The Princess and Her Knight | Christmas Special: HiNade

"Once upon a time."

Oh how she loathed that phrase. At the very least, Kanade was certain that all fairy tales stood for were blatant falsehoods; those stories built upon foolish castles-in-the-air and the like could never be real. The possibility of such an occurrence was meager, to begin with.

Yet still she hoped - futilely, she knew that much.

Which was why...

"Hey, Kana-chan, what's gotten into you? You've been quiet since we left Headquarters!"

...She was in this situation.

Her left eye twitched in exasperation as she stood, aiming a murderous glare at the overly cheerful brunette a foot away from her. "Fourth," her clipped, no-nonsense tone caused chills to run up and down the other's spine as Hikaru grinned nervously in return. "Didn't I tell you to shut up? It's relatively easier to finish a mission if you stay silent."

"Huh? But Kana-chan," Again with the infuriating nickname, the Suzuki thought, "we finished the mission half an hour ago!"

She blinked, gazing at the last of the books in her hands. It was a collection of fairy tales, open to the page of one of the most cliche stories of all times - Beauty and the Beast. Honestly. Was prejudice such a trending topic within the society to the point that it insinuated into children's stories?

With a frustrated sigh, Kanade shoved the book within the tiny nook she located in the shelves, resulting in a dust-cloud. She coughed, covering her nose and mouth with the sleeve of her jacket.

Why were they in a bookstore of all places anyway?

"You don't remember, Kana-chan?" Hikaru questioned, resting his head against the bookshelf, much to the irritation of the aforementioned 'Kana-chan'. She shook her head, a muffled groan escaping her lips. A slight smile curled his lips, as he proceeded to explain. "It's Christmas, you know. And we ought to get Mirai-chan a gift."

"Why a bookstore, of all places?"

"She loves books." He replied simply, as the older girl looked at him in resign.

"Fine. But what kind of book, exactly?"

He remained silent, a sheepish smile adorning his features, much to the annoyance of the currently short-tempered brunette. "...I have no idea."

"You're an idiot. A hopeless case, if you--"

A sudden movement caught her off guard, as the taller male leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. Kanade froze, her cerulean eyes wide with shock as Hikaru pulled away, nuzzling even deeper into his charcoal-gray scarf in a futile attempt to hide the blush coating his cheeks.

"Wh-what just.." Kanade stammered, leaning against the bookshelf, feeling weak in the knees.

"Why--"

"Mistletoe." Hikaru mumbled, cutting her off short. She glanced up, only to see a familiar tuft of green leaves surrounding a cluster of red berries.

"Why the hell is there a mistletoe in a freaking bookstore?!"

- -

"At the very least.. We managed to buy a suitable gift."

Kanade heaved a sigh, glancing at the parcel in her hands. She avoided looking at the brunette beside her as they walked, stuffing the gift into the messenger bag by her side.

They were just lucky that she'd remembered the title of the sequel to Mirai's favorite book. Otherwise.. Well, she shuddered to think what they would have bought instead.

"Hey, Kana-chan, how long are you going to avoid me?" Hikaru stopped abruptly, turning to look at the startled Suzuki. Instinctively, he reached out, grasping her left hand. She tensed beneath his grip, still avoiding his gaze. "Come on, it wasn't my fault that there was--"

"Why?" The word slipped past her lips despite her reluctance. "Why did you do that based on the mere fact that we were standing underneath the mistletoe?"

"Well.. Isn't that what you do?"

She stared at him. "You really are an idiot."

"Yeah, I am." Hikaru stepped even closer, regardless of the snow accumulating upon his curly chestnut hair. "But I'm still  the one who promised to protect you, didn't I?"

"Oh knock it off," she scoffed. "You're just a soldier, not some old-fashioned knight."

"If I'm a knight, then you're my princess." He smiled, tugging her closer. Heat crept up her cheeks at the close proximity, as his arms wrapped around her in a strangely comforting hug. "Right?"

"You're an idiot."

But weirdly enough, I fell in love with you.

- E N D -

Anddd that's oneshot #2 out of 3!

Hope you liked this one!

- Zoe