Ganjitsu
It began the night before with a hundred and eight tolls of the large brass bell ringing over the land, and now, hoards of people head to the Mizuki-run shrine, smiling and bidding Eriol Hiiragizawa a happy New Year's. The navy-haired young man smiles back as he sweeps the sidewalk in front of the shrine, listening to families and friends chatting around him and paying respects, the girls dressed in their kimonos and posing for pictures beneath the barren sakura trees.
The Japanese New Year has always fascinated Eriol, and he remembers sitting by the fire in England listening to Kaho's stories of the colorful kimonos and special cuisine. This isn't Eriol's first New Year's in Japan. No, his first Japanese New Year's experience happened when he was eleven, but that year he handed out fortunes at the shrine and didn't get to experience the essence of the holiday. This year, Kaho was gracious enough to invite him to Japan, and a now-sixteen Eriol intends to enjoy himself.
"Hi-iragizawa?"
Syaoran Li blinks in surprise as he nears the shrine, hesitating in his step and causing the woman behind to bump into him. Grey eyes meet brown, and Eriol smiles warmly at his childhood friend -or rather, enemy as it were. The blue-haired mage leans on the broom and watches Syaoran stutter incoherently, his face taking on a red tinge as more time passes and Eriol's smile doesn't waver.
"W-what are you doing here?"
"Mizuki-san invited me. That's not a problem, is it?"
"N-no. I just thought you'd be busy in England." Syaoran pauses, scratching the nape of his neck and glancing around at the crowd. "You never mentioned a visit in your last letter."
At this, Eriol laughs, the tone low and musical compared to what Syaoran remembers. "You haven't changed a bit, Li-kun." Syaoran flushes again, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat. Eriol chuckles, turning toward the shrine. "Come on, Li-kun. We don't want to miss the festivities."
Syaoran follows the other young man into the shrine grounds, trying to keep his eyes focused on his feet. He doesn't usually venture to the shrine on New Year's, but something compelled him to come this year, and seeing Eriol, Syaoran now knows it was the force of the other's magic. Judging by Eriol's attitude, he knew Syaoran would show up to investigate and had planned this meeting all along.
Eriol stops by a small shed and puts the broom away, watching Syaoran from the corner of his eye. The brown-haired youth is trying to look displeased, his hands still deep in the pockets of his brown knee-length coat. A green scarf is wrapped loosely around his neck and Eriol can sense Sakura's presence in the material.
"I, er, got your New Year's card," says Syaoran to fill the silence, scuffing his right foot in the dirt. "I suppose you didn't get mine, since I sent it to your address in England."
"It will be there when I get back." The two start walking toward the main path again, shoulder to shoulder as the crowd presses in on them. "How is Sakura-chan?"
"She's fine. Kero's been giving her a hard time lately, since nothing 'interesting' has happened in about four years now."
"And Yue is stable?"
"Aa. Kinomoto-san takes care of him since they go to university together, and Sakura-chan's power continues to grow stronger."
"That's good."
Sometime during the walk, Eriol has directed them toward a fortune booth. Kaho Mizuki is sitting inside in her white kimono, and she smiles as the two approach and hands them each a wooden box. Eriol talks pleasantly with the miko as he shakes the box, tipping it into his open hand and drawing a lot. Syaoran does the same, fumbling with the numbered stick as Eriol lays a warm hand on his shoulder.
"I've got number seventeen, and Syaoran forty-two."
Kaho draws the fortunes from the slots behind her, then hands one to each of the boys. Bidding her goodbye, Eriol wraps a hand around Syaoran's arm and leads him off to the edge of the crowd. His eyes scan the slip of paper and his lips form a bright smile, causing Syaoran's stomach to churn.
"It's says I'm to find support in a close friend this year," Eriol supplies before tucking the paper into his pocket. "What about you, Li-kun?"
The kanji on the page seems foreign as Syaoran stares at it, taking in a shaky breath as he feels Eriol lean in closer. Long white fingers pluck the fortune from Syaoran's hands, leaving the Chinese teen staring at the ground.
"Hm, it says here that you will have a good year with love, Li-kun."
Syaoran fixates Eriol with a sharp glare, tugging his arm away and crossing his arms. "You changed it to say that; I felt the flex in your powers."
"Did you?" Eriol asks, amused.
Gritting his teeth, Syaoran grounds out, "yes", only to hear his friend laughing softly at the reply. "Your mind games aren't amusing."
"It's your fortune either way, Li-kun. Who's to say it won't come true?"
There's a mischievous glint in Eriol's eyes that disturbs Syaoran, so he grabs hold of Eriol's hand and drags him off toward the main part of the shrine. There's a small queue line but soon the boys are in front of the alter. Syaoran rings the bell a little too forcefully, and when he claps his hands, they hit just a little too hard, causing his breath to hitch in surprise. He sneaks a glance at Eriol to see the navy-haired head bowed, lips moving in silent speech. Then the mage straightens and claps, stepping away to allow the next group to make a blessing. Syaoran sidesteps them and stands at Eriol's side, running a hand through his messy hair and stammering over his next words.
"I-if you want, we can go back -to my apartment. To eat."
"I would be delighted, Li-kun," replies Eriol with a smile Syaoran knows is completely genuine.
"G-great! You like ozoni, right? Sakura-chan gave me some, since her family has gone away for New Year's and I usually go to her house."
"Ozoni is great."
Syaoran nods and begins toward his apartment complex, his strides longer than Eriol's, causing him to rush ahead of the other young man. When he glances back, Eriol is watching him with warm grey eyes, which convey so much more than a letter ever could. As their eyes meet, Syaoran can't help but smile.
Who's to say it won't come true ....
-Fin-
Notes:
[1] When researching the Japanese word for "New Year's" three words came up. There was oshogatsu which is the name of the lunar New Year's, shinnen which means "New Year" and gantan/ganjitsu for the solar New Year's. I decided on ganjitsu because I like the sound, and because I was aiming for a January New Year's with this story.
[2] Ozoni is the New Year's soup. It's ingredients seem to vary by region, but it's base ingredient is rice cakes.