I ran through the endless, frost coated sheet of white. My legs were throbbing from the running. I rubbed my hands together with the remaining energy I had left, trying to create a little heat for my frail body. The cruel wind sent shards of cold through my body, whispering tales of despair and my end, trying its best to deter me. I stumbled, tripping and smacking face-flat on the ice. Roots of ice began to grow into my face. It felt cold. I bit my lip and I got up, panting and watching my breath materialize into a thin haze of smoke, only to fade away shortly after.

I felt the blood rushing through my body. I could feel my heart being gripped by a hand of ice, fingers tightening. It drained the small amount of heat I had left in my body, the flames of my existence, slowly but surely. I saw the grins of the demons of the ice… the messengers of hell had come to collect me. But I was not going to lose out. I knew she was close by.

I ran. Then, I felt my energy rushing back, eagerly jumping into my trembling frame, in the form of a faint silhouette. The ice still shrouded most of my vision, but I could see her body pressed flat against a rock, grabbing on for fear of the strong winds that were waiting for her when she let go. I found myself smiling, smiling for the fact that I had not come in vain.

I carried her, renewed strength coming to my aid. She was surprisingly light. I shivered, taking small steps. It would take over an hour to reach there, two hours with a person in my condition. I could not spare two hours like that, though. She was already hurt too badly; her skin was torn, long scars spread along her heck and gashes along her legs. I had to get her back quickly.

Kicking off, I ran once more, faster, faster…

We were both found unconscious just outside the border of El Nath, where we both lived. The villagers told me they might have imagined it, but they saw me smiling as I lay there. We were brought to the only hospital there was there, run by a dedicated doctor who wanted to make a difference. We were safe, just very injured and damaged. We were not beyond healing, although it took me a week before I woke up. Kell, however, was still unconscious.

I was discharged by the doctor early, saying that I would be alright as long as I did not do anything tedious. It just meant that I had to stop training for a week or two. Not very long after that, I was informed that she was alright and ready to be discharged as well. Upon hearing that, I could not help but run straight to the small, run down hut to find her. I also had to make sure that she would stop her foolish acts once and for all.

Opening the door, I ignored the creaking of the door, only hoping that it would not crumble and fall off its loose hinges. I put on a frown as I walked towards the corner where her bed was. She was already prepared to leave. We left together and I found a small wooden bench to sit and talk. It was time I got her to stop.

"I told you before… the yetis were too strong for you! Why did you still go, despite me telling you not to?" I said, putting on a slightly more serious look.

"I just wanted to test out my strength…"

"You could have gotten killed! You even made me go all the way to find you. Did you know how cold it was?" I half expected an apology.

"I never asked you to help."

"You…" I was shocked. It was the first time she had said something as cold as that. "You've gotten yourself into trouble so many times. Who's the one who has always been the one cleaning up the messes you leave behind? I always warn you, but you always ignore me, doing foolish things. You even dragged so many other people into them and got them injured as well. It's not just about you, you know! Don't be so selfish!"

"You scold me every time. I'm sick of it! You're not my parent! I have my own life and what I do is none of your concern! You're the one who is always getting involved in my situations of your own accord. I never asked you to!" She finally snapped.

"I made a promise! I made a promise to your mother on her deathbed. She made me promise that I would protect you when she was gone. How do you expect me to not be concerned?"

"Is that what it is? A stupid promise to my mother? She barely showed any concern for me at all! The only times I saw her was when she was still around was at midnight, when I was woken up by the sound of the door creaking open loudly! She never even bothered to talk to me! She would disappear by the time I woke up in the morning!"

"Why can't you understand? She was working so damn hard just to support you! She died because she gave everything she had for you! She starved herself!"

"You mean she worked so hard for me that she had no time to spare for me?"

"It's not just her, you know! I… I would have protected you even without making that promise! I-"

She reached out and slapped me. I froze at my spot. My cheek felt even number than when I had it pressed on ice. I could say nothing. My mouth did not move the way I wanted it to.

"I'm not a kid, so just get out of my life!" She yelled. "I don't need you, Gale!"

The cold words she had just shouted out. They sent my mind spinning around in a daze, circling and spinning in confusion. How could she… I had sacrificed so much. We had had this quarrel a million times, yet it never came as close to this. I should have known she would snap. I should have known… I wasn't appreciated in the least.

"Is… is that really what you want?" I choked out, lumps appearing in my throat.

"Yes!"

"Fine, then… I give up. I give up on you… I give up on everything…" A tear ran down my cheek, and for the first time I had ever seen, it froze. The small shard of ice fell down to the ground and shattered into a million pieces. It was over. I turned and walked off. I had to get away. I had to get away from her, so I could find a sense of peace. As if to rebel against my hopes, it tore at me. My decision.

I could not sleep that night. Did I do the right thing? I told her I gave up on her. I wondered how she felt. Was she happy to get me off her back? Or did she feel even slightly remorseful. Either way, it was too late to turn back. I made my decision loud and clear to her. Yet, I could not help but think that I made the wrong choice.

I shut my eyes tight, begging for sleep to come. I needed it- the salvation that sleep would bring, carrying my worries away and giving me nothing but black. I needed the darkness to cover me once more, to save me from my own self.

Somehow, my prayers were answered, and the sweet waves of darkness swept my thoughts away.

By morning, I knew that I had made the right choice. My life would have been pointless the way it had been heading anyway. What was the point in me helping someone who refused to let me help? Even with those reasons, the first thing that greeted me when I woke up was a huge headache. I could not help but laugh. It was just like a hangover. Sleep had been my alcohol.

It was pointless doing that now, though. I knew that I had to face reality. So I put on a smile and left my house. I did the things I usually did. I bought the ingredients for my dinner from the market. I got my blade polished. I had my tattered clothes repaired. I sold the meat I had gotten from hunting. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would have been. I had always wondered to myself what life would be like without Kell. Now I knew. It was… normal. Surprisingly normal.

It wasn't long before disaster came knocking at my door.

I was out hunting yetis that day. The sky had cleared up, and for once, the sun appeared along the horizon, battling with the landscape of ice to see which one melted first. Of course, I was much stronger than Kell, and I easily defeated the clueless giants. They never knew what hit them. They roamed plentifully in groups, so the catch was much greater than expected. Dodging the great swing of the creature's enormous arms, I ran to its back, giving it one last cut and finishing it off. Collecting the meat I had carved out from it and some useful parts, I moved further out the cold fields, feeling annoyed at how easy it had been to finish the yeti off.

I moved even further, venturing out into the deeper parts where I had been only once or twice before. I was greeted with a swarm of dark yetis. Their fur was tainted black, their eyes at unrest. They seemed uneasy. These were the creatures that had been tainted with spells of darkness, failures rejected by both their kind and the casters of the spells. They could summon amazing strength using that power, or so I had been told.

I got into a stance, waiting for the swarm to attack. When the first one swung out its arm, I would dodge it and cut it down from behind. I saw it move its arm, but that was all I saw. Half a second later, I found the breath being knocked out of me as I flew back with great speed. I smacked against the solid stone of the cliff behind me, barely missing the jagged rocks nearby. I slid down to my knees, my energy completely gone. It had such great speed, even for its size. I had never expected them to be this strong!

I had to run. I turned, looking around for a path that wasn't blocked by the dark yetis. That was when I saw her. She saw me too. I slowly got up to my feet, walking closer, not knowing what else to do. I looked at her. She had been badly bruised. Beaten up, full of scars and gashes. She had went and done it again.

"H… Help m…me. S…sorry for rejecting y…your help before. I n…need you." She stuttered, her pain becoming extremely obvious. I stared at her. She had realized her mistakes and was asking for my forgiveness!

No… no, it was nothing like that. She was simply using me again. Using me to help her out of her mess and then dumping me again. I stared at her cuts and scratches. She was hanging on a thin thread. She looked as if she was almost about to pass out. A loud growl startled me. I turned to see the pack of yetis headed towards us, their impossible speed lying to my eyes once again. There was no way I would make it out with her.

"I'm not the fool I once was. I used to care for you, but you obviously didn't want that care. I won't break my promise to you either. Sorry." I turned, walking off as I heard her scream, the angry growls of the yetis filling the valley of ice. It was just like that day. It was just that this time, I had no more tears left to cry.

Note: Yeah, I did this at 12 in the morning, so if the quality is bad, you know what to blame. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this depressing little oneshot I made while I was half asleep. (I wasn't half asleep, actually. I was hyper.)

Update: Sorry Zethos, I forgot that Gale was part of your name. I did not mean to imply that you were a cold blooded freak. Wait, what the hell am I saying?