A/N (general): I will be changing the official rating, genres and characters to the ones I used in the last story written here. Just to tell you what's the last thing in store. For the rest of previous ones, everything will be listed above the story itself.

Rating: K+

Genre(s): Romance

Summary: "The bench. The forgotten notebook. Leaves carried by the wind. And her. Like a speck of winter in the warmth of autumn."

World: Normal world AU

Pairing(s): MikixNagihiko [MIKIHIKO]

Warning(s): Crack pairing. CharaxHuman, but normal world AU so Human!Miki.

Disclaimer: This was requested by kawaiiamy1. Original request: "Can you please do a Miki x Nagihiko? If you can- Please?" So I'm doing it. The plot itself was shaped by me.

A/N: Okay, I won't lie, when I first saw this pairing, I practically balled my eyes out from surprise. But then, in a matter of seconds, pictures and ideas just started flashing through my head, and I was like, "Wow. I'm going to write this." So yeah. Call my mind weird, you won't be wrong, but this happened. I don't have much hope a lot of people will read it, but eh. It is based on the everyday situation of strolling through the park.

~Warm Colors~

Leaves were falling down from the dry branches, floating in the wind before they landed on the ground. Bright reds and oranges with splashes of yellow flashed as they twisted and turned. It was so pure and wonderful, like watching a children's game of tag. They truly looked like they were chasing one another, and rustling sounded like quiet laughter.

A sudden, stronger gust of wind pushed them all aside, like the kids were going home before the storm caught them in the open.

Nagihiko shuddered and nuzzled his head in the scarf around his neck, tightening the grip of his coat's fabric around himself. It was only October, but it was getting cold really quickly.

Throwing one last look at now nearly leafless trees, he stepped back on the narrow pebble path which led him there. It was late and he was supposed to be home by now, but he found himself unable to walk away from the wonders of Nature's life cycle before. The path he was taking was known to almost no one and will lead him deeper in the park's forest, but if he walks down it long enough, he will eventually reach the other end of it and return to civilization.

He sighed. He wasn't particularly sure he wanted to.

It was when he already entered the area of deeper trees that something caught his eye. A glint of movement, coming from behind a bush on his left.

Nagihiko frowned. It was particularly rare to see people in this part of the park, especially this deep in the forest and especially when it was this cold. Curious, he noticed there was a branch of the path leading to that direction.

He was about to step on it when he abruptly stopped and bit his lip. If a person behind that bush managed to find even lonelier place to be than he did, then he or she really wanted some privacy.

The movement repeated, and now he was sure he could hear something similar to… scribbling?

Overwhelmed by some unfamiliar urge, he took the path and turned a corner, firstly noticing that there was a bench there, and then that there was someone sitting on it.

It was a girl, and he faintly remembered that she transferred to his school recently. He never spoke to her before, but he heard there were all sorts of rumors circling around about her and her family.

She was holding a drawing notebook. She looked so indulged in whatever she was doing that he wasn't sure she noticed him. After a bit of hesitation, he decided and moved to sit next to her.

He didn't get a piece of reaction.

As there apparently wasn't any hope for a conversation, he continued to stare at her. He never really got a good look at her before, but now he noticed she was beautiful. Big, blue eyes, short blue haircut and pale skin. She seemed somehow cold, colder than the air around them. Like she skipped autumn and jumped straight into winter.

Speaking of which, he realized then that she was dressed rather thinly – a white button-up shirt with a simple vest and a pair of trousers. She didn't look like she was freezing, but then again, her face was so motionless that he wasn't sure it mattered.

"Aren't you cold?"

The question slipped before it even finished molding in his head.

She turned toward him, and Nagihiko had to hold his breath. Those blue eyes sent shivers through him. Although he was here for quite some time now, she reacted as if he only appeared that moment. She remained static, but given that Nagihiko was inspecting her eyes all the while, he thought he saw a bit of interest and something that could've maybe passed as surprise, which was odd. She was examining him almost as if she couldn't figure out why was he there.

"A little." The voice was as flat as the exterior, but in the same time extremely gentle. Childish, almost.

She shrugged her small shoulders. "But it doesn't matter. Because it's actually warm."

Nagihiko looked at her in utter surprise. Okay, people have different opinions about hot and cold, but calling this weather "warm"? "What do you mean?"

Silent, she pointed her hand toward the nearby trees. Nagihiko watched the dancing leaves and sure they were amazing, but they still didn't tell what she wanted to convey to him. "Colors."

Nagihiko jumped and turned around. She was staring at him. He didn't even notice it until then, but she must've seen the confusion on his face.

He looked toward the trees again. Colors… Red, orange and yellow. Warm colors.

He had to admit he was impressed. This girl just kept surprising him. "I see."

He gazed at her again, at her straight face. She was still watching him. He couldn't really tell was she curious as him or not, but introduction couldn't do any harm. "I'm Nagihiko", he said. "What's you name?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Why are you talking to me?"

As rude as it sounded, Nagihiko was actually convinced that wasn't her intention. It was an honest question, as if she really didn't know why would someone want to do such an absurd thing. He smiled. "Because you managed to find this place while I haven't, because you're cute, and because you have interesting opinions about local temperature. And I want to know your name."

She blushed. It was very faint, but still visible on her white skin, making her look like a porcelain doll. "People don't usually talk to me", she murmured.

"I'm not people. And I don't see why not. I managed to find three reasons to talk to you in about a minute."

She offered him a genuine, bit shy smile there, and Nagihiko found his breath hitching. "Miki. My name is Miki."

From that day on, they met at the park every day after school. Sometimes they would talk, sometimes just sit in silence while she was drawing. Time passed by quickly, and sometimes they found themselves parting ways after dark has already become thick.

In school they would meet for lunch and such, but it was harder. People stayed away from her, and Nagi's friends tried to talk him out of hanging out with her, saying that she was weird and her family was always fighting, so it was not good. "Why not?" he would always reply angrily. "Shouldn't that mean she needs support and friends even more? It's not her fault!" He would then dash away, and although they looked guilty, nothing ever changed.

As for Miki herself, she stayed silent. She never gave in to the nasty looks and vicious whispers, but just sat still in some corner and drew. She had a stubborn personality like that, and she often told him not to bother with her. She meant it was best for him, although that might've not been what she wanted. "Why don't you accept you mean something to me? I don't want to be over there, with people who talk behind your back. I want to be by your side." She always looked so happy after he said it, though she tried not to show it. Still, that half covered smile was all he needed to convince himself what he was doing was right.

One day, when he went to their usual spot, he found her sitting on the bench completely wet, staring at the few leaves that were still barely hanging on the trees.

He gasped and ran over, taking her face in his hands and asking her what happened frantically. "Some girls in the school", she answered completely calm. "They spilled water on me."

Nagihiko felt anger boiling inside him. "Why did they do it?"

"I don't know. Probably because it's me."

He shot a look of disbelief at her. It was most likely true, they didn't need any other reason, but seeing her just accepting that so lightly was something he couldn't take. "Listen," he started, "it's not okay what they are doing. You didn't do anything wrong. They just don't like you because not one of them is as smart and pretty and talented as you are. And it's okay to tell them. It's okay to correct something that isn't right. Because you're special. You're special to me. You're not just any other girl, and you have the right to stand up."

He couldn't have a good look at her face because her cap was hiding it, but he thought he saw a determined twitch her lips made. Smiling, he took her hand. "Now come on, you have to go home and change."

"I… I don't want to go." He looked down to see her hands clutching the front of his jacket. "Not… not yet."

Slowly, he nodded his head and sat down. He opened his arms toward her, and she looked at him questioningly. "You're cold."

"I told you, it doesn't –"

"Yes, I know, it doesn't matter, but look", he pointed. "Colors are almost gone. Or just think about it as this – I want you in my arms, and you want to be there too."

Not saying anything, she obeyed, and he hugged her to his chest. She was so petite and fragile. And she still refused to admit she was cold. Because as long as the colors were around her, it would be alright.

"Nagihiko?" she mumbled against his neck.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for staying with me all along."

He then noticed she was pushing her notebook toward him. He took it, opening it on a marked page.

It was a drawing of him among the trees. Leaves were flying around his head, and he looked as calm and peaceful as he felt while watching them. But what stood out the most were the colors. They were all vivid, but the ones she used to draw him were shining the brightest.

He smiled and hugged her tighter.

They stayed like that for a long time, and Nagihiko knew that whatever happens from now on, he will cherish this memory. The bench. The forgotten notebook. Leaves carried by the wind. And her. Like a speck of winter in the warmth of autumn.

A/N: I didn't originally intend to add the metaphor. It just sorta… happened. Like this whole story happened. I know it's a weird pairing, but don't be judgmental! Miki is a human here, after all. And I don't think it turned out that bad.

Send me your requests! R&R, C&C if you want. Thank you for reading!