a/n: Reviews are much appreciated. 💙

December Prompts / Day 2: "Let me be."

The cherry blossom leaves were falling like snowflakes, pulled gently from the tree branches by the crisp spring wind, dusting over the fresh grass. They were truly beautiful, Shiemi thought, her lips curving into a smile. She saw thousands of trees in her life—she was a gardener, after all. She'd been surrounded by plants since she was an infant. But it had been a while since she saw a cherry blossom tree in full bloom like this. Years, most likely.

In the silver moonlight, they seemed to glow. It only made the sight all the more breathtaking.

"Rin?" she said, not taking her eyes off the tree in front of her. The breeze had stopped, and so the petals stood still again. "Thank you for coming out here with me."

"Of course," Rin said instantly. "I'm glad to get out of that dorm. Besides, it's been a while since I got to see something like this."

Her smile grew soft. Tender. "I was thinking the same thing."

He chuckled. "I tried to get Yukio to come out and see it, but he's always saying the same thing. 'Oh, let me be. I've got papers to grade.'"

There was a small pause as Shiemi joined him in his laughter. "I hope Yuki-chan's not working himself too hard."

"I'm keeping an eye on him." She could hear the grin in his voice. "Actually, he likes to think that he's keeping an eye on me. Maybe that's true. But I'm the older brother."

Sometimes she forgot that little detail. She'd known Yuki-chan longer than she'd known Rin—but still, it did seem like Yuki-chan was the older one. She always thought that Yuki-chan shouldered more responsibility, more weight.

But then she'd found out that Rin was half-demon, and Yuki-chan was fully human. That itself was an enormous burden. She often wondered how Rin was the one who was always smiling. Racing to cheer everyone up. Giving parts of himself to others until there was nothing left to give. He didn't deny that he was a demon, not anymore—but he didn't let it control him, either.

There were so many things Rin could be angry about. There were so many things over which he could hold a grudge. But Rin was not one to hold onto the past. He didn't let bitterness consume him. He was such a gentle spirit. Every time she thought about it, it amazed her.

"Rin?" she repeated, softer this time. Her voice was as quiet as whispers of wind threading through her hair, tugging at her kimono. "Do you ever think... that things didn't turn out the way you thought they would?"

"All the time," he answered without hesitation. "What about you?"

"I... I think about it a lot, too," she murmured, the smile on her face faltering. "Two years ago, I wouldn't have known that I'd end up as a student at the cram school."

Rin was quiet for a few moments. She finally risked a glance at him, instantly taking note of his contemplative expression. His eyes were shining underneath the pale light of the moon. Suddenly he looked too wise, like he was much older than he looked.

Shiemi nearly jumped, startled, when he pushed himself to his feet. She blinked, her lips parting to whisper his name, but chose to remain silent as he walked closer to the cherry blossom tree. Then he was swooping down to the ground, collecting stray petals, and turned around to face her again.

"Things never turn out the way we expect them to," Rin said finally. Quietly. "But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing."

As he spoke, he was walking up to her. Moved with such grace that it put her clumsiness to shame. Slowly, he knelt down in front of her, holding his hand out, and when she cupped hers underneath it, he let the petals fall into her open palms.

"We always have a chance for a new beginning," he went on, eyes crinkling with a smile. "It's just like this tree. Later in the year, it'll lose all its petals, but they'll grow back again. And they'll be just as beautiful as they were before. It'll have its own fresh start, just like we do."

His words struck her so deeply that her eyes began to sting. She'd often heard that spring was the season of rebirth, of new beginnings. But hearing Rin say it... it seemed different, somehow. Like it had a whole new meaning. Like it was a promise.

She liked this new promise.