Heartless

(Haku x Reader)

The room was numbingly cold.  Shards of ice decorated the corpses.  They looked like pincushions, their faces ugly and distorted with looks of shock and pain.  Amongst the glittering frost and crimson stains, however, there was something undeniably beautiful.  He stood there, his pale skin almost luminous in the moonlight that seemed to spotlight him in the center of the carnage.  Chocolate tresses cascaded down his forest-green haori as the wind unbound the loosened bun.  One thought crossed your mind as you sheathed your katana.

How could someone so beautiful be so heartless?

This was your first meeting with Haku.  As graceful and delicately built as he was, you had no doubt that behind that mask, there was a pretty face.  As eager as you were to see it, you kept your distance and waited for him to approach you.

“You’re quite skilled.”  His voice tickled your ears a bit.  It was soft and warm; not at all what you had expected.  You watched silently as the boy removed his mask.  His slender hand gripped the untouched visor and slowly revealed his features.  Your eyes widened.

Coffee colored eyes fringed with thick, black lashes peered up at you.  His features were soft and delicate, very feminine.  You had expected him to be beautiful, but the only way you could describe Haku at that moment was angelic.  You didn’t try to speak.  You knew you would trip over your words if you did.  The sound of his platoon sandals echoing against the hardwood made your heart pound unnaturally.  You could feel each beat in your throat.  It was stifling.  You had never felt so nervous before.  You found your sweaty palm lighting against the hilt of your katana.  Haku stopped his advance.

“We have no quarrel,” he tilted his head slightly, causing his dark hair to topple over his shoulder.  You tried to swallow, but failed.  The wind continued pouring in through the broken window.  It snatched your breath away, just long enough to make the silence between you and Haku awkward.

“R-Right.  Sorry,” you laughed nervously and scratched your neck, coughing a bit.  Haku’s expression became soft as he watched you.  Suddenly feeling extremely rude, you stiffened and bowed formally.  “My name is ______ _______.  I look forward to working with you.”

You flinched slightly as Haku extended his hand to you.  You glanced up at his face and stared, slack-jawed.  He was smiling.  It was the most beautiful, innocent smile you had ever seen.  His entire body radiated kindness and warmth towards you.  As you took his hand, you felt a hot blush wash over your face and neck.  Covered in blood and surrounded by the bodies of those that he himself had sent to the grave, this boy seemed purer than the driven snow.  You could sense an underlying sadness in his eyes, feel it in his touch.  Haku’s hand was as cold as ice.

Maybe he wasn’t heartless after all.