There's a real lack of Toujou x Shizuka on this site, so I decided to contribute to this pairing. Yeah, I'm a real sucker for childhood love and all that. I also added a few references to Beauty and the Beast because I can't help but see them as like Belle and the Beast. Anyways, here's a nice fluffy one-shot with Toujou x Shizuka! I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me. The cover image belongs to hotchilipen on Deviantart.

Swing Set

Snow fell from the starry night sky, covering everything in a white, fluffy blanket. The city of Ishiyama was lively and cheerful, with families and young children out shopping, couples out on romantic dates, and friends just hanging out with each other, enjoying each other's company.

However, at the local park, everything was silent and still. The snow in the ground was untouched, except for a few footprints in the snow. The footprints led all the way to a swing set, where a beautiful young woman sat alone, wearing a pale pink coat, black tights under a white wool dress, brown boots, and a brown beret.

Nanami Shizuka, the beauty of St. Ishiyama, sat on the swing and admired the sight around her, enjoying the peace and quiet. It felt nice to spend a quiet evening in the empty park, away from her bratty little brothers, away from the school. Her waist-length strawberry-blonde hair flowed past her shoulders and little snowflakes were in her hair. She held onto the chains of the swing with her mittened hands, swinging slightly on the swing. This swing set always had a special place in her heart, as many fond memories were made here. "If only he were here…" she murmured wistfully.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps in the snow. Shizuka looked up and to her surprise and joy, she saw a familiar, fiery-red-haired figure walking through the park, wearing a gray hat and a dark blue jacket. It was Toujou Hidetora, her childhood friend and crush. Smiling brightly, she waved at him. "Tora!" she called, getting his attention with her playful nickname for him.

The former general of Ishiyama looked up and saw Shizuka sitting on a swing. He smiled and made his way to her. "Hey, Shizuka," he said, sitting down in the swing next to her. "What's up?"

Shizuka smiled teasingly at him. "Back from another job?" she teased. "Where's it this time?"

"A local butler cafe," he said. "What are you doing here all alone?"

"My brothers were giving me a hard time again," she said, rolling her eyes.

Toujou laughed. "Yeah. Your brothers are a handful," he grinned, recalling just how much they misbehaved.

A wistful smile crossed Shizuka's face. "Tora… remember this place?" she asked gently. Yes, this swing set was a special place for her because it was where she and Toujou always played together right from childhood.

Toujou grinned. "Yeah, of course," he said. "I'll always remember this place. It was where I pushed you on the swings for the first time when we were seven."

Shizuka's eyes misted over just a tiny bit as she recalled that memory. "You pushed me so high that I thought I was flying," she said. "I didn't want to stop. I wanted to keep on swinging forever."

"We did," Toujou reminded. "Well, not for forever. It was until your parents came after we didn't come home for a long time." He smiled. "Remember that time when I accidentally pushed you so hard you fell off when we were eight?"

The female Horseman laughed. "Yeah. And even though I only skinned my knees, you apologized endlessly and nursed my wounds too much," she chuckled. "And since then, you've been so gentle towards me."

They both laughed good-naturedly. Then, it was Shizuka's turn to recall another memory. "Remember when we tried to swing standing up?" she recalled.

"And we nearly got ourselves killed?" Toujou added. "Yeah, that was a hell of a scare."

"I thought I was gonna die, actually," Shizuka laughed.

Toujou felt his face heating up when he heard Shizuka laugh. That was one of the little things that really got him every time. It was gentle and peaceful, almost like music. In fact, she laughed in many different ways. Sometimes it was a soft chuckle, sometimes it was hysterical laughter, and sometimes it was a good-natured, graceful laugh.

Another smile crossed his face, this one a bit more rueful. "Remember when we were nine and I fought for the first time here?" he remembered. He would never forget. Some boys had been picking on Shizuka, calling her names and throwing rocks at her. He had beat the lackeys up so badly, but that was nothing compared to the beating that the ringleader received from him.

Shizuka nodded. She saw the small frown on his face and remembered just how sensitive that incident was to him. She knew that he hated it so much when others picked on her. "Yeah. You nearly lost it," she said softly. The look on Toujou's face was absolutely murderous when he saw them picking on her. She had to plead with him to stop when he got violent. Even then, he had walked her home and took care of her injuries, even staying with her overnight.

Right then, another memory came to her, causing a smile to cross her face. "Remember when we were thirteen and I had intervened in one of your fights?" she chuckled, a red tint crossing her face.

Toujou grinned. "Hell yeah!" he laughed. "You practically KO'd a guy with a bookbag when he was about to attack me from behind! That was awesome!"

Shizuka giggled, feeling her heart flutter like a lovesick school girl when seeing Toujou smile like that. His smile was probably the most adorable thing about him. Not his vicious, bloodthirsty smile that sent delinquents running for the hills. No, his happy, innocent smile that he had when he saw something cute, or when he was having fun without fighting. It was one of the many things that she loved about him.

Toujou admired her silently as she held out her palm to catch falling snowflakes. Yes, this was Nanami Shizuka, his childhood friend. She was grace, beauty, and perfection in one. She was the Belle to his Beast. Yes, even for him, that was cheesy, but it was true. Shizuka was the Belle who tamed his inner Beast, who helped him see beyond fighting. Her beauty was definitely not unnoticed, as she was very much desired by others. But no one knew her as well as he did.

He knew what confection was her favourite, he knew that she always wanted a pet bunny rabbit, he knew that she loved peaches and strawberry cake. On her birthday, he had gotten her a pet bunny, a strawberry cake, some peaches, and mochi ice cream, her favourite confection. He knew what made her smile, what made her happy, what made her excited. If there were a contest to see who knew Shizuka so well, he knew he would win immediately.

Shizuka noticed Toujou watching her with a small smile and she couldn't help but blush. Toujou was rarely ever gentle, coming from a school of delinquents who lusted for power and blood. He was different from those delinquents. Yes, he was pretty brutal, but he was more human than them. He was a beast, yet he could be tamed and become as gentle as a teddy bear.

Toujou may not be the brightest person, but she knew him just like he knew her. She knew that he loved fighting and getting into brawls. But he was a diligent worker who was committed to his jobs, who wanted to get a good job and live a good life. She knew that he had a soft spot for cute baby animals, she knew that he wanted to adopt every stray kitten and puppy on the streets. She knew that he liked little children and babies, that he still had the teddy bear she had given him for his eighth birthday, that he loved ramen and construction…

She could go on and on, but ultimately, no one knew her Tora as well as she did… wait, her Tora?

"Oi, Shizuka," Toujou's voice, which was rather gentle, brought her out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw him smiling playfully at her. "Remember when we kissed each other for the first time here?"

Her eyes widened in shock as her face flushed red. "What?" she asked. "We… We never kissed each other!"

Toujou merely smiled at her. Before she could react, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers in a soft, sincere kiss.

Shizuka was stunned by the sudden move, her eyes widening in surprise. Yet nonetheless, she kissed him back, moving closer to him and wrapping her arms around him. Toujou wrapped his arms around her waist, still kissing her ever so gently. He had always been gentle with her, and that would never change. Even though most of his physical contact was to inflict pain on others, he held her gently so that he wouldn't ruin her beauty.

When they pulled away, they were both blushing. Toujou regained his composure and gave her a grin. "Now we have," he teased, giving her a short kiss on her nose.

Shizuka laughed and hugged him, giving him a short kiss on his lips. He hugged her back, never feeling so happy before. He had figured out a while back that he was in love with her, but he was afraid to tell her. Now, though, he wasn't afraid. He was now her Beast, and she was his Belle.

The swing set had many happy memories from their childhood. And now, as the two childhood friends-turned-lovers left the park, the swing set had the memory of this winter night.