Word Count: 715

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis. Nor do I own 'Haru' and 'Maru'~

Author's Note: Boredom has hit me again. Every HaruMaru fic I have written has turned into failure, so I'm trying to write them again. This is somewhat a sequel to 'Thunder' ~ which was my first HaruMaru fic.

The Coldness of the Night

Marui Bunta and Masaharu Niou – Seven year-olds

"Haru…" Marui called out the boy's name as he clung onto the said person's arm, shivering. A blanket was wrapped around him, yet he can feel no heat.

Niou turned his head, looking at the red-haired boy beside him. "What is it?" he asked as he tightened the blanket around his companion.

Marui sneezed; his eyes squinted as he did so. "Has the dark… always been this scary?" he asked, blinking quite a few times as he heard the sound of thunder.

It was raining outside. The streets were empty, the trees were bending out of shape, and the sky was dull and gray. It wasn't just the ordinary normal rainy day—it was a thunderstorm, to be precise.

Lightning lit the vast sky, and the thunder roared. It seemed as if it was crying out of pure misery. The rain was non-stop, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

They were inside Niou's room, sitting down on a corner. All the lights were closed. Once you look outside the window, you'd notice that every single house in the neighborhood didn't have any lighting or whatsoever—although the current time was eight in the evening. That's because… there was a blackout.

Darkness was all that they could see.

Marui trembled as the sound of thunder once again reached his ears. His body was shaking too much that he couldn't lift his arms any further from his waist. This has always been his weakness—yet the only person who about it was… Niou. That certain trickster was the only one who could protect him in his time of need.

The air was cold—it was the effect of the rain.

"Are you still scared, Maru?" Niou asked, his tone sounding as if he really cared. And this time, it was real. He inched closer, trying to keep the boy warm.

Marui nodded his head slightly. "I-I'm fine…" he stuttered.

The bleached-haired boy stood up and walked over to the door. "Wait here," he told the so-called 'genius'. With that, he made his way downstairs. Soon enough, his eyes adjusted.

He searched through the kitchen counter. I know mom left it here somewhere… "Ah, here it is!" he said as he caught sight of a hot chocolate drink mix. His hand reached out for a mug. And with that, he poured the mix into it. He added some hot water—which was found inside the microwave—and then stirred it. He nodded. "This should be good enough."

As he walked back up the stairs, he heard the sound of thunder, followed by the sound of a whimpering creature. It was Marui, curled up into a ball.

He quickly placed the mug on a table and ran towards the said boy. "Maru, are you alright?" he asked, trying to turn the boy over.

The red-head crossed his eyebrows. "I'm f-fine," he said, trying his best to sit up straight. He acted brave. "You don't need to worry over me, Haru." His tone had changed to a serious one.

And as if testing his bravery, the thunder clapped loudly. Marui tried his best to stay still, but failed miserably as he ended up crawling over to the corner of the room once again. "I can't do it…"

Niou, seeing the look in Marui's eyes, wrapped his arms around him. It wasn't in his personality to help people like this. But this is Marui we are talking about. "Don't worry, Maru. Don't be scared."

Tears almost fell off Marui's eyes. He tried hard to stop them from doing so, but he couldn't help it when they suddenly streamed down his face.

"It's alright to be scared. Everyone has a weakness, you know," the trickster said, trying to make his companion feel better. He tightened the hug. "Feel any better?"

Who knew the trickster could be completely right sometimes?

Marui replied with a silent "Hn," and buried his face onto Niou's chest. He tried to smile. "Thanks…"

With that, he drifted off to sleep in Niou's arms.

Although the thunderstorm continued, he wouldn't be scared that much anymore. After all, he does have the trickster right by his side.

Author's Note: It looked long while I was typing it. Yet it turned out so short ._____.