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Nature’s colors were changing again. Hints of green speckled branches once crowned with Valak white. Perplexing as it had been to see that white outside the mountain, Shulk had been growing accustomed to its lingering presence, though not as fully accustomed as he would have liked: he still found himself caught off-guard by mounds of snow. Should his head hang too low, should his eyes remain fixed on the ground, should the melting heaps of white be just thin enough to resemble a person’s shoe...
Time in the new world brought with it different colors, but never did it bring him – only reminders of him, in the white of the snowy mounds, in the grays of a coming storm, in the red of a freshly fallen leaf. Now the leaves appeared to be returning in the familiar green of the old world – the green of a fleeting memory shining brightly at his side.
Sometimes he could see that same green flowing in aurora of the night sky. There was no aurora above him now. Stars faded steadily into the jeweled tones of dawn, crisp wind pronouncing the oncoming of the sun. His mind was full of more thoughts than normal, enough to get him moving so early in the morning. He’d walked quite some ways away from Colony 9, though not far enough to reach untrodden paths. A mound of snow stood just ahead. It must have once been quite large, to still survive long after –
No. No, that wasn’t snow. That… that was a person’s shoe, a pair of boots laced around blue trousers, of a similar shade of white as the vest that sat beneath a red crystal, framed by hints of gold and wisps of gray. Shulk stopped in his tracks, staring as his mind slowly came to accept that the colors he had found scattered across time now stood before him in a single person.
“Al… Alvis?”
Alvis nodded, a small, hesitant grin spreading across his lips.
Shulk’s legs suddenly felt as light as they had once been leaden, but he could not decide whether to stay where he stood or rush closer to the man who had unexpectedly crossed paths with him again – the man whose presence, he realized, he’d been yearning for, searching for in the colors of the new world.
As if sensing his hesitation, Alvis spoke: “I apologize for my absence, Shulk. I have been resting.”
“Ah. That makes sense,” Shulk said, his legs guiding him closer to where Alvis stood. “I imagine making a new world must be exhausting.”
“Very.”
“Are you all rested up now?” Shulk asked, stopping within arm’s reach before Alvis.
“Not quite,” Alvis replied, “but well enough that I thought I would… seek out company.”
“We miss you, too, Alvis.”
Alvis tilted his head, a quietly bemused expression overtaking his face. As if to ask… was what Shulk said true? Was it “we” who missed Alvis… or was it just Shulk? “You are up fairly early,” said Alvis. “The sun has not yet risen.”
“Thought I’d take a walk to clear my mind.”
“Are you troubled by something?”
The subtle furrow of Alvis’s brow – was he concerned for Shulk? Shulk wouldn’t say that he was “troubled”, per se, but… was that because what was troubling him now stood before him? Perhaps.
He shook his head, grinning softly. “It’s not bothering me anymore,” he replied.
“That is good to hear,” Alvis said, looking somewhat relieved. “And the world: do you find its state… agreeable? Have there been any. Mishaps?”
“Well… The weather’s gotten stranger. It got quite cold a few weeks ago. As cold as the mountain! And--”
“The colors of the trees changed, did they not? From green to red, yellow, brown – then nothing.”
“Yeah! That exactly.”
“And now the leaves are growing back.”
“So you do know what’s happening, don’t you?”
Alvis nodded. “They are called ‘seasons’. They occurred in my home due to the planet’s rotation around the sun.”
“The planet’s… Er. I’m not quite sure I understand.”
“It goes beyond any understanding as would be natural for a being from Bionis. Due to the cycle of death and rebirth caused by Zanza, research as to the worlds beyond this world were--” Alvis stopped and smiled. He could tell everything he was saying was going well over Shulk’s head. “Perhaps that is a story for later. Are you enjoying the seasons, Shulk? I hope that winter was not unkind.”
“If you meant the season that just passed – it was a little scary, but we all got through it.”
“I apologize. I should have informed you about the change before I entered repose.”
“Ha. I know I forget plenty when I’m tired. I’ll forgive you.”
“Understood,” Alvis said, his expression unreadable. “I know you said that you are not troubled, but… how are you faring, Shulk?”
“As well as I can--”
Without you.
Shulk lowered his gaze, hoping Alvis couldn’t read his thoughts.
“Is that… good or bad?” asked Alvis.
“I’m getting by.”
“I… hope that is a good thing. I came to you because I wanted to see how you are doing in your new world.”
“Is that so?” Shulk said, meeting Alvis’s gaze one more.
“Yes, I…” This time, Alvis broke eye contact.
It was so… unusual, to see him this way. Uncertain. Unprepared. Nervous? He wasn’t afraid, but he seemed a bit out of his depth. Not used to having a normal conversation with Shulk, perhaps. Or was it that he wanted to ask something more of him, but wasn’t certain how to phrase himself? Shulk looked down at Alvis’s hands, hanging stiffly at his sides.
Shulk… wasn’t quite sure what possessed him. To reach out and lightly touch Alvis’s fingers with his own. The mild shock on Alvis’s face was… unexpected. Refreshing? Amusing? Yes, he could feel the chuckle escaping his throat.
“Sorry if that was too forward,” Shulk said. He tried to pull his hand away – only to feel Alvis’s fingers lightly curl around his, stopping Shulk’s hand from escaping.
Alvis looked away once more. Shulk wasn’t quite sure why he thought this way, but he felt that, somehow, Alvis would be blushing… if he could. It made him smile just a little more.
“Do you… want to come with me, perhaps? Back to Colony 9?”
“If you would have me,” Alvis said with a small smile.
“I… I’d love to have you,” Shulk said softly. “I’ve… I… I’ve missed you a lot, actually. I have so many questions, of course, but I. If you’d let me. Spend more time with you, then I’d. I’d like to show you this new world.”
Alvis closed his eyes, his smile growing broader. “Alright, Shulk,” he said, his thumb rubbing gently against Shulk’s fingers. “Please lead the way, and show me your new world.”