A/N: My Christmas fic, though it's not really Christmas in this. *sighs* Maybe 'Kittens' would have been better, but I had this aching to get out of my head. 'Sides, the cover pic for 'Kittens' is my Christmas artwork. And you guys don't mind a good RenHoro once in a while, ne? ^_~
Oh, and this is the sequel to 'Grip,' which was the third story of this collection. I guess it would be easier to understand this one if you've read that already.
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The first bite of frost had begun a week ago, transforming the atmosphere throughout the region from warm to decidedly nippy. Horohoro blew out a sigh, watching his breath mist in the cloudy air and rubbing at his bare forearms. Yep, it was definitely going to be a perfect Christmas. Maybe he could even do some proper snowboarding this year, without Kororo having to tire herself out blanketing the place in white and then running away from a furious Anna.
"Hey, Boroboro-"
He turned around, biting back his usual retort of 'It's HOROHORO, you baka,' as he saw Yoh outlined in the doorway. "Hm?"
"Can you call Ren in? I think he wants to catch his death of cold before the night is over, but we don't want that, ne?"
Horohoro nodded distractedly. "Uh-huh…sure. I will."
How could Yoh have known that he'd been trying to work up the courage to do just that? Oh well, that was the lazy-eyed Asakura for you…he didn't seem the perceptive sort, but he was. Horohoro waited for the closing click of the door behind him before sighing and trudging towards the figure he had been watching for the past two hours.
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Ren had been thinking. He liked to think a lot, but this was one particular topic he had avoided until recently. And the cliff behind the Funbari Onsen resort was about the best place to ruminate on a certain blue-haired pest, if one ignored the constant chill on the breeze.
Horo…he still couldn't believe how strong the other boy had been, holding him in the world of life. Even though he'd been unwilling to go back, the Ainu youth had been able to motivate him (albeit in a rather unwise manner – 'big chicken,' honestly) enough to pull him out of the void he had let himself fall into.
And then there had been the matter of the kiss…
…pressing his lips against the other's in the most intimate farewell he could think of, although he knew that it would scarcely be felt…the underlying regret and embarrassment that had slipped gradually into warm darkness…
"I'd rather be kissed by you when you're solid, you know?"
Ren exhaled a little, Horo's presence a warm comfort in his chest. He doubted the other shaman even knew of the spirit-bond that had remained from their little incident, so subtle but there. It was a little unnerving, feeling someone else's thoughts and emotions and knowing that they could feel yours as well, but it was rather…nice…to tell the truth.
Thought interrupted, he felt the awareness of the other boy strengthen, even as his ears picked up the crunching of leaves under the Ainu's boots.
"Hey," he greeted, patting the rocky ground beside him. "C'mon. It's a beautiful night." The words felt unnatural, almost awkward, coming from his mouth, but they worked. Horohoro plumped down beside him quietly, and Ren, for once, welcomed the intrusion into his personal space.
"Here," mumbled the Ainu, dropping Ren's coat and muffler into his lap. The Chinese shaman pulled his winter gear on gratefully. "It's getting cold, and – hey! Look!" He grinned gleefully as a gentle flurry of white began it's descent from the heavens. "First snow of the season!" He reached for the little flakes with almost childish wonder, laughing as they melted into tiny droplets on contact with his hands.
Ren smiled, leaning against the other boy in contentment. Is this what I want?
Horohoro's laughter petered out into a happy sort of silence. And then he turned his gaze a little to the side – allowing his gaze to be captured by a pair of mesmerizing, cattish golden eyes.
"Ren…"
The rest of his sentence (and his thoughts) were instantly scattered to the four winds as Ren's mouth meshed against his own in a heated kiss, a shock of pleasure going through both their bodies as both boy's eyes slid closed, Horo's hand burying itself in Ren's hair as the lip-lock deepened.
Then abruptly it was over, and the two boys parted, eyes wide and breathing a little heavier than normal.
"That was…I mean…"
"We should go inside."
"Y-yeah…we…um…I mean, no! Let's just stay here for a while, and, er, yeah." Exasperated with his rebellious mind for making him stammer like an idiot, Horohoro finally shut up.
Ren chuckled a little, snuggling comfortably against Horo's side and wrapping an arm around him. "Sure."
He'd just answered his own question.
The two of them sat contentedly against each other as the snow spiraled down, Ren realizing slowly that he'd never need to feel the cold again.
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A/N: Awwwww, holiday sappy fluuuuuuffff! ^o^ Kinda tossed this out in a hurry (longer than a five-minuter but shorter-timed than average) I also decided to get two birds with one stone and made it the sequel to 'Grip,' since the first one I'd thought of was cheesy (yes, cheesier than this where I made them both act like saps.) I've also finally thought of my Chocolove one-shot.
I dunno where the cliff came from. -_-; Let's just say the imaginary Funbari Onsen of the Mankin future universe has plenty of trees surrounding it, and a cliff at the back, 'k? I can't describe kisses well… *wistful sigh* WHAT?!? Stop staring!
Unintentional Nightmare – You don't know HOW much those compliments mean to me *wipes away a tear* And I loved your first SK ficcy! Hao/Ren…purr… Hao-sama rulze the world – Arigatou gozaimasu! And there will be many new chapters in the future, believe me… _O EnerieRenie – Maaa! *eats whip* Yummy! *giggles* Hai, I knew it was weird from the moment I got the idea o.o; I know there's an SK fic slightly similar to it, but I dunno where it is…hm…but c'mon. Reincarnation? Why not? =D I'm glad you liked 'Messiah' so much, y'all were the one who inspired me to write it too! ^_^
See you in the next chapter, and MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL! (Posting this approx. 30 minutes after midnight, on December 25, 2003, in the Philippines – advanced Merry Christmas to those in time-zones that are one day behind ^^;)