(tell me who wants to look back on their youth and wonder where those years have gone)
Title: Where Those Years Have Gone
Characters: Vanille, Ranka
Summary: One night, Ranka suddenly finds herself face-to-face with Vanille and she wonders where she came from.
Rating: PG
Notes: I...don't know where this came from. I wrote this for Hermy. I hope you enjoy it.
It always seemed like Vanille had a problem sleeping, even if she slept in the same room as Ranka. Probably had something to do with being so far away from home all the time, she thought but never spoke up about it. Vanille needed her privacy and when she was ready she’d say something about it. No need to rush it-even if she felt guilt that she couldn’t help her friend, well, it didn’t seem to bother her that much; at least, that’s what Ranka kept telling herself.
Ranka had told her that she’d be happy to find a cot or something more comfortable than the floor for her to sleep in, if she felt the need to sleep in Ranka’s room. Yet each time Vanille just smiled and shook her head ‘no’. “Yep, I’m just fine, Ranka, it’s your room not mine,” she had said, smiling broadly. She had argued that Vanille was a friend and a guest, she shouldn’t have to sleep on the floor but Vanille kept shrugging and smiling. Typical Vanille-how could Ranka stay mad at that?
They had stayed up late talking. It had started out about some story Vanille had heard when she was a kid then it shifted to how cute Ai-kun was, Sheryl and the time she chased Ai-kun throughout the school (Vanille couldn’t stop giggling at that, neither could Ranka but felt guilty for doing it in front of her Sheryl poster), and many more subjects than she could trace. It didn’t really matter, in the end, what they talked about. Vanille had that way about her-just one of a thousand things that Ranka could say she admired.
“Good-oh…” The words died on Ranka’s lips as soon as she thought them because she could hear the light sounds of snoring. At least Vanille was sleeping quietly, that was good enough for her. For herself, Ranka turned on her side-Ai-kun curled up next to her head-and closed her eyes tightly. A dreamless sleep came easily to her; it felt good. Until Ai-kun bounced over Ranka’s head, that is, making an annoyed cooing sound as he did so.
She turned over in annoyance, wondering what just could be the matter, and got a face full of curls for her trouble. Ranka inhaled quickly; it couldn’t be…! How-why-why was Vanille-chan here? Right next to her? Hadn’t she been sleeping nicely on floor? She could feel her face redden as the realization hit her.
Please, Ozma-niisan, please don’t check up on me…
Vanille, for her part, seemed to have fallen asleep again (how long had Ranka slept? How long had Vanille laid there? Did she know that she had ended up there?). At least she hadn’t buried herself underneath the covers…that would have been even more awkward. Ranka raised a hand to shake her but then lowered it. She shouldn’t bother her-Vanille had enough trouble sleeping…
Ranka shifted over, ignoring her increasingly red face, allowing Vanille more room. It was embarrassing-terribly so-but Vanille was such a fitful sleeper if she woke up now it could be hours before she slept again. Ranka briefly looked up at the poster of Sheryl on the wall.
Sheryl-san would know what to do. Alto-kun, too, I bet- Ranka’s train of thought was cut off as Vanille placed a hand on her shoulder, her hand clutching at the fabric. She wanted to sit up, to wrap her arms around her knees, to do something that would make her blush stop growing. Ranka didn’t, though, for reasons she didn’t quite know. She just looked back at Vanille, how she seemed at ease finally. How she was beginning to smile in her sleep.
“…I missed you so much.” Vanille’s sleepy muttering made Ranka stare. Was she waking up? She just shifted closer (why?) and that smile didn’t fade. That fact made her heart soar just a little bit. Ranka’s heart ached every time she saw Vanille cry in her sleep and she looked so happy curled up by her side, hand grasping at her shoulder like that.
No-that wasn’t right. Vanille was her friend but-Ranka didn’t know why but it felt like she should feel that this was wrong. Yet she didn’t. It felt natural to have her friend there, being calmed by the proximity of another person.
Vanille-chan…
She wanted to do something to make her feel that it was alright, that no matter what she was dreaming it was going to be fine when she woke. Ranka wanted to do something but she didn’t, and turned over. Vanille’s hand moved and she could feel her re-adjusting herself in her sleep. Maybe if she just closed her eyes, that feeling of awkwardness would go away-that nothing would change.
So, Ranka fell into a fitful sleep. When she woke up in the morning, Vanille had woken up before her. She could hear her arguing with Ozma about breakfast. Maybe that was for the best; she never mentioned that night to Vanille.
--
A few months later, when she found the note on her bed the first thing Ranka thought was: “Maybe if I said something she would have said goodbye to me and wouldn’t have left a note.” She regretted that thought immediately.
Characters: Vanille, Ranka
Summary: One night, Ranka suddenly finds herself face-to-face with Vanille and she wonders where she came from.
Rating: PG
Notes: I...don't know where this came from. I wrote this for Hermy. I hope you enjoy it.
It always seemed like Vanille had a problem sleeping, even if she slept in the same room as Ranka. Probably had something to do with being so far away from home all the time, she thought but never spoke up about it. Vanille needed her privacy and when she was ready she’d say something about it. No need to rush it-even if she felt guilt that she couldn’t help her friend, well, it didn’t seem to bother her that much; at least, that’s what Ranka kept telling herself.
Ranka had told her that she’d be happy to find a cot or something more comfortable than the floor for her to sleep in, if she felt the need to sleep in Ranka’s room. Yet each time Vanille just smiled and shook her head ‘no’. “Yep, I’m just fine, Ranka, it’s your room not mine,” she had said, smiling broadly. She had argued that Vanille was a friend and a guest, she shouldn’t have to sleep on the floor but Vanille kept shrugging and smiling. Typical Vanille-how could Ranka stay mad at that?
They had stayed up late talking. It had started out about some story Vanille had heard when she was a kid then it shifted to how cute Ai-kun was, Sheryl and the time she chased Ai-kun throughout the school (Vanille couldn’t stop giggling at that, neither could Ranka but felt guilty for doing it in front of her Sheryl poster), and many more subjects than she could trace. It didn’t really matter, in the end, what they talked about. Vanille had that way about her-just one of a thousand things that Ranka could say she admired.
“Good-oh…” The words died on Ranka’s lips as soon as she thought them because she could hear the light sounds of snoring. At least Vanille was sleeping quietly, that was good enough for her. For herself, Ranka turned on her side-Ai-kun curled up next to her head-and closed her eyes tightly. A dreamless sleep came easily to her; it felt good. Until Ai-kun bounced over Ranka’s head, that is, making an annoyed cooing sound as he did so.
She turned over in annoyance, wondering what just could be the matter, and got a face full of curls for her trouble. Ranka inhaled quickly; it couldn’t be…! How-why-why was Vanille-chan here? Right next to her? Hadn’t she been sleeping nicely on floor? She could feel her face redden as the realization hit her.
Please, Ozma-niisan, please don’t check up on me…
Vanille, for her part, seemed to have fallen asleep again (how long had Ranka slept? How long had Vanille laid there? Did she know that she had ended up there?). At least she hadn’t buried herself underneath the covers…that would have been even more awkward. Ranka raised a hand to shake her but then lowered it. She shouldn’t bother her-Vanille had enough trouble sleeping…
Ranka shifted over, ignoring her increasingly red face, allowing Vanille more room. It was embarrassing-terribly so-but Vanille was such a fitful sleeper if she woke up now it could be hours before she slept again. Ranka briefly looked up at the poster of Sheryl on the wall.
Sheryl-san would know what to do. Alto-kun, too, I bet- Ranka’s train of thought was cut off as Vanille placed a hand on her shoulder, her hand clutching at the fabric. She wanted to sit up, to wrap her arms around her knees, to do something that would make her blush stop growing. Ranka didn’t, though, for reasons she didn’t quite know. She just looked back at Vanille, how she seemed at ease finally. How she was beginning to smile in her sleep.
“…I missed you so much.” Vanille’s sleepy muttering made Ranka stare. Was she waking up? She just shifted closer (why?) and that smile didn’t fade. That fact made her heart soar just a little bit. Ranka’s heart ached every time she saw Vanille cry in her sleep and she looked so happy curled up by her side, hand grasping at her shoulder like that.
No-that wasn’t right. Vanille was her friend but-Ranka didn’t know why but it felt like she should feel that this was wrong. Yet she didn’t. It felt natural to have her friend there, being calmed by the proximity of another person.
Vanille-chan…
She wanted to do something to make her feel that it was alright, that no matter what she was dreaming it was going to be fine when she woke. Ranka wanted to do something but she didn’t, and turned over. Vanille’s hand moved and she could feel her re-adjusting herself in her sleep. Maybe if she just closed her eyes, that feeling of awkwardness would go away-that nothing would change.
So, Ranka fell into a fitful sleep. When she woke up in the morning, Vanille had woken up before her. She could hear her arguing with Ozma about breakfast. Maybe that was for the best; she never mentioned that night to Vanille.
--
A few months later, when she found the note on her bed the first thing Ranka thought was: “Maybe if I said something she would have said goodbye to me and wouldn’t have left a note.” She regretted that thought immediately.