Accidents of Destiny
-o0o-
One week later…
“You’re too excited.” Misaki stated, when Utami dropped her spatula for the fourth time.
“Or too nervous.” Rui added.
“Why would I be?” Utami asked.
“Because you’re going to be 21 in like two weeks.”Kaoru replied. The 21st birthday of every female faerie in their home Enchantrix is one of the most significant days in their life. It is the first time they will meet their betrotheds before a wedding is set.
“That is if she survives another series of unfortunate events involving that Yunho guy. Doesn’t he know how to use his wings? He keeps falling off places.” Rui inserted.
“That’s beside the point. The point is she’s going to be 21 in exactly 14 days.”
“So?” Utami asked.
Misaki gave out an exasperated groan, “Becau-“
She was cut-off by the sound of incessant knocking. Misaki, Rui, Kaoru and Utami just stared at the door. When the pounding continued, Kaoru finally had the sense to open it.
“About time.” Changmin grumbled, opening the door wider and letting his wife, Chiharu, in and out of the pouring rain first. Changmin shook off the raincoat he was using to keep them dry before following Chiharu in.
“You got a bit wet.” Chiharu commented, brushing a few of her husband’s wet bangs.
“No problem.” Changmin replied, increasing his body temperature and drying himself up. “I’m just happy you aren’t wet.”
Chiharu smiled sweetly in reply, “Well not much anyway.” She said, referring to her wet feet.
Utami sighed.
“That’s why.” Misaki suddenly said.
“Eh?” Utami asked.
“What do you mean that’s why?” Chiharu asked.
“Utami sighed that dreamy sigh of hers everytime she sees you and Changmin or Rui and Kazunari being all sweet, she’s dreaming she can have a married life like yours.” Misaki explained.
“Oh.” Changmin and Chiharu said in unison.
“Eh?” Utami said, blushing. “Ah, um. Something like that.”
“Again, if she survives another series of unfortunate events involving that Yunho guy.” Rui said.
They all laughed.
-o0o-
12 days before Utami’s birthday, outside Chiharu and Changmin’s house…
“Incoming!” Yunho shouted, there were big bulbs of light, which were going to be used for a ball, heading towards Utami.
Chiharu waved her hand and turned them into ice when they were an inch away, later Changmin thawed them so they can be used.
9 days before…
Rui, Misaki, and Kaoru were in their favorite café happily eating cakes and drinking tea when suddenly.
BLOP!
Yunho slid on a banana peel and the gelato he was eating flew straight into Utami face.
4 days before…
“I swear if HE suddenly appears and creates another scene I am going to blow it!” Utami hissed furiously to her friends.
SPLASH!
Utami was drenched from head to foot. Yunho and Kyuhyun were flying by carrying a tub full of water and Yunho’s grip suddenly slipped.
“Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh!”
On the day…er…night…
“Atleast today I’m sure I won’t be seeing HIM.” Utami said.
“I’m not so sure about that.” Chiharu said.
“Wae?”
“Gut instinct.”
“Anyway, enough talk about HIM. It’s time for your present.” Misaki said excitedly. “Girls.”
Chiharu, Rui, Kaoru, and Misaki gathered in the middle of Utami’s room. With a wave of her hand, Misaki created the frame made with intertwining vines that have little violet, red and blue flowers growing in tiny buds on various places. Next, Chiharu created a glass made of ice. Next, Kaoru created a thin wall of flames of different colors on the glass to which Rui partnered with a little bit of her air. As the air moved around the frame, the color of the flames would change giving a rainbow effect.
“You can change the temperature of the air as you wish by just saying the temperature out loud, the dominant colors that show would depend on the temperature you choose.” Rui explained. “If you choose a temperature that would match, say the temperature of the ocean, the more prominent colors would be the color of the ocean.”
“And that’s it with my gift?” Utami asked, looking disappointed.
Kaoru chuckled. “Do we look like ordinary untalented faeries to you? Of course it’s not.”
“This gift acts like a magic slate, a magic canvas. You can draw anything you like with your fingers and then just add color to it by thinking of the color you want.” Chiharu explained.
“Oh.”
“Try it Utami-chan.” Misaki prompted.
Utami drew a lush little meadow, with a little cottage at the side with a creek flowing and a bit of wildlife around. When she finished drawing, the picture itself came to life. The animals began moving and the water in the creek began to flow.
“Sugoi.” Utami sighed.
“If you want to draw something new, just overlap the previous drawing with a new one.” Rui explained.
“Utami, time to get ready.” Utami’s mom shouted from downstairs.
“Ok Mom.” Utami shouted back.
“Seems it’s time for us to go now and time for you to…” Kaoru trailed off.
“Ja ne..” Her friends said before flying out her window.
“Oh, and by the way.” Misaki added, “The time of day in the drawing is the same as our time. If it’s night it’s night, and if it’s day it’s day.”
-o0o-
“Yah! Jung Yunho! Get down here before we drag you all the way to the Shiroyama’s!” Yunho’s mother shouted.
“Hai. Hai. Okaa-san.” Yunho said as he hurried from his room. As he skid to a halt at the top of the stairs, he tripped on his own feet and went tumbling down the stairs.
His entire family winced.
“Really, onii-chan. Why are you so clumsy these days? You never fell that much before.” His sister said.
“Ah..haha..Gomen.” Yunho replied.
His mother sighed and said, “Anyway, you’re here. Let’s go now.”
“Dear, please watch that you’re son doesn’t run into any trees or suddenly forgets how to use his wings. It would be very embarrassing if we were late.” She added for her husband.
“Hai hai.” Yunho’s father replied, chuckling.
-o0o-
“Dear, don’t worry. They’ll be here.” Utami’s father assured her mother.
“I’m not.” She said defensively.
“Yes you are Mom. You keep looking at your watch for like every minute.” Utami said sarcastically, teasing her mom.
Her mother sighed. “Alright, alright. It’s just that there’s only…” She looked at her watch, again. “… two minutes left until the appointed time.”
1 minute…30 seconds…10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…
Woooosh~
A big swirl of air appeared in front of them, cradling someone in its center. Three others landed gracefully beside it at the same time, before the elder woman of the group went to Utami mother and began to mutter something.
“Hontou gomen-nasai. My son’s just at the height of his clumsiness these days and we were almost late because of it.”
“Ah, that’s alright. Are you all okay? You all look a bit ruffled.”
“That’s because my husband decided it was fun to show off his powers.”
Said husband just chuckled in response.
Utami stared at the young man, her betrothed, slowly standing up and dusting off his clothes.
There’s something vaguely familiar about him. She thought.
Yunho looked up when he felt someone staring at him, and found his gaze locked with Utami’s blue, no grey, no green…
Exactly what color are her eyes, they seem to shift color along with the lights. He thought.
“Ah…” They both said at the same. “You!”
“You know each other?” Their parents asked.
“Sort of.” Yunho said, chuckling nervously.
“We’ve sort of bumped into each other really hard these last few days, but we don’t really know each other’s name.” Utami explained.
“Ah, boku-wa Jung Yunho desu ka. Yoroshiku.” Yunho said hurriedly, knowing his mother would probably strangle him for not introducing himself properly to his betrothed first before exclaiming ‘YOU!’.
“Watashi-wa Shiroyama Utami desu. Yoroshiku onegai-shimasu.” Utami answered automatically.
“Now that they know each other, shall we head inside and talk about it over dinner?” Utami’s father, who is the cook of the family, suggested.
Everyone went inside as Utami’s father suggested and exchanged stories after dinner, getting to know one another better.
After dinner, Utami brought Yunho to her room to show him her friends’ gift.
“…I drew this ealier, when they told me to try it.” She told him after she finished explaining.
“Oh.” Yunho exclaimed as he saw the landscape that was drawn. “Chotto something doesn’t seem to be right.”
“Eh? Nani?”
“Something seems to be written on it, but it’s not that clear.” Yunho squinted his eyes and read the word LIGHT. Light? What light? My light? Yunho’s gut instinct seemed to be telling him to use his powers to add something to the gift.
“May I add something?” He asked Utami.
“Sure.” She answered.
Waving his hand, he expelled a few dots of light all over the picture, creating the illusion of fireflies flying all around the little cottage and the meadow. When some of the lights moved over the sky part, a few letters of something shimmered. Yunho guided all of the dots to the sky. The phrase Accidents of Destiny was written in the sky.
Yunho quirked an eyebrow. “Accidents of Destiny? What’s that?”
Utami was staring blankly at her gift before realization hit her, and then she laughed. “It seems that my friends have figured out that you might be my likely betrothed, taking the accidents I’ve had with you as a sign. Hence, Accidents of Destiny.”
“Friends? Those four girls who were with you the first day we met?”
“Yup.”
“They’re good.”
Utami felt a sudden surge of jealousy go through her. It was quickly doused when Yunho added, “But you’re better.”
He suddenly grabbed her by the waist and kissed her.
Accidents of Destiny indeed.