The cherry tree: Chapter 4
Title: The cherry tree (4/?)
Pairing: Ohmiya
Summary: Nino doesn’t believe in spirits, but his opinion changes when he meets a very special person.
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 1931
Disclaimer: This chapter is co-written with zazasukie and betaed by beastlover Thanks both of you!! <3
Previous chapter
Nino was having problems falling asleep that night. Had his mattress always been so uncomfortable, he wondered while tossing and turning in his bed for the umpteenth time that hour. The young boy sighed. He was well aware that the problem was not in his mattress, his pillow or even the stupid, daisy patterned bed sheets his mother had used to make his bed that morning - his sister’s sheets, mind you. But even if he knew it, he wasn’t going to admit it, because seriously, what kind of fool would admit that he can’t sleep because he is worried about the sickness of the possible spirit of an ill tree? For God’s sake, he didn’t even believe in spirits to begin with! And was that strange man really the spirit of a tree? That couldn’t be true!
Nino remembered the young man’s shy smile and smiled involuntarily to himself, then the image of Ohno’s pale face appeared in his mind and he sighed again. Great! Now he was behaving like an enamoured girl. What would be next? Pulling the petals off of a daisy? “He loves me, he loves me not”? He punched his pillow with rage. It didn’t help him to fall asleep, but it sure made him feel manlier, damn it!
~
On his way back home from school the next day, Nino was still thinking about the tree's illness and its possible relation to Ohno’s bad health, when a catchy advertisement in the show window of a small shop caught his attention.
“Do your plants look withered? Are their leaves small and dull-coloured? Don’t worry, we have the solution! A dose of our miraculous product every week and they will become incredibly healthy in no time! Don’t miss our special offer: 2 for 1!!”
He averted his gaze from the advertisement and tried to continue on his way home, but his feet seemed to have grown roots. Nino read the advertisement again and debated with himself for a few minutes. Finally, he decided to enter the shop and find out more about this so called ‘miraculous’ medicine.
“Excuse me, about the medicine advertised in the show window...” he asked the salesclerk.
“Ah! It’s a wonderful product!” exclaimed the young woman. “It healed one of my geraniums when I thought it was dead!”
“But… do you think it would work on larger plants? Like a tree for example?”
“Absolutely! My old grandpa normally uses it on his fruit trees when they get ill, and he doesn’t have any complaint!”
Nino asked the product’s price and looked pensively at his wallet. He was trying to make his mind up whether to buy it or not, when his gaze stopped on the sakura blossom in front of his student i.d. card.
A few minutes later, he exited the shop with two bags of the medicine carefully wrapped up in a package. “Well, I don’t lose anything giving it a try, do I?”
He entered the park and walked towards the old sakura tree. “Spring it’s almost here,” he thought enjoying the warm weather and the abundant greenery surrounding him. When he reached the tree, Nino looked worriedly at its almost leafless branches. Compared with the surrounding trees, the old sakura tree seemed to be still stuck in the middle of winter. “That woman wasn’t lying when she told me that you’re ill, was she?” he sighed.
Using a plastic bottle he found in a near garbage can, he carefully mixed part of the medicine with some water from the nearby lake. Glancing nervously around him, he emptied the contents of the bottle on the roots of the tree. After a few seconds, he hesitantly patted the tree’s trunk and whispered “Get better, O.k.?”
Feeling a bit stupid, he resumed his way home, carrying the spare medicine inside his bag.
~~
That Saturday after lunch, Nino decided to go to the park to check if the medicine had had any effect. He knew he was being stupid, after all it had been only five days since he used it, but his curiosity and worry were more powerful than his common sense.
He was about to leave his room, when he glimpsed his old guitar resting half forgotten against a wall. “It has been a while since I played anything, hasn't it?”. Following an impulse, he decided to bring it with him too.
Once in the park, he looked critically at the leaves of the old sakura tree searching for any sign of recovery. “I think there are more leaves this time... and they seem to be greener now, don’t they?”
The young student decided to keep the tree company; after all he didn’t have anything better to do, did he? Aiba was out of the city that weekend - he had gone on a trip to visit an old friend of his - and the game he was waiting for wouldn’t be released until next month. Moreover, if he waited long enough near the old tree, maybe he would be lucky enough to meet Ohno again
Nino took his guitar out of its cover and sat resting his back against the tree’s trunk. It was quite early in the morning, and the park was almost deserted, so it was unlikely that anyone could hear him. He slowly began to play a soft melody, and after a few seconds, he closed his eyes and began to sing accompanying the melody.
He was so absorbed in his song, that he didn’t notice when a silent figure approached him from behind the trunk. A few minutes later, Nino finished his song with a contented sigh. Suddenly, he heard someone applauding beside him and opened his eyes, startled.
In front of him, Ohno was clapping enthusiastically with a big smile in his face. Nino blushed slightly and put away his old guitar.
“I love hearing you play and sing.” The young man affirmed with the innocence of a child, sitting beside Nino, so close that their knees were almost touching .
Nino felt his heart skip a bit and his cheeks got intensely red. “Th- thank you,” he murmured trying to look anywhere but at Ohno’s admiring eyes. “What about your cold? Did you get better?” Nino asked the other man, trying to cover his embarrassment. “Did the medicine work?” he almost added at the end, but he bit his tongue in time.
“Yup! I feel much better now, thanks!” Ohno exclaimed happily.
“He doesn’t look as pale as the last time.” He noticed Ohno’s pink cheeks, and how he looked healthier than the last time. “Could it be a coincidence? The tree seems to get better, and so does he. I’ve only met him near this old tree. He has disappeared without a trace twice. He seems to be rather odd and I’ve never seen him carrying a bag or a backpack… only a traditional kimono - that really suits him, by the way. And he has a quiet but at the same time warm, almost unnatural, aura around him. Aren’t these too many coincidences?” Nino scratched his chin pensively, observing the other man.
“I suddenly began to feel better a few days ago” the young man seemed oblivious to Nino’s intense stare. “I’m not completely healed and I cough sometimes, but I don’t have a fever any more!”
Nino smiled at him. “I’m really happy to hear it! You made me a bit worried that day!”
“Anyway, there is something I think could help me to recover…” Ohno timidly commented after some seconds of companionable silence between them.
“Yes?” Nino asked with curiosity when the young man stopped his phrase unfinished.
“I think… I-I would feel much better if I could hear you play and sing a bit more…” Ohno asked him with a shy smile.
Nino felt a pleasant warmth spreading though his chest, “Of course! I don’t mind singing for you!” he quickly answered taking his guitar out of its case once more. The truth was he usually only sang when he was alone - he had always felt incredibly shy when other people stopped to look at him curiously - but strangely enough, he didn’t feel uncomfortable or even a bit embarrassed in front of Ohno’s mesmerized gaze.
~~
Finally convinced of the fact that Ohno truly was the spirit of the old tree - though he would never admit it willingly in front of his friend Aiba, - he frantically searched for information about the different sickness of trees and their symptoms. After learning that some things like the water used to boil vegetables or eggshells were good for plants, he decided to use some of them on the sakura tree… only if by chance it got better.
From that day on, Nino made a habit of waking up early every morning to visit the park and check on the state of the old tree. He often buried some eggshells near the roots and, occasionally, watered it with the water used to boil vegetables or the medicine he had bought weeks ago. Nino’s mother found her son’s new interest in gardening a bit strange, but well, maybe he had been playing a gardening video game or something similar. Every time, the young student would spend a few minutes chatting amicably with the sakura tree. He even patted it affectionately sometimes. And some weekends, when he was free, he spent a few hours playing different songs under the old tree.
After some weeks, Nino noticed, relieved, that the sakura tree had gotten clearly healthier under his care. However, he was still a bit worried because the rest of the trees in the park were almost in full blossom and the old tree didn't have a single bud. Was there anything he could do to help the tree to blossom?
~~
A few weeks later, on a warm night with soft breeze, Nino was hurriedly crossing the park on his way back home from one of his mother’s errands, when his attention was caught by a sudden movement near the old sakura tree.
“Who could it be at such an hour?” he wondered. “Maybe it’s a pair of love-birds on a date? Could it be some vandals?” Greatly preoccupied about the welfare of his tree, he decided to take a look and check if everything was ok. He slowly approached the bushes that surrounded the tree, and peeked between the branches. At that moment, the moon appeared between the clouds showing him the source of the movement he had seen before. His breath got caught in his chest, and he couldn’t help but stare, transfixed by the sight in front of him.
In a clearing bathed by the bright light of the moon, Ohno was dancing in silence, following a melody that only he could seem to hear. He was holding a fan in front of him and his kimono was even more luxurious than his usual one. His movements were slow, precise and beautiful and he was absolutely concentrated on the steps of the traditional male dance he was performing. The sakura petals of the near trees, falling slowly around him and over the quiet water of the lake, only served to enhance the magical felling of the entire scene.
Nino, unable to avert his eyes from the dancing figure in front of him, tried to get closer unconsciously, feeling like he was in the middle of a dream. Suddenly, he felt a branch breaking under his feet.
The sound echoed through the park like a shot, snapping Ohno out of his trance.
Next chapter
Pairing: Ohmiya
Summary: Nino doesn’t believe in spirits, but his opinion changes when he meets a very special person.
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 1931
Disclaimer: This chapter is co-written with zazasukie and betaed by beastlover Thanks both of you!! <3
Previous chapter
Nino was having problems falling asleep that night. Had his mattress always been so uncomfortable, he wondered while tossing and turning in his bed for the umpteenth time that hour. The young boy sighed. He was well aware that the problem was not in his mattress, his pillow or even the stupid, daisy patterned bed sheets his mother had used to make his bed that morning - his sister’s sheets, mind you. But even if he knew it, he wasn’t going to admit it, because seriously, what kind of fool would admit that he can’t sleep because he is worried about the sickness of the possible spirit of an ill tree? For God’s sake, he didn’t even believe in spirits to begin with! And was that strange man really the spirit of a tree? That couldn’t be true!
Nino remembered the young man’s shy smile and smiled involuntarily to himself, then the image of Ohno’s pale face appeared in his mind and he sighed again. Great! Now he was behaving like an enamoured girl. What would be next? Pulling the petals off of a daisy? “He loves me, he loves me not”? He punched his pillow with rage. It didn’t help him to fall asleep, but it sure made him feel manlier, damn it!
~
On his way back home from school the next day, Nino was still thinking about the tree's illness and its possible relation to Ohno’s bad health, when a catchy advertisement in the show window of a small shop caught his attention.
“Do your plants look withered? Are their leaves small and dull-coloured? Don’t worry, we have the solution! A dose of our miraculous product every week and they will become incredibly healthy in no time! Don’t miss our special offer: 2 for 1!!”
He averted his gaze from the advertisement and tried to continue on his way home, but his feet seemed to have grown roots. Nino read the advertisement again and debated with himself for a few minutes. Finally, he decided to enter the shop and find out more about this so called ‘miraculous’ medicine.
“Excuse me, about the medicine advertised in the show window...” he asked the salesclerk.
“Ah! It’s a wonderful product!” exclaimed the young woman. “It healed one of my geraniums when I thought it was dead!”
“But… do you think it would work on larger plants? Like a tree for example?”
“Absolutely! My old grandpa normally uses it on his fruit trees when they get ill, and he doesn’t have any complaint!”
Nino asked the product’s price and looked pensively at his wallet. He was trying to make his mind up whether to buy it or not, when his gaze stopped on the sakura blossom in front of his student i.d. card.
A few minutes later, he exited the shop with two bags of the medicine carefully wrapped up in a package. “Well, I don’t lose anything giving it a try, do I?”
He entered the park and walked towards the old sakura tree. “Spring it’s almost here,” he thought enjoying the warm weather and the abundant greenery surrounding him. When he reached the tree, Nino looked worriedly at its almost leafless branches. Compared with the surrounding trees, the old sakura tree seemed to be still stuck in the middle of winter. “That woman wasn’t lying when she told me that you’re ill, was she?” he sighed.
Using a plastic bottle he found in a near garbage can, he carefully mixed part of the medicine with some water from the nearby lake. Glancing nervously around him, he emptied the contents of the bottle on the roots of the tree. After a few seconds, he hesitantly patted the tree’s trunk and whispered “Get better, O.k.?”
Feeling a bit stupid, he resumed his way home, carrying the spare medicine inside his bag.
~~
That Saturday after lunch, Nino decided to go to the park to check if the medicine had had any effect. He knew he was being stupid, after all it had been only five days since he used it, but his curiosity and worry were more powerful than his common sense.
He was about to leave his room, when he glimpsed his old guitar resting half forgotten against a wall. “It has been a while since I played anything, hasn't it?”. Following an impulse, he decided to bring it with him too.
Once in the park, he looked critically at the leaves of the old sakura tree searching for any sign of recovery. “I think there are more leaves this time... and they seem to be greener now, don’t they?”
The young student decided to keep the tree company; after all he didn’t have anything better to do, did he? Aiba was out of the city that weekend - he had gone on a trip to visit an old friend of his - and the game he was waiting for wouldn’t be released until next month. Moreover, if he waited long enough near the old tree, maybe he would be lucky enough to meet Ohno again
Nino took his guitar out of its cover and sat resting his back against the tree’s trunk. It was quite early in the morning, and the park was almost deserted, so it was unlikely that anyone could hear him. He slowly began to play a soft melody, and after a few seconds, he closed his eyes and began to sing accompanying the melody.
He was so absorbed in his song, that he didn’t notice when a silent figure approached him from behind the trunk. A few minutes later, Nino finished his song with a contented sigh. Suddenly, he heard someone applauding beside him and opened his eyes, startled.
In front of him, Ohno was clapping enthusiastically with a big smile in his face. Nino blushed slightly and put away his old guitar.
“I love hearing you play and sing.” The young man affirmed with the innocence of a child, sitting beside Nino, so close that their knees were almost touching .
Nino felt his heart skip a bit and his cheeks got intensely red. “Th- thank you,” he murmured trying to look anywhere but at Ohno’s admiring eyes. “What about your cold? Did you get better?” Nino asked the other man, trying to cover his embarrassment. “Did the medicine work?” he almost added at the end, but he bit his tongue in time.
“Yup! I feel much better now, thanks!” Ohno exclaimed happily.
“He doesn’t look as pale as the last time.” He noticed Ohno’s pink cheeks, and how he looked healthier than the last time. “Could it be a coincidence? The tree seems to get better, and so does he. I’ve only met him near this old tree. He has disappeared without a trace twice. He seems to be rather odd and I’ve never seen him carrying a bag or a backpack… only a traditional kimono - that really suits him, by the way. And he has a quiet but at the same time warm, almost unnatural, aura around him. Aren’t these too many coincidences?” Nino scratched his chin pensively, observing the other man.
“I suddenly began to feel better a few days ago” the young man seemed oblivious to Nino’s intense stare. “I’m not completely healed and I cough sometimes, but I don’t have a fever any more!”
Nino smiled at him. “I’m really happy to hear it! You made me a bit worried that day!”
“Anyway, there is something I think could help me to recover…” Ohno timidly commented after some seconds of companionable silence between them.
“Yes?” Nino asked with curiosity when the young man stopped his phrase unfinished.
“I think… I-I would feel much better if I could hear you play and sing a bit more…” Ohno asked him with a shy smile.
Nino felt a pleasant warmth spreading though his chest, “Of course! I don’t mind singing for you!” he quickly answered taking his guitar out of its case once more. The truth was he usually only sang when he was alone - he had always felt incredibly shy when other people stopped to look at him curiously - but strangely enough, he didn’t feel uncomfortable or even a bit embarrassed in front of Ohno’s mesmerized gaze.
~~
Finally convinced of the fact that Ohno truly was the spirit of the old tree - though he would never admit it willingly in front of his friend Aiba, - he frantically searched for information about the different sickness of trees and their symptoms. After learning that some things like the water used to boil vegetables or eggshells were good for plants, he decided to use some of them on the sakura tree… only if by chance it got better.
From that day on, Nino made a habit of waking up early every morning to visit the park and check on the state of the old tree. He often buried some eggshells near the roots and, occasionally, watered it with the water used to boil vegetables or the medicine he had bought weeks ago. Nino’s mother found her son’s new interest in gardening a bit strange, but well, maybe he had been playing a gardening video game or something similar. Every time, the young student would spend a few minutes chatting amicably with the sakura tree. He even patted it affectionately sometimes. And some weekends, when he was free, he spent a few hours playing different songs under the old tree.
After some weeks, Nino noticed, relieved, that the sakura tree had gotten clearly healthier under his care. However, he was still a bit worried because the rest of the trees in the park were almost in full blossom and the old tree didn't have a single bud. Was there anything he could do to help the tree to blossom?
~~
A few weeks later, on a warm night with soft breeze, Nino was hurriedly crossing the park on his way back home from one of his mother’s errands, when his attention was caught by a sudden movement near the old sakura tree.
“Who could it be at such an hour?” he wondered. “Maybe it’s a pair of love-birds on a date? Could it be some vandals?” Greatly preoccupied about the welfare of his tree, he decided to take a look and check if everything was ok. He slowly approached the bushes that surrounded the tree, and peeked between the branches. At that moment, the moon appeared between the clouds showing him the source of the movement he had seen before. His breath got caught in his chest, and he couldn’t help but stare, transfixed by the sight in front of him.
In a clearing bathed by the bright light of the moon, Ohno was dancing in silence, following a melody that only he could seem to hear. He was holding a fan in front of him and his kimono was even more luxurious than his usual one. His movements were slow, precise and beautiful and he was absolutely concentrated on the steps of the traditional male dance he was performing. The sakura petals of the near trees, falling slowly around him and over the quiet water of the lake, only served to enhance the magical felling of the entire scene.
Nino, unable to avert his eyes from the dancing figure in front of him, tried to get closer unconsciously, feeling like he was in the middle of a dream. Suddenly, he felt a branch breaking under his feet.
The sound echoed through the park like a shot, snapping Ohno out of his trance.
Next chapter