A/N: This is my first attempt to write fanfiction in English, so... be nice and give me realistic critisism. (Since English isn't my mother tongue, I'd really appreciate grammatical corrections and such). This is a one-shot – which is quite clear after you've read the story –, is told from Shigure's POV (point of view) and has a KyoHaru pairing. Please inform me that you've read this by sending a review. Thank you.

This is an anime-based fic, which means that Shigure's character might seem a little different compared to the manga, but try to ignore that.

Warnings: mentions of shounen-ai, KyoHaru pairing, Shigure as the narrator

Disclaimer: Furuba is not mine, but I sure wish it was.

Truths about relations

by eishi © 2007

A relationship without obstacles is not interesting.

A fact that is known by all romance novel writers. Where is the fun if boy meets girl, they fall in love and everything goes smoothly until they finally have children? No family to ruin it, no friends to tell their unwanted opinions and no jealousy to bring some spice to the boring everyday life. A romantic story needs a rival, even if it's only the boy's jealous nature. No one likes to listen to a story that dull. Fortunately people seem to remember that rule by heart, which is why all couples – even the "perfect" ones – fight sometimes.

The interesting parts of life, the fights of love.

Only, they didn't follow the rule, which is really heart breaking. I didn't even have a chance to make fun of them before they got together. Quite sad.

Their story is told fast, which is why I'm filling up the white space with my unwanted ranting. Anyway… they didn't have to meet anywhere nice, because they knew each other beforehand. (Boring.) The only vaguely interesting fact in the relation of these two cousins was that they could barely stand each other. The younger one wanted to be better than the older – the same old rule that recurs in every other relationship. (Boring.)

It was after high school when they had finally decided that they were equal in their level of fighting and stopped fighting altogether. After that decision they didn't meet each other for a long time, because they were both busy with their own lives – the other one with his dojo and the other one with his travelling. Time passed. (Boring.)

It was in the New Year's Eve when they finally met again, naturally in the party of the family. I remember it clearly: they kept glancing each other shyly, from the opposite corners of the room and ignored each other if their eyes met. What a shame that I didn't realise it back then; I lost such an opportunity to blackmail them both! Silly me… but I was busy looking the other way.

After the New Year life seemed to get back on its usual track. (Boring.) Only it didn't: these two happened to run into each other on the street. How original. In any case, they ended up talking – without yelling, using their fists or even losing their tempers, which meant that something had changed. And the change didn't even involve dramatic torturing of others with that one and only question, "Does he or does he not care?"

How boring.

After that dull meeting on the street they started to spend more time together. Slowly but surely all the anger and jealousy disappeared from their relation, and suddenly they were inseparable. That's when I finally noticed that something had changed.

And they call me the sensitive one.

It was no use anymore, though: they weren't even in the state of denial anymore. (Bo-ring.) If questioned, they happily agreed that they were having a romance.

And, again, time passed. Suddenly it was spring, and they were still together. (Boring.) Then the summer came – they spend the whole summer together. (Boring.) The autumn. Still together. The winter. Do I need to write that word anymore?

You see what I mean? There was nothing, nothing interesting in their get-together-story. They meet, they get together. Where is the suspense, the thrill, the drama? Where are the fights, the jealousy-filled states, another lovers, one-night stands and lonely nights? Their story is so simple, so boring that it frustrates me. No writer could make even a short story about that kind of a romance.

At New Year's Eve the cat and the ox – these two, stupid, boring love-sick fools – stood side by side at the party of the family and kept smiling at each other. The family had had a hard time accepting that, but boringly, they all had. (Me included, naturally. But that fact does not make this story any more interesting.) The last plot line, the rejection of the family, had been ruined.

A relationship without obstacles is not interesting.

I kept thinking about that truth in the New Year's party. It was quite hard not to when I saw these two all the time, standing there happily. I still agree to the truth – how could I not to, as a writer? – but maybe, just maybe, it should be granted one tiny little exception.

A relationship without obstacles is really not that interesting, but it's always much more heart-warming to see a happy couple than a fighting to-be couple.