A/N: This is my first, one-shot fic on this site. I have written quite a few on its sister site. However, they never had a section for original anime, and now that I've found a place for this, I hope you enjoy it. Please R&R!

Warning: subtle shounen-ai

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WAITING.

Lying amongst fallen cherry blossoms, he waits patiently. Never knowing why or for whom, he waits diligently. Beauty is he in the light of the morning sun. Hair of palest gold, eyes golden green like leaves blessed by autumn, skin fair and soft like down.

In the soft caress of night, he watches the moon rise from the east, seeing it perfectly reflected upon still waters. Placing a hand in the lake, the ripples cause the perfect image to be broken, only to return as perfect as before. Silently, he twirls the cherry blossoms between his fingers, seeing its pink beauty crumpled by his hands, only to be replaced by another.

Life passes around him. The seasons come and go. Still he waits patiently. Does not know why or for whom, yet he continues to wait. Age does not touch him. He remains forever the same. Continually waiting for something or someone.

Beneath the cherry tree, he lies, staring up at the endless sky of blue, waiting. A bird soars high above him through clouds of cream and amber. Reaching a hand skyward, he tries to touch the bird, to stroke its feathery wings, to feel the warmth of another. It is too far away, so distant, unreachable. He remains alone, waiting. The winds change, time passes, the earth moves beneath him, and he waits patiently. For what or whom, he does not know, but he continues to wait.

After many years, under the cherry tree, amongst the fallen flowers, by the still waters, waiting, he hears a noise: a whisper among the shallow reeds, a call upon the wind. A figure rises from the shallows of the lake and walks upon its shore. One step and its legs come out from under it. It falls to the sodden ground.

Cocking his head, he wonders who and what this figure is. He crawls over quietly and lifts its soppy face into his hands. A strong chin, elegant cheekbones fit for royalty, softly closed eyes, faint breath as if one was dreaming, hair as dark as night, skin kissed by the summer's sun. It is a young man of happy years from running through tawny meadows as far as the eye can see. Carefully, he brings the young man to the cherry tree, propping him against its trunk. Watching him, he waits patiently for him to arouse. Many hours pass and still he waits.

Suddenly, the young man stirs. His midnight blue eyes flutter open. Quickly, he looks around and his eyes fall upon his savior. "Where am I?" The young man inquires. "Who are you?"

After careful thought, he replies, "I do not know. I have been here for so long I must have forgotten."

The young man sits himself up. "What do you mean by that? How long have you been here?"

"A thousand suns have set upon me, innumerable nights have showered the lands in darkness, hundreds of autumns have come and gone to be replace by winter's bitter chill. I do not know how long."

"Sounds pretty long to me. You must be old, then. You don't look it though. Odd." The young man mutters to himself, rubbing his chin in thought. Our ageless beauty mimics his actions. The young man sticks out his tongue and is mimicked. Countless of his actions are perfectly reflected on the other's face. After a while, the young man stops and laughs, starlight sparkling in his eyes. He smiles and says, "Copy cat."

Pulling his legs up close to him, the young man views this vision of beauty before him and says, "We weren't introduced. I am Tomoichi. I am a prince where I come from. What about you?" No reply comes and the prince blushes deeply. "Sorry. I forgot you don't remember. Well, we can't have you nameless forever, can we?"

As Ojisama Tomoichi thinks of a name, our beauty listens to the sound of his voice and is reminded of the sound of the distant tide heading towards the shore. He wonders if this young man is what he was waiting for. He is unsure, for he has never known why or for what or whom he has been waiting. His name has something to do with it, but he cannot recall. Trying hard, he attempts to remember what his name is. It is significant. It has meaning, but what it is, he cannot recall. He awaits his new name as patiently as he had been waiting in all the years past.

The prince snaps his fingers, startling our pale beauty. "I know. Your name shall be Itsumo Matsu. I think it fits you perfectly."

At the sound of those two words, memories flood back to our beauty's mind like a tsunami. Tears come to him and for the first time in his life, he cries. He turns away from the prince and sits beside the still waters, causing small ripples with his falling tears.

Ojisama Tomoichi stands behind him. A worry look consumes his face. "What is wrong? Do you not like your name?"

Our beauty shakes his head. "The name you have bestowed upon me is the same as the one I was given at my being made. You have sealed my fate."

Taken aback by this statement, the prince gasps. "What do you mean?"

"I remember now. My fate and my name correlate. Itsumo Matsu means 'wait always.' That is what I shall do till the day I die. I do not even know if I can die." His sobs increase and Tomoichi places a comforting hand on his back.

"Gomenasai. I'm sorry. I didn't know. It just seemed to fit." The prince thinks for a moment and then says, "Are you sure that was your whole name?"

Our pale beauty, Matsu, looks back at him through his autumn eyes. "From as far as I can remember."

"Well, how about I add a middle name? You're name is now Itsumo Tomoichi No Tachi Kimi Mekkemono Ore Made Matsu."

"Seems very extensive for a middle name." He comments, and then asks eagerly, "What is the meaning of my name now?"

The prince scratches the back of his neck. "Well, it's a bit messy, but roughly it means: 'wait always until you find your first friend.'"

A smile comes to Matsu's lips and it is mirrored upon the water. "You're name means: 'First Friend,' does it not?"

Clueless, the prince replies, "Yes, it does."

A new meaning comes to him as he realizes his fate. With a simple change of a name given, he has found his purpose. Our beauty stands against the night, facing the prince beneath the cherry tree beside the still waters, and says, "I have 'waited always.' I have found my 'first friend.' It is you I have been waiting patiently for. I need not wait any more."

~Owari~