Winter
Disclaimers:
Water Spirit: *waves happily* Hello all! After watching the last installment of the Matrix, I decided I needed to write a little story about Trinity and Neo. So, I got on the computer, opened up word, and stared at the blank page in utter loss. I then proceeded to find inspiration. I found a song called "Winter" by the composer of the .hack songs. It was a very inspiring piece of music, so I give you this little story. And I swore I'd never write a song-fic… Oh, before I forget and get my pants sued off: I do not own any of these characters. I do not claim ownership. Frankly, I don't want ownership and all the legal bull that comes with it. La, you can't sue me now, you blasted lawyers!
.o0O@O0o.
So, this was what it was like to be dead. It wasn't painless, being dead, but it didn't hurt either. All around, there was no light, but there was no darkness either. It wasn't warm, but there wasn't any cold. In all truth, there was nothing. Simply existence.
Trinity rubbed her arms, looking around. She was wearing her black leather trench coat. Her sunglasses covered her eyes and were fogging over, but she couldn't figure why. The air around her wasn't cold, so it couldn't have been a result of her body heat and the coolness of the air. She took them off and wiped the condensation on her sleeve. It was bright, even though there was no light.
She replaced her sunglasses and blinked in surprise. She took of her sunglasses, looking around herself again. No, she wasn't mistaken. At some point during the seconds she had taken her sunglasses off to polish them and then put them back on, it had begun to snow. It wasn't snowing hard, but already snow had built up all around her. She took a step forward, rubbing her arms again to keep warm.
As she walked, the landscape reshaped itself. It went from being everything and nothing at the same time to simply being something. A definite path wound its way through the forest that was appearing through the falling snow. The path was only distinguishable because the snow fell smooth and even where it lay.
Icicles hung from the trees, which sparkled from the snow that had fallen on their bare branches. Trinity continued walking as the snow slowly stopped. She wondered how the fallen snow could look like it had crystallized so soon after it had fallen. She was reminded of a Christmas from when she was a child and still living in the Matrix. It had snowed two feet during the night and then frozen. When she woke up in the morning and looked out her window, a beautiful wonderland lay before her. She had been so intoxicated with the beautiful snow that she had forgotten the presents that awaited her under the Christmas tree.
In the distance, she could hear the sound of bells jingling and people singing. "…wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year…"
Trinity frowned at her feet. Christmas? It hadn't been anywhere near Christmas when she had died. Apparently, in death, it was Christmastime.
"Death is what you make of it, nothing more," a soft, rumbling voice said.
Trinity turned, tensing up reflexively. Her eyes widened when she saw the woman standing before her. "O… Oracle?" she asked.
The Oracle shook her head. "No, the Oracle still lives in the Matrix. I'm the part of the program that died. But, if you'd like, you can call me by that name."
Trinity nodded. "I am dead, then. I didn't expect death to be like this."
"It's not."
"But you just said…"
"What I say and do not say is inconsequential, Trinity. This place is what you make it, and nothing more," the Oracle replied.
"What I make it…" Trinity repeated. She wondered if the Oracle thought she sounded as dumb as she thought she sounded.
"Your memories, your perceptions, and everything that makes you Trinity are what make this place what it is."
Trinity looked at the Oracle, walking beside her. "So none of this is real?" she asked.
"Is anything ever real? Can we ever really know what is real and what is not? Perhaps our 'real world' was just another Matrix created to enslave the machines," the Oracle said.
Trinity shook her head, trying to process what the Oracle was saying. "I don't think I understand, Oracle."
"Don't worry, Trinity. It really doesn't matter," the Oracle said with a soft smile. "After all, it's Christmastime. Everything seems to work itself out in time for Christmas to be merry and the New Year to be happy." The woman patted Trinity on the cheek. "I'll be seeing you around," she said as she walked off the path and vanished in the forest.
Trinity sat down on a bench. The 'forest' she had been walking through with the Oracle had turned out to be a park. Carolers strolled by her, singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to no one in particular. She put her chin in hands, setting her elbows on her knees.
"Christmas," she murmured, "won't be merry this year. And New Year's won't be happy, either. Not without Neo."
She felt tears prick her eyes, and she tried to hold them back. The people around her in the park didn't need to see her cry. She wiped her eyes with the back of her leather-gloved hand and turned her head to look over her shoulder so no one would see her tears.
A hand fell on her shoulder, and she jumped.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but I noticed you looked upset. Do you need someone to talk to?" a warm voice asked.
Trinity shook her head. "No, not really."
"Are you sure?"
"Look," Trinity snapped, turning, "if I—oh my God…" Her voice caught in her throat. She stared at the face gazing down at her own with shock. "…Neo…?" she finally managed to whisper.
Neo smiled down at her. "Looks like we both ended up dead," he said as Trinity threw her arms around his neck. He ran his hand down her back comfortingly. "It took me sometime to find you, though. There are a lot of people's perceptions to get through, you know."
He pulled away from her and caught her chin with his finger. "How are you, Trinity?" he asked.
She smiled at him. "Dead," she replied. She laughed a bit. "Fine, I guess. Getting used to all of this." She waved at the snow-covered world filled with carolers.
Neo nodded. "Me too."
They sat silently for a while. Neo reached for Trinity's hand and stood. "Let's go for a walk," he suggested.
She smiled and stood up, grasping his hand firmly in her own. "Okay. Where to?"
"I don't know, anywhere. Let's find out what city you've made this."
They walked from the park and began down a sidewalk. Cars passed by them on the road, busy on their way to where they were going. The couple crossed the street and began down another.
"It looks like Michigan Avenue," Trinity said, looking into the windows of a shop. Wrapped boxes were on display, sitting on gold cloth. Glittering ornaments hung from the top of the window, sparkling in the cold, winter light. "Everyone's out doing their Christmas shopping," she added as she turned away from the window and back to Neo.
Neo nodded. "It does look like Michigan Avenue."
They began walking again. Speakers on the streetlights and telephone poles were playing cherry Christmas songs just loud enough to be heard without bothering people or disrupting conversations.
"When I was little, my parents would take me out shopping here," Trinity said.
"Really?"
"Yeah. We would shop for all our relatives here and look in all the windows." She sat down on a cement wall, looking into a small courtyard and Neo sat beside her. "White Christmas" faded from the speakers, and another song started.
We're in the middle of the winter,
and walking hand in hand.
Long time no see, but now you're here with me
to bless this icy land.
Trinity leaned her head against Neo's shoulder. "I'm glad you're with me again, Neo," she murmured. "When I heard the carolers, I got really sad because I thought I'd have to spend Christmas without you. I'm happy now, though, because I'm with you. Even if we're spending Christmas together dead, it's better than not spending Christmas together at all."
Neo shifted so that he had an arm wrapped around Trinity's shoulders while the other gripped her hand. He kissed her lightly on her temple. "It's definitely better to spend Christmas together dead than not at all. And I'll do everything in my power to stay with you."
If the night is dark and cold,
I will warm you with my kiss.
Let me hold you in my arms again,
and vow to stay with me
through the snow.
"I don't want to leave you," he whispered to her. "Nothing mattered before I met you. I didn't have any purpose, and then I met you and I found one. Our meeting gave me purpose. And I was able to find the light in every situation, because I had you."
I was always sad and cold
all alone, before we met.
Now you've taught me how to find the light,
even in darkness of winter.
Trinity looked at Neo's fingers laced with her own. "I… I love you so much Neo." She squeezed his hand in her own. "Let's spend Christmas together."
Neo kissed the top of Trinity's head. "Yes, let's spend Christmas together, hand in hand. And we'll walk through winter, hand in hand, together."
We are wandering hand in hand,
up and over hills of snow.
We'll keep on walking through winter.