Sorrow

Author: Seth

"It's odd. How could I miss something that I didn't even have, at the time?"
It was a beautiful day. The sun shone brightly down through clear blue sky and a gentle breeze was blowing through fields of grass.

Ryuu was, of course, taking advantage of the weather by napping the day away under a shady poplar tree. It wasn't like there was a better way to spend his time, was there?

A faint whirring in his ear brought the Ginsenkei soldier out of his comfortable doze. Cracking an eye open, Ryuu beheld a small, yellowy-green dragonfly hovering near his face. Closing his eye again, the brunette tried to ignore the insect and go back to sleep. He didn't really advocate swatting bugs, mainly because it took too much energy.

Unfortunately for him the small bug didn't seem to have any plans on leaving. The caress of tiny wing beats was the only warning Ryuu received before the dragonfly settled down on his nose. Wrinkling the aforementioned body part, Ryuu tried to blow the offending creature of his nose, but to no avail. It was as if the thing were glued to him. Finally giving up, the boy used up some of his carefully rationed energy and tried to brush the bug off his nose.

It worked, the dragonfly flew off. And then returned seconds after he placed his hand back behind his head.

Growling, Ryuu sat up and shook his head. That worked about as well as his first solution had.

Resigning himself to a (partially) ruined day, Ryuu got up and started walking back to the Ginsenkei compound. Maybe the insect would leave him alone if he walked far enough from whatever pond it lived in. Maybe then he could salvage a couple of hours of lost sleep.

It didn't leave much to his chagrin, and he received quite a few comments on it (Nyo's amused remark that it was 'A dragonfly flying around a flying dragon' was particularly grating). So incessant in its following of the young soldier was the dragonfly that Ryuu actually considered jumping into the Ginsei to get rid of it. He hadn't died yet, after all, and even if he did he was certain there wouldn't be any supremely annoying critters buzzing around his head in the afterlife.

The small bug did leave him eventually, though it took the majority of the day before it did so.

Oddly, whatever satisfaction Ryuu expected to feel as he watched the small creature fly off was completely absent. Instead he felt a deep sense of unexplainable heartache and… nostalgia?

He dismissed the odd feeling; it wasn't as if it meant anything. He didn't have any time to be pre-occupied with it, in any case. The whole incident was over and done with and there was sleeping to be done

He should have known better.

Years later, when he was wandering aimlessly about the world that little dragonfly came back. It wasn't the same one of course, that would be absurd, but its coming brought that same feeling of sorrow and nostalgia the other one had, the feelings not so out of place now. This one didn't leave him.

Even farther into the future, when he was relaxing under a cherry tree, the cherry tree actually, Ryuu absently thought about the time interval between both dragonflies. Something clicked.

"Hey, Nyo, how long was I gone again?" The brunette asked his silver haired friend who was leaning against the tree beside him.

"Well aren't we random today?" Nyo quirked his lips into a grin before quickly adding, "About nine years, give or take a month or two."

Ryuu nodded to himself. Then he bopped Nyo on the head.

"Hey, what was that for?!" The golden eyed man yelped in indignation.

"For giving my son such a stupid nickname." Ryuu sighed, placing his hands behind his head.

"Oh give it a rest." Nyo groused, rubbing his temple. "It fits."

"Exactly." Ryuu closed his eyes, smiling as a small, yellowy-green dragonfly landed on his nose.