Chapter 1: The Beginnings of Snow

"Oh my gosh-sshh….it-t's freezing out h-here, Hachi-nii. Why are we out here in the snow, when there's a hot pot calling our names in-nside…" Miya Ushoda said through chattering teeth. If she was gonna freeze her tail off in the butt crack of winter she had a right to know why.

"Because, we are waiting on a message from Kisuke Urahara regarding Ichigo's condition. As I told you before his reiatsu is unstable and it's now a critical time for him as a soul reaper," replied her brother Hachigen Ushoda. He was a rather large man wearing a green suit and yellow bow tie, his go to outfit, he was quite the picture with his pink hair with its black cross bones design, pink mustache and golden eyes. It never ceased to amaze her how different she and her brother were. Miya had raven black hair that had a blue sheen to it, dark almost navy blue eyes, and a small curvy frame. While both she and her brother shared the same caramel colored skin, they were completely dissimilar looks wise. Not that it mattered to Miya she loved her gentle mountain-like brother, he was not only the kindest and wisest person in the world, he was also soft spoken and a really big-hugger. All in all he was a 20 on a scale of 1-10 for adorableness, she had always told him it was good thing because his size could be deceiving, but her older brother never believed her. When she was younger she could admit being bratty and ungrateful but now more than ever she believed in her brother, so if he said it was necessary then she would just have to deal with the cold for now.

"Okay, that's fine and all but where are the others shouldn't they be here too. I mean they were all chomping at the bit to make sure he was alright, shouldn't they be here with us when we get the message?" She asked, her brows wrinkling slightly.

"No,no,no," her brother said, "I told them I would be perfectly fine receiving the message for them and that as soon as I received it I would report back with any developments."

Yep, that's my brother alright, thought Miya fondly, always thinking of others. And comforted by that thought she and her brother waited out in the snow until the messenger came, holding hands, watching the snow dance all around them. Waiting through the storm for the first sign of good news.

"Welcome back, Miya-chan, how was the snow? You're looking a little blue in the lips there. Want me to warm you up?" Shinji called out, smirking in that smug way that made Miya's blood boil.

"Shut up, Shinji. Do you want to hear what we found about Ichigo or not?" Miya snapped, her had clenched in a fist.

"Now, now, Shinji, I know you like Miya-chan, but you of all people should know how sensitive she is to the cold. Are you all right, Miya-chan? Do you need a blanket? Or would you rather have some of the hot pot first?" Rose said, a concerned furrow in his brow and his lips forming into a wary line. Miya instantly felt her body shoot up about twenty degrees. Oh yeah,she thought, I definitely need something to warm me up. Blushing, she shook her head and replied, "Thank you, Rose, but I'm alright. I'll have some of the hot pot later, so for now, would you play something on your guitar for me? Please?" Her large expressive eyes bore into his violet ones, she had always thought he was so sexy with his long wavy blonde hair; slanted violet eyes; sculpted cheek bones; angular jaw; long straight nose; his suit with its un-tucked white ruffled shirt. He'd always reminded her of one of those aloof artists with his perpetually bored expression and eccentric dress, so his rare expressions toward her sent her heart fluttering each time she saw them. It made her feel alive, real, beautiful, special, and hopeful; all at the same time. After a while of just staring into each other's eyes, Rose nodded, bending to pick up his guitar and played a soft ballad that soothed Miya's cold aching body so much that she fell asleep, drifting off to the soft melodic sounds of Rose's guitar.

Miya woke up sometime in the evening because she could smell dinner cooking, tonight was her favorite dinner night because Rose was cooking and he always made her favorite things: Nikujaga, croquettes, miso-glazed eggplant, edamame, and rice.

"Yum," she said coming up behind Rose and hugging his waist, she could feel his muscles playing underneath his shirt as he cooked.

"Watch your arms," he said, shooting her an amused look over his shoulder, "I'm frying up the croquettes right now and the oil is hot. We don't want a repeat of last time."

Ducking her head in embarrassment, Miya blushed and replied, "One time and you'll never let me forget. I just forgot about the oil that's all and the burns weren't even that bad."

Chuckling Rose patted her arm and in a condescending tone said, "Whatever helps you sleep at night, sweetheart."

"Meanie," Miya muttered squeezing Rose one more time before retreating to the island. She plopped her bare-legged self into a high stool and watched Rose cook, it was at times like these that she and Rose seemed like the only two people in the world. Letting her thoughts wander she watched, she could help but think how wonderful it would be if this moment would continue on forever.