Hopeful Apple Seedlings (Akagami no Shirayukihime Fanfiction)

Feelings Are the Lights That Never Fade

Zenyuki Week 2017, Day One: Connected

Title: Feelings Are the Lights That Never Fade

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in this fan-fiction except my horrible grammar and writing skills. All the characters or cities mentioned in this fan-fiction belong to Akiduki Sorata unless said otherwise. Any references to real people or places are purely coincidental.

Synopsis: When Shirayuki is assigned to be Ryuu's assistant during his stay in Lilias, she begins to feel homesick. Zen, after a failed attempt at being a workaholic, inevitably ends up thinking about her. Will their connection be severed, or will their feelings reach each other no matter how far the distance?

Shirayuki shut yet another book, turning to Ryuu. "Have you found anything so far?"

Her past mentor merely shook his head. "Unfortunately, no."

Yuzuri let out an exasperated sigh. "All these books, and yet none of them hold the cure for this mysterious disease...!"

Shidan waved her off with a flick of his hand. "There's no helping it. We should just call it a day and retire to our living quarters."

They all took his advice and went their separate ways, sans Shirayuki and Ryuu. The two loitered behind for a short while, cleaning up everyone else's mess. After they finished, they both made their way to their shared room.

"Good night, Shirayuki," Ryuu wished her after they had dressed into their nightwear and settled into their bed to go to sleep.

"Night to you, too," Shirayuki chirped back to him, switching off her light and pulling her blanket over her chest. After a few minutes of fidgety movement, she realised that she wouldn't be getting any sleep anytime soon. No turning, shifting, or fluffing of her pillow could help that.

She eventually gave up any hope of going to sleep and decided to occupy herself with something quietly so as to not wake Ryuu up. As she bent down to look under her bed, her hands wrapped themselves around a box. Not just any box; the box she kept all her most precious things in.

I forgot I brought this with me until now!

Zen sighed before pushing his chair back. All this work isn't helping me at all...!

He had spent the entire day trying to distract himself with paperwork, never allowing a moment to let his thoughts drift, but realised that he didn't have the resolve to do so. It was a mistake from the very beginning; he and paperwork didn't get along very well.

His eyes unconsciously darted around the room, finally resting on a vase. The vase held a beautiful assortment of flowers, no doubt carefully orchestrated to be pleasing eye candy. Lilies and magnolias alike flowed towards one another, forming a lovely pattern.

Some noble or another gave that to me to try and win my favour, He mused. How zealous of them.

Suddenly, his eye caught sight of something unusual inside the vase. As he recalled, only lilies and magnolias contributed to the carefully thought-out design. Why would another type of flower be carefully tucked away?

His hand involuntarily started reaching for it, and before he knew, it was clutched inside his hands. Upon closer inspection, he realised that the flower was a yura shigure; the flower that reminded him and Ryuu alike of Shirayuki.

His mouth subconsciously formed itself into a frown. Obi must have been behind this, trying to make me think of her!

He spun it between two fingers for a short while, finally letting his thoughts drift away from his obligations. I wonder how Shirayuki is doing?