Summary: He vanishes in the water, yet sits atop the highest oak.

Rating: K+

Pairing: None

Don't own RoTG.

They look for his body in the spring.

The pond has thawed, and they are hopeful- maybe too hopeful- that he is there. That maybe they can at least recover that part of him, recover the corpse of the one who loved life a little too much, who was selfless at the end of his final game.

She is the most hopeful; she thinks of this as a final thank you. She was the one to see him fall- the one who caused his fall- so it is logical that she is the one to find him and bury him. And, even if it's selfish, she wants to see her big brother one more time. She wants to see his jovial features, his lips curled in that little smirk, his eyes giving that far-away look as he imagines some new adventure-

She wants to pretend that he is alive again, if only for a little while. They all do.

So, they search.

But, he is not found. They scavenge the bottom of that pond for days, braving the chilled waters, all looking for something- just a glimpse, a sign that he is there. But, there is nothing. There is nothing at the bottom of that pond, not a trace. Not a scrap of his clothing or a lock of his hair.

He is not there.

So, she cries.

They all cry. The village mourns for the silly young soul who yearned for adventure- they mourn for the one who brought excitement to their small world. All of them mourn, and she mourns the most.

And at the top of a tall tree at the very edge of the town, a boy with white hair sits, wondering what all the fuss is about.

.

.

.

.

oUCH?