Because the snow is falling.

White boots crunched into the crisp icy powder. The path they tread was winding and narrow, cutting between trees and under natural rock formations. At one point they tap tap tapped from stone to stone across a riverbed, never faltering. The frigid water was deadly at this time of year but the girl did not hesitate on her way. The long pine branch hanging in her slender hand effectively brushed away the prints behind her as quickly as they were left.

The sky was a gray mass of storm clouds threatening darkly to dump more precipitation on the already frosty forest. A small thump could be heard from time to time as snow slid off trees and landed in mounds on the ground. The occasional brisk wind stirred the top layer of shining crystals and led them in a beautiful dance before depositing them at its own fickle whim.

The boots belonged to a girl, aged almost thirteen and dressed otherwise in a like-colored coat and thick woolen pants. Water soaked through the hem of her pants and jacket and glittered in her eyelashes from the melting snow. Her breathing, light as it was, puffed white clouds out into the bitter air. The girl was Sakura Mikan, and she was returning to her makeshift home after completing an important correspondence errand.

Mikan was not the youthful, vibrant child of two years before. Her smile, once free and ebullient, was now often tinted with vague worry when it appeared at all. War altered everyone, but for her the effect was clearer and more drastic. Pale cheeks, once rounded and pinked with health, were growing thinner and more sallow as the days fell away.

There was never bountiful food available because of their situation, but this season was by far the most difficult. Winter berries were scarce, as were any other types of fruit and vegetable produce. There were animals, but times were tough for them, too, and Mikan could not bear to imagine consuming meat unless there was dire need.

As fugitives they did not have access to the town; even if they could take the risk, they had no way of making money. Long gone were the days of prepared meals and a regular allowance. The brunette could not work up the energy to miss them. Gone too were the days of fresh clothing and a well-groomed appearance; Mikan's chestnut hair, now long enough to tickle the small of her back, was unkempt and wild. She had lost track of her last few hair bands months' back and had never bothered figuring out a way to replace them. For a time near the beginning of their forced exile she had tried using various twines and ropes as stand-ins, but soon such commodities became too important to waste on a trivial thing like a hairstyle. Now her hair hung loose, or was stuffed under her hat for better camouflage.

Persona and the Elementary School Principal had not lost during that first explosive battle. Neither had they conquered, not entirely. Most of the rebel students had been captured and, while there were no recorded casualties yet, it was clear that many of them were being tortured and unwillingly converted. A core group of the "traitors" was all that remained inside the Gakuen Alice campus, spread out tactically in various undisclosed hiding spaces.

The brightest point during those months was Tsubasa successfully managing to rescue Misaki; they would have lost both if either was taken or missing. Yuka had survived, as had Shiki and Narumi; they all stayed together across the campus and ran missions as a threesome. Things were still awkward between them; Mikan did not fully understand, but as far as she knew there were personal reasons behind the tenseness. They did their work well, at least.

Ruka stayed on in his forest alone, with the animals. He was the member of them who was able to most easily keep contact with Hotaru, who had escaped to the outside, albeit reluctantly. She sent food and inventions to them through him, and he spent most of his time shuttling items and information between the stationed groups.

All of them could have made it outside at one point, had they wanted to. But as members were lost and captured, infiltration missions and battles became more and more important for a positive outcome. Hotaru remained alone mainly because her Alice was a valuable tool for them, and materials were easier to come by on the outside. Without her position they would all have starved during the previous winter, or frozen to death.

Natsume and Mikan were together, always. They were partners, rivals, friends, and possibly, soul mates. It was less that they needed to be together for the sake of winning, but more that each needed the other for mental and physical wellbeing. They comforted and fed off each other's energy, although they were still constantly fighting. In the end, it probably amounted to the same thing.

No others of their group had survived, but there was still always hope.

Hope.

But Natsume was sick. Deathly, impossibly ill. Battling taxed him, but he was their strongest member. Spring and summer eased the weight on his lungs, but now it was winter. On a weak night he would speak to Mikan, voice rasping in his throat, about the raw sharpness that the cold pierced his insides with.

The "L" word had not been mentioned aloud between them, even after all they had survived together. They balanced their lives on a thin wire, striving towards their goal. It was necessary that those feather-light truths not be allowed to disturb or jeopardize their fragile existences.

Besides, it was only four letters. How much more could it cover than need, and fate, and hope?

But dusk was settling; Mikan needed to hurry back to their cave. She picked up her face, trampling down yesterday's snow.

Yeah, the snow is f a l l i n g~

Natsume was sleeping when she arrived back, spread out next to the fire on the thin cloth mattress they shared (for warmth). It was a good sign, in a sense; the sweaty sheen of fever on his forehead was not keeping him awake. From experience Mikan knew better than to enter, if she wanted him to remain in slumber. He slept lightly, these days. They all did; no one could foretell discovery. They slept like soldiers, fully dressed and half aware. The slightest motion started them into paranoid consciousness, weapons out.

Even now, the hilt of an unsheathed knife peeked out under the corner of the blanket draped over the sleeping form. One wrong step and he would be fully upright, brandishing it at any potential intruder.

They could not rely on their Alice's to do the job anymore. The enemy had them, too, and knew the extent of theirs. Real blades and guns served better in case their Alice's were disabled or ineffective, and they could not afford to be untrained.

The boots were shaken off at the entrance, as was her bedraggled hair. Mikan softly deposited the bad she had been carrying by the disguised entrance of their place and made her way back out into the evening. The way her heart had tightened at Natsume's weakness was surely visible on her face, so she needed to find calmness. A perch in a tree not too far from their home was her favorite for clearing her thoughts.

From more than a few feet away their hideout was rendered invisible by the natural objects surrounding it. That, and Iinchou had lain an illusive rock formation or large tree stump in front of all the hiding spaces before he himself was caught. It was a comfort that the covers remained; they knew that their gentle friend still lived, for the moment. And that he still had the energy and inclination to secretly keep up aid. It was only in the dead of night that the disguises faded, and by then the darkness and their own precautions were enough. Most mornings the illusions flickered back into view.

Mikan's tree was one of the taller in the forest. The lowest branch was just at the point where if she stretched up and jumped she could just secure her hands around it. The rest depended on willpower and a by now mastered art of twisting and balance. Her gloves struggled to gain purchase on the slick ice, but at least they kept out most of the cold and splinters.

Her aim was simple: purge all doubts, worries and fears long enough to smile for just one more night. She always smiled for Natsume when they were not fighting, as without that small scrap of normality she knew that they would just be that much closer to defeat.

Just when she was confident enough in her mood she heard the telltale sounds of another person approaching. She did not bother turning around; from the pattern of steps she could sense it was her partner. She pasted that ineffable sunny smile on her face without much trouble; she really was happy to see him up and mobile. He joined her in silence, managing to climb up with more ease than she could have wished for. Despite his sickness he was in top physical shape, and the past years had added inches to his height even with the lack of proper nourishment.

He greeted her with a swift nod, glaring out into the subtle dark night. She nodded back, noting with simple delight that he had not forgotten to don a jacket before venturing into the cold.

"The stars look nice," he muttered gruffly. Mikan stared upward. Sure enough, the clouds had broken in places to reveal an expanse of milky twinkles.

"Yes."

They lapsed into familiar quiet again. Her head slowly drifted to rest on his shoulder, and he did not push her away as he once might have. Instead, a warm hand encircled her thin shoulders and pulled her in closer. She was surprised to find herself shivering. Natsume pretended not to notice, lest she become anxious about worrying him.

The night hid the emotions glimmering in his crimson eyes, and he was glad. It was a fine line they walked.

Minutes passed.

"Were you successful?"

"Of course. I got the news and supplies. Ruka was well. He asked after you."

"Hn."

Another pause, longer this time. Mikan could feel her eyelids drifting closed into blissful oblivion. It had been a long day, and she was suffering from a deep exhaustion. She did not fight as she was scooped into Natsume's embrace, so tired she felt. For once she did not protest the energy it must have cost him, rather snuggling closer as he leapt gracefully from the branch and carried her back inside through the trees. She cracked an eye open long enough to notice that he had moved her things closer to the fire.

"I'll make food," she murmured sleepily as he set her down. They had an iron stove set over the blazing embers. Since it was one of their violet-eyed friend's practical inventions it was designed tastefully in the shape of two trees with interlocking branches. Cherry blossoms with unfurled petals served as burners to set cooking ware on, and it was also somehow able to fold into a compartment six inches cubed and be packed away for quick travel.

A kettle was already warming on it; hot water was something they could never predict needing, so they kept it on hand at all times. Instant coffee was another thing they kept constantly available, in case important work came at a bad time. It felt so wrong, having common things like a carton of Nescafe in the middle of a warring forest, or conversing about banal topics rather than addressing important issues. But this was how things went. Humans could adjust to anything, as Mikan and Natsume proved. Bending, rather than standing firm and snapping.

How much air until the balloon pops?

Mikan poured the coffee, extra strong for both mugs. Black, because milk would spoil and sugar was dead weight when there were more important things to provide. Natsume downed his in one gulp, eyes gazing straight into the flickering orange flames. Mikan left hers to cool while she pulled out a copper pot and ingredients for a simple stew, flour and water, dried herbs, salt, and as a special treat some root vegetables that Ruka had procured for them from somewhere. It would be filling, although she didn't warrant it would taste like much.

That was where the salt came in; it was the only somewhat unnecessary item they kept stocked. Anything could be choked down with enough salt (and a hefty glass of water to wash it down).

The stew simmered in its pot, bubbling peacefully as Mikan sat back with her now-drinkable coffee. She had forced Natsume to lie down for a while as she prepared it. His cough was worsening notably, grating against the back of his throat. Tea would have been better, something like chamomile or willow bark, to sooth the soreness and help lower the fever, sweetened by a spoonful or two of golden honey. But they had run out the week before, and it would be a while before Hotaru could smuggle in more through Ruka. The stew might help, at least by virtue of being warm and easy to swallow.

It was perhaps eight o'clock when Mikan deemed the food suitably edible. Natsume joined her soon after she called him over and ladled the steaming white liquid into his bowl. It tasted like flour and salt, as expected. Scarlet eyes glinted in good humor as he made fun of the food, all the while shoveling it down, and even more as the brunette jabbed him with the clean end of the ladle and pouted.

"'s not that bad! Jeez, you're so mean!"

"Whatever, kid. You sure you're even a girl? I mean, y'call this food?"

Her fake pout deepened.

"Hmph. Don't eat it, then!"

He scowled, although by his eyes it was clear he was still poking fun.

"Eh. I'll tolerate it, somehow."

Both bowls were polished off and refilled for seconds. Mikan took care of the washing up, using yet another of Hotaru's special creations. Everything was dark save for the orange tinge on the walls, the fire painting otherworldly shadows on their faces and possessions. It may have been a bit after nine, but without clocks it was difficult to tell for sure. Either way, it was time to sleep. Not much could be done after nightfall.

Long-burning logs were tossed on to stoke the fire (God forbid it burn out by morning and force Natsume to waste his Alice). Not many words were exchanged; what was there to say?

Tomorrow they would resume the grueling process of surviving the winter and waging war. But for tonight they would cuddle close by the fire and share heat (to prevent frostbite), dreaming of perhaps a safer time full of laughter and silly play-fights that had mattered the world at the time.

Tomorrow they would be busy again. But for now, they were alive, they were together, and there was hope.

The snow is falling, falling, f a l l i n g, f a l l i n g….

By midnight all remaining tracks would be covered over.

Alright, so this was a gift!fic for a good friend of mine, Eternal Anime Fan~

I wufff juu! Wrote this in Japan, and typed it. Was too lazy to edit it. And yes, a Gakuen Alice fic from Ore-sama! Gasp! I probably won't write any more, unless they are gifts, because Hetalia has me heart, mind and soul.

Funny, though. As I wrote this it felt like I was setting up for a multi-chap, not just a oneshot. Hnnn... But it isn't that great, so who cares! It's a oneshot! Grah. My life.

Review if you liked it, or hated it, or think I should-well, not continue since it stands alone, but think of a plot for a multi-chap in this universe. It's..not AU, but more a branching off where the manga is at, and will prolly (hopefully) be AU entirely in a few chapters. I want them to win, damnit!

Sorry to you lovely people who were crazy enough to alert me and don't like GA! -goes to work on Interwoven- Though I did manage to update that today XD