Some Wings Must Bleed

Chapter 79 - Rose In A Vase

Leorio and I decided to order in dinner, not because we didn't want to go out, but because he was determined to have a cinema night. As soon as he heard about how I had never seen some dumb horse movie, he took it upon himself to educate me, and was now forcing me into watching it with him.

I'd rather go back to training, but Leorio seems so happy...

He was rather excited about the ordeal, cuddling up into the couch and queuing the movie up. "It's a cartoon?" I asked, cuddling in next to him and taking the bowl of popcorn that he was holding.

"Yes, shh it's starting." He replied, stealing the popcorn back and ignoring me when I scoffed.

Maybe I can use this opportunity to train...

. . .

We were about halfway through the movie now, and the horse, who was the protagonist by the way, was trapped in some old western bootcamp thing. I looked over to Leorio, who was munching on popcorn and focused on the screen, before closing my eyes and attempting to clear my head.

Alright (y/n). Let's see here. What are we going to transform into? The usual? Wolf ears? Crow wings? No, I mean, I don't even know if I can fully transform into one of those, there's too much I need to experiment and try out.

Oh! I know! A rose!

If I can transform into plants-

Wait, how will I even move? God I wish I had someone to teach me this stuff...

Like a mother. Or a clan. That isn't fake.

I sighed, keeping my eyes closed and shifting a bit to rearrange my posture.

Alright. A rose it is.

I took a deep breath and visualized a rose, it's leaves, thorns, soft petals, strong stem...

I opened my eyes.

But I saw nothing.

Nothing but a dark green haze, like it was nighttime and my eyes weren't adjusted to anything. No, it felt like a dream.

A hazy dream...

I tried to move, but found myself rather immobile. Not stuck, or held down, but slow and steady, like gradually moving molecules bumping softly into each other in a large space.

OH SHIT AM I A ROSE RIGHT NOW.

I heard something soft and blurry, a voice perhaps.

It's so distant and irrelevant, it's hard to focus on it...

I loved it. It was incredible, like an entirely different universe filled with nature and dew. It felt like I was suspended in space, stuck in a piece of jello, but not necessarily trapped.

I should probably go back now...

I voluntarily exhaled, but didn't really feel anything, truly as if I were a different life form. Well, I guess I was...

Incredible. It's incredible. Is this the true power I've obtained all this time? The power I've been training and refining without even knowing it?

I would've smiled, but felt so zen and neutral that I just focused on shifting back to my human form again, my mind empty and completely in control.

Oh, to be a rose.

. . .

I opened my eyes. And suddenly everything felt harsh and bright.