Just This Once

Disclaimer: I do not own Basara. This is manga related, so if you only watched the anime, you won't really understand it. Also, this is a slight Asagi x Sarasa story. Yes, it isn't a Shuri x Sarasa! It DOES have a SLIGHT Shuri x Sarasa in it, but there is mostly Asagi x Sarasa.

Title: Just This Once

Author: LoNeLy aTHRuN ZaLa (aka: LaZ)

Pairings: Slight AsaXSar and mentioned ShuXSar

Fandom: Basara

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Manga up to…err…well, I read up to 20 so there might be Volume 20 spoilers in here…

Warning: LONG ONE-SHOT! And I suppose I should at the slight AsaXSar since some may find that 'disgusting' or something like that. I personally like it. It is possible to actually happen. Seeing as how he's softening up to her. Of course it's going to be unrequited for poor Asagi-chan…XD

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The ship is absolutely silent, a rare thing once you think about it. With Nachi and Chacha here, it wouldn't be surprising if it's never quiet. And even stranger is that it is only ten in the night, early for the entire crew to be in bed. Usually they party to two in the morning, at least.

Asagi can't sleep, it's that peculiar. The Blue King sighs, sitting on the bed with the blankets wrapped around his lithe frame. Nimble fingers trace the sapphire in the centre of the forehead piece he used to wear, his eyes reflecting off the glossy surface. The golden band is held limply in his palm, vibrant against the pale color of his skin.

A soft knocking on his door causes him to glance up sharply, his arm snapping out to hide the jewelry into the neat pile of his dirty (meaning worn once) clothing. "Y-yes?" he calls out softly, shuddering as his voice echoes in the small, cramped cabin he had for his own. Unconsciously, he pulls the blankets more around him to cover most of his bare chest. A soft shiver courses through his spine, finally remembering just how close they are to the Black King's region.

"It's me, Tatara…" came the soft answer.

A shaky smile slips over his lips, his eyes lighting up ever-so-slightly. "You can come in, you know, Sa'ra'sa-chan!" he chirps, splitting her name's syllables in an attempt to coax her into saying her real name. Although everyone on this ship knows she's a girl, she still calls herself Tatara when not in dresses.

"Thanks, Asagi-san…"

He watches the door edge open with sharp, blue eyes. He blinks when it stops. With the small gap, Sarasa squeezes into the room. She smiles and shuts the door behind herself, staying close to the door.

"Sarasa-chan, what do I give this pleasure?" Asagi formally says, a soft smile playing on his lips to show that he's joking. Pulling the blanket closer to himself, he suppresses a sharp shiver. He moves over slightly, sitting with his back to the pillows as he motions for her to sit near his buried feet, close to the middle of the small bed.

Sarasa smiles and sits at the foot of the bed. Frowning, she moves so she is sitting with her shoulder pressed against his, before worming her way into the blanket and resting her head on his shoulder. "It's chilly," is her only explanation.

"I…see," Asagi says, shivering before he can stop himself. The places where her body touches his own feel warm, causing his other side to feel rather cold. "But what do I owe this meeting to?" he presses, keeping the gentle smile on his lips. He shifts slightly so his back is pressing against the corner of where the plank-like bed meets the wall, causing her to fall slightly onto his lap. A soft chuckle escapes his lips as she pushes herself up, her eyes wide and a soft pink tinting her cheeks.

"S-sorry!" Sarasa stutters, quickly moving so she's back at his side, her own back pressed against the wall that the pillows are currently resting against. Pulling the blanket back around herself (making sure it covers Asagi, as well) she rests her head back against his shoulder, shivering slightly herself. "I…was c-cold and I thought you wouldn't m-mind if I came in here…" she admits, the pink still tingeing her cheeks.

"So you came here to use me for warmth?" Asagi questions, a soft drawl entering his flat tone. Shrugging slightly, he sighs contently. "Doesn't bother me, you're right. I can use your warmth for myself, anyway," he reminds her, smiling at her blushing features. Shifting again, unable to keep still, he moves her so she's sitting on his lap. He grins slightly at the flash of red crossing her cheeks.

"W-what are y-you doing, A-Asagi-san?" Sarasa yelps, grabbing hold of his shoulders to steady herself.

Asagi chuckles softly, shaking his head in amusement. "I'm cold and I'm using your heat to undo that…" he says simply, gently wrapping his arms around the girl. As soon as the girl relaxes, he rests his head on the top of hers, the fair-length brown strands brushing up against his cheek. A soft, almost inaudible sigh escapes his lips as soon as he is sure she can't see his face, his eyes drifting closed wearily. His entire body relaxes, his arms falling even looser around her small frame. Still, the persistent shivers wrack his thin form; the only movement the otherwise still man gives.

"Asagi-san?" Sarasa questions, shifting in his arms until she is facing him, forcing him to lift his head due to the sudden disappearing support it just had. She frowns worriedly when his azure-colored eyes flutter open slowly. She carefully tilts his head up, forcing him to meet her worried amber orbs. "Are you alright, Asagi-san?"

The Blue King brushes her hand aside, turning away from her. He murmurs something inaudible, his eyes falling shut wearily.

"Hmm?" The young 16-year-old is truly concerned over her comrade's condition, seeing as his obvious distaste of the cold. She turns his face back towards hers, this time not allowing him to simply push her concern away like he so-often does, even when he is in danger like that time in Kazuno.

---------------------------------------------------------Flashback-------------------------------------------------------------

Pain had seared through her small frame right before a sudden freezing. Her eyes opened numbly, the sudden flash of pure white all around her causing her to shut them just as quickly. Reopening the amber orbs, more slowly this time, she takes a small glance at the ground in her immediate sight. …this is…snow?

She jolted up into a kneeling position, taking in a sweeping look of her surroundings. She caught sight of the blond king's crumpled form, his skin nearly as white as the snow around him.

"Um…Asagi-san?" she mumbled, loud enough for the man to hear her. She took another look of the surroundings before crawling towards her comrade. She gently rested her gloved hands against the soft material of his coat. "It looks as if…we were thrown from the wagon." Looking around for any source of life, she cried for her friends. "Kaku! Hayato!" The silence seemed almost deafening, her fear raising a level.

She directed her attention to the man she was kneeling beside. "Let's go…" she whispered. When Asagi didn't move, she frowned slightly. "Get up. We've got to find shelter from this wind. Come on!" she tried, looking at his closed eyes and pale skin. Faint clouds of air alerted her to his shallow breathing. "Asagi-san! Asagi-san, snap out of it!" She shook the man, slowly making her way to a small cave in the distance, carefully pulling the unconscious king with her. "You always talk like you're so touch - - but you can't take the weather?" Sarasa cried, shaking him again.

Finally, after almost five minutes she managed to get inside the opening of the cave. Once assured that they were out of the wind, she settled his head so it was resting on top of her lap. "I was born…in the desert. I…I've never been…in the cold…" she told him, not caring that he won't hear. Her breathing became slightly labored, a sharp sting emitting with each breath she took. My throat…it hurts! After all we did…to get out… "Shuri…" she murmured, despair sneaking into her tone.

Images of the Red King (though still only known to be 'Shuri'), flashed through her mind, the times her has told her to 'be strong', 'not to lose hope', and 'Keep going, face your problems'. Shuri…come to me. Keep me warm…she thought, her eyes staring into the billowing snow. Her heart ached weakly, almost as if it was calling for the arrogant man. Shuri…whenever things are hard…I hear myself calling your name. Not like before…when I would call for Nagi…

"S-so cold…"

The sound of the Blue King's weak whimper dragged the worried Sarasa from her content thoughts of the Red King. She turns her head to look at the man who she had deemed unconscious. The feeble whisper into the cold seemed to draw in her fleeing hope and faith. "Asagi-san?" she cries, mentally wondering why a surge of joy had passed through her mind. Did she really forgive him? When did she start to care? When…when had she started to trust this man?

His eyes fluttered slightly, though still stayed shut. His lips move in a silent whisper, barely even moving. "I'm dying! It's over!" was his next words. He said them in a way that made Sarasa know that he, indeed, did think it to be true. His skin was even paler than before, and Sarasa had believed that to be impossible. His shallow breathing made small puffs of white vapor.

"You're not going to die! Just hang on!" Sarasa cried. Moving him fully onto her lap, making certain that he was secure, she started to tap his cheeks with her hands in a desperate attempt to both wake him, and bring the color back. She stared down in fear at the thinning clouds going along with each breath he exhaled. "C'mon!"

Asagi's breathing thinned even more, his skin still pale with the clutches of death. His lips part ever-so-slightly, a halfhearted subconscious attempt to get more air into his lungs. His eyes fluttered again beneath his lids, his breath shuddering softly. "…it's growing dark…" he whimpered.

Sarasa stared down in fear and shock. Her breathing became more ragged with emotion, her eyes stinging slightly though no tears came. What an idiot. A hopeless idiot. But…I don't know why…I can't ignore him…Her fingers rushed to the jacket done-up to her neck, entangling in the scarf before pulling it off in one swift motion. Removing the coat, the only thing covering her upper body, she did the same to the blond. Keeping his own coat covering his back and shoulders, she pulled him towards her until his head was resting on the lower portion of her bare shoulder. Making sure he was secure, she wrapped her own coat around the both of them. She didn't notice his eyes flutter open in an exhausted shock.

"In the desert…bodies are colder than the air. So hugging cools us down…" she explained when he felt him tense slightly. Her arms found themselves to the king's back, her fingers intertwining. Slowly, she released one hand and brought it up to gently rest on the back of Asagi's neck, her fingers drifting over his cheek before moving to his neck again, interlacing with the short blond locks of hair.

Asagi blinked slowly, a shuddery breath slipping past his partially parted lips. I'll never have…a chance like this again, he noted. The feeling of her hand resting against his neck felt warm; hot compared to the air. But…His eyes started to slip shut. I can't move! …oh, well…he thought, closing his eyes tightly. It still…feels so…His face rested against the patch right above her chest, but still below her shoulders. The starting of the lump was brushed against his chin. The only thing he could feel was the warmth from her body sinking into his as he drifts back to unconsciousness. …nice…

------------------------------------------------------End of Flashback-----------------------------------------------------------

Shaking her head from the memory, Sarasa directs a stern look to the 19-year-old king. Tugging on her brown hair in frustration, she taps his cheek gently with her free hand. "Asagi-san, what's wrong?" she repeats. The 16-year-old rebel frowns, trying to get a response.

"Mm?" Asagi moans softly, lifting his head to look at her. His sapphire/azure colored eyes are dull with fatigue. "T-tired…" he tells her, a yawn causing a soft stutter in his voice. The king flashes a weary smile, his eyes slipping shut again. It takes too much energy to keep them open, anyway. He leans foreword and rests his head on her shoulder, seeing as she's still sitting in his lap, facing him.

"O-oh! But…it's still early!" Sarasa protests, glancing at the gold pocket-watch set gently on his beside-table. She purses her lips, taking a quick, worried glance at the man she's currently sitting on. "It's only eleven…" she says slowly.

Asagi shrugs gently, the movement of his shoulders brushing against Sarasa's small body. "Yes, perhaps. But I got up around four this morning, and after being awake that long, I am tired," he says, his eyes drifting shut. Blinking a few times, he lifts Sarasa off of him and onto the space next to him, forcing her to lie down while he lay down beside her and let one of his arms drape over her stomach.

"A-Asagi-san!" Sarasa yelps, blinking in surprise at the sudden feel of the older man curled beside her. Turning to fully look at him, she notices his closed eyes and soft breathing. Moving so she's pressed up against his body, she rests her head against his chest. Thoughts of the Red King – Shuri – that flashed through her mind temporarily forgotten, she lets the man's warmth run along her form. A soft smile tugs at her lips, her eyes shutting slowly.

"…maybe just this once…"

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Ok, that's it! A fluffy little one-shot with Asagi and Sarasa. I really hope you liked this. (PS: I LOVE reviews! Hint, hint, nudge, nudge XD)