Disclaimer: blahblahblah. Ok.
Day 3 [Christmas Eve]
The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease. [1]
Usagi sniffled and lied back in bed. If that were true, comedians would beat out surgeons in medical schools across the nation.
But the statement did hold at least some legitimacy. Minako had shown her the quote once and then proceeded to "nurse" her back to health but instead ended up sending her to the emergency room after an hour of intolerable food, intolerable ruckus, and an intolerably cheery voice. She might have been a failure at proving what she called her "divine reason" but the past two days have shown Usagi that perhaps the "divine reason" could be applied to reality indeed … except maybe to Minako.
In the past two days, she had laughed and had been mortified. She had hated his guts and given him thanks from her heart for the food and the company.
And now the third day – the allegorical day of rebirth – she woke up to an overcast sky, winter sun feebly reaching out with its icy rays, and Luna's mewing for food.
She felt better, yes, more able to move around but at the same time, Usagi realized that this time she would not trip over arbitrary legs in her hallway, would not be laughing or fuming at Hiiro behind his back, and, most importantly, would not be eating omelet unless she miraculously learned how to work the stove.
Usagi shook her head, picked Luna up from beside the bed and held the warm, furry form to her chest. She would be an idiot if she denied that the only thing she missed about Hiiro was his omelet. After all, though she might be a sucker, she was certainly not an idiot.
Calling Hiiro good company would be ridiculous but he was still company. Very insulting company, mind you, but still somebody to take care of her … even if it was for money and far from both their ideas of a merry Christmas.
Usagi sighed. She was coughing less, sneezing less, using up fewer tissues. However, she felt worse – a deeper pain crystallized inside of her, refusing to be cured by mere amusement and nature. And it promised to be a whole lot more excruciating than the flu bug.
…………………
He sometimes accompanied Quatre to his speeches as extra security, somebody to fall back on when the guards around the blonde billionaire were unable to rise up to the challenge.
At one point in his life, he remembered Quatre trying to iron out a treaty between all the fractious nations in the Balkan Peninsula, trying to end its history of ethnic cleansing. It was then that one of Quatre's most famous quotes was recorded and repeated over and over again for about a week on all major broadcasting stations:
You can't shake hands with a clenched fist. [2]
Of course, he was far from being on a battlefield and most definitely not responsible for the end of future massacring of various ethnic groups; however, at the moment, the quote seemed overwhelmingly appropriate.
Usagi's words had followed him out to the darkened street, to Quatre's local mansion when he sneaked in to avoid Duo, through the night and unto dawn. They were sharp, willing to pierce through flesh just to see him bleed. Hiiro shook his head. That might be going a bit far.
He had never understood why Usagi had taken a particular aversion of him ever since their first introductions through Quatre and Duo. But he could never forget the bitter look she always had in those clear, sapphire eyes whenever she looked at him – a look that was fiery and icy at the same time, burning like acid and cutting like knives, with venomous but dazzling quicksilver hidden behind that gorgeous blue. It had always been that look.
Hiiro sat up in his bed and listened to the silence.
It was a good thing that it was still Christmas Eve. Tomorrow Duo would be up at 4:00 a.m., hollering and running down each hall for everybody to get up and open presents. Then sleepy thank you's and your welcome's would be exchanged and everybody would go back to bed until later, usually around 10:00 when the earnest gift exchange began.
He had told Quatre once that he pampered Duo too much.
Yawning, he stretched briefly and got up. Hopefully by tonight he'd be in a hotel room, far from Duo's wakeup call.
And hopefully by tonight, all thoughts of Usagi would have melted away.
…………………
Cooking dinner was never her forte. Well, cooking wasn't really the term – it was more like microwaving.
Usagi stared at the turning TV dinner and prayed that it wouldn't explode like that egg she once heated. After that incident, Ami had informed her that she had no common sense, a statement to which Usagi had sniffled and pouted. As if she didn't already know.
She had always accepted that she hated Hiiro Yui and had never questioned it. But now she did. There really wasn't much to hate. Usagi rolled her eyes. There really wasn't much to like either. Hiiro was just … Hiiro. He had his own personality, way of life, but went about daily activities monotonously. It intrigued her almost as much as it bored her.
But Hiiro had an uncanny ability to see things, especially things that people would like to hide from the world. The first and last conversation they had had as friends was disastrous. It started with his mentioning that though she had pasted a perpetual smile onto her face, he was sure that Usagi Tsukino was no more content than the rest of them, possibly less so. Before she knew it, they were arguing.
It had been the worst time for anybody to bring up that idea, let alone a stranger she had just met. Only three months had passed since Mamoru broke their month-long engagement and though the bleeding had abated, the wound still stung when brushed against. She had never felt more like a single blade of grass, being tossed around by the wind, unable to get a grip and reorganize her life, this time leaving out the man it had centered on for more than a year. Hiiro was the spark, finally lighting the gasoline that had saturated her over the last three months.
The conversation had abruptly ended when she deliberately stomped on his foot and stalked off, leaving the party and a bewildered Quatre behind.
Yes, there was something about Hiiro that she hated, something that she had tried to escape, mask, and cover in sugar all of her life – the truth.
Usagi bowed her head and glared at the kitchen counter. That was so idiotic a conclusion that it might actually be right.
…………………
Love conquered all. Hiiro snorted and rolled his eyes. Of course not. Guilt conquered all. And that was the reason why he was standing in front of his mortal enemy's door in freezing weather on the day before Christmas. He messaged his face tiredly and pondered leaving. The situation was so … lame.
Hiiro shuddered. He did not just use that word.
Taking a deep breath, he rang the doorbell.
…………………
"What are you doing here?"
He didn't flinch. "I thought you'd be glad. Someone's here to operate the stove you never use." Hiiro watched as her eyes widened and glared at him, color rising to her cheeks.
"I don't need you here! I thank you for staying those two days and I feel much better." She paused and thought. "Hold on. I need to pay you right? Let me go get my p-"
Usagi stared at the hand on her wrist, stopping her from leaving and escaping the return of the nightmare.
"I don't want the money." He looked aside. "The deal was to help you until Christmas, right? That's tomorrow."
She scowled at him. "I know that's tomorrow!"
He acted as if she hadn't spoken at all. "Therefore I'll be staying and helping. Until the end of tomorrow."
"You must want something in re-"
"No. I don't." He paused and looked over her head into the house. "Now … if I may come inside?"
Usagi stepped aside wordlessly.
…………………
She sighed and swallowed the last bite of omelet, peeking up at the silent figure to her right, leaning against the wall. Usagi cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"I don't suppose there's something you'd like for Christmas? In place of the money I'm supposed to pay you?" she started meekly.
Hiiro turned and stared at her, acidic blue eyes intense almost enough to hurt. There was a long pause before he turned back away. "I can't think of anything." He shifted uncomfortably. "You?" He had never been one for common courtesies.
Usagi sighed and set the plate on the bedside table, leaning back against her propped up pillow. "Snow."
"It snowed the day before yesterday," he pointed out.
She sighed. "Yes but it didn't today! And this is Christmas Eve."
For once, the short lapse into silence was broken by Hiiro. "Well we can fix that." He almost smiled when large blue eyes turned to him and blinked puzzledly.
"We can?"
"I'll go get the supplies."
…………………
"Paper?" She stared up at him. Hiiro looked faintly sheepish. Usagi blinked hard and wondered if she were hallucinating.
He cleared his throat uncomfortably and handed her a pair of scissors. "It's not the real thing but with the stores closed, this is the best I could think of." Hiiro blinked as she looked up at him, her lips curving up into a smile.
"What're you waiting for? Let's get started!"
…………………
"Here." She grinned at him and dumped another handful of paper pieces onto the pile in the middle of the bed. "You think that's enough?"
He nodded and stared up at the ceiling fan. "We need to get it on that and you're too short."
Usagi made a face at him but nothing beyond that, scooting over when Hiiro stood up and climbed onto the bed. Grabbing a handful, he carefully placed bits of paper above the fan's blades.
Though pieces of paper occasionally fell onto the floor and into the sea of mangled tissues, half an hour had not yet passed before Hiiro straightened and reached for the cord that triggered the fan.
"Ready?"
She nodded, staring up at him as a child would at Santa Claus.
He pulled the cord. And lost his balance.
…………………
He could feel and hear his heartbeat drumming at his throat and in his head. He had barely managed to stop his entire weight from falling on her and crushing her and instead was inches away from her face, panting slightly, and all too aware that from chest down, he was pressed against her not at all uncomfortably. He briefly blessed gravity but stabbed the thought before it could progress to … other things.
He saw the subtle movement of her throat when she swallowed hard and didn't miss the way their breaths mingled and warmed the devilish inches between their faces. And of course he didn't miss the way her small, pink tongue darted out and wetted her lips. His eyelids became heavy, conquering the dark blue territory of his eyes until only slivers remained as he lowered himself to those lips and that pink tongue.
"Hiiro, look!" He pulled away and felt a rush of cold air meet his face. She was no longer focused on him but instead marveling at the drifting paper. "We actually did it! Paper snow!" Giggling, she reached over and hugged him tightly. "It's snowing! On Christmas Eve!" Grinning, she looked up toward the ceiling and laughed into the flood of paper snow.
…………………
I'm too sleepy to decide whether or not I hate this chapter too … I probably should. ::sigh:: Much much less humor. :D ::is relieved:: Okay. So epilogue left. ::sighs tiredly:: Will be posted by morning of Christmas Day … hopefully will be written … soon … lol. This is really tiring. Writing, that is. Lol. Especially writing chapters for such a disobedient fic. :P But I'll talk to you guys again on Christmas. :D Merry Christmas Eve! 3 Yours, Angel.
Notes:
1. From Voltaire
2. From Ghandi
Cagalli: Lol … yay! I've recruited yet another Hiiro/Usagi lover … ::cackles:: Come! We must take over the world! xDxD "Christmas is only a couple days away! Have fun!" ::mumble::have fun she says…::mumble::
Sailor Grape: Lol … I still think grapes are evil. xD [no relation to you, of course. :D] but … grape juice … that's an entirely different matter. :D Minako is fun. O.o Both Minako and Duo … they'd be cute together but … what a scary thought. Lol. That's even worse than the possibility of Hiiro and Wufei getting together … ! Lolol. Kiddingkidding. :D Thank you for the reassurance about the humor … though … you shouldn't compliment me out of pity … lol. Tsktsk. xD
Liz: Lol … I don't think that even I'm cruel enough to have Usagi die on Christmas Eve and have Hiiro mourn for her on Christmas Day. xD But this was a very quick update. O.o I forced myself into writing … ::sigh:: It took forever. xD But here you go! The next chapter, if I ever get it written, will be updated even more quickly … o.o
Dark Universe: Finally I obey the word "soon". Lol. I've always ignored it … xD I can barely fulfill the "update" part, after all. --;
Himeno Midori: You sound giddy. O.o Lol. Thankyouthankyou. I'm sorry about your parents … that is very ironic. O.o But don't hate Christmas! Utilize it … lol. And I don't think I have the heart to write anything depressing for a Christmas fic. xD I never planned to. O.o
Sunshine Fia: Heh heh … a tad bit of that "something more" that ended … and will hopefully resume next chapter. :D I'm aiming for updating tomorrow late at night … but if that doesn't work … I'll have to set 12/31 as the limit. xD But thank you! That really relieved me a lot. :D
Darlana: This came out veryvery soon. O.o [for me, at least…] and the next will be even sooner. --; Look for it on Christmas Day. :D And thank you~! :DDD
Liquid Ice: Lol … you're going to end up corrupting this fic. xD ::checks to see the rating:: Yay! You updated! :D [I have yet to review…sorrysorry!! … tiredtired … --;] And it's almost over! Lol … I'm relieved … but I realize I still have more to write … ::sigh:: And you'll be adding TWO more on Christmas? O.O ::feels giddy:: xD
John Steppenwolf: Haha … Hiiro Duo interaction will be saved for the epilogue .. maybe … lol. I thought Luna's speaking would totally ruin the environment of the story … as well as Hiiro possessing a gun … lol. So I … omitted. xD See you again on Christmas … if I didn't scare you off with this chapter … lol. :D
Gackt Camui Loves EVERYONE: ::sniffle:: b-but … Gackt Camui loves me the MOST, right? :DDD ::stares at whip:: You're scary … lol. Here's the update~ :D
Firefly Princess: Have fun on your trip! :D I'm glad you're inspired to write. :D But really … this this …. ::points above:: is a horrible target! Lol … aim for [wayyyyyyyyyyy] better people! xD
Aly: Lol … thank you. :D I wish I were as excited as you were … xD
Ennamation-limired2-nothing: Sigh? O.O ::ponders meaning:: lol.