I went on a stroll. An evening walk. The winds have gotten colder, and snow was piling up on the streets. Every day, it felt like I was on a winter wonderland. Being the foreigner I am, I guess it would probably be normal. For me who longed to see white snow falling down the sky, it was bliss.
I guess that winter wonderland wasn't too far fetched.
I continued on my night stroll, admiring the scenery before my eyes. With snow gently falling down the sky and streetlights illuminating the night road, it was a feast for my eyes. It was one of those sceneries I thought I can only see on movies. I was in awe.
But one particular person caught the corner of my eye. In this scenery, I guess my first impression of her was;
"Snow princess..."
"Huh?"
I suddenly blurted out my thoughts, as I was unconsciously walking towards her and stopped right before her. The person in question was startled at just what I said, and frantically looked around her. Upon her realization that I was talking about her, our eyes met.
"Ah..."
Both of our reactions was the same. And for some unknown reason, I started laughing. The girl was confused.
"H-Huh? Why? Why are you laughing? H-Hey!"
"Hahahaha... I'm sorry. It's just that... Snow princess..."
"Huuh?! T-That too! What do you mean by that?"
What do I mean? Well, if one would see her at a night where it was snowing, I would probably guess someone she knew would say the same thing. Her hair was as white as snow, eyes that shine like sapphire. With those features alone, my impression of a 'snow princess' is accurate. Well, to me at least.
I tried to calm myself as to answer her question, but right before I was able to do so, girls that looked like her friends called out to her.
"Heeeey! Yuki~, whoa, who?"
"Someone I don't know. Come on, let's go."
"Ah... U-un."
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Ah... They left.
Yuki, huh... A name fit for her.
"Somehow, I get the feeling we'll see each other again."
The next day...
I transferred at a local highschool nearby, and by nearby I mean two trips on a train. The school was named Silver High Academy. Well, technically I was transferred long ago. It was my first time spending winter here. Anyways, on my way to school, I noticed that a large crowd of freshmen were gathering at the gym, men and girl alike.
I went to see the commotion and saw a familiar face inside. It's her, Snow Princess.
"Whoa, is she some celebrity? Looking at her now, I guess snow princess really does fit her."
Is that the... Drama Club? Wait, there's another club... Err... The Choral Club too... I guess they're making a collaboration. Is she perhaps the Main Character?
"Yo, Sky! Did you come to see our school idol, Yuki?"
The man who was calling me was my classmate, and also my first friend since my transfer, Hashima Tetsu.
"School idol? Her?"
I never knew she was this popular...
"What?! You transferred here three months ago, and yet, you don't know the school's top beauty?!!!"
"Like hell I do!! I barely know any seniors here."
"Well, you do rarely talk to others, so I guess that makes sense."
"Did you just made it sound that I'm some kind of a loner?"
"A-ny-ways, that girl is Silver High's top beauty idol, Shirohana Yuki! Remember it well!"
Shirohana Yuki[1]... her name, her appearance; she truly fits my impression of a snow princess.
"Say... She's a second year right?"
"Uh-huh. Apparently, she's known for being co~ld towards guys, so- wait are you going for her? Maaaaan, she's out of your league!"
"I didn't say anything."
Well, for my part, I thought that I was rude to her last night. I guess I better apologize to her later.
"Say Tetsu, what class is Shirohana in?"
"Huh? Umm.. it was Class 2-C, I think. Look, like I said-"
"Shut up! I didn't say anything!"
I guess I'll apologize during lunch break. But, will I be able to call her out? I mean, she is a senior and maybe those friends with her last night might be her classmates and and and...
Aaaaaah! Calm down me!
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With all that over thinking, class went smoothly and lunch break began.
"Class 2-C... Class 2-C... Ah found it."
I peeked a little bit and suddenly...
"Aah, It's that guy last night!"
"Geh!"
I turned around and it's one of Shirohana's friends from last night.
"What do you want? Did you come here to bother Yuki again?"
"N-No, no! I came here to apologize from yesterday. I was being rude, and didn't know that she was a senior of mine."
"Hmmm? Is that so? Wait, you're a junior?"
"Y-Yes."
"Hmm, I see, I see... My name is Kurama Saya. You?"
"Sky. Anthony Sky."
"Oooh, a foreigner's name."
"Hahaha, I get that a lot."
"No wonder, you speak[2] so fluently. So, you want to apologize to Yuki?"
"Yes, if I can."
"Well, she's probably on the rooftop. Oh, and don't tell her I told you that!"
With a smirk, she slapped me in the back and waved a 'good luck'.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
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I went to the rooftop and, just like Kurama said, Shirohana is there eating her lunch.
Hm? That's the school cafeteria's bread. She didn't bring her own lunch?
While thinking about why she only eats the cafeteria's food, I slightly got less nervous.
Okay, calm down...
I walked towards her and stopped a few meters in front of her.
"H-Hey, fancy meeting you here."
"Huh? You're the person from last night. I didn't know you were a schoolmate."
"Yeah, well... Me neither. And, about last night... that.... sorry. I was, well... rude."
"I don't mind. You're the first person to give me a different nickname than Ice Queen."
She says as she takes a bite from her bread.
"Ice Queen?"
Oh yeah, Tetsu did say something about her being cold towards guys.
"So you got that nickname because you give the guys the cold shoulder."
"The nickname itself doesn't bother me. It's just... I can't act natural when it comes to guys. I end up giving them cold stares and say some harsh things to them."
"I don't know you're circumstances, but hey... you're talking to me naturally. Why's that?"
"You're right... Why, indeed. I don't know."
A small thought entered my mind. Does it mean I'm special? I don't think so.
But, for some reason, I feel a nostalgic feeling around her. Have we met before?
*Ding Dong Ding Dong*
Before I could raise the question, the bell rang. Lunch ended.
She finished her bread, stands up and dusts her skirt. She grabbed the plastic bag near her and began to walk away.
She stopped shortly before the door.
"You know... I don't know why... and I hate to admit it... but for some reason, I feel at ease talking to you."
Did the Ice Queen began to melt?, was a joke I made in my mind. I guess the guys just misunderstood her. She's no Ice Queen. What I see is a Snow Princess.
With a smile, I reluctantly replied.
" What a coincidence, me too."
She turned away and left the rooftop.
At that moment...
"Did she just..."
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That night, I kept thinking about it. There's no way we've met before. I mean, I arrived here last three and a half months, and I rarely went outside. The only times I went outside was when I needed to buy something.
Even when I include the times I went outside for a walk, which started when snow began to fall, the only time I saw her was yesterday. But, for some reason... I just can't shake off the feeling that I've met her before.
"It's no use. Nothing comes to mind."
I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes. Guess I'll just sleep.
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On one snowy day, I was sitting on a swing in the park. It was cold, but it didn't bother me much. I blankly stared on the ground at my feet. I had a fight with my friends. Ever since grade school, I was a popular target for bullying. Boys specifically, were the ones that likes to bully me. At that time, I was a bookworm and only spend my days with my books. I had few 'friends' and I didn't socialize much. I thought transferring schools would end the bullying, but in my junior high days, it only got worse.
Until one day...
A group of girls was bullying one girl, and that girl is me. These girls then took me behind the gym along with a few of their friend boys. There, the bullying got worse, and I was almost raped. I mean, what can one weak girl like me do against four boys. It was hopeless. I cried for help, but the school was already empty. I thought I was done for, but then...
Someone came for me... someone saved me...
He was weak though. He was beaten up badly. But still, he fought for me until some of his friends came in to help. After that, the four boys were expelled, and the girls too.
I had a phobia of men since then. But slowly, because of him, I slowly overcame that fear, even though I'm still scared sometimes. He began talking to me after a few days since the incident, and I began to slowly trust him. Until graduation came.
He said he'd be away for a while, and would be going overseas because of his parent's work.
Two years have passed, and I never saw him since then.
I stood up, and went at the waiting spot. Snow was slowly falling through the sky. Night lights lit up the streets. And I stood there admiring the surroundings.
This reminded me of him. He'd often say that I'd really blend with the snow. He even gave me a nickname. That was...
"Snow princess..."
"Huh?"
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*beep beep beep*
The sound of the alarm woke me from my sleep. I hit my clock to stop the alarm and got up of my bed.
While walking half asleep, I bumped my toe on the shelf. Some books fell down.
"Ow! What a morning."
While agonizing in pain, I noticed one particular book that stood out the most, perhaps because it was not written in English. I opened the book only to find that it was a yearbook. MY, yearbook even. A junior high one.
"Did I live here long before?"
I browsed the book and found myself. It was me alright. But I also found someone else.
Shirohana Yuki, a year below me.
I picked up the book and rushed to the living room. My parents were there having breakfast, and was surprised to see me all worked up. I pointed at the yearbook and demanded an explanation. With a surprised look, Mom left stopped washing the dishes and sat down, while Dad finished his coffee. My mother was Japanese and my father was American. I sat down in front of them. Dad looked at me, and began explaining.
"That yearbook was from two years ago, before we went to America. During our stay, things didn't go well for you, as you were being made fun of. We decided to go back home in Japan, but then you got into an accident. The doctor said you had amnesia, and had lost some of your memories. We had no choice. We had to stay in America for your health." (Dad)
"During that time, we transferred you to some other school, and you had no trouble adapting. A year later, the doctor said you were already fine, and we headed home to Japan. We didn't know what memories you lost, so we decided to bring all your stuff in hope for you to recover your lost memories." (Mom)
"I see... Thanks Dad, Mom."
I prepared for school. I felt that the huge gap was now gone, and that feeling with Yuki was once and for all confirmed. We had met two years ago. And now, we met again after so long.
Before I left..
"Dad, Mom... Thank you, really. For keeping all my stuff."
"I'm just glad you regained some of your memory. Take care son." (Dad)
"Yeah. I'm off."
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At school, I could barely wait to talk to Yuki. I wonder if she remembers me.
I wonder if she was waiting for me this whole time.
After class....
"Hey, Sky. You look like you're in a hurry."
"Yeah, I'm going to talk see Yuki. Talk to you later, Tetsu."
"Hey! Since when did you get friendly with her?! Hey, Sky!"
I ignored Tetsu's cry and left the classroom. I immediately went to Class 2-C. I stood at the door, ready to knock, but the door was suddenly opened by Kurama.
"Oh! Heya, Sky. You need somethin'?"
"Uhmm... Is Yuki here?"
"She's on the rooftop as usual. Go on, Sky."
With a smile she gave me a slap in the back. I smiled back and said thanks and hurriedly went to the roof.
"Well Yuki, it's all up to you now." (Kurama)
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On the roof, Yuki was eating once again the cafeteria's bread. I approached her, out of breath, and sat at her side a few meters away.
"S-Sky? You're out of breath, are you okay?"
"Haa... Haaa... Y-yeah... I'm fine..."
I breathed in to catch my breath. After that, we just sat there silently.
After a few minutes, I began to talk.
"Say... We've met before, right? Two years ago."
She stopped eating her bread. I could tell even without looking. I just looked up, waiting for her reply. With no signs of her replying to my question, I continued.
"You see, I saw my yearbook. You were a year below me back then huh... But now you're my senior."
She still sat there silently. I continued.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. You see, I had an accident and lost some of my memories."
".... I see...."
She became silent again.
A few moments later, I faintly hear her sobbing. Her tears flowing down on her red cheeks. She looked at my face and grabbed my arm.
She buried her face in my arm, and with a trembling... and shaking voice, she gently said...
"I've been... waiting for you..."
Yuki hugged me. She tightly embraced me, with no signs of letting go. This time, she buried her face in my chest.
"Y-yuki? What's wrong?"
She shook her head. With tears still flowing down her cheeks, she replied in a smooth, soft voice.
"I've missed you... I've been waiting for so long... Two years... I just..."
"Yuki..."
I separated her from me, and took out my handkerchief and wiped her tears. She began to slowly calm down while grasping my hand. I smiled at her.
"Because I've lost my memories, I guess we'll just have to make new ones. I'll introduce myself again. My name is Anthony Sky, and I... have fallen in love with you ever since I met you on that snowy day."
She let go of my hand, wiping her wet eyes with her hands. In a now calm manner, and a coarse voice, she said...
"And I'm Shirohana Yuki. I've loved you ever since the day I've met you."
Slowly, we moved towards each other like magnets, embracing one another. Staring at my eyes with her sapphire eyes, gently... Very gently, our lips touch. And with our eyes gently closing, a kiss.
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END
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(Author's notes)
1. In Japanese, 白い花 (shiroi hana = white flower), 雪(yuki = snow)
2. Kurama meant to say that Sky can speak the native tounge so fluently even though Sky is a foreigner, which offsets Sky's foreigner vibe.