Having Only Each Other
Chapter Two: It Feels Right
By: Kichara
*~*~*~*~ Hi Hi! Thanks for all the encouraging reviews, they make me happy. Oh, and in case you've been trying to figure out exactly where this fits into the series, don't try. Since I haven't finished it, I didn't want to give it any particular timeline. So, yeah--- stuff. Oh, and I realize that Ren is a bit OOC, and that makes me all "argh!"-like, but whelp, that's---just how it be. I dunno--- *looks around frantically for something to divert reader's attention and settles for just bashing her head against the wall*
*~*~*~*~
How you wake up in the morning can be one of the most crucial points of the day, whether it be good or bad, as it almost immediately sets your mood for the day. And that morning's waking up felt especially wonderful, Horohoro realized foggily as he slowly came to, wondering in the back of his mind why he felt so good. His eyes fluttered open as he came to his senses, and almost immediately he registered the presence of someone in close proximity. Very close. He blinked, looking down to see a pair of arms wrapped around his torso, immediately recognizing the black and gold wristbands on them.
'Ren?' Keeping still, Horohoro carefully looked behind him, seeing Ren out of the corner of his eye. Very, very carefully, Horo shifted, until he'd managed to roll over, Ren's arms still around him, nose-to-nose with the other boy, whose face's peaceful expression jolted an unexpected flutter through the snowboarder's chest. He remained still, eyes fixed on the shaman's sleeping face, vaguely remembering that Ren had lain next to him the night before, proclaiming that Horohoro was cold. 'Crap, I thought it was a dream.' He was having trouble believing that Ren had cared enough about him to get so close. He never got close to ANYONE. 'So why---?' But the other shaman was stirring, cutting off his thoughts, and Horohoro lay still, eyes wide as he waited.
Golden eyes fluttered open slowly, fixing on Horohoro's light blue one's and the two boys blinked simultaneously. Ren blinked again, eyebrow quirking in confusion as he woke up fully. And then sat up straight, arms withdrawing quickly from the other and becoming still at his side. "What--- ?" 'I laid down with him last night.' The memory came as a shock, jarring through him. 'What the hell's wrong with me?! And he--- What does he think? What the hell was I DOING?!' Gods, was he shaking? Ren's bright yellow eyes stared at the cracked ground. Then they carefully rose, meeting Horohoro's, wide and almost fearful as he awaited his reaction.
A gentle smile was his response. "Oi, ohayo." The stress in Ren's shoulders lifted as he sighed softly in relief. Horohoro blinked questionably, then shrugged, clambering to his feet. He reached out a hand to help up the Chinese boy, who took it, climbing to his feet and looking around them.
It had become bright again, although there still was no sun to break the monotony of the red sky. Nor was there anything or anybody to break the monotony of the landscape. "Shit---" Ren began walking, continuing in the same direction that they'd left off in the day before. Horohoro scurried to keep up, walking alongside him.
"Ren, you okay?"
"I'm just getting the feeling that we're screwed, that's all." The Chinese boy muttered, eyes lifted up at the discouraging sky.
Horohoro wasn't sure exactly how to respond to that, so he refrained from answering, trying to worry instead about how many steps he was taking. The two slipped into silence, and Horo took the moment to go over Ren's actions the night before and his lack of response this morning, in his mind. 'Actually, there was a response---' The shaman thought to himself, recalling how he had backed away, almost seeming to shake, and then his bright eyes had seemed so nervous when they'd looked into his own. 'Was he afraid?' Ren had been his friend long enough for Horohoro to know that the Chinese boy was very select about showing his emotions, and the blue-haired young man had a feeling it was because he was insecure about them. But there was still so much to try to figure out---
Like how Ren had held him last night, caring about the fact that he was cold because he'd given him his overshirt. 'Speaking of which---" Ren was still wearing it, and as Horohoro looked over at him, he took in the faraway look in his eyes as the other watched the ground, obvious that he wasn't really seeing it. Ironically, as Horo thought about it and watched the other, Ren's hand lifted, fingers trailing along the off-white fabric absent-mindedly, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger.
His golden eyes opened fully and he suddenly looked over at Horohoro, surprised to see the other boy's eyes on him. Ren stopped mid-step, immediately slipping the shirt off and handing it to him. "Here, thank you." he said shortly, refusing to make eye contact.
Horohoro smiled, shrugging it back on. "Sure, no problem." They began walking again.
The snowboarder lifted his eyes to the dreary sky, deep in thought. He knew that Ren was nervous, and maybe even shy about what had happened the night before. He'd always had issues about showing his feelings, even more so about discussing them, and Horohoro felt no need to push into the subject at the moment. There was always a later.
The next few hours passed uneventfully as the two shamans kept walking, neither saying anything, although the silence wasn't uncomfortable. As Ren looked up at the sky, which stayed the same color, no matter what time it was, he wished he had a watch.
Horohoro passed a hand over his eyes, shading them and slowing down. Ren stopped, turning to look at him. "What's wrong?"
"'M tired. Can we stop for a bit? My head hurts."
"Fine. It's not as if we're making much progress anyway." The Chinese boy added, sitting down on the dust.
Horo stepped over, sitting down cross-legged next to him. He closed his eyes, burying his head in his hands. "Ren?"
"Mm?"
"Why are we here?"
Ren frowned deeply, "I don't know. I've been thinking about it, though. I think that whoever brought us here has some quarrel with me. I don't know who, though, or where it is that they've brought us, if that is the case."
Horohoro sighed deeply, hands still covering his eyes, fingertips lightly massaging his forehead. "I wish that our spirits were here, at least. We would have been able to send out Kororo and Bason to scout out and find something. Man, I'm thirsty." His stomach growled ." And hungry. But I think more thirsty than hungry, it's hard to tell."
Ren's frown deepened as he looked up. "It's starting to get dark again."
"Huh?" His hands dropped from his face, looking up at the sky, which was indeed starting to grow dark, and then he closed his eyes shut quickly, trying to drive away the blinding pain that seared across his temples as the light hit his pupils.
Ren stood up, and the other shaman made to do so, but the Chinese boy's voice stopped him. "No, I'm going to get the things for a fire. You stay still until your head stops hurting."
"Thanks." Horohoro settled his face back against his palms, lowering his head and listening to Ren's soft footsteps as they moved away. Horo sighed, grateful that he didn't have to get up. He sat still, not thinking about anything in particular, relieved as the pain slowly ebbed away. When Ren's soft footfalls returned he was able to look up at him, headache gone.
"Are you alright now?" The other boy asked, looking over him carefully.
Horo managed a smile, nodding and standing up. "Yep, thanks. C'mon, let's get some more firewood." He walked off, stooping down every so often to pick up a dead stick, unaware that Ren was silently watching him. He did so for several long moments, and then he hurried off to get more wood, determined to get enough that it wasn't obvious that he'd delayed in the task.
When Ren came back to dump his armload of wood, Horohoro was kneeling on the ground, already starting the fire. It steadily grew to a nice size and the boy-haired youth sat back, content. Ren sat down next to him, feeling weary.
"It's amazing how something as simple as a fire can make you feel better." The snowboarder commented, eyes fixed on the dancing flames.
Ren looked up, watching the fire intently and he nodded, agreeing. "Maybe it's because it's so bright when it's getting dark out." He commented, wrapping his arms around his knees. His stomach growled loudly and he winced.
"Hungry too, ne?" His companion asked, rubbing his own stomach mournfully. "Damn, there's nothing out here, and I really wish we'd at least find SOMETHING."
Ren nodded, eyebrows coming together in a definite frown. He wished so too, and he also wished that he knew what was going on.
And he wished he could talk to Horohoro more freely. 'So what's stopping you?' A quiet little voice taunted him internally and his frown deepened thoughtfully. What WAS stopping him? Horohoro wouldn't laugh, would he? Ren looked over at the boy, who felt his gaze and turned his head towards Ren, smiling. No, he probably wouldn't---
"Horohoro---"
"Hm?" His expression was open, eyes wide with question.
"Ah, nothing." 'Coward.' The quiet voice berated him and he shook his head. 'I know.' Still, Ren felt the need to talk to the other boy and he groped for some other subject. He was saved from having to do it by Horohoro, although the new subject took him by surprise.
"Ren, do you still feel alone?"
The question, for all its simplicity, left the golden-eyed shaman speechless and he looked at the other incredulously, fumbling for an answer. "At times, yes. But it's not nearly as bad as it was before. I only had Jun, and there was always a certain amount of distance between the two of us. She's a good person, and I love her, but we've never been able to really connect. Not like the way I connect to Yoh and--- you."
Horohoro blinked in surprise. 'Me? Really?"
Ren nodded, a slight blush beginning to stain his pale face as he looked into the fire, refusing to make eye contact.
Horohoro watched Ren's sullen face for a long moment, eyes taking in the light pink that was tracing across his cheeks and an impulse grabbed at him, and next thing he knew, he'd scooted over, wrapping his arms around Ren tightly from behind. Surprisingly, the boy didn't push him away, only turned to look at him over his shoulder. "Horohoro, what're you---"
"I was just thinking--- One time, I was asking Bason about what it was like when you were a kid. And I asked if you ever got any hugs. He just looked away, sad, and then said he could barely remember any times that you had. It's not right, y'know. Everyone needs a hug sometimes. Plus, like my sister says, it's good for both parties." He added with a fond smile, letting go and scooting back to his original spot next to Ren.
"So is that why you--- hugged me just now?"
An easy shrug and a smile answered him. "Y'know, it was like I really wasn't even thinking about it. It was like I just looked up and realized that my arms were around you." His smile was a little sheepish, still entirely genuine.
Ren's eyes remained locked on his for a long moment, and then they turned back to the fire as he answered, words halting and unsure. "That's kind of like last night. It was like--- before I even knew what I was doing, I was next to you, holding you and keeping you warm. It just---" He stopped, mouth moving silently as he tried to put his thoughts into words.
"Felt right?" Horohoro filled in. Ren's bright eyes stared at him, wide with surprise.
"Yes--- exactly like that." He said after a long pause, wondering what this all meant. A sudden gust of wind blew and he shivered, arms sliding up and down his upper arms in an attempt to warm them back up. A wave of exhaustion hit him and he yawned, sliding down to lie on the ground, his back to Horohoro. "Sorry, I'm tired. Good night, Horohoro." He closed his eyes, willing away the coldness that crept into his skin, both from the nippy air and the chilled ground.
The soft sound of rustling fabric and scraping against the dust caught his attention and then a great feeling of pleasant heat passed over him, as a piece of warm fabric was dropped over his torso and then a warm body pressed against him from behind, as Horohoro's strong arms crept around him, gently holding him.
"It's best like this. Now we don't have to worry about being cold." The other boy explained, his grip tightening ever so slightly.
Ren, though utterly surprised, made no protest, his only response being a slight nod of the head. As Horohoro had put it so recently, it just felt--- right. And it seemed like he couldn't remember anytime before in his life when anything had felt quite so right. And with that comforting thought in mind, he soon fell fast asleep.
*~*~*~*~*
Morning came all to soon, and although both boys woke to the other's reassuring presence, the absence of food and water in their bodies was very hard to ignore as they helped each other up, trudging onward to some place that they hoped would have something.
"Damn it's hot. Does it feel hot to you?" Horohoro asked after about twenty minutes of walking along, voice somewhat raspy. He shielded his eyes for a moment, then wiped his brow.
"Maybe. It's hard to tell. Probably because you haven't had anything to drink." Ren answered, his own voice becoming shredded. His vision blurred and he blinked rapidly to clear it. "Shit."
Horohoro's boot caught on a patch of uneven ground and he stumbled, falling over. Almost instantly a strong arm lifted him back up, Ren dragging the snowboarder's arm over his slender shoulders, one of his arms wrapped around Horo's waist, helping him to walk.
"Thanks." He mumbled gratefully, closing his eyes briefly.
Ren grunted in response, fingers gripping the other's torso a bit tighter when he stumbled again. "Come on, Horohoro. We're not going to get anywhere if we don't keep moving."
"Who says we're getting anywhere now?" The shaman's voice cracked and he tried to clear his throat.
The Chinese boy decided against responding, as the tired question mirrored his own worried thoughts. They dragged along in silence for several long minutes before Horohoro broke it.
"Ren, if you could be anyone, or just, I guess, be like anyone, who would it be?"
The unexpected question made Ren stop in surprise. Horo, who was still leaning on him for support, looked at him questionably. The boy's golden eyes had a far-away look, deep in thought.
Ren started to walk again, eyes focused on the dirt at his feet as he gave his unlikely response. "You."
"Huh? Me?" Horohoro's mouth dropped in surprise.
Lemon-colored pupils watched the ground intently as their owner continued. "You can be open and have no problem expressing what you feel." Ren was almost babbling, his voice cracking as he did so. "It's easy to talk to you, and smile with you, and just---be with you. I'm not like that at all."
"I like being with you." Horohoro protested simply, voice soft, and golden eyes turned to him, wide with astonishment.
"Half the time all we do is fight."
The snowboarder smiled, the same warm smile that Ren was so envious of. "Nobody makes fighting fun like you, Ren. Besides, that's only half the time."
The boy looked at Horohoro, a small smile gracing his lips, and his fingers tightened just a little bit.
"Ren, what's Jun like?"
He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What do mean? You've met her before."
"I know, I know. I mean, what's she like to you?" He pointed out earnestly.
"I--- She's okay. There isn't much else to say then what I said last night. I mean, she's a really nice person, and she's always tried to be a good sister, and---I guess she has. But---we never really had anything connect us, to bring us closer."
"Sorry. I was kind of hoping that she was close to you, and you had somebody to talk to before when you needed. She would have been the only one to get close to you before you met us. Or was there somebody else?"
"No. There wasn't anyone but Bason. But I always kept a certain amount of space between us. I guess I was---afraid to let anyone see to much of me. There wasn't anything good to see, anyway."
Horohoro was quiet for a long time, thinking, and then he smiled. "Well, there's plenty of good to see now, and you've got lots of friends to see it." The arm that was wrapped around Ren's shoulders tightened, giving the other boy a one-arm hug.
"Mm." Ren smiled, reassured by the other's gentle hug and words. "Thanks, Horohoro."
*~*~*~*~
Aaaaaand there I stop it, as this chapter is becoming painfully long, and I needed to find somewhere to end it. *sweat drop* It just wouldn't end! Like the energizer story of dooooooom. (Mmm, doom.)
Chapter Two: It Feels Right
By: Kichara
*~*~*~*~ Hi Hi! Thanks for all the encouraging reviews, they make me happy. Oh, and in case you've been trying to figure out exactly where this fits into the series, don't try. Since I haven't finished it, I didn't want to give it any particular timeline. So, yeah--- stuff. Oh, and I realize that Ren is a bit OOC, and that makes me all "argh!"-like, but whelp, that's---just how it be. I dunno--- *looks around frantically for something to divert reader's attention and settles for just bashing her head against the wall*
*~*~*~*~
How you wake up in the morning can be one of the most crucial points of the day, whether it be good or bad, as it almost immediately sets your mood for the day. And that morning's waking up felt especially wonderful, Horohoro realized foggily as he slowly came to, wondering in the back of his mind why he felt so good. His eyes fluttered open as he came to his senses, and almost immediately he registered the presence of someone in close proximity. Very close. He blinked, looking down to see a pair of arms wrapped around his torso, immediately recognizing the black and gold wristbands on them.
'Ren?' Keeping still, Horohoro carefully looked behind him, seeing Ren out of the corner of his eye. Very, very carefully, Horo shifted, until he'd managed to roll over, Ren's arms still around him, nose-to-nose with the other boy, whose face's peaceful expression jolted an unexpected flutter through the snowboarder's chest. He remained still, eyes fixed on the shaman's sleeping face, vaguely remembering that Ren had lain next to him the night before, proclaiming that Horohoro was cold. 'Crap, I thought it was a dream.' He was having trouble believing that Ren had cared enough about him to get so close. He never got close to ANYONE. 'So why---?' But the other shaman was stirring, cutting off his thoughts, and Horohoro lay still, eyes wide as he waited.
Golden eyes fluttered open slowly, fixing on Horohoro's light blue one's and the two boys blinked simultaneously. Ren blinked again, eyebrow quirking in confusion as he woke up fully. And then sat up straight, arms withdrawing quickly from the other and becoming still at his side. "What--- ?" 'I laid down with him last night.' The memory came as a shock, jarring through him. 'What the hell's wrong with me?! And he--- What does he think? What the hell was I DOING?!' Gods, was he shaking? Ren's bright yellow eyes stared at the cracked ground. Then they carefully rose, meeting Horohoro's, wide and almost fearful as he awaited his reaction.
A gentle smile was his response. "Oi, ohayo." The stress in Ren's shoulders lifted as he sighed softly in relief. Horohoro blinked questionably, then shrugged, clambering to his feet. He reached out a hand to help up the Chinese boy, who took it, climbing to his feet and looking around them.
It had become bright again, although there still was no sun to break the monotony of the red sky. Nor was there anything or anybody to break the monotony of the landscape. "Shit---" Ren began walking, continuing in the same direction that they'd left off in the day before. Horohoro scurried to keep up, walking alongside him.
"Ren, you okay?"
"I'm just getting the feeling that we're screwed, that's all." The Chinese boy muttered, eyes lifted up at the discouraging sky.
Horohoro wasn't sure exactly how to respond to that, so he refrained from answering, trying to worry instead about how many steps he was taking. The two slipped into silence, and Horo took the moment to go over Ren's actions the night before and his lack of response this morning, in his mind. 'Actually, there was a response---' The shaman thought to himself, recalling how he had backed away, almost seeming to shake, and then his bright eyes had seemed so nervous when they'd looked into his own. 'Was he afraid?' Ren had been his friend long enough for Horohoro to know that the Chinese boy was very select about showing his emotions, and the blue-haired young man had a feeling it was because he was insecure about them. But there was still so much to try to figure out---
Like how Ren had held him last night, caring about the fact that he was cold because he'd given him his overshirt. 'Speaking of which---" Ren was still wearing it, and as Horohoro looked over at him, he took in the faraway look in his eyes as the other watched the ground, obvious that he wasn't really seeing it. Ironically, as Horo thought about it and watched the other, Ren's hand lifted, fingers trailing along the off-white fabric absent-mindedly, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger.
His golden eyes opened fully and he suddenly looked over at Horohoro, surprised to see the other boy's eyes on him. Ren stopped mid-step, immediately slipping the shirt off and handing it to him. "Here, thank you." he said shortly, refusing to make eye contact.
Horohoro smiled, shrugging it back on. "Sure, no problem." They began walking again.
The snowboarder lifted his eyes to the dreary sky, deep in thought. He knew that Ren was nervous, and maybe even shy about what had happened the night before. He'd always had issues about showing his feelings, even more so about discussing them, and Horohoro felt no need to push into the subject at the moment. There was always a later.
The next few hours passed uneventfully as the two shamans kept walking, neither saying anything, although the silence wasn't uncomfortable. As Ren looked up at the sky, which stayed the same color, no matter what time it was, he wished he had a watch.
Horohoro passed a hand over his eyes, shading them and slowing down. Ren stopped, turning to look at him. "What's wrong?"
"'M tired. Can we stop for a bit? My head hurts."
"Fine. It's not as if we're making much progress anyway." The Chinese boy added, sitting down on the dust.
Horo stepped over, sitting down cross-legged next to him. He closed his eyes, burying his head in his hands. "Ren?"
"Mm?"
"Why are we here?"
Ren frowned deeply, "I don't know. I've been thinking about it, though. I think that whoever brought us here has some quarrel with me. I don't know who, though, or where it is that they've brought us, if that is the case."
Horohoro sighed deeply, hands still covering his eyes, fingertips lightly massaging his forehead. "I wish that our spirits were here, at least. We would have been able to send out Kororo and Bason to scout out and find something. Man, I'm thirsty." His stomach growled ." And hungry. But I think more thirsty than hungry, it's hard to tell."
Ren's frown deepened as he looked up. "It's starting to get dark again."
"Huh?" His hands dropped from his face, looking up at the sky, which was indeed starting to grow dark, and then he closed his eyes shut quickly, trying to drive away the blinding pain that seared across his temples as the light hit his pupils.
Ren stood up, and the other shaman made to do so, but the Chinese boy's voice stopped him. "No, I'm going to get the things for a fire. You stay still until your head stops hurting."
"Thanks." Horohoro settled his face back against his palms, lowering his head and listening to Ren's soft footsteps as they moved away. Horo sighed, grateful that he didn't have to get up. He sat still, not thinking about anything in particular, relieved as the pain slowly ebbed away. When Ren's soft footfalls returned he was able to look up at him, headache gone.
"Are you alright now?" The other boy asked, looking over him carefully.
Horo managed a smile, nodding and standing up. "Yep, thanks. C'mon, let's get some more firewood." He walked off, stooping down every so often to pick up a dead stick, unaware that Ren was silently watching him. He did so for several long moments, and then he hurried off to get more wood, determined to get enough that it wasn't obvious that he'd delayed in the task.
When Ren came back to dump his armload of wood, Horohoro was kneeling on the ground, already starting the fire. It steadily grew to a nice size and the boy-haired youth sat back, content. Ren sat down next to him, feeling weary.
"It's amazing how something as simple as a fire can make you feel better." The snowboarder commented, eyes fixed on the dancing flames.
Ren looked up, watching the fire intently and he nodded, agreeing. "Maybe it's because it's so bright when it's getting dark out." He commented, wrapping his arms around his knees. His stomach growled loudly and he winced.
"Hungry too, ne?" His companion asked, rubbing his own stomach mournfully. "Damn, there's nothing out here, and I really wish we'd at least find SOMETHING."
Ren nodded, eyebrows coming together in a definite frown. He wished so too, and he also wished that he knew what was going on.
And he wished he could talk to Horohoro more freely. 'So what's stopping you?' A quiet little voice taunted him internally and his frown deepened thoughtfully. What WAS stopping him? Horohoro wouldn't laugh, would he? Ren looked over at the boy, who felt his gaze and turned his head towards Ren, smiling. No, he probably wouldn't---
"Horohoro---"
"Hm?" His expression was open, eyes wide with question.
"Ah, nothing." 'Coward.' The quiet voice berated him and he shook his head. 'I know.' Still, Ren felt the need to talk to the other boy and he groped for some other subject. He was saved from having to do it by Horohoro, although the new subject took him by surprise.
"Ren, do you still feel alone?"
The question, for all its simplicity, left the golden-eyed shaman speechless and he looked at the other incredulously, fumbling for an answer. "At times, yes. But it's not nearly as bad as it was before. I only had Jun, and there was always a certain amount of distance between the two of us. She's a good person, and I love her, but we've never been able to really connect. Not like the way I connect to Yoh and--- you."
Horohoro blinked in surprise. 'Me? Really?"
Ren nodded, a slight blush beginning to stain his pale face as he looked into the fire, refusing to make eye contact.
Horohoro watched Ren's sullen face for a long moment, eyes taking in the light pink that was tracing across his cheeks and an impulse grabbed at him, and next thing he knew, he'd scooted over, wrapping his arms around Ren tightly from behind. Surprisingly, the boy didn't push him away, only turned to look at him over his shoulder. "Horohoro, what're you---"
"I was just thinking--- One time, I was asking Bason about what it was like when you were a kid. And I asked if you ever got any hugs. He just looked away, sad, and then said he could barely remember any times that you had. It's not right, y'know. Everyone needs a hug sometimes. Plus, like my sister says, it's good for both parties." He added with a fond smile, letting go and scooting back to his original spot next to Ren.
"So is that why you--- hugged me just now?"
An easy shrug and a smile answered him. "Y'know, it was like I really wasn't even thinking about it. It was like I just looked up and realized that my arms were around you." His smile was a little sheepish, still entirely genuine.
Ren's eyes remained locked on his for a long moment, and then they turned back to the fire as he answered, words halting and unsure. "That's kind of like last night. It was like--- before I even knew what I was doing, I was next to you, holding you and keeping you warm. It just---" He stopped, mouth moving silently as he tried to put his thoughts into words.
"Felt right?" Horohoro filled in. Ren's bright eyes stared at him, wide with surprise.
"Yes--- exactly like that." He said after a long pause, wondering what this all meant. A sudden gust of wind blew and he shivered, arms sliding up and down his upper arms in an attempt to warm them back up. A wave of exhaustion hit him and he yawned, sliding down to lie on the ground, his back to Horohoro. "Sorry, I'm tired. Good night, Horohoro." He closed his eyes, willing away the coldness that crept into his skin, both from the nippy air and the chilled ground.
The soft sound of rustling fabric and scraping against the dust caught his attention and then a great feeling of pleasant heat passed over him, as a piece of warm fabric was dropped over his torso and then a warm body pressed against him from behind, as Horohoro's strong arms crept around him, gently holding him.
"It's best like this. Now we don't have to worry about being cold." The other boy explained, his grip tightening ever so slightly.
Ren, though utterly surprised, made no protest, his only response being a slight nod of the head. As Horohoro had put it so recently, it just felt--- right. And it seemed like he couldn't remember anytime before in his life when anything had felt quite so right. And with that comforting thought in mind, he soon fell fast asleep.
*~*~*~*~*
Morning came all to soon, and although both boys woke to the other's reassuring presence, the absence of food and water in their bodies was very hard to ignore as they helped each other up, trudging onward to some place that they hoped would have something.
"Damn it's hot. Does it feel hot to you?" Horohoro asked after about twenty minutes of walking along, voice somewhat raspy. He shielded his eyes for a moment, then wiped his brow.
"Maybe. It's hard to tell. Probably because you haven't had anything to drink." Ren answered, his own voice becoming shredded. His vision blurred and he blinked rapidly to clear it. "Shit."
Horohoro's boot caught on a patch of uneven ground and he stumbled, falling over. Almost instantly a strong arm lifted him back up, Ren dragging the snowboarder's arm over his slender shoulders, one of his arms wrapped around Horo's waist, helping him to walk.
"Thanks." He mumbled gratefully, closing his eyes briefly.
Ren grunted in response, fingers gripping the other's torso a bit tighter when he stumbled again. "Come on, Horohoro. We're not going to get anywhere if we don't keep moving."
"Who says we're getting anywhere now?" The shaman's voice cracked and he tried to clear his throat.
The Chinese boy decided against responding, as the tired question mirrored his own worried thoughts. They dragged along in silence for several long minutes before Horohoro broke it.
"Ren, if you could be anyone, or just, I guess, be like anyone, who would it be?"
The unexpected question made Ren stop in surprise. Horo, who was still leaning on him for support, looked at him questionably. The boy's golden eyes had a far-away look, deep in thought.
Ren started to walk again, eyes focused on the dirt at his feet as he gave his unlikely response. "You."
"Huh? Me?" Horohoro's mouth dropped in surprise.
Lemon-colored pupils watched the ground intently as their owner continued. "You can be open and have no problem expressing what you feel." Ren was almost babbling, his voice cracking as he did so. "It's easy to talk to you, and smile with you, and just---be with you. I'm not like that at all."
"I like being with you." Horohoro protested simply, voice soft, and golden eyes turned to him, wide with astonishment.
"Half the time all we do is fight."
The snowboarder smiled, the same warm smile that Ren was so envious of. "Nobody makes fighting fun like you, Ren. Besides, that's only half the time."
The boy looked at Horohoro, a small smile gracing his lips, and his fingers tightened just a little bit.
"Ren, what's Jun like?"
He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What do mean? You've met her before."
"I know, I know. I mean, what's she like to you?" He pointed out earnestly.
"I--- She's okay. There isn't much else to say then what I said last night. I mean, she's a really nice person, and she's always tried to be a good sister, and---I guess she has. But---we never really had anything connect us, to bring us closer."
"Sorry. I was kind of hoping that she was close to you, and you had somebody to talk to before when you needed. She would have been the only one to get close to you before you met us. Or was there somebody else?"
"No. There wasn't anyone but Bason. But I always kept a certain amount of space between us. I guess I was---afraid to let anyone see to much of me. There wasn't anything good to see, anyway."
Horohoro was quiet for a long time, thinking, and then he smiled. "Well, there's plenty of good to see now, and you've got lots of friends to see it." The arm that was wrapped around Ren's shoulders tightened, giving the other boy a one-arm hug.
"Mm." Ren smiled, reassured by the other's gentle hug and words. "Thanks, Horohoro."
*~*~*~*~
Aaaaaand there I stop it, as this chapter is becoming painfully long, and I needed to find somewhere to end it. *sweat drop* It just wouldn't end! Like the energizer story of dooooooom. (Mmm, doom.)