Disclaimer: DN Angel does not belong to me, although you can bet I want it.

Sakura-Angel: Written mostly because I felt like something happy. And partly because I felt like I needed to contribute something to the C2 Community's fic contest. Think of it as a belated Valentine's Day present from me, hehe.

Way back when, when girls had cooties and tag-backs weren't allowed, there was a boy.

He was something extraordinary, but he didn't know it at the time. His eyes were lavenders and violets. And when he was angry, they were the horizon on fire, red and crazy and beautiful.

When he smiled he'd make girls giggle, and they'd skip away on their spritely legs into the sunshine, silently asking him to chase after, but he never did.

One day, a day of the best kind it just so happened - when the sun's rays were all around and a gentle breeze was blowing and wispy clouds were streaked near the horizon against an otherwise clear sky - a girl played.

She was also extraordinary, perhaps not as striking as the boy was at first glance, but underneath lay something that was all her own. She was a spirit so resplendent that she drew others in without knowing and held them there, transfixed and completely under her spell.

On this sun-soaked day of days, she spun in the arcs of light, so carefree and pretending at ballerina. She spun so fast her hair flew into her mouth and her skirt stayed up, but she didn't stop. Her laugh echoed over the playground, scattering butterflies and rustling leaves, but you'd swear it was music and not child's play.

Her bare feet were stained with the sweet green of the grass when she'd stopped and her cheeks were flushed. She collapsed gracefully onto the ground, skirt settling around her, and she'd found that she'd left little wet spirals in the grass and dirt from her twirling. No matter. After all, what are a child's worries?

She stared up at the sky now, head resting on her arms. It was calming, all the cornflower blue, and her breathing evened.

A shadow fell across her. She was startled.

A boy.

No, the boy.

He was looking at her with red eyes, angry that she'd found his sanctuary and dared to frolic, barefoot, as only he was allowed. Everyone knew it was his, everyone. No one but him had ever slid down the slide to the gravel and skinned their knees, sat in the dusty swing and glided up to heaven. No one but him was allowed to trail their feet through the lush grass and splash in the puddles come springtime.

The staring continued.

She was unnerved immediately, not used to this look he was giving her. She was not used to someone being resistant to her magic, not smiling at the look of her youthful face upturned to the sky, cornflower blue reflected in her brown eyes. She felt ashamed of herself, for what reason she didn't know.

The wind caressed her bare legs for a moment, and her skirt was blown up a little, tickling her skin. She thrust herself forward so she sat up, the boy dodging her expertly, not breaking his alizarin stare all the while.

Her breath came in a little shakily as she readied herself to speak. "Sorry," she apologized quietly for anything she might have done to make him, this boy with muted anger brewing in his eyes, mad.

Guilt welled up inside him the second she took off, racing barefoot down the sidewalk in the direction he presumed her house was. She hadn't even taken her shoes in her haste. They lay in the grass next to him now, streaked messily with green and black - grass and ash, reminding him of the horrible thing he'd done.

It was his place of solitude yes, but he realized now, with the sun shining into his eyes and making his purple eyes appear pale, that he could share it with someone. She didn't seem too bad after all. Now that he thought about it, when she ran she shared the semblance of a sprite, tiptoeing lightly, but wildly, over the surface of a pond.

-

The next day, a day just as beautiful as the last, because it was a summer afternoon and everything moved slowly and perfectly, he waited.

And she came.

She came running, her eyes lit up with excitement barely contained. Her tousled hair flew out behind her, waving hello, or something like it.

And she stopped.

She stopped right in front of him. A pretty flower was clutched in her fist, looking more exhausted from the run than she did. A light pink was on her cheeks as she handed him the daisy, bowing her head at the same time. She said, simply, "Sorry."

He didn't hear it though. It was because he was listening to his own voice saying the same word, hoping he sounded sincere enough. He didn't want her to go, he'd feel worse, and so he thrust out his own freshly picked flower for her.

They both looked up from their blooms, peace offerings, I'm-sorries, and at each other's surprised faces.

They grinned at first, realizing what had happened, and started giggling and collapsed onto the grass, thick and cool. She turned her head to look at him, a smile in her eyes, and lifted up her hand to lay the daisy on his chest.

Her hand hovered over his chest and his own sweaty hand came up to meet it instantly, taking her by surprise. He fit his own flower between her fingertips, nails stubby, and grinned goofily, eyes closed.

She grinned back through the blades of grass and turned to look at the sky. It was cloudless, crisp and wonderful. Birds chirped from the treetops, calling out for mates and children. The beauty of it energized her and she sprung up, but she looked down at the boy right away, a question in her eyes.

He seemed to know what she wanted, and took the flower off his chest with one hand, and extended the other towards her. She pulled him up. He smiled.

The sight of him happy made her giggle for some reason, and she closed her eyes in delight. She felt magical again, ready to enchant the world with her spell. And so she ran off on her spritely legs into the sunshine, silently asking him to chase after.

And he, with his lavender eyes, did.