Warning: Angst and a slightly gooey feeling at the end?
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis does not belong to me, and neither does
the song "The Snow Came Down" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
On with the fic!
A railway station
On a long forgotten line
He had never really cared for the holiday, he realized as he walked down the sidewalk. All it produced was screaming children and crowds, two things he couldn't stand. Everyone he knew was busy with their family or loved ones, but he had no one. His parents couldn't care less if he even came home, let alone spend Christmas with him. He let his feet take him where they wanted, a train station, and tried not to think about the fact that all he, Niou Masaharu, had to go home to was an empty house.
No destination
But it always leaves on time
It was the last train at the station, which was nearly empty. He watched the smiling people get off and embrace others waiting for them. He watched them laugh and hold hands, give and receive kisses, and felt sick to his stomach.
He buys his ticket
As the train prepares to leave
It was a split-second decision when he bought the ticket. He didn't want to go home yet, at least here he was surrounded by people, and he had some semblance of company.
Don't want to miss it
On this night, this Christmas Eve
He got on the train and slid into the corner seat by the window.
He stared into the night, no expectations
He watched the world go by without a sound
He watched the city lights arrive and fade away
While all that night
All that night
The snow came down
They passed the lights of the cities and he watched them rise, only to fade away as the distance between he and them increased once again. The snow, a blessing here in Japan, fell quietly, dancing together and drifting apart, falling from grace.
No conversation
As the snow fell from the sky
The train was silent as it was mostly empty. The crackling voice on the speaker announced that they were at the third to last stop. The man and the woman, the only other two people sharing his car, got out and braced themselves against the cold. He turned and watched them get swallowed up by the darkness.
His consolation
That the world is well disguised
He stared out the door and out into the snow falling quickly, and thickly, out onto the city streets. He watched as it obscured the grime of the city and blanketed everything in a pure white, at least for now. The doors slid shut and the train lurched into motion again.
He stared into the night, no expectations
He watched the world go by without a sound
He watched the city lights arrive and fade away
While all that night
All that night
The snow came down
The white flakes melted on his window giving all of the lights they passed a smudgy halo. Its corners began to fog up, but he didn't notice. He just looked back at the reflection of the miserable man in the glass.
He stared into the night, no expectations
But in his heart he wanted to believe
He knew that it was stupid to think it, but he couldn't shake the feeling of hope that was building in his chest. Foolish, he knew, he was just building himself up for disappointment.
That somehow someone would be waiting there
Upon this Christmas Eve
After all, who in the world would want to take time away from their family to spend time with him? He wasn't the best company, and he had the tendency to offend most people he came across. No one would be waiting for him.
And when his train had pulled into the station
He saw there was a single pair of tracks
The conductor shook him out of his haze.
"Sir? This is the last stop. You need to get out." He just nodded and got up, not saying a word.
The air outside hit him like slap in the face, but he ignored it. Instead, he focused on the footsteps leading away from the platform. They were fresh.
"What kind of idiot is out in this kind of weather?" he muttered to himself, not really caring about the answer.
Within the snow and leading to that station door
He followed those steps back
He didn't know why, but he lowered his foot into the first footstep to find that it fit perfectly. Wondering why he was being so childish, he slid his other foot into the next indentation. He walked in the footprints up to the station door; there was nothing better to do. He didn't want to go home yet.
And on this night of our salvation
Where dreams that have been lost can now be found
He stopped walking when he noticed the silhouette the street lamp cast on the next set of prints. Looking up, his heart skipped a beat.
"Hiroshi?" The man just smiled, and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. Turning around, he continued to walk. Niou stayed frozen where he was. After a few more steps, Yagyuu turned around again and extended his hand.
"Aren't you coming, Masaharu?"
They walked away together on that Christmas Eve
While all that night
All that night…
The snow came down
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