Title: Birdbaths

Rating: Rated T.

Pairings: Mazume (Mamura x Suzume).

Summary: A merry Christmas came but once a year, and so far, she had seemed all but merry.

Regarding Q&A: Any questions regarding the story can be asked via PM or review.

Beta: N/A - Help wanted.

Warnings: None.

Category: Hirunaka no Ryūsei.

Uploaded: December 22nd, 2013

(Section Break)

The party had too many people, he felt, and it was difficult to stay away. The food was warm and kept him satisfied in the chilly season, and the comforting noise of people surrounded him. He could hear them gossiping and telling jokes, as well as laughing and playful whining. He needed some fresh air, and perhaps it was just time for him to leave. He didn't care for such events anyway.

On the way out, he noticed the crazy transfer girl checking her phone again. He'd seen her earlier in the evening doing so, and he wondered if she was expecting someone. Her face morphed into a frown and he stopped thinking about outside at all. She got up and told a few people, probably friends, something before gathering her things up. So she was going home, apparently.

She left out the front door, and he decided he needed to go outside still anyway. He grabbed his coat and walked through the door. She walked a bit, he trailing behind her, before he saw her sigh, check her phone one last time, and look up at the stars. He followed her lead, and had to agree that they were worth looking at. The way they twinkled and contrasted against the dark background behind them was unique, and they seemed to be closer than normal. She sneezed suddenly, and when he looked at her he noticed she was quickly turning red from the cold. She was still wearing those fancy clothes, and although she had a coat overtop them, there was little doubt in his mind that she was still freezing.

He made up his mind, approaching her as she continued to look around blankly. He startled her, it seemed, by tugging on the neck of her jacket and saying, "Keep me company, will ya?"

She jumped and turned to him, surprised, then nodded upon seeing whom it was. They began to walk through the chilly night, wind ruffling his scarf and her skirt. She shivered, but soon her thoughts of the weather faded into those of the Christmas lights, if he could judge by her expression. She seemed entranced by the sparkles and shines, pointing out a lit reindeer and asking him if he saw the glowing deer. She called it beautiful, like she had called the festive pine tree adorned with strings of bulbs, and he asked her if she could say anything other than "amazing" when describing the decorations.

"It's because I've never seen something like this apart from in movies. I can't think of any other word." Her voice lowered, her hair swishing in the picking-up winds. "Amazing." She was murmuring now, a melancholy lacing her words. "It's so beautiful..."

He turned himself off to the side slightly, not facing her back. "Were...you supposed to meet him today?"

She looked over his shoulder, surprised by his question. The reflection of the holiday illuminations was easily seen in her eyes, and as they changed colour so did they. A breathy sound of confusion was mumbled, tumbling out of her lips in confusion and uncertainty, before another noise of realisation escaped her. He wasn't looking at her as he spoke afterwards, saying, "Don't hide it. I know everything about it."

Her light-heartedness died off entirely, swept away by the currents of the breeze and the flow of sorrow, before she moved to view the tree once more. "Actually, it was my birthday recently." Her breaths came off as puffs of steam, rushing up to the colder air high above. He looked at her, seeing only her silhouette backed by fairy lights wrapped around huge beasts of nature. "December first, on Saturday." She took another breath. "The same day as Fujiko Fujio's. The Fujiko F. Fujio, that is."

It was an odd statement, he felt, and the way strands of her hair began flying away from being tucked inside was chilling. "Since my birthday was around the exams," she continued, "I didn't tell anyone about it. That's why I thought...I would tell him today."

The small sounds of hustle and bustle from the surrounding people looking at the pretty decorations and out shopping was negated by her. She hadn't turned back towards him yet, and while her voice was a struggle to hear, she continued to speak. "I even wore a skirt because I wanted him to think 'you look cute' and say 'Congratulations.' But it's just never going to come true, huh...?"

The wish wasn't unfounded, in a sense.

He unravelled his scarf quickly, the one that had been so tightly wound around his neck to keep him warm from the winter's brisk cold, and he moved up to face her, wrapping it around her own neck. She seemed surprised once more, warm eyes of water widening, and with a swish the final coil was around her. "Happy birthday."

A chilled breath escaped him, vapour rising up as it had with hers. The frigid weather tingled his nose more already, and the collar of his own coat wasn't enough to protect his bare skin from the wind that still plagued the night sky.

"I said it."

Another sound of confusion ran out of her mouth, and with his back to the Christmas lights, she was the only one whose eyes were still shining because of their glow. A second passed, and in a bout of realisation he noticed that the situation had to be acted upon, although in what way he wasn't entirely sure. He raised an arm and pinched her cheek - uncomfortably, no doubt - and she garbled out what appeared to try to be his name.

"Therefore," he continued to say, "don't give me that 'I want to cry' look. Smile."

His grasp on her face was nearly gone, and the wobbling her lips began to do was oddly complimentary to the red shine on her cheeks. Whether it was from winter or joy or embarrassment or anything else that would cause such a rosy colour, he didn't mind, because he too could feel them creeping up and infecting him. She seemed to have noticed as well, saying, "Mamura, you're blushing to the ears."

He brought up his hand quickly to cover it, to hide it from her view, and after he turned she belatedly asked him if he wanted his scarf back. He replied quickly with no, saying that he gave it to her already, and she said she understood. He stood with his back to her momentarily, and since she wasn't saying anything in the silence, it was not as pleasant as he would have hoped. The voices of the people around began pouring into their ears once more, and the faint buzzing of her phone was unable to be heard.

He began to walk, figuring there was nothing else to do, and he noticed that she had followed him after just a second or two. The holiday cheer was left behind after a minute, the hard clanks of their shoes hitting the frozen sidewalk, and soon the insufferable sounds of only human movement overwhelmed one of them. She spoke up.

"This scarf," she said, nervous to speak, "has kept me warm, but it's not expensive, right?"

He glanced back at her, slightly amused, and asked, "Why? Are you unhappy with the quality?"

She gave him a deadpan look, muttering, "That's not it." She grew serious, looking downwards at the floor. A stray rock was by her foot, she noticed, and she began to talk once more. "This is the first time I've received a present from a boy...a guy friend...and that's why I'm wondering if it's really okay with you."

He looked towards the scenery behind him that he head been heading towards earlier. It was harder to talk to her if he looked, and with the variety of emotions her face reflected it was easier to say what he meant instead of what he felt would be kinder. "I don't mind at all. Besides, this is also my first time giving something to a girl."

The breeze ruffled his hair, and she murmured, "Is that so?" Her phone interrupted her, and as she rummaged through her bag, a look of forlorn longing overtook her as he looked back at her. With a soft sigh inaudible to her, he said, "I'm going home now."

She looked at him, increasingly disoriented, and once more the incessant noise of confusion she continued to make over and over escaped her mouth.

"You don't need me anymore, do you?" he asked. "See ya."

She fumbled over her words momentarily, then as a reply, she said, "Thank you...for the scarf." Her voice raised, a slightly joyous tone intertwined. "Good night!"

He felt her gaze on his back as he began walking away, and as he left, he once more could hear the faint buzzing of her phone. Sounds too far away to hear began coming out of her vocal cords, and as he left the scene entirely he didn't hear her treading footsteps anywhere near him. The serenity enveloped him, and only afterwards did he feel his face as another prickling blush attacked him viciously. He covered it with his sleeve and stopped walking and leaned against a wooden fence, taking in a deep breath and watching as condensation rose and rose after letting it out, dispersing into the dark night. Only the twinkling stars above observing him as he stumbled about over the girl he had been in tandem with, a holly-coloured glow on his face for the rest of the walk home, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

(Section Break)

*silently adds the word "ryuusei" so this turns up on Google*

This was nice. Another differing thing. It's really damn hard to find a style, isn't it? Well, I'm not as proud of it as I am some other things, but I enjoyed writing it and let's face it - it's hard not to like this pairing. Seriously. In any case, this is my dearest contribution for Christmas, so I hope you enjoyed my pretty much exact recounting of canon in written form. pfffft

Happy other holidays, as well~

Thank you for reading this, too! I appreciate it very much :)

As always, if you review, virtual cookies. If not, that's fine too. As long as you like the story, everything's all good!

Shameless advertising: I have another Mazume Hirunaka no Ryūsei fanfiction called Opacity, by the way. And if you're interested, I also have various other one-shots for One Piece and Naruto, most of them parody.