Disclaimer: If I did, Izana would have a bigger role in the manga
Big thanks to Talye Kendrin for helping me with the grammar and spellings. Please check out her profile and support this fandom.
Characters: Izana Wistalia, Shirayuki
Pairing: Possible one-sided Izana
Wordcount: 824
Rating: General, Romance
Timeline: Between Chapter 41 and Chapter 49
Quotes: "Fragrance speaks the loudest on a subliminal level."
― Marian Bendeth
Izana was not someone who bothered becoming involved with people he didn't want to invest his time in. For all his brother's intents and purposes, he still believed Shirayuki was just a pastime; someone to alleviate his boredom. Still, he couldn't forget what his brother once told him about Shirayuki.
Red is the color of fate. To see a person with such beautiful red hair, it accounts for something significant in the coming future. It makes one anticipate of what is in store for them. Don't you feel it, brother? Just looking at her, feeling the softness of her skin. It's like holding the sun between my fingertips.
But did that future concern him, too?
"Since when did you start being curious about scents and perfumes?" He tried to distract her from her own thoughts by steering the subject back to her interest.
Shirayuki's hand paused in mid-air just as she was about to put the last of her bottles back into the personal perfume organizer she created. He could see her shoulders rise as she took a deep breath before slowly turning to meet his gaze.
"Since I was a kid. When I got curious about recreating the scent my mom used to wear."
"I see." He knew her mother died when she was young and that she grew up under her grandparents' care. That much he had managed to dig out. On the whereabouts of her father, he didn't know. He could be dead, or just a plain dishonorable man who probably abandoned her mother when he found out she was pregnant.
He winced a little at the thought that he had not been careful with his past liaisons. He would have done the same as what her father did to her and her mother. He could have fathered a child and the baby would grow up without knowing about him at all. Just like Shirayuki.
Pursing his lips, his eyes darted to the bottle she was holding and nodded in its direction. "So have you managed to create it?"
She glanced down at the bottle she was holding. "N-no… I am not there yet."
He gave her an expectant smile. "Shall we try again? I am curious."
At least he sounded genuine with his curiosity. Surely Shirayuki, with her talents in medicine and alchemy, could have probably created some interesting scents along the way.
Shirayuki bit her lower lip, budging a little, trying to decide before nodding.
He let out a small sigh of relief when he saw her nod in consent. Finally. This feeling of elation, a victory claimed over persuasion made him a little more ecstatic than expected. Like sipping a dubious vintage wine and suddenly finding out it tasted good when he was not expecting it to be so.
A little eager, he made himself comfortable on top of the stool, sitting straighter, dwarfing the red-haired young woman even while he sat.
She took the dropper and let a few drops of the liquid land at the back of her hand.
"I still need to perfect this formula." She hesitated, extending her hand out, but not fully. "You might find it interesting."
"A perfume that has yet to mature." He could indulge her whims. He found himself reluctant to leave, somewhat enjoying the sudden intimacy and comfort this mini-forest of a room created for his senses.
His hand closed over her arm above the wrist. Her eyelids flickered with curiosity at his gesture of familiarity.
"Come closer."
Her eyelids narrowed a little, but she let out a sigh and moved her stool nearer, and sat down until their knees were almost touching. The hemline of her skirt hitched a little higher, white knee against his cotton trousers.
The fine hairs at the back of his neck seemed to react at how they sat so near, face to face. Up close, he could see faint freckles across her nose, and noted how long her eyelashes were; how dark and thick they looked.
She started to fidget under his scrutiny and he let out a slow, wicked smirk, enjoying her feelings of discomfort under his gaze.
He was beginning to enjoy this unusual turn of events. Shirayuki had an uncanny ability to perk up his interest.
Their eyes met before he lowered his nose to her wrist, taking a good whiff of the scent.
His eyelashes fluttered down unwittingly. And immediately, he knew he was transported somewhere far away.
For a good few seconds, he could hear the sounds of the rainforest near Rid and Sui. The trickle of water running down the stream, the chirping of birds above his head. His fingers could feel the texture of the tree bark he was leaning on, even the softness of the grass and moss underfoot. The gentle colors of morning glory called out to him, as well as the profusion of buttercups and daisies.
His head snapped back to attention.
Author's Notes
Flower Meaning:
Morning glory – affectation
Moss – maternal love
Buttercup – cheerfulness, childishness, desire for riches
Daisy – innocence, loyal love, purity, faith, cheer, simplicity