Snowflakes

A one-shot of Takari fluff by neofilly

20/1/06

Thick Snow crunches underneath her boots as she walks along what was once a path, in the fading light. The trees loom over her petite form, their spindly, bare branches dark against the cloudy sky. There is no sunset, just rapidly fading light, and the sky shows that even more snow will be on the way.

Kari rubs her gloved hands together in the biting cold. Taichi had been completely against her coming outside tonight, but she needed the change in pace. The Christmas Holidays were just underway, and she'd spent a busy day in town with Miyako, and there were certain things she needed to think about, certain blonde headed things.

According to her, there was no better place to do this than outside in the quiet of the afternoon, with no chance that her treacherous thoughts would be revealed to anyone. Although it was bitterly cold, she found the icy air refreshing, and the cold had never affected her quite as much as her older brother, her light warming her from inside out.

Her mind begins to wander, as she scuffs the snow with her boot, the last six years had brought on many changes within their close knit group, and they were all so different, but yet the friendships they had formed did not go away, but stayed, stronger than ever. Yet there was something that changed between them recently, something inexplicable that affected the whole group. She's not sure if she is imagining it, or if she is the only one who has noticed.

They were her everything, their friendships would never fail, she understands this. She can rely on all of them, bubbly Miyako and boisterous Daisuke, who would spread their confidence, and shy Ken, who was so kind for all his self worries, along with silent, supportive Iori.

Then there was Takeru. Her best friend since forever. She could hardly remember the times when she didn't know Takeru, when he wasn't there for her, to talk to her, with her. It had been harder when they were younger, and he had lived far away, but they had always been in touch.

He was leaving soon, for a number of weeks, and she felt she had to somehow breach this subject before it drove her insane during their time apart. It was going to be for quite an extended period- longer than they had ever been apart before, and she was unsure how to best approach it.

She continued walking down the winding path, thinking about what she could only call a 'problem'. Takeru. Just at the thought of his name, his painted portrait emerged within her mind, a personality and relationship that had been engraved through all of their time.

It's a strange feeling, as if something within her flickers, and then grows at an alarming rate, to fast for her to stop; like a candle beginning to burn, it starts as little butterflies in her stomach, and runs a burning route to her heart as the picture emerges in her mind. As everything she loves is culminated in this one being, and it leaves her breathless and blushing.

There lay her problem.

Takeru was the one person that was completely constant in her life, her one friend that was always there. She couldn't imagine life without him. Yet, however nice that strange feeling is, she cannot get her mind around it. She cannot control it. And control is what she needs.

How can they continue to be best friends when her strong emotions leave her nervous and scared, or when she feels that the moment he stops talking to her the world will end? When she's so afraid to confide with him just in case he will not agree with her, and their friendship will be ruined forever?

When she thinks about it thoroughly, it is not her love that is the problem (how can it be, when it feels so right?) but the fact that she wouldn't know what to do if her feelings were unreciprocated. If she would forever have to try and hide them for the sake of a ruined friendship. The last thing she wants is for their precious friendship to be ruined.

She is also overwhelmed by her feelings, at the young age of sixteen, she's expected to continue through life with many experiences, boyfriends, but here she is wanting to put everything on the line for one person, and so in love her heart aches.

She's positive that she's not supposed to love her best friend this much. She looks at other best friends, and they seem to have it much easier than they do. Her brother, for example, as much as he and Yamato get along, would not fall in love. Yet she was straight, and her best friend was a boy, and she had hopelessly fallen for him. Silently she cursed other pairs for not having the initial attraction between them that she and Takeru seem to have, just because they are of the opposite sex.

She cannot talk to anyone about it. Miyako, for all her sweetness, won't be able to keep a secret about any boy (even if it is one of her best friends), and she's not sure what Taichi will think about it. As much as she loves her brother, his overprotective behaviour sometimes bordered on dangerous, and she never knows what to expect.

Something cold falls on her unprotected rosy nose, and she blinks almost surprised, as the substance melts. A bubbly laughter seems to overflow from within her as she looks up to the sky, watching the tiny snowflakes float down idyllically from the grey sky above her, melting on her warm, upturned palms. From the naked eye, so simple, yet in reality, they were so perfectly complicated.

Replacing her glove on her damp hand, she shivers, her jacket slipping ceremoniously of her shoulder. Giving it an indignant glare, she reached up to reset it, before hearing a melodious laughter.

Her eyes darted up, to come in contact with the blue eyes of her best friend.

"Takeru" she whispered, a blush gracing her face, butterflies dancing in her stomach, before she closes her eyes and feels the warmth envelope her.

"I went to your house to talk to you," he explained softly, wrapping a scarf around her neck, his hand just grazing across a rosy cheek, "And Taichi said you may be cold"

"I was" she admits, smiling "a little"

Takeru chuckles, "He'll be glad he was right, once again"

He looks at her seriously, "I'm leaving tomorrow," he tries again, "I want to talk to you,"

She nods, breaking contact eye contact, "me too"

Her whisper comes out more nervously than she had wanted, but if he thought anything of it, he did not show it.

Taking her hand, he turns her around to face home, "I'll miss you," he whispers.

She smiles, looking up at him, "I'll miss you too,"

He sighs, running a hand nervously through his hair, an annoying habit he picked up from his rock-star brother, whose hair was always slightly messier than his own, "Right… well… heres the thing,"

Hikari laughs, "Takaishi Takeru! Are you nervous?"

He gives her a nervous smile, indicating that yes, she was right, before approaching the subject with caution, "…I'd like you to think about something, just while I'm gone, and… maybe, when I get back, we can either continue, or forget it all happened… but…" he trails off, unsure whether he made any sense whatsoever.

She laughs lightly, "Takeru, I have no idea what you're talking about,"

He gives her a glimmer of a smirk, showing through the old Takeru she knew (the one which never got nervous), "S'pose I'll have to be blunt, then…"

He takes both of her hands within his own, ungloved ones, and looks at her in the eye, taking in her beauty, and the ethereal glow that accompanied her with the fading light, and the bright snowflakes that danced around them, "Je t'aime," he whispered softly, looking in her eyes for a reaction.

Her crimson eyes were confused, and before she even registered that the words spoken had been French, her heart was racing as she felt his cool lips upon her own frostbitten ones.

It could not be described as the perfect first kiss, for it was so brief and so unexpected that she was still trying to work out when everything had turned from their normal banter into declerations of love by the time it had finished.

It took a couple of seconds for her to realise what had just happened. Takeru had kissed her. Takeru had told her he loved her, in French of all languages.

He didn't touch her, afraid he'd already overstepped the boundries, and only whispered, "Just think about it" before turning, reprimanding himself for ever thinking of expressing his love for her. Therefore he was surprised when he felt her hand grab onto his, stopping him from making a carefully devised escape attempt.

She laughed melodiously, pulling him closer, placing his hands around her waist, and cupping his face with her hands, whispering softly, "there's nothing to think about"

And as she kissed him, she realised it could be described as the perfect second kiss, they were fumbling, but it was just the gentle pressure of their lips on each others, and the excited feeling of their new relationship; running her hand through his silky hair, while the other caressed his cheek almost tentatively.

She felt warmer in that winter moment, with the snowflakes falling softly and silently around them, than she ever would during a thousand summers.

The End

Can be considered a sequel to my other Takari one shot 'Sometimes'

je t'aime meaning 'I love you' in French

um, I hope that was alright- I've never actually been in the snow, so… I don't actually know if it was an accurate description of the surroundings, a lot of it was just my interpretation of what snow would be like. Tell me what you think. Fluffy enough?

neofilly