Cold bites at her lungs, her throat, her face. Kanao pulls the shawl closer to her body and distantly wonders how Shinobu is coping with it. This is a cruel winter, one that will claim many a life before it's over.
It's perfect weather for demons.
They've just wrapped up a difficult job, one that involved a family grappling with cabin fever. Sometimes, it's not the work of a blood demon art that people have to watch out for. Sometimes, it's their own minds. Like always, even in this case, they assess the situation, treat the symptoms, and bury the dead. For missions like these, she is grateful for her numbness. In the back of her mind, she can still see the blood of a child, smeared on one wall. With steady hands, she wipes it clean once more.
Snow silently swirls through the air. It's pretty on its own, she supposes, but the way it alights in her sister's hair makes Shinobu look positively unearthly. Each step makes them both sink into the white blanketing the ground. Her lungs hurt. It's a strange sort of ache. She looks down at her fingers and thinks, Will I get frostbite? I've never had it before. She hopes not. Gripping a sword without the necessary appendages would be hard.
"Kanao. We need to find shelter."
Right away, Kanao jerks to attention and nods. Yes, shelter is ideal. Even though the family had offered to house them as a reward, taking people up on their offers isn't how her sister operates. She knew then that they'd be going back into the storm, and she knows now that walking on for much longer won't be a good idea.
"I'd go up into the trees, but it's too slippery for that." Shinobu continues, like she didn't answer at all. "If we stick together, everything should be fine."
Just in case, she shuffles closer to her sister. Perhaps she can offer a little bit of her warmth.
They keep walking. Kanao thinks she might freeze like this. They'll find her when the snow melts, she's sure, and make up stories about who she might have been. Her sister won't freeze, of course, for she is a Hashira and full of brilliant fire. There's a power in that, a special something that will keep her going until she sees her goals to the end. She's not like that, not really, but she's fine with following along in her wake.
At the very moment she feels like her legs might give out underneath her, a shack appears, released from winter's vision-reducing embrace. Her sister silently appraises it. "This will do." They stride towards their temporary lodgings, undeterred by the snowdrift blocking the door. It only takes a little effort to shove apart the mass of wet and chill.
Kanao hesitates in the entrance while Shinobu makes herself at home. There is little space and even smaller amounts of food. Is it right to waste what could help her sister survive another day? Her fingers feel too stiff to flip anything, much less a coin, so the weight of making a decision paralyzes her.
Dull, large eyes meet hers. "Come in already. Don't let all the heat escape."
Commands are easy. She always does what she's told to the letter, and a minor blizzard can't change that fundamental aspect of herself. Without any delay, she steps past the threshold and pulls the door shut.
"I wish I knew sometimes what went on in that head of yours…" There's a clear invitation to approach in the way she holds herself, and Kanao does, albeit a little hesitantly. Shinobu sighs. "If your safety or health is on the line, I expect you to watch out for yourself. You are not expendable. I won't risk losing my tsuguko. Please keep learning from me. We have some time together yet."
Ice cold hands cup her face. There's intent there. She can feel the desire to pass on the closest thing to tenderness her sister can make through her fingertips. Caught up in that caring feeling, she can't help but nod.
Outside, the world looks dead. It's quiet out there, deceptively so. In here, it's quiet too, in much the same way. Kanao observes the way Shinobu's jaw stays clenched and how her eyelashes remain clumped from the cold. The snow has melted already, leaving behind dampness in her locks. They don't talk to each other, but there's a lot to see if she looks.
And she looks.
That night, when it's darker, they sup on mysterious scraps of meat and bread. Rations. She doesn't think anything of it, except when it comes to how her sister sometimes grimaces as she chews. Picky. is her sole judgment, though it's rich with what she assumes fondness must be.
"Would you like the rest of my share?" It's offered up to her, crumbs and all.
"No."
Shinobu's shock is more subtle than most, but she knows it's there. It rests in the sudden twitch of her smile. "Well, alright! I can see you're adamant about that." Her laugh stays the same, no matter how many times she makes it.
Kanao watches snow drift down through the window.
When they're both finished, exhaustion starts to drag their eyelids down. Luckily, there are a few futons free for use. She tries not to consider where everyone might have gone.
"I hate this weather." Her sister admits as they lay everything out. "I miss spring." Unsure of what to say, she smooths out the wrinkles that stand out the most with her still cold hands.
"Don't you miss it too?"
She shrugs. It only reminds her of Kanae. Maybe that's what the girl beside her means.
"I see." Shinobu says. Now, she doesn't sound surprised at all.
Once they push the futons together and climb in, there's not much else for her to do beyond staring into the dark. "You should sleep." There comes that voice, along with a caressing hand for her scalp. She tries her best to relax into it, no matter how uncomfortable it feels.
Kanao exhales and asks a question. "Will we freeze?"
Her reward is a too icy kiss on her brow. "We won't." Her sister reassures. "It'll be alright. We'll just climb out through the window." It's said with such conviction that she can't help but believe it.
By the time the snow melts, a season later, they have been home for ages.