Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.
Special thanks to freefaller for reminding me constantly that the web page for this fict of mine had probably bred mosquitoes after having being left stagnant for so long, and to Elemental-Zero for being so understanding. xP
The Beauty of Silence — Chapter 18
The clouds were rapidly losing their vivid hues of brilliant colours in the darkening sky as the pair of shamans strode out of the Chinese restaurant. Walking along the cobbled pathway, Horohoro wondered what was in store. There was an air of apprehension around them; as if both were waiting for something to happen, waiting and watching to see what the other would do next. Feeling Ren's gaze on him, Horohoro turned to look at the Chinese, and was miffed by the fact that Ren seemed to be indifferent about the next part of the program. Wasn't it his duty to plan?
Ren wondered why the blue-haired Ainu was looking so clueless. It was supposed to be his turn in planning. Actually, we didn't officially agree on whose job it was to decide on what to do after dinner. But since he was the one who suggested this whole thing, he should have the common sense to plan extra. Glancing at his date for the day, Tao Ren knew that the answer was obvious: there had been a breakdown of communication somewhere, and now they were in a lost at what to do. Ren had never been on any form of dating games before; even when his parents had suggested matchmaking sessions and found, with the help of relatives and friends, 'suitable' girls for the future heir of the Tao clan, he had rejected them all. To him, fighting in the Shaman King tournament was a whole lot easier then going out with a girl. He knew Horohoro wasn't a girl, not even the slightest bit like one, but he supposed the feeling he got around the Ainu was what he should be feeling when he's with a girl. Though it didn't come out sounding right…
It had taken awhile, but Horohoro did figure out what the awkwardness between the two of them symbolise: something had gone wrong, and as both of them were virtually inexperienced in this relationship thing, they were now 'stranded'. Though he knew he had been whining and pining for a girlfriend at times in front of the gang, he was a novice when it came to dates. The only times he went out with a girl was probably with his mum or Pilica, and they don't really count. He supposed if it was with a girl, he would have done all the preparations, but Ren was nowhere near the image of what you may call a dream girl, and that's the root of the trouble. While racking his brains for something they could do to ease the sense of uneasiness between them, a certain idea came to him. Before the car hit him, just right before the accident happened, hadn't he wanted to watch the sunset with someone he 'truly liked'? In the most honest bit of his mind though, he knew that the word that had flashed across his memory had been 'loved'.
Feeling a certain jolt of emotions when Horohoro just grabbed his hand out of the blue, Ren stiffened. He saw the familiar look of impatience creep up his date's face, and supposed that Horohoro had finally thought up of something they could do to while away the time. It had been agreed that they would only return to the inn late in the night to avoid the imminent questions that would be coming from those specific nosey parkers. A flash of annoyance flitted through him when an image of how Ryu, Chocolove, Jun and Pilica would be badgering them for details the next day, and he wondered how long he would be able to withstand such nonsense before he resorted to violence to get them to back off. Deciding that Horohoro merely took his hand for innocent reasons, he relaxed slightly, and continued to let the Ainu drag him along. His pride and chauvinist appeal protested against this decision with every fibre of its being, and for the first time ever in the arrogant Chinese shaman's life, it lost.
Horohoro wondered if the hills nearby provided a decent view of the skies. The restaurant they had their meal in was located in the middle of a posh town, and as greenery was rather limited, except for the public parks, they don't really have a choice. These hills, that were nothing more than lumps of soil really, fringed the outskirts of the urban area, and were probably the place closest to untouched nature that he could find at short notice. He wanted to return to the spot of the accident actually, but it was too close to the inn. He knew that Ren would feel most disturbed if their fellow shamans spotted them, so Horohoro ruled that place out instantaneously even as he thought of it. The beach where he had his first shaman battle after the accident with Ren was another probable choice, but groups of people are usually having a barbeque there, or normal couples chose that place for romancing. The Chinese shaman was somewhat of a loner, and crowed places bothered him. That much, at least, he knew about Ren. Besides, in the midst of many people, the essence of true nature cannot be felt, for the presence of numerous human activities was likely to destroy the environment in some form. Littering, for one, is evidence of such actions. The hills were nearly untouched, for they were too far off the economic hub of the town, and pretty much inaccessible by public transport. It was also getting colder as the night falls, and Horohoro was nearly sure that snow would began to fall soon.
The first snowflakes were already drifting down by the time they got to the foot of the hills. Ren eyed the mounds critically, surely they hadn't taken the trouble of boarding a bus and travelling for nearly an hour, gotten off and walked for another thirty minutes just to see these? He noticed that Horohoro had sped off without him up the hills, and the competitive side of Ren urged him to make a move as well. Can't have that baka reach the top before me. The view of the skies from their vantage point was certainly not the best that they could get, but if Horohoro was contented with it, so be it. It was a clear night, which was an added bonus, and they could clearly see the twinkling stars as they winked inconsistently alongside the glittery snowflakes.
"Let's watch the sunrise together. I initially wanted to watch the sunset, but we kind of missed today's one."
"Are you crazy? It's not even midnight yet!"
Wondering if Horohoro was pretending not to understand him or simply can't catch the movement of his lips, Ren repeated his words again. The Ainu's face had a goofy grin on, and he closed his eyes to tell Ren that he wouldn't 'listen' to him. Ren felt like shaking the blue-haired shaman, hard; but resisted the temptation. Instead he sat down next to Horohoro, and waited for him to speak his mind over this choice of activity.
Heaven must be helping us. The crystalline snowflakes floated towards the ground gracefully, creating an atmosphere of clam and composure. A cool breeze wound its way around the two of them, toying with their fringes as it kicked up a gentle swirl of snow. Horohoro gazed at Ren's face. It had been a while since he had actually looked at the younger shaman directly. Perhaps it was the scenery, but Ren, without his air of aggressiveness and arrogance, could actually manage to look innocent. Horohoro's eyes followed the few strands of purple hair that was swaying slightly in the night wind, and couldn't help a small smile. The lone spike atop his companion's head was actually too rigid to be messed up by the wind. God knows how much gel Ren wastes each day.
"I thought we could talk, till the sun comes out."
Ren wondered what they could talk about. Unlike his partner, he was never much of an extrovert, and probably shouted more than talked. It was in his upbringing to observe the hierarchy, and to keep silent unless an elder spoke to him. He never had friends around his age before the shaman tournament, and it had surprised him how much he could say, or perhaps argue, with this Ainu the moment they had set eyes on each other. They were so different, in terms of personality, yet somehow; he felt the most at ease with Horohoro. The ice shaman was fickle in battling strokes, interchanging between ice and snow, and never observing long enough to find ways of intercepting an opponent's attacks. He was more of a silent observer, choosing to find the least energy consuming methods to obtain a swift victory, and usually took the side of the offensive right from the start. I suppose opposites do attract.
"Why did you bring me to the gym?"
"To let you have a taste of my life. Father made sure I trained hard in preparation for the tournament last time, and I obeyed this dutifully. Just thought I should let you have a taste of 'real training.'"
"Are you implying the Pilica's training isn't good enough?"
"Obviously. If not why would she produce someone like you?"
Lightning had been reduced largely in this moonlit night, and Horohoro had to lean close towards the Chinese shaman to lip read properly. He hoped Ren wouldn't get the wrong idea. They were just here to enjoy the beautiful night, and to wait to see the sunrise without falling asleep was almost mission impossible for Horohoro if he were to keep silent at all times. Talking was always a good way to understand each other better. Kororo had taught him so. If she hadn't taken the initiative to communicate with him when they first met, perhaps they would not have been bonded to each other in such a way by now. Once they got the words to start, things would be so much easier…
The grey fingers of dawn brushed away the remnants of the previous night as a new day slowly unfolded. Ren blinked away the sleepiness in his eyes and sharply nudged the Ainu sprawled on the ground next to him. Honeslty, how could he manage to fall asleep in a matter of minutes? Lucky I'm here. Sometimes it's hard to figure out just who's the older among us. He took in the way the Ainu's eyes light up with a child-like innocence at the discovery that sunrise was about to commerce soon. It was an expression that he himself had been deprived of since young, and he realised that this trait of being easily contented with simple pleasures in life in Horohoro never ceased to amaze him.
A sparkling of gold dust dotted the watermelon pink clouds as the sun arose, shining in all its regal splendour and majesty. The vermilion streaks in the skies slowly gave way to a clearer blue as dawn finally broke and gave way to day. Horohoro wished he could have captured the time when the sunrise was at its prettiest, but knew there was no need for a man-made object such as a camera. His memory would be good enough to store this picturesque scene, and the best thing of all was that Ren was there to share it with him. Smiling fondly at the Chinese shaman, who was staring transfixed at the faraway skies as though truly seeing a sunrise for the first time, he prodded Ren lightly, and the two of them started to make their journey back to the inn.
Unknown to the pair of shamans, a letter had arrived for Horohoro, and this innocuous object may very well be the item that could jeopardise their whole newly established relationship.
Author's note: So that's it for this chapter, and the end of their date. I know I kind of screwed the whole thing up, so I'll try to introduce some action in the next chapter. Hopefully everyone still remembered the earlier contents of this fanfict, and I sincerely apologise for updating only after such a long time. I've sort of planned the outline for the future chapters, so it should seem better connected. In the meantime, do review, and thank you to all for readers for continuing to support this story. xD