Snow fell softly on the darkened road, illuminated only by the flickering glow of a lonely street lamp. Somewhere the mournful howls of a dog connected with its primordial ancestors sounded, but the small man ignored it as he swiftly trudged his way over the slush covered concrete, past darkened houses and high stone walls. The buildings stared down at him, silently observing him as he hurried past. They seemed to tower over him on either side, closing off all passage save forward. And it was that direction in which he pressed with a grim determination. A forlorn sigh escaped his blue tinted lips and he tightens the arms he had wrapped around his shivering torso. Its seemed to help little though, for he only began to quake harder and his pace sped up. Any faster and he would have been running down the silent road. He had long since passed that solitary street lamp, and the next one had not yet shown itself, making the shadows grow darker and more numerous until it seemed he was cloaked in the inky black.

The man began to run now, throwing frantic glances over his shoulder every few seconds. A nervous energy was consuming him, making every movement sharp and tense. His anxious behavior mirrored that of a mouse, escaping the piercing hungry eyes of a hawk. Strangely though, there was no sound except for the wet slap of tennis shoes on the wet sidewalk. No clue was given as to what the man was so frantically fleeing from. But fleeing he was. Every strange rustle, every unknown splash, every little shift in the darkness, made him quicken his steps, until he was rushing at impossible speed down the alleyways and around corners. His breath did not speed up though, and listening closely, one would think he wasn't breathing at all. Still the street remained silent.

Until the quiet was broken by a muffled whoosh of air. The flapping of a great pair of wings echoed through the dark street. The feeling was given that whatever had produced the noise must have been of giant proportions, but the sound was so low it might have been imagined. None the less the small male attempted to pump his legs harder. As he threw a frantic glance over his shoulder his eye's widened in fear as they came in contact with two glowing violet orbs. It seemed he had spotted his pursuer.

The man wheeled around a corner, and before he knew what was happening he collided with a hard object, sending him toppling head over heels towards the cold wet pavement below.

He moaned as he lifted his head, looking around with dazed and clouded eyes. He was on a brightly lit street now, swarming with Christmas shoppers and people returning home from long days spent toiling away at work. Whatever he had landed on had cushioned his hard fall, save his head which had smacked painfully against the sidewalk.

The object he was sprawled out on was firm yet at the same time soft, but most of all it was warm. Without realizing it, he buried his face into the heat and sighed. For a moment his dazed mind forgot his frightening pursuer. It was only when his cushion let out a groan and attempted to sit up, did the man remember where he was. Startled, he scrambled back, away from the fallen stranger.

"Watch where you're going, you big lug!" The man growled, glaring at the tall pedestrian he had managed to collide with. Realizing he was still sitting on the damp ground, he attempted to clamber to his feet, but with a yelp he fell forward. Large hands shot out and caught him in in a firm grip.

"Are you all right?" Cobalt blue eyes gazed in worry into the scowling amber ones belonging to the man being help in his arms. "It looks like you sprained your ankle."

"I'm fine!" the man snapped, "Get your hands off me!" Attempting to shake off the hands gripping him proved to be fruitless though. "Let me go!"

"Are you sure? Can you walk alright?"

"I can walk fine! Now let me go! I'm in a hurry!" The whole time he was yelling, he kept frantically shooting glances over his shoulder. He was puzzled. Where was his pursuer? Had they given up the chase? Why would they do that?

It seemed to be with reluctance that the hands released him and shakily he rose to his feet, but was unsuccessful in hiding a wince.

"You're not ok. Here let me help you." Without warning the stranger stood up and slipped his arm around the waist of the injured man. The stranger's voice was practically overflowing with warmth and kindness. Unconsciously, the brunette found himself snuggling into the giant's gentle embrace. With a growl he stiffened and pushed himself away from the others arms. He was only half successful.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! I don't even know who you are! How dare you touch me?!" the sprain must have been severe though, for despite the protests, he was once again leaning into the other for support. The taller man smiled a heartwarming smile. He liked the feel, and the way the shorter one fit perfectly into his arms. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster the longer he stared at the foul mouthed man. He couldn't help the way that staring at the smaller man made him want to gather him into his arms and capture that downturned mouth with his own. The man in front of him, he realized, was probably the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

"I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name is Kusama Nowaki."

"Well good for you. Now let me go!" His protests lost a lot of their spite though as he felt the warmth Nowaki was radiating seep into his frozen body and warm his cold bones. It felt like all his feelings of apprehension, and disquiet were simply being drained away with nothing but a touch. Before he could stop himself, he found that he had no desire to ever rid himself of the feel of the man's warm body against his own.

"No."

"No? Just who do you think you are, telling me 'no'?"

"I told you. My name is Kusama Nowaki. What's yours?"

"Like I would tell a total weirdo like you my name. Just get your hands off me!"

"No." Despite the negative answer, Nowaki's face was beaming with a smile that reached all the way to his sapphire eyes. The small man gazed at them transfixed for a second before forcing him to return to his senses. A faint blush remained though, dusting his cheeks. For a second he had found that he did not want to look away from the deep blue orbs, and the feeling bothered him, making him hunch his shoulders as if this action would protect him from the threat presented by his own emotions. He cursed himself internally for being weak.

"AAAAAAAARGH! Look here dumbass! Just what do you hope to gain from helping me? I have nothing to give you. I'm broke. Do you understand?" There seemed to be a shift in Nowaki's eyes as he heard this, and a determined light shone there. "I haven't got any money to give you for your help! Not that I would give you any, even if I had some!" By the time he had finished his tirade, Nowaki was looking down in shock at the little man. Whereas before he had only been looking at his face, his gaze had shifted down to take in the rest of the short man's appearance. His previously smooth brow wrinkled with worry as he took in the thin t-shirt speckled with tiny holed, the frayed edged of the thread barren, oversized worn dirty brown raincoat. Casting his eyes even farther down, he took in the sight of the man's torn ragged jeans, and it was with deep concern that he looked at the man's toes showing through holes worn into the filthy sneakers. Nowaki considered himself a charitable man, and seeing others is worst states than his own, always spurred him into action. Throughout his life he was always sacrificing himself for others, and seeing this man, and taking in his appearance, Nowaki couldn't stop himself from wanting to assist in some way. It was a feeling he was used to. What he was not used to was the additional squeeze of his heart, accompanied by the sudden wave of protectiveness brought on by the sight of the man.

"Where are you going?" The question caught the little man off guard making him jump. He was already uptight, and this stranger's attentive examination of his attire was not helping. In fact it was making his cheeks color a distinct shade of pink. He emitted a primal growl. He hated blushing. And for some reason, he felt shameful at the thought of how he must look in this Kusama's eyes. He didn't know why, but the thought of pity showing itself from within those royal blue orbs was almost painful.

"Nowhere in particular. Mind your own business!" Nowaki's smile brightened by a few watts.

"Good. You should come with me."

"What the fuck! You creep!" The little man began to pull away, but once again found his efforts thwarted by Nowaki's firm grip. Nowaki was panicking now, and spoke hurriedly to clear up the misunderstanding. He didn't want this little stranger to run away.

"No, no, no, I mean, I'm a doctor. I can look at your sprain." A suspicious glare was directed at his beaming face. "I won't be taking you far. My apartment is just down the block."

The pause that followed this was awkward and drawn out. People passing them on the street paid them no mind, and every once in a while a hurried shopper would push past them, jostling the man who seemed to be too deep in contemplation to notice the disturbance. Nowaki noticed with another painful squeeze to his heart how the man's cheek bones protruded from his face along with the severe way his collarbones jutted out. His wrists were so thin; Nowaki felt that if he weren't carful, he would snap them in half using only his fore-finger and thumb. His searching gaze had already taken in the deep purple bruises painting the skin beneath the man's red rimmed eyes. Hoping to steer the man's decision is a more favorable direction he spoke up.

"I was just heading home to make dinner. It would be nice if you could join me. I think I bought a little too much." He held up the plastic shopping bag he had managed to keep a hold of throughout their whole exchange. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to." Immediately after meeting the short man, Nowaki had realized that he was dealing with an extremely prideful person, so hopeful that he had phrased his offer correctly.

Unfortunately though, his words seemed to have the opposite effect. The small man's amber gaze fell upon the bag of groceries with a look that was half panic, half disgust. His frowned deepened, and the silence stretched out for another long minute as he continued to think. Nowaki did not dare disturb him, and instead watched in rapture as expression after expression flitted across his pale face. First came a fiery anger, then a heart wrenching sadness, followed by a look of intense relief, back to the furious scowl, and last of all, resignation. Never before had Nowaki wanted to read minds as much as he did then. It seemed though that the man had finally come to a decision.

"Fine. I'll go home with you. But I…um…"Here he seemed to be at a loss for words as he obviously lied through his teeth, "I just ate. So I don't need dinner." Nowaki figure that the lie was just a byproduct of the man's pride though, and ignored it, instead smiling, happy he had gotten the man to agree to his offer. Seeing this smile though, the man got defensive. "Look, if you try anything, I'm perfectly capable with defending myself. I may be small, but I've taken on guys twice your size before." He paused here to look up then cursed vehemently under his breath. Nowaki had to be at the least, more than six feet. A person would be hard pressed to find anyone twice that size. Better to change the subject. "And it's not like I'm going with you because my foot hurts and I can't walk, or anything stupid like that. It's just that I figured I have nothing else to do tonight…So stop smiling like that already!"

"I'm sorry." The goofy grin painting the giants face didn't disappear though, but only got wider as he stared at the cute little man blushing fiercely in his arms. Said man chose not to say anything else though, instead choosing to scowl at the ground as Nowaki tightened his hold on him and began to awkwardly walk down the street, dodging pedestrians.

"So, what's your name?"

"…Kamijou Hiroki."

"It's very nice to meet you Hirosan."

"Don't call me that!"