Wolf's Rain Fan Fiction ❯ The Frozen Lunar Flower ❯ A Moonlit Stroll ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 1
A young girl with dark hair lay curled up on her bed, reading a book and drinking a cup of tea. Her eyes, a bright blue,flew over the printed words, then she eagerly turned the page. Her room was pretty normal for that of a seventeen year old; drawings, posters, and photos covered her walls, wolf and other animal figurines stood on her bookshelf and desk, while a stack of magazines supported her reading lamp.
Two hours later, she closed her now completed book and stretched out on her back, looking at the plain, white ceiling of her room. It was late at night, but she wasn't sure exactly what the time was. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked at her digital clock. The bright green numbers read 12:16.
"Wow, I guess I've been reading longer than I thought," she yawned, putting her feet to the floor and picking up her glass that was once filled with tea and began to make her way to the kitchen. Along the hallway, there was a large window, and through the sheer curtains, she could see the full moon. It was a round, silver disk that never escaped her eyes, although why, she wasn't sure. Her cat, Miko, rubbed his back against her legs as she continued to walk to the kitchen.
She set her glass in the sink, but found herself gazing at the moon again. It wasn't weird to her, but for some reason she felt compelled to do something different tonight. Quietly, she walked as quickly as she could back to her room, slipped on her black jacket and a pair of boots, then grabbed her house key and a few dollars and walked out the back door. The frozen-over snow crunched under her boots, but it sparkled almost like diamonds when the moonlight hit the ground.
"Maybe I should have worn pants instead," she said as she stopped for a minute and began rubbing the parts of her thigh that were exposed to the air.
"Yeah, it's almost twenty degrees out here," said a male voice. She looked up at the boy who spoke. He had light brown hair, that appeared very messy, but was cute in a way. His eyes were obviously brown, but had an almost amber tint to them. "I mean, it is snowing."
She laughed. "Yeah, I guess it is. I've never seen you in this neighborhood before, are you new?"
"Naw, I don't live here. I guess you could say I like to get around at night. My name's Hige, by the way."
"I'm Blue," she said, then laughed. "I know it's a weird name and all, but it's all people call me."
"I don't think it's that weird," said Hige. "I mean, you're eyes are that colour, so you can at least tell why people call you that, right?" Blue nodded. "So, what are you doing out so late anyways?"
"I don't know," sighed Blue. "Just walking, I guess."
"Anywhere in particular?"
"No. The moon just looked so beautiful tonight, so I thought I would go out for a walk."
"Mind if I walk with you?" Hige asked boldly. "I mean, I'm not a psycho or anything, but it wouldn't be a good idea for you to be out on your own."
Blue laughed again. "I wouldn't mind. Besides, you're probably right. Man, Pop's would kill me if he knew I were out here this late."
"With a guy?" added Hige.
"Do you want me to go back home?" Blue teased. Hige clasped his hands to his face.
"Oh, no! Anything but that!" He grinned and winked at Blue, causing her to laugh again. "Aw, come on, am I really so funny you have to wake up the whole neighborhood?"
"I wouldn't wake up the whole neighborhood!" pouted Blue. "Besides, you talk louder than me."
Hige sighed. "Fair point. I do like your laugh by the way."
"I figured you did," said Blue, walking over to an old swing set in the middle of the neighborhood park. "Or else you wouldn't have tried to make me laugh so much." She tucked her hands inside the sleeves of her jacket and began to dust off the snow on the seat of the swing and sat down.
Hige did the same and sat on the swing next to her. They both swung back and forth for a while in the silence. Blue noticed a few more things about Hige's features. He wore a short-sleeved hoody with a long sleeved shirt under it and a pair of blue sweatpants. One thing she was sure of is that he was definately warmer than she was. Hige, in turn, was giving her a good look over. He noticed her legs first, how they weren't like toothpicks but had some sense of shape to them. He also noticed what he could of her upper body. She wasn't built like other girls, but for some reason that made her all the more attractive. Then again, maybe it was her eyes. He felt like he'd seen them somewhere before, although he couldn't pinpoint it.
"So, why do you wear that collar?" asked Blue asked.
"I don't know," said Hige. "I saw it at a pawn shop once and I guess I liked it."
"What do the symbols mean on it? Or do you not know?"
"No clue. They're probably numbers or something else like that. There was another collar at the store and they looked like they might belong in a set or something."
"Oh," said Blue. "Well, I don't know why, but I think it suits you."
"Really?" asked Hige.
"Yeah. I have no idea why, but I'm sure there's a reason."
"Yeah," Hige sighed. He turned his eyes towards the moon again and just focused on his surroundings. He felt the cold air in his lungs, saw the snow on everything, and even noticed the numbness in his nose.
"So why exactly are you outside so late, Hige? And in a neighborhood that isn't yours, nonetheless," asked Blue, not taking her eyes off of the same moon Hige was focused on.
"I guess you could say it felt like something was calling to me," he said. Then he felt his face turn warm from embarrassment. "Okay, so I know that's really stupid and all, but I can't think of a better reason."
"That's kind of why I came outside," said Blue, looking at Hige warmly. "It's not stupid. A bit weird perhaps, but it's not stupid."
"You're so insistant," Hige said with a light laugh. "You know, I think I've seen you somewhere before." Blue raised her eyebrow. "I mean, you just seem familiar is all."
Blue nodded but said nothing. He does seem familiar, she thought. Her fingers clenched around the chains of the swings. The metal was still ice cold, even though she hadn't moved her hands at all.
"Are you okay?" asked Hige.
"I'm fine," replied Blue with a fake smile.
"You're cold aren't you?"
"No! I'm not cold at all!" Blue replied in an odd voice. "Liar," Hige muttered. He stood up and pulled his hoody over his head, tossed it in Blue's lap, and then sat down. Blue felt her face flush with warmth and just stared at the hoody.
"It won't bite you, I promise," said Hige. "Put it on, it'll help keep you warm."
"I'm alright without it, really," protested Blue, her eyes not quite meeting Hige's. She felt her legs warm up instantly where the cloth touched her bare skin.
"Am I going to have to put it on you myself?"
"No, I can do it," Blue stuttered, blushing even more as she pulled the hoody over her head. Wow, his body's warm and he smells good, she thought before poking her head through the top of the hood. She looked down at herself. "I look so silly."
"Not really,it just looks like a nice guy like me gave you his jacket," said Hige.
"You didn't have to, I told you I was fine," retorted Blue.
"But you were lying."
"Was not."
"Were too."
Blue growled and stood up. "I was not!"
Hige did the same. "Yes, you were," he said in a superior tone. "And I bet I can beat you to that picnic table over there."
"What does that have to do with my being cold or not?" asked Blue.
"The winner is right and buys the other coffee," said Hige confidently with his arms crossed. "Or you could just admit you were wrong and then not worry about losing to me."
"I was not wrong," growled Blue. "And I will beat you to that freakin table if that is what I have to do to prove it."
"Alright," said Hige. "We start from the slide over there and race to the table."
"You're on!"
Blue walked over to the slide and drew a line in the snow with her boot. Hige went and stood next to her behind the line. "So when do you want to go?"
"On the count of three would be good," replied Blue. "One..."
"Two..."
"Three!" They both took off towards the table at the same time, knocking into each other as they went. Blue pushed herself past Hige, who then pushed himself past her, and towards the table.
"Watch out for the roots!" Blue shouted.
"Yeah right! You're just trying to trick me!" Hige shouted back, but then he felt himself falling forward and before he knew it was on the ground. Blue stopped herself and ran back to Hige.
"Are you alright, Hige?" she asked as she crouched next to him on her knees.
"Yeah," he said, dabbing at his bleeding lip with his sleeve. "Okay, so how about you win about the roots?"
Blue laughed. "Sounds good to me." She pushed herself up and extended her hand to Hige, who took it and stood up next to her. Blue let go of his hand and felt something warm on her own.
"You're bleeding on your hands too," she said calmly.
"Damn," spat Hige. "This is gonna sting in the morning."
"Just a little bit. Let me see it."
"No, I'm okay," said Hige.
"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" asked Blue with a sigh.
"Maybe a little bit," he said playfully. "Here." Hige held out his hand palm up and Blue took his hand in hers. He shivered a little when her slightly cold fingers touched the scratches on his hand. Why did this all feel so familiar to him?
"You're not bleeding that much," said Blue.
"Yeah, I knew that," replied Hige. He looked back at the moon again. He wasn't sure what was going on with him any more. He had this feeling in his stomach that made him so nervous, but he still didn't know why.
"Do you think you could walk me home?" asked Blue timidly. Hige looked at her and Blue felt her cheeks grow pink. "I mean, you don't have to or anything."
"Yeah, I will."