(A/N): Hey! :) Just thought I'd try out doing some sort of holiday-ish one-shot. So...I hope you guys like it! :) It's my first, so hopefully it's not too bad :P Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade!
New Year Warmth
The room was overwhelmingly warm. It filled the room, fanning out from a far corner and enveloping the rest of the dojo. It was like the place was swathed in a raging fire, like she was stuck inside an oven. The heat danced around, hugging her, encircling her, swirling around in a balmy haze. It was invisible but she could still feel it there, suffocating her. Yet the feeling was not uncomfortable; on the contrary, it was pleasant. No, this was not the feeling of some thermostat gone awry. It was rather the feeling of the people around her, their colourful presence, which radiated this wonderful warmth. They were the white-hot lights that kept her grounded and made her feel safe.
On this night, Hilary Tachibana sat next to the dojo's sole window, her hands pressed up against her rosy cheeks. Large snowflakes were gently drifting downwards from the pitch-black skies above, most adding to the thick blanket of snow on the ground, some being blown by the gusty wind and landing on the window. These snowflakes were the most appealing to Hilary; they would linger on the window just long enough for her to make out their dizzying patterns. But these were also the ones that were the most short-lived. In the moment it took her to examine the design, it would melt, leaving nothing but a water droplet behind.
In some ways, Hilary viewed her life much like that of the window snowflake. She would drift in and out of people's lives, entering quickly and leaving as suddenly as she came. She concentrated most of her time on her studies, reading feverishly in order to prepare her for a career as a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer. She didn't stop to get to know anyone, and didn't stop to wonder if she could make an impact on their life. Sometimes it was hard being a lone wolf, but she never second-guessed her choices or regretted a single action. She strolled through life at a fast pace and she was alright with it. That was, until they came into her life.
They were a whirlwind of colour, literally. They brought such vibrant personalities, such interesting things. They lived a life of action, of adventure. They had travelled the world and had seen many things that Hilary could only dream of. Even their clothes were colourful. They seized her interest immediately, and the harder she tried to forget them, the more she longed to see them, to be with them. It was at the tender age of fourteen that she began a friendship with the leader of the group, Tyson, and suddenly…her world changed for the better.
Hilary tried to look through the window and into the pitch-black night, but the glare of the bright lights behind her stole the view away. In the window she could see a reflection of the boys – no, her boys – prancing around, excitedly talking about the past year's events. Everything they discussed she knew with great detail. Training, World Championship, travelling the world, Hilary was there for it all, fretting nervously at the sidelines as her friends, one by one, stepped into the dish, facing danger. She knew she didn't have to worry; they were old enough, and most of them were eighteen now. They could handle themselves perfectly fine. Her heart always pounded when the next round started, though, and she knew she wouldn't be able to bear it if anything happened to any of them. But her heart was especially rattled when one specific blader would make his way up, pulling out his launcher and beyblade just seconds before the battle started.
Hilary's thoughts were interrupted by a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, startled by the sudden movement. She whipped her head around and found herself meeting a pair of cerulean blue eyes and a cheery smile.
"Oh, it's just you Max,"
"Who else would it be?" He gave her a large smile and took a seat beside her. "I brought you some eggnog, made especially for you by Ray,"
"Thanks," Hilary smiled, taking the cup from his hands.
"So," Max began, running his hand through his blonde hair nervously. "Why are you sitting all the way over here all alone? It's New Years – you should be partying like us!"
"Just thinking," she replied, taking a sip from the eggnog. She felt the sweet, syrupy liquid soothe her dry throat and sighed. Ray was the best cook out of her friends, and this drink just proved it. "This stuff is good," she commented, looking down at the cup in her hands.
"Mhmm," he nodded. "So, you didn't actually give me a straight answer. Why are you moping around here alone? You're almost like Tyson tonight, it's strange."
Hilary's head shot up at the sound of Tyson's name. It was strange, but her ears were attuned to his voice and any mention of his name. Her eyes were trained to spot his crimson and indigo cap, his bright red jacket, his sunshine yellow shirt. She looked for his russet eyes and navy hair, his childish grin and his built stature. It was odd, but it was normal. Natural, almost. She was drawn to his presence, his overwhelmingly radiant personality. Now, Hilary looked beyond the critical cobalt eyes of Max and scanned the room quickly for her best friend. There was no sign of the World Champion 'blader.
"That's…weird," Hilary finally spoke, muttering under her breath, realizing that Tyson wasn't in the room. It was more of a comment to herself, but it still managed to address Max's comment quite nicely.
"You should go talk to him," Max said quietly, looking down at his lap. Nervously, he twiddled his thumbs back and forth. It wasn't often that he gave advice to anyone; actually, it was more like never. Hilary could tell he was anxious, a bit worried about her reaction. He was sitting on the edge of his seat, tensed, and he still hadn't made eye contact. She had to admit, it was a little awkward talking to the blonde about this, but she whole-heartedly appreciated his concern. He was one of Tyson's closest friends and he knew him well. To her, Max was a little brother. She could grasp why he wanted to help. What she couldn't grasp, however, was what she could reply.
"I…" she began, struggling to find some sort of words. "What makes you think I should talk to him? I don't even know why he's not here,"
"I think you do," Max replied, his eyes finally lifting themselves up to meet her ruby ones. Hilary waited for him to expand but he didn't. Instead, he chose to push himself off of the window-side bench, forcing himself to stand up. Without another word, he left, leaving her to wonder the meaning of his words.
Within her mind, vivid thoughts danced around, swirling and blowing about like the snowflakes in the wind. Thoughts of Tyson. Thoughts of their memories, thoughts of their friendship. Thoughts of their fights, their laughs. Thoughts of the good times and the bad. These feelings bounced around in her head in a jumbled disarray, but she wasn't confused. She knew exactly what each of these memories implied. Finally, her head and her heart finally became one.
She wasn't surprised when she found herself in the veranda in the backyard, her flats clicking quietly against the wooden grain of the floor. Her sights were set on the corner of the porch, where a young male sat, staring at the falling snowflakes. He was standing with his back to her, half of his body shielded by the roof and the other half exposed to the falling snow. His head was tilted upwards towards the sky, his face catching most of the snow that fell towards him. He didn't turn when he heard her approach, and so she watched him from afar, not wanting to disturb his thoughts.
"It's nice, huh?" the capped teen called out over the gusty sounds of the blowing wind, still facing the snowy depths of the sky.
"Yeah, it's a beautiful night," she murmured softly, meandering closer to where Tyson was standing on the porch. For a while, the two simply stood in silence, watching more fluffy white cotton fall to the ground. The words of her dear friend Max echoed in her mind as she shifted a little uncomfortably beside Tyson, crossing her arms, her gaze not faltering from the night scene before her. She dared not look at the boy beside her. But she knew she had to start somewhere. So she said the first thing that came to mind.
"So why are you out here? The guys are looking for you," Hilary frowned a little after her statement, biting her lip. It was somewhat of a lie; she knew the Bladebreakers were leaving them alone for a reason, and that they wouldn't even think of coming to check on them.
"I needed some fresh air," Tyson sighed gently, ripping his eyes away from the winter blizzard. He slowly turned to face her, leaning on a wooden support pillar behind him. She did the same, finally removing her concentrated stare from the whirlwind of snow around them. She still couldn't look him in the eyes though, and she diverted her garnet eyes towards her feet. She longed to tell him, to tell her best friend, but she wasn't sure if she could muster enough strength to do that just yet.
The silence continued. For two people who fought all the time, they were unusually quiet with each other, and this made Hilary uncomfortable. She knew she had to say something soon; they were both getting restless from the lack of speech. Both she and Tyson were talkative people, but today they were uncharacteristically silent. Again, Hilary resolved to say something, something she hoped would get his attention. "We…need to talk."
She looked up at Tyson as the wind ruffled her chestnut curls. She was surprised to see the hint of a smile on his face as he soaked in her words. "What, so now you're breaking up with me? But we were never together!" he joked, his smile stretching into an even larger one. His characteristic lopsided grin sent her heart into a fast-paced mess, threatening to break out of her ribcage. It rattled on endlessly within her chest, almost causing herself physical pain. Nevertheless, Hilary couldn't help but be annoyed by his lack of seriousness. Tyson had never been one to be sombre or thoughtful, but she knew she deserved a bit more from him tonight. After she finally got the courage to say something to him, could he not be serious?
Hilary was about to make this point when the she heard the uproar of her friends from the other room, counting down the final seconds before it was the New Year. She looked to the interior of the dojo and sighed, knowing that she had lost her chance – the one opportunity she had to tell her best friend that she loved him. The warmth that she had felt just minutes before in the dojo finally left her in the cold, winter weather.
She gave a sad smile to her friend – her friend and nothing more – and finally was able to look him directly in the eyes. "Never mind, Tys," she said, motioning towards the open dojo door. "I think it's almost time to celebrate the New Year, we should probably go inside." She began to make her way towards the room, where she saw the glowing lights of the TV, the fireplace. There was now only thirty seconds left, and she decided that she would make the best of this New-Year-Gone-Wrong.
Before she could move any farther, though, the World Champion grabbed one of her dainty wrists and spun her around to face him. He yanked her so forcefully, though, that she ended up slipping and landing on his chest. She could feel her face growing hot as she tilted her head up to stare him in his eyes, and was mildly shocked when she saw his intense stare. Hilary was entranced by the serious sparkle in his eyes, the glimmer that glowed from within him. Before she could admire his eyes anymore, however, he took her face in his hands and lightly brushed his lips over hers.
When they parted, she pulled herself away ever-so-slightly so that she could look him in the eyes once again. With a bemused expression on her face, she glanced at the now-anxious Tyson. He shrugged, removing his cap to run his hand through his long hair, and gave her a sheepish grin. "I…wanted to end the year on a good note," he explained, looking down at his shoes and blushing furiously. Hilary beamed as they both heard the countdown end, right on cue. She clasped one of Tyson's hands and pulled him towards the entrance of the dojo.
"I think we both did," she whispered, and suddenly the warmth returned to her, in full force, and much stronger than before.
(A/N): There it is! Rate if you'd like, and tell me how you thought it was :) Anywho, have an awesome day guys :)