All characters belong to Hino Matsuri except for Kaida who belongs to animannika1025 on Quizilla.

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It was mystifying to be out in the sunlight again.

Two weeks of relentless rain had washed away the streets better than any sweeper could. Puddles formed in every nook and cranny and the flower pots that hung in front of the doors of quaint cafés and older boutiques on the street were gleaming with small glass-like beads. People were busy doing whatever it was they did on a day like this, hurrying along a dull, red-brick road. Probably part of some routine they had for every week. A couple of them called out "Akatsuki-san" or "Kain-kun" as I passed.

I stepped in front of a particularly large puddle in the middle of a sidewalk and looked down into it. The puddle was clear and radiated a strange crystalline elegance. If only my head were as clear as this. It was hard for me to deal with. It wasn't often that something came up and I would begin to lose my mind.

I continued walking around the puddle and tried to sort out my thoughts. I didn't know what it was about meeting her again that had me so nervous. She was a good friend and it wasn't hard to talk to her after you gained her trust, but there was still the feeling that something had changed.

February 14th. It was her birthday. We met each other for the first time on a day exactly like this back when we were still kids. I had run out to get some fresh air after being in a stuffy, over-crowded room full of adults screaming at each other. I couldn't think of much else to do to clear my head, so I took a walk in a wooded area of the property my father owned. I didn't care what they said. I didn't want to listen to any of the idiots in my house act like children and say they're my elders.

I continued walking until I found a girl. I flipped when I saw what she was with.

"What the hell are you doing?! It's a freaking panther for crying out loud!" I ran between the girl and the massive feline. It began to growl and it dropped into a crouch, looking at me with eyes sparkling like Citrine.

Before I knew it, the girl had pushed down my outstretched arms and stepped around me to get to the panther. The cat relaxed at once. She was walking with an easy gait, and when she turned her eyes held mine for a moment before she held out her hand to me, inviting me with a smile. That's when I really looked at her.

She was fairly short in height. That was the first thing I noticed. She had mesmerizing blue eyes, curious about the world around her. Her silvery, shoulder-length hair had been tied back into a low ponytail with a ribbon to match the deep blue of her dress. All she said was, "I'm Kaida. Wanna be friends?"

Eight years later, I found myself looking at the sun in the smack in the middle of gently rolling hills and the occasional meadow here and there filled with flowers. This was the area that surrounded the amiable town I had arrived at earlier that morning. Blinking, I realized that I'd walked too far and had to backtrack.

Until strands of long silver hair caught my eye.

I whirled around until I found her sitting on a hill looking at the sun like I had just a few moments prior. She was still fairly small, she still had the same blue, cat-like eyes, and her beautiful silvery hair had grown to her waist. She had worn a simple, black, sundress with a wide-brimmed, periwinkle hat that sat slightly lopsided on her head. Snowflakes had begun to settle around her slender hands.

Not knowing what to say, I stood there, looking like an idiot. I would've done something, but my heart had started racing as soon as I had seen the faint wisps of hair. I just stared at her as the haphazard flakes of snow quietly descended around her, winking in the sunlight.

She broke the silence.

"Fire Breather." I couldn't help but notice that Kaida had used her old nickname for me, being able to manipulate fire and all. She stood up and looked at me, smiling the same smile that had made me fall for her the first time I had met her. Her hair fell around her in waves, and I caught the scent of lemon and pine. This was her. This was the woman I had wanted to meet today.

"Snowstorm. It's been a while, hasn't it?" I replied. Her nickname came from her ability to control ice. I strode over the space that kept us separated and picked her up, twirling her around. She giggled and when her feet touched ground again, she nuzzled my neck with her nose. I shivered slightly, and she noticed that I was ticklish there and kept on doing it until it turned into an all out tickle war. I hadn't had so much fun in ages!

When we were finally down on the ground, suffocating ourselves with our laughter, she reached out to grab my hand and squeezed it. It was a simple gesture, but I knew what it meant. I missed you.

I rolled over so that I was on top of her, noses touching, smiles identical. She reached up with her free hand to caress my face and I slowly reached down to rest my hand on her hip. I whispered, "Tanjoubi omedetou, Kaida."**

She gently pulled my face down to hers, and our lips met. It was so heartbreakingly sweet, it hurt. It wasn't a wanting and hungry hurt, it was just a sad I don't want you to leave hurt. And I knew how much it hurt for her to see me depart from her again because it hurt me just as much, maybe more.

I pulled away and my amber eyes met her sad blue ones. I didn't want this to ever end – the two of us just lying here in the grass as the day went on without us. She was the only vampire in this village, and I didn't want to leave her alone again with no one to turn to. I only ever got to see her when Ruka and I stopped nearby, so these short visits only came sparingly.

"I'm sorry that I can't come with you. You know I wouldn't hesitate to if I could." As I sat up, I pulled her up with me and crushed her to my chest. It could be a long time before I saw her again.

"I know and I don't resent you for that. I know that there are people here that need you just as much as I do. So, keep doing your best to heal the people in the village," I replied, slowly stroking her head as she sat on my lap. "Wherever our paths may take us, I know that we'll find a way to be together."

We stayed like that with the time I had left that I gave myself. Just before I left, I slipped a small little letter into her hat. I felt like I had to leave something with her so that she'd have a small bit of me to hold on to, even if it was just a measly little scrap of paper. As I walked towards the car that would bring me back to reality without Kaida, I held on to a bit of her that she quietly slipped into my coat pocket. I had already memorized what it said, and I held on to it.

I love you, and that's why we'll never be torn apart. Our lives are forever intertwined, Kain.

The note smelled like lemon and pine.

**Just a short note here:

When Kain says "tanjoubi omedetou" to Kaida, he's saying "happy birthday" in Japanese. But I bet you smart people already knew that didn't you? ;)