Winter Nights

Chapter 1

The Dream

Yukiko's P.O.V

The stars are so beautiful and bright tonight... Yukiko thought as she laid herself down in the snow. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her mind and focus on the beauty surrounding her. The bare cherry blossom trees with their near black bark making the snow atop the branches even brighter. The moon, in all of its glory, reflected its light off the frozen lake, giving the clearing an eerie yet enchanting glow. The sky was cloudless; it was filled with nothing but the twinkling stars. She was always happiest here. Though not even the beauty of the scene around her could distract her from what had happened earlier that day, and the news that she had received.

*Flashback*

"You will marry Tohiko. It has been settled, and the deal made," her father said.

"I can't father! Tohiko is not the one I love! He is a horrible man," Yukiko replied angrily. She couldn't believe her father would force her into marriage. When she was younger he had not only told her, but promised her that she could marry the man she, herself, chose. He had always been a good man. A man who kept his word, no matter what! And yet now, he was going back on it.

"Then who is it that you love Yukiko?" he asked with slight hostility in his voice.

**Present**

She had never heard her father use that tone when he talked to her. It was after that that she had ran with tears glistening in her eyes.

Yukiko finally found a way to cleanse her mind of the memory of what had just happened. She sang a song that she hadn't sung for years. It was a lullaby for her pet. Shailo. He was a wolf, and didn't actually belong to her. He would visit her sometimes, but when she turned 12, he stopped.

"Shailoh Shailoh, yatreet ka...

Shailoh shna.. otvit ka...

Hahla Hahla.. ahlah hah...

Shailoh washnee

fortee ney...

Shailoh Shailoh, yatreet ka...

Omen nio hah...

Shailoh Shailoh, yatreet ka...

Shailoh shna.. otvit ka...

Hahla Hahla.. ahlah hah...

Shailoh washnee

fortee ney...

( watch?v=U63KZTXp-ok

^link to the song. It's from 'Wolf's Rain' called

'Cheza's Song')

When she had finished, Yukiko heard a noise on her right. She looked over, paralyzed with fear, only to see Shailoh walking toward her calmly. He walked in front of her and laid his head in her lap. Yukiko gently pet his head with her cold pale hands, gently whispering to him.

Logan's P.O.V

He turned his head at the sound of a soft voice singing something in a language he had never heard before. "What was that..." Logan wondered. He headed in the direction the sound had come from. As he walked toward the sound, a gentle breeze came his way, carrying an intriguing scent along with it. It was amazingly sweet, but not too sweet. It was very light and was not strong. It was pleasing to the senses.

The sound and scent led him to the edge of a clearing that was surrounded by bare sakura trees coated in snow. What he saw wasn't quite what he had suspected. There was a girl in the middle of it by the edge of a lake. She was singing to herself quietly, and not too long after she had finished, a white wolf with odd red markings on its head came out of hiding. He was ready to protect her, claws out and ready to fight when he noticed something strange. The wolf was just walking toward her. It wasn't growling and running at her. He saw it lay down and put its head into her lap. She began to pet him gently, and he caught only bits and pieces of what she was whispering. He retracted his claws and watched for a while. Logan stepped back, wondering whether or not he should approach her or leave her be, seeing as she was seemingly out of danger.

Against his better judgment, he decided to approach her. Logan's curiosity about why she was out here alone at night heavily outweighed his better judgment. As he walked toward her, he couldn't help but imagine what she would look like. All he could see was light, pale blonde hair that was splayed out across her back and on the snow. Standing up, he placed the end of her hair to be at about the middle or bottom of her back.

Logan's (first person) P.O.V

When I reached her, the wolf slowly raised its head and looked at me. The girl twisted around and looked up at me with genuin surprise in her eyes. Her face was so much more beautiful than he would've thought possible. It was a face that I would love to wake up to in the morning. Every morning. Her eyes were bright blue. Almost the same color as the ice covering the lake. Her skin was pale and nearly flawless, except for the evidence of the tears that had been trailing down her soft face. The trail that they left behind was shining slightly. She reminded me of the snow on the ground.

She stood up to greet me. She was shorter than I had expected. A few inches shorter than I was, and I was right about the length of her hair. Her kimono was a pale pink and didn't look to warm.

"Hey." I said. It was all that I could come up with. Her beauty stunned me.

"Hello." she said somewhat hesitantly, "My name is Yukiko."

That name fit her perfectly. I stared at her for a few seconds taking in how sweet her voice was. So soft and gentle and quiet. It was sad though. I needed to know why. Something was pushing me to find out, and help her in anyway that I could.

"You've been crying... Haven't you? What happened?" I asked her. I was tempted to caress Yukiko's face, but thought better of it. The wolf was oddly quiet. It only sniffed me, and then left us alone.

"Mhm... It's not a big deal though... Umm... Who are you?"

"Hmm? Oh, right... My name's Logan. But if it made you cry, it must have been something bad." I have to find out what happened to her.

"It's just that..."

"MR. LOGAN!?" I heard a voice yelling my name through my door. I opened my eyes, rubbing my temples. The same dream- or memory- again. The same one I'd been having for the past few weeks. It's always ending at the same place. I guess that I'll just have the professor take a look inside again today. See if he can find the rest of the memory... If it's even that. I thought exasperatedly and groaned in frustration then got out of bed.

I put on a flannel plaid shirt and pulled on a pair of jeans and some shoes after that. I headed outside and heard Jean just around the corner talking to the professor. It was something about a new student, so I didn't bother listening or joining in on the conversation. That dream... memory... That thing was starting to piss me off. I grabbed something small for breakfast and went out for a ride on my motorcycle.

"Logan..." I thought I heard someone say my name, and looked around me. No one was there, so it was obviously just my imagination.