Warmth
By Garnet
Summary: Upon being abandoned and losing his memory--Ren is found by a complete stranger. The boy seems kind enough, but appearances aren’t always what they appear. HaoRen.
Notes: Enough people said they wanted this, I suppose… So, here. :) I have to warn you that this is going to have short chapters--seeing as the plot isn’t complex. Perhaps I’ll throw in a triangle, just for the fun of it. YohRenHao sound decent to any of you?
Steal Me Away fans--I deleted that fiction. I’m not happy with it at all. It doesn’t live up to my own expectations as a writer--so perhaps I’ll bring it back--but it will be rewritten. For now, I’m concentrating on finishing this.

Prologue

His eyes were blank, emotionless--a reflection of the gray November sky.

He wondered--how long had he been here…? … Why was he here? Why… Why was it so cold…?

What time was it…? He had lost track a long time ago, hadn’t he? He couldn’t look to the sky--the sun was hidden from his view; the clouds blocking all light from his sight.

He fought to hug himself, weakly fighting back the urge to shiver in the depths of his coldness.

Even now, he wondered--where were all these people going…? There were so many people, the majority of them rushing home to avoid the rain that was to come. It almost seemed like a lively time of day--children following behind their parents in anxious happiness, lovers holding hands under an umbrella, sending smiles to one another. Everything was always alive during the day--compare to the darkness, where everything was dead; sleeping; almost like winter.

He couldn’t help but wonder--why was he there? Had someone abandoned him…? Should he go home?

But, how…? He had nothing; no one to go home too--at least, no one that he remembered, anyways.

He was pondering in relentless manner; his name; his home; his family…

… Did he even have a family…?

Tao Ren.

His name.

His head was throbbing in utmost pain--the rain washing away the crimson-colored liquid that emerged from his own very flesh.

Pain.

Was he to die here? It wouldn’t have surprised him--unfortunately, why would it have mattered in the first place…? His soul--no, his heart--it felt tired, exhausted. Every beat reflected different things, different emotions--agony, despair, hopelessness, exhaustion, restlessness.

So tired…

He closed his eyes.

And in the middle of all this--he wondered. Would there be anyone to save him? Would he die before someone could find him? It was likely, wasn’t it? This was a busy town, from the looks of it. Perhaps if it wasn’t raining--and the others would have stopped, they could have seen the mess that was lying at the alley. His eyes were begging for help--he didn’t have the strength to open his mouth, or move his arms and legs, but as they say--eyes are a reflection of human soul and emotion.

… Salvation? For some reason, the very word made him laugh with bitterness--but this was in his mind. All was in his mind--he didn’t have the strength to say anything.

The world was shit--he knew that much. The word “love” sounds sweet--but in the end, it was all bullshit.

In the bitter end, the only one that could save you was yourself.

I’m tired… Cold… Why… Why do things always manage to turn out this way? Why am I always left alone?

I must be strong. A Tao doesn’t give up! Never gives up! We’re alone till the very end!

I… I don’t need anyone…

He couldn’t fight it anymore.

Darkness had consumed him.

Yoh…

--

Asakura Hao was the luckiest person in the world.

… In the most sarcastic sense of the words, of course.

November wasn’t supposed to be known for rain, was it? It wasn’t supposed to rain often in autumn, and yet--here he was, walking in the rain, late in coming back.

And he had forgotten to bring his umbrella.

Asakura Hao was a mess that day.

He was late getting home from work--an office. Not the most comfortable job, but he made more than enough money to keep a roof over his head--enough to go out every night.

Sometimes he wondered; was the life worth living? The divine life he wanted.

Well, Hao wasn’t satisfied with it, to say the least.

He wanted something more. He wanted more at night than going out, buying drinks for he, and perhaps sometimes--maybe a lucky lady. He wanted…

… He wanted something; something that he just… couldn’t put his finger on. Something was missing--something had been missing for the longest time, but…

Hao was a needy person as well. He needed to be away from his parents; closer to work. He needed to get away from Funbari. Currently, he was living away from that district; in a more crowded area in Tokyo. It wasn’t as far away from home as he would like, but it was enough. This way, he could visit his twin brother, and fellow ‘friends’ as well.

He sighed. He needed a cigarette--those always calmed him down--his younger brother never approved of smoking, but that never stopped Hao before. Hell, his younger brother didn’t approve of nearly everything he did, but that didn’t mean that Hao had to listen to him.

He reached into his pocket--craving one now. It was the majority of the people in this district that disapproved of such a habit, but that didn’t matter to him. Nothing that anyone thought really mattered to Hao. He was his own boss--he’d take charge to get what it wanted, as long as it was for this benefit. That was how the world worked--in the end, no one else mattered but yourself.

“Nnn…”

He stopped. Perhaps he was just hearing things; the streets were abandoned by now. Not that that was a huge surprise, it was pouring now; water was filling the streets. He had been warned by a coworker that the city was to be flooded with rainwater by the time it stopped.

He turned--his eyes widening a little at the sight.

The boy was barely moving--perhaps barely alive now. Hao was surprised--by the looks of it; he’d have to be pretty damn strong to survive an injury of the sort.

He could turn now--he could walk away and leave him to die. Things like this happened everyday--deaths, others being abandoned. What would the difference be if he was to save this boy?

… His conscious would be bugging him for weeks, on the other hand.

He sighed, turning to enter the alley. Sure, he’d take the boy home--let him live for a little while longer.

Sometimes--Asakura Hao thought he was too damn kind for his own good.

TBC.

Mm. OOC-ness, anyone? Well, it’s AU, of course they’re going to be a little OOC.

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