Dust in the Wind

[Dawnika Snow]

Yuki’s assets seized up as the little elven girl slipped their cash back into her underwear. Her chilly fingers slid across her skin causing the hair on her neck to stand on end. The young woman slid closer to Jun as the group of knife-ears ran off with their payment and pulled the cash back out to count it. It was all there, save for the bills the elves took, but thankfully they got their cash back. Yuki looked up at Jun, claw mark gashed across over her tattoo.

“Should we go? There's free food.” She said convincingly. Her eyes also gazed down to her skirt. It went down past her thighs, that’s long enough...right? With that she adjusted her skirt a little. “My skirt’s not that short...is it?”

Jun watched the posse until they disappeared behind the curb of the alleyway then down to Yuki, who was nervously trying to fix her skirt.

“No, stop.” He said putting his hand on her shoulder. “You look fine. And to answer your more serious question, I say we go. We're paying for the damn party so why not?”

That snide retort made Yuki giggle behind her new fashionable knit scarf. The two walked off back to their home, their run down house with a missing wall and half a roof. A couple shared the building with them mutually. The two were older than Yuki and Jun, but it seemed like finding a decent job was tough for those without education on tier four. That couple stayed in the bottom room while Yuki and Jun took the upstairs.

When they entered through the door, the couple was eating their late lunch, a can of leftover food, probably found in a restaurant trash can. Jun stepped up to the charred broken up table that had been scarred from a fire and slapped a few hundred dollars on the burnt wood. The two dirty faces beamed at the wad of cash, tear welling up in their eyes.

“Get yourselves some clothes and real food.” Jun says to them. The young female bolts up from her stool and hugs the teenage boy bawling her eyes out.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She repeated many times over again through her shaky voice, wetting Jun jacket with her tears. Jun rubbed her back with an agreeing hug. Yuki’s voice rose behind Jun.

“If you guys ever need anything, we're here for you. All you have to do is ask.” Tyrone, the male of the couple, rose from his seat after his girlfriend, Erin, broke the hug with Jun to shake the teenager’s hand.

“We truly appreciate it, but that money is stolen isn't it.” The boy only replied with a nod. Tyrone gestured his palms to Jun, as if he would have him stop there. “I don't want to know what happened, but we'll never forget your kindness. If there is anything-”

“Just, enjoy your..” He glanced at the money on the table throwing another hundred down on the table. “500 dollars. You.” He pointed to Tyrone looking at his torn up sandals. “New shoes.”

Yuki stepped up pulling Erin to the side, and in a whisper she voiced her concerns. “Get some nice underwear for him. Something to really get the fire running.” Erin’s face lit beet red, though she wouldn't deny how badly she wanted that. Yuki only grinned back at her with a nod.

The couple drudged off with their fancy wad of cash to do some shopping and the siblings went to their half-charred bedroom. The two laid on their shared bed, looking at the money they had left. 300 dollars left.

“I think we spent this well, we really needed the new blanket and clothes.” Yuki says kicking her feet at the bed under the new blanket.

“Definitely.” Responded Jun, who was laying on his side with his hand propping up his head. “It's rough, but we manage.”

The teenage girl nods to her lifelong companion and rolls onto her back. Her thoughts circled around the couple they lived with. Every once in awhile she could hear them downstairs at night. To most it would feel awkward to hear others doing something like that, but Yuki’s mind drifted to thoughts of lust.

Being a young teenager, it was only reasonable to think of her desires but love was a topic she tiptoed the line on. She wanted Jun, she knew that. The problem was him. He never made a move before, no matter how much she wanted it. His voice drew her back in.

“Yuki, you alright?” He asked. She simply slid her hand out and grabbed some of the money.

“I was thinking of something I wanted, is that alright?” She asked him.

“If you want all that money there, take it.” He said sliding her the pile. She slyly and shyly grabbed a few more dollars.

“That’s it I swear, you take the rest.” And he folded it up and stuffed it in his pocket. A silence hushed over the room, other than the sound of zooming cars blatantly ignoring the speed limit and their horns filling the evening atmosphere. Yuki stared into Jun’s deep brown eyes and he stared back at her fiery yellow eyes.

“I've always loved your eyes. They burn with the passion of a superior spirit.” The young girl's face burned red with embarrassment. He'd never said anything like that before.

“Wh-Why are you mentioning this all of a sudden?” She asked, pulling the blanket over her nose trying to hide the blush.

“I don't know. Just, looking in your eyes made my mind trail.” Yuki’s face lit up like stop light. Jun was oblivious to the current situation, not sure why she was getting so ruffled. “Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you.”

The boy rolled over and tried to get a nap before the party tonight. Clenched hands grasped thick fabric. How badly she wanted to slide up to his back, clench his shirt and tell him how wrong he was. How horribly hard it was for her to do so. They laid in silence for the rest of the evening until the party.