I do not own these characters. You should have figured that out,
silly.
~~~~~~~
One Day
By Murasakikaze
I was tired. Tired of saving people. Tired of leaving everything I
knew behind. Tired of trying to hide who I was. Now, I'm even more
tired because it's midnight on the turn of the year and I'm not with
the person I want to be with on this special moment. No, my "special"
person isn't here, nor would they ever be here. It didn't matter
anyway. It was their choice.
I stared into the mirror and ran a finger down my cheek. It was
wet.
Had I really been crying? I shook my head and hid my face from the
reflection. No, I didn't cry...not anymore. I'd never cry again, never.
There it was, the one thing I had been waiting for. The quiet knock
on the door and the clock outside chiming twelve times.
"Happy Year's End," I muttered and stood up. Yeah, happy. Real
happy. "Who's there?!"
My voice even sounded tired although I was trying to sound gruff.
"May I come in?" It was him. Oh, L-sama, did it have to be him?
Before answering, I pulled on my robe and splashed a little cold
water on my face. Maybe I could look like I was sleeping.
"Yeah, come on in," I sat down at the vanity and started writing in
the
brown leather bound book I always kept.
The door opened and a shadow fell across the table top. I was
going to look up, but I didn't have to. The red rose made its final
descent and landed with care upon the open pages. It was so
delicate and frail, just like him in a way. When I had recovered from
the
shock, I looked up and he was gone.
"You always were quiet..." I murmured and brought the rose to my
lips. "One day I'll tell you...one day..."
-----
I stood outside her door and listened for a moment. She still hadn't
moved. Perhaps it was wrong of me to give her that present, but I had
wanted to. If only the gods knew how much I wished I could see her
smile just once.
My feet made no noise as I crossed the hall and entered my room.
It was Year's End. I had heard the bells chime and the calendar on the
wall told me the day. So maybe it was time to start over again. Maybe
I could tell her...
I felt my hand shake involuntarily and realized that for once in my
life I was scared. Utterly terrified.
"I'll tell you one day...one day..." I whispered and pressed my hand
against the door.
-----
Both doors were closed. So he still hadn't told her, the old fool.
Even
I could tell that he had feelings for her and he was truly blind not to
see
her feelings. The way she hid her smiles from him and tried to quit
blushing every time he passed by.
I stopped for a moment in the hallway between the two doors. Two
people who loved each other so much had passed up yet another
chance. I sighed and kept walking. I had practice to attend to.
-----
"Zelgadis, could I speak with you for a moment?" I opened the door
and motioned for the young man to walk in. He did as I asked and
stood nervously by the exit as if expecting me to turn into some sort
of demon. What was he afraid of? "Have you seen him today?"
The boy shook his head and sighed. "Why don't you just tell him?"
I jumped and tried my best to cover it up. "Tell him what?"
Zelgadis shrugged and looked out the window at the starry night.
I knew I wasn't going to get anything out of him. He was always so
quiet and too caught up in his own quest to care about others. Damn
him, I thought and watched him leave.
-----
I stopped outside her room again and pressed my hand against the
door. Zelgadis had left a long time ago and I knew she had to be
asleep. I wouldn't have come otherwise. Silently, I entered and took a
seat by her bed. I did this often now; watched her sleep. I liked to
see her at peace for once. Not caring about all the quests we went on
or the cure. She was finally at ease when she slept.
The clock struck one and I got up to leave again. My hour was up. I
couldn't stay anymore. Her hand suddenly caught mine and I looked
down to see that she was still asleep.
Brushing the hair out of her eyes, I whispered to her what I had
always longed to say.
"I love you. Please understand."
I released her hand and turned away.
"I love you...Rezo."
I smiled and saw her turn over in her sleep. She talked a lot in her
sleep.
"Good night and Happy Year's End, Eris," I murmured and picked my
staff up, so as not to wake my little angel. "One day I'll tell you when
you're awake...one day..."
~owari
Please send Comments, Criticisms, and helpful hints to muteki@juno.com
They will be greatly appreciated while flames will be eaten by the logs
in my
fireplace.
Murasakikaze
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