Darling In The Meadow -

The way we think and live; it's always been planned out for us.

But now.

It's all up to us.

Chapter Two: Crossed Arms

"Time is a funny concept to grasp. In most situations, time seems to play a big importance in the way people live. Yet in reality, it doesn't actually matter, does it?"

Claudia looked out into the citys busy streets, spinning her wine glass in small circles.

"Look at them; all wound up like alarm clocks waiting for the time to strike." A grin started to surface from her lips. She drank down the remaining wine and let the glass go. The sound of the glass breaking started to infuriate her.

Her grin dropped.

"Let's see how many of them break when I take their time away."

Their useless, pitiful time.

In the dark end of the room, a man grinned. Aroused at how angry Claudia was getting, he started to visualize her without clothes. "You know; time doesn't exist for us as it does them," he stared at Claudia's dress straps, "but — we don't need to worry about time. It's insignificant for the ones who live forever."

Claudia took another quick look at the people below. "That isn't my point. Life continues without time, no matter the flesh living it. I find it irritating that the moment humanity finds food; instead of feeding their hungry, aching stomachs — they simply turn around and throw it away." Claudia smiled, "You're a pervert anyway, Lyias; there's not much you can say is significant about you."

He liked the sound of his name escaping Claudia's mouth.

The morning that followed Zera's encounter of fate with Hiro, started with her getting up out of bed with a few stretches and morning moans. Her mind was foggy and full of thoughts that were random in variance. Within a few short moments she started to catch up with herself and she quickly grew excited. The name of the boy she met last night started to ring around in her head: this and the sound of music was what kept her little mind up all night finishing Hiro's gift.

She got out of her bed and started walking to her dresser. She heard footsteps and quickly decided to decline any sort of interruptions.

"Zera... are you awake yet?" Melody asked, holding a basket of clothes on the side of the door.

"No, I'm not. Leave me alone. I'm busy. I'm sleeping!" Zera stuck her tongue out and frantically went through clothes left and right. She was full of confidence that she'd do everything herself; no help from Melody was needed today!

"Well," Melody sighed, "It doesn't sound like your sleeping. And I figured I might — "

"I'm not hungry right now. I'm busy." Zera interrupted, throwing a shirt across the room. "WHERE IS IT?!" She yelled. "It's the one shirt I need, and it's hiding from me. I just want to look like a cute flower for Hiro, why is this happening!"

Melody looked at the clothes laying in the basket she was holding. The shirt Zera was looking for was on the top. Sigh. "Zera, are you looking for the light-pink shirt with the flower patterns on it?" She sat the basket down.

Suddenly, all noise coming from Zera's room ceased. Melody stepped back. Zera quickly opened the door and ran to the basket and grabbed the shirt. "Heeheeeheeeee!" She giggled, as she ran back inside slamming the door.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me." Melody wore a grin and walked downstairs. She knew this was how Zera always acted. She was very reliant on herself with most things, but oftentimes Melody left little bits here and there to make sure Zera didn't lose that confidence in herself. Melody had to quickly realize that patience was key to letting her grow. Even the old lady that taught Zera agreed.

Hiro didn't sleep any more than Zera did. The entire night he rolled back and fourth between his blankets at the thought of the pink haired thief. "I can't believe it! She took my book, and I some how managed to not even notice." Hiro kept repeating the same lines over and over to himself.

He also couldn't sleep for another reason, again originating from Zera. He loved her smile and giggles; every time she hugged him, he felt all warm inside. But even so, he was angry at the fact that she lured him into her trap.

"Ugh! Why me?!." Hiro shoved his face into his pillow. "She seemed so nice, too. Giving me candy and those hugs... errrgghh!"

The last of the thoughts that filled his head before he fell asleep consisted of warm and cute ones of Zera.

His morning began with a simple rub of the eyes. The sunlight peered through his curtains and brightened part of his room up. He sat up and rested his hands on his lap. His palms opened up at the thought of holding Zera's hand again. But why? Last night he was full of frustration since she took his book, the one thing he was proud of himself for. So why did he... miss her?

Hiro's eyes didn't drift away from his palms anymore than his mind did; the feeling of Zera's hands captivated him in a way he'd never felt before. He pictured her on the ground, looking up at him smiling. For some reason, he wanted to cry.

His eyes started to water with all the unfamiliar emotions.

Why do I feel like this towards her? It's like in the book I wrote...He thought to himself. "Wait a minute!" Hiro wiped his eyes, "That book was hand drawn and written, so why did she want it then? I have to get it back. It's the only thing I have ... to be proud of." Hiro stood up and got his jacket on. He grabbed an apple to eat for breakfast and then started to head back to the pink-petaled tree where he met Zera.

He hoped he would see her again, like she promised.

Melody sat at the table downstairs in silence. She watched as the steam rose in vertical waves from her coffee. As much as I'm concerned about why she feels this way so young, I can't say it's not right. I don't know much about love myself. Melody lightly chuckled. It's weird; she's perked up more in one night than in 11 years of knowing her. But I'm happy for her. She's happy. And by the looks of it, she made him happy, too.

Suddenly, Melody heard Zera fall on the floor upstairs.

"Zera! Are you alright?" Melody yelled.

"Um, yeah I'm okay." Zera called back. Ow, that really hurt.

"What happened?" Melody asked.

"I just slipped and fell when I put on my skirt." Zera stood back up and made sure her shirt and hair was done properly.

Melody giggled, "You're so clumsy." ...Now that I think about it, maybe this boy will be what she needs.

Zera's outfit consisted of a light pink long sleeved shirt with floral patterns and a light pink skirt. Her hair was straightened and perfected (well, to the best of her ability at least.) She made sure her silver dove bracelet was polished and that her overall look matched.

She never cared about her looks before, but for Hiro, she wanted to make sure she looked pretty when she gave him his gift. All she wanted was for him to smile, for him to look at her and hold her hand. She never thought about why in detail, but he was special to her.

After 2 or so hours of constant modifications to her looks, she was ready and came down stairs. Melody sat drinking her coffee while reading a novel she picked up from a market recently. She heard the sound of Zera walking down the stairs and looked up. When she did, she immediately became impressed at how well Zera handled her own fashion without any help. "Zera, you look beautiful." Melody smiled.

Zera's cheeks became rosy, "You think so?"

"I know so."

Zera giggled with excitement.

"What's that in your hand, Zera?" Melody took a sip of her coffee.

"This is a gift a made Hiro. I took his book without asking and did something special with it!"

Melody spit out her coffee, "Wait a minute, you did what?"

"See this book here? Well you can't see it now, because of the wrapping and all but, I have the same one."

"I get that part, Zera. But you can't just take someone's things and — "

"I wasn't done! Don't interrupt me. That's rude." Zera snapped.

"Tch." Melody took another sip of her coffee.

"I love this book because of the story it tells. But the one I hold in my hands now I love even more. Hiro rewrote and drew the whole book all by himself. When I noticed the differences last night, I immediately knew what I wanted to do. But. I couldn't tell him, because if I did than it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Yeah, I bet you surprised him alright." Melody rolled her eyes. "So whats this gift that you're giving him? His book back?" She laughed.

"That's a secret. And! It's between me and him, well it will be. So no more wasting time! I'm gonna walk back to the meadow to see him again." Zera turned around to walk towards the front door.

"Be careful, Zera. It's windy outside."

"Jeez, I know." She opened the front door and started to run towards the pink-petaled tree. Her heart pounded in her chest. She was nervous. What if he didn't want to see her? What if he forgot about her? Full of concerns and worries, Zera took off running as fast as her little legs could go, all the way to where she first met Hiro.

It was early autumn, and the trees started to show it. Every street from Zera's house to the meadow itself was starting to adjust in color and atmosphere. The air was becoming crisp and filled with the autumn scents. Change was happening for both Hiro and Zera in many different ways.

In Grencrevasse, it was tradition to treat autumn as the season of love and happiness. Many considered the season to represent change, and the ones that witnessed it along side you were the ones who loved you the most. It was a wholesome way of remembering what mattered.

Hiro arrived at the pink-petaled tree and sat down on the grass. A breeze swept through quickly that made him shiver and pull his jacket together. "Man, it sure is colder than yesterday." He said, putting his knees up. He wrapped his arms around his legs.

Hiro's mind was clouded with images and thoughts; every single one was about Zera. All he could do was hope he'd see her again. He wanted his hook back, but...

... he wanted her back too.

Zera's running steadily came to a stop when she got closer to the tree. She too was full of nervousness and anxiety. She tucked her arms into each other, holding the gift in her left hand.

She looked up at the sky; taking deep breaths, she continued until she finally was able to reach the tree.

It resided on a small hilltop that was surrounded by a meadow of pink and white flowers. Hiro sat on the other side that faced away from Zera, slowly falling asleep. The breeze and his own warmth started to make him tired.

Zera didn't know Hiro was on the other side of the tree.

Out of nervousness, she quietly sat down and laid back against the part that faced the sun, leaving Hiro in the tree's shadow alone. The breeze and rustling leaves made it hard for someone who was trying to be quiet, to make any noise.

Both of them sat there, unaware of how close the other one was. But to them, the distance was substantial. Perhaps if Hiro wore warmer clothes, he wouldn't have fallen asleep. And if Zera was heavier, maybe Hiro would've heard her coming.

Zera's eyes slowly came to a close just as Hiro's did. Her mind visualized him smiling and hugging her closely.

Within a few short minutes, Hiro and Zera were both asleep dreaming of one another. Zera dozed off with smile on her face. In a way, she felt Hiro holding her in crossed arms.