TITLE: Snow
AUTHOR: Kami Beverly
FANDOM: Shaman King
GENRE: Romance
RATING: G
WARNING: Shonen ai fluff
DISCLAMER: I don't own anything.
The boy sighed quietly, pressing three fingers to his chest cavity. He felt a dull ache running through his left, but he couldn't think of any reason why that might be. He blinked sharply, turning his gaze to the star-speckled sky. The moon, though full, was high in the sky, an abnormally cold, distant orb.
The snow fell softly around the young man, and he lowered his eyes again, feeling strangely ashamed and meek. He bit his lip softly, gloved hands tightening around each other. He shivered in the cold winter air, drawing his scarf nearer to his nose.
A short, ungraceful figure approached him, azure eyes bright with warmth and cheer- emotions he knew were direct relations to the time of the year, rather than his presence. His presence had very little to do with it, actually.
He turned his eyes away from the sky-blue.
"It'll be Christmas Eve in a few hours." The sentence was whispered, but it carried well in the crisp air. He nodded, the tone of the voice attaching to his mind. The other teen sounded particularly amiable at that moment, and it seemed unlikely the snow-loving shaman would react so strongly negative to him as he usually did.
The other boy sat beside him, smiling gently. His expression seemed soft, and he was unusually quiet. "Ren," he started quietly. "I know we're both going to be at the party that Anna and Yoh are throwing tomorrow night, but…" He licked his lips thoughtfully. "But, I just wanted to give you this early." He offered the Chinese shaman a small wrapped box.
Confusion reflected in the teen's gold eyes as he turned to look at the bubbly teen. He accepted the token gratefully, frowning slowly as he stared at the tiny box. It fit in his palm almost perfectly and, after realizing he'd been sitting there doing nothing for a minute or two, his eyes flickered to the ainu, surprised he wasn't being told to 'Open it already!'
Horokeu caught the look, sending the Tao a small smile and a tiny shrug, though his eyes danced good-naturedly. For this, he could be patient. For this, he could wait.
Ren, feeling strangely flustered, pulled the ribbon slowly, lifting the lid. Inside the box was a thin golden chain, and hanging off it was a tiny heart charm. He lifted the necklace into his palm, feeling more confused than ever as he looked at Horohoro for guidance.
The blue-haired snowboarder gave him a small, almost sad smile. "That's mine." He said softly. 'My heart,' he meant, but he knew the Chinese boy would understand. "It's a promise."
He smiled again, pressing a soft kiss on Ren's cheek. He stood and left.
The golden-eyed shaman inhaled and allowed the northerner to leave. They would see each other on Christmas Eve, and that would be the first day of a different time. It would be wonderful.
"I'll see you tomorrow, snow."
He wasn't really like snow- the teenager was usually too loud, too cheery, too easily angered. He wasn't soft and quiet and cold.
But somehow Ren found it fitting anyway.