A/N: This one-shot was inspired not only by the song from which it got its name, but by my intense love for this pairing, as well as the tragedy that inexorably accompanies it. This may or may not be the first in a series of one-shots concerning this pairing. This is my first GenHaya, and hopefully not my last.
Valentine's Day
But the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing
I used to be my own protection, but not now
Cause my path had lost direction, somehow
A black wind took you away from sight
And held the darkness over day, that night...
"Valentine's Day" - Linkin Park.
--
You lied.
You told me that you would meet me, that you would make that day special for me because no one had ever done it for you, and you lied. And now, here it is, a year later, and you're still not here. Not in the sense that I want you to be. I met you instead this year, because there was no other choice, and I sure as hell couldn't spend the day alone. Well, I could have, but it would summon up all of the painful things that it took me a whole fucking year just to suppress. So here I am, talking to the thin air and pretending it's you. Because a fucking stone can't talk, can it?
...Didn't think so.
Why did you have to let that happen? After all that bullshit you gave me about wanting to live, you went and got yourself killed. And I can't do a damn thing about it because the bastard that murdered you is our ally now. A fine fucking mess you've gotten us into, Hayate. Thanks a lot. I never liked Valentine's Day much, because I always spent it alone. Now I hate it, because I could have spent it with you. Except you had to die and leave me both alone and lonely. What kind of sick joke was that? Promising all of that romantic shit, getting me all excited...and now we're here. You're beneath my feet, and I'm reduced to talking to a cold, black piece of rock that you have to share with a bunch of other dead people. You don't even get your own grave, even though you deserve it a hell of a lot more than some.
This whole situation is bullshit, Hayate. Total bullshit. The one day that I was looking forward to, long after all of the days had begun to feel the same, and you had to go and die before February even hit. Now, instead of spending the day holding you, telling you that I love you and all of the romantic shit that I was never brave enough to say any other day of the year, I'm trying not to cry like a baby, and begging you to come back.
Come back. Why won't you listen to me, you idiot? Why are you putting me through this? I thought you loved me. This isn't how you treat someone you love, and who loves you back, and who wanted to spend every waking moment and then some with you. How fucking ungrateful can you get? The worst part of it all is that you smiled. The day before you broke all of the promises we'd made to each other, you smiled and joked about dying.
--
"Genma, I'm so happy. If I were to die tomorrow, I wouldn't care, because there's no way I can be happier than I am right now," Gekkou Hayate said with a bright, childish grin that he reserved specifically for Shiranui Genma. The latter frowned, even as the former snuggled comfortably in his arms and kissed the hollow of his throat.
"Don't say that, Hayate. You never know." The small swordsman blinked confusedly up at his lover, before the smile returned to his lips. He chuckled softly and buried his face into Genma's chest.
"What's this? Am I sensing a hole in your grand, live-for-today philosophy?" He giggled teasingly, though his smile sagged when he looked back up and saw the grave look on the elder male's face. His brow furrowed, and he placed a soft, apologetic kiss on the other's lips. "I'm sorry. But I promise you that I will do my best to not die tomorrow. Every day afterward is fair game, but tomorrow is definitely off-limits. So don't worry, okay? Just relax; be happy with me." --
"...What?" Genma's face seemed to collapse in on itself as he tried to comprehend Raidou's words.
"Hayate's dead, Genma. Murdered." The tawny-haired shinobi stared at the scarred other in disbelief and shook his head. No... He's joking, right? Hayate promised...
"No..."
"Genma, I'm sorry. I know the two of you were close..." And he did look very sorry, but Genma didn't see. He was staring at the floor, teeth clamping so tightly over his senbon that Raidou thought it might snap in two. "We're still looking for the one who did it, but--"
"...Where is he? I want to see him." Raidou didn't need to ask which 'he' Genma meant - his tone said it all. The grief-stricken shinobi stood shakily, moving toward his friend in slow, agonizing steps. He had to see Hayate, had to say goodbye...
--
Would you mind telling me why the hell you did that? Did you know this was going to happen? Were you making fun of me? Or had you already given up...? That's it, isn't it? You'd given up on trying to live, accepted that you were going to die... You threw yourself into a losing battle just so you could prove that you could choose your own fate. Am I right? Well, if I am, then I'm obligated to tell you that you fucked up. Big time. Because now you're really gone, and I'm alone, and that's not changing because I don't believe that we'll ever meet again, whether we're alive or dead. Thanks to your stupid pride, I'm being forced to measure my life in Valentine's Days that I've spent missing you and wishing you were here with me. It's only been two so far - how many more do you think I'll last? You don't have an answer for that one, do you?
Of course not. Why did I even ask?
A/N: Well, there you have it. Please be kind and leave a review. :3