Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters

Frozen Tears

"Hina, how could you do this?" Rui asked. Tears were gathering in Rui's eyes as she stared at her best friend, wondering how she could do such an awful act. "You realize what will happen now, don't you?" Hina remained emotionless. Her crimson eyes were glazed over, lacking focus but Rui saw a small glint of determination in her friend's stare.

"I won't let it happen," Hina replied in a hard tone.

"You know it is forbidden to have any associations with men. And even worse to conceive with their aid."

Hina looked Rui in the eye and said, "I know." Rui was shocked. Hina had always been a gentle and obedient girl, but now she had reached maturity and broken the oldest and most enforced law of Hyouga.

"Were you forced?" Rui's tears were dropping onto the floor, becoming gems before bouncing off the wooden surface. The thought of Hina, one that she considered a sister, being taken advantage of was heart wrenching.

Hina scowled at Rui. "Of course not!" she snapped. Rui stepped back. Hina had willingly lied down with a man? She shook her head; no, it wasn't possible. "You don't believe me," Hina stated. "I am one of the most powerful ice apparitions in the village and you think I would be unable to stop a man from violating me!" Hina was starting to get angry. Her fingers dug into the cloth of her kimono and she began to glare at Rui.

'I've never seen Hina this angry before,' Rui thought. 'What is happening to my friend?' "There is no need to be angry Hina," she pleaded. "I am only thinking of your well being."

"Well, I'm thinking of the well being of my child." Hina relaxed her grip and noticed she had torn into the cloth a bit.

"You are aware you will be bearing twins?" her friend asked.

"I am," Hina said softly. "But only one is in any real danger."

A silence came over them then. Rui looked down at Hina while she stared off into space, thinking about how she could save her son. She was barely two months into her pregnancy, but she already felt his aura inside her. It warmed her and made her think of the man who had fathered her children. A fire apparition who was, at first, very distant and seemed uncomfortable around most company. But Hina had drawn his attention and the feeling was mutual. The man intrigued the ice maiden and caused her to let her guard down. Their time together was brief but Hina had enjoyed every moment, thus she did not agree with the elders' decision that her son was an abomination that had to be destroyed. She would do whatever she could to keep both of her children.

—

Moonlight was shining through the trees. Everything seemed to have a dreamy black and white quality as Hina walked through the forest. There was someone she had to see, she could not bear the emotions swelling up inside her. She had to know if they would be reciprocated or not. The idea of her being the only one in the pair with these feelings made her heart skip, she wasn't sure if she could bear the rejection.

The ice maiden walked into the clearing they had agreed to meet in. The second she left the trees to become exposed, she felt a pair of eyes watching her. From the opposite side a dark figure approached.

"I wasn't sure you would come or not," Hina breathed. She couldn't help the smile that emerged on her face.

"Your message was very vague," the dark figure replied in a deep tone. "I needed to make sure nothing was wrong."

When they first met, Hina had only heard that voice take on a mocking tone. But as they grew closer, she noticed how gentle he became towards her. Even his words held little to no disdain when they spoke to each other.

"I have to know now before I have to return home," Hina began. The man stared at her, completely focused. "For a while, I have been experiencing some changes."

The figure walked closer and Hina was able to see his face in the moonlight. He had ink black hair and cold, gold colored eyes. There was scar that cut vertically on the right side of his mouth, starting above the lips and ending at his chin. He was an average sized man, about 5'7" which still towered over Hina's 4'11" form.

The woman felt her mouth dry up as he moved closer, a light blush emerging on her cheeks. He didn't interrupt, only waited for her to continue. "Umm..." she became uncertain whether to say the words or not. The second she did, she knew it would change their relationship. If he rejected Hina, she knew they could never continue to call each other friends.

"Go on, Hina," he encouraged. His eyes softened as Hina met his gaze. The ice maiden drew herself up and continued, "Since the day I met you, I instantly felt myself drawn to you. As we started talking and you showed me what my sisters and I have been missing in Hyouga, I started to feel a warmth inside me I had never felt in my cold village." Hina stepped closer to the man and placed her hand on his right cheek, caressing the scar with her thumb. "Takeshi, I love you."

A moment passed as the fire demon studied the ice apparition. Then, slowly, he raised his hand and placed it gently on her cheek. Hina smiled. Takeshi leaned forward, whispering, "I love you, too," and placed his lips on hers. Hina felt heat coming from his lips. Fighting one of the most basic reflexes when touching a hot object, she responded in kind, kissing back and even sending off chills. Fire and ice met, creating a space just for them.

—

Rui tentatively walked down the snow covered streets to the House of the Elders to report her conversation with Hina. Because the two women had been close since they were barely able to walk, Rui had been given the task of interrogating Hina. Her objective was to have Hina admit the encounter was forced; this would give the Elders permission to exterminate the child before Hina went into labor. Unfortunately, the daughter would die along with her brother but it was a sacrifice that had to be made.

'Why must this happen?' Rui thought in despair. 'Is this a sign? Have our cold hearts finally moved the Great Spirits to take action and ruin us?' The woman refused to believe otherwise; it had been over ten thousand years since a boy was last delivered into their village. The boy was said to have been very temperamental and thoughtless, torturing his sisters and mother. Boys become men, and thus the child matured into a beast, abusing the women of the village and enjoying many sins. The Elders exiled him only for him to return and murder his mother, causing the Elders to kill him. His body was said to have been put on display in the center of the village, a grisly example of why the women should have nothing more to do with men.

Since those events, the women of Hyouga had rare cases of a male assisted conception, but they were always forced. The Elders would "remove" the child before he could take his first breathe, solving the problem before it began.

Rui approached the door of the meeting house and was greeted by a young girl. "This way please," the girl said, guiding Rui into the house. She was led into a room about four bedroom spaces long. In the center was a fireplace with a blue flame illuminating four old women who stood around discussing events from the outside world that might effect the isolated society. The girl announced Rui's presence, bowed, and exited the room.

"Rui," one of the Elders began. "We are assuming you are here to give us information about Hina's predicament."

"Yes," Rui replied. "Hina has said very little though. She refuses to reveal the identity of the man and continues to refuse the procedure."

"Any mention as to how this abomination came to be?" one Elder asked.

"When I asked if the encounter was forced, she became angry and did not give a clear answer," Rui lied, she did not want to believe Hina had broken the law voluntarily.

"The girl must feel shame," one Elder offered.

"'Woman,'" another Elder corrected. "Hina has reached her one hundredth year, she is no longer a child."

"Which is probably why she feels she can make such a difficult decision on her own," a third Elder replied.

"Perhaps having Rui question her was the wrong approach," the first Elder mused as if Rui was no longer in the room with them. "We should have Hina sent for and ask her ourselves. If she still refuses the procedure, then we will have to explain fully how much more difficult the situation can become."

"We will have to be forced to accept her wishes though if she still refuses," the second Elder pointed out. "It is against our laws to force a woman into an abortion."

"If she is guiltless of leading the man into her bed, then she will no doubt accept the procedure," the first Elder said.

"But do not forget she is pregnant with two children, not just one," the third Elder chimed. "Her refusal might be that she does not want her daughter to suffer too."

"Enough talk," the fourth Elder ordered. "Have Hina brought here so we may question her ourselves."

Another young girl was sent and returned with Hina. The ice maiden in question was expressionless like when she had spoken with Rui. Rui stood to the side, trying her best not to get involved with the fight Hina was undoubtedly going to cause.

"Hina," the third Elder said gently. "You have been brought here to answer our questions truthfully and listen to our counsel. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Hina still refused to wear any look on her face that wasn't an indifferent, almost bored, expression.

The first Elder asked, "Hina, knowing that you are bearing two children, one being a male, are you refusing the procedure in order to spare the girl?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"As a mother, Elder, you must know how dreadful the thought of destroying such innocence before he even breathes is," Hina answered. And that is when the Elders started to grasp the situation: Hina had not only called the creature 'innocent' but also called it a 'he.' But for the sake of getting their answers now and correcting the woman later, none of them replied and moved on to the next question.

The second Elder asked, "Are you aware that by refusing to take on the procedure, the child will be exiled immediately after birth? He will more than likely die in the wilderness."

"I am aware that this is our law," Hina dodged.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly as I said."

"Hina," the fourth Elder spoke. "This is our law and it will be enforced. Do not think for one second that this will not happen."

"Of course, Elder." Hina gave the look of submission but there was still a hard look in her eyes.

Rui watched her friend with a confused look. 'She is usually more respectful than this.'

It was now the third Elder's turn to ask, "Was the conception forced?" Rui bit her lower lip at this; this was the question she had lied about.

Without missing a beat, Hina's reply was a flat, "No."

The Elders all stared at each other. Rui's statement led them to believe Hina was more sensitive at this question. It was true Hina had an angry look on her face, but her answer was so direct. The fourth Elder shot a glare in Rui's direction, giving notice of the false witness.

The fourth Elder stepped toward Hina, her shriveled body still as imposing as when she was in her prime. "Hina, my daughter, if this encounter was indeed with mutual consent, then that can only mean you know the identity of the filth who created that thing inside you." The fourth Elder was not holding back, her patience with Hina was gone when it was clear the woman intended to keep her son.

Hina glared at the older woman, calling the man she loved 'filth' and their son 'that thing' was causing her to lose patience with these women. When she visited the outside world, she was made aware of how close-minded her people were. Not all men were bad, the world wasn't as destructive as she was originally led to believe. It became clear to her now that if she wanted her children to be happy, she had to leave her village and all her sisters behind. In that moment, Hina was more than willing to leave and never come back.

The ice maiden fought hard from making an insulting remark. Instead, Hina smiled as sweetly as she could and answered, "Yes, I know who the father of my children is."

"Harlot!" the first Elder accused. "Do not drag your daughter down into the muck with you and the mindless beasts you associate yourself with!"

"Elder, I assure you I am not dragging her down. I intend to leave here as soon as possible so that none of you will drag her down into the muck along with all the ignorant sows you associate yourselves with!" Hina had finally lost her composure. She would protect both of her children from these hags.

Rui continued to watch in silence as the house erupted in shouted insults and accusations. 'Hina,' Rui mourned silently. 'Why are you acting this way? This isn't you. What has that man done to you?'

—

Six months passed and Hina became more and more anxious about the arrival of her twins. Only one month left and Hina would have to make her move. Until then, it was too risky to leave the glacial village for two reasons: the first was that the Elders would hunt her down and Hina, being in such a vulnerable state, would not be able to fight them off; and the second was that Hina did not know of a safe place where she could go into labor. So she had to stay put. But the ice maiden was not idle: she had stayed in contact with Takeshi, planning her departure.

The fire demon tread carefully on the snow, only making the softest crunch noise beneath his boots. Hina would be in the next clearing where there was a cave. They would only stay near the mouth since Hina explained there were large bears in the area.

Takeshi began to feel small amounts of youki in the air at the clearing. Hina must have already arrived. They had planned on meeting to devise an escape for Hina and their children; Takeshi was going to try to convince her to leave now so it would not be long for her to give birth and be able to fight if the Elders did come after them. Hina had explained that despite their old bodies, each Elder was more than capable of ripping apart even a demon of the lowest class with just one finger. Separately, the couple would not stand a chance against an Elder, but it had been proven the couple was an unstoppable team. Still, it was best to try to avoid a conflict. This further proved Takeshi's point to leave when their guard was the lowest. But Hina was worried that the escape would cause trauma to the unborn.

Approaching the mouth of the cave cautiously, Takeshi felt the source of youki was definitely inside. "Hina," he called softly. There wasn't a reply. "Hina," he tried again a little louder. This time he heard the rustle of cloth scraping across the cave floor.

"I'm here," a woman's voice answered softly. Takeshi did not know why, but something seemed off. As he walked closer to the woman, he realized exactly what it was. Hina was a powerful ice apparition, he had learned that before the hard way, but she always tried her best to conceal her energy. Her power level was still that of a C class demon when concealed; this woman's was too pitiful for even a D class.

Takeshi reached for the sword at his side, demanding, "Where is Hina?" He heard footsteps in the clearing behind him and turned, facing an old ice demon.

"Do not concern yourself over her," the hag answered. "She is safe. I would be more worried about myself right now."

The fire demon grabbed the weak woman from behind him and brought her to his front as a shield, his sword drawn and pressed against her throat.

"Men really are fools," said the hag, a twisted smile stretching across her wrinkled face. "Just because one seems helpless doesn't mean they really are." At this, the hostage started to laugh and placed her hands on Takeshi's legs. Ice emerged from her fingertips and spread onto his legs like a virus. Without hesitation, Takeshi pulled his sword across the woman's throat, causing a large amount of blood to spray out of the cave as if it was an open wound of the world. The man tossed the body aside and retreated into the cave, summoning the fire inside him to thaw the ice on his legs. He stopped short when a wall of ice materialized in front of him.

"There is no where to run," the hag informed as she walked into the cave. Takeshi turned to face his opponent like a cornered beast. His gold eyes fierce as he summoned flames to wrap around his blade.

The fire demon stared the Elder in the eye as he retorted, "Come on then, you old bitch!"

The fight did not last long. Takeshi charged the old woman, intending fake a strike at her right side and instead hit her chest. But the ice apparition was far too experienced to fall for a trick like that, and produced an icy shard. Holding it like a dagger in her left hand, the Elder waited for Takeshi to double back in his strike. As he went from attacking her right to her middle, the Elder ducked beneath the fiery blade and forced her dagger into the demon's gut. The man froze, shocked by the hag's speed. He felt the ice pierce his skin, digging deep to find a home in his internal organs. Takeshi expected to feel warm liquid pour out of his wound, but all he felt was frost. His insides began to feel uncomfortably numb. He wanted to summon his flames to warm himself, but then the dagger would disappear and he would bleed out. But if he didn't do anything, then the cold would spread, encasing his insides and eventually his outsides in ice. This way he would die slowly.

"Quite a predicament," the Elder mused. "By leaving the dagger in, your blood remains inside but you will experience severe hypothermia. If you remove it, you avoid a slow death but you will bleed out." She then starting giggling like a girl as a sadistic smile appeared. "Either way, you're not leaving this cave alive."

Takeshi glared at the cold-hearted bitch as he made a decision: he would die, but he would try to take the Elder with him. "If I'm going to hell," he whispered. "Then I'm taking you with me!" He grabbed the woman in a fierce embrace as he summoned all of his last energy to create an inferno inside the cave. The ice dagger immediately melted and he felt blood gush from his wound. The old hag in his arms screamed like a banshee as the fire consumed her, she wasn't prepared for this last ditch effort. Her shriveled skin seemed to tighten and shrink. The smell of burnt hair filled her nostrils. Takeshi released her when her shrieks ended, her charred body hit the ground with a dry rustle. The fire demon landed beside her, feeling extreme fatigue as his life's essence continued to spill out. His breaths became shorter and his eyes filled with tears as he saw the face of the woman he loved in his mind.

"Hina," Takeshi breathed and then lost consciousness, eventually passing from blood loss.

—

Crystallized tears bounced off the floor, creating a small pile that continued to grow. Hina tried her best to hold them back, but Takeshi's silence was too upsetting. At first, she chalked it up to irrational hormones, but a little voice in her head kept saying horrible things. 'He never cared about you, he only wanted one thing.' No surprise the voice sounded like one of the Elders.

Since Hina had returned to Hyouga, she and Takeshi kept in contact through encrypted notes that would be placed in a hole in one of the oldest trees in the forest outside the village. Hina had written a message that explained why she could not leave the village yet. The last couple of notes held silent arguments about the subject. When Hina visited the tree, her message was gone but the hole was empty. Usually when Takeshi took her notes, he replaced them immediately with his own. She had been to the tree a couple of times and searched everywhere for a note, but she never found one. In truth, Takeshi had left a note with details of a meeting, but the note was taken by someone else after they had sensed the fire demon's youki.

'Maybe he got tired of waiting for me,' Hina thought, a fresh coat of tears glazing her eyes. She heard footsteps approach from behind. She turned in her chair to see Rui walking up to her. Rui looked at her friend's face and saw her eyes were bloodshot with water about to spill from her lids. The pile of gems at Hina's feet gave clear evidence that she had been crying for a while.

"Sister," Rui comforted, going to Hina's side and holding her. That was when Rui began to feel immense power emanating from Hina. Rui pulled back a little to stare at her friend. "Hina?"

"It's not me," Hina answered. She had already felt the youki growing inside her, but she wasn't sure if it was coming from both fetuses or not. And she noticed the energy seemed to increase when another ice apparition was around. 'Perhaps perceiving a threat?' Hina thought. It would not surprise her, most of her distress came from her sisters. Still, it comforted Hina, filled her with a warmth like a blanket except it was coming from inside.

Rui looked at Hina's swelled stomach and cautiously placed a hand on top. A kick from inside forced Rui to pull back her hand. 'That is not normal,' she thought. Hina made a small noise in the back of her throat when her son kicked. "He doesn't like that," she explained. "It's happened a few times when a few of the girls tried to feel. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was trying to protect his sister and me." The woman chuckled a little as she relaxed back into the chair, the tears finally falling from her lids down her cheeks and onto the floor where they made a soft click.

Rui continued to mull over the effect the boy was having on his mother: despite his obviously hostile acts before even leaving the womb, Hina brushed it aside with a maternal attitude. 'The child really is a beast. Hina can't see this because she is too close.' Shaking her head, Rui moved on into the reason for her presence. "Hina," she began. "There is going to be two funerals tomorrow for one of the Elders and one of our sisters."

Hina looked at Rui and asked, "Two funerals? What happened?"

"They said the girl and the Elder were both attacked by the fire beasts that tend to stray from their own territories. The girl was being mauled by a hi no ookami when one of the Elders tried to assist her. She was dragged into a cave where the rest of the pack was. They summoned fire to trap the Elder."

Hina placed a hand over her mouth to keep from sobbing, but more tears appeared. A hi no ookami was a fire wolf. They had a tendency to stray near Hyouga when food became scarce in their territory; sometimes they would attack a girl from the village if they were desperate enough. But to be able to take down an Elder seemed too out of the ordinary, the pack must have consisted of a large number.

"Sister," Rui placed a hand on Hina's shoulder. "Why were you crying before?"

Hina processed for a moment, trying to think if she should lie or not. Rui had always been her confidant when they were growing up, but with recent events her friend had tried to remain in the middle; neither pushing for her son's exile nor backing Hina for his survival. Hina wiped the tears from her eyes and made a decision, Rui would keep a secret if Hina asked.

"Rui," she said softly. "You have been my sister since we were young. You were always there when I needed you, even encouraged me to visit the outside world, something you probably regret now-"

"I never regret what can't be fixed," Rui interrupted.

Hina smiled and continued, "What I am about to tell you must never leave this house. I need you to swear to me, not as a sister or a friend, but as a woman and future mother." The ice maiden stared right into her sister's eyes with a hard look. "Swear to me."

Silence went over them as Rui thought. Finally, "I swear."

—

The day had finally arrived: Hina began her contractions before the sun even rose, causing some panic but only temporarily since Rui was sleeping in a bed next to her. Her friend went into action by having a couple of girls from the village assist in the delivery. It was clear though that the boy would emerge first, and this made the young maidens nervous. His youki flared stronger than ever that day.

Hina screamed like a banshee the entire time despite Rui's comforting words. Rui knew Hina desperately wanted everything to be alright, but if Hina's story that she confided Rui to was true, then it was really too much to ask the Spirits for help. Still, Hina and Rui both prayed fervently before and during the delivery.

The boy's head emerged first; Rui didn't know if that was a good thing or not given what he would face soon. His body was warm and covered in blood, he cried out only once then fell asleep as one of the girls washed him in a basin. The girl followed soon after, following the example of her brother, she only cried out once then fell asleep.

"Let me hold them Rui," the mother whispered. Rui turned to Hina. The new mother propped herself against the wall, still in the lying down position. She watched the girls intently as they gently washed the blood off the twins. When the girls handed Hina her new borns, the ice apparition shed two tears that landed on her chest as gems. Rui picked the jewels up to keep safe for the children, as was the custom.

Hina stared lovingly at the infants as they snuggled against her. The boy had black hair just like his father while the girl had teal hair like Hina. When they finally opened their eyes, Hina saw they both had crimson eyes like her, but her son had a sharp eye form like his father. Strangely, the boy seemed focused as if he knew exactly who she was and what was going on. He did not smile like his sister did. This made the girls even more cautious about the child. Rui looked at her sister's face and saw loving devotion. 'This boy could have horns and green skin and Hina would still look at him that way,' Rui thought.

A knock from outside prompted one of the girls to open the door. "Elder," the girl exclaimed.

"Let me in, child," a raspy voice from outside commanded.

The girl complied and stepped out of the way as one of the Elders entered. The old woman entered the house, staring at the perfect image of a caring mother and her infants. The Elder came closer and saw that the children looked exactly like their mother except the boy had black hair that held a reminiscent shape of fire. Hina looked up and her face fell. "Elder,' she said. "What brings you here?"

"You know exactly why I am here, Hina."

"I hope it is only to see the children, because they haven't even been alive for an hour yet."

"That doesn't matter," the Elder replied as she shook her head. "The boy needs to be taken now before you become too attached."

"A little late for that. Nine months inside me is enough time to become attached." Hina looked down at her babies, her son in her right arm, daughter in the left.

"You knew what would happen the moment you returned to our village after breaking our most sacred law."

"Then allow us time to leave," Hina pleaded. "If you exile my son then I will go with him and take my daughter with me."

"Hina," the Elder spoke softly. "You are too weak to travel and your daughter is too young to be taken outside the village, it isn't safe."

"Then why my son?" Hina challenged. "He is too young to be taken outside, as well."

"This is the law we must follow Hina to preserve peace." The Elder approached, reaching for the boy. The instant her fingers came within reach, the boy's youki flared, creating a small flame that burnt the Elder's skin. The old woman yelled out in pain. Hina, however, had been completely unharmed.

"A fire demon," the Elder gasped. "This sin is greater than we thought. Not only did you lay down with a man, but also a fire demon. Hina, fire demons have been the bane of our existence and you mated with one! Are you willing to kill us all?"

Hina only glared at the Elder.

"This boy," the old woman whispered. "This beast, he will destroy us all. He is a curse, an imiko."

Silence fell over the group; Rui had a concerned look, the young girls watched in fear, Hina and the Elder stared each other down, the boy seemed to be glaring at the Elder, and the baby girl looked all around her, completely unfazed by the events unfolding.

—

A group of women stood at the edge of a large cliff. A blizzard had appeared, the harsh wind and bitter cold reflected how Hina saw the events. Rui, the woman she had considered a sister, was holding her son- who had to be wrapped tight with holy tags to keep his demonic flames contained- and standing at the very edge of the cliff.

Hina had begged the Elders to give her son back, saying once again that she would leave the village and never return. But her request was denied, and here she was watching any mother's nightmare come true. A couple of the women from the village had to hold the desperate mother back from trying to retrieve her child.

"Rui," one of the Elders said. "I know you and Hina are close friends and this is difficult for you, but you must do this for her own sake. And yours and ours. This imiko, this boy of fire, will slaughter us all."

Rui whispered, "I'm sorry," to the boy.

"Do not pity the beast," the Elder replied.

Rui reached into her kimono and produced a priceless stone attached to a string. The stone glistened an icy blue, a harsh contrast to the boy's blood red irises. Softly so no one but the child could hear, Rui whispered, "When you come back seeking the revenge that you, and we, deserve, please kill me first." She tucked the stone into the bundle, the boy staring straight at her with an intelligent look. "It's the least I can offer to atone for what I'm about to do," Rui continued. She held the child in front of her so that only empty space was beneath him. Reluctantly, she let go and the boy was sent over the edge, supposedly into oblivion.

Hina gasped, tears flowing and crystallizing. "You've killed my son!"

The boy fell through space, making his journey to the earth below where he would begin his ruthless journey to return to Hyouga, and then to find his long lost twin sister.

—

Three years had passed. A beautiful toddler ran to her mother's side while the woman was crushing herbs for medicine. The girl looked exactly like her mother except the girl was smiling. The woman only managed to lift the corners of her lips as she saw her daughter dance.

"Who taught you to dance Yukina?" her mother asked.

"Rui," the girl giggled. Though with her still trying to grasp speech, the name came out more as 'Wee.'

The woman laughed, but it did not reach her eyes. The girl continued to dance until her mother told her to wash up for dinner. Yukina complied without hesitation.

That night, Hina, Yukina, and Rui- who had stopped by to eat and decided to stay the night- ate dinner and played small games before retiring. Yukina snuggled up to Rui in bed. The girl was attached to the woman like she was her older sister. Hina could not sleep. She had not had a restful night since that day three years before. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw a baby boy wrapped tightly being held by her best friend at the edge of a cliff. The moment her friend let go of the child, Hina would always cry out, sitting straight up and in a cold sweat.

Hina looked at her daughter and smiled gently as a tear came to her eye. She didn't stop it from hitting the floor, but the sound was so soft it only stirred the pair slightly before they returned to their easy slumber. The mother refused to look at her friend; she never blamed her for what had happened, but she still had a hard time looking her in the eye.

The ice maiden exited her home quietly, making her way to the forest. She looked for the oldest tree that had a hole in the trunk. Memories of a man she thought she loved flooded her mind, but she forced them away.

Using her ice summoning, Hina created a dagger with a sharp edge. She sat among the roots of the tree and stared at the moon. The light had created a dreamy black and white scene. Hina steeled herself and drew the blade across both her wrists. The blood appeared black against the snow. Hina continued to stare at the moon as she slowly lost consciousness, falling into a restful sleep that would never end.