A/N: I just finished From The New World in less than a day…from start to finish, I did one long marathon…the reason why? I was told, the best way to enjoy the anime was not to let anything sink in…not until the final episode, when everything comes crashing down…then, I should "Sleep on it after that, if I could." Anyway, my bud knows me pretty well, so, I decided to do strictly that…which is why even though the series has been out for a while, I hadn't touched it until yesterday.

Now though, I can't get it out of my head. I want to take an in depth look at the series, and write a longer fiction later, but for right now, I just needed to do something...since the series is just…well, amazing, for lack of a better word.

This is just a short little piece, because episodes 14-16 hit me the hard when they first happened…

I do not own From The New World.

Snowdrifts

It was so cold that day, both in her heart, and atop the hills caked in fluffy, blinding white.

She couldn't look at the letter, folded neatly inside of the sealed envelope. She knew, if she did, she'd be admitting defeat. That was something Saki couldn't do. She'd come so far simply to let go. Her life had been nothing short of dumb luck and good fortune to have survived through all that she had endured. Knowing that didn't make it easier, and it certainly didn't give her the faith she thought it might. Saki was sure the letter would be filled with words of love and farewells, and while Saki knew that she should accept this trial, just as she had accepted many others in her life, she couldn't help feeling the pristine paper beneath her fingertips.

"I won't do it, Satoru." Saki told the boy next to her, feeling him grip her shoulders in a fear that he just couldn't seem to shake. He was always a soft boy…all of the boys she knew were gentle and caring, but Satoru was more than soft, he was a kind protector. He was strong, and filled with light, even in the darkest of nights. Saki knew that, but even as she put one hand over his, she knew the boy wasn't quaking from the chill in the air. "I know what's in this…" Saki said, holding the letter up firmly in her grip. "I won't let them do it."

"Open the letter, Saki." Satoru urged the girl next to him. "We won't know what it says until you do."

"Don't be stupid." Her voice was quiet, as puffs of air clouded the world in front of her with every intake of breath. "They won't tell us where they went." She gripped the letter tighter in her hands, holding it to her heart, as if that was the only possibly way to hug the woman she loved anymore. "They wouldn't risk that, Satoru. They know better." Even as she said that, a small part of her did want to open the white package, just to see…just to know for sure if her suspicions were correct. "This is to say goodbye." She murmured. "But I won't say that…I'll never say it to another person again."

She was afraid to forget anyone else. The snow crunched underfoot with each step, but, there were no traces of their friends. The sky wasn't unclear, and yet, it was so vast, a person could easily drown in the never ending blue. Saki was sure though, that her friends weren't far, they couldn't be...her heart refused to believe that. Even if Maria was strong enough to fly away and never look back, Saki knew…she knew better than anyone, Mamoru wasn't the same.

"What do you want to do?" Satoru asked, pulling Saki from her thoughts.

"Maria's here." Saki murmured. "Someplace in these snowdrifts, she wouldn't just leave like that."

"How can you be so sure?" Satoru asked, looking around to the empty whiteness around them. "Take a look around, there's no sign of them…they're both probably long gone." He sighed.

"They're loyal people." Saki murmured then. "Loyal to the bitter end, even if they're scared, they would never just leave us behind like that. Mamoru wouldn't be able to take it, if he knew we might be in danger. Maria wouldn't do it, without knowing herself, that we were safe." Saki took the time to look down at the envelope to consider what might be contained within. "Satoru, what do you think would happen if we read this?" Saki asked him, closing her wine colored eyes to push away the tears.

"We would probably do what the letter wanted us to do." Satoru replied, a smirk forming on his lips. "Do you really think they're still here, Saki?"

"Were loyal people too." She finally said, her voice breaking. "They would leave the letter, and they probably wouldn't look back…because we're just as loyal as they are…they'd trust us." As her eyes were closed, she could recall that voice that lingered, that sweet harmonic voice that she knew she would never hear again. "No, Satoru, they aren't here…but…it would have been nice, if they were."