The Bluebird That Flies Over the Rainbow

"I think the rice should be warm enough by now," Hiei suggested, opening the lid of the ohitsu to let steam and the aroma of cooked rice waft into the air.

Helena, who had just finished soaking her hand in a bowl of water, exhaled to take a whiff; the scent of warm rice was just one of the many little things she had grown to appreciate.

But she couldn't enjoy it for long; Hiei was ready, and she didn't want to keep her waiting, whether she minded or not.

With that in mind, Helena took the tenugui she had placed nearby, wrapped it around her head, and rolled her sleeves. She paused for a moment—reminding herself that she wouldn't fail. She shouldn't.

Hiei gave a passing smile at the determination before taking a fistful of rice. She then pressed her thumb into the middle and filled the indentation with a spoonful of salted salmon. After she noticed Helena had already done the same, they started kneading.

As the more experienced one, Hiei knew how to make onigiri by heart, and she didn't need to devote her full attention to keep hers from crumbling down. Thus, she could glance at Helena and see how she's been doing.

As she'd expected, Helena was diligent as always as she attempted to shape the rice into a triangle. She certainly remembered her lessons—and failures—well, as her movements were meticulous and calm.

Seeing that Helena was fine on her own, Hiei quietly went back to kneading her own lump of rice, which had been left abandoned. Right now, she figured she could be happy for her—after all, that girl worked hard for it, no matter how mundane the achievement might appear to others.

"Ah…"

The utterance took Hiei's attention. Looking at her side, she could see Helena staring down at a perfectly triangular onigiri held in both palms—it was as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"…I did it…"

"Yes, you did."

Helena's hands were steady as she placed the onigiri on the tray as gently as she could, treating it as if it were fragile like glass; Hiei smiled warmly at that as she finished hers within seconds and put it beside Helena's. They were almost indistinguishable from each other.

Helena's gaze lingered on them for some more. "I did it," she murmured as she began eyeing her work from every side.

"You did well, Helena," Hiei said just as softly after a quiet laugh. Even someone as modest as Helena could allow herself a well-deserved pride.

"Thank you, Hiei-san, for your teachings. For…putting up with my ineptitude," Helena turned to and bowed before a surprised Hiei. She remained that way for a time until she felt Hiei's hand on her shoulder. Looking up, a gentle smile welcomed her.

"And I will gladly do it again…for learning lasts a lifetime."

Helena smiled back and allowed Hiei to embrace her.

"I understand. Please continue teaching me from now on, Hiei-san."

Hiei removed herself from Helena and scooped another handful of rice from the ohitsu.

"But always remember the best way to learn is by doing," she said as Helena did the same.

"Indeed it is."

They continued to make more and more, and when they had run out of rice, Helena realized she had never made that much before, driven by the heady feeling of accomplishing something for the first time. But she would admire them—they turned out just like what she had wanted them to be.

And glancing at Hiei, who had the same look as hers, she could not help but feel proud again.

"My, we did make quite a lot, didn't we?" Hiei chuckled as she eyed the onigiri sprawled before her.

"We did…Perhaps we could share these with the others?" Helena suggested, only barely hiding the anticipation that even Hiei, who's good at reading people, didn't need to spare any effort to notice.

"That's a good idea," she agreed. Helena could swear she saw Hiei flashing a playful smile at her. That was something she had never expected to see, leaving her wondering, if only briefly.

"Ah, then I will get the basket," she said, deciding she must be mistaken. Strolling to a cupboard, she crouched down to take out a bamboo basket, which soon became packed with onigiri.

"It's ready," she said, turning to Hiei to see the same smile still gracing her features.

"Everyone is waiting for you at the port… wouldn't you come along?" Hiei invited.

"…Waiting for me…?"

"Yes, they all wanted to see you, Helena."

Helena was confident Hiei was hiding something, but she didn't feel like questioning her for such trivial curiosity. After all, visiting the port once in a while wouldn't hurt; she always cherished talking to her friends.

But most importantly, she finally could show that person the fruits of her labor.

"I'll get changed, then," Helena bowed to excuse herself and left the kitchen after Hiei returned the gesture, her steps full of life.

***

The torrential downpour had ceased, leaving a city covered with fog in its wake. But Helena could see that rainbow amidst the sunlight peeking through the clouds.

She would, once in a while, cast a glance in its direction; it pleased her immensely to find out that it was still there every time she did, seemingly closer than ever.

"My, you surely like the rainbow very much," said Hiei. Not that she could blame her for staring. It was a marvelous sight, as rare as the August showers.

"It reminds me of a song I heard every so often back then," replied Helena; for a very brief moment, Hiei could see the distant pain in her eyes as she stared into a corner of the road where people would disappear.

"'If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow…why can't I?'"

"Helena…?"

"…Sorry—that's one part of that song. It sounds like a sad one, isn't it? Looking for a place to be? But I know now…the song is about the hope for a better tomorrow, not a reason to despair. That's why I've grown so fond of it."

Hiei was relieved to see a smile once again gracing Helena's features—one so delicate yet belied the inner strength she had found. She was so relieved and glad she thought she could cry for her—eventually settling with the warmest smile she could give.

"I'm glad you and Commander Kido have each other."

"I know…but, Hiei-san, I'm so happy that you have always been there for me too," Helena said, and this time Hiei's tears did fall. She brought a hand up but could only do so with difficulty.

"… It's nothing, isn't it?"

"No, it matters a lot to me. So thank you."

Hiei shook her head, resigned.

"We should do this more often, you know? Take a walk together."

"Ah, you're right; we should."

As they walked, Helena hummed a tune, which Hiei didn't need to guess was from the song she'd been talking about.

***

The first person they met at the port was Mikasa, who told them Atago and Takao were at the dojo. She hurriedly left for her business, but not before giving Helena a surprise hug, which left her baffled.

Atagi and Takao weren't practicing swordplay inside the dojo as Helena had guessed. They were on the floor, doing calligraphy instead. She recalled how surprised she was to learn about the two sisters' shared fondness for the art—especially Atago, who was surprisingly meticulous despite appearances—but now only her admiration remained.

Atago nearly dropped the brush when she noticed Helena and quickly rose to her feet, narrowly missing the inkstone.

"Helena-chan! You really came! Big sis is so happy~!" She called out before tackling Helena and hugging her with all her might.

Helena, who had been accustomed to it by now, let Atago do as she wished—after all, for some odd reason, she was happy being embraced like that this time.

While Takao seemingly disapproved of her sister's action, she stood up as well and went to the pair, bringing along the paper she had been working on.

Takao smiled at Helena as their eyes met despite her stern countenance, and she returned it without hesitation.

"This is for you," Takao said, showing a puzzled Helena the paper, just after Atago broke the embrace and walked away to get hers.

"Really? Is it okay?" Though baffled, Helena received the gift anyway to look over it. On the paper was a proverb written in masterful strokes.

Companions for the Travel, Compassion for the World

"Takao-san…This is…"

"In travel, a company is important. In this world, compassion is important. I thank you for both."

"Thank you for everything, too, Takao-san," Helena uttered after suddenly struggling to find her voice.

Atago's sudden presence proved to be the lighthearted distraction she needed.

"Here's one from big sis. It's not as good as Takao-chan's, though…" She made a false pout as she passed Helena the paper. Despite Atago's claims, Helena honestly could not distinguish between Takao's work and hers.

The Winds of Tomorrow Will Blow Tomorrow was the proverb written on it.

"Like it? It's a reminder to stop worrying about the days to come. Just like your big sis!" Atago exclaimed with just a hint of self-satisfaction.

"…And always keep your compassion for others in your life's journey," Takao continued.

"That said, happy birthday!" Atago declared in English, nearly shouting as her excitement got the better of her.

"B-Birthday…?" Helena stammered as Atago moved to hug her again—the declaration came out of nowhere; it didn't occur to her at first that it was for her.

"Ah, you didn't know…but dai-senpai insisted that we remember the day when we came to be; she wanted us to consider it important. Just like the people in the faraway land where she used to stay," Hiei stepped in to explain, though it didn't alleviate Helena's confusion any.

"Because she wanted to show us, despite everything, we are no different from them," Takao chimed in.

"But thanks to the war, we cannot really celebrate, huh? Not even a little," Atago shook her head.

Faced with such revelation, one that she would never dream of, Helena once again found many words stuck on the tip of her tongue.

"Oh, Helena is here, good," a tired-sounding voice was heard. Laffey came inside the dojo, followed by Ayanami.

"Ara, it's Laffey-chan and Ayanami-chan," Atago waved at the two. They waved back, though decidedly less lively.

"Laffey was told Helena would be here, so I brought these," the destroyer showed Helena a pile of greeting cards held together with strings, which she dazedly accepted.

"Those are letters with birthday greetings…from Cleveland and her sisters, and yours; oh, one is from Maryland before she left," Laffey said as Helena continued to stare at the pile.

"Re-really?"

"Laffey heard about birthdays from Mikasa, so two months ago, I wrote to them to send you birthday greetings. Luckily, they arrived just in time," Laffey explained; Helena thought she seemed proud for once, and there were colors on her cheeks.

"So...be happy, yes," Ayanami joined in; she didn't show it, but she did feel a little out of place. Still, she meant what she said.

Still clutching the letters, Helena went to the two destroyers and hugged them both, whispering her thanks over and over. They seemed to struggle for a moment but returned the hug after that.

"Are you hungry? We brought food," Hiei drew her attention from the heartwarming scene to Takao and Atago and showed them what was inside the basket.

"Oh, that's so very well-made. Don't tell me…"

"Yes, Helena made most of them."

"That girl…she's all grown up, huh," Atago chuckled.

"You really are a big sister," Hiei quipped. Atago had always made her feelings clear, and right now, she was happy for Helena, just like Hiei herself did.

"Tastes good, too," Takao, who already bit into one, remarked. Even she had to smile.

"Helena's onigiri…I want one, too," Laffey appeared beside Hiei without her noticing, and she almost lost her composure—but as always, she was quick to forgive.

"Oh, go ahead and pick one, Laffey-chan," she offered Laffey and Ayanami the basket. "Ah, that one has umeboshi on it, so it's sour…"

Helena watched the group eat, and that feeling of pride swelled again. Looking at the one she had in hand, she decided it was time.

"I'm going to look for Kido-san," she declared to the others—they nodded in unison, mouth full, with Atago barely having the time to swallow and inform her he was at the docks.

***

As she walked towards the place, Helena paused to read one letter she had taken with her.

So, I was pretty surprised when Laffey wrote to me. Told me your 'birthday' is coming up. Geez, I wonder why we never thought of doing so ourselves. Then again, years before, we were at war. Such thoughts wouldn't occur to anyone.

Anyway, that sounds depressing. Let's put it behind us, hm?

I hope this letter will reach you in time. Well, even if it's late, I'd still say it:

Happy birthday.

I'm sure you've grown up a lot, Helena.

Stronger.

Kinder.

Remember, it's okay to wear your heart on your sleeve.

And remember,

I've always been proud of you.

Love, St. Louis.

A single tear fell into the paper. Helena had it folded neatly and tucked on her obi.

***

She soon found him standing on one of the piers, looking at the sea and hurried her pace.

"Kido-san!"

Kido looked over his shoulder to see Helena half-running in his direction.

"Helena…?"

"I…I did it!"

"…Oh? Did what?"

"This…this!"

Kido raised a brow, which became a grin as he recognized the item and why Helena was so elated—a perfectly triangular onigiri.

"Ah, what a coincidence; I'm hungry," he laughed as he took a bite, finding the salted salmon filling. In no time, it was gone.

"I did it…"

"All that hard work pays off, huh?"

"Yes…thanks for always encouraging me, Kido-san."

"Ah, I did what I had to. Besides, it's mostly your own volition."

"That's not true. You are always encouraging me, even when we first met," Helena reached forward to take Kido's hand.

"Well, I told you, I cannot bear seeing you brooding at that time."

"And that's why…" Helena paused to look up. Gone were the rain clouds—but her precious rainbow was still there.

"Yes?

"…And that's why…I could believe it now. The song I'm so fond of…that dreams do come true; that I could fly over that rainbow."

Kido followed Helena's gaze to the rainbow. It reminded him of the brief time they had spent together before she left for America to have her remaining injuries treated; that song had been one of the things they talked about–though at that time, he was too distracted by the fear he would never see her again to fully understand it.

Now he could understand it enough to see that the lonely little bluebird he saw years ago was really no more.

There was only silence as Kido let go of Helena's hand, only to draw her into an embrace right afterward.

"Kido-san…?" she quietly spoke; he was shaking, he was crying, he was embracing her even harder. That didn't stop her from holding him back.

"Your place is here…that place you seek."

"I'm home."

Helena didn't mind being in that comforting position longer, but it was Kido who broke the embrace, albeit reluctantly. He then began looking here and there, in all directions but her.

"Kido-san."

That managed to get Kido to stop and look at only her. When Helena took hold of his hand, he could see the ring on her finger.

"Helena…"

"By all means, please continue to care for me from now on and hereafter."

"O-of course."

"Thank you, Kido-san."

"We-well then… Let's go meet the others?"

"Ah, good idea, but before that…" Helena beckoned for Kido to come closer, and he did so without question.

She whispered into his ears, and when she let go, they were red-faced.

"Still not used to them, Kido-san?"

"Get used to them? I would never want to."

"Why?"

"I like it more when it feels like it's the first time I hear them."

Helena laughed.

"Oh, don't worry; you will still hear them a lot in the future."