You are my sunshine.

Petra looked out her window. The sun was shining, but she couldn't be more miserable.

Today was the day of her arranged marriage, and she desperately did not want to marry Oluo Bozardo.

Tap.

Petra jumped at the sudden noise at her window.

Tap.

Another pebble hit the glass. Grinning, Petra shoved the window open and peered down. Levi stood at the bottom, his steel eyes as mesmerizing as ever. "Levi! You shouldn't be here!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Don't want to see me?"

My only sunshine.

"Of course I do!" Petra exclaimed. "But you know what my father will do if he catches you here. Our families have been feuding for ages! He might have you killed..."

Levi rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine. No one will see me." Grasping the thick vines that hung from the wall, he expertly climbed up to her windowsill and jumped in. "We can still do it, you know."

Petra frowned. "There's no more time! The marriage is today!"

You make me happy

"Who cares?" Levi snorted. "You really want to marry Oluo?"

"No..." Petra bit her lip. "But running away with you is too risky. They'll come after us, and when they catch us, you know what they'll do to you."

"They won't catch us!" Levi said confidently. "But we have to leave now."

"B-but this is so sudden!" Petra cried. "How-"

Levi grabbed her hands. "Petra, please."

When skies are gray

She stared deeply into his eyes. He held her gaze, his steel pupils piercing her own. "Okay," she whispered. "I'll go."

Levi nodded triumphantly. "Then I've prepared a boat. It will take us to the other side of the river. Once we get there, there's a friend waiting with a horse and wagon. We'll travel someplace far away and be home free."

Petra nodded, though she had her doubts. "Then we have to hurry. My maids will be here in an hour to prep and dress me."

Levi motioned her to the window. "I'll help you climb down."

"I've got it," she waved him off. "I've had plenty of practice."

His eyes met hers and they both laughed, remembering all the times she'd snuck away to meet him.

You don't know, dear,

When they were both successfully down, Levi pointed towards the woods directly behind her home. "We'll travel through there."

Petra immediately began running, suddenly filled with adrenaline. She was going to escape her unhappy marriage and be with the man she loved.

Levi ran alongside her, directing her along. "Make a left here. We can't stop, since we only have an hour's head start. Keep running until we hit the river."

Petra nodded, her heart filled with hope and happiness.

***********************************

Petra's father stood motionlessly in his daughter's doorway. All the maids who'd decided to enter an hour ahead of schedule to save time stood behind him.

"S-sir...?" One of them stutteringly began.

"Yes?" He snapped, wheeling around. "Is there an explanation for this?"

The maid cowered. "I-I don't know, Sir! She was here the night before, I swear it! Perhaps she left the room early...?"

"I've been all around the house making preparations," her father began in a dangerously quiet voice. "And I have not seen her even once. I want an explanation for this NOW!"

"Sir, the window!" A maid cried. "It's open!"

Her father stormed towards it and peered down. He reached out with one hand and snagged something. All of the maids craned their necks to catch a glimpse.

The man stood with his back to them, staring at the object in his hand. When he finally turned, his face seemed calm, but those around him could tell he was boiling with fury. He held up a scrap of white cloth.

"Petra's nightgown," he said simply.

***********************************

"How much longer?" Petra gasped out, unaccustomed to continuous running.

Levi seemed perfectly at ease, his pace matching hers. "We'll be there soon." Suddenly, his face changed, his eyebrows contorting in the middle. "Do you hear that?"

How much I love you

She strained her ears and caught the faint sound of horse hooves pounding dirt. "Levi!"

"Keep moving!" Levi seemed completely focused. "It's not much longer to the boat!"

But it seemed to Petra that it was taking forever, and the pounding of hooves grew louder.

"How are they tracking us?!" She cried.

As if in response, she heard dogs baying in the distance, their barks and snarls filling her head with bloody images. Panic began to overtake her. "Levi-!"

"Not much longer!" He still managed to be composed even with their dire situation.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, they reached the river and there was the little boat.

"Get in!" Levi said roughly, finally beginning to show some cracks. He shoved her into the boat, but just as he was about to climb in himself, an enormous hound leapt out of nowhere, latching its teeth into his leg.

"Aghh!" Levi cried out in pain. He grabbed the dog's head and managed to pry its jaws open. Kicking it with his good leg, he scrambled back towards the boat.

"Let me!" Petra cried, climbing back out. She grabbed his arm and shoved him towards it, trying to haul him in.

Suddenly, the horses were upon them, and her father suddenly came into view. "PETRA!" He roared.

She jumped in shock and instinctively backed away. Her father eyed her coldly. "Ah, so Ackerman kidnapped you, is that it?"

Petra's eyes widened. She knew what her father was trying to do. He wouldn't disgrace the Ral name by revealing that his daughter was trying to run away with another man. Instead, he would place all the blame on Levi, and would definitely...

"Grab him," her father motioned to Levi. His two companions immediately jumped from their horses and seized his arms. Levi made no move to fight them. She could see why. Each man carried a loaded firearm at their sides.

"Please Father, wait!" Petra cried. "Don't do it! I beg of you!"

Her father only gazed cooly at Levi. "So, you attempted to steal my daughter. I've always hated you Ackermans."

Levi didn't answer, only stared right back, his eyes filled with hatred.

Her father snorted. "Defiant, eh? Doesn't matter. You'll be filled with bullets soon enough."

Petra gasped, her eyes filling with tears. She ran to her father, grasping his arm. "Don't, Father! Please, let him--"

Her father turned and struck her hard. "Quiet, girl! Men, take aim!" She watched in horror as they lifted their firearms. "Any last words, Ackerman?"

His eyes met hers. "I love you."

Crack.

"LEVI!"

Please don't take my sunshine away.

***********************************

Replay.

"Gonna be late, gonna be late," Petra muttered under her breath. She was on her way to an interview, which was in twenty minutes, and she had yet to leave the house.

She rushed outside, grabbing her keys and racing to the car. Turning on the ignition, she buckled up and prepared to leave when--

The car wouldn't start.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Petra threw her hands into the air. "Of all the days!"

Sighing, she placed her bagel between her teeth and jumped out. "Guess I'll just take the bus!"

She began the short sprint to the bus stop, avoiding crashing into people as best as she could. Man, she'd really done it this time!

Petra rounded a corner, flying like the wind. She traded watchfulness for speed, which probably explained why a few seconds later, she collided head on with another person.

They both tumbled to the floor, Petra's papers flying everywhere. "Oh gosh! I'm so sorry!" She reached down and pulled him (it was a young man about her age) up, still apologizing. "Geez, I'm really sorry, but I'm going to be late for an int--"

Petra froze mid sentence when the man's eyes met hers.

You are my sunshine

"...Aahh...have we met before?" For some reason, his gray eyes and black undercut hair struck her as familiar.

The man frowned, still looking disgruntled about being unceremoniously knocked to the floor. He dusted off his shirt and pants, appraising her coldly with his steel eyes. "No, I don't believe we have."

Petra blushed, feeling like an idiot. "Of course, how could we have? Ah haha! Anyway, gotta run!"

My only sunshine

She gathered the last of her papers and took off towards the bus stop. Fifteen minutes. Shoot.

Petra finally reached the bus stop to find that the bus was running several minutes late. She danced from foot to foot impatiently.

"That won't make it come any faster," a drab, familiar voice said from behind her.

Petra whirled around to see the man she'd knocked over standing there, frowning. "Quit moving so much. It's irritating."

Petra scowled. "Well excuse you, Mr...ah...um..."

"Levi."

"...Mr. Levi, there's no need to be so rude! I'm late for a very important meeting, and--" she stopped short as he cut her off.

"Have we met before?" Levi was frowning again, studying her face carefully. "You seem strangely familiar."

You make me happy

"I don't think so..." Petra trailed off. "My name's Petra, though."

"Petra..."Levi turned the name over on his tongue. "Guess we haven't."

The bus arrived then, and they both got on. As it turned out, there wasn't a single empty seat available except for one near the back. Levi turned to Petra, his eyebrows raised.

"Why not," Petra decided, and they sat down together. The bus ride was ten minutes long, leaving her with only five to make her interview, but Perra wished it could have lasted longer.

Her and Levi suddenly opened up to each other, speaking as if they'd known each other for ages. Somehow, it felt comfortable.

She found out that Levi was a soldier in the marines, and had taken a holiday break. He would be returning to duty in a couple of weeks, and for some reason, the news made Petra a bit sad.

When the bus pulled to a stop, Petra gave Levi a final wave and rushed to her interview. Luckily, she made it just in time.

The next morning, still giddy from her success at getting the job, Petra went early to a favorite cafe. To her surprise, she saw a familiar black head seated at one of the booths.

Petra ordered and walked over to say hello. "Hey, Levi!"

He looked up, surprise flitting briefly across his face as well. "Petra?"

When skies are gray

They sat down then, Petra with her coffee and Levi with his tea, and talked for over a half hour until Petra realized she would be late again and jumped up to leave.

Not before they made arrangements to see each other the following day, though.

***********************************

Petra saw Levi off the day he would be rejoining the marines. She didn't try to hide her tears.

You don't know, dear,

"Stop crying, Petra," Levi said gently. "I'll be fine. I'll be back in a year, anyway, and then my term is done."

Petra sniffled and nodded. "Alright then, be safe!" She wished him luck, and sent him off with her handkerchief.

How much I love you

A month later, she learned he died in the line of duty.

Please don't take my sunshine away.

***********************************

Replay.

Levi sighed in annoyance as he closed up the tea shop for the day. People were so irritating.

First, all the kids who came into the shop couldn't manage to keep their hands off of his precious tea leaves. They grabbed at the packages with their grubby hands and started up a loud, screaming fit if he tried to take them away.

And for some reason, the mothers all glared at him in disapproval when he tried scolding them.

Well, if they didn't want some stranger disciplining their kid, they should have the courtesy to do it themselves.

Secondly, a grown up--a grown up!--woman had somehow managed to knock a jar of one of his rarest teas from the shelf! It had fallen all over the floor (and because who used tea leaves that had landed on a surface that was probably infested with germs and bacteria, though he cleaned it every day) the whole thing had to be thrown out.

Of course, the woman had apologized repeatedly and paid him for the cost (though she blanched a little when she heard the price) but he was still angry. Tea had been wasted. He could never forgive a person who had committed such a crime.

You are my sunshine

So it shocked him a little when that very same woman came in the next day, holding a big gift wrapped box.

Levi raised his eyebrows at her, wondering how she could bear to show her face after such an atrocious action yesterday. And why on earth was she holding such a huge box?

"Hello," he said evenly as she approached (you still had to be nice to customers even if they were irritating).

The auburn haired woman smiled (a bit nervously) back at him.

My only sunshine

"Hi!" She said perkily, setting the box down on his counter with a clatter. He vaguely wondered what might be in there.

"How can I help you?" Levi returned carefully. He watched the woman's every move like a hawk, and winced when she stepped closer to the shelves containing the glass jars.

"About yesterday!" The woman continued. "I really am sorry about breaking your tea jar, and from what I can see, you're still not entirely over it." She gave him an amused, if somewhat pointed look.

Good. Let her realize he was still mad.

"So, to compensate even further for my accident, I decided to get you something a little extra." She motioned to the gift wrapped box.

Levi just stared at it blankly. "For me?"

You make me happy

The woman laughed. "Yes! Go on, open it!"

Levi sighed slightly and slowly tore of the wrapping. Lifting the lid off of the box, he peered inside to see a beautiful antique tea set; two cups with saucers, small spoons for stirring sugar, a sugar bowl, and a teapot.

The items were wonderfully made, painted black and gold with small hints of a metallic silver. Suddenly, Levi felt guilty. Did she really feel the need to do this for him, who she didn't even know?

"Ah..." Levi cleared his throat, not quite knowing what to say anymore. "Ah. You didn't have to, you know. This looks like it cost you quite a bit of money."

"No, no!" She said quickly. "It was mine, but I had no use for it. I figured you could actually make some use of it."

What, so now I'm her trash dump? Levi thought grumpily, but he couldn't help but feel touched (but only a little!) at the kind gesture.

When skies are gray

"Thank you," Levi said, giving her a small smile, which for him, was saying a lot.

The woman began frequenting the shop quite often after that, and not only to buy tea. He learned her name was Petra, that she was an only child and worked as a realtor, that her best friends were three men named Erd, Gunther, and Oluo, and many other small details about her life. Levi would never admit it, but he loved to hear about each one.

And every time she left the shop, he felt this odd sadness, as if he was letting go of someone very important.

You don't know, dear,

Petra's visits became more and more frequent, and they soon talked and laughed together over how their day was, how bratty the kids in the shop had been, how annoying that one couple had been when looking for a house.

And then he asked her over for dinner one day. They ate spaghetti marinara and drank herbal tea, and Levi felt that he'd once been this happy, maybe in a past life, (or some nonsense like that).

Petra soon became part of his every day life, as ingrained in it as the tea that lined his shelves each day. He didn't wait for customers now, he waited for her arrival at his door each day. He eagerly looked up with every ring of the bell, disappointed when it was not her, but another little kid who stuck their fingers in jars and broke things.

And he would smile in spite of himself when her auburn head peeked through the doorway.

But one day, she didn't come. He stood there and watched the door, but she didn't come.

He dusted the shelves to pass time, but she didn't come. He scolded the kids and received annoyed looks from mothers, but she didn't come.

He sat there, running his hands through his hair in worry, but (for god's sake, where was she?!) she didn't come.

How much I love you

When the day ended and he could finally close up shop, Levi barely restrained himself from running several red lights in his haste to get to her house.

But when he got there...

Levi pulled up by the side of her house and stared, wide eyed with shock, at the yellow caution tape blocking her front door and the police sirens that wailed, cutting through the night.

He leapt out of his car, and ignoring the police officers who yelled at him to stay back, walked to her front door.

He reached out a hand to her doorknob, only to see it trembling. "What..." He whispered.

One of the police men came to him from behind. "Are you a relative?"

"I..." Levi said slowly. "I'm...a friend. A very close friend." He ignored the nagging feeling that told him he was much more than that.

"I'm sorry," the officer said quietly. "It was a robbery. Apparently, when she tried to call the cops, she was shot. She didn't make it."

Levi let his hand fall away, staring at the door. This odd, overwhelming feeling washed over him, and the only two words that crossed his mind were--

-Not again-

Please don't take my sunshine away.

***********************************

Replay...
*
*
*
*
You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine,
You make me happy,
When skies are gray.
You don't know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take

My

Sunshine

Away.

The End.