~~Cold...

She was always cold.

She thought she *could* be warm, that she might be warm in his arms.

It didn’t matter, though, because if she let herself get close to his warmth it would vanish, a bright flame sputtering and dying--he would disappear--and she would be alone again. She couldn’t let that happen.

But still...it would be nice. Just once.~~

"Arashi!"

Kishuu Arashi looked up from her seat on the grass. It was Yuzuriha, running towards her with a wide smile. "Arashi, I’ve got something for you!"

She stood up slowly, brushing stray blades of grass off her skirt. She was really very fond of the bright, cheerful girl approaching -- sometimes Yuzuriha reminded her off Sorata, a little.

Not that that had anything to do with it.

"What, Yuzuriha?"

To her surprise, the other girl didn’t slow down as she drew closer, but instead threw herself at directly at Arashi in a fierce hug that was more like a tackle. The older girl staggered backwards a step, completely taken aback. "What--"

Yuzuriha released her and took a step backward, eyes sparkling and a wide, secret smile on her face. "That was for you. It’s a present, from someone who says maybe he won’t get hit this way."

Arashi just stared at her.

The young girl smiled even more widely. "I’ve got class now. See you later!" With a wink, she skipped away, turning once to wave before whistling to Inuki and breaking into a run.

Arashi lifted her hand automatically in return, still frozen. Slowly, she slid her hands up her arms to her shoulders, hugging herself lightly. The fabric of her school uniform creased under her fingers.

In her mind, she could see a handsome face laughing, winking at her as Yuzuriha had as he made yet another outrageous declaration.

Sorata...

She hugged herself a little more tightly.

For a moment, she had almost felt warm.

---end---