Hot Rain

It was the first New Year´s Eve they were not together in years.

Being invited to a fancy party he had decided to go there, intending she would join him, but she just wanted to party with her friends.

He was offended, ignoring her for the following lessons. But she never changed her mind.

And now Hattori Heiji was sitting in a crowded room full of chatting and dancing people feeling lonely.

"We´re invited!" he told her. "At least I am invited and you could join me since I´m such a noble person!"

She snorted, rolling her eyes.

"No, thank you, I´m going to Ruka´s party where our FRIENDS are."

"I´m talking about the hottest New Year´s Eve party of this year!"

"Fine, there you go, but I won´t be sitting in a mass of people I don´t know just to seem hip!" She shot him an icy glare and he didn´t talk to her for the rest of classes.

And now she was on a party without him, talking to her friends.

Or at least they were talking while she followed her thoughts.

Looking into the sky she sighed.

She could not remember one New Year´s party without him.

When they were six he had singed one of her pigtails, trying to put a sparkler in it. She had been crying while the firework started and refused to talk to him until her hair was back at its old length. Two very long months for the little Heiji.

When they turned nine she was in her "know-it-all"-phase. She wouldn´t stop telling him everything about New Year´s Eve she knew. How kissing a person at 12 ó clock meant being together with that person for the year and how firework used to be a determent for evil ghosts in earlier days and now symbolized the good wishes for the new year and how firework worked in general. When he couldn´t stand her anymore he locked her in the dining room, where she stayed until 2 ó clock in the morning. That new year started with her being mad at him again.

When they were twelve he had a brilliant plan to improve his evening considerably. He played Gentleman by fetching her something to drink while adding alcohol in every glass of coke. Nobody noticed until she threw up half an hour before New Year. Afterwards she slept on the couch and Heiji got the telling-off of his life and a beating by his father. Not so funny new year for both of them.

Afterwards he tried not to ruin her New Year´s Eves.

They just spent them together, growing up. Last year they went to a party together, which ended with Kazuha sleeping on his shoulder when the firework started, being tired because of too much learning. Instead of waking her Heiji decided to skip the firework and leave her sleeping.

When she had woken up at 2am. last year he had smiled at her, telling she´d missed the firework. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, shrugging her shoulders.
"Never mind... I don´t like it that much anyway..." she had answered. Heiji looked at her curious. "The best New Year ever was when we were seven, remember?" she had continued. Of course he did not remember.

"Shortly after the firework had started you gave me a present. Bobby pins with little fairies on them. And then rain started falling. The last fireworks were reflected in the rain which made it sparkle like little fairies falling from the sky. Like a fairytale!"

Heiji frowned, really not remembering that. "Could be..." he had answered vaguely, which made her smile. She knew he hadn´t seen what she saw that year. "I wish it would be like that once again!"

Sitting on the couch chatting until four in the morning they started their year quite friendly, which continued the following months. Of course they argued, but never much.

Heiji frowned. It was half past eleven and he had rejected every dance invitation of the evening, just thinking.

The crowd was laughing, chatting and having the time of their lives while he only sighed.

Standing up he walked to the balcony. Couldn´t get any worse.

Kazuha looked at her watch. Three more minutes to go. Around her on the street in front of Ruka´s house people were getting ready for celebrating, when suddenly her phone rang.

Picking it up she looked up to the sky.

"Hello?"

"Remember what you told me when we were nine?" Heiji´s rushed voice asked through the phone.

"Honestly no, I don´t." she answered, suddenly feeling pissed. He wasn´t there, just on the phone, asking silly questions!

"You told me that the most important thing about New Year´s Eve is the fact that we will spend the following year with those people who are around when the clock strikes twelve!"

Kazuha frowned. "And?"

"Then why aren´t you around?"

She gasped, turning around. He stood behind her, gasping for breath, his phone still in his hand.

"Cause you decided not to be around me, Ahou!" she told him silently.

He grinned, tweaking her nose. "I´d say it was the other way around..."

She smiled and did not realize the crowd of people started counting, when suddenly Heiji kissed her softly on the lips.

"10...9...8..."

Again it was Heiji´s fault she did not see the start of the firework.

But when she looked up into the sky everything glimmered the way it used to when they were seven.

Maybe it wasn´t the rain...she thought. Maybe it just needs a special moment to appear like a fairy tale...

Heiji groaned. "Great, again you are crying on new year!" He frowned, taking a tear from her cheek.

Kazuha smiled even broader. Smooth tears rolled down her face, like hot raindrops falling from the sky.

Maybe it had never rained on New Year´s Eve.

Maybe tears just changed the situation.

-End-

Author´s notes:

Okay, less rain this time.

But I needed to wirte a New Year´s Story since my best friend and I are going on separate ways today.

Hope you liked it.

R & R

Ria