The wind howled mercilessly into the chilly winter evening. The sky was dark with no hint of snow but the fluttering of white frost picked up from the ground by the gust of wind made up for its absence. Inside a bare lodge nearly a mile away from the party of the hotel resort sat two young men in a stiff embrace. A few seconds ago they were enjoying the warmth of each other's presence but after that admittace from Kaede, the redhead sat there staring like a gip while the other looked at him without a discernable expression on his face.
"Wh-What?" the redhead whispered.
"You were my first love," Kaede repeated, "When aniki told me of your father's debts we tried to find a way to help him pay it back but when I knew that you were his son I found a chance to kick-start a promotion while also reliving my dream."
"Wh-What dream?" Hanamichi croaked.
Kaede looked at him deeply with such sincerity in his blue eyes that Hanamichi did not doubt what the brunette said next was true.
"That I wanted to know what it feels like to be together with the first love of your life."
For the life of him Hanamichi could not find anything to say to that except - "Oh."
He dropped his head to lie it against the crook of Kaede's neck again to hide his furious blush.
"So..." the redhead began hesitantly, "How does it feel like?"
"It wasn't what I expected but I can live with it."
Hanamichi lifted his head with a scowl for the blue-eyed teenager but it slowly disappeared as he was presented with the warmest smile he had ever seen on the brunette.
"Baka," he huffed.
"Do'aho," Kaede returned.
Suddenly, Hanamichi felt the brunette stiffen.
"Wha-"
"Sh!" Kaede told him, "I think I heard something..."
"Maybe it's the wind," Hanamichi said.
"No," Kaede said, the intenseness on his face not fading, "I think I hear the sound of an engine. I snow-mobile, I think."
Quickly, Kaede got up and strode to the door with Hanamichi right behind him. Before they came to one feet from the door, Hisashi burst right in, carrying with him the blistering cold and the confetti of snow-flakes.
"Kaede!"
"Aniki! How did you find us?" Kaede asked while at the same time following his older brother out of the lodge towards two snowmobiles waiting for them at the front.
"I asked around and one of the staff told me that Hanamichi was looking for a way to get here. I guessed you would be going after him so naturally I came here," Hisashi told him before turning towards the redhead who was climbing behind the driver of one of the snowmobiles, "What possessed you to come out here in this weather, baka?!"
Before Hanamichi could start arguing with the scarred-face man, Kaede held his brother by the arm and pulled him towards the extra snowmobile and said, "We'll tell you about it later. Right now we have a party to attend to."
Suddenly, the man who accompanied Hisashi in his search spoke up worriedly, "Kanagawa-san, I think we need to send him to medic first."
"What?" Kaede and Hisashi turned to look at who the man was referring to and the only one except them was the redhead who was at that moment already wrapping his arms around the man's waist for the ride.
"I'm okay," the redhead insisted through chattering teeth while trying to hide the fact that he was leaning heavily against his driver.
"He doesn't look too good," the man informed them, "and he's shivering. I think he's got a fever or something."
"I said I'm okay," Hanamichi growled at his driver before he turned to the two brothers and told them firmly, "If I don't go to that party, the press would call me an irresponsible sponsor and it'll wreck the resort's name. No way am I gonna let that sabotaging bastard do that to me!"
Hisashi looked shocked. "Sabotage?"
For a moment, Kaede stared at the redhead before he nodded in assent. "Alright. We both go."
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We hope you have had an enjoyable day so far and for now let us enjoy this magical night together, here, in Hakuba resort."
After the short speech, Hisashi signalled to the band and at once an enchanting melody floated in the ballroom, enhancing the magical scene created by the glittering crystals, shiny silver and soft satin all around the room. If Hanamichi was in his normal state he would've forced himself not to gawk. As it was, he did not care, for the sickness that has infected him since a few hours ago was coming at full force.
"Are you alright?" Kaede asked quietly after he turned away from watching at the dancing couples on the floor. The two were presently sharing a table with Hisashi and other top managers of the Hakuba resort project and while the others were distracted by the dance activity a few metres away from them, Kaede slipped his hand under the table to hold the redhead's too warm hand.
Miraculously, the shivers stopped as soon as Hanamichi clutched Kaede back. The redhead turned to the brunette and smiled weakly. "Yeah."
"Hanamichi, you...." Kaede hesitated, not knowing what to say. Instead, he brought his other hand forward and clasped the redhead's hand to pull it towards his lap. Gently, he caressed the back of Hanamichi's palm with his fingers and said, "Doumo arigato, Hanamichi."
Hanamichi's fast beating heart brought by the fever impossibly grew faster as he felt the soft touch from Kaede's calloused fingers. No one, except his late mother, has touched him that gently and lovingly before. He looked up from their clasped fingers and nearly drowned in the pools of blue from the young man who was gazing at him deeply. Suddenly the surroundings around them disappeared and the only thing that made up his world at that moment was the person beside him.
"Yeah, well..." Hanamichi chuckled, suddenly embarassed, "You keep forgetting that I am the Tensai."
Instead of an insult or a contradiction in intelligence from Kaede, the raven-haired man only smiled. Hanamichi was about to say that it was the perfect night he has ever had in his entire life-time until Kaede said the words that made him halt in surprise.
"But this is about to end."
"What?"
"I'm letting you go, Hanamichi."
Hanamichi suddenly went still. "What are you saying?"
"After tonight's party, I'm letting you go from all debts your father owes us. You will be free from all obligations, Hanamichi."
"B-But, it's been only 6 months!" the redhead protested.
"You have succeeded more than I expected," Kaede told him, "And having you by my side is not worth the risk."
The brunette quickly held onto Hanamichi's clenched hand tighter when he felt the redhead began to bristle.
"If I had not found you just now, you would've been frozen to death. I don't want you to be in danger anymore."
"I can take care of myself," Hanamichi hissed through gritted teeth.
"I know," Kaede said as a tight smile appeared on his lips, "But you're forgetting the freedom that you crave since the day you met me. Why would you want to stay when I am offering you a way out?"
Hanamichi's annoyance surged through the surface. It was as if the kitsune was dictating what he should do with his life!
"Because I love you, baka!" he suddenly snapped. When he realised what he had said out of sheer anger, his face turned fiery red.
Kaede stared at him in surprise before he brought the redhead's knuckles to his lips.
"You lie," Kaede murmured against Hanamichi's skin.
"Yaro-"
"Do you love Akira as much as you love me?" Kaede cut in.
"Akira? I... I don't..."
Truth be told, Hanamichi wouldn't have thought of the handsome actor if Kaede had not said his name. Now, against his wishes, the cheerful face of Akira-baka came into his mind, warming him up as much as the warmth coming from the brunette next to him. Trying to discern the difference of his feelings between the two cousins was like trying to figure out between day and night. Each was unique in its (or his) specialty and wanting to say one was better than other was not fair.
Seeing that the redhead was at a loss for words, Kaede said with finality, "Starting tomorrow you will be free to choose and go out with whomever you please. Freedom is worth more than all the treasures in the world. I know this because I don't have it."
"Kaede..."
The brunette slipped a flute of wine in the redhead's hand before twining their fingers from their free hand together.
"I know you don't drink but have this last one with me. Let's enjoy our last hours together as a couple, Hanamichi-kun."
The redhead would've heard the wistfulness in the brunette's voice if not for the warring feelings that were jumbling his thoughts. Finally, after gathering himself up, Hanamichi held onto Kaede's hand tighter before bringing the flute to his lips.
"Wakatta. To our last time together."
~~~~~~~
And like Cinderella the dream ended when the clock strikes twelve.