Days didn't get much better for three year old Aino Minako than they had that particular Saturday. The sun was shining brightly, Daddy was home, and they were going to the park for the afternoon…and she got to wear her spiffy new poppy red sundress, the best dress ever with its fluffy, twirly skirt. On the way Daddy'd bought her a new coloring book and a big fancy box of what looked like a zillion (well, 64, anyway) pretty new crayons that were the colors of all the summer flowers. And Daddy had even promised her a strawberry ice cream bar.
Yep. It was officially the best day ever.
The little girl waited on the park bench for her father to return with the frozen treat, scribbling away merrily in her coloring book. There were red birds and red flowers to be colored and lots and lots of ruby-red hearts added in wherever. After all, one of Minako's favorite colors was red, as evidenced by the perky, albeit slightly lopsided, crimson bow that she always wore in her hair no matter what other color clothes she might be dressed in. The sun-kissed yellow she liked just as well, she always wore as it had been bestowed as a gift from nature in the gorgeous blonde of her hair.
So engrossed was she, she never noticed the approach of a pair of older boys. They, however, definitely saw her. The scarlet ribbon in her hair was like a beacon.
"Hey," a rather weasley looking boy named Hisashi said, elbowing his friend Yori none too gently in the ribs. "Look at the little pre-school baby there. Doncha think it's kinda a waste she's got all those nice crayons? She'll prob'ly just break'em up."
Yori, who was not a malicious boy, but an easily swayed one, nodded in agreement, rubbing his lightly bruised ribs. "Prob'ly. So what?"
"I want 'em. I'm gonna take 'em."
Yori's mouth fell open. "B…but that's stealing."
"Yeah. I know." He smirked faintly. He could almost smell the waxy scent now. Catching sight of his friend's shocked expression, Hisashi realized he'd have to have a story and it would have to be good.
"Look, I don't ever get nothing that nice because my folks can't afford 'em. Look at her. Her dad's over in the ice-cream line right now just for her. He'll just buy her some new ones when she fusses an' that'll be that." His smile at Yori was faintly menacing. "You DO think I oughta get somethin' nice now an' then, don't ya? Don't ya?"
"We…ell."
"Right. So all we gotta do is you go up and take the crayon she's holdin' an' I'll grab the big box. Then we run to the other side of the park. That shrimp'll never catch us."
"But I don't think…" Yori tried again, only to trail off as the larger and bigger Hisashi scowled at him blackly. "Never mind."
With a final glance over toward the long line for the ice-cream vendor, Hisashi smiled. "NOW!"
As he watched, Yori jogged across the grass toward the picnic bench. Once he was halfway there, Hisashi bolted after him.
Minako let out a yelp as her prized red crayon was suddenly jerked out of her hand. "Hey!" she protested. "That's mine!"
The red-faced boy simply ducked his head, refusing to meet her gaze and sprinted off as fast as his sneakers could carry him. As Minako spun around to give chase, she vaguely became aware of movement behind her. As she turned her head, she was shocked to see another nasty looking boy, larger and meaner-looking than the first, grabbing not just a single crayon, but the whole 64-box and running off with them.
The tiny blond girl let out a wail as tears filled her cornflower blue eyes.
A pair of silvery-grey eyes watching the scene narrowed.
"Hey, you two." The voice was not loud, but very firm and compelling.
Yori skidded to a halt, dragging Hisashi with him. "Who…us?"
The boy, older than they by a year or two, had a bat on his shoulder and a look of immense authority, despite his young years. Before either of the two younger boys knew what happened he was before them, eyeing them with scorn.
"That's a pretty nice set of crayons," mused the boy, studying the yellow and green box. Then one of his eyebrows shot upward and he pinned both boys with a look. "Don't you think it's time you returned it to the little girl you stole it from? And the red crayon too?"
Yori's neck went red as did his cheeks. These were clearly not really questions…more like understood orders. "Um…hai."
Stubbornly Hisashi was ready to refuse, when Koichi turned his cool laser gaze on him. Suddenly, without the older lad having said another word, Hisashi felt lower than a slug's belly.
Koichi smiled coolly, though no warmth reached his eyes. "Then let's go give her back her things and tell her how sorry you are."
Both younger boys nodded. "Hai…sempai."
It was a much more subdued pair who re-approached Minako. She glared at them, clutching her coloring book to her chest. "You can't have this one too!"
"Gomen nasai," whispered Yori, setting the red crayon down on the table top. "I was very wrong to take it."
The little blonde girl looked like she was about to fall off the bench in shock, but she snatched up the precious crayon and held it close. She tipped up her head to take a good long look at the remaining two boys and caught her breath as silver flashed before her eyes.
"Don't you have something to say?" prodded Koichi, placing a heavy hand on Hisashi's shoulder.
The smaller boy gulped. "Gomen nasai, kid. I was…" –he chanced another quick look at the implacable face above his– "wrong. I won't ever do it again." Quickly he stuffed the box of crayons in Minako's arms. She flashed Koichi, her hero, a brilliant smile which dimmed slowly as she took in the sober, too-old-for-his-years look in his eyes. Suddenly she felt as much sorry for him as grateful to him.
He almost, but not quite, smiled back for just a second. The little girl's honey sweet smile was infectious before it faded. But he turned back to Yori and Hisashi as he had a job to do. "You sure won't do it again," he informed the pair. "And if I hear of you bullying any more little kids…"
He left the threat unfinished, hanging ominously in the air.
Yori couldn't take it anymore. He bolted. A second later Hisashi followed suit as they sought to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the eerily soft-spoken but intense Koichi.
As if re-shouldering a burden, Koichi shifted his bat from one side to the other, nodded to Minako and began to walk away.
"Wait!" she cried out.
When he paused, she tore off a page from her book. It was all hearts, except for a large rose, all done in red and colored her best. Scarcely any of it was outside of the lines. Minako had been going to give it to her father, but she wanted to give something back to the somewhat sad-looking boy in whatever small way she could.
Koichi, with one silver brow lifted in confusion, waited with infinite patience as the plucky little girl wrapped his fingers around the piece of paper. When he looked at it though, he suddenly seemed faintly dazed. Something about the rose and hearts sparked a feeling of complete happiness that was unfamiliar, yet something he knew he craved. Smiling absently, caught up in his thoughts, he gave the lopsided scarlet ribbon in Minako's hair a gentle straightening twist and walked off, studying his prize and wondering at its secrets.
Minako stared after the boy, hearts dancing in both her eyes as she felt the first strains of her very first crush. Only after he disappeared behind a stand of trees, did she turn around, carefully replacing the much-loved red crayon in its spot.
Slowly perusing the colors in her box, Minako finally found the two she was looking for and smiled. Gleefully she began outlining every one of her red hearts with an outline of silver and another of gold. They were beautiful.
"Sorry this took so long, Princess, but the line was really long," her father said as he dropped down onto the bench beside her and held out the sweet strawberry ice-cream pop, which she accepted with a squeal of delight. Showing surprising grace, she managed to continue to draw while never once letting a single drip of the creamy treat fall.
Her father smiled vaguely. "What's that honeybunch?" he asked, leaning in to look at the crayon drawing she was filling in with gold and silver. "Did you get tired of red?"
"Uh uh," Minako said happily, with a secret, albeit slightly sticky, smile. "But some day," she said, waving the silver crayon in the air, "I'm gonna find a boy with eyes an' hair this color…an' I'm gonna marry him."
