Snowflakes fell freely from the sky, blanketing the Earth in its white grace. A light wind blew in from the East and evenly spread the white frost around. It had put a nice thin layer of snow on the ice that covered the pond in the Azumno park. A pond that was currently inhabited by Risa Harada.

She had come out early that morning, eager to get out of the house she had been cooped up in all winter. The ice had finally become thick enough to skate on and she desperately wanted to go out and try it. She had wanted to go with her sister, but she had already left for Daisuke's house. Still longing to go, Risa dressed herself in a pair of dark denim jeans, a pink cotton shirt, and her white winter coat. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and put on her snow boots and gloves, while throwing her ice-skates over her shoulder. She said goodbye to her butler, as her parents were away on business, and skipped out the door.

Now twirling and dancing on the ice, she couldn't help but feel free. She let the wind blow through her hair, brushing her bangs from her forehead and twirling her ponytail around like ribbon, and let the lightly falling snow melt on her tongue. She glided ever-so-gracefully around the pond and laughed. She felt like a small child all over again. She let memories of her and Riku flood her conscious, remembering how they would build snowmen and igloos, and the first time they were allowed to come skating out here. It kind of made her wish Riku was here with her now.

Completely lost in her own world, Risa failed to notice her onlooker. He was standing on the sidewalk, staring out at her in amazement and confusion. He was wearing light blue jeans, a black shirt underneath his navy blue coat, a green and red scarf, and brown snow boots. His hands were shoved in his pockets, decorated with thin black gloves, and a few lone snowflakes stuck to his glasses. He watched as Risa swirled and skated around the pond, mesmerized by such a sight. Hadn't she informed him right before winter break that she hated the cold? Then, what on Earth was she doing out in the middle of it?

After being lost in thought for so long, Risa finally snapped out of it. She looked around and the beautiful scenery, taking in everything she could. When she turned and looked up to the sidewalk, she saw someone watching her. She tried to make out who it was, but before being able to do so, she slipped and fell. She landed rather roughly against the ice, but managed to laugh anyway. Why she was laughing, she had no idea, for a light shade of pink tinted her cheeks. She sat up, still giggling, and put her hands to her face. Her silent observer scurried down the snow-covered grass and carefully walked across the ice. He kneeled down in front of her and looked her in the face.

"Are you alright, Miss Harada?"

Risa opened her eyes and looked before her. She now recognized the man who had been watching her. The pink on her cheeks deepened to almost red color as she looked into his eyes. She knew he would not make fun of her for falling, but it was embarrassing to do something so graceless in front of someone like him. He was graceful and steady when he moved, not to mention that he was unbelievably handsome. His pale skin, sapphire blue eyes, sky blue hair, slender yet lean frame...he was perfect, despite having glasses.

"H-Hiwatari... what are you doing here?"

"I was taking a walk. What are you doing here? I thought you hated the cold."

Risa sat there, trying hard to think of how he would know such a thing. Then, she remembered telling him on the last day before break.

They were both standing at the entrance of the school, Risa waiting for her ride, and Hiwatari preparing to walk home. Risa had been shivering due to her lack of proper winter apparel. Hiwatari had been standing right next to her and decided to ask her about her absence of clothing.

"Miss Harada, it's freezing out here. Where's your winter coat?"

"I didn't think it would get this cold, so I thought I didn't need it. Guess I was wrong."

She tried to laugh it off as nothing, but Hiwatari could tell she was suffering. Her teeth were chattering and she was hugging herself tightly in an effort to stay warm. All she had to shield herself from the cold with were her jeans, boots, white long-sleeved shirt, and a pink scarf.

"How long have you been standing out here?"

"Oh, not too long. It's only been about a minute or two."

"Where is your ride?"

"He called and said he'd be a few minutes. The car doesn't like to start in the winter."

Hiwatari continued to stare at her, still surprised by her lack of preparedness. He knew he had to get home and get some work done. Paperwork from the police station had buried his desk and he had to get it done and filed. However, he hated the thought of just leaving Risa to stand out in the cold. So, he did the only thing he could think to do - he took off his hat and mittens and put them on her.

Risa stared at him in surprise and it took her a minute to react. She watched as he placed his hat on her head and then gently grabbed her frozen hands and pulled his gloves over them. It wasn't much, but it was all he could offer her given the circumstances. He stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"H-Hiwatari, what's this for?"

"You shouldn't stand out here in the cold like this. I know it's not much, but it's all I can offer. Hopefully your ride will be here soon and then you won't need them. I have to walk home, though, so I need my coat. I'm sorry there's not more I can do."

"No, don't be sorry. Hiwatari, you don't have to do this. I'll only be out her a few more minutes. Please, take your gloves and hat back."

As she started to remove his gloves, he reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. He shook his head at her.

"That's alright, Miss Harada. You need them right now. Don't worry about it. Just, next time, please dress a little warmer."

"Oh, you can count on that. I hate the cold."

Hiwatari nodded his head and turned to walk away. As soon as he was about to say goodbye, Risa interrupted him.

"Thank you so much, Hiwatari. I'll be sure to get them back to you after break. See you then!"

"No problem, Miss Harada. I'll see you soon."

Risa, once again, started to come back to reality, letting the memory drift away. So that's how he knew she hated the cold. She refocused her vision and saw a worried expression etched across Hiwatari's face.

"What? Oh, right - I do hate the cold. I really like winter, though. It's always so pretty out. There's always fun things to do, too. You can build snowmen, igloos, have snowball fights, and go ice-skating. It's wonderful!"

"Isn't it rather contradicting to hate the cold yet love the coldest season of the year?"

"Perhaps, but it's true."

Hiwatari nodded, still as confused as he was before. He stood up and held his hands out for Risa to grab. She caught on to his gesture and grabbed his hands, allowing him to pull her up. She brushed herself off and stared at her gloves. They looked scarily like the ones Hiwatari hand lent her. She then realized that that's because they were.

"Hey, Hiwatari, these are your gloves! Oh, wow, I think I have your hat in my pocket, too. I remember wearing it a few days ago when Riku and I went Christmas shopping."

She stuffed her hand into her pocket and pulled out pulled out his hat. She pulled off the gloves and handed them to him. He looked like he was about to say something, but Risa cut him off, yet again.

"Thanks again for letting me wear them. I was wondering where I had gotten them that day with Riku. I had completely forgotten they were yours. Funny, I have my own hat and gloves, why didn't I wear them?"

She stood there, now pondering her own question. Why did she wear Hiwatari's stuff when she had her own? She honestly had no idea. She looked back at Hiwatari and saw a strange look in his eyes, but before she could question him, he spoke.

"That's alright, Miss Harada - you can keep them. I have plenty more hats and gloves and you need them more than I do right now."

"No, that's not right. They're yours, you should take them. I wasn't wearing the hat and I can run back to my house and grab my gloves."

"But if you go back inside now, you might not want to come back. The warmth will seem so much more appealing. Please, just keep them. Call them a gift, if you will."

"But I didn't get you anything. It wouldn't be right."

Hiwatari smiled and let out a small chuckle. For a moment, he was completely hypnotized by Risa. Her bangs framed her soft face perfectly and her doe eyes were shining brightly, glittering due to the wind. Her small frame was padded by her coat, which looked absolutely angelic on her. He grabbed her hands, yet again, and re-put the gloves on her. He took his hat and stuffed it back in her pocket. Then he stepped back and nodded, now satisfied.

Risa, surprised for the second time that day, didn't know what to do. He wouldn't take his things back and after all the kindness he had shown her, what had she done for him? She wanted so desperately to show him the same kindness that he showed her, but she didn't know how. There was nothing she had that he couldn't easily obtain, seeing as how he also came from a wealthy family. So she stood there and wondered, determined to pay him back, when she got an idea.

"Hey, Hiwatari, what are your plans for the rest for the day?"

"My plans? Well, I don't really have any. Why?"

"Do you want to stay here and skate with me?"

"Oh, um... well I don't have any skates and I'm not very good at it, anyway."

"You don't know how to skate?"

"Not particularly. I never got to come out and do all of those winter activities you mentioned. My father made sure that I stayed inside and did more "intellectual" things."

"What, that's insane! Every kid should have the chance to play in the snow! You don't know what you've missed!"

"I suppose I don't."

"Well, I can teach you how to skate. You don't really need the skates for it, in fact, it's better for you to practice without them at first."

"I don't know, Miss Harada, I-"

"No, you're not getting out of this. I'm going to teach you to skate. Call it a gift, if you will."

Now it was his turn to blush lightly. Risa grabbed his hands and slowly started moving backwards. Hiwatari gripped onto her tightly, afraid of falling, and slowly let his feet slide across the ice. Being a quick learner, he picked up the concept quickly, and in no time, he was pushing himself, lightly gliding on the smooth surface. He still held onto to Risa's hands, claiming he still had poor balance and couldn't do it on his own. Secretly, he just didn't want to let go. This was the most fun he'd had in a long time. Ever since Dark and Krad had vanished, he'd been looking for ways to turn his life around, and it seemed that Risa Harada was just the person who could help him do it.

They spent the rest of the morning out on the pond, skating and dancing around. When evening rolled around, they decided to have lunch together. Risa took her skates off and put on her boots. As they walked out of the park, they talked and laughed, both content being with each other. Risa couldn't help but think how much fun she had had with Hiwatari. Subconsciously, she was comparing him to Dark. Hiwatari was kind, handsome, and a good listener. Dark was good-looking too, but he would always take off and leave her somewhere, and he never just listened to her talk, nor did he contribute to the conversation. She was amazed at the wonderful person Hiwatari actually was and she felt bad about all the years that she misjudged him. He truly was kindhearted.

So they walked down the snowy path, unintentionally getting closer to each other. Who knows, maybe this Christmas they'd both get what they were looking for: true love.

"A/N: I can't express how much I adore this couple and I figured that, it being winter and so close to Christmas, I should write a fanfic for them. I tried really hard to keep them both in character, but you have to remember that this is post anime. Dark and Krad are gone, and we all (hopefully) saw the last episode where Risa appeared to mature (that's why she didn't sound so whiny and immature) and Hiwatari seemed to get less cold (hence why he didn't just ignore Risa and leave her in the cold). The way I see it, Hiwatari was bound to warm up and start looking to form relationships with people (especially Risa; you all saw the way they looked at each other in the end). So this is kind of how I figure it would happen. Hiwatari would take some time to adjust being without Krad and then he would slowly connect with people and show kindness. I think you all get what I'm saying by now. Anyway, please review. I'd love to hear what you thought."