Author's Note: I wasn't sure if my story counted as K+ or T so just to be safe i'm rating it under T. Yes, this story has been published before by xXkashikuXx which was my old account. I deleted the story in that account and chose to rewrite (with quite alot of changes) this story in this account. Now that that's done...hope you enjoy my story and review please? :)

It was a cold, snowy night and storms were raging. An icy chill crept through the cracks in the wooden shed; a modest piece of housing in these desperate times. A time where hope was no more than a fairytale that sought to entertain young children. A time where happiness was a priceless gift that remained far out of reach of many.

But yet… a family, a modest home of two was blessed with this priceless gift…

In the middle of the cold and raging war where mourning was a common occurrence, a tiny sparkle of hope lit up in the hearts of that young family; a family of two, a husband who had seen better days and a young girl whose heart had grew heavy and weary. Sorrow and fear had made those two mature beyond their age.

For this, God had granted them a precious gift… the gift of life.

And in the middle of this cold and dark war, where hope and happiness were nonexistent, a cry lit up the faces of the weary couple.

The cry of a newborn child…

The child, born, cold and naked to the freezing world served as a symbol of purity and innocence that was a rare occurrence. The young mother, wearing a tattered and torn yukata; a gift passed down from generation to generation reached out to cradle the newborn in her stick-thin hands. Her beauty was spoilt by her undernourished body due to extreme poverty.

The child would never know the existence of its bloodstained past, nor have the knowledge of what was to come in the near future due to the blood pulsing through its veins. No, it was a bundle… a bundle of pure innocence that was born into a world full of bloodshed and war.

Yes, in a land where peace had so long forgotten itself, becoming more and more nonexistent, hope was born.

Waaaahhhh…waaaahhh…

It was the sound of another cry! The midwife exclaimed in happiness. Truly this family was greatly blessed. True, blessed they were… but in the near future, misfortune and bad luck was bound to fall on them. For the wife was carrying a deadly secret, one that would bring disruption to the whole family.

She cradled the boy in her right hand and the girl in her left. She was grateful for both of them. To her, it did not matter if the child was a girl or a boy… family honor which was believed to be brought by having a baby boy did not matter to her.

To her, having a child would make her able to forget about the sad past and move on with a new life. For her past was something she would rather not remember… and it was one that even her husband did not know about.

The twins began to wake up and to struggle. The mother coaxed them with a family lullaby that was sung to her when she was small. Her sweet voice filled the room.

Go to sleep my darling,

go to sleep my love,

as your father tends the sheep,

and mommy knits the wool.

A teardrop began to form in her eye but she shook it away. Her mother was gone now. Her life was lost in the battle that haunted the young girl… all because of the blood that was flowing in her veins. She shook her head at the unfairness of it all.

Having being orphaned at a young age, she had no memory of her father, nor could she recall ever having met him. She married a young man of about her age and lived a poor and somewhat peaceful life in the war that raged on for generations.

The twins smoothened at their mothers touch. The baby boy let out a tiny gurgle and reached out to touch his mother's face. The boy's father gently stroked the few strands of hair on his head and smiled a tired but gentle smile.

He is such an innocent child… white as snow and pure as ice…

I will name him Haku…

Then his mother glanced at the baby girl, still sleeping soundly in her arms, oblivious of her surroundings.

Her name is Yuki… For she was born in snow and truly is a blessing to us.

Author's Note: Yuki means snow or blessing in Japanese. There are many definitions of Haku but the more common term used is 'white'. It can be used as a symbol of purity.