The snow fell softly and steady, smoothing out the bumps on the ground and blurring the edges of the footsteps coating the clearing. There was not a breath of sound, no stirring of the wind or murmuring of voices. Umi relaxed in the stillness, molding the last bit of snow for her sculpture with precise movements. She'd spent the last hour outside, carefully gathering snow and packing it together to form the perfect snowgirl. Setting the finished head gently on top of the body, Umi smoothed it into place and stepped back to admire the final product. She nodded to herself, satisfied with her work. A few minutes of searching later and the snowgirl gained arms and buttons and eyes. The smile was the last thing Umi added, placing the stones delicately.
It seemed to have an almost cat like grin, she noticed when she finished, though she couldn't explain why.
Rin loved the snow. The way it floated so lightly on the air, how the soft flakes tickled her skin, and how it turned the whole world into a new adventure, with dozens of things to explore. She bounded through the white park happily, stopping every so often to roll down hills or catch snowflakes on tongue. Dragging her orange sled behind her, Rin began the long trudge up the biggest hill in the area. Her boots sank deep into the snow, each step a challenge. It was a challenge Rin gladly faced. With a yell of excitement and determination, she gritted her teeth and sprinted up the last stretch, fighting the pull of the snow on her legs and weight of her winter clothes.
A few more staggering steps and she reached the top, cheeks red and chest heaving. She stood proudly and surveyed the land around her. Everything was white and sparkling. Behind her were her meandering tracks, before her a smooth, untouched expanse. Rin took a deep breath and reveled in the sharpness of the cold air. Movement a little ways away caught her eye, and Rin squinted to see what was going on. Was that…? Rin grinned. She took a running start and leapt onto her sled, racing down the hill with wild abandon.
She landed a little ways away from the other girl and slowly advanced, crawling through the snow as she planned her attack.
Something slammed into the back of Umi's head. Something wet and cold, seeping through her hat and dripping down her neck. Muffled laughter came from behind her, followed by another snowball flying past her. Umi turned around slowly with a frozen smile, eyes searching the area for the perpetrator. She had just spotted the flash of orange when her vision went white, the snowball hitting her square in the face. There was a loud yell of success and pride following the impact, and when Umi brushed the snow out of her eyes she saw the girl bouncing up and down with excitement.
"Rin." Umi gave the girl a stern look, hands on her hips. Rin bounded across the snow at the sound of her name, giggling when she saw snow clinging to Umi's dark hair. "What are you doing?"
"Having fun!" Rin gave a wide smile at Umi's sigh. Her gaze slid away from the taller girl, her eyes widening when she saw the snowgirl Umi had made. "Whoa! That's so cool!"
She ran over to it, jumping up and down with awe. Umi joined her a moment later, watching with raised eyebrows as Rin slowly unwound her scarf with a thoughtful look.
"What are you doing?"
"Making it better!" Rin tied the scarf around the snowgirl's neck and smiled. "You have to give it clothes or else it will get a cold."
"You're the one who's going to get a cold." Umi frowned as Rin pulled off her hats and gloves and placed them carefully on the snowgirl. It did look better with the accessories, Umi had to admit, but that was no excuse for getting sick. She sighed. "Here."
She placed her own hat on Rin's head, pulling it down until it covered the girl's ears. Rin stared at her in amazement, fingers tentatively feeling the soft fabric, before breaking into a wide grin and launching herself at Umi.
After the minute of Rin's enthusiastic thanks and Umi's faint struggles against intimacy passed, the two of them stood silently in the snow, arms wrapped around each other in a warm embrace. Rin leaned into Umi's shoulder, listened to the taller girl's heartbeat as it calmed from its frantic pace into a soothing rhythm. A snowflake fell on top of her borrowed hat, glittering as it caught the sunlight for a brief moment before dissolving under Umi's warm breath. Umi closed her eyes as it disappeared, the silence surrounding them like a soft cocoon. They were alone in their winter wonderland.
"Come on, come on!" Rin pulled Umi through the snow, one hand grasping Umi's tightly and the other dragging the sled behind them. Umi stumbled behind, unable to keep up with Rin's energy.
"Where are we going?"
"Up!"
Up? Umi looked ahead of them, eyes growing wide as she noticed the huge hill. So that was Rin's plan. She should have known from the way Rin's eyes had lit up when looking at her sled. Her small sled, Umi now realized. It looked barely big enough for one person, let alone two. There was no way this was safe.
But then there they were, standing knee deep in the snow at the top of the hill, feeling the wind pull at their clothes and steal away their words.
"You can go first!" Rin shouted, shoving the rope lead of the sled into Umi's hand. "I'll push!"
Umi glanced between the bouncing girl, and the painfully bright orange sled, and the steep descent waiting for her just feet away, and knew that no protest would save her. Sitting down on the sled and tucking in her limbs so they wouldn't hinder her progress, she reached for the goggles hanging around her neck in hopes they would offer some safety.
"Let me just-"
Rin pushed the sled, and Umi screamed as she suddenly hurtled down the hill. The goggles were whipped out her hands, disappearing into the snow. The cold wind bit her face and stung her eyes, and Umi gripped the sled for dear life.
Steering was impossible. Umi fumbled for the rope anyways, tugging it this way and that in a desperate attempt at control. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and when she hit a bump and soared into the air, the world a white blur around her, she swore she felt it stop.
Umi landed at the bottom of the hill with a crash. She dizzily slid out of the sled, hair disheveled and eyes blinking blankly as her mind struggled to catch up with her body. Laughter floated past her, and Umi turned to see Rin tumbling down the hill with delight. She was covered in snow; it clung to her clothes, her hair, and even dusted her smiling face. She rolled to a stop next to Umi and grinned up at her.
"Let's do it again!"
Umi and her still pounding heart adamantly refused.
Several hours of sledding later, they finally stumbled inside Umi's house, sore and tired and shivering. They sat in front of the fire under a mound of blankets, sipping their mugs of hot chocolate gratefully. As the warmth seeped into Rin's body, she found the excitement of the day fading away, replaced with a deep yawn. She blinked slowly, eyes heavy, and curled up into Umi's shoulder. Seconds later and she was fast asleep.
Umi blushed at the contact, but she wound a careful arm around the sleeping girl anyways, pulling her closer. Umi wouldn't fall asleep in front of the fire – that was simply irresponsible, leaving it unattended – but she supposed it wouldn't hurt to close her eyes for just a moment. So she rested her head on top of Rin's soft, damp hair, and let herself relax in the quiet of the peaceful winter evening.