The bigger hand snapped to grab hers and pulled towards the opposite direction, the small illumination didn’t reach her dim eyes, the corridor was as long as she remembered. The blanket around her slowly stored up heat from the still air, it failed to wake her up from her state. Her eyes still glazed over so he was only talking to himself. “Forgot to lock your door again?” He stopped at a door with glow-in-the-dark stickers: snowman, snowflake, christmas tree and so on, he bent to pick up the blanket that she didn’t grasp, flung and put it back on her with a knot tied around her collar bone. Then, he pushed the unlocked door and tugged her in, before closing the door with a light kick.
Once he led her to the bed, no sharp objects around but soft fluffy plushies, he made a clasp to wake her up. She shut her eyes firmly at the loud noise and when they were open again, her conscious returned. The confused mind didn’t figure out what happened and why he was looking at her with such an expression. The eyes rolled roamed around shortly told her she was in her room, but - she should be - she looked at him for the answer.
“Long story short, you sleepwalked so I brought you back.” Her parted lips didn’t close, “Ah, hmm, thank you.” It wasn’t the first time she do it, the frozen feet squirmed and she put them up and curled up, grabbing the blanket from inside to close up the gap. “You look like a homeless kitten in coldness, your hands were ******** cold.” Before finished, he picked her hand out. “I thought human’s hand is warmer?” A weak laugh, “It supposed to be, I’m just a bit abnormal.” Feeling her body warmed up, she rested her head on her knees. “.....Something happened and I changed.” There was silence as she took her hand out.
“Have you thought of if we were no in this hunter-weapon relationship, what would we be?” The girl asked, her toes nervously curled into the soft bedding underneath. “Are you stupid?” said bluntly the one next to her, “There’s no such thing, why ghouls always ask questions like that?”
Despite his annoyed tone, he gave an answer. “I’m your weapon, and I protect your life for the sake of my own.” That was an reply that fitted his personality much. “I dreamed that I was a knight, I dreamed that I was a rabbit, I dream that we were friends…..in another universe.” A laugh broke the quietness, “Then that me’s so unlucky, having a dumb friend like you.” She didn’t reply, her eyes casted down to the carpet that covered the dark floor that reminded her it was a dungeon many decades ago. “One thing unchanged is that I didn’t dump you, be very grateful of that and it should be the only thing you think about.”
While he was murmuring he would still be the best one in any AU, the girl turned around and placed a wrapped present box onto his laps. “Merry Christmas,” before she finished her words, there was sounds of it being being torn apart, “Thank you for sticking with me for another year.” It was fortunate she was still breathing, she could able to feel this world. “WHAT THE ******** IS THIS?!” A simple chibi version was pinched up between two fingers and swayed rudely. “Don’t tell me this is me. I told you many times how majestic I am!”
He threw the sewn toy back into the box and pushed it her way, she frowned and pushed back. “No one would ask the giver to take back their present, that’s rude.” He didn’t hesitate to push towards her side again, “Yes if the receiver refuses to take it. That’s your fault.” Back and forth, the short temper one pushed too hard at a time and the two fell onto the bed. Both were tired of the game and unwilling to leave the comfort that embraced them and calmed them down.
Her eyes met with the dangling snowflake decorations above, which she put up for the seasonal festival. The sparkles shone when they slowly swirled like a group of graceful ballet dancers, they reminded her of snow, of a promise made. “Have you seen snow before?” She lackadaisically raised her hand for the vague sparkly white. The heads almost touching, his eyes halted on her and averted, “Yup. Why asking?” It almost felt like they were lying on snow and watched they falling down from sky. With a beautiful melody of an advertisement song played in her mind, a scroll of her memories unravelled.
”Hey, what’re you watching? Your eyes would be damaged if you get that close to the tv.” A force pushed her back to the safe distance. Her hands flung, struggled to stick her face against the screen again while making whining sounds.
The pair of arms with firm muscles paused and a head with tanned skin and short hair appeared, she had Asian dark brown eyes and they were gazing at the television at the moment. “Oh an advertisement,” said the short hair. She didn’t say anything, she was captivated by what being shown. The brown eyes glanced at her and tried to induce a conversation. “What’s so special?”
The little girl with long smooth black hair was unable to avert her stare finally spoke, in a dreamy voice. “The snow...is...beautiful!” It was of no importance what the commercial tried to sell, inside, the snows slowly fell down from the sky, she wondered how it felt to actually touch one. Her knowledge told her it should be cold and will melt, but it looked like fluffy cotton candy to her. Small and soft, that was her impression. She knew what snow was,
“Oh right, you haven’t seen real snow, me neither -” As her hand raised to touch her neck, a paler hand landed on her shoulder, “Then we’ll go to see real snow for a Christmas, what do you think?”
Pale skinned with braided long reddish brown hair, the comer wore a beautiful smile as she pulled the smaller girl into her bosom. “REALLY? we can go see snow together, that’s great!” She curled her arms around the two, dragged them down to her level and squished herself in between. “I can’t wait for that day to come.”
Above her, the two discussed about it, planning to give their beloved sister a white christmas in a coming year.
The memory faded, as though a finished movie. “Nothing,"she shook her head. “W-When I finally had a chance to see snow myself, it wasn’t as lovely as fuwa fuwa as, though even the excitement didn’t go away. It’s not pure white, but greyish. I made a snow angel on a snow covered park but they were not with me.” They couldn’t fulfill that promise, as if the castel in a snowglobe, it was an impossible wish.
The snow looked beautiful and white inside it, it was a perfection. The real snow -- however looked like the flying ashes that day with drizzles, transparent wisp of smoke drifting towards the grey sky. She was prohibited entry so she could only stare at the ashes helplessly dissipated, disintegrated outside.
She didn’t have an umbrella, the wet clothes clung to her skin and absorbed her heat, her hair stuck on her paled face as she quivered. Anywise, she just stood there until everything ended.
It was a dream, all of it. He won’t be able to stay in a weapon golem for that long, she knew; she hadn’t learned how to sew yet. It was merely something she hoped to happen, deep beyond consciousness. Too many things not allowed to be shared. She’d found herself curled up and cuddled with a giant alpaca plush on bed when she woke up. It was given a ribbon that tied around its neck and named Cotton Candy, a dear gift from her best friend. She’d have organized the presents she brought, written a few words and sent them out with her best wishes. She was allowed to sleep until the next morning, in her warm comfortable bed. Many things would be waiting for the Asian hunter.
