Laurus Nobilis (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
laurus_nobilis) wrote2005-06-10 12:38 pm
laurus_nobilis) wrote2005-06-10 12:38 pm
Cranes [XXXHOLiC; English]
Title: Cranes
Rating: G
Genre: Genfic
Characters: Clow and Yuuko
Pairings: If you squint.
Summary: Clow has heard of a certain Japanese tradition.
Notes: Written for Insert Phrase.
Cranes
His fingers moved deftly, folding the piece of coloured paper with ease. In a matter of seconds, the origami crane was finished. Perfect. He smiled, satisfied, and laid it on the table among others of its kind.
Watching from the doorway, Yuuko couldn’t suppress a smile of her own. When he was like this, he almost seemed to be a different man than the one who took an almost childish pleasure in sweets and mischief. His peaceful state of mind was passed to everyone and everything around him. In those moments, it was hard to believe that underneath that calm hid a measureless -even terrible- power.
“I know I am a pleasure to look at,” he said without taking his gaze off the paper, “but you don’t have to do it from afar.”
“You vain thing, I was looking at the cranes,” she lied.
Clow’s eyes twinkled with amusement for an instant, but he didn’t say anything. He simply nodded at the free chair in front of his own, and Yuuko thought it couldn’t be too bad to keep him company for a while. Her annoyed sigh was only out of habit as she sat.
There were over a dozen paper birds on the table already; their size and colour varied, but they were all beautiful. All perfect. She wondered how many more he meant to do.
It had been Yuuko herself who told him about this legend. It was said that if a person folded a thousand cranes, he or she would get a wish granted. She had mentioned it in passing, as something people with their power wouldn’t need; but she could see him doing something so impossibly hopeful.
The man was truly desperate, she thought, and where she had expected a dark amusement there was only sympathy.
“You know I cannot grant you your wish,” she said. “Do you really think you will get it this way?”
It was a harsh thing to say, but his smile didn’t falter.
“This is for a different wish,” he told her. Yuuko snorted.
“You know, that’s exactly the kind of thing that ruins my business.”
Clow chuckled, but still didn’t lift his gaze. For a few seconds, he looked at the recently finished crane on his palm.
“I just want them to be happy,” he whispered at last.
“You know they will,” she assured him. “She will take care of them.”
This time he was definitely avoiding her eyes when he took another piece of paper. He started folding it quickly but carefully, without allowing himself the slightest mistake. Yuuko could only imagine what his living, sentient creations would mean to a man who put so much care and loving on an origami crane.
“I know they will be safe,” Clow said. “What I wish- I want them to understand, in time, that I just… I did what I had to do.”
He looked at her for the first time, and his smile was sad.
“I suppose you cannot grant me that, either,” he said.
Yuuko smiled at him in spite of herself.
“I can help you fold the cranes.”
Rating: G
Genre: Genfic
Characters: Clow and Yuuko
Pairings: If you squint.
Summary: Clow has heard of a certain Japanese tradition.
Notes: Written for Insert Phrase.
His fingers moved deftly, folding the piece of coloured paper with ease. In a matter of seconds, the origami crane was finished. Perfect. He smiled, satisfied, and laid it on the table among others of its kind.
Watching from the doorway, Yuuko couldn’t suppress a smile of her own. When he was like this, he almost seemed to be a different man than the one who took an almost childish pleasure in sweets and mischief. His peaceful state of mind was passed to everyone and everything around him. In those moments, it was hard to believe that underneath that calm hid a measureless -even terrible- power.
“I know I am a pleasure to look at,” he said without taking his gaze off the paper, “but you don’t have to do it from afar.”
“You vain thing, I was looking at the cranes,” she lied.
Clow’s eyes twinkled with amusement for an instant, but he didn’t say anything. He simply nodded at the free chair in front of his own, and Yuuko thought it couldn’t be too bad to keep him company for a while. Her annoyed sigh was only out of habit as she sat.
There were over a dozen paper birds on the table already; their size and colour varied, but they were all beautiful. All perfect. She wondered how many more he meant to do.
It had been Yuuko herself who told him about this legend. It was said that if a person folded a thousand cranes, he or she would get a wish granted. She had mentioned it in passing, as something people with their power wouldn’t need; but she could see him doing something so impossibly hopeful.
The man was truly desperate, she thought, and where she had expected a dark amusement there was only sympathy.
“You know I cannot grant you your wish,” she said. “Do you really think you will get it this way?”
It was a harsh thing to say, but his smile didn’t falter.
“This is for a different wish,” he told her. Yuuko snorted.
“You know, that’s exactly the kind of thing that ruins my business.”
Clow chuckled, but still didn’t lift his gaze. For a few seconds, he looked at the recently finished crane on his palm.
“I just want them to be happy,” he whispered at last.
“You know they will,” she assured him. “She will take care of them.”
This time he was definitely avoiding her eyes when he took another piece of paper. He started folding it quickly but carefully, without allowing himself the slightest mistake. Yuuko could only imagine what his living, sentient creations would mean to a man who put so much care and loving on an origami crane.
“I know they will be safe,” Clow said. “What I wish- I want them to understand, in time, that I just… I did what I had to do.”
He looked at her for the first time, and his smile was sad.
“I suppose you cannot grant me that, either,” he said.
Yuuko smiled at him in spite of herself.
“I can help you fold the cranes.”