Okay here we go! Chapter two is up! I really, really, really, want reviews from people as well as for people to read this story!!!
Title: If We Were Different
Rating: T
# of Words: 1,083
Chapter 2: Setting Out
Yoji awoke to the sounds of soft breathing, and something heavy on his chest… Blinking a few times, he found that the 'something heavy' was actually his darling fighter, and that the breathing also belonged to him. Not wanting to disturb the sleeping body on top of him, he gently removed his arms from around the fighter's body and slowly slid out from beneath him. Once Yoji slithered out from underneath Natsuo, he cautiously crept toward the opening of the cave.
A blinding light hit his face, along with a head covered in snow once arriving at the cave's entrance. Shaking his head angrily, Yoji got the majority of the snow off of his head. He then stuck his head outside the opening – being especially wary of other snow puffs from hitting him – and scouted out the surrounding area. It had stopped snowing, which was excellent. That meant no more cold for the time being, giving them more time to seek safety. The overall appearance of the land seemed fairly safe. The land was pretty flat and barren, which made travel easier. The downfall to being on flat land was that it was very easy to be spotted by enemies. They were going to have to travel at a considerably fast pace to get through the land without being spotted.
Feeling something shift, Yoji looked back down into the cave, seeing Natsuo start to crawl toward him. Yoji moved over slightly to the side to make more room for the approaching Natsuo. For a while, the two just sat in the cave, leaning against one another in the small space of the cave. It seemed neither of them wanted to continue their long perilous journey away from that person.
"If life were that easy," said Natsuo to nothing in particular. He clasped Yoji's hand, pulling them both out of the cave and onto the frozen ground.
"We're going to have to move fast. We don't want to be spotted by anyone, and since there's no cover…" Yoji looked over at Natsuo, waiting to see his response.
"I agree, let's move out. We need to cover as much ground as possible. I think we should go at a slow jog, letting me go before you. If I slip, you'll know whether to avoid the spot I slipped on or not," said Natsuo. He cracked a smirk at Yoji who stuck his tongue out at him in response.
"It's not like I can feel the pain if I fall anyway!" Natsuo then took off, his feet leaving imprints in the snow.
"Wait up! You're a faster jogger than me!" called out Yoji, chasing after his fighter. The run seemed to take years for Yoji. He personally didn't like running around that much; it seemed like a waste of energy. He would much rather do something more fun, more exciting. Running ridiculously repetitive and boring. Especially jogging. In jogging, you had to conserve energy. That made it even more not fun; Yoji was the kind of guy who just wanted to let loose.
"Hey Yoji, how you holding out back there?" called Natsuo to his companion.
"Just fine, but jogging is so boring! Could we at least do a few sprints once in a while? I mean, there's no fun to jogging; it's the most bland thing you could possibly do!" Natsuo suddenly stopped unexpectedly, sidestepping to the right. Yoji, not prepared for the abrupt change in pace, tried stopping, but instead, flew right by Natsuo ending up landing flat on his face. An outburst of laughter overtook Natsuo, causing him to fall to his knees because of the fit. Yoji promptly picked himself off the ground, face red with mortification.
"How was that for a change in pace?" asked Natsuo, still laughing.
"Why you!" Yoji charged at Natsuo, pinning him to the icy ground. Natsuo still continued to laugh, despite the glare Yoji was giving him. After ten minutes of hearing Natsuo's cackling, Yoji couldn't contain himself any longer; he struck his friend square in the face. This caused the latter to look up in astonishment, shock clearly written across his face.
"Did you just strike me?" asked Natsuo, his voice quavering with unsureness. When Yoji didn't respond, Natsuo pushed Yoji off of him, pinning him to the ground instead.
"I didn't think you would ever strike me, even though we both can not feel pain," said Natsuo, eyes flickering back and forth nervously. His eyes seemed to grow large, as if holding back… Tears?
"Natsuo, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it! It's just… I don't like being teased all that much," said Yoji, the words heartfelt and sad. Natsuo got off of Yoji, lending him a hand. Yoji took it, pulling himself up to look into Natsuo's eyes.
"I won't ever do something like that again, I promise," said Yoji, a small smile gracing his lips. "Well, unless you're out of line and aren't doing what I say, that is."
"Oh, well I'll see about that," said Natsuo, pulling Yoji into a warm embrace. "I'm sorry for teasing you so much lately, but it's just so much fun!" Natsuo turned away from Yoji and started to sprint ahead.
"Hey, you didn't tell me we were going to actually sprint!" cried Yoji, running as fast as his legs would take him across the slippery ground.
Natsuo's heart pounded in his chest, arms and legs pumping ferociously, propelling him forward and farther away from his companion. He could faintly hear the sounds of scampering feet behind him, belonging to Yoji who was trying to catch up, but he knew he wouldn't be able to. Ah, running was so exhilarating to him. Unlike Yoji, Natsuo loved the thrill of running; it made him feel good for some reason… But this time, he wasn't sprinting to go along with Yoji's wishes, it was actually to get away from the other so he could think.
He didn't understand what had happened back there… Why was Yoji so worked up at such a small joke? Sure, it was probably embarrassing; anyone would be embarrassed after flying six meters, falling flat on their face, and was laughed at for it. But he had never punched Natsuo before… Why now? And why was he even thinking so much over a small issue? All of a sudden, he felt his stomach lurch. A sensation of falling came over him, then an icy cold burst of something. That's when he blacked out.
Chapter two is done done, done, done! Left on a cliff hanger! I bet you want to know more! That's for next chapter, but for now, read and review!!! Oh, and PM me if you have any questions/comments/concerns/advice/ideas… Anything!!!