Because You Are My Destiny
~*~ The bud that endures the most hardships will bloom to be the most beautiful of them all, even if it takes time.~*~
Brown orbs gazed out of a window at the garden outside. All flowers seemed to be blooming. Colors splattered everywhere on the fields of perfectly cut green grass. Not a single flower seemed to be left behind; the garden was bursting with color and brightness. However, there was one bud…
Dragging her eyes away from the vibrant sight past the layer of glass, Hinamori looked across the room. It sat in the corner all by itself, a tiny pot with just a single rosebud in it, a sealed envelope by its side. She had had the bud for so long that she was amazed that it hadn't wilted while it was still closed; while it hadn't blossomed yet. It was an unusual rosebud. Everyday Hinamori would shower it with care as well as water. She gave it plenty of sunlight and whenever it was raining outside, she would carry the pot carefully out into the rain.
But the stubborn flower didn't seem to appreciate the effort at all.
Hinamori glided across the room towards the pot with the rose. She knelt down and picked up the envelope next to it. It was obvious that the envelope had never been opened before; it was perfectly sealed and it didn't have a single crinkle. The Fuku-Taichou hugged the envelope close and whispered softly:
"Obaa-chan…"
Her eyes closed slowly as she recalled the first moment the rose had come to her possession.
.X.
A young girl with dark hair and equally dark eyes gazed up at the ceiling from the bed where she was lying. It was already way past her bedtime, but the girl couldn't sleep. She stared into the empty expanse of her ceiling for quite a bit of time and was suddenly brought back to the real world when she heard a knock on the door. Bouncing out of bed energetically, pigtails flying in the air, a young Hinamori skipped to the door and flung it open.
She blinked innocently in shock and confusion.
"Obaa-chan?"
The elderly woman smiled a crinkled smile and asked if she was disrupting anything. Hinamori shook her head vigorously and quickly gestured for the woman to come in. The woman walked in slowly and took a seat on Hinamori's bed, placing a straw basket that she had brought on the ground. Whatever was in the basket was unidentifiable, because a red and white checkered clothe covered it. The young girl stared at the basket with an immense amount of curiosity which wouldn't be sated until she knew what was in there for certain. The elderly woman grinned.
"Dear child, should you not be sound asleep?"
"Obaa-chan, doesn't that include you as well though?"
A soft chuckle echoed around the tiny bedroom.
"I suppose so…"
The two of them sat in a long silence. Though the quiet that spread over the two of them seemed out of place and unusual, neither one of them felt that the moment was awkward. It was as if the two of them were silently acknowledging each other's presence. The moment stretched for longer and longer.
"Anou ne, why are you here Obaa-chan?"
Another smile spread across the woman's face.
"Momo-chan, you are like a second grandchild to me. Is it so wrong to visit you and spend some alone time with you? It's so rare I get a chance to talk to you without Toshiro around."
Hinamori nodded; that was true. The elderly woman took in a deep breath and looked at Hinamori with eyes that spoke of sadness; the girl didn't understand.
"Momo-chan. You are reaching a time where you're making a big turn in your life. Soon you will know what you want in your future; in fact you already do, you want to be a shinigami. But I feel so unprepared to let you go."
A single tear fell from the woman's eye. Hinamori lifted a pale hand and wiped the tear away gently. Hinamori felt her own lip tremble as she struggled to keep her own emotions under control. The older woman held Hinamori's hands in hers tightly.
"When you leave my hands, I feel like I've released the most beautiful butterfly to explore the world; I know that I've done a good and right thing, but I wish I could fly with you."
The young girl started to shake, but she refused to let the tears fall down. She knew this moment had to come; that she would enter a completely different and surreal world. Now though, she began to doubt; maybe she wasn't ready yet.
"However, if I can't fly with you… someone else can."
The woman reached down for the basket and picked it up from the ground. She set it down on her lap gently and removed the cloth in a single swift movement. In the basket sat a single pot made from the finest clay, but that wasn't what caught Hinamori's attention. A single stem stuck out from the soil in the pot and ended with lone bulb. The elderly woman allowed herself a moment to smile.
"You know how easily I believe magical stories. I was walking back with the groceries when I passed a man who was determined to sell this single rosebud. He claimed that the rosebud would only bloom when the owner finds and realizes who the one he or she is destined to be with is. I bought it instantly."
Taking the pot and the rosebud out of the basket with utmost care, the elderly lady handed it over to Hinamori. Hinamori studied it carefully; it looked like any other rosebud in anyone's garden. She didn't voice her opinion though, and took the rosebud with a choked sob. From her pockets, the woman produced a white envelope and handed it to Hinamori. She leaned in closer and whispered in Hinamori's ear softly, even though there wouldn't be anyone around to overhear in any case.
"Open it only when the rose blooms."
And then she left.
.X.
Hinamori opened her eyes and carefully studied the rosebud yet again. It hadn't died after all the years of trial. With that, the Fuku-Taichou knew one thing was for certain:
The rose was definitely not ordinary.
A/N: HAH ! So much for updating soon because there's a deadline! I was going to update this two days ago but then... ah it's a long story. Involves my computer deleting the whole document though; that probably says something :P
Yes, well... I updated. I DEFINITELY changed it from what the original was. I don't know, maybe one day I'll post up the original if it ever resurfaces somewhere as some extra material~ xD
&. strawberrii