Forbidden Encounter of Snow

Prologue

A long time ago, around when I was eight, I snuck out of the castle. Why did I sneak out? Well, for one reason, it was getting stuffy and boring! Other than that, I was curious about the outside world. I tied my black hair up in a ponytail before climbing out the window with some sturdy cloth I had been making for weeks.

In the castle, they'd teach me many things, one of them being to make clothing and other items out of cloth. I decided to use these lessons to my advantage. My deep blue bangs dangled in front of my sapphire eyes as I climbed down.

It was a calm winter day, snowflakes falling out of the heavens gracefully. I let my hand reach out to touch one. The feeling of snow on my  hand was nice, and I loved it a lot. I ran through the snow, careful to not fall or trip over anything that was hidden there.

I stopped running when I was sure I was far away from the castle. I sat on to the soft, pillow-like snow, tired. I raised my head to the sky, staring at the beautiful pieces of snow falling from the sky.

I sat there, calmly looking at the sky, and my surroundings for about a few minutes. Just then, I heard footsteps. They weren't running and they weren't coming from the direction of the castle either. It was coming from the east while the castle was in the west. I turned my head, only to see something I didn't expect.

A boy, with ice blue, unkempt hair and piercing, fox like silver eyes. He was wearing gray pants and a deep blue shirt. No jacket, no nothing. There was nothing he was wearing to protect him from the cold winter winds. But what caught my attention the most, were the bruises that were on his slightly pale skin. He sat on the ground with a sigh, leaning back on his hands.

He stared up at the sky, and I could hear faint panting noises leaving his mouth. It doesn't look like he's noticed me yet... I thought, wanting to get up and ask him what happened. I got up slowly, not making a sound.

I raised my right foot off the snow, and took one step towards him. As soon as my foot came in contact with the snow, a loud noise emitted from that area. I froze and he jumped up to his feet. "U-ummm... Hi?" I said, rubbing the back of my head.

His silver eyes looked as if they were trying to see right through me, clothes, skin, bones, and everything. It's like he was trying to look at my soul! We stood there for a moment, staring at each other. He took a sudden step back. "Who... are you?" He asked.

I blinked. I pointed to myself. "Me?" He nodded, but I saw a glimpse of something I couldn't put my finger on in his eyes. "I'm Kori, and you?" I replied with a smile.

He gave me a really weird look, like he didn't expect me to answer in the first place. He seemed hesitant to answer me, too. I looked straight into his eyes, head tilted to the side. "Seimei..." He finally answered.

"Seimei?" I repeated in surprise. That sounded like some kinda wise old man's name.

He scowled at me. "What?" He crossed his arms, noticing that I was looking at him like I was gonna ask if he was sure that was his name and not his great grandpa's or something like that.

I laughed dryly, and rubbed the back of my head. "Nothing, nothing~" I flashed him another grin. That grin I was wearing slowly disappeared when I saw that, in certain places, his shirt was ripped. On the shoulder sleeve and at the right rib right beneath his chest. My eyes traveled to the various bruises on his arms and the cut on his right cheek. "What happened to you? Why are you so beat up?" I decided to ask him.

He fell silent. After a few minutes, he answered, "None of your business." I scowled, unhappy with the answer.

"Aww! C'mon~! Tell me, please! I won't tell anyone else!" I pleaded. He walked up to me, and gave me a rough flick to the forehead, that sent me stumbling back. "Ow..." I mumbled, rubbing my forehead.

He sat back down on the snow. I gave up, thinking that no matter how much I asked, he wouldn't tell me. Besides, getting bruises isn't exactly what you'd call a good memory, so I thought that maybe he just didn't want to talk about it. I took a seat beside him, my black jacket warmly wrapped around my shoulders. The black pants I was wearing provided some more protection from the cold, but not as much as the jacket. I hugged my legs close to my chest, and looked at him. "So... what're you doing out here, especially without anything to keep you from the cold?" I questioned, once again examining his clothing.

He sighed. "It... doesn't really feel cold to me. It really doesn't bother me, being out in the snow like this... and I'm just here because my home's really uncomfortable.." He answered me.

I blinked. I didn't really get the first part, but if he was okay with the snow, then it was nothing I should've worried about, right? The second part was similar to the reason I had snuck out of the castle. "Same! I left the castle because it was sooo lame! And I really wanted to see what the outside looked like for once!" I replied with perfect honesty.

He blinked and looked at me. "The castle?" He tilted his head to the side, confused.

I nodded. "You see, I'm this really important princess here, so they never really let me out of the castle except during ceremonies and other boring stuff." I said.

His eyes widened. "Princess?" I nodded. "Wow...." I heard him mumble.

I wanted to change the subject. He didn't seem suspicious or like a bad person. He looked like he was only a little bit older than me by about one or two years. "Soo... have any brothers or sisters?" I asked. 

He shook his head. "Not really... Do you?" Seimei looked at me with curious silver eyes. 

I nodded. "Yeah. I think I have two older sisters and one older brother. My brother's the oldest outta all of us." I answered.

"Wow... that is a lot of siblings." He replied.

I let out a sigh. "Yeah, and the worst thing about them is that they're all so bossy....! They're always telling me to do stuff, dress up nicely, and never. Leave. Me. Alone!! Not even for five seconds, seriously!" I groaned.

He laughed. If laughter was a thing, I bet his would feel exactly like the cool, fluffy snow we were sitting on. "That doesn't sound like any fun at all." Seimei commented.

I nodded again in agreement. After a little bit, we spent hours talking about random things that came up, like the snow, clouds, people, what we thought about certain things like being cooped up in a castle, and so much more! The conversation was so fun, I got completely sucked in.

After about four hours, the sun began to set.  Seimei looked towards the sky, a frown painted on his face. He got up. "Eh? Where are you going?" I asked.

He turned to me, with a small smile. "I gotta go..." He answered. I frowned, but didn't argue. He began to walk away from me, but right before I lost sight of him, he turned back towards me. "It was nice meeting you, Kori... but... I don't think we'll meet again... bye..." He waved to me with a sad smile, and my eyes widened.

He turned back around, and ran away. "Wait! What do you... mean....?" I trailed off when I lost sight of him. I got up, and started walking back to my own home, thinking the whole entire way what he meant when he said that.

I easily slipped back into my room, no one suspecting a thing. I closed my eyes, trying to sleep. Instead, I spent more minutes thinking about him, the conversation we had, and what he last said before he had left. Slowly, my body was overcome by fatigue, and I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

It's been years since then. Every winter I'd come back, only to see that he wasn't there and go back home. I missed him, wanted to talk with him again, but slowly, I stopped coming to that place where we first met, beginning to lose hope on ever seeing him again.

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(Author's Note)

So~ What did you guys think? I wasn't too sure about how to start this story off, so some feedback would be nice. Anyways, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!