Cold

“It’s snowing harder. Where is he? He shouldn’t be out here. Ugh, Araus! Araus, where are you?! Why did you go out into the snow?!” Kokura hollered as he braved the blizzard, shivering intensely as he wrapped his cloak around him tighter. Where was his friend? He needed to save him, just protect him from the storm in their little abode for a time, even when he hadn’t eaten in so long. Even now, he was still suffering, why can’t he help him?! He kept berating himself as he looked around, trying to search for him in the blizzard. God, everything was so white, he hated it, why this, why-?

He squinted into the white as he saw trees looming, dark and foreboding. There seemed to be a pale lump near the bottom of one of those trees. His eyes widened and he felt a lump in his throat as he rushed forward, stumbling through the thick snow. “Araus! Araus?!” He continued to stumble and fall in the snow, picking himself back up as he rushed faster and faster. He cursed the blizzard as he reached the lump of covered snow. Brushing it away, he could clearly see a tattered dark cloak that was very, very familiar. He recognized that patch. “Araus, wake up! Araus!” He shook the human as he tried to snap him awake. He was barely breathing as he opened dark red eyes.

“Hey…”

“Okay, come on, why did you come out here? This storm is bad, we have to go back inside, come on!” The boy smiled bitterly as he shook his head. “Why not?!”

“I’m already…”

“What? No you’re not! What-?”  The boy just glanced at his stomach as he rolled over.

“…I can already feel it, okay? You know I wasn’t all that strong…it hurts all the time. Them, me, this life, it hurts, I want to die…and I had already felt it, the end, nearing. …You know we hadn’t eaten in so, so long…and I feel so weak already…why do you think I came here? To be under the cherry trees…?”

“What are you implying? I know you feel weak but even then I can help! I can give you something, anything, just-!”

“Like what? Food? Warmth? I can’t have that, apparently, what’s the point? Someone like me, with these eyes, with this hair, with this body, this being that can’t even help or love-!” Kokura was breathing frantically as the boy shivered and wrapped his cloak around him tighter. “I was already weak, come on. I was already weak…and now I’m dying. Already my vision is almost black.” His heart stopped at that very moment.

“No…no! Please, no! It’s not true, come on, please-!”

“Already I’m fading, I can feel it. The cold is helping actually…and…I don’t feel hungry or hurt anymore. It’s nice… Hey, Kokura? Smile for me a little? Just a bit? Come on, please?” The man was sobbing as he knelt down and hugged his friend, letting the snow drop off his shivering and emaciated body.

“I’m here, it’s okay, I’m here. No, don’t die, not again, not again, not another, no more, not again…” He continued to quake as he was fragilely hugged back.

“I’m here, it’s okay…I’m here…I’m…” He stopped shivering and the hug fell apart, eyes closed as he remained leaning into the Korosaku. He screamed, a primal noise that ripped at his throat as he hugged and wailed his grief.

“…Ah! Oh no!” He continued to cry and ignore the approaching figure as she went towards the pair. “He- Is he-?”

“GO AWAY!” he screamed as he blasted her with magic, “GO AWAY GO AWAY GO AWAY!”

“Wait no I know how to help I-“

“GO AWAAAAAAAY!” She screamed as dark magic encircled him and wrapped itself around the pair, as if shielding them from her.

“No, wait! Hold on, the tree! The-! Come on! Let me!” She made a frustrated noise as her eyes flickered to the snow covered cherry tree. With a grunt, she blasted her own magic at the tree, watching the petals shake off and slowly fall. One petal, glowing pink, floated closer and closer to the body until it fell on top of it, breaking through the dark magic and sinking into the still form of Araus.

There was a gasp as Kokura felt a sudden surge of warmth from the body before it started to shiver again. And already, he could see the clothes change and the ears- The ears? He screamed again as the petals formed on his hair and the ears turned into animal ears. “No, I- Not…!” There was a groan as the boy’s eyes fluttered open, still red as ever.

“…I’m…alive? I’m not…hungry…or…hurting…anymore… Still cold…so cold…”

“I’m here, it’s okay, oh god I’m so sorry it’s okay,” Kokura sobbed as he held onto a weakened Araus. The new Sakuramimi blinked tiredly before hugging back, a bit tighter than before.

“Yeah…I’m okay now…” The other figure just watched helplessly as they hugged, the cherry blossom glimmering against the cold blizzard.