CHAPTER TWO

( Loosing your best friend for life and gaining another)

"Winter princess? Or do you go by 'Momo Nara'?" The man asked as he walked down the hill with a smirk on his face. "Winter…Princess?" Toshiro whispered to himself as he questioned what he just heard. The man got closer and Momo stud paralyzed shaking with fear. " W…What's wrong with m…me? I…I can't move, can't…speak….at all!!" Momo thought as she watched the guy approach. With every step Momo felt pressure build around her body. Final when he was about three feet away from her she collapsed to unconsciousness. " MOMO! ARE YOU OKAY!" Toshiro screamed as he unlocked his knees allowing him to fall next to her. He scoped her into his arms then looked at the guy. " WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Toshiro screamed as he started to cry. The wind started to blow and snowflakes fell from the sky. Toshiro looked up in confusion. " W…what? Snow? In Sakura? How can that be?" Toshiro heard the ground crinkle and turned his attention to the man. " This is what happens when you mix Hinachi with some other planet." He said under his breath as he scratched the back of his head. Toshiro's eyes widened. " What do you mean…by mixing Hinachi with another planet?" Toshiro's face started to turn red from the coldness, but he didn't care. " That girl your holding is the 'Winter princess'. Meaning princess of Hinachi. It's said when a princess or prince is or as I should say turns eleven she or he is given special teaching so they can take control of their kingdom. Momo how ever is the winter princess the strongest of all. She can take total control of the weather where ever she is. That's why it's snowing here. But what's amazing is how she can do it with not even one clue of what she's doing. She's truly gifted and there for needs to come home to Hinachi , her kingdom." The man moved closer as he put his hands out. "NO! YOUR LIEING!" Toshiro screamed as he embraced Momo as tight as he could. Tears strolled down his face. As he whimpered the wind started to blow harder and the ground started to crack. The sky turned white in a blink of an eye. Then a pink light shot out of behind. It shot into Momo's body as shots of electricity spread across her. After that she disappeared or vanished. Toshiro looked at his empty hand as they shock. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" Toshiro screamed as he turned around to see no one was there. His eyes started to water more and fell over crying.

The snow had stopped …

For weeks Toshiro didn't talk to anyone nor smiled. Nothing in life was right to him anymore. Everyone had forgotten Momo… like she was erased from everyone's life. Toshiro thought it was horrible just horrible. He was the only one who remembered her face… her name… her smile… her love and compassion towards others. At times he would cry and other times he'd smile (only if he was alone) at the times they had together. The doctor told he's mom that Momo was probably an imaginary friend that he made up and he was growing out of it. But Toshiro knew she was real.

Momo on the other hand was taking her training to become the ruler of the land of Hinachi, but cried all the time and never spoke after the lose of her dearest friend. They tried every thing but to know avail. She had trouble focusing on one thing for over ten minutes.

MAY 14TH 2000

(CASTLE IN HINACHI)

" Momo! We have a visitor here who wants to see you." A woman yelled from down stairs. She didn't bother to wait for an answer because she knew she wouldn't get one. Momo stud from her desk and made her way down stairs. She was wearing a dress made of the finest silk. It was pink with white lace that had snowflakes woven in. She walked down the stairs and stud in the hall. She looked like a doll, Hardly looked like she had any life in her. As if her soul was the only thing standing there. Then a boy her age stepped threw the door and smiled at her. She just stud there starring into his blue eye's. His smile faded as he noticed the hatred in her eyes, but yet it was mostly sadness. A strand of hair laid in front of her eye's. When he noticed he grinned to himself and walked over to her. His smooth hand moved the runaway back with the others. Momo blushed and backed up. "What? I was just making it so everyone can see you lovely eyes. There's no point in hiding them." He said in a low muffled voice. But she could understand and then turned even redder. " Would you like to go for a stroll?" He asked putting out his hand. Momo hesitated and then placed hers on top of his.

"so I should tell you I'm the fall prince my names Kyo… and you?" He asked as he looked at her. Momo didn't look at him she just looked forward with not even a glimpse of life in her face. Then it hit him … the woman from earlier did say that Momo didn't speak. " All I know is you're the winter princess… so I'll just call you…Winter!" He said in a high pitched voice. He noticed he had cot her attention. Her eyes got big and immediately she said "STOP CALLING ME WINTER! MY NAME IS MOMO! Momo means peach and has nothing to do with winter only summer." She screamed as her voice calmed down and she started to cry. She placed her hands on her head as she fell to the ground and thought back……………………

" Mommy! Mommy, I got a flower from the woman across the street!" Momo screamed with giggles as she ran to her mother. Kelly turned around and smiled at her daughter. " Wow! Momo it's so pretty, do you know what kind it is?" Kelly asked as she lowered herself to her daughter level and ran her hand down her soft short hair. " No, but it's pretty though!" screamed as she twirled around in a circle. Kelly laughed and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "It's a petunia. It's not pretty but beautiful. In Hinachi petunia's look a lot different from real ones. See how the dark purple fades to light That's because they were grown in Hinachi where it's always winter. Isn't it Beautiful… just like you, Momo." Kelly smiled and took the flower out of her daughters hands and placed it in her right ear. "Petunia's are my favorite flowers now, Mommy! Besides for a peach blossom. Their so pre… I mean beautiful. Even though I've only seen them in books." Momo said. She put two fingers on the flower as the wind started to blow. " Mommy, how could a petunia grow in winter, but peaches can't?" Momo looked at her mother with a questioned look on her face. " Well, you grew in winter didn't you?" Her mother teased with a giggle. Momo looked in confusion and then smiled. " But, I'm not a peach I'm a person, mommy. I meant real ones. She laughed as she hugged her mother……………………………

" So your names… Momo? Momo as in peach? That's a lovely name, almost as lovely as your eyes." Kyo whispered as he helped her of the ground. Momo stopped crying and just starred at him. All of a sudden snowflakes fell to the ground. All were different. Not one looked the same. " Have you noticed what's so great about snowflakes, Momo?" She just starred in confusion waiting for him to continue. " Their just like us… their just like people." Momo's eye's grew big and she started to turn red from his statement. Then she opened her mouth as though trying to learn how to talk for the second time. " Because their…a… all different and not ones the same, right?" She finished as she caught one in her hands and then another. She studied them for a bit and then walked over to him. Kyo looked in her hands in amazement. They didn't melt in the palm of her hands, it was clear who she was. " Your right, Momo. That's exactly what I was going to say." Kyo said as he took her hand. He lead her to the nearest bench and sat down. Silence filled the air, not one sound was heard until Momo spoke up. " My mother said the same thing… About the snowflakes?" She lowered her head and her knees buckled. She crossed her hands and griped the dress sleeves as hard as she could. Kyo looked over at her. " What happened to your mother? Is she in Sakura, still?" He noticed that he had said something wrong and decided to change try to change the subject until Momo spoke. " She was murdered… the day I was supposed to stay with my aunt for a week… but I ended up staying for six years… It was hard for me. When I first came here A few days ago the same thing happened, same reaction… It was like I went back in the past to those same feelings." Tears started to stream down her face as she shock out of control. Her lips were frozen but she continued. " When I first moved to Sakura I cried all the time and never spoke after the lose of my mother. I never smiled nor did I stay glued to one thing. After ten minutes I would move on to something else, just like when I came back here… Until……" She hesitated a little. Kyo just looked at her with interest in the story of her life. " A boy named Toshiro Nabi became my friend… at first I just ignored him, I tried to avoid him. But he just wouldn't leave me alone, he kept coming back. Toshiro tried everything to get me to speak… Until one day, the sixth of November to be exact, he called me a winter peach because of my hair and my name. Then I remembered my mother… who called me that all the time." She stopped and looked up at Kyo. Tears still strolling down her face but now had a smile on. " So, what was the first thing you said to him?" Kyo finally broke the silence between them. " I said 'thank you' to him. I never understood why I said that but it just slipped. From there on we became best friends and were insuperable to get apart." Momo giggled once and then stud up. " It's cold here in Hinachi! It's been so long… Hey! You think we could go see the petunia's?" Momo asked as she clapped her hands together. Just like she did to Toshiro, Momo stole Kyo's heart. "Of course we can." Kyo took Momo's hand and started towards the garden.