Hello, this is WingsOfSilverSorrow (Call me Silver or WOSS if you want), and thank you for reading my story! This is basically about Kouji and how his life turns out after Digimon Frontier. For some reason I see this in my mind as a manga, with the characters looking like Takaya-senseii's drawings (author of Fruits Basket). Well, enjoy!

Chapter 1

Snow

Kouji woke up to the beeping of his cell phone that Friday, and had just managed to muster the energy to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Kouji-kun! We're having a snow day today, didn't you hear?!"

Kouji almost instantly had to pull back the phone due to the volume of the estatic response.

"We are?"

"I just got the call! Anyway, do you want to come to my house to have some fun with all the snow? I am going to call Takuya-kun, Kouichi-san, Junpei-san, and Tomoki-kun, too!"

"When should I come?" Kouji asked, glancing at the clock on the wall of his bedroom. 7:43.

"Come now! Bring all your snow gear, especially your snow pants!"

"Okay. Thank you for inviting me, Izumi-chan," Kouji replied.

"No problem. After all...," there was a pause. "...we can't just have you all depressed and upset, Kouji-kun. I thought this would be good for you."

"I think it will."

Kouji hung up, and sat up straight in his bed. He was thinking hard about something.

"We can't just have you all upset and depressed, Kouji-kun!"

Why......do you want to help me......so much...

...Takuya...Nii-san.....Izumi...?

His bedroom door creaked, and the short, slim Satomi appeared in the doorway.

"Who was on the phone, Kouji?" she asked, her tired eyes gazing at him. Her voice was stoic and calm.

"Izumi. She wants me to come over and play in the snow."

"Oh..." Satomi put a hand to her lips. "You must have a snow day..."

She was quiet, and Kouji winced when he realized she wouldn't be able to get to work that day.

"Well...I'll get dressed and walk with you to her house. I need to run some errands in town anyway."

Kouji couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Yet he couldn't just ask about it, since that didn't get anywhere.

"...Okay."

Twenty minutes later, Kouji was wearing his grey winter coat, his navy blue gloves and scarf, and was just putting on his navy cap. In a plastic bag he had his snow jacket and his snowpants, which he carried at that moment.

Satomi had a similar attire in tan hues, and had managed to find the time to go through her hair with a comb and a barette.

Kouji couldn't get something out of his mind.

Why is she acting like this today...so stoic and lifeless?

He glanced up at her.

"Satomi...?"

His stepmother looked down at him, and gave him a weak smile.

"Yes, Kouji?"

Was it because of Dad?

"...Nothing." he said rashly. "Forget I said anything."

A new thought reached his mind.

Was it because of me?

-o-o-o-

"Izumi, I know I've said this a million times, but your house is awesome."

Izumi rolled her eyes at Takuya's dumbfounded comment.

Takuya, Kouichi, and Tomoki were all standing in the front yard, the snow up to their calfs, awaiting Kouji's arrival. They gawked at the large red brick house, which was glazed over in cottony white snow at the windows and over the roof. The large, hilly backyard looked like the north pole with it's frosted pine trees and white wonder.

Izumi, tightening the pink scarf around her neck, skimmed road for Kouji. She wondered if he would be able to get through all of the snow, since the roads by her house hadn't been cleared yet.

"Do you think Ji-san's coming, Takuya-nii-san?" Tomoki asked innocently, dressed in a bundle of green and white.

"Shh...Chi-san says he doesn't like our little nickname," Takuya snickered. "Hee, hee..."

"I don't either." Kouichi growled angrily.

"Get used to it, Chi-san!" Tomoki giggled brightly.

"You know you're literally calling us One and Two..."

"That's the point!" Takuya teased. "There are so many good nicknames for you guys. Well, Kouji that is. Ji-san...Akito...Shorty..."

"Kouji's not that short." Kouichi objected. "You and I are just tall. Izumi's about the same height, you know. I think."

"By, what, three inches?"

"I have to agree with him on one thing,"

Izumi turned away from her search and laughed.

"...with his new haircut, he looks just like a younger Akito-san from Fruits Basket!"

"What, that girly Shojo manga?" said Tomoki, stereotyping.

"Boys read them too!"

"Do you know any?" Takuya muttered.

Izumi sighed, defeated, and just as she turned to the road she saw two figures approaching, slowing trudging through the dense snow.

Oh! There he is...but why's Satomi with him?

The two of them seemed to be talking about something important. Kouji was in deep thought, but his stepmother seemed to be keeping her end of the conversation as light as possible. Izumi noticed there were bags underneath her eyes, and how tired and weary she looked.

Suddenly she stopped Kouji by grabbing his shoulder so he would face her. She leaned down and whispered something to him, her hand touching the side of his face, blocking his expression from view.

After a moment, Satomi straightened but still clung to the long strands of hair on the sides of Kouji's face. She heard a shout of good-bye and before Izumi had known it, she had gone off on another road.

Leaving Kouji alone in the middle of the street, a confused, shocked expression plastered to his face.

-o-o-o-

"Don't worry about me, Kouji-chan...your father can do better than that if he wants to scare me."

"Kouji-kun?"

Kouji felt Izumi's hand on his shoulder, and someone else nudge him.

"Kouji-senpei...?" Tomoki asked him, looking up at him with his round eyes.

Why is everyone touching me today?

"Ji-saaaaaaan!"

He did NOT just say what I know he said.

"Hey, Ji-san, buddy!" Takuya exclaimed. He flung his arms lightly around Izumi and Kouji's necks. "We thought you weren't coming!"

"Off, Takuya." Kouji warned darkly.

"Aw, c'mon, Ji-san...!"

"Stop calling me that, dammit!"

"No need to swear, Kouji."

"Yeah, you better listen to Chi-san, Ji-san!"

"Actually, Takuya, he's right. Shut it."

Izumi could only sigh as the boys bickered among themselves.

"Cut it out, Takuya. We don't want to scare Kouji away already. Let's just go to the backyard and sled."

"Whoo-hoo! Sledding!"

"Bet I can get sled down the hill faster!"

"Can not!"

Kouji watched Tomoki and Takuya run around the side of the house as Kouichi and Izumi walked tiredly behind them.

"Your father may now be a drunken fool now, and I know just as well as you that he is not afraid to carry out his threats to hurt your mother...or your brother.

But trust me..."

Kouji felt a chill run down his spine as he remember her last words.

"From now on, he's going to regret everything he's done to us."

"You'll see..."

Yay! My first chapter is done! My other story was crap, believe me (hehe), and I hope this is better. This has been in my mind for quite some time now...

Please Review! I allow unsigned reviews!

WingsOfSilverSorrow