A Phantom's Candor | Christmas Special: SaiKo

It was uncommon, indeed.

For the two to meet under interesting circumstances.

A foul curse sneaked past the blonde's lips as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, shaking his head to dislodge the ivory matter accumulating upon his golden hair. It wasn't that he loathed the cold, exactly - on the contrary, winter was his favorite season, omitting the fact that snow in Metanoia was quite the rare occurrence, even rarer than the occasional rainfall.

No, it was more due to the fact that his commander - who was quite the punctual personage - was taking her sweet time inside a clothes store of all places, accompanied by an unknown young lady of younger age (who merely introduced herself as 'Selene'). As such, the Dracule was bound to feel the excess amount of frustration.

Surely, his actions were justified?

Perhaps.

"What the hell is taking them so long..?" Saito grumbled, scuffing the toe of his combat boot in the dirty white sludge beneath his feet. "Girls and their tastes in fashion.."

A sibilant hiss met his ears a short while after, to be followed by the delicate ringing of a bell as the door slid open. He immediately straightened, about to launch into a prolonged rant about punctuality, when his gaze landed upon a certain familiar personage.

The words died in his throat, so to speak. Disbelief cloaked his features as a furious shade of scarlet tinged his pallid cheeks, nipped by the bitter wind.

"Wh-who.." He stammered, his hands - encased in black leather gloves - dangling loosely by his sides.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Koe flushed crimson in return, averting her gaze as she nervously tucked a strand of her black hair behind an ear. "It's me, you dumb blonde.." She whispered, still reluctant to meet his gaze.

"Th-that's... What the hell did you do?"

A chuckle resounded from behind the two, as a yet-unseen person gave the hesitant young lady a gentle push, landing her within the startled blonde's arms. The two blushed, pulling out of each other's reach as a redhead stepped further into the streetlight.

"Oh come on, Dracule!" The girl - otherwise known as 'Selene' - grinned widely, placing a hand on her hip as she eyed the two, who both flushed beneath her knowing gaze. "Be honest for once and tell her what you think!"

"T-tell her?!"

For once, Dracule Saito was completely, inutterably speechless.

He rocked back on his heels, avoiding the ravenette's questioning stare. He could hear his heartbeat thrumming in his ears as he took quick, shallow breaths; his fingers clenched into tight, white-knuckled fists.

How would he be able to tell her, when he couldn't even glance at her in his state?

It wasn't like she looked awful - it was that she looked so different from her usual appearance.

Her black hair was neatly combed, curled at the tips and clipped back in a way that her entire face could be viewed clearly. She was even wearing make-up, for God's sake - light touches that emphasized her features. A navy-blue trenchcoat shielded her from the winter wind, paired with simple white gloves and low-heeled black flats. He could glimpse a hint of a pale, periwinkle-blue dress beneath the coat, however.

All in all, she didn't appear to be Akiyama Koe, the Commander of an elite mercenary unit. She still looked like herself... But her with the volume turned up. (A/N: Yeah, I added an Eleanor and Park reference. Sue me.)

"Come on, Dracule!" Meanwhile, Selene was still urging the flustered blonde to speak up.

A sigh escaped his lips, as he hesitantly looked up, meeting her gaze. Her eyes were still the same as ever, albeit glistening with child-like innocence. If only he didn't know any better, he would have thought that she was actually shy.

Nevertheless, Saito smiled softly, a blush still dusting his pallid cheeks as he reached out a hand.

"You look beautiful, Kou." He whispered, still smiling as the ravenette blushed, taking his gloved hand within hers.

"You'd better not be flattering me, Third, or I'll--"

"What?" He cut in, pulling her into an embrace. She stiffened for a brief moment, before looking at him in surprise. "I'm telling the truth, as this girl -" he glanced pointedly at Selene, who merely grinned cheekily as started to walk away. "- said I should. And I'm not over-stating things."

Koe sighed, reaching up to place her hands upon his cheeks. "Well.. At least you're being honest. That's a huge plus."

"Admit it, you were expecting me to say something arrogant, weren't you?" Saito teased, leaning in to briefly press a kiss on her cheek. "Right, First?"

"I wasn't, you idiot."

- E N D -

And that's a wrap! This is actually the first out of three oneshots I'm doing for the holidays~

-Zoe