a/n: thank you all for the reviews! here is the winter arc, and then BAM. the last chapter! DX

anyways, enjoy!

Pairing: None. A serving of friendshippy Arti/Kamitsure

Rating: K+ - T

Enjoy.

-RV

Winter-

Ah, the holiday season in Hiun City. The snow topped skyscrapers and the steaming cups of hot chocolate that were sold at the local Sacred Ash coffee shop. Yes, this was the season of giving and joy, the season where happiness was right around the corner…

Arti hated it. He hated it, he hated it oh yes he did. The season was always cold, there was always a long line at the art museum downtown and oh dear Arceus, the Christmas cards! It was a never ending vicious cycle of stupidity! First you had to go take a picture and superimpose it on a red and green card and ship it off to people you barely knew! The madness!

Sadly, Kamitsure loved winter. She loved the cold weather, the snowflakes dancing in the air, and the long nights where they would huddle next to Arti's living room chimney, reminiscing in the days of their youth. Already twenty-one, the two best friends managed to get out of school in one piece and see each other on a daily basis. You see, Kamitsure returned to Raimon City on her eighteenth birthday- a farewell that meant nothing to the two best friends- and Arti became Hiun City's gym leader. His expertise in bug types helped him snag the spot, but was still a bit sore about the fact that Kamitsure was the fourth gym leader and he was the third.

On one long, winter, night, the light powder snow had turned into a blizzard, which made any escape out of the metropolis nearly impossible. Kamitsure didn't want to head back to Raimon City while the storm was outside, so she plopped down on one of Arti's suede couches and propped her leather clad legs on the table across from her.

"So, how've you been?" Kamitsure's bored drawl echoed around the nearly silent room, as Arti came out of the kitchen with two cups of hot chocolate. While handing a mug to the blonde, he sat down next to her, and also put his feet up on the table.

"Eh, it's been okay. Nothing overly exciting; it's actually been pretty boring ever since you left."
Kamitsure snorted as Arti rolled his green eyes.

"Well, what do you expect? I'm a danger-magnet. Remember the time when I snuck out of the house and you took me to that terrible concert in Raimon City? And then in the morning, my parents-"

"Gave you the ultimatum of the century. 'Kamitsure, if you sneak out of the house one more time-"

"We'll kick you out!" The duo finished together, their laughter mingling in the recalled memory. Arti grinned as he took another sip of the hot liquid.

"That was hilarious, really. Your mom was so mad, she started yelling and everything." The brunet said, as Kamitsure put her head on his shoulder. Arti stiffened at the contact.

Kamitsure hated contact. Of any kind. You give her a hug and she's the first one to let go. These moments, the moments when she let her guard down and let herself be held…
Arti also hated those moments. He really did. It wasn't that he didn't like them-because he did, he loved those moments when he could rest his head against hers and everything would be fine and happy and peachy- it was that these moments filled Arti with hope.
Arti hated hope. Hope and Kamitsure were two things that weren't supposed to be in the same sentence, or conversation. There was no hope for his feelings for the 'shining beauty' to be returned.

He loved her, for Arceus' sake! The brunet artist desperately wanted to tell her, wanted to shout it to the heavens that he, Arti of Hiun City was completely head over heels for his best friend, Kamitsure of Raimon City.

It was an unrequited love for the books. Arti was pretty sure that Romeo and Juliet had fewer problems.

"I know, right?" Kamitsure said, with a hint of humor still evident in her voice. Her blonde hair was in Arti's line of vision, the aroma of some kind of flower radiating off it.

"Yeah. So, Kami, how have you been?"

"Fine, really."

Arti arched an eyebrow at her curt and short reply. Her let his green eyes waver down at the girl and furrowed his eyebrows.
She was awfully thin. Thinner than the last time they met up.

"Hey, Kami…"

Kamitsure's blue eyes looked up, locking with Arti's green orbs. Arti felt his cheeks heat up as he gave his head a quick shake.

"Um…did you get a day job or something?"

Kamitsure leaned back up, her head leaving the artist's shoulder and arched an eyebrow at the question posed. Her blue eyes were flickering, unsure of what emotion to show-outrage or confusion.

"So you heard." The blonde's voice was monotone and Arti racked his brain for something intelligent today. Then, it hit him.

"I heard about your modeling stint. I didn't realize you got a career out of a few photos." Arti's voice sounded hurt, because the brunet male was hurt. It annoyed him how some man with a camera could look at Kamitsure, take as many pictures as his heart could desire, while her best friend couldn't even draw a picture of the girl without her throwing fit.
Kamitsure flicked her bangs back and shrugged.

"It brings the bread home." She said, cryptically as she got up from the couch, mug in hand, and walked towards the kitchen. Arti sighed as the girl left his sight, running his hands through his shoulder length bronze mass of waves.

'She's skinny…she's a model…no. That's stupid. She would never do such a thing.' Arti shook his head, and let his brown curls cover his eyes. Kamitsure plodded back inside the living room, her mug filled with hot chocolate once more. She brought the mug to her lips and took a sip, before walking back to the sofa.

"So, Arti, what are you doing for Christmas this year?" Kamitsure tilted her head slightly, causing the wires or whatever they were attached on her headphones to sway to the side. Arti lifted his head up and shrugged, as the blonde joined him on the couch once more.

"I'm not really sure. What are you doing?" Arti faced the blonde, their eyes making contact yet again. Kamitsure's face painted a picture of boredom, and almost effortless perfection. She was a constant clash of contradiction, and that was something he loved about her. She would be vulnerable, but brave, terrified, but bold.

"I was planning on doing whatever you were doing so I didn't have to go back home." Kamitsure cracked a smile, as Arti let out a laugh.

"We can watch movies in here for Christmas and go ice-skating, like last year." Arti suggested, as Kamitsure pondered the notion. The girl shrugged.

"Sounds good enough; you're going to take me shopping, though. I need some new CDs." Kamitsure finally smiled a smile that reached her eyes. It wasn't a half-hearted gesture, but genuine, and Arti felt like he was the luckiest man in the world for being allowed the privilege of a real Kamitsure smile.

"It's done, then. I'll pick you up at Raimon City on Christmas Eve and we'll party like it is 1980."

At the lame joke, the friends let out a chorus of laughter, and Arti felt like this occurrence was so normal. He felt so at ease with Kamitsure, and wondered if she also felt secure when she was with him. It was easy, he would say on the day he finally asked her out. It was easy breathing when she wasn't under the constant watch of a camera or paparazzi.

Why was it so hard for him to say those three little words to her? Why? It seemed hypocritical when he wanted her to confess her undying love for him. Arti let out an involuntary sigh, and Kamitsure's blue eyes flickered. She noticed.

"What's up, Arti?"

The brunet male shook his head and adjusted his scarf, and then his black v-neck long sleeved shirt. "Nothing's wrong, nothing's up. Everything's all right." Arti murmured, his green gaze slowly wavering down at his lap. Kamitsure scooted closer, their thighs brushing against each other, as she poked his partly-exposed chest.

"Something's up. You can tell me." She smiled, for extra measure. Outside, a gale of wind buffeted the house, as snow fell faster and faster, causing a drop in the already freezing temperature. Inside, however, it seemed like the room was getting warmer and that the atmosphere was getting hotter.

"No, it's fine." Arti insisted, as Kamitsure continued prodding. Her blue eyes turned from serious to playful, as she crawled onto his lap, sitting down with her legs up on the sofa, hooked around the male's waist.

"Something is wrong~ tell me, is it about your artwork?" Kamitsure tilted her head and Arti sighed, shaking his head no. He also hated these little happiness-spasms. If Kamitsure wasn't serious, she was like a kitten: playful and all touchy-feely.

"No? All right then. Is it about…" Kamitsure's expression turned pensive. "A weak challenger? A strong challenger at the gym?"
Another shake of Arti's head proved the blonde's statement wrong.

"Oh, fine. Is it about a girl?"

Arti weighed the pro-cons of telling Kamitsure the truth. That yes, his unenthusiastic mood had been produced by a girl and that girl was currently sitting on his lap.

"Yes."

Kamitsure's eyes glittered like gold. Okay, no, they glimmered like sapphires, deep inside the ocean. "Ooh, who?"

Arti carefully placed one hand on the girl's head, tilting her face down to meet his'. He closed the distance between them and brushed his lips against hers'.

"You."

a/n: DUN, DUN, DUHHHH.