To love in winter
-A Christmas story by Arybeth-
Disclaimer: Shaman King doesn't belong to me… That's about it…
Chapter II – Dancing Snowflakes
"Sorry, Horo, my friend, but that was absolutely stupid…" Ryu said with importance.
"Whadda ya mean, stupid?" HoroHoro protested. "I'm holding her by her hand and she starts screaming she loves Yoh! What, is that normal?"
"Keep your voice down, you don't want Yoh to hear!" Manta whispered.
HoroHoro had called Ryu, Manta, Ren and Lyserg to counsel.
"The thing is, you were tactless, my blue-haired friend! You knew she had feelings for Yoh, so instead of reminding her how complicated the situation is you could've soothed her a bit, you know… Get closer to her, make it easier…"
"Man! This is hard! What do I do now?"
"That depends on you, my spiky-haired friend…"
"Hey guys!" smiled Yoh, who had just entered the kitchen. "Horo, I was looking for you… Just wanted to tell you to be gentle to Tamao."
HoroHoro blinked.
"Yeah, known her since we were kids… Since I first built my dream of becoming the greatest rock star… She's very sensitive, so don't upset her, okay?"
"Err… Sure?"
"Okay… Oh, and you'd like to be careful, I think she has a crush on someone else…"
"You know!!!" the boys cried.
"Yeah, I see these things. I've known for ages she has a crush on Lyserg."
The boys sweat dropped and fell over.
"Err, I'm actually quite sure that's not the case, Yoh…" Lyserg smiled amused.
"Kinda thought she liked you, though," Yoh said. "Well, anyway, I gotta get presents for everyone, so see ya later."
"Ahh, I'm sure happy that I don't have problems with Jun…" Ryu smiled.
"Keep away from my sister, you hear?" Ren snapped.
"Shut up shorty-pants, it's none of your business!"
"A Tao is too good for you!"
"Ooh, of course you are the greatest and not worth anyone!"
"What are you saying? I'm not arrogant! C'mon, Lyserg! Tell them I'm not arrogant!"
"Err…"
Later…Tamao sat in a corner of the living room watching everyone. They were all having fun, even Lyserg. She didn't know what to do, most of them probably knowing about what happened outside. It was embarrassing.
Amidamaru and Bason appeared on either sides of her, on the couch.
"God rest ye, merry gentlemen…"
"Amidamaru, Bason! Please!"
"Are you alright, Tamao?" Amidamaru asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit tired… Please, just carol somewhere else…"
"If our talents are not appreciated… Hey, Amidamaru, let's go ask Tokagero to join us!" smiled Bason stupidly.
The both disappeared. Tamao sighed. She at last had space to think.
"Tamao!" Ren shouted, dragging Lyserg after him. "Tamao, please tell me what you think. Am I arrogant?"
Lyserg was making desperate signs to Tamao behind Ren's back.
'Tell – him – no! Tell him no!'
"Err," Tamao began, not understanding what Lyserg was saying. "Then… I mean… not sure… Err, maybe? No, err…
"What? Not fair! I'm not arrogant! Chocolove, come over here a bit!" Ren shouted dragging Lyserg, who was crying his eyes out.
"Tamao?"
"What now?" she cried, exasperated.
It was HoroHoro.
"I just wanted to tell you something. I forgot to when we talked earlier."
"Oh?"
"I just want to say sorry for Pirika. She wanted to tell you for herself but… she kinda didn't have the guts to…"
"It's okay, I wasn't mad at her" Tamao smiled.
"You weren't?"
"Nah, it'd be stupid to be mad at someone if they told the truth…"
She broke off, realizing what she had just said. HoroHoro raised an eyebrow.
"So, that means…"
Tamao blushed.
"You DO stare at me?"
"Err… Look! Everyone's giving presents. I'd better go give everyone the presents I got… I mean…"
"You got one for me?" Horo asked, knowing he wasn't going to get an answer to his previous question.
"I got everyone one!" Tamao smiled.
"You know what I would've liked?"
"What?"
Horo grabbed her waist and looked into her eyes. Their faces were very close, their noses almost touching.
"A chance… Can you give me that chance, Tamao?"
"I…" she whispered in a shaken voice.
But then she felt it. That strange euphoric feeling again, and Tamao knew then that the big thing that was coming… was strictly connected to HoroHoro.
"Sure" she smiled widely, and HoroHoro was shocked to the reaction. "C'mon, let's go!"
For the first time that evening, Tamao was truly happy. She knew now everything would be okay, and it was the first time that Yoh wasn't the first to receive a present from her.
They all had fun. They joked, they laughed, danced and played games. They had a great time, even though Ren was torturing everyone with his arrogance obsession, even though Jun had already slapped Ryu twice, even though Amidamaru and Bason hadn't stopped singing yet.
"Oh, c'mon, guys!" laughed Yoh. "Your voices are as dead as you are!"
The two spirits protested, and went to ask Conchi and Ponchi what they thought.
Lyserg was sitting next to Yoh and Ren.
"So, I see Horo got Tamao to almost forget about you, Lyserg." Yoh said, seriously.
"Err, Yoh, Tamao hasn't got a crush on me, I'm pretty sure, I… Why are you laughing?"
Yoh could barely control himself.
"I can't believe you fell for it!"
"You mean… you really knew?"
"I was just joking when I said I thought Tamao liked you." Said Yoh, getting serious again. "I know what she really feels."
Lyserg and Ren stared at him.
"I didn't let anyone know because I didn't want to hurt her even more. I sure hope HoroHoro really manages to make her forget about me."
"Yeah" said Ren. " 'Cause Anna's got you sequestrated! Although I really don't know what Tammie sees in that ice-cube head!"
"Probably the same thing Pirika sees in your cold-hearted person"
"Yeah, that's right! I got ice for blood!" Ren said proudly.
"Boy, aren't you modest!" laughed Yoh.
"What?"
"Yoh," said Lyserg with an exasperated look on his face, "Couldn't you just SHUT UP for once?"
Ren had once again started annoying everyone.
"Okay, that's it!" Lyserg cried. "Morphin, let's go tie up the idiot!"
Lyserg left, his little fairy close behind him.
Tamao and HoroHoro were watching happily Ryu's attempts to get to Jun.
"And he said I'm the tactless one!" laughed HoroHoro. "Eh… Tamao?"
"Yeah?"
"You wanna go outside for awhile? Too much agitation in here, you know…"
"Sure, okay!"
Conchi and Ponchi, who had got the caroling bug, tried to follow them, until Amidamaru and Bason blocked their way and kicked their tails off.
"Okay, people!" shouted Yoh. "No one's allowed outside from now on!"
"And why not?" asked Anna with a menacing tone.
"S-so they… don't get a cold?"
Meanwhile, HoroHoro and Tamao were sitting on the bench outside. Inside, someone had turned the music up, so now they could hear the slow music too. It was late in the evening, but it hadn't stopped snowing slowly. A new coat of silvery snow was covering the path that Chocolove had tried so hard to clear. The dancing snowflakes were sparkling in the light of the lamp next to the bench. Tamao gazed at them, enchanted by their gracious moves.
"They are beautiful, aren't they?" she whispered.
"Yeah…"
"You really like winter, right? I saw you snowboarding once, when we went to the mountains. You're really good."
"Thanks. I've been learning since I was a kid, and it helps me improve my battle style too…"
Tamao smiled.
"Yeah, well, I suck at both snowboarding and being a shaman."
"Don't say that!" HoroHoro told her softly. "It's not true…"
Tamao raised an eyebrow.
"Well, maybe you don't know how to do snowboarding, but it's okay! I'll teach you!"
"Really?" Tamao cried happily.
"Sure! And about you being a lame shaman… that really isn't true. But you can't expect to get powerful over night even if you work as hard as possible! These things take time, and one day, you'll be able to defeat even Yoh!"
"Yeah… maybe you're right. But I'm not so sure about the defeating Yoh part!" Tamao laughed.
"So next time we get the occasion, I'm gonna teach you snowboarding, alright?"
"Okay…"
"And you can teach me how to see the future, or something. D'you think I could find out how many times Jun will slap Ryu before he gets over her?" HoroHoro joked.
Tamao laughed.
"Or maybe I could figure out what Ren and Pirika were doing hiding in the backyard behind those bushes…"
"Oh, stop it!"
They heard a sound and looked at the nearest window. They caught a glimpse of Yoh's brown hair, and Ren's spike was completely visible. They knew he was hiding under the window.
"Guess they're interested in what we're doing out here."
Ren's pointy head disappeared behind the curtains. It seemed that Jun had managed to get her brother and Yoh away from the window.
"HoroHoro?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Go on."
"Why do you want to keep Pirika away from Ren? He's you friend, he's a good guy."
"Yeah, I know. But it's kinda what brothers do, you know… Like Ren wants to keep Ryu away from Jun! It's just that I know what Ren is able to do, you know how he was when we first met him, and I'm a bit scared he might get back to his old beliefs…"
"That's stupid, I'm sorry to say."
"It's okay, I know it is. But it is my nature to think or do stupid things when it comes to my sister."
"I understand that. But put yourself in Ren's situation."
"You mean… Like what I'd feel if someone tried to keep me away from you?"
Tamao blushed.
"W-well, if you like, y-you can put it that way…" she mumbled.
"I'd kidnap you and take you far away" he said promptly, very seriously.
"W-what?" Tamao's cherry eyes were wide with the surprise of the answer.
"I wouldn't even hesitate!"
The pink-haired girl was speechless. HoroHoro was being so direct, that she wasn't even able to keep track with the conversation.
"Did I tell you I like your hair?" HoroHoro smiled.
"N-no…"
(Yoh, under the window: Well, it's going pretty well…)
"Yeah, it's pink, like bubble gum!" Horo continued. "I like bubble gum!"
(Ren, under the window: Ah, great! You're blowing it, man!)
But Tamao laughed.
"Did I tell you I like you?" she said, quietly.
"I figured it out for myself…" Horo smiled, taking her hand.
He knelt in front of her in the snow, without letting go of her hand.
"Tammie, would you like to dance with me?"
"Sure."
They both got up, and Horo pulled her close to him, putting his other hand around her. And they danced along with the snowflakes for a long time, even after the music had stopped. They never said a word; they just gazed in each other's eyes and danced, wrapped in each other's arms.
Yoh and Ren finally left the window and looked at the others.
"He didn't blow it."
End of Chapter II
Author's notes: Well, I kind of wrote this part in a hurry, but I like it anyway. I was thinking of making this a three-chapter story but I'm not so sure now that all the big stuff has happened… what do you think? Or maybe I can modify the ending a bit. Want to see some kissing? Anything for my readers!