Hope is a Little Snowflake

By Raven Zero

(Author's Notes: This is a Pyrus/Zera fanfic. I realized there weren't any out there in the Shadow Raiders fan world after much searching (none that were perverted), so I took the liberty of creating one myself. The story might need some editing, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Let me know if I should keep writing.)

(Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Shadow Raiders, nor any of the characters portrayed in this story, because they all belong to Mainframe Inc. If I did, I'd continue the series, and I'd end it properly.

As for if a romance will occur between the two lovable kids, we might never know, but I have hopes.)

A tribute to fans everywhere. Enjoy.

Chapter 1: The Prince has Fallen

The cryochamber was more eerie than I remembered.

I never felt such misery in my life, not since my mother died. The sensation of tears stung my eyes, but with much effort, I forced them back. My face cringed into a sad expression as I stared back into the unusually blank face of the only other person that joined me in the room: Prince Pyrus.

There he was, lying in the cryotube, looking uneasy as he seemingly slept. He was so still, eyes closed, but quivering slightly, the only signs of life noticeable upon his features. His life signs beeped at slow irregular intervals, wounds closing ever so slowly. The power of the nanites were the only things sustaining his internal injuries, and he was barely holding on. I could only imagine the pain he was going through.

For a while, ever since the accident, I tried to keep my feelings small. Concerned, yes. . . responsible, yes. . . other than that. . .

Pyrus is not a friend, I kept saying to myself. We are completely different, from two completely different worlds, with nothing in common.

But recently, things had been changing my mind.

Little over two years now have passed since the planets aligned themselves with one another. We devoted some of that time to evade the wrath of the Beast, however the contrary. It's been days since they've last attacked, and that's how long Pyrus has been in his coma.

Cryos, my father, made his presence a few minutes later.

"Hello Zera," he said warmly. "How is the prince?"

"Healing, slowly," I replied. "This never took so long before. . . why does it now?"

"His wounds were deep, my dear," he said, putting a hand over my shoulder. "His recovery will take time. There's no certainty on when he will awaken."

I nodded, looking back at Pyrus, still the same as I last looked at him. Never have I seen him so vulnerable, the way his eyebrows frowned, and the strange contentedness in his expression. It was something I've never seen before; I guess I was too used to seeing the hot-headed stubborn boy teenager that I've grown accustomed to meeting in the halls, which I always gave the courtesy to glare at whenever we met. That boy wasn't there anymore, and that was scaring me.

"It was brave of him to save you from the crash," my father continued. "And I'm glad you're alright, my precious snowflake."

"But at what cost?" I whispered, looking at Pyrus again. "If I wasn't so careless. . . if I only paid more attention, Pyrus wouldn't be here like this. . . " I couldn't hold back anymore. I choked back a sob, letting a flood of tears stream down my cheeks. "It's all my fault!"

Father knelt down and held his arms out. Feeling the need to take refuge in his arms, I accepted his invitation, and he held me tight, letting my emotions pour into him. His voice became gentle as he rubbed my back.

"Everything is going to be fine, my dear," he cooed. "Pyrus will pull through just fine; he's a strong young man, and he has friends to guide and support him."

I sniffled. "Pyrus will never forgive me. . . he almost died. . . he might never walk again, or speak, or see. . . he might. . ."

He placed a finger on my lips, looking me in the eyes, filling me with a sense of reassurance. "I think it's best that you speak to him; it might help his recovery go a little faster."

Still recovering from myself, "But. . . I. . . Pyrus. . . he's unconscious. . ."

"He is, but that doesn't mean his senses are completely disabled," He turned to Pyrus. "He could be listening to us right now. We aren't sure, but it's a possibility." Then he turned to me, wiping the tears from my eyes. "It won't hurt to try."

With that, father kissed me on the forehead. "I'll leave you two to yourselves." He left the room quietly.

After seeing him go, I sat myself down, clouded in thought. The silence engulfed the room once more. It felt almost like forever before I came up with the right words to say to him. And when I did, a slight tension gripped my heart.

"Lavahead," I finally said. "That's what I always called you. It was kind of funny, the way we rivalled against one another, calling each other names, always trying to prove which one of us was better at what." A giggle escaped me, something I couldn't help.

"We used to sort of hate each other," I continued. "We kept denying we were friends, even when we helped each other in bad situations. . . pulled through narrow escapes. . . worked as a team. . . I guess we thought we were just partners."

I sighed, leaning up against the tube, turning circles with my foot.

"Believe it or not, it's been fun. . . being with you. Whenever I needed someone to pick on. . .whenever I wanted someone to spar with besides Jade. . . whenever I wanted an equal, whenever I felt lonely, and needed. . . a. . ." I paused, realizing what I was about to say ". . . a friend. . ."

Slowly, and almost shyly, I turned around, looking down at Pyrus' closed eyes. Finally, I let it out, "I thought of you, Pyrus."

I leaned forward, pressing my hands and forehead on the glass. It was the only thing that kept me from embracing him.

"Where is the hotheaded matchstick I miss so much?" I cried, sobbing out again. "What will it take to bring you back? Pyrus. . . I'm so sorry. . .!"

After awhile, I let myself slide down, letting my emotions drain me into slumber.

Failing to notice the look on Pyrus' face, and the hand he gently pressed against the glass. . .

- - - - - - - -

A shrill, high-pitched beep startled me awake, followed by the violent shaking of the cryotube. I darted my eyes around frantically, seeing the heart monitor. I suddenly screamed; Pyrus was flat-lining!

"Somebody help! Somebody!"

What horrified me most was Pyrus himself, eyeballs drawn into his sockets, body trembling spasmodically. The doors opened hurriedly to the sound of footsteps.

Several medical personnel ran in and hustled around the tube, working the controls as fast as they could. My father, Graveheart, Jade, Tekla, and Femur with Pelvus not far behind entered the room as well. The doctor, who was the first one on the scene, quickly began shouting orders.

"He's going into convulsions, start the electrical resuscitators!" he barked. A woman ran to a control panel, the sound of the power coils winding up after tapping a few switches. When the ready signal was seen, he nodded. "CLEAR!"

An electrical surge went into Pyrus. His pulse came back briefly, and then gave out after a few seconds.

"Again, CLEAR!"

"C'mon kid! You gotta fight it kid!" cried Femur. "Everyone's rootin' for ya!"

"CLEAR!"

"You can do it Pyrus! You can fight your way back! Fight!" shouted Graveheart.

The whole room was growing loud from everyone's shouting until the doctor told them to hold back and keep quiet. All I could do at that moment was stare and pray. There was a plea that cried out to be heard. If there was ever a better time to deliver, this was it.

"Pyrus. . . don't go away now. . . you have no idea how much you mean to us." My voice grew louder. "Don't give up! You have so much to do… so much to hear…"

"One last time- - -!"

"PYRUS! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" I screamed, ready to buckle under my knees.

"CLEAR!"

The last jolt of electricity sent Pyrus' pulse back, growing more constant after each heartbeat. I could make out the brief flutter of his eyes before he passed out again. He was back, for now.

The doctor came up to us after speaking to his medical team.

"If you may excuse me, I must continue the analysis with my staff."

"Of course," nodded my father.

And just before we left the room, I took one last moment to look at Pyrus.

"Thank you. . ."
- - - - - - - -

A few more days had passed. I occasionally paid long visits to Pyrus' chamber every now and then. The people, especially my father, were noticing that I was spending a lot of time there. One day, I was sitting outside, staring at the floor, waiting for the doctors to finish their periodic check up, when Femur took a seat next to me.

"Any word about the kid?" he asked, a frown in place of his usually devious sneer.

I shook my head, "No. The doctors are still looking him over. I'm beginning to worry."

"We all are," Femur also agreed, working up a smile. "Your pop has his best docs on the job, so don't you worry about the little guy. 'Sides, I've seen him pull through a lot of tough scrapes… strong kid. . ."

A slight grin curved over my lips. "I know. . ." Then it faded.

Femur's smile did the same. He looked hesitant after that, breathing in before letting the question pop out. "You two are really close, ain't ya?"

The insinuation made my cheeks flush with embarrassment. Quietly, I looked him in the eyes feeling confounded, yet trying to see if what he had said was closer to the truth than I expected.

Femur knew what that meant, and smiled again. "The kid's lucky to have someone like you, watching over him. He's lost a lot because of this stinkin' war. Must've had a tough time moving on, getting over losing his folks, not to mention his planet. I know I wouldn't've done so well."

I stared expectantly at him.

"If he ever needed anything now, it's you," he placed a hand on my shoulder. "You can't give up on him, no matter what. He's family to me too."

The reassurance was there in his voice, which made my smile grow wider. I scootched close and held him in my tightest hug.

"Thank you," I whispered gratefully.

"Don't mention it kid. Just keep this between us, okay?"

"Sure, I promise."