A New World

Chapter 29 - Yuki

"This is the fountain?!" Emilie quickly made her way ahead of the group towards the fountain, stopping at its edge to take a few pictures. Once finished, she quickly fixed her hair into a ponytail and carefully knelt over the edge. She dipped her cupped hands into the water bringing it back up to take in her reflection: her recently dyed jet black hair, her dark brown eyes that peered back at her, and her soft smile that complemented her youthful facial features was all too familiar.

As she focused more intently at the reflection, she took note of the full moon's brilliant snow-like appearance as it hung in the night sky, dancing to the gentle motion of the water captured in her hands.

She held her breath and rested her elbows on her knees in order to keep her movements to a bare minimum and in doing so, brought the water to a standstill. Her eyes widened as she witnessed the water seemingly disappear from her hands although she could clearly feel it. "The moonlight probably plays a key role in this," she muttered to herself. She released the water from her hands and repositioned herself to submerge her hand into the clear water below, testing the fountain's depth.

"What are you up to Emilie?" Rouge was already accustomed to her younger sister's spontaneous behavior but still took it upon herself to make sure she didn't get into trouble, at least more trouble than she needed to be in.

"Give me a sec." She quickly took her hand out, waving both in the air to rid them of excess water before wiping it completely dry on her clothes.

Rouge caught a glimpse of Shayo as he watched the scene unfold before him with intrigue. She chuckled knowing full well what he would be in store for. "That's right, Shayo hasn't really experienced this side of Emilie yet. She'll let us know what this was all for when she's done. Till then, it's best to just let her finish up."

They watched as she walked backwards from the fountain to the group, making sure it remained within her field of vision the entire time. She continued walking until she was now several feet from the group, only stopping to take a few more pictures of the fountain and surrounding area. Once completed, she held her arms out directly in front of her as she gradually widened the distance between them.

Finally satisfied with the objective she was only privy to, she relaxed her arms and made her way back to the group as if she had only just arrived at the plaza.

"This fountain's so much more like a large shallow pool in my opinion. Just look at the size of it...it's immense!"

"How big were you thinking it was going to be?" Hayato asked.

I don't know...I guess I just thought it'd be smaller."

She abruptly turned towards Shayo, "Are people allowed to step into it?" she asked.

"Yes, usually people sit on the edge and talk as they soak their feet. Those who visit the campus with their kids love bringing them to the fountain for that very reason. As summer comes to a close, people will make their way back to the campus and you'll get a chance to see how truly populated the plaza gets. The area is usually filled with shrieks of joy and laughter from children and adults."

A mischievous smirk slowly wrapped around her face, an outward display of the thoughts that now ran through her mind. That was something she would want to take advantage of if they were to come back in the future. "Noted."

"Be careful Shayo, you wouldn't want to give Emilie any ideas. You give her an inch and she'll go a mile."

"Hey, I know my boundaries. Right, Hato-nii?"

"I'd have to side with her on this one Rouge."

"Thanks for the backup!" Rouge lightheartedly rolled her eyes as they both went for a high five.