«Peko! Peko, wake up!» He does not need to shake her with so much force or call her name so many times - she is a light sleeper - but there's excitement in his voice, and that sparks her curiosity. She stands up and looks around to make sure everything's okay, trying to hear if there's noises that shouldn't be there, but with Kuzuryuu happily pulling on her arm, it's hard to do so.
«What is it, young master?» She rubs one of her eyes tiredly, turning to look at him. His eyes seem to sparkle, as a big smile decorates his face.
«Come with me!» As soon as Peko stands on her feet, he pulls her outside of their room and down the stairs, entering a room with big window doors.
What Peko first thinks, with their feet stepping heavily on the ground, is that they're going to be found out and that his parents will get angry.
The second thing she thinks about is that she's never seen such a big grin on his face, nor such glee in his eyes.
«Look, outside!» And the third thing she thinks is that the scenery outside the window is so white and so pure that she understands Kuzuryuu's enthusiasm. Her mouth hangs open, her eyes lay on all the snow covering the grass and the trees, and on the snowflakes slowly falling from the sky. She timidly approaches the window and poses a hand on the glass. Soon enough, he joins her.
«Isn't it beautiful, Peko?» The excitement in his voice became whispered awe, and she can't do anything but nod silently. Her eyes dart from one snowflake to the other, and looking at the closest ones, she can almost see their details, each so different from the others, so unique - but they fade so fast that she doesn't have time to appreciate them as she wants to.
«Let's go outside!» Without even waiting for her answer, Kuzuryuu opens the door and tries to step outside, but Peko catches his arm reflexively and pushes him back. There's surprise written all over her face, and worry too, as she keeps her grip on him.
«Why'd you-»
«It's cold, young master! ...at least put on boots and a coat, please.» She lets him go once he sighs, closing the door. They quickly go to the entrance of the house, where shoes and coats await them. With unpatience, he quickly puts on everything, without even buttoning up his coat, while Peko makes sure she won't be cold.
«You'll catch a fever if you go outside like that... come here.» Kuzuryuu almost crosses his arms, but Peko reaches for the buttons on the front of his coat, making it impossible for him to do so. He taps lightly his foot, with his head turned. Her face gets closer when she goes to the upper buttons, and he blushes slightly.
«Done. Let's go.» She opens the door and turns towards him. When his eyes lay on her face, he sees what he never expected to see: a sweet smile and sparkling eyes. They are kids, but she's been taught since always to hide her emotions; seeing her this happy makes his heart skip a beat.
She offers him her hand and, without thinking twice, he holds it and smiles back.
«Do you remember that night, Peko? We went outside and played in the snow for hours. You looked at the snowflakes and tried to catch one with your hand, and we made a snowman. I still remember you almost panicked when we heard a cat jumping on a tree and making the snow on a branch fall, and you thought someone was going to kidnap me and you forgot to bring the shinai with you. You couldn't relax again after, so I made a snowball and threw it directly at you. You heard it and turned to hit it with your shinai, but you didn't have it, so it hit you in the face. I was worried I hurt you, and you stood still for a couple of seconds, before scooping up some snow and returning the favor. We had the greatest snowball battle in the world, and we laughed so hard we almost woke up my parents. I remember your smile. And I remember we both got a fever the day after.» He smiles bitterly, holding her hand. His grip tightens a bit, but he lets go as soon as he notices it. He looks down at his feet, as tears start welling up in his eyes.
«It's snowing outside, Peko. Just like that day. I know I haven't paid you a visit in weeks, but seeing you like this is painful. That's why... I need you to wake up, please. We can go outside, make a better snowman than the one we did when we were younger. We can have another snowball battle, this time with the others too. It'll be fun. And afterwards, we can drink hot chocolate or something under a blanket, so perhaps this time we won't get sick. What do you say, Peko?» The tears start falling down, as soft sobs start making his shoulders shake. He falls to his knees, his eyes closed. His jaw is clenched, and he reaches again for her hand, taking it and squeezing it gently.
«Peko... Peko, please wake up... I need you...» His sobs make it hard to talk, but he doesn't care. He calls her name, again and again. He started to think weeks ago nothing would've changed, but deep down he still has hope, and he clings to it desperately.
«...Fuyu...hiko...?» And he's thankful he never lost it.