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“Did you bring our favorite book?”
“I brought something better.”
Although the storm was causing the tent to sway wildly from side to side, Iruma was very confident that his home wasn’t going to fall. His house had survived worse disasters, so unlike other people in the slums, he wasn't worried about it being damaged. The heaviest rain and the most atrocious blizzards could come, but he had great faith that his tent would be standing up thanks to certain tricks he had learned to keep it stable.
However, his priority now wasn’t his home or his stomach, but to have his nightly reading and play session with Ameri. One loaf of bread was already enough to say he was full, plus the storm wasn’t a reason for him not to invite Ameri to his home. He waited for her for quite a while, but once she arrived, Iruma welcomed her with a hug, covered her with one of his blankets to dry her off, and lit a candle to keep them warm. She had brought a small box that she set aside, while the children began to talk about their day.
It was a typical night in the slums, with the only difference being that the outside was covered in mud and heavy raindrops. Normally they would build a few fires in front of the tent or stare at the sky until sleep forced them to go back inside to sleep, but this time they had to stay inside the tent all night to avoid catching a cold.
Still, it didn't seem to bother the kids; in fact, it looked like they were going to have a great night when Ameri said she had brought something amazing to show Iruma. She had found something in the trash that she had loved, and that she needed her friend to see.
Iruma watched as she pulled the small box closer to the two of them, which was decorated with drawings of magic wands and rainbows. Usually, she brought small things to Iruma's house like toys or bottle caps, but this time it was something different. Ameri started to open the box, and as she did, she started talking to her friend.
“Try to guess what is it.”
“Bread?”
“No.”
“Marbles?”
“You're getting colder.”
At 7 years old, their lives hadn't changed much. They were both still lost kids living in rough slums, surviving high levels of crime and danger, as well as learning the bad new things in life based on experience. The living conditions were terrible for a normal child, so objectively both didn’t have the best childhood.
But sometimes the innocence of a child and the company of someone could be enough to ignore their depressing reality. They had no electric lights, no solid roof over their heads, not even decent quality food, yet they were inspired every day by the thought of the great reward they would have if they “defeated the demons of the slums”. They did the impossible on a day-to-day basis to survive, and their reward was a night of reading and fun between the two of them. That was all they needed to be happy in the neighborhoods, and all that had been born thanks to their favorite story that they read almost every night.
Iruma kept thinking and trying to guess what Ameri had brought for quite a while, but none of his answers were correct.
“I give up.”
Just then, Ameri had finished opening the box. When she heard those words, she paused slightly and a few seconds later, she lifted an object into the air.
“Ta-da! I found a new book to read!”
It was a new kid’s story for both children. This time it was a good reward for surviving the demons of the slums. The cover showed an elegant looking girl and a boy wearing peasant clothes, with both holding a doll. Luckily the book wasn’t totally damaged; it had some dirty pages and certain torn pages, but the handwriting was legible, and the pictures were easy to decipher for both.
Iruma was thrilled by the book Ameri showed, being that his eyes sparkled when he saw the cover.
“How cool! Where did you find it, Ameri?”
“I found it in one of the boxes in the dumpster. And since it has a nice picture on the front, I thought you might like it.”
Ameri hadn't been wrong; just seeing Iruma's smile was enough to know she had done a good job of surprising him. She always loved seeing him happy, being that this was one of her motivations for moving forward in her day-to-day life. If Iruma was happy, she was happy too.
Normally they both liked to read the classic tale of the prince rescuing the princess who had been cursed by demons, but it seemed that this time fate had given them a chance for a change in the daily routine. Once they stopped admiring the book, they moved to their sleeping area. They both covered themselves with the blanket they had at the time, and once they were comfortable and close to the light of the candle, they began their nightly reading session.
“Are you ready Iruma? Pay attention.” Ameri turned her gaze into the book, while Iruma began to listen to her intently.
The story opened the door to a different world for them. The story was called “The Fire Princess.”. This one was about a princess who was in search of a future king so she could rule in peace and happiness; however, she had many false suitors who sought to be by her side only for power and riches.
The princess knew this just by looking at the looks on those people's faces, so she made an announcement. She would marry the one who brought her the most valuable, sincere, and adorable gift ever seen.
The princess's beauty was unique, so when the announcement came out, the search for that perfect gift began. For years, many people tried to win the princess's hand with rather expensive gifts. Gold, pearls, exclusive jewels from far-away lands. But none of them turned out to be something that caught her attention. Until one day, a gift arrived that managed to catch her attention, but not for the reasons one would think.
She had received a doll of her, but it was dirty and covered in ashes.
“Look! It's like the dolls we made with popsicle sticks.”
“Yes, but this one is made with cotton and buttons.”
Ameri continued with the story after making that clarification. The princess didn't know whether to feel praised or insulted, so she called the man who had given her that gift. When he arrived at the palace, the princess was serious and wanted to know if what she received was a prank, but it wasn't.
The young man told her that this gift had the 3 characteristics that she had said in her announcement. He had made it with everything he had in hand despite the limitations of his poverty, so it was a sincere gift; he had given it with all the love of his heart, something valuable in a person's relationship; and the image of the princess was the most adorable thing in that kingdom, so a small doll should be enough proof to show her how important she was to him.
But he added one more detail before he left. He wanted to see if she was someone who could really love him; he had already opened his heart to her, and he wanted the princess to do the same. He told her that only when she understood the true value of love, would this gift become a jewel before her. This left the princess enchanted and surprised. Only that moment was able to make her fall in love with him and from that moment on, she began to look for him to get his attention.
“I wish she would give us those expensive gifts. We could buy a lot of food or build houses for the people in the slums.”
“Me too. But remember Iruma, the heart in love is worth more than money and the riches of the world.”
The princess's love was so strong that she brought that doll everywhere. However, despite the gifts and luxuries she brought to the young man, he continued to act cold and unwilling to be her prince. Confused and losing hope of having her soulmate, the princess decided to go to the town's lake, not knowing what to do. She had no idea how to prove that she truly loved him; she had given him all the best riches in the kingdom, but the boy showed no signs of falling in love with her.
It was at that moment that an old man appeared who used to walk around the lake like a little guard of nature. He asked her what's wrong, and the princess, either because she was tired or because there was no point in continuing with her goal, told him her situation. The old man listened attentively, and that was where he gave her a little thought.
In love, it's fine to give some material things. But all of that is worthless if it isn’t accompanied by the pure essence of a relationship. The company, the attention, the simple presence of someone in ordinary situations. The princess realized that she had never been inclined to approach the young man to understand his feelings but only limited herself to giving gifts and hoping that would be enough. From the young man's perspective, that wasn't a sign that she was going to truly love him even though he had given his heart to that doll.
It was there that she discovered the true meaning of love. It was more than just gifts; it was giving affection and feelings to someone. She thanked the old man, and returned to the palace to prepare one last gift that she was sure the young man would like.
The next day, the boy received a small letter from the princess at his doorstep. It said that he needed to go to the mountain on the outskirts of the kingdom. The young man thought it was to pick up another pot of gold that the princess had left for him, but he was greatly surprised when he found her with a small picnic basket. She invited him to sit next to her, and while they ate, they began to get to know each other like a normal couple.
Between laughs and good food, they both began to realize that they had a lot of chemistry. The princess's manner and good nature made the young man feel safe, her aura and passion were hot like fire; warm and calm. There on that mountain, they both began their love story, finally discovering that their hearts deserved to be with each other. They might have had differences in their wealth, but they understood each other perfectly in their words and actions.
The princess doll was next to the basket during all that time, while above the heads of both, a rainbow began to appear that marked the prosperous future of the new royal couple.
“Look! There is a rainbow here too!”
The final page showed the image of the cover. The big difference was that the rainbow was above both and in the background, you could see the kingdom under the sun's glow. Underneath it all, there was a little moral: “True love is not measured by expensive things, but by the bar of a loving heart.”
“Did they defeat a dragon for that? I couldn't see one in the book.”
“Y-yes! It was because the dragon is invisible!”
Ameri still didn't know how rainbows were made, but she couldn't leave Iruma without an answer either. Her little lie about defeating a dragon to make a rainbow appear had gone too far, but she was sure that when she knew how to make one, she would tell Iruma the truth.
The children finished the story and began to reflect on what they had read. Sure, it wasn't a deep reflection like a professional reader, but they both loved to say what they liked about the book. Iruma turned out to be the one who ended up being the most enchanted by it, saying that the story between the princess and the peasant was very cute and admirable; and now they were finally going to live happily ever after just by seeing each other’s gestures at the end of the story.
The girl listened to Iruma speak without interrupting him. She loved how he was someone positive in every situation, even though everything around him was gray. He was someone optimistic, something she wanted to be in general. But it was very difficult when every day of her life she had to survive the hidden terrors in every corner of the slums.
Still, not everything was bad in that horrible life. Iruma was by her side, that was a good thing and it was something she never wanted to lose. Plus, he was one of the reasons she hadn't given up on just ending up as a victim of some dirty adult on the streets. Iruma had been her first loyal friend and the person she genuinely had fun with; it was thanks to him that she made her see that there was something in life to fight for. Also, it was with him that she understood how ambitious she could be to achieve her goals.
She started by bringing fresh wood so that they could both have a fire. Then she wanted to steal bread so that they both wouldn't die of hunger. Then she looked for some blankets so that they both wouldn't be cold. She looked for every possible way to achieve her goals, and she didn't rest until she felt satisfied. Indirectly, Iruma had been an inspiration to her. If he with that innocent personality could go so far in his goal of survival, she could do it too.
She had many things she wanted to accomplish in her life. One of her dreams was to see a rainbow in real life. To witness with her own eyes that wonder of nature and to be able to tell Iruma what they were really like. She also wanted to experience what true love was like. She wondered if at some point someone would open their heart like that young man did with the princess.
Maybe Iruma could be that wise person who would tell her who that right person would be, just like the old man in the story did. The moral was that she herself had to measure that with her heart, but even so, his word was something she wasn't going to set aside. In the end, she had to be careful about who her future prince charming was going to be.
Knowing love was nice. That story made her see that there could be a decent man out there, and that life could reward someone with wonderful things if one put their mind to it.
“Do you think we can live happily like those two? You know, live under a rainbow and with lots of riches.” asked Iruma.
“Of course! You already read the other books with me, there is always a happy ending for everyone. And you and I, we can make this place great.” Ameri replied.
However, no matter what kind of people she met in the future, Iruma would be the person she wanted to be by her side forever. She had always wanted to see him healthy and safe, but she knew that none of that was going to be possible if she didn’t get stronger. He was the princess who needed to be protected, and she wasn’t going to let the demons that roamed the slums curse him.
Also, they both wanted to improve the slums. If they wanted to make hunger extinct in that place, dying at that young age wasn’t going to be what they needed right now. Maybe in the future she would be able to see a rainbow and meet the love of her life. But for now, she was happy together with her best friend.
Iruma yawned, indicating that he had no energy left.
“You’re sleepy too, aren’t you?” Ameri said.
“Yes, today was a tiring day.” Iruma replied.
“Well, let me set up the blanket and we'll go to sleep, ok?”
Ameri spread the blanket that was covering them to use as their sheet for the night. Iruma, for his part, lay down on his small bed while waiting for Ameri to finish arranging the things for sleeping. It didn't take long, and after finishing that and putting her book in the box, she lay down next to his friend. She blew out the candle that illuminated the place and both children were left in the dark with the sounds of the storm surrounding their environment.
Tomorrow was another day of survival. They had to sleep early so that tomorrow they could look for the best food thrown on the streets, as well as make sure that no one stole their loot.
She had promised herself to protect Iruma. It was her current ambition and one of the reasons to remain strong in the face of all adversity. Their story had to continue standing, and she would fight to make sure that both lived in peace in that hell on earth.
They fell asleep under the sound of the rain, hugging each other and knowing that they had each other's backs…
“Ameri.” The girl heard a voice that brought her out of her sleep. “Hey, it’s time to wake up. You don’t want the slums to be without its leader for a day.”
“You like being my personal alarm, don’t you?” Ameri said after hearing her friend.
“Yes.” The boy answered while showing an innocent smile.
Once her eyes were fully open, she could see the reason for her awakening. There in front of her was Iruma, dressed in his classic dark jacket and equipped with his trusty survival knives. An innocent face that could be deceptive against his enemies, although in that case, he had only come to wake Ameri up. His trust with her was so big that he could enter her room just to wish her good morning, always having the respect due in certain cases.
Seeing the image of the blue-haired boy was enough for the girl to start her day wonderfully.
Iruma left the room to let Ameri get ready. She stood up and began to stretch her body to get ready and go to have breakfast, or at least what she considered one at first glance. She began to wash her hair and her face with water from the vases she used as a personal reserve. After that, she prepared to go out with her usual outfit, her boots and black jeans along with her main top.
With just that she already felt ready to start the day. Once she put on her jacket and set upher little horns on her hair, she left the room, being greeted by the gray dawn that covered the slums day by day.
“Welcome back boss. I'm glad to know that you slept well.” Iruma said after seeing his friend.
“Come on Iruma, you know that you can call me by my name.” Ameri laughed.
Both teens began to walk again through that place that they already knew like the back of their hand. The slums. Another day in their little oasis in the middle of a city ruled by the same demon king. It was very subjective to say that it was a comfortable place, but for those who lived there, those grounds were very safe and sacred to their integrity.
Still, although they walked at a light pace and enjoyed that quality time, they were always attentive to their surroundings. Both could walk and talk about fun things, but because they were the guardians of the slums, they had to remain alert for the threats that lurked around that place.
“They have been wanting to scare more kids, Ameri. Those men really want to take over the slums.”
“Then we will have to show them that they should not mess with us.”
At 14 years old, both teens experienced many changes; not only in their environment, but also in their thoughts and way of seeing life. They realized that the reason for the slum’s poverty wasn’t simply because of the poor location of the place, the horrible houses and the atrocious climate of the city, but it was also human selfishness.
They learned that the public administration turned a blind eye to the improvements of the place with the excuses that the reconstruction was too expensive. They thought they were going to be alone, until unknown investors wanted to acquire the slums; however, both discovered that they weren’t people of high trust, since the intentions of wanting the slums were not to improve it and give a better life to the children, but they wanted to turn the place into factories and put businesses that involved child exploitation in the loosest sense of the word. For Ameri and Iruma, that was simply going from one hell to another.
There they realized that the real demons weren’t those who lived in the neighborhoods, but disgusting adults who threatened the abandoned people and ruined the chances of the children of the place to grow up decently. And those “demons” weren’t only stalkers and drug dealers who roamed the alleys of the place; but also, those gangs that made chaos in the slums.
Babel, the mysterious Six Fingers, the police. It was an informal war that caused terror both in the city and in the slums. And in this last place, everyone had one goal; the control of the place for their own interests, knowing the vast size they could use for their constructions and hide acts of corruption and pure evil.
At the beginning, Iruma and Ameri didn’t really care if those mafias or the government killed each other for their own interests. But when those men began to scare their people and sought to take their land, they knew they had to do something to prevent it. From that moment on, they did everything possible to defend what was theirs, with Ameri being the head of the entire gang and Iruma being her trusted right hand.
The gang from the slums was at first glance the average group of rebellious children and teenagers, but Ameri made them fearsome. Just seeing her tattoos and the dark aura she emitted towards her enemies was enough to cause fear in anyone who wanted to face her.
Still, she wasn't someone 100% cold either. She also had her friendly and happy side, and that day everyone was going to see it, even if she didn't know it yet.
They arrived at the slum’s soup kitchen, where she was greeted with praise and smiles. She headed to the main table that her gang reserved for her, but first she made sure Iruma was in the seat next to her. Ameri was the leader of the gang, but she acted as if Iruma was the princess to protect. She needed him to be by her side so that he would be safe.
It was a curious situation, but Ameri was the head of the group and at the same time the boy's personal bodyguard.
Once she sat down and saw that Iruma was next to her, she began to wait for the rest of her friends to eat as a family. Smoke, Johnny, Kimaris, Sunny. They were, along with Iruma, an important part of her life, and they were loyal people who followed her to the end. Sure, they didn't share a huge feast like a normal family, but eating some peas with all of them made the morning memorable.
The girl saw around her everything she had started to build years ago. People who supported each other, children who sought to fulfill their ambitions. She had to be that strong leader to offer everyone great opportunities, and she knew that everything was going well just by looking at the soup kitchen she managed to make with good teamwork and cooperation with small vendors who passed by the slums from time to time.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Iruma who tuned his voice in front of her and began to speak.
“Well, Ameri, since you're here, it's time to talk about some personal matters. Topics that involve you.”
“Why do I have the feeling that you are going to tell me bad news?”
“Don’t worry.” Iruma said with a small laugh. “You are someone smart and cautious, but this time this isn’t something bad. In fact, it is something that will make you excited because it seems that you forgot about it.”
Normally in any topic that involved her, Iruma prioritized telling Ameri everything without hesitation and almost immediately. But this time everything had been different and Iruma waited a long time to tell the situation that he had hidden; that was why she was surprised. She didn’t know why he kept private what he had to say for a while and didn’t tell her along the way what was happening, so it made sense that she was intrigued by Iruma’s action.
However, those thoughts of hers vanished when Iruma began to pick something up from under the table. It was a small pink box. He opened it and took out a small strawberry muffin with a candle.
“Happy birthday Ameri!”
Ameri couldn't hide her blushing face. She had thought Iruma was going to mention something common like some business with another local gang or even a report of attacks by the city's mafias. But it was just something she had totally forgotten, her birthday. The surprise on her face was even more immense when she remembered that day thanks to her right-hand man.
“I'm sorry I didn't greet you when you woke up, but it wasn't going to be a nice surprise if everyone in the slums greeted you separately. I know that normally you just want to spend your special day with me, but you deserve a special moment for being that girl who has fought for us for a long time.”
There Ameri realized that everyone had expected Iruma to give her the muffin to congratulate her on her birthday. Everyone started clapping for the boss, shouting her name in unison. She could even see that the rest of her friends had started to bring little party blowers and balloons to celebrate her day.
For that girl who always faced every obstacle in the way, she deserved a nice birthday and a celebration with smiles and applause.
The funny thing was that Ameri didn't know if that day was her birthday. When Iruma asked her years ago when her birthday was, she said a random day and thought it was enough for him to know. She wasn't sure when her special day was because she could never have contact with her family, but she didn't want to leave the boy without an answer either.
Normally that day was only to spend it with Iruma exclusively and she never did anything big; or she just treated her birthday as a normal day. But she never expected that that day he would throw her a party with the rest of the slums. She was just hoping to spend a quiet day like every year, but this time Iruma made her birthday very special.
She always told herself that Iruma was the greatest blessing in her life. And every day, he surprised her with gestures and actions that made his presence very special. She couldn't believe it; not only was she celebrating her birthday with a large group for the first time, but she had also received a muffin like those she read about in her stories when she was younger. Those things were very expensive for her, and the fact that Iruma had gotten one of those muffins was something she hadn't expected at all.
Ameri was the strength and motivation of the gang, the one who inspired hope in everyone who lived there. But all of that was thanks to Iruma being by her side; he was the voice of reason for Ameri. He was the boy who accompanied her in making decisions and who made that grey place more colorful for her.
He had saved her from a contract that could have ruined her name and her main ambition of improving the slums. He helped her with business deals she did with other people outside her family so that she wouldn't make serious mistakes. He was even her playmate in the few free moments she had and gave her advice on how to be optimistic in life. That's why Iruma was someone important in her life.
She had always been afraid that he would lose his life in that war they were having. She was afraid of losing her knight in the battle against those demons that threatened her home, just like in her book. But Iruma had skills that surprised her, he was someone who adapted to any situation and seemed to have supernatural abilities to avoid all dangers.
Even so, she wasn’t going to stop being the one who was going to cover his back until the end of her days. The best luxury and blessing of that life was having Iruma by her side, so she was going to do everything possible to make that time eternal.
The party was somewhat small due to limited resources. However, that didn’t stop them from enjoying a few joyful moments. The slums sang her a happy birthday and watched as she blew out her candle on the muffin that Iruma had given her. Some children oversaw looking around to make sure that Ameri had a peaceful day, they didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. But luckily, this time there were no planned attacks by her enemies, so she had a good time with all her loved ones. Indirectly, that was God's gift for her birthday.
A while later, it was time for the official gifts. It was no secret that Ameri made certain people fall in love with her, her beauty was radiant, and she was the girl who captivated anyone with her strength and personality. Everyone wanted the opportunity to be admired by the great Ameri, even some boys wanted to be her love partner. Therefore, many took advantage of her birthday to open their hearts in unique ways.
She didn’t expect to receive anything, but there were many young people from the slums giving her what she deserved for her day, including people who sought to win her heart with something of great value. She received many gifts; some hand-sewn clothes, weapons made with the strongest materials of the place, flowers along with special notes for her, among other things.
Although they weren’t exactly luxury gifts, for her who lived in the slums, they were the best things she could receive on her special day. It was Iruma's turn to give the gang leader a present. Ameri was surprised when Iruma approached her to give her another box; she didn't expect that this one had brought something more than the muffin. With a little more excitement than before, she received it from his hands and without hesitation began to open it.
She looked inside. It was a talisman that had the shape of Ameri. And in one of her hands, there was a small stick that held a drawing of a rainbow.
Ameri didn't know how to react, but she had in mind that she wanted to express something positive. Iruma's gift might have been a simple one, but for some reason, she had loved it more than what all her friends had given her.
“You still want to make a rainbow shine here, right?” Ameri told him.
“Yep. Besides, I know how much you like them, Ameri, that’s why I put that drawing next to your gift.” Iruma replied.
“If only this place was blessed, we would be able to see that every day.”
Although they now knew how rainbows were made, they knew that it was very difficult for them to appear in the slums because the sunlight almost never came out. Still, Iruma wanted to assure her that everything was possible in this life. He didn’t forget that seeing a rainbow was one of Ameri’s dreams and he sought to give her hope for her soul.
Ameri could see that the gift was, like many others, handmade. She could see that Iruma took a long time to make it due to the amount of cotton and thread that was in the talisman. However, he had captured her figure perfectly; long hair, black clothes, he even added a small detail of a tie, although she never wore one. Still, the rainbow was the part of her gift that impressed her the most.
“I still know that you want to see a rainbow. And even though our home isn’t the best place to see one, I wanted to bring you a little closer to that dream with this drawing. I know that rainbows are close and at the same time far away from us, but hey, I wanted to do my best so that you wouldn’t forget something that you taught me since we were younger.”
Iruma didn’t know it, but now Ameri no longer only wanted to see a rainbow with her own eyes as a main dream. She wanted something more. She wanted to have something that was very close to her, but at the same time very far away.
Iruma.
The girl had had mixed feelings for years, but she could no longer deny it. She had fallen in love with Iruma. She didn't know when those little leaps in her heart had started when she saw him, but from that moment on, she began to see him in a different way. He was the prince charming that fate had given her. He knew her perfectly, understood her feelings and loved being by her side as her right-hand man. Everything about him was perfect, and she couldn't think of another person as incredible as Iruma.
It was there that she began to remember certain stories from when she was a little girl. Especially one, the story of the princess of fire. That story was one of those they used to read every night years ago since she found that book and that they both knew by heart. She remembered the scene of the young peasant who gave a doll to the princess. It was there where technically the young man revealed his love to the girl, and a curious adventure began so that both hearts became one.
She began to link everything she read in past years. This time it wasn’t just one gift, but three gifts. A high-value party, a talisman made with sincere affection and an adorable wish for a rainbow she always wanted to see.
Had he fallen in love with him and she didn't know it? Was he about to escort her to the palace like in the story they read as children? Or was he going to challenge her to win his heart?
That gift was enough to confirm her feelings internally and at the same time made her imagination fly. However, she couldn't say at that moment that she wanted Iruma to be her boyfriend or even think about it. It could be a terrible move for her life, so she just continued with the rainbow topic. She was still a little afraid of what he thought about that subject, so for now it was better to be friends.
Iruma woke her from her thoughts when she had been silent for a long time.
“Ameri?”
“Oh, erm, don’t worry Iruma. I was just remembering something. Thank you, really. I loved this gift.” She said with a smile and a little blush.
She couldn’t hide that expression from her face in front of everyone, but she didn’t mind being seen with that expression. She was happy because Iruma had made her birthday something festive, something very memorable for her life. But she wanted more. She wanted to live that adventure from her childhood stories with him. And now, if she had to fight for his heart, she was going to do it without hesitation.
“I’m glad you liked it!” Iruma said excitedly. “And well, whenever you want, we could go somewhere alone one of these days. You know, when there aren’t too many attacks on the place.”
It seemed that even fate was going to help her in her ambition. Those words from the boy didn’t help bring her imagination down from the sky, but they made the girl herself blush even more. This time she did have to do her best to show herself as the Ameri of always. She calmed her mind and took a deep breath, and with a little more seriousness, she answered his question.
“Sure Iruma, I would love to.”
The line of gifts continued for a long time, and she kept receiving many more great things, as other people wanted to show their love for the leader. But none of those gifts could finally surpass Iruma's; from that moment on, he had already won Ameri's heart, but no one knew it.
Ameri didn't realize it, but she was measuring her love with her heart, as well as the story she had read years ago.
The teens continued celebrating Ameri's birthday with the rest of the slums, laughing and observing the beauty of their humble home. The girl couldn't deny that, although it was only the first hour of the morning, her day was already perfect.
For his part, Iruma smiled to himself, knowing that he made Ameri happy on her special day. However, he didn't want her dream to remain just words. Now he had a goal; to do everything possible so that she could see a phenomenon of nature with her own eyes.
And he was going to do it. Whatever it takes.
“Ameri! You came!”
“Of course I was going to come. If it was something about you, I wasn’t going to leave you hanging.”
She was a few minutes late, but still, it didn’t seem like it bothered her friend. Iruma understood that she had heavy things to do as the boss, so her tardiness was justified. This time, he asked her to meet him in front of the water tower of the slums where he was waiting for her with two small chairs together; one for each of them. Next to him, Ameri could see that there was a small box that for now she decided not to mention anything.
When Ameri heard her friend’s request to meet the two of them alone, she was totally excited. She finished all her duties early and her friends took care of covering her in the rest of the things for that day that were missing. Once she was free, she decided to get ready to see Iruma, which cost the girl a lot of time. That was the real reason why she had arrived late.
At that moment, she was wearing something completely different from her normal clothes. A light purple dress with small heels that made her look even taller. Those were clothes that she was able to get with a lot of effort and with the help of Smoke, clothes that she only wanted to wear on very special occasions.
That day was the perfect opportunity. Sure, it was very difficult to walk around the slums in those clothes, but the situation warranted that she showed him another facet other than the gang leader.
The reason why she was dressed that way? It was February 14th.
“Wow, that dress…”
“I-it’s a dress that Smoke helped me get. Plus, I need to wash the rest of my clothes later, so I had no choice.”
“You look so lovely.” Iruma said, smiling and with all the sincerity in the world.
This made Ameri blush. Normally she received incredible compliments from many people, but Iruma’s words were the only ones that could make her mind fly through the air. She felt very special hearing that coming from him.
“D-do I?”
“Yes.”
The truth was that she was looking forward to that day with excitement. It was Valentine’s Day after all, the day of love and friendship. It seemed that Iruma also remembered it because of the casual clothes he was dressed in; it wasn’t his typical slums outfit when they went out to patrol the area. However, even though it was the day of love and friendship, she didn’t know exactly if Iruma had invited her to celebrate that day or simply wanted to talk about something else.
Even though they were both 17 years old, Iruma was still a bit naive to the world and had yet to discover a few more things. When he first heard about the celebration, he thought it was only limited to loving and official couples. It never crossed his mind, or he never wanted to accept that this day could also involve genuine friendships. And he continued to believe that until today, something that Ameri didn’t understand why. Love was love, just like in the books she read in her childhood.
Still, it didn’t matter if he had a wrong idea about February 14th. Just knowing that she was the most important person in Iruma's life was enough for her for now. However, Ameri didn’t want to lose hope for their future romance.
“Don't act like a fool! Not on this day!”
It was already a fact that she had fallen in love with him, and at that moment she wanted to think that she would be in front of a declaration of love or something similar. But she shouldn't freak out, she knew Iruma was very innocent and maybe he wanted her for something different.
She decided to calm down, so she sighed and sat down next to Iruma. Now they were both watching the beautiful sunset of their home.
“This is the perfect time.” Iruma started to say. “Now that we're both here, I have something I need to tell you.”
“Tell me something? About what?”
“Do you remember that you always told me about the differences between ideal and ambition?”
That topic was something Ameri always reminded him about. She wanted him to have goals to pursue, objectives that he had now in the present so that he could face the threats of the future.
“Yes, I remember. Why do you say that?”
“Well, my ideal has always been to see everyone happy in the slums. To make sure no one goes hungry. And to fulfill that ideal, I had to make my own ambitions to make that a reality. It’s something I’m proud to have accomplished almost entirely with you by my side.”
The changes in the slums were something significant to Iruma. There were finally small brick houses for certain abandoned people, the soup kitchen managed to have a better supply, and although the war between the factions of the city continued, the people of the slums were able to leave everyone with a clear message: They weren’t going to be defeated by some dirty adults.
Ameri had always been the head of that project along with Iruma, although it was him who helped making sure that their projects were well planned. They both helped each other, and they had finally fulfilled their main ambition. However, Ameri could see that little by little, Iruma wanted to do more for the slums. He wanted to always help in a genuine way no matter what happened.
“You’ve always been someone greedy. You know that? You were the one who helped the most with moving all the projects we did. You wanted to do too many things to see us all with a smile.”
“Eh? N-no, no, I was just helping you with certain ideas and doing some small things. You were the one who directed all of us. You’re the one who made us confident in this whole project.”
“Well, even if we don’t agree on who did the most, at least we fulfilled all of our ambitions that we had as children.” She said laughing at Iruma’s answer. “Improving the neighborhood and making our entire family happy. It’s not yet a luxurious place like those aristocrats, but it’s enough for us.”
She expected Iruma to answer something else, but for a moment, everything fell silent. She turned her gaze at him, wondering if she had said something wrong.
“What happened?”
“Actually, I still need one more thing to be at peace with myself. At least for now. That's why I invited you here.”
Ameri was intrigued by his friend's words. In fact, she was surprised to see how Iruma blushed a little at that moment.
“There's something I've always wanted to do. Something I haven't forgotten until now, and I'm sure you haven't either. To see a rainbow here. And I know it's very difficult because sunlight doesn't reach the slums. However, I don't want that to be an obstacle that ruins this special moment.”
The girl remembered again that dream they both had as children. Seeing a rainbow over the slums. At that point in her life, she still had to see one; however, it didn't affect her if she died and never got to see one. But Iruma didn't seem to be calm about that topic. He wanted to make it possible to see a rainbow over that hell on earth.
“For a long time, I thought I just wanted to see a rainbow. But I realized that what I really wanted most was to be by your side. Because, besides, I have discovered something. We… are like soul mates, just like the prince and princess of our stories.”
Ameri didn’t expect to hear those words from Iruma. Out of nowhere, the direction of his sentences focused on her. She was surprised to see how Iruma was sounding… different.
“You have always told me that, to fulfill my ideals, I must fight for them. And thanks to your inspiration, I was able to make this possible. I want this ambition that I am about to fulfill to be one that you see with your own eyes. One that I am sure will make you and me happy. And at the same time… I want it to be a sign of the new future that I want to make with you.”
At that moment, Iruma took out a slingshot with a slightly heavy rock. He prepared the projectile and aimed it at an area of the water tower, a sensitive area of it that could knock the structure down. Ameri did nothing to stop him, at that moment, Iruma looked fantastic using that weapon that made the girl unable to react.
Iruma threw the rock, landing perfectly on the sensitive area of the tower. It made the beams become unbalanced and made the tower fall to the ground a few seconds later. Luckily, they were in a safe area and did not receive any damage. Ameri briefly woke up from her trance when she saw the small mess Iruma made but was again enchanted when she looked at the sky.
The fall of the tower, the rebound of the glass objects and the time of day made possible something she didn’t expect to see at all. A rainbow. There, a few meters away from her, a rainbow was shining in her head. It was a phenomenon that everyone in the slums could see, but Ameri was seeing it from the closest position.
Ameri couldn't believe her eyes. She was mesmerized by such a beautiful scene that she didn't care that the water tower had fallen.
“Here it is, Ameri, what we wanted so much. A rainbow.”
She could see that Iruma had worked hard to make that whole scene possible. He planned the perfect time, prepared the right weapon for the situation, even positioned the chairs in a place where they could witness that phenomenon in the most incredible way possible. The rainbows in her stories were great to see, but a real one… was simply fantastic.
“And I think you were right in the end.” Iruma spoke again a few seconds later, making Ameri turn around. “Maybe Valentine's Day is also made for friendships, and we've always been close friends since we were kids. However, I don't want us to be that anymore, Ameri. I want us to celebrate this Valentine's Day as a happy couple. Just like in the stories we read as children.”
Her ears weren’t deceiving her. Iruma was asking her to be his girlfriend. Now she understood what he was saying a few moments before. She didn’t know how to respond, but she wanted to make sure if what he said was true or if he was just teasing her.
“Are you sure about this, Iruma?”
“My new ideal is that we both be happy forever. And if I must fight for your heart, I will.”
Those words had confirmed everything. Iruma had fallen in love with her. She thought she was dreaming, but reality said otherwise. That invitation he had made her had been to make a declaration of love. There was no doubt.
She already knew where her friend was going, and although she wanted to go crazy and hug him very tightly, she decided to wait for that special moment to become official.
“Throw your question Iruma.” She spoke.
As soon as Ameri finished saying those words, Iruma prepared to say the words he had kept hidden for a long time.
“Would you like to be my princess from our childhood stories?”
“Of course, my dear knight Iruma.”
And there at that moment, just like in the tale of the fire princess, both teens kissed each other under the rainbow. Both enjoyed that special little moment, each other's lips were sweet, and they didn't want to separate at all. They wanted time to last forever and for them to stay in that position forever, but they knew that soon people would come to see what had happened at the water tower.
Both young people ended their kiss, blushing but happy about what they had just done. Iruma, on the one hand, was jumping with joy internally. He had killed two birds with one stone. He made it possible for Ameri to see a rainbow, and at the same time he was able to declare his love very successfully. His blushing face hid many more feelings, feelings that he didn't want to deny at all.
However, it was Ameri who was the most excited. Her dream of living a fantasy story with Iruma had come true. She had become his partner under a rainbow, just like at the end of the story of the fire princess. It was the same situation as the princess and the peasant; both in love, but with small challenges to confirm their love.
Still, in her mind she didn't know at that moment who was who. She had no idea if Iruma was the wise man in the story, the prince, or the princess. In fact, she didn't know what her role had been either. But that didn't matter. The only thing she had to consider was that from that moment on they were a loving couple.
“You know that after this you'll have to fix the tower, right?”
“Yeah, don't worry. I'll figure out a way to reinforce it to avoid knocking it over.”
“You won't be alone in this Iruma. I'll help you, alright?”
“Alright.”
Some young men began to arrive to see what had happened. They approached Iruma and Ameri asking how they were, and luckily, they looked fine. They told them that there had been a small accident with the water tower, but they shouldn't worry. They would take care of the repairs in the end.
But they never mentioned anything about their kiss or the reason why they were dressed casually. Their love had to come out little by little, and for now, they had taken the first steps correctly. They knew they had a great future ahead of them, and they would be together defending their home until death took them away.
Ameri was finally living a dream come true. She had the love of her life and that whole special moment was under a rainbow. She always thought that the slums were a cursed place, but Iruma made her see that there could be a positive side to life.
Iruma was her greatest blessing. And she was sure that they would both live happily ever after. Just like in the stories they read as children.