**READ AND LOVE ME PLS**

A/N: Hello :D The next few chapters should be up within the next five days, just finishing them up. Life happened and whatever, but I'm back. Also, we will be experiencing sort of a time skip next chapter. Right now, they're in grade two. Next chapter, they'll be I'm grade five just to speed things up.

Also, I was thinking of posting a preview of the sequel, because I already have it typed up and whatever. Interested? You'll get to see kinda how Aura turned out and how this fic will end, so it will have spoilers, so of you guys want it or not determines if I upload it.

Anyway, fair winds!

Unforgotten

•Five•

•

Forever and Ever and Ever

Laetie had been someone that Aura had sustained an indifference to throughout her childhood- she was tolerable, however boy crazy she might have been, but the blonde couldn't really find it in her heart to hate the girl. She was nice to her and Ken, and in the end, that was all that mattered. By the winter of her third grade year, she had become a regular at her and Ken's lunch table, and surprisingly, Aura didn't mind.

It was nearing the end of her first semester of the school year, and the days had dragged on without much of note. The only thing that had been particularly interesting was one instance in which a student thought that he was the cleverest shit to have ever been snatch-hatched, and replaced the contents of their teachers coffee mug from tea to his own piss, as everyone had sat on the edge of their seats, anticipating her reaction when she finally decided to take a drink. When she did, the poor woman had vomited everywhere and everyone in the class ended up getting detention due to no one fessing up as the culprit.

It was so worth it.

She smiled to herself as she recalled the memory, her attention barely being kept by the lesson that was currently being taught. It was nearing the end of the day, as next period would be recess fallowed by an hour of math, then they would be dismissed. The blonde child looked longingly out the window, the glass frosted from winter's chill. It was the first snow of the season, but unfortunately hadn't been enough to keep them from classes. Mother Nature could be a total bitch sometimes.

"Aura! Would you please tell the class what's outside that is so interesting?" Barked their teacher, a middle aged woman with frazzled hair and crow's feet so deep they were like miniature canyons. Aura scowled and refrained from pulling a mocking face at the woman as she remained quiet, only turning her head to face her.

"…Well?" She drawled, her hands placed on hips that were far too wide to be stuffed into a short pencil skirt.

But before she could lower their teacher's self-esteem, the bell resounded through the class room like fucking angels singing and Aura bolted out of the door, grabbing Ken's sleeve as she raced past his desk. He only flailed behind her like a rag doll for a second or two before he caught his balance and trotted after her, trying to pull one of his arms through his wool coat that was far to big for his small frame.

"There isn't really enough snow for a snowman, but maybe we could have a snow ball fight- urgh, wait, that wouldn't be fair because I can throw better than you- sorry, but maybe we could just make snow angels or I could burry you in snow like we're on the beach and I can't wait until summer so we can go to the beach together, even though auntie TaTa will be there and she buys bathing suits from Forever 21 or whatever and she is so not twenty one-" Ken listened to her ramble, not so secretly enjoying her when she got so excited her mind went on an adventure and couldn't seem to stick to one train of thought for more than five seconds. She pulled them to a spot beneath an ancient oak tree that's leave's had long since abandoned their branches, but quickly decided that she didn't want to have to listen to the hoard of girls talk about dolls all of recess, so pulled him up and off into a different direction.

If this were a yaoi, she'd be the seme and he'd be the uke, no questions asked.

"Are you ok, Cookie? You look like a smurf." She asked, cupping snow in her hands and molding the substance with her small fingers. She had decided on a spot a little ways from the rest of the children, because she didn't like everyone else or just felt like it, he didn't know. He pulled a confused face before his hands went to his cheeks, warming the freezing flesh with his gloved hands. Funny, how she didn't even have to do anything particularly heart-fluttering to make his cheeks red today.

"No, Lieutenant, I'm…" Her eyes narrowed slightly when his sentence trailed off as he looked to his right, his brows rising. Before she could express her confusion, a teacher squatted besides them with a warm smile on her lips. She was one of the younger ones, with shiny honey colored hair and brilliant green eyes and always had a hug waiting for you if you fell and scraped your knee. Mrs. Rebecca, and for whatever reason, she needed Ken's attention.

"Ken, honey, your fathers' in the office waiting for you. I'm not sure what he wants, but it seems pretty important." Aura creased her brow and crossed her arms, to which the woman laughed and placed a hand on her head. "I'll give him back in a minute, I promise."

Ken gave Aura a smile and took their teachers hand, fallowing her back to the school. Aura sat there as the snow began to fall, trying to concentrate on each individual snow flake as it fell. She thought of the next winter that would come, and the one after that and the one that would fallow, and if they would ever get so much snow that they could have a real snow ball fight.

"You two are like a Disney fairytale, y'know?" Aura nearly jumped out of her skin and whirled her head around, only to see Laetie in her pink fluffy coat and knitted hat that was made to look like a frog; yet, a few of her multi-color berets were still poking out from underneath.

"Huh?" Her brows shot into her hairline and the blonde wracked her brain for any possible clue as to what the girl meant. Disney movies were about true love and gross kissing and ugly dresses- not about throwing mud at each other and falling asleep on the grass under the stars because they had played too long and still didn't want to go back inside.

"Yeah!" She said, taking the seat where Ken had sat and crossing her legs, admiring the snow as it began to fall at a more consistent pace. "Like, you're pretty like Sleeping Beauty- hey, your names almost match!- but Ken isn't much like the prince at all. Maybe you could be Belle and he'd be the beast… but I don't think he's gonna turn into a prince any time soon."

Aura looked at her out of the corner of her eye, but said nothing. Ken didn't need to be a prince; he was perfect the way he was, even if he sucked at dodge ball and couldn't climb a tree.

"But maybe you both could be the prince, yeah? Maybe you can make a whole new fairytale." Aura's mouth hung open slightly as a single snow flake hit her nose, and slowly melted into her skin. Laetie was smiling up at the sky with an odd sort of look in her eye, watching as the last few minutes of freedom ticked by. "But you have to live happily ever after, and that means forever, y'know. Even if you never kiss and stuff. Because I can't really think of you without Ken, like Batman and Robin… y'know?" Their eyes met, and for once, Aura wasn't really sure how to respond.

She never really liked fairytales, anyway.

But as Ken walked out of the back doors to the school, teacher in toe, she studied him. His hair hadn't been cut in a while, and he hadn't grown into his clothes so they hung around his body as if they weren't his to wear. No, he wasn't a prince, but at the same time, he was. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to fall in the love thing or whatever with him when they were older, because she didn't really think true love existed, if her parents were any indicator. But as he saw her and she saw him and they locked eyes, that goofy smile spread over his lips and he started to run back to her.

Maybe they could be a fairytale, just not the one you'd think.

"How long is forever, anyway?"