Wish you all a very pleasant Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope you like this small fluffy one!
He had all he ever wanted, but Tyson couldn't help but feel a tinge of emptiness that did a bit more than puzzle him. He was almost frustrated, in fact - what more could he possibly want?
But, alas, what better a time could he find himself in this situation than Christmas! The season of giving - the season of wanting and, hopefully, receiving. Despite his rather high celebrity status, Tyson knew that there was nothing like being home for the holidays. No tournament on agenda, no paparazzi, a well-deserved break from everything. Christmas was one morning he wouldn't get smacked in the head with a kendo. Every Christmas morning, like a child he would rummage through many fan mails and post cards, unwanted gifts. But he couldn't deny the sea of brown that flashed through his mind. She always managed to make a miraculous moment for him, by surprising him beyond his expectations. He still had her woven sweater for him, he missed her special Christmas cookies. He looked at the door, sipping his tea, waiting for that stormy entrance for Hilary to scamper in and insist on all the Christmas decorations.
And soon, it was Christmas Eve. In celebration of the holiday, as well as Tyson's success, many people were invited in the dojo. Kenny, Daichi, Miss Kincaid, Tyson's schoolmates, Tyson's students, some rivals, some neighbours. The Christmas Bash was a thrill ride, and it wasn't long before Mr. Dickenson and Grandpa Ryun were red in the face, holding half empty sake bottles in their hands and singing carols at the top of their lungs.
Tyson stood back, grinning amusedly and recalling the years he would try desperately to settle the two down. By now, however, he knew that their chaos was inevitable. Laughing and clapping his hands together with the rest of the party, he sang along and danced upon table tops in spirit of the season. He drank his egg nog, chomped on Christmas tree cookies, and practically inhaled the holiday ham.
Well into the party, Tyson sat back, glancing up at the clock. It was nearing midnight, and Christmas was almost there. Smiling and standing up, Tyson patted his Kenny's back and excused himself from the company. Squeezing through the crowd, he made his way into the kitchen and reached for the video phone propped on the wall. Tyson gazed into the monitor, dialling a familiar number. He waited for an answer, but there was none. Tyson redialled but no luck. Of course, you couldn't expect the young heir of Hiwatari Enterprises to care about such holidays. Grumbling and shaking it off, he proceeded to ring Max who was in New York with his family celebrating Charlotte's first Christmas. Ray and the White Tigers were in a Beijing, riveting in Christmas Magic. After wishing them all a Merry Christmas, Tyson finished up in the kitchen and walked back into the main room.
The party was still lively, and the heat was beginning to make the house a little stuffy. Walking over to a nearby closet, he retrieved a warm jacket. Smiling, Tyson wrapped a red sweater around his neck and proceeded to walk out to the backyard.
It was a White Christmas, indeed. Light snowflakes floated gracefully from the sky, blanketing the land with a beautiful white sheet. Tyson stepped out into the snow, taking a deep breath and staring up at the vast black blanket of diamonds. Sitting down on his corridor, he watched the fishes in his koi pond. Bubbling, a pair of fishes swam around one another.
Tyson, however, said nothing more, letting only a soft sigh escape his lips, seeing his breath form in the air. "Man, everyone's here. Everyone's happy. I had a great year. But why do I feel like something's missing..."
"So the man who has everything still wants something for Christmas, huh? Hard to believe."
Tyson bolted upright, going red at the voice. Whether he had gone red because of realization of the cold or because she had heard him is hard to tell, however, and Tyson smiled meekly at the brunette. "Hilary...! Hi! Why - "
" - am I so late? Well, gee, Merry Christmas to you too, Mr. World Champion." The teen scoffed, walking through the snow, a quirky look on her face. With her back to the porch light, her ruby eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Tyson noticed this the most.
Tyson nearly jumped to his feet, holding his hands up defensively. "N-no! I didn't mean it that way, I just...um...er - Merry Christmas, Hilary." He smiled in a mock-calm fashion in attempt to save himself.
Hilary gave a satisfied smirk. "That's better."
Chuckling, Tyson rubbed the back of his neck. "I was kinda thinking about you." He wasn't sure if he was supposed to say that or not.
"No…I mean…I was just…."
"Give it a rest!" she guffawed, smacking his shoulder hard, "I was just messing with you. You know, I always end Christmas at your house."
"Oh." Tyson's heart lifted slightly.
She gave a hopeful smile. "Listen, a lotta my cousins are over at my place, so I'll be staying her tonight. I hope you don't mind."
A little deflated but still eager, Tyson shook his head furiously. "No! It's fine. It's actually great. We've got an awesome party going on. Everyone's talking about the decorations. You really did a great job dressing the house up." He grinned, pointing towards the house and noticing the faint echo of...some Christmas Carol. Whatever it was, it was so out of tune that it was no longer distinguishable.
Hilary giggled, and Tyson felt warm. Gesturing her over to sit with him, he leaned back and stared up at the sky, scooting over slightly to make room for her.
"So what were you talking about earlier?"
Tyson looked at her thoughtfully, almost forgetting what situation she caught him in. He went red again. "Oh - um. Don't worry about it."
Hilary frowned, her cheeks puffing out slightly. "Tell me!"
Chuckling nervously, Tyson leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and staring down at the ground between his feet. Tyson rubbed the back of his neck once more.
"It's just...Well, you have been with me for a long time, right?" Tyson suddenly looked up at her, who blinked at the sudden reference.
She nodded, skeptically. "Yeah, sure, I guess..."
"Well, have you ever gotten that feeling where you know you shouldn't want anything more because you already have everything you've wanted, yet still have this feeling that you do want something, but you just don't know what?"
Hilary blinked again, taking a moment to let everything sink in. Tyson looked at her expectantly, and when she finally understood, her eyes softened in the darkness, and Tyson felt a small sense of relief. She nodded slowly, a small smile on her face. "I've had that," she muttered, softly.
Tyson nearly jumped. "Yeah! It's like, damn! I've got everything I want! I really do. There's nothing more I can ask for...but there's just this stupid - agh!" He cried out in frustration, but felt himself calm as he felt Hilary's hand on his arm.
"It's okay, Tyson." She paused. "Just because you have all your material wants doesn't mean, y'know...you've got everything." Hilary had grown a bit red, too, and Tyson couldn't tell if it was because of the cold, either.
A small silence enveloped the two as they sat side by side on the bench. Somehow, they were closer together, and both could feel each other's shoulders brush against each other.
"So...what do you think I should do?"
Hilary was quiet for a moment. "I say you find out what you want." She locked eyes with him. "And take it."
Another flash - only this time, it wasn't only in Tyson's mind.
It was an awkward tension that kept the two in silence. A built-up frustration over the years, if you will. For some strange reason, Tyson didn't know how to feel. On one hand, as strange as it was, he felt his temper rising. And as he gazed at Hilary, the annoying girl who he despised at first, and wanted nothing more than get rid of her. On the other hand, the Christmas season and the snow and the ice calmed him, and he saw next to him not a girl but a woman, who held a part of him for so long.
In a sudden, compelling impulse, Tyson stood from the planks and spun to face her. He had no idea what came over him, but he held his hand out. "Come with me," he said, simply.
"Wh-what?"
"I'm not a kid anymore." Without waiting for a reply, he reached for her hand and pulled her gently to her feet. Spinning both their bodies outwards, Tyson practically danced an utterly confused Hilary to the center of the yard, who cried out in fright.
"Tyson! What are you doing!?"
Slowing to a stop, Tyson and Hilary stood in the middle of the snow, the latter in the former's arms as their breaths formed fog in the air. Tyson, however, never pushed away from her, and Hilary, though confused, never dared to pull away. The two childhood friends did nothing but stand in silence in the comfort of each other's warmth.
It was Hilary, however, who broke the silence.
"Tyson...?"
Before she could say anymore, Tyson repeated, "I'm not a kid anymore."
Hilary frowned slightly into his chest, despite the utter bliss of being up against him and in his arms in the first place. "I don't get it...what are you doing?"
Squeezing her a little tighter, Tyson sighed. "When we were kids, all we did was fight." He paused, bringing his mouth closer to her ear and whispering, "I think now I just want to hold you. Just for a change."
Hilary considered this, shuddering from the feeling of his breath on her ear, and felt satisfied with his answer. Despite her racing heart and reddening cheeks, she cuddled closer into him, fitting snugly into his form. And the two stood there, in the middle of the backyard, in the snow, silent, comfortable, and warm.
"Hilary?" Tyson suddenly whispered, softly.
"Hm?"
"How do you feel about me?"
After another short silence, Hilary pulled back slightly, and Tyson loosened his hold on her. The two looked at each other for the first time since their embrace. A hint of a smile traced Hilary's lips. "You make me feel better about myself, Tyson. With you, my life gets exciting. It gets dangerous, but when it does, I get a warm feeling in my heart, that if something happens to me, you'll always get me out of trouble. I feel safe with you. I feel complete with you…" Hilary looked away slightly, her smile growing. "When I joined you guys, my life changed. I was finding joy in books, but you gave me the friendship I was looking for. You gave me a lot of friends. You gave me a brother like Hiro. You gave me a grandfather like Grandpa. You gave me exciting adventures, and slowly…I started t give you something back, Tyson."
"What is that, Hilary?"
Their eyes met once more.
"My heart," she whispered.
And that was all the needed to be said. Disguised no longer by angry fights and loud brawls, their feelings were finally clear, and with a gentle caress of her cheek, Tyson tilted her chin towards him and their lips met, softly. And in each other's warmth did the couple receive the gift of love for Christmas as they stood in each other's arms in the snow.
Pulling away, Tyson gazed into Hilary's ruby eyes, lazy from being closed for so long, and smiled warm-heartedly.
"Hil?"
"Yeah?"
"I finally found what's missing…"