Fourth graders came and went, speeding off to their mothers and fathers as they tossed their backpacks away like damaged toys. The school day was over and the students couldn't have been happier over it. You would be too, but as their teacher you still had the job of keeping the children safe and in order.

"James, wait! Your mother isn't inside the classroom yet! No, Megan please calm down! Nicholas! Put that sticky tack down!"

Bouncing from one child to the next, you made sure they listened to your heeds. With a reply of "Yes Miss (L/N)." and a nod, they halted their behaviors and patiently waited for their parents to retrieve them. Even if this part of the day proved to be the most stressful, you didn't mind. You loved the children, and they certainly grew to respect you as an authority figure and a teacher. When it came to being quiet so you could teach or leading the children to their special of the day, they seemed to hold you as their favorite teacher within the fourth grade. Soon, the parents and children defected from your classroom back into the outside world. Well, all the children except one that was.

Ib was probably one of your most unique students, name included and all. However, she was definitely one of your favorites to teach and ultimately spend time with. She responded well to lessons, even if you had to tie a few loose ends for the nine year old. Once she learned something, she knew it. She was also avidly kind, always ready to help another student to the best of her ability. This was a trait you valued highly and it brought a smile to your face every time you caught her explaining to a classmate something he or she hadn't quite grasped through your lesson.

Even if she was dubbed as a helpful student, Ib was naïve and very quiet. The poor girl was oblivious as to why some boys would tease her at recess; chasing her all around. But instead of crying over these events, she remained stoic, firm with a look of indifference before evading any advancements.

"Miss (L/N)?" She would whisper to you while the class independently worked.

"Yes, Ib? Something wrong?" Ib would pause for a moment, as if lost in thought before replying. "Why do the boys at recess follow me? Did I do something wrong?"

Frowning, you'd immediately shake your head. "Of course not, darling. They do that because they're too afraid to tell you what's on their mind." You would explain before gently tapping at her forehead, making her laugh.

"But," You would continue, an earnest expression washing over your face. "If they bother you, tell me. I will deal with it for you."

Ib would then nod before giving you a small smile. "Okay, Miss (L/N)."

You wondered why Ib was still here and why no one had come to bring her home from school. The thought of her family forgetting to get her worried you but you immediately consoled yourself. Don't think like that, (Y/N). Someone has to come get her! You moved to the desk Ib sat at, taking a seat next to her. She was doodling on a piece of computer paper, crayons in hand and her eyes fixated on the colorful page in front of you. After a moment, she noticed your presence and turned to you, beaming.

"Miss (L/N)!" She cheered, smiling at you as she put the scarlet crayon down on the table.  "Do you like my drawing so far?" Ib then lifted the sheet of paper off the table so it faced you, splashes of red and green presented to your face. After a second of inspection, you realized it was a picture of a rose; petals, thorns, and all.

"Ib, it looks beautiful!" You replied, scooting in next to her. "But you know what this is missing?" The young girl immediately shook her head at your question. Asking for permission, you took the paper from the girl before grabbing a crayon yourself. Quickly, you sketched out Ib on the paper, carefully holding the rose she drew, fully aware of the thorns. The picture wasn't artistically refined, but it was clear enough what your intentions were.

"A beautiful girl holding a beautiful flower." You explained before sliding the picture back to Ib. Her face was glowing with happiness at this point and she gratefully accepted the drawing. The two of you then conversed to kill some time, talking about anything that the little girl could conjure up within five second intervals. She discussed her parents to you, her plans for the weekend, and anything she felt was worth sharing. The bond the two of you had was quite noticeable, and a surge of honor pulsed through your being, knowing how much this nine year old seemed to trust you.

But even if you enjoyed the child's company, your nerves would never ease. Where was her parents to pick her up? It has been nearly an hour since you dismissed the rest of the children while Ib remained in the classroom. At this rate, you were ready to take the girl home with you and calling up her parents from there. Arising from the small seat, you opened your mouth to propose the plan to Ib but a knocking on the door cut through your thought.

"Hello? Is this Miss (L/N)'s room? I'm here to pick up Ib!" You switched gears, immediately making a bee line to the door. The voice was in the tenor range, hushed yet hurried as the mystery person spoke. Male too, for it was too low to belong to the average female, or at least to your ears. Even if this was someone to get Ib, you couldn't help but be furious; making a child wait like this should be a crime! Whoever thought this was okay had a lot of nerve and teacher or not, you were ready to knock some sense into the man.

Flinging the door open, you sucked in a breath and readied a heavy berating to the unfortunate soul you greeted. However, your breath hitched in your throat when you saw who it was.

It was him, the one from the art expo a year back. You had gone to simply see what it had to offer and fell in love with each intricate piece. But as you circled around the building, you found him, staring at a sculpture of a red rose, its thorny stem coiling underneath it. You approached the sculpture yourself, taking in the beauty until he noticed your presence. He recalled it being dubbed as 'Embodiment of the Spirit' and explained he felt a certain connection to it. What he said touched you and out of what you assumed to be fear, he excused himself. You were still confused as to why he fled and why he decided to leave you there with so many dangerous and deep thoughts swirling inside your mind. He was–

"Garry!" A shrill voice called out behind you, disturbing your thought process and happily, Ib bounced into your peripherals. Her slim arms hugged around the lean man's frame, nearly squeezing the life out of his being. He let out a small 'oof' before chuckling, a rich, fruity sound. He slung an arm around Ib, patting her head gently.

"Miss (L/N)! This is my brother, Garry! He probably got caught up working before." Beaming from you to the lavender haired man, Ib lifted the picture the both of you drew to him. "Garry, do you like it?" Me and Miss (L/N) drew it while we were waiting for you. I drew the rose, and she drew me!"

Garry looked at the illustration with interest, brows furrowed in thought as his eyes trailed over every marking and detail on the page. After a moment, he smiled. "It's beautiful, Ib. You've worked on your coloring just like I taught you." Pride swelled in the young girl's face as she smiled sheepishly at him.

Watching the moment between the two was heartfelt and in fact, one of the sweetest things you got to witness. Slowly, your former anger diminished as you watched the two pull away from each other to direct their attention back to you.

"I'm sorry I made you wait around here later than you needed to." Garry apologized, a slight uneasiness in his tone as he looked at you. He remembered you from that day, there was no doubt in your mind of it. However, you shook your head and smiled.

"It's alright, Garry. Ib is a sweet girl so it didn't trouble me in the slightest. You're lucky to have a sister like her." The praise made young Ib's face glow crimson as she grabbed for her brother's wrist. Garry seemed a bit more comfortable by your response, for his eyes softened as he gazed at you and his muscles visibly tensed.

"Thank you, Miss (L/N)!" Looking up at Garry, she grinned. "Can we go home now? I want to see what you made while I was gone!" The tall male chuckled before nodding his head. He could never deny his dear sister.

"Of course, Ib. I think you'll like it." Looking back at you, Garry smiled; a real, genuine smile before holding out his free hand. "It was an absolute pleasure to personally meet you, Miss (L/N). I hope we get to see each other again soon."

Graciously, you took his hand and completed the shake, you head nodding along to him. "Same to you, Garry."

He seemed to want to say more, but the eagerness Ib presented under him was enough to detour him from other thoughts he may have had. Taking her head, he lead her down the hallway, looking back at you with a smile. You waved at him, leaning against the door frame until the two disappeared into the stairwell. You withdrew back into your classroom to pack things up for the day. Alone, your thoughts ran rampant.

You were absolutely pleased to finally meet that mystery man from the art expo, but you were unnerved as to why he was so intimidated by you. Did you seem unfriendly to him? Or was your presence one deemed menacing?

Letting out a defeated sigh, you slung your bag over your shoulder and locked up your classroom door. You should have asked for a number, email, hell even his Facebook! But that would stir up a few questions from Ib, ones where you or Garry probably didn't want to answer. There was always the next time, then you could probe the lavender haired man's brain for answers that sated your whirling mind.