With a gentleness that could only occur on the chance days of winter, the city was soon covered with the soft crystals of snow. A gentle snowfall that melted as it drifted towards the warmth generating from the people walking about. Some of them huddle with layers of thick clothes, while others had happy smiles as they linked arms with their beloveds.
Then there were the few individuals that found a sprint of energy flowing through them as they played in the snow like they were little children.
"Ah!" Sora gasped as she was pelted with a small snowball on her face. Her nose turning a rosy pink like the scarf she had wrapped around, as her blue overcoat hugged her away from the bite of the cold with a lighter shade of mittens.
"Got ya!" Taichi laughed with a hearty grin, his matching track suit being adorned by a long coat like wind breaker, "Hah! You didn't even see it coming! I'm like a –ah!" Taichi's large eyes widened in a flashing fear of the unexpected as a perfectly round snowball came to pelt him right on the forehead.
"Oh I'm sorry," Sora had already another snowy weapon packed in her mitten covered hands, "Aw, did I make your nose all cold with that last hit?" She blinked her eyes innocently.
Taichi huffed, pouting as he rubbed his nose clean and a fire lit with his being, "I hope you're ready for this." Taichi grinned evilly as he quickly snatched up some snow.
The two of them were running around like children that saw snow for the first time. Their laughter and smiles ringing like bells through the night air as the left their prints on the snow and traces of their quick snowballs and spatters of colliding hits.
Their 'war' was more like a playful banter. For every hit Sora landed, Taichi was just as quick to match. For all the dodges Sora so quickly made, Taichi was just as equally swift. The pretty argent park was lit up by the golden yellow strings of lights around the fixtures. Every inch of the public property was festive, warm, and inviting, even a song started to play through loud speakers. Its happy melody wove through the air like the incandescent of the lights, integrating itself with the frosty air as if it had been playing this entire time. Though in the midst of a mad snowball fight, neither Taichi nor Sora seemed to notice.
"That's it!" Taichi blocked himself by the barrage of tiny snowballs from the laughing Sora, "Desperate times call for desperate measures!" A large smile that stretched from ear to ear was brightly written on his face. He gave up scrambling for packed snowballs and instead bolted straight at Sora. Sora playfully shrieked as she quickly caught on to what Taichi was thinking and dashed away from him.
Snow kicked up from where they stepped, jacket and scarves trailed behind them like some slow motion clip from a distant memory of a movie. Thanks to the head start Taichi so conveniently took earlier, he caught up to Sora. Wrapping his arms around her waist as he hoisted her up in the air without any trouble.
"Taichi!" Sora laughed as she gracefully smiled, this wasn't the first time Taichi had pulled off a stunt like this and knowing him. It wouldn't be the last, "Put me down!"
"Nope," Taichi swung her left and right, "Not until you surrender and I become king of the snowballs."
"Like I'm going to surrender to you."
"Okay then I'm not gonna put you down."
"You can't carry me forever!"
"You wanna bet?"
"Taichi!"
"But you can't withstand my bear hug forever."
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
With a gleam of victory in his eyes Taichi squeezed tight around Sora's waist. Pulling her close against him in a tight bear hug that wasn't too hurtful, but still tight enough to make actual bears weep. Sora slightly flailed in Taichi's arms as she felt Taichi squeeze her until she gave in. Oh, that Taichi. If nothing else he had a determination of a five year old.
"Okay, okay," Sora chuckled lightly as she shook her head, "You win. Happy now?"
Taichi smiled brightly, "Immeasurably so."
He put her back down on the ground. The snow lightly crunching under her boots as he released her free. The both of them smiling at their childish behavior sheepishly. Taichi stood straight, his hand running through his unruly hair before he rested them in his pockets. Sora's nose was still red from the cold as she smoothed out her jacket and lightly folded her hands in front of her.
Taichi and Sora fell silent, both of their eyes bouncing around the park that they forgot they were in. The music from the speakers now filled the air around them. The lights fixtures all around them were just barely noticed as the soft light glistened off the snowy park just bringing more glow around them.
"Hey," Taichi flashed the Yagami trademark smile, "Dance with me."
Sora blinked in disbelief, expecting to hear some tagline joke but instead found Taichi was serious, "...No."
"Aw come on it'd be fun."
"Knowing you, we'd just fall."
"Hey I'm not that bad of a dancer."
"Really now?"
"Yeah."
"I don't believe you."
"Well let me you show you then," Taichi stuck out his hand for Sora to take, "It'd be fun."
Sora paused, looking at the outreached hand and the warm color in Taichi's eyes. Biting the edge of her bottom lip as her ears perked at the floating song that circled around them. Her amber eyes glanced down and back up, as she took of her damp mittens and stuffed them in her pocket. Sliding her hands into Taichi's, "Better not fall." She teased.
"Don't worry," Taichi interlaced his fingers with Sora's, and gently placed another hand on her waist, "I'll just wow you with my amazing dance skills," He teased right back as he carefully took a step back and lead Sora to follow after him.
"Since when did you learn to dance huh?" Sora shook her head as she placed her free hand on Taichi's shoulder. Captiously she kept her eyes glued to the ground, following Taichi's footsteps in the snow as to not accidently step on his feet.
"In secret," Taichi joked, swinging the two of them around as he soon found a pace that matched the tempo of the song, "I was training up in the mountains. Meditating under waterfalls. Fighting bears. You know the normal stuff."
"Oh really," Sora peaked her head up, lightly shaking the trace bangs out of her face, "Sounds intense."
"It was. I had to survive off of dew on a leaf and the energy of the universe," Taichi nodded while his tone spoke of pure exaggeration, "And then. When I got back from my journey. Hikari wanted to enroll in dance classes and dragged me along with her."
"Oh ho," Sora mocked the look of shock though her cheeks were round with the perks of a smile, "Classes. Must have taken a lot out of you to attend those."
"Eh," Taichi sheepishly blinked his eyes a bit before swinging Sora toward the left as he rocked on the balls of his heels, "At first it was. But it turned out to be pretty fun."
"I bet," Sora gracefully fell into Taichi's line so easily that she didn't need to look down any longer, "You're not as terrible as I thought you'd be."
"See. Told ya, I'd wow you with my amazing dancing skills."
"Dork."
What surprised Sora the most was how warm Taichi could be in amidst the winter snow. The gentle heat seeped through the spots Taichi was holding her in. Melting through the small barrier between like the comfort of warm silk. Sora's cheeks were slightly red, though this time it was from the realization of how close she was to Taichi. She at first thought of it as nothing more than friendly contact…but now she was starting to feel the difference in their palms. Each stride they made was interpersonal, and just like the heat that seeped through her skin. The feel, sight and scent of Taichi soon started to overwhelm her senses.
Taichi couldn't help but notice how inviting Sora's cool touch was. His calloused fingers grazed against her slender hands relishing in how was how soft they were in comparison to his. In general, the softness that Sora carried was overpowering him. Her auburn hair looked soft like strands of fine silk, the lights all around caught in her eyes and made her gentle gaze glow. Taichi's palms felt clammy as the dance exchange between him and Sora started feeling…intimate.
"Sora."
"Taichi."
The both of them broke into a nervous grin with the coldness turning their warm breaths into puffs of mist.
"You go first," Taichi nodded off as he danced a little slower, now paying attention to Sora's voice over the music.
"Uh, you. You dance pretty good," Sora quietly hoped Taichi wouldn't notice the blush on her face. Her hands slid up Taichi's arms resting on the back of his shoulder blades as her fingers linked together behind his back.
"Told you so," Taichi slowly placed his other hand on Sora's hip. The waltz between them just smoothing down to a slow rocking back and forth between them as the circled around in one spot, "And see? No falling."
"Yeah, no falling," Sora pressed her lips together as she tried not to break into a large smile once more.
The music bounced off the snow and seemed to fade in an out like they were all alone in the public park. Taichi's hands seemed to just fit onto Sora's waist, and with a growing urge that was bolder than his own embarrassment, his arms instinctively wrapped around Sora. Not in the childishly joking manner like before, this time he pressed Sora against him simply for the feeling of having her so close against him. Sora bit the bottom of her lip, her hands were cold but her body and face were growing warmer by the second. The close contact was more than welcome by her, and she wanted to do what was starting to feel naturally for her.
"Your turn." Sora reminded, her russet eyes interlocking with Taichi's.
"…Right," Taichi's filemot eyes flickered as he got lost in Sora's eyes.
Their foreheads rested upon each other. The bodies embracing each other so endearingly that their breaths intermingled and the stray fibers of their clothes wove together. The winter wonderland they were rocking in was now of their own creation that held a magic only they could understand.
Taichi's grip tightened as he dipped his head down. His nose brushing against Sora's as he merely hovered over her lips in a heart pounding proximity. He swiped his tongue over his lip quickly before gently pressing them against Sora's in a light kiss.
Originally he had meant to keep it short and quick. But the first few electricfying sensations made the butterflies flutter in his stomach. His heart pumped wildly, but his lungs contently sighed, he protectively held Sora in his embrace was he gently kissed her in a manner that he was sure he would never kiss anyone like again.
Sora felt a fire light inside of her, the kind that only Taichi could spark inside of her. Eagerly she kissed back with a vigor that she couldn't hold back as she clutched Taichi's sleeves and craned up against his frame almost loosing herself as she shut her eyes closed and let it all sink in.
The timeless moment parted with a small breath of air. Taichi slipped his eyes open to see the content features so glazed in euphoria just like how he was feeling. Sora smiled at the earnesty in Taichi's eyes, and how she probably wouldn't mind seeing that expression lining his face over and over again.
"…Sora uh. Would you go –"
"Yes."
"I didn't finish."
"You didn't need to."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Can I say it anyway?"
"…Yes."
"Sora, would you go out with me?"
"Yes."
Sora smiled brightly, and pressed her lips against Taichi's for another small kiss.
There was softness in the snow that fell, a cadence that lit the air with a shine unlike any other, and a melody that comforted those who were there to listen.
But it just didn't compare to the warm feeling that arose from sharing a breath with someone you cared deeply for.