He stared out the window as he sat on the small couch in the guest room where he was staying, his long legs stretched out before him and his feet propped up on the table. His elbow rested on the arm of the couch, the tips of his fingers against his temple as he reflected. He closed his eyes, doing his best to conjure up every detail of the Music Festival. Specifically, the young farm girl that the mayor had felt it so important he meet just days before.
He had removed his violin from its case, carried it reverently onto the stage. Recited the memorized speech, the one he'd repeated for years. Began to play and lost himself in the music as he always does. Then, as he always does, scanned the room to see if everyone was enjoying the music as much as he was. For some reason though, he hadn't seemed to be able to remove his eyes from Ceres once he'd spotted her. She had stood towards the back, her large eyes gazing at him as if he was the only person in the room. He had stared at her intently, returning the focused look. When she noticed his attention, he saw her gasp. He'd blinked, and she was gone.
A sudden gentle knocking on his door pulled Mikhail out of his memory. Thankful, he stood to go answer it. "I have to do my best to get her out of my mind. There's no reason for her to occupy it. The festival is over, I'll enjoy my yearly vacation from the concert scene, then leave as always. All I have to do is avoid her. Soon things will be as they should," he muttered as he reached the door. Taking a moment to compose himself, he turned the knob and opened the door only to find the very cause of his mental unrest.
Her hair was held back by a blue hair band with an adorable heart clip, leaving her face clear save for her bangs. Her eyes were staring at the floor, and he felt momentarily disappointed that he couldn't see them. Clearing his throat and his thoughts, he stepped to the side. "Please, come in. Sit for a while in the warmth. I can see that you're nearly soaked through."
She looked up at him shyly with a small smile, passing him to go sit on a couch. The smell of the rain and the crisp, sweet scent of spearmint followed her as she went by him. He unconsciously inhaled deeply, enjoying the clean, natural smell of her. Much better than those women who felt the need to douse themselves in sickeningly sweet perfumes. As he exhaled, he closed the door and walked back in to the sitting area. He sat back down on the couch he'd been on earlier, and leaned forward.
"Good evening, Ceres. Are you warmer now? It seemed terribly chilly when I went for my walk today." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his fingers steepled together. His glasses slid down his nose, but he didn't bother to push them back up; he could still see her perfectly well, looking small and nervous across from him, her hands in her lap. He spotted what seemed to be a dish clasped in them, and he cocked an eyebrow as he regarded it. She followed his gaze.
"Oh! Yes, thank you very much. It was terribly kind of you to invite me in,' she said. Her voice was soft, hushed, melodious. It was pleasing to listen to her speak. She sat straighter and placed the item from her lap on the table between them. "I didn't know if you had had dinner yet, and I had heard it was your birthday. So, I felt it only right to present you with a gift to celebrate this day, and to also better welcome you to Konohana." With that being said, she reached with one hand into the satchel at her waist and pulled out a pair of chopsticks. She set them on the table and pushed the bowl forward a bit. "I had heard that you liked sashimi, so I prepared some for you. I hope that you enjoy it, and...well, happy birthday Mikhail," she finished with an unsure smile and a delicate shade of pink coloring her cheeks.
He sat back in surprise, then ran a hand through his hair as he did his best to hold back a blush. He was touched; he couldn't recall when it was last that someone had taken the time to do something like this for him. Leaning forward again, Mikhail slowly took the small dish and removed the lid, then reached for the chopsticks. He pulled out a piece of the sashimi and slowly ate it. Realizing how hungry he was after the first piece, he quickly finished off the bowl. He glanced up at Ceres, and gave her a bashful grin.
"I suppose I was hungrier than I earlier believed myself to be. Forgive me for ignoring you," he said as he laid the chopsticks down and picked the lid up, snapping it back on the bowl. He set it down and pushed it towards the girl before him, who took it with a pleased look on her face.
"Really, I don't mind. I'm just happy that you enjoyed it." She rose, tucking the bowl back into her bag. "If you'll excuse me now though, I'm afraid that I had best head home and get to bed. Sorry for showing up unannounced and taking up your time. I just wanted to do something nice for you today."
Mikhail rose and hurriedly strode to the door to open for her. She stopped in front of him, and gave a small bow. "I hope you have a pleasant night, Ceres, and thank you for your gift. It was very nice," he ended awkwardly, unsure of what to say. While he hadn't exactly been sheltered when younger, he hadn't really been socialized well outside of the professional concert crowd. Casual conversations were foreign to him.
As he stared down at the girl before him, he realized just how tiny she was. He fleetingly wondered if she would even come up to his collarbone were he to embrace her, when he saw her hand raise. She lifted it up, hesitated, then slowly and gently used her index finger to push his glasses up higher on his nose. When she lowered her hand before pulling it back, the tip of her finger lightly trailed down his nose before it grazed his lips. Mikhail suppressed a tiny sound of longing, but not a shiver of pleasure. She clamped the hand she'd just pulled back over her mouth, a blush gracing her features. With a mumbled apology, she turned and bolted, leaving Mikhail to wonder what had just happened.
Writer's Note: It took me a while to get this chapter done. For that, I apologize. I'm fighting off a relapse, so I've been a bit out of sorts. Hopefully it will blow over soon.
Despite all that, I ended up fairly content with this chapter. I hope you were as well. However, if you found it to be lacking, do know that I will try better next time. Cross your fingers for me!
W.N. 2.0: CHAPTER REWRITTEN!