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Falling snow…
It seemed to have an almost charm-like effect on everyone who saw it. When he looked up after the first flake hit his nose, he found many of the people in the mall raise their heads at the same time, their faces sparkling with amazement and joy.
He cracked a smile too and reached out his hand, enjoying the cold sensation of the flakes hitting his palm and melting into little drops of water. Snow had gotten rare in the past few years and so everyone got pretty excited when it was finally there. He hoped it would become enough to have a snowball fight with Ootomo and the others.
Turning around a corner, he took out his phone. Of course Yamabe had already sent him an enthusiastic message. He began to write an ironic reply as he left the shopping area and entered the park next to it. Right now it looked rather bleak, the trees having shed their leaves already, and it hardly compared to the verdant place it was in summer when he had given his great entertainment show in front of dozens of people who had been picnicking on the meadow, earning him a well-deserved applause.
Well… It was going to look a lot better when everything was covered by a layer of pure white snow and there were kids all around, playing in the cold and building snowmen. Of course none of them would be a match to the one he was going to build with his peers, but the thought alone counted as well.
Just when he descended the flight of steps to the meadow, his phone buzzed and he was so absorbed in reading Yamabe’s answer he didn’t notice the girl turning round the corner at the bottom of the stairs, until he ran into her. With a surprised squeal she tumbled backwards and his heart made a leap as she lost her balance and fell down the four steps to the ground.
“Oh! I’m… I’m sorry”, he stuttered and hurried to the bottom to help her up.
“No. This was my fault”, the girl replied, painfully holding her backside. “I… I wasn’t looking where I was going.” She gave him a silly smile and he blinked surprised as he recognised her face.
“S-Serena?” he asked and sudden fright clutched his heart, but at the same moment he noticed he was mistaken. This girl in front of him looked a lot like Serena, but her hair was longer and of a dark purplish, almost black hue, tied back into a beautiful bun. Also, her magenta eyes spotted a much friendlier look than Serena’s ever had.
“N-No. You aren’t Serena. Right?”
She shook her head. “My name is Ruri.”
Ruri… That name seemed familiar, though he needed to think for a moment before he was able to place it.
“You… You are Kurosaki’s sister?” he asked, gulping hardly.
Ruri nodded.
Oh fuck. If Kurosaki found out he had knocked down his beloved sister, he’d get furious.
“I… I’m very sorry”, he said and knelt down to her, offering her a hand. “Did you get hurt?”
She smiled and took it gratefully. “No. No, I’m fine. It really is nothing. I – Ouch!”
She stopped her attempt to get up and landed on the ground again.
“What is it?” he asked, worried by the pained expression which flashed over her face.
“My… My ankle”, she muttered and glanced at it. When he reached out for her foot, she started and quickly pulled back. “Don’t… Don’t worry. I’ll manage somehow.”
Before she could try once more to get to her feet, he grabbed her shoulders and forced her to meet his gaze. “Hey. You just fell down the stairs. Please let me at least take a look at it.”
Ruri considered him for a moment before she ducked her head and tentatively stretched out her leg to him. Carefully he took off her shoe and began to palpate her ankle, stopping whenever he saw the first hint of a flinch on her face.
“I’m not an expert”, he said, “but I don’t think it’s broken. Still”, he insisted, denying her the chance to speak up, “a sprained ankle is nothing you should take lightly. At the very least you shouldn’t walk around with it.”
This was the right thing to say, wasn’t it? Kurosaki would kill him if his sister got injured because of him. But… the same would happen if he left her out here in the cold. What to do? What to do?
“What… What am I supposed to do then?” she asked, clueless. “How do I get home?”
He didn’t know why, but… the way she sat there amidst the falling snowflakes, small tears of insecurity and helplessness forming in her eyes, made him feel somewhat guilty. He was at fault she had fallen in the first place and so it was his responsibility to take care of her now.
“I… I’m going to carry you.”
“H-Huh?” Ruri asked, giving him a surprised glance.
“Do I need to say it again?” he asked embarrassed and slipped her shoe back over her delicate foot, careful not to put any strain on her ankle.
“N-No”, she stuttered, puzzled. “But… I’m not sure…”
Reluctantly he turned around and offered her to climb on his back. His face was already flushing red at the mere thought of how everyone was going to look at them. Then that thought was pushed aside by the sensation of her arms wrapping around him.
Flustered, he put his hand beneath her thighs and got up. He had never carried a person before and to his surprise Ruri was lighter than he had expected. When he nevertheless swayed at the first step, she gave out a fearful shriek and tightly clasped his neck.
“Hey”, he protested. “If you fidget this much, we might end up falling.”
“M-Me?” Ruri asked, agitation and worry vibrating in her voice. “You are the one who’s fidgeting.”
He cracked a faint smirk. “Then hang on tight”, he said in a reassuring tone and got moving. After he managed to make a few steps without swaying again, Ruri relaxed noticeably.
“So, umm… where shall I bring you?”
“Oh, r-right. I was heading back home. I mean… I’m staying with Yuzu and her dad right now.”
So, the Hiragi residence. He had been there just once, after the Lancers had returned from their fight against academia, but he still remembered roughly where it was.
“Okay. I know the way”, he said and turned around, climbing the stairs she had just fallen down. “Just leave it to me.”
“Umm… Thank you”, she muttered after a moment and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Nah, I don’t mind. This is what heroes are there for, isn’t it?”
“A hero?” she asked, sending him a confused look.
“Uh-huh. It is a hero’s job to protect the weak and make sure they can live in happiness, untroubled by the bad and wicked.”
Ruri leaned forward and even without looking at her he know she was smiling. “And… am I allowed to learn the name of my hero?”
He tilted back his head as if he needed to think about the question for a while. “Hmm… No. Unfortunately my name is top secret. But those who look up to me call me…” He made a dramatic pause to capture her attention before he raised his voice. “…the Magnificent, the Brilliant, the Great New Neo Sawatari!”
She gave out an amazed sound, but he was well able to notice the amusement in it. Well… At least she was attentive enough to pretend she was impressed, a nicer reaction than most of his acquaintances had shown.
He sighed and cracked a satisfied smile. “My name is Sawatari Shingo”, he muttered.
After a moment Ruri’s grip tightened and she shifted a little. “You’re one of the Lancers, right? My brother has mentioned you a few times.”
“Oh? And what did he say about me? Probably he couldn’t get over with telling you how cool I am and how often I saved him during our journey.”
She made a thoughtful sound. “No, I think he said you were a no-good who used to talk all big but is hardly any better at duelling than a kid, keeps making stupid mistakes and only cares about himself.”
When she noticed his downcast look, she gave out a bright laugh which probably was the only reason he didn’t collapse under the tons of weight her words had dropped on him.
A no-good… hardly better than a kid… keeps making stupid mistakes… There did his pride go.
Suddenly Ruri wrapped her arms a little tighter around him and snuggled against his shoulder. “At least now I know one of these things isn’t true”, she muttered, and he blushed at the sensation of her soft breath against his neck.
Then a small snowflake hit his nose and made him look up. The snowfall had gotten stronger. Maybe they really could have a snowball fight tomorrow.
“It is pretty, isn’t it?”
Shingo started a little at the sound of her voice whispering so close to his ear. It had been a whisper of amazement and joy, wonder at the sight in front of them.
“Yeah”, he agreed, smiling. He didn’t know why, but for some reason he felt strangely serene, just carrying her through the calmly drifting flakes of chill.
“This kind of reminds me of the winters we had back home.”
“You mean in Heartland?”
He sensed Ruri’s nod. “We’ve had lots of fun, Sayaka, Allen, Yuto, my brother and me. We used to go sledging on one of the hills in the outskirts of the city.”
Shingo tried to imagine the ever-grumpy Kurosaki on a sledge. It hardly worked.
“During breaks we always built a snowman in the schoolyard. Shun was so skilled at that. Oh, and the snow festival was always great. There were so many different booths selling manjus or takoyaki and… in the end there was a huge firework. Its… Its colours set alight sky and ocean alike.”
Something wet dripped on Shingo’s shoulder and to his dismay he noticed Ruri was crying. Big shimmering tears were rolling over her cheeks.
Oh damn! What to do? He needed to say something comforting. Come on, think!
“You… You loved your home, didn’t you?” he asked awkwardly.
“Yes, I… I did”, she muttered, wiping over her eyes. “It was… just wonderful.” She turned her head towards him and the sadness which filled her eyes struck his heart. She looked so… so lost and… lonely.
“Umm… say… you’ve seen Heartland too, haven’t you?”
Shingo lowered his gaze. What he had seen back then, the few helpless people trying to find shelter in the small camp of the resistance, too afraid of the academia patrols to show themselves… it was something completely different from what he had expected when he had asked Reiji to let him join the Lancers. Seeing all that misery had truly put the dampers on his pride and only his will to defeat academia and make them answer for that had allowed him to go on.
“Yes, I’ve seen it. But it’s hard for me to imagine what those burnt-out ruins must’ve looked like before its destruction.”
He noticed his mistake right away, but it was too late to take back his words. He… He was so stupid. He should’ve said something to lift her mood, to turn her attention back to the pleasant, blithe memories of her homeland, not make things worse.
“I see.” Ruri’s fingers dug into the fabric of his jacket, but to his surprise she didn’t sound downcast like he had expected. “Then… I’m going to show you once the reconstruction is done. Of course, it won’t be the same Heartland it was, but… I am sure some of the things I loved about it will return.”
For a moment he was unable to answer, taken aback by the warmth in her voice. This girl… She really was incredible.
“That… That sounds good”, he managed to bring out, causing Ruri to chuckle at his sudden awkwardness. “But… until then, I’m going to show you how the winter is here in Maiami, okay?”
She leaned forward and gave him an amused glance. “You mean just you and me?”
Shingo raised a brow. “Yeah. Why not?”
Ruri smiled and shook her head. “Alright. I’ll look forward to our date then.”
He nodded satisfied until he froze and nearly dropped her as his brain managed to process what she had said. A d-d-date? That… That wasn’t what he had inten…
Suddenly Ruri began to tremble and for a moment he was afraid there was something wrong with her until she tilted back her head and gave out a clear, bright laugh. It… It was one of the prettiest sounds he had ever heard in his life, so pure and alive, and he couldn’t help but start smirking as well.
“Alright”, he said, resuming his way. “Just make sure you don’t fall for me, will you?”
Ruri giggled again as she tightened her grip in order to keep her balance. “Don’t worry. I will, my great super hero.”
His smiled softened and he looked back at the snowflakes falling down on the sidewalk in front of him. So… a date, huh? To his mild surprise he was looking forward to it.
When they reached the Hiragi residence fifteen minutes later, Shingo was surprised how quickly time had passed. For some reason talking to Ruri, listening to her pretty voice, had made him forget about her weight on his back or the weird looks of the people who passed them by. He continued to support her while she took out her key and opened the door, but when Ruri turned back to him, he ultimately had to let go of her.
“Are you sure I shouldn’t bring you inside?” he asked without much hope.
Ruri’s long, obsidian hair swayed elegantly as she shook her head. “No, I… I can handle the rest on my own.” Then an awkward smile flashed over her face.
“Oh. I see. Then… make sure to take a rest until you ankle has gotten well again.”
“Sure”, she replied. “Feel free to visit me sometime, New Neo Sawatari.”
She said the name in a way that made it obvious she was teasing him, but nevertheless he felt proud she had called him by that name. “Y-Yes. I will. Umm…” He didn’t want to leave just yet. He knew this was the moment to say goodbye, but… for some reason he felt reluctant to do so.
“What is it?” Ruri asked, tilting her head a little to give him an inquiring look.
Damn. It was as if every single word in his mind had fled from the sight of her beautiful, shining eyes. Just what did other people say at a time like this?
“Umm… I… I just wanted to apologise again for… running into you earlier.”
“Oh.” Her face spotted a surprised expression and he saw a faint blush arise on her cheeks. “As… As I told you before, I was the one who wasn’t looking. A-And…” She ducked her head for a moment, an awkward shimmer flickering in her eyes.
“Wh-What…?” he began, afraid he might’ve said something wrong again, when suddenly he was cut off by the sensation of Ruri’s soft lips on his cheek.
When she pulled away a brief moment later, his face was flushing red and he stared at her alight face, unable to decide whether what just happened had been real or just his imagination.
“Thank you, Shingo”, she muttered with a friendly, though a little embarrassed smile. “For carrying me. And… please don’t forget about the date you promised me.”
“Y-Yeah. I won’t”, he stuttered, his mind still too hazy to form a clear thought.
“Alright. Goodbye”, she said. And then, before he had the chance to make a reply, she slipped back into the house and closed the door.
Puzzled, he gazed after her for a few seconds. Slowly he brushed his finger across his cheek, recalling the warmth of her lips. It had been such a brief, fragile feeling, like a snowflake, only living on his skin for a moment before it melted away, and yet it was strong enough to make him burn from within, even now, long after it had disappeared.
“Goodbye”, he whispered and turned away, cracking a faint smile as he began to walk home.
He wouldn’t forget about his promise. Nor would he forget about her gift to him. It was something he’d treasure deeply, like the faint chill a snowflake left when it hit his skin. Faint and wonderful.