Chapter One

I lived in a small town near the village, I loved how the mountain was just enough to keep bad weather away but not enough to stop wind, in fact it was the opposite, it was quite windy. There were many plants in the forest that was settled on the mountainside.

I just turned 19 today and thought that since it was only October the snow would surely stay away until my return home.

I usually don't need to go anywhere but I was on my way to the village to buy supplies, since I lived alone, it made it almost impossible to grow and raise everything that I needed. Plus I wanted to get something for my birthday; I thought it out for awhile and finally decided that I would get myself some new sheets and blankets, the ones I had were getting dangerously close to having holes in them.

I liked when I went to town, there was a cold chill in the air that told me if I didn't hurry I'd get stuck paying for a room unable to get back before the snow would start.

I started to hurry down the mountain when I saw a figure standing in the road, staring down in the valley far below where the village was, almost too far too see.

He started walking towards the village and I walked on thinking he must be deep in thought and almost got past him when he disappeared and suddenly I realized there was a ninja's kunai touching the skin of my throat threatening to slice the skin out of its way. I only knew that…that was what it was because my parents used to be ninja's, but they had died long ago alongside my only sister.

This scared my so badly I dropped my belongings which gratefully weren't breakable by any means and they rolled to a stop about a foot in front of me.

The wielder of said weapon said in a low emotionless voice "Who are you and why are you following me?"

"F-F-Following?! Wh-What makes you think I w-was following you?! I-I-I'm just headed to the village! Honest!!" my voice shook as I shouted so loud it hurt my throat.

The man just murmured something inaudible and the hand holding weapons was relaxed from my throat. I turned to face the man unable to help myself and suddenly fell to my knees as I turned.

This man had blood covering his face with trickles falling on his black cloak with small red clouds on them. He was as tall as a tree to my lowly 5'7, I was so surprised that his eyes had no distinction between the iris and what usually held color of different shade on every person I had ever met. They almost seemed like they were cold and endless.

After a moment of just watching him on the ground he looked at me curiously and slowly reached his hand out to retrieve me from the ground, grabbing my arm and raising me quickly, too quickly, I staggered.

His voice was softer 'almost kinder?' than when he first spoke but still seemed so mono-tone that it was hard to tell, but it was there "Are you alright?"

I suddenly gasped realizing that I wasn't even standing with my own strength, when I reset my feet I looked up to his face where I saw two deep set lines on his face, and flowing black hair that looked ready to engulf anything in darkness of its strands.

I saw that there was a scratch on the strange mans face. Quickly I started rummaging through my bag looking, for something that hadn't fallen out when it dropped, quietly but loud enough I was sure he heard me I said "Just a second" I pulled out a white cloth, I had embroidered three small snowflake shapes in the bottom right-hand corner.

He seemed amused when he spotted them, raising an eyebrow slightly for some reason 'what's so funny' I thought to myself. When I finally finished getting the blood of I noticed something strange, he didn't have a scratch, was he bleeding somewhere else?

"Mister, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

He stared at me for a moment and I stared at him until he finally answered me.

"I am just fine, I apologize for startling you." then something cold hit my cheek and make my flinch and shiver; I looked up and saw it was snowing rather hard.

I scolded myself for not noticing then spun around to see the village. "Oh no! What happened to the village?!"

I shivered again and tried to pick all my stuff up, when a white hand suddenly handed me something I couldn't seem to find in the pile.

"Thank you very much." I smiled and stared into his eyes when he answered with something I wasn't expecting.

"Are you headed to the village all alone?" he raised his head looking for others he would have thought to be accompanying me.

"Oh…" I didn't say anything a moment as I searched for some lie to spout out like 'they are just ahead' or 'they are back at the house going to follow me later tonight' but none of them seemed like something that would fit.

As I pondered I noticed he was staring at me and in a rush I blurted out the truth almost out of reflex unable to tell him a lie a slight blush appearing on my cheeks, "Yes! Well…there really isn't anyone who would travel with me anyway; all my family has passed away."

'What's going on?! I just blurted personal things to a total stranger! He probably doesn't even care.' I looked up enough to notice he wasn't moving and he wasn't saying anything either.

I chanced a quick glance up to his face to see if something was wrong, he was just staring at me.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

I waited curious for several moments… 'why isn't he saying anything?'

"Yes" his took me aback, I lost what I was thinking and stoped there then after I was able to concentrate after a few moments, "What? What's wrong?"

He looked up from his continued gathering of the objects, then surprised me "You will not make it there before you the cold envelopes you in death"

"Well excuse me for not having anythin' else I can do! It's not really your business anyway!"

For some reason that didn't feel good, my chest tightened painfully, I blamed it on the weather.

I started to get really agitated and threw my bag over my shoulder and walked towards where the village should be, somewhere in the white glass that lay ahead of me.

I was stopped in my tracks when he was suddenly in front of me, I shot a look behind me and spun around looking back up at him, "How did you do that so fast and why are you standing in my way?!"

At this the edge of his lips tilted into an awkward half-smile, "I do not feel like letting you kill yourself."

"I'm not going-"

I was cut off when his cloak was suddenly surrounding me supplying warmth to my back which I hadn't even noticed was cold.

"Wh-Whats this for??"

I just looked to his face which was half turned towards the forest when I felt an arm in my back, he was guiding me somewhere, and somewhere deep in my gut I felt I should start shouting at him but then a sudden feeling of being held overwhelmed me and I went where the arm led.