[Samurai Champloo] Shinsuke/Fuu: Untitled
fandom: Samurai Champloo
characters: Shinsuke and Fuu
rating: G
{ It was a far cry from love at first sight. sort of AU. 500+ words }
He wasn't the type who believed in reincarnation - actual second chances for that matter. But as she passed him by on the way to school that morning (decked out in ornamental pins and a teeny pink satchel), his breath caught and his heart started beating, beating for real, a steady thumping, almost painful. Like a purpose had come and it was prompting him forward; reach out, call her name, don't forget. He felt alive, more alive than he'd ever been. And vaguely, just vaguely, he wondered if it was love.
He took to following her, just three steps back, five more to the left, behind corners, peeking over a handy book. She was surprisingly unassuming and completely naïve, no matter what he did or how close he got - she wasn't anywhere near his type, he found himself frowning. (What was that saying about the heart though? That it wants what it wants?)
Yet she was different all the same. Boisterous, unladylike, incomprehensible. She was supposed to have been quite normal. Who would have noticed her? There were prettier, more delicate females around. However, every time he told himself to dismiss the way she spoke to her friends, or that look in her eyes when her older brother came to fetch her on some rare days, something in him would break. Like he'd forgotten something important. (He would automatically check for his wallet.)
It wasn't until four months later when he finally understood. The last bell had rung and people were filing out; he barely caught the sound of her voice as he neared the school gates. He'd never noticed that they went home in the same direction before. And he didn't think it was that important. Not until they were about to walk off the overpass and a slight twinkle caught his eye.
Her bag charm, an odd skull-shaped one, had accidentally detached itself, the movement garnering both their attentions. She lunged first, her fingers grasping it as it flew across the railing down into the street below. And she hadn't had the time to calculate the strength in her push, sending her sprawled over the edge and about to fall.
What had followed were a series of screams, limbs and a crash as back met concrete. Barely, just in time. He held her small waist, his chin against her shoulder, a tremble vibrating beneath his chest. He tried to soothe her. Shh. It's alright now, you're safe. But the words were caught in his throat and all he could do was hold her.
Finally, she calmed down and pulled away, staring at him curiously, eyes filled with unshed tears - a brave little soldier. Her mouth opened, gloss shimmery in the mid-afternoon light before she broke out into a wide smile.
“Thanks. Looks like I owe you one.” She didn't even ask his name. But as he watched her get up and rush passed him, he found within himself a feeling, a strange feeling that he had finally kept a promise and the reassurance that this was only the beginning.
If we meet again, I'll repay you for this. So don't forget me.
You better remember me, too.
~OWARI
characters: Shinsuke and Fuu
rating: G
{ It was a far cry from love at first sight. sort of AU. 500+ words }
He wasn't the type who believed in reincarnation - actual second chances for that matter. But as she passed him by on the way to school that morning (decked out in ornamental pins and a teeny pink satchel), his breath caught and his heart started beating, beating for real, a steady thumping, almost painful. Like a purpose had come and it was prompting him forward; reach out, call her name, don't forget. He felt alive, more alive than he'd ever been. And vaguely, just vaguely, he wondered if it was love.
He took to following her, just three steps back, five more to the left, behind corners, peeking over a handy book. She was surprisingly unassuming and completely naïve, no matter what he did or how close he got - she wasn't anywhere near his type, he found himself frowning. (What was that saying about the heart though? That it wants what it wants?)
Yet she was different all the same. Boisterous, unladylike, incomprehensible. She was supposed to have been quite normal. Who would have noticed her? There were prettier, more delicate females around. However, every time he told himself to dismiss the way she spoke to her friends, or that look in her eyes when her older brother came to fetch her on some rare days, something in him would break. Like he'd forgotten something important. (He would automatically check for his wallet.)
It wasn't until four months later when he finally understood. The last bell had rung and people were filing out; he barely caught the sound of her voice as he neared the school gates. He'd never noticed that they went home in the same direction before. And he didn't think it was that important. Not until they were about to walk off the overpass and a slight twinkle caught his eye.
Her bag charm, an odd skull-shaped one, had accidentally detached itself, the movement garnering both their attentions. She lunged first, her fingers grasping it as it flew across the railing down into the street below. And she hadn't had the time to calculate the strength in her push, sending her sprawled over the edge and about to fall.
What had followed were a series of screams, limbs and a crash as back met concrete. Barely, just in time. He held her small waist, his chin against her shoulder, a tremble vibrating beneath his chest. He tried to soothe her. Shh. It's alright now, you're safe. But the words were caught in his throat and all he could do was hold her.
Finally, she calmed down and pulled away, staring at him curiously, eyes filled with unshed tears - a brave little soldier. Her mouth opened, gloss shimmery in the mid-afternoon light before she broke out into a wide smile.
“Thanks. Looks like I owe you one.” She didn't even ask his name. But as he watched her get up and rush passed him, he found within himself a feeling, a strange feeling that he had finally kept a promise and the reassurance that this was only the beginning.
If we meet again, I'll repay you for this. So don't forget me.
You better remember me, too.
~OWARI