I'm going to regret writing this, and even moreso posting it. It was originally going to be for a different story, but it took a curve and became something I perfer to avoid: yoai...

I hate you Dylan, I hate you Gracie, I hate you all who bugged me for three straight days to write this. Dylan: Meappy BirChrisHanKuanth Day...

He's My Spring

It's 6:04 in the afternoon, the week before Christmas, and my best friend, Taili Kawataru, was glaring at me as I walked towards her. I was supposed to meet her at six o'clock to walk home with her today, but I mean, come on! What's wrong with having to wait four measly minutes?

As I grew nearer, I could feel myself slowing down as my muscles started to tension up, and I was getting ready for her lecture...

...

...

huh?

...

I blinked and looked at my friend as her face went from a plate of annoyance to one of flabbergasisium and shock.

"Ummm... Litai-chan...are you... okay?" I asked, lifting my hand and waving it in fron tof her solid chocolate eyes, but my attempt was in vain. I looked at the girl, not really ever seeing her act like this ever since I moved here, I was starting to worry about her, but only a little.

"Uh... Earth to Taili... come in Taili..." I said hesitantly, as I continued to wave my hand in front of her, before stepping in front of her and waving once more.

This time, however, she grabbed my wrist and pulled it away from her face, before loosening her grip and practically falling against my shoulder without any preempted notice, a dreamy look melting the solid chocolate of her eyes to what looked like puddles of a creamy brown liquid. I looked at her and then started laughing, ignoring the stares of people around us. Taili gave me a hurt expression, and as soon as I was able to stifle my amusement to a light chuckle, I asked her the main question on my mind.

"So, who is he?" I asked with a small snicker and she went the brightest shade of pink I have ever seen before.

"Wh-What do you mean? I-I don't know what you're talking about!" she stammered unconvincingly and I only laughed at her pathetic state of denial.

"Ha! Don't give me that! I know that look, you're crushing on someone, so spill it. Who is it?" I teased and she hung her head, but her eyes drifted off to our left, in the direction of the tennis courts. My smirk grew and I glanced over in the general direction, my eyes growing slightly larger as I gradually began to pin-point the main object of her gaze. I felt my own cheeks heat up at the very sight of him, that Shusuke Fuji, but I blamed the cold weather.

"You... like... Fuji?" I whispered and nodded sheepishly.

"I-I'm sorry..." she mumbled, refusing to lift her beat-red face I continued to snicker at her uneasiness.

"Why?"

"You like him too, don't you?" she asked, and I coughed, turning my head away as she slowly lifted her own to see my flustered reaction. Of course I liked Fuji; as far as being good friends went, at least, right? I swallowed, turning back to hold her amused gaze with one of attempted passiveness, but she knew me too well, and the disguise was useless.

"N-No, Shusuke and I are just friends, nothing more." I said evenly, trying to keep myself calm, but why was I even freaking out in the first place?

"Reeeeeaaaally?" she replied disbelievingly and I scowled.

"Yes, 'Reeeeeaaaally', why are you so persistent about it?" I was getting suspicious, but she wasn't giving me any leverage.

"Oh, no reason." she gave a small shrug, and I scowled.

"Liar." I hissed, pointing at her as she attempted to act innocent. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing! It's just that I was almost positive that you liked him, but I guess I'm wrong! Sheesh!" she exclaimed throwing her arms up in exasperation, and I rolled my eyes.

"Taili..." I sighed, massaging my forehead, before continuing, "We're just friends, for the last time." She looked about me, still not completely convinced.

"Okay, fine, but just to be sure... you do not like Shusuke Fuji, correct?" she finalized, and I nodded.

"Yes...wait, I mean no...I mean-Gah! Taili!" my best friend burst into a fit of giggles and I glared at her, before sighing. "No, I do not like Shusuke Fuji." I firmly, looking at Taili, who again, for the first time since I met her, was speechless, her mouth opened slightly.

"Why not?" The soft, kicked-puppy whine surprised me, and when I looked at Taili, she seemed starstruck. That's when I realized that she wasn't the one who spoke, which led to me turning around and gasing.

"Oh! Sh-Shusuke!" I squeeked, suddenly feeling my stomach churn nervously. I looked back at Taili, but she simply offered a small, pitied smile, before trotting away. "Taili! Hey!" I shouted after her, but she simply winked at me, before rounding the school gates and disappearing out of sight.

"So... Why don't you like me?" Once again he startled me, and I let out a small cry, before turning back around to face him.

"No... That's not what I meant! I meant I like you... but only as a friend..." I explained, and for a brief second, I saw a look of disappointment cross his face, but almost seconds later it was replaced by another one of his unreadable expressions.

"Oh... Okay..." he replied, and I could almost feel the hurt in his voice as he began walking towards the school gates, and it made me feel horrible, and he knew it too.

"Hey... I didn't mean to upset you, Shusuke..." I said, turning around to catch up with him.

"I know, it's not your fault." he said emptily, and I frowned, touching his arm gently as we turned down the street, towards my house.

I had opened my mouth to protest, but we had stopped in front of my house, and I sighed instead, heading towards the front gate. I lifted the latch and pushed the gate half open, when he called to me. I looked up, turning back to see his deep blue eyes open, and his lips void of traces that the warm smile I had come to love even existed.

"Am I really... just a friend?" he asked, taking a step closer as he looked down at me, making me feel helpless.

"I...I really don't know... I'm sorry." I mumbled, unable to look at the pain in his eyes, but eventually I did, and I found myself pleading to find something I could use to salvage whatever relationship we had left. Some sign of hope for my pitiful fantasies to become reality, despite being a few years apart.

Instead of hope, I saw pain, and betrayal in his eyes, but I couldn't understand why, he couldn't possibly like me...right? I shook off my musings and returned my attention to Shusuke in time to hear what he was saying.

"Well... just be sure to tell me when you figure it out, alright?" he said in everything but a hearable tone, and I was forced to lean in to hear him properly. I was surprised by the close proximity between the two of us, and I was about to nod, when he did the unexpected.

Stepping closer, I felt his fingers slip into place on my waist, while his long, silky brown locks fell to entwine themselves with mine, pleasantly tickling my forehead. I couldn't withhold a giggle at the feeling, but I soon caught my breath as he leaned closer.

"But Sh-Shusuke...what about you?" I asked softly, paying no attention to the tennis bag that slid off my shoulder, as I gazed into his calm blue eyes. "What am I... to you?" My question was soft, a whisper like a ghost, caught in the wind as he took another step closer. However, he still didn't answer my question, and I opened my mouth to repeat my question, when he took one last step. One of his hands left my waist to take my chin, while the other wrapped around me, pulling me forward as he held my mouth open, before moving swiftly and cutting my sentence short.

He muffled my startled cry with his lips, teasingly brushing them against mine as he pulled me closer. My bag clattered to the ground, but I didn't care; sensing his idea to pull away, I grabbed hold of his uniform's collar, and pulled him down, holding him in place. However uncharacteristic it was of me, I knew it needed to be done; the feeling on his strong grip around my waist loosening scared me senseless, and I didn't want to lose him.

The hands that pulled on his collar soon became lost in his hair as my arms went around his neck. His secure hold on my waist returned, and I moaned as he bit my lip, asking for the entrance into my mouth that I soon granted; I couldn' help it, my will-power caved to the licking of my bottom lip, as well as the gentle massasge to my back. His tongue felt strange n my mouth, but it was a good strange... enticing even, especially as it twisted around mine.

I whined softly as he smirked against my lips, before resuming his previous engagements, but everything froze the moment I felt his fingers crawl up and under the edge of my shirt, grazing the bare skin of my stomach. I pulled back and pushed him back, grabbing my bag off the ground the moment he hit the grass, and ran inside, slamming the front door behind me, before darting up the stairs in tears and slamming the door to my room.

Throwing myself onto the mattress, I grabbed my pillow and imagined it was Fuji as I reeled back to shove my fist in it, but I couldn't bring myself to even imagine marring his beautiful face, let alone actually doing it, so I dropped my fist and opted to crying into the feather-filled cushion instead.

I wanted to hate him, hate him for the rest of my life, but it seemed impossible, and my heart went from aching with betrayal, to aching with missing him. I groaned, flipping over on my back and glaring out the window as white cotton-like particals fell from the bitter air. Soon snow would cover the ground, and our pond in the backyard would freeze for the winter; just like my heart, that would freeze instead for the rest of eternity... all because of my love, Shusuke Fuji.

It snowed relentlessly for the pasted week, freezing the earth more and more with each fallen flake that reached the pure white blanket that engulfe our entire yard. It was like my heart in so many ways, freezing over more and more with each and every tear I cried into my pillow at night when I thought about him. But tonight was the night of my family's Chirstmas party, a celebration for my birthday, the day that is supposed to be happy, but nothing in my life could be happy when I knew he was watching me. My parents had taken the liberty of not consulting me about the guest list, and had decided to invite my teammates, which sadly included him.

Sighing, I turned away to continue talking to Taili as she happily chirped on and on about her upcoming trip to France through the school's choir; I really didn't care, but I had to be supportive, and at least pretended I was listening. I didn't want to think about the gorgous blue eyes that burned into my back, reminding myself how much I had to hate him, even if it would be the death of me on my thirteenth birthday.

It was nearly midnight when almost all the guests were gone, and I was left with only Taili, and of course, him. I hadn't told her what had happened, and frankly, I didn't plan on telling her anytime soon, but I running out of thing s to talk about with her, and he was walking towards us. I saw Taili glance at him, before winking at me, and heading for the door, despite my pleas to have her stay. Waving goodbye and speaking her holiday and birthday wishes, I watched my best friend walk out the front door, and now I was forced to face him as he was the last guest, and particularly the one I had made a point of avoiding all night, especially within the close premisis of the misteltoe.

Oh well... here goes nothing...

"Hey... I...I'm sorry... for what I did..." he started in a whisper as I walked him to the door, keeping my head down, but still listening.

"I-It wasn't your fault, you didn't mean it." I replied feebly with the shrug of my shoulders as he stepped outside and stood on the door step, looking at me with guilt.

"Actually,... It is, and I forced it on you, I'm so sorry, my love." he said, almost in a pleadful tone, and I smiled slightly, waiting for him to continue after a reigning silence. "Anyways... Merry Christmas..." he sighed, holding out a box wrapped in green wrapping paper and topped with an unusually orange bow. Blinking, I stepped forward to take it from his hands, and I immediately realized my mistake of allowing him to lure me under the misteltoe that hung at the doorway. "...And Happy Birthday..." he whispered, grinning devilishly as he leaned towards me.

I swallowed, I hated that grin as much as I love him (as contridicting as it may sound), but I wasn't one to break tradition either. Leaning forward to only give him a quick kiss, I yelped when he swept in and gave me a loud, and flirty lip-to-lip kiss, before pulling away and chuckling at the bright blush as it lit my cheeks. "...Echizen." Tipping an imaginary top hat to me, he gave a bow before spinning on the heels of his shoes and all but skippping out my front gate.

Smiling at his antics, I went back inside, said goodnight to my parents, and went to my room to open his present alone. What I saw inside left me both terrified and atsonished at the same time- a photo album, full of pictures of me, us, him, that I had no clue were ever taken, and some I wasn't even sure I wanted taken.

But nonetheless, I hugged the album to my chest and sighed, falling back onto my bed, and glancing out the window. The snow had stopped falling, stopping freezing the earth with every flake, and that night I sheded not a single tear, I had everything I every wanted clutched in my arms, given to me by the very person who was everything I had ever wanted. He was mine, would remain mine, and my heart would become warm again, just as the earth would when Spring came around, and the snow disappeared, and the Sakura trees bloomed.

My heart was the Winter in this world, and Shusuke Fuji was my Spring, removing my tears, unfreezing my heart and letting bloom something beautiful in his wake.

No matter what, Shusuke Fuji was my Spring, and mine alone.

I think I'm gunna hurl {sprints to bathroom and upchucks last night's meatloaf(actually we had turkey at Thanksgiving, but anyways)}! Okay, one last time for the readers' sakes, I HATE YOU DYLAN! YOU EVIL, EVIL CHILD!

Anyways, read, review, and I'll tell Dylan what you think, this might be the last time anyone hears of me, so please, read my other stories so I don't get sent to #!*% by Gracie's Nazis! Or Dylan's chicken mix, did you know a spoonful of it makes... okay, nevermind.

BUT ANYWAYS! Tell me what you think, but don't expect any like this again, I MIGHT but only on VERY, VERY, VERY SPECIAL requests, and you have to give me a generic idea, characters, and a run down of what's in your head, I'll decide, but I make no promises!

Incase anyone is worried, I actually LOVE Dylan, and Gracie, but sometimes I do wonder about them.

Okay, I'm shutting up now! BYE! OKay, nevermind, I have to make this EXACTLY 3,000 words long, at 'BYE!' I had 2,943!

OH! EVERYONE! I HAVE NOTHING INTERESTING TO SAY! I'm an idiot, I know. But that's what makes me sooo loveable!

I actually wrote this story a year again, and I'm typing it now, soooooo, yeah.