Chidori
"Did you know that if you make a thousand paper cranes, you'll be granted a wish?"
The boy sitting next to her listened indulgently, staring at the girl's drawing intently, wondering what picture will spring out from the paper. "Really...? What kind of wish?" he asked her
The girl shrugged slightly, focusing on the drawing in front of her. It was a night scene in an unfinished island; small snowflake-like lights descending from the sky like lit up raindrops. "I'm not sure...any kind of wish I guess." she replied.
"Will the wish come true?" he questioned again, watching the girl reach for a red crayon and colouring it into her art. The girl didn't answer, again choosing to focus on her picture. She was almost finished with it; the island was empty save for a red headed girl she was still drawing. "I'm not sure." The girl said finally, eyeing her work, carefully avoiding the boy's eyes. "But it's better then nothing."
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Having a wish is better then wishing for one;
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Using her sketch paper, the girl had just folded her first crane. She eyed her work distastefully. The bird looked unbalanced and scruffy; she decided as she started on another crane. The boy watched, fascinated, and attempted to make a crane of his own only to be frustrated. He settled himself to colouring her paper birds, giving them names and generally making the girl laugh at his antics.
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A thousand cranes;
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The cranes she made became balanced and more graceful. The boy abandoned his job long ago; preferring to watch her lithe fingers fold the cranes instead. It was somehow magical watching how the girl smoothly transforms a dull piece of paper into an elegant bird. He was like a child enraptured in a magician's show. She was the magician, his enchanting magician.
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magical---like her
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She arranged the cranes in a corner of her room. No one said anything about the cranes, preferring to leave her to her own things. The boy would visit regularly and watch her fold the cranes. Sometimes he would count the birds or try to help her make more cranes.
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maybe we can stay this way forever?
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The boy visited her again, but his face isn't lit up in a smile. His eyes are downcast and a frown was set in his features, looking deep in thought. He saw her stare at him and forced a smile on his face. It puzzled her on his behaviour and she thought about this as her fingers automatically reached for another piece of paper.
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you were never really good at lying
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not really, not ever and maybe never
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It was Axel who told her about his departure. The red head had came and told her that the boy was gone—for good. She felt both saddened and relieved somehow. Saddened that he's gone and relieved that she knew what his problem was the day before. In a corner of her mind as she heard Axel tell her the news, his voice spoke to her.
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how many are there today, Namine?
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She slowed down on her paper birds, stopping now and then when she had an inspiration for a picture. And isn't it funny--? Most pictures that she drew had him in it. Him walking, him joking around with some people and in one picture that is for her own eyes only, a picture of him smiling, a coloured paper crane in his hand.
She counted her paper cranes carefully, inspecting them and re-folding some. She took a while longer with the ones he had coloured. One of them was jokingly coloured bright red with a burning tail he called; 'Axel 2' and another was coloured lightly with a light blue, a small yellow star on its side. He would never tell her the name of the crane, calling it his special crane.
She recounted the birds and came up with one thousand. A thousand birds; one wish. When she started, she could think of hundreds of things to wish for; a heart of her own, to be complete, lead a normal life and such. But now, she felt as if there's only one wish she wanted right now.
She thought about her one wish and clasped her hands to her chest.
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I want him to be safe and happy
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He woke up as the sun was high above his head and realizes with a jump that he's late;
He feels something in his hand and found a light blue paper crane in his hand.
For some reason he smiled and then held the crane close to his heart.
For some reason he thinks of a thousand paper cranes and that of a wish.
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Notes:
Chidori in Japanese is translated into thousand birds I think. Anyone who watches Naruto should also know that chidori is also a technique.
Anyways, this fic is inspired by the tale of Sasaki Sadoko; a girl that lived during World War 2. She was young when the atom bomb hit and was relatively safe until she was later on diagnosed with leukemia or the atom bomb disease. Sadako's best friend had told her of an old legend that if she makes a thousand paper cranes she will be granted a wish. Sadako worked hard making them, even after she was sent to the hospital. She died, fourteen months later, at the age of twelve. According to some versions, Sadako finished 1300 paper cranes while in another, she succeeded in only 644 and the rest of her friends completed the 1000 for her.
Ayumi-hime