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Rui started a garden.
A very small one, at that. Only a few flowers were planted, and none of them have begun to grow. They remained hidden under the soil— waiting, waiting for their time of shine. Flowers were beautiful— yet terribly shy creatures. They needed time and patience to fully bloom, so it was expected none of them would pop up on the first day they were planted.
Or so, that was what Rui told Emu.
Emu was fascinated with Rui’s garden; she was fascinated with watching him work. Rui was a magician, with his gentle hands. His gloved hands cast spells as he delicately tended to the soil. As he casted his spells, one after another, he would tell Emu tales about the flowers; they always left her in awe.
“These little ones are called Ipomoea purpurea,” Rui explained. Rui’s voice was a milk way; Emu always melted into it.
“Ipopo…” Emu tested out the unfamiliar name.
“They are called purple morning glory as well.” Rui added.
“Wow…” Emu’s face glowed. “These flowers will grow to be purple like Rui!”
Rui nodded, making Emu bounce up suddenly with excitement.
“Rui should plant flowers for all of us! Tsukasa… Nene…” Emu dug through Rui’s collections of seeds. The exhilarating thought brought bubbles into her chest that flew all the way down to her fingers. Whenever the bubbles came to her fingers, she couldn’t help but flap with joy.
“Of course, I’ll plant flowers for Emu as well.” Rui hummed, his eyes focused on his work.
Emu melted.
Satisfied with his work, Rui stood up and stretched. The two of them were left looking at the soil; carrying hopefulness and pride in their chests. Emu couldn’t wait to see the purple flowers— see how much they matched Rui’s soul. Emu ended up giggling to herself, rocking back and forth as she imagined everyone in Wonderland x Showtime getting their own flowers.
“Oh? What is making my silly little jokester laugh this evening?” Rui asked playfully as he packed up.
“Everyone is going to have their own flowers, it makes me so happy!” Emu explained as she rocked back and forth. “Oh, oh Rui! We should do a show with flowers! The stage can be a whole garden!”
Emu jumped up as she chatted about her vision. A beautiful stage decorated with flowers… It was one of her dream shows. The flowers would act alongside them, making it one of the greatest shows they have done yet.
“If that is what you wish, I will make sure it comes true.” Rui bows, and they both giggle.
Suddenly, Rui turned back to his garden supplies, fishing something out. He pulled out a pair of gloves, along with a watering can.
“Here, why don’t you help me out with the garden?” Rui handed the supplies over to Emu.
“Really? Really? Can I?” Emu grabbed the supplies as if it was the greatest gift she was ever given. They felt so perfect and warm in her hands; they felt like the passion and enthusiasm that Rui carried with him whenever he tended to the garden.
“Of course.” Rui nodded. “I’ll teach you how to take care of them. Maybe you could grow your own garden, someday. I’m sure it will turn out lovely.”
Emu would like that. Emu would like that a lot.
She nodded excitedly. “I want to learn about flowers and gardens from Rui! Then, I’ll grow my own flowers for the show!”
Rui let out a soft laugh; Emu could listen to that laugh for ages. “Then it’s a plan. Let’s do our best, Emu.”
“Aye aye captain!” Emu cheered, causing both of them to snicker.
Emu looked back at the garden— which remained a pile of soil. Even so, just the soil looked beautiful to Emu then, glowing in the sunset. The seeds waited beneath it, and Emu knew they were just as excited to grow as she was excited to see them. They would make great members of Wonderland x Showtime— that, Emu was sure of.
She left the garden that day with nothing but pride and joy in her chest. As she put a hand to her warm chest, she knew she had to put this feeling into her next show, so she may spread it with everyone who comes to watch.
The day they present the flowers on stage will be the day where everyone who comes to Phoenix Wonderland will leave with a big smile on their face.
————
“And so,” Rui hummed, looking at the script. “In this scene Tsukasa will jump into the rocket, flying into the sky to save the falling flowers like the charming superhero he is.”
“Yes, yes of course.” Tsukasa nodded. Then his face turned pale. “Wait— no I won’t! I refuse to be launched in the air again after last time!”
“Oh, but Tsukasa—” Rui smiled. “Wouldn’t it be so impressive to the audience to see their star fly?”
Tsukasa hummed. “I suppose it would—“ then he shook his head. “No. It wouldn’t.”
Rui sighed. “Then I suppose Emu should play the part— she always wanted to be launched by a rocket.”
“I do!” Emu added, nodding enthusiastically.
“No!” Tsukasa exclaimed. “I’ll play the dangerous role; it is fitting for a star such as myself.”
Then, he struck a pose.
Nene grumbled as she sat and watched. “Are you done with the casting? I’d like to go over the script now…”
The troupe nodded in agreement, joining Nene with their own scripts in hand. They spent the rest of the afternoon doing just that: Going over lines, placements, even discussing props at times. The flowers had not been placed on the stage yet, so they had plastic ones to practice with. Of course, they would not use the real ones until the real show began.
Emu had confidence, though— she and Rui had been working so hard on their gardens. She had learned so much, from the different types of flowers there were, to the soils they preferred, even the amount of water and care each one needed. Emu would be a flower expert in no time— she couldn’t wait to impress Rui with all of the flowers she had been growing on her own at home.
Surely, that would leave the biggest smile on his face, and she would completely melt into it like a cotton candy cloud.
The weeks of practice went by quickly, Emu could hardly believe it when she was waiting backstage with a beating heart and a determination to put on a good show. In the darkness of the backstage, she could just barely see her troupe mates, who waited beside her. Their faces weren’t very clear, but Emu knew. She knew how they felt the same as her, as the air carried that feeling and filled the whole room.
Finally, Rui stepped onto the stage, ready to give their introduction. Although she could not see the stage, Emu could hear Rui’s clear voice through the microphone, greeting the audience and thanking them for coming, before explaining how much the show meant to them. Although the audience was quiet, she could feel their excitement, and their full attention on the stage.
Rui wrapped up his speech, earning him a chorus of claps and cheering. Emu imagined Rui bowing to them, a soft smile on his face. Finally, she saw Rui step backstage. He gave her a small tap on the shoulder.
”You’re up.” his eyes told her.
Emu nodded.
Holding on to that warm, bubbling feeling in her chest, Emu took a deep breath. Then, she flapped her hands up and down for a bit— a habit she developed in her early days of acting.
Finally, she stepped onto the flower decorated stage, embracing the light and the love that this small play contained. She knew then that she could do it— give everyone in the audience a smile that will stay with them forever.
And maybe— just maybe, her smile will float it’s way to Rui, as a thanks for all he had done.