woman. Akira was not extraordinarily happy; there was nothing that made him feel like he was living "the life of the gods" as sometimes Hikaru and Waya would say. At the same time, there was nothing that made Akira miserable—he was far from miserable, and actually quite content.
Akira met Akari, and he suddenly felt like nothing in his life would be satisfactory if he did not save her.
She had to live.
"You belong alive, Fujisaki-san."
The slightest hint of a smile crept up on her lips. That, or it was a trick of the moonlight. Akira couldn't say he quite cared. At the moment, he was just happy she was still alive.
And from then on, his happiness grew and grew. As he led her back up to her room and closed the door, a strange flower blossomed within him and he felt a feeling he had never felt before—a feeling that was far beyond mere satisfaction.
Akira wanted her to live, but it would not be until much later that he realized that her existence was teaching him how.
A/N: weeeeeee. After this, it will get considerably more light-hearted. Yippee!