Seasons of Love

Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Summary: 525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife... The story never ends, let's celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends. Seasons of love. A year in the life of our Wicked friends. Starts in August and ends in July of the following year. AU.

Fall

August

The wind soared over the tree tops, sending leaves of all colors dancing to the ground. As the students of Shiz University hurried across the green, rushing towards their next class, the wind followed at their backs, pushing them along with a cool hand. Loose strands of hair were picked up and airborne; tassels on scarves waved to each other as the owners hurried along, and skirts flapped like flags in the wind.

One student in particular, felt the wind at her back and wanted so badly to go off course and chart her own wind-blown path in the world. She was sick of the path she was on, tired of following the rules set for her, and refused to conform to the University's idea of the world. Instead of sitting back and letting life pass her by, she chased after it, making sure she forged her own path while at school.

Finally, she slipped into the Life Sciences classroom, closing the door behind her, shutting the wind outside. Shaking the chill from her body, she walked to her seat, slipping into it before class started. Setting her books down, she tossed her raven plaite over her shoulder, and watched the room, noticing the door open out of the corner of her eye. Her head snapped to the side, as the door opened and someone slipped inside.

As the door shut quietly behind him, he glanced around the room, searching for an empty seat, and finding the only empty seat by the window, he hurried to the seat, slipping into it as the professor started the lesson. For several minutes, his seat mate did nothing but watch the professor, taking notes and listening. Then, for whatever reason, her focus was diverted from the professor, and slowly, she turned towards him.

At first, all he noticed was the thick, raven braid running down her back, the deep black contrasting with the stark navy blue of her blouse. The next thing that came into view was her skin- a soft, enchanting harlequin green. It was unlike any other skin tone, not pale, rose, or brown like normal tones, but of a different shade entirely, making her exotic, unique, something not of this world. What caught his eye next, was the deep violet of her eyes, that stared at him through nice and neat little reading glasses. So entranced by her eyes was he, that he didn't realize the professor's voice, or the other students in class; he only noticed her, with her slender nose, her violet eyes and the soft green lips that formed a small smile as she looked him over once, before turning back to the lecture.

He smiled back, suddenly finding that she was the only thing that mattered. When lecture ended and class was dismissed, she was one of the first to gather her books and slip out of her seat, before going to the door and slipping through the throng of students. Slowly, he snapped out of his reviere, gathered his books, and followed, trying to catch up with her. Every so often, he'd catch a flash of black hair, and rush after her, only to find that it wasn't her, but someone else.

Eventually, he gave up his search, and left campus, going to the Wilted Rose, a small cafe in downtown Shiz, a popular hangout for Shiz University students. He passed other students, locals, and vendors selling things to those passing on the street. He passed boutiques, bookstores, and little cafes, all with decorative awnings and signs pointing out daily specials. Finally, he got to the Wilted Rose, and passing the window, he caught sight of someone he'd been searching for all afternoon.

Her.

She was sitting at a table, a cup of coffee in front of her, a book open in her hands.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and slipped inside, looking around to give the impression that he was searching for a table. Satisfied that he had found his prey, he closed the door softly behind him and slowly made his way towards her table. She was so engrossed in her book; she didn't hear him, until he was in front of her. He cleared his throat softly, and she looked up, her violet eyes going from the pages of her novel to his face in a matter of minutes.

She raised her eyebrows quickly, watching him, before glancing at the chair across from her.

"I'm Fiyero. Do... do you mind if I join you?" He asked softly. Her eyes again went from him to the chair, and for a moment, time stood still as she debated what to do, her lip between her perfect white teeth. When it looked like she wasn't going to respond, he took that as her answer and turned to go.

"Wait. You can sit."

He turned, her soft whisper calling him to come back. He raised his eyebrows momentarily, before returning to the chair. She nodded once, gently kicking the chair towards him. He sighed, and sat down across from her, dropping his book bag to the floor. They sat in silence for several minutes, before both ordered coffee- he a cup and she a refill- and returned to the silence that had started. She closed her book and set it aside, before folding her arms on the table and watching him. After a moment, she licked her lips and said,

"Hi. I'm Elphaba."