Author's Note: This fanfic is based on two characters who only appear as judges in The P-Factor...and I think that even minor characters need a bit of appreciation.
Sahari's day hadn't been going too well for her. She had toiled endlessly trying to get tiger lilies growing in her garden so she could attract a Tigermisu, a piñata that was sure to thrash whatever her long-standing rival Sparcticus was bringing to P-Factor that weekend. Of course, when Seedos lent her the seeds, he had neglected to say that tiger lilies couldn't grow in sand…needless to say, Sahari had a few "complaints" about that and Seedos was now nursing some pretty nasty head injuries. Sahari wasn't going to let something as petty as resident requirements stop her from getting her hands on a Tigermisu, but how the heck would she GET one?
Sahari stomped down the road and was about to head for the Desert when a Tigermisu ran across her path. She stopped dead in her tracks; she'd been looking for one for weeks and NOW... she couldn't let it get away! She chased after the large piñata without second thought.
The Tigermisu took a right turn and headed past the holly bushes and into the Piñarctic. Sahari plunged in after it. She suddenly regretted the decision since it was horribly cold and her clothes were thin as paper. She tried her best to ignore it, running as fast as she could after the Tigermisu. She WASN'T letting it get away!
Meanwhile, Sparcticus was outside surveying his garden and being incredibly tall. He smiled in satisfaction when he saw that nothing hectic was going on at the moment. He still hadn't quite gotten over the time when a Jeli nearly mistook one of his Lemmonings for a tasty snack and worried much too much about that happening again.
The Tigermisu slowed down as it approached the edge of Sparty's garden and decided to sniff around for a year before entering. Sahari couldn't react fast enough- she barreled into the Tigermisu and fell flat on her mask with a loud CRACK. The large piñata whirled around and prepared to attack the fallen Sahari.
Sparcticus whipped around, several flakes of snow catching in his dark hair. "What the-" he jumped when he saw the Tigermisu running towards Sahari (what was SHE doing here?). Whether he liked her or not, he wasn't about to let a Tigermisu tear her limb from limb. He took off running and slid on the ice when he neared the Tigermisu, his shovel brandished. He attempted to spook the piñata by slamming the shovel on the ground next to it.
Sahari groaned and lurched to her feet. "Wait, what-" Her eyes grew large as she noticed she was almost in HIS GARDEN. She took a few steps back and slipped on the ice, falling on her back once more. She mentally cursed herself for being such an idiot.
The Tigermisu growled deep in its throat and turned towards Sparty, not caring in the least that he held a shovel.
Sparcticus had dealt with Tigermisus before. He stood as still and stoic as possible in hopes that the Tigermisu would A) deem him unworthy of a chase and run away, or B) freeze to death.
The Tigermisu blinked at Sparcticus. He obviously wasn't going to give up the tasty Lemmonings milling about in his garden, so it rolled its eyes and slunk back into the snowy wasteland.
Sparcticus let out a sigh of relief and lowered his shovel. His dark blue eyes rolled in Sahari's direction.
Feeling his icy eyes on her, Sahari proceeded to pretend she wasn't there. Her efforts failed, because Sparcticus walked over to Sahari and crouched down next to her.
"What are you doing here? You aren't built to last in a place like this," he said, his tone, albeit unintentionally, as cold as the snow Sahari lied in.
"No duh, moron," Sahari crossed her arms but still remained where she fell. "It's not like I'd INTENTIONALLY waltz right back here. Damn it, that Tigermisu ran off, didn't it…?"
"Why were you going after a Tigermisu?" Sparcticus rose up a little and offered Sahari a hand.
"They just won't come into my garden," sighed Sahari as she reluctantly grabbed Sparty's hand, a sudden warm sensation coming over her despite the fact that she was wearing light clothes in the Island's coldest region.
"Well, chasing one down will only serve to drive them away," Sparcticus shook his snow-speckled head as he hoisted Sahari to her feet.
"Woah!" Sparcticus was much stronger than Sahari expected; she slipped a little as he hauled her up and fell face-first into his chest. Once more she pretended she wasn't there as she felt her cheeks grow hot.
Sparcticus was unfazed. "You all right?"
"F-Fine. DAMN ICE! WHY IS IT EVERYWHERE?!" Sahari demanded and, once more, slipped on it. "It didn't use to be this bad..." She said softly as she nursed her wounded ego.
"Do you need help leaving?" Sparcticus asked. "I don't have much else to do..." he glanced over at his garden, which was still calm. "Well, not now, anyway."
"Oh, would you grace me with your presence?" Sahari crossed her arms under her poncho and gave a great shudder, "Oh, damn it it's too c-c-cold for this." She looked to the side and became quiet.
"Sure, I'll help you," Sparcticus nodded. "I'll stay near you. If you lose your footing just grab onto my arm or something."
Sahari's palms grew sweaty, "Y-You won't rip me in two if you did that?" She looked almost straight up in an attempt to make eye contact. No wonder he wore so many layers, she thought, I can feel my toes getting frostbite!
"Of course not," Sparcticus said simply with a shrug of his broad shoulders.
"You promise? This isn't a trap to get back at me for everything, right?" Sahari drew back a little bit. Why was he being nice to her?
"...what did you ever do to me?" Sparcticus looked like he didn't know what Sahari was talking about.
"Um, duh?" Sahari gave him a look like he was crazy, "I pretty much make your life hell every day!" She shivered again and brushed snow off her poncho.
"...no you don't, a little light teasing isn't enough to make my life a living hell," Sparcticus urged Sahari forward. "We don't have time to chat right now; you could get frostbite or something in an outfit like that..."
"T-Too late," Sahari shivered and reluctantly followed Sparcticus, "I can't feel my toes anymore. I freaking hate this snow."
"You'll be out in no time...don't you worry..." Sparcticus gave Sahari a pat on her tensed up shoulder. "I know this place like the back of my hand."
Sahari gave a stiff nod and promptly slid on an icy patch. She grabbed Sparcticus' large hand and steadied herself with a little difficulty. Sahari hoped her heart wasn't as loud to Sparty as it was to herself- what was wrong with her?
"Just take small, even steps, you'll get used to the ice," Sparcticus kept his eyes ahead.
"How can I when you're overtaking mountains with your strides?" grumbled Sahari, "My feet are blocks of ice, I can't feel my ears, my nose is running behind my mask, and the wind goes right through my outfit like it's nothing." Sahari loved complaining.
Sparcticus paused, looking down at Sahari with a (most likely unintentionally) attractive gaze that nearly made her choke. "...you sound like you're implying that you want me to carry you," Sparcticus swept Sahari off of the ground with a small smile. "Oh well, that's not a hard thing to do!"
"AAAAAGH!" Sahari clung to Sparcticus' neck, "OH MY GOD I CAN SEE EVERYTHING FROM UP HERE, SPARTY!" She looked around and could see trees and mountains and a house or two that blew clouds of smoke from their chimneys into the flawless blue sky. "This is so cool…" she said quietly.
Sparcticus continued walking with the slight smile on his mask widening a bit. "Don't move around so much, you don't want me to drop you."
"Yes, Sparty," Sahari obeyed and stopped fidgeting quite as much. "Ya know, this place'd be kinda pretty if I weren't so cold."
"I'm glad you think so, but I think the snow gets a little old after a while..." Sparcticus looked around a bit, as if really observing the tundra for the first time. "You should see it at night, though. That never gets old…" Sparcticus looked up at the snow falling from the sky. "Of course, it's sub-zero then, and going out isn't exactly safe, especially for a desert-dweller like you..." Sparcticus added under his breath.
"Really?" asked Sahari as she looked up at Sparcticus, "What's it like? Still just all white and plain?"
"Actually," Sparcticus said with a warm smile. "I don't think I can describe it...but it's the way the darkness contrasts against the snow...it's so white, it almost glows in the dark...it's lovely."
Sahari never heard Sparcticus talk like this before; he never really struck her as the type who could take notice of and appreciate simple things like that…
".................... I hope I get to see it someday with you," muttered Sahari as she crossed her arms under her poncho to keep warm.
"It's worth it," Sparcticus said, looking down at Sahari with the warm smile still on his mask. Much to Sahari's relief and disappointment, Sparcticus didn't seem to notice that Sahari said "with you."
"I'll take your word for it, Sparty." Sahari sighed, "It is nice seeing something other than sand everywhere," she said grudgingly.
"I can imagine that would get old..." Sparcticus made eye contact with her. "Not to mention the heat...I can feel myself getting sunburned if I even THINK about the desert...
"That's why we wear next to nothing out there," Sahari gave Sparty A Look, "And the reason why I'm usually hanging about town in the middle of the day. Sometimes it's too hot even for ME."
"I can't imagine living somewhere like that," Sparcticus said. "The cold gets old sometimes too...but I've lived here for twenty-six years so I can live with it..."
"Yowza, Sparty," Sahari gaped at him, "That is a very long time. No wonder your personality is frozen."
"Pfft..."
"It's true! You don't really show any emotion besides... blankness. I can't tell anything with you," Sahari looked the smallest bit sad.
"That's just how I am..." Sparcticus sighed a bit. "I can't change that."
"'Cause you have NO IDEA how irritating it is! I try to get closer to you but you're always," Sahari then adopted a blank look on her face and mockingly lowered her voice, "'I'M SPARCTICUS AND HAVE NO OBVIOUS FEELINGS."
"You tried to get closer to me?" Sparcticus stopped mid stride and looked Sahari square in the eyes. The suddenness of his stare caused Sahari's heart to jump up into her throat. "I never really...caught that."
"Yeah, I figured that much," Sahari swallowed her heart and pointedly looked away, "Which is why I stopped trying."
Sparcticus stood quietly for a few seconds, and then continued walking. Sahari felt like she had just made a mistake and quietly stewed in her humiliation.
"...why me of all people?" Sparcticus asked after an obnoxiously long silence.
"Do you want me to be truthful?" Sahari was unusually quiet.
"Please."
"Well," Sahari took a deep breath, "You're tall and you're cool and you're mysterious and you stand for everything I am against and I still don't know why but whenever you come into P-Factor my heart gets really loud and I can't stop looking at you and Eddie says it's because I'm in love with you."
Sparcticus stopped in his tracks. "...could you repeat that?"
"No," said Sahari, "If you didn't get it that time you won't get it this time that I might be terribly attracted to you."
"...wow," Sparcticus reached the edge of the Pinarctic and set Sahari down on the ground. He kept a hold on one of her hands, though. "You know, I never expected anyone to say something like that in my entire life. This is going to sound odd, but I especially didn't expect it to be you."
Sahari just looked at the hand Sparcticus was still holding, "You're not going to rip my arm off any beat me to death with it, are you?" She said meekly.
"Of course not," Sparcticus crouched down to Sahari's level. "I didn't say I wasn't happy to hear it."
Sahari recoiled a little when she could suddenly look Sparcticus in his dark blue eyes, but her hand was held prisoner in his. "W-What are you doing then?"
"This," Sparcticus lifted up Sahari's mask a little with his free hand and quickly brushed his lips against hers. He recoiled quickly, more quickly than he would have liked, and put her mask back in its place. "I'm sorry; I should have asked first."
Sahari was dumbstruck for quite a while. A blush overtook her face and she could feel her frozen ears thawing.
"................................... Do it again." said Sahari. "And actually put some effort into it."
"All right, then!" Sparcticus threw up his hands in mock defeat, lifted up his mask, then Sahari's, and did as he was told.
Sahari was suddenly not as cold anymore.
"Hey Sparty," said Sahari quietly when they broke apart, "You mean to say you actually like me too?"
"I mean to say that," Sparcticus hastily put his mask back into its place and smiled.
"How long have you?" squinted Sahari as she tugged her mask back to where it belonged.
"I don't know, but all I know is I know that I do..." Sparcticus paused. "That came out wrong..."
"You are confusing me even further," Sahari shook her now snow-covered head, "And this cold isn't helping one bit."
"I'm sorry," Sparcticus sighed. "So, yes, I like you too. As for how long, I guess I didn't realize I did until now...there's just something about you..."
Sahari became quiet again, "Nobody's ever said anything like that to me before..."
"So we're both new at this," Sparcticus stated.
"Not a bad thing," Sahari grabbed Sparty's other hand. It was surprisingly warm.
"I agree," Sparcticus smiled.
"Soooo... you just gonna let me walk off?" asked Sahari, "Or are you gonna take me home or something?"
"I guess I could walk you to the desert entrance if you really wanted me to," Sparcticus let go of Sahari's hands and rose to his full height, but he placed a hand on one of her shoulders. "I'd walk you home, but it's the middle of the day and I'd probably have heatstroke...and that's the last thing I want right now."
"... Please?" Sahari had to look straight up to see Sparcticus' eyes again, "I don't want you to leave this quickly now that I know you actually have feelings."
"I'll walk you, then," Sparcticus smiled and wrapped his arm around Sahari warmly.
Sahari grinned in satisfaction and made sure to walk as slowly as she could.