Disclaimer: The usual. Don't own anything you recognize.

OF YOU

By Etcetera Kit

Color - Sky

"Gotcha!"

Sky dodged yet another snowball. It landed on the ground behind him with a splat! Syd really needed to learn how to aim – more often than not, the snowballs went far astray from their intended target. It was amusing watching her get frustrated as every one of his snowballs hit their targets while hers went astray.

"Truce!" he called, holding up his hands.

Syd glowered at him, but obligingly dropped the snow she held in her mitten. She was the only spot of color in the night. White snow was brilliantly lit by moonlight and the stars shone brightly. Street lamps cast a yellow glow over the open area outside the academy building. Syd was the only spot of color in the white landscape. Her dark pink parka with matching hat, scarf and mittens drew attention to her – and her hair looked all the more golden in the dimness.

"You need to learn how to pack a snowball," he said.

"Oh really?" She crossed her arms over her chest, looking disgruntled.

"Really," he replied. Bending down, he scooped up a handful of snow and demonstrated how to pack it into a proper snowball – consequently making it easier to throw.

Frowning, she imitated his motions and had a decent snowball. Without warning, the artful snowball smacked him in the side of the face. Wet, cold snow slid down his cheek. Syd let out a squeal and ducked for cover behind a bench. He rubbed the snow out of his face as best he could with his damp gloves.

"This is war!" he sputtered.

"Bring it on!" she taunted from behind the bench.

Ducking beside the pine tree that had been his 'base' during the initial snowball war, he quickly made a small pile of snowballs. This time she was going to pay. He wasn't going to go easy on her just because she was a girl and didn't know how to make snowballs. Lobbing a snowball upward, it sailed in a smooth arch and impacted on the top of Syd's head. She squawked indignantly.

She threw one in retaliation, but it hit the tree, some snow clinging to the bark. Sky just shook his head and threw another, getting her on the shoulder. Another snowball came flying in his direction and he was surprised to note that this one might actually hit him. An idea popped into his head and he grinned wickedly.

Pulling off his glove, he threw a force field in front of him. Syd's snowball splattered harmlessly against it.

"That's cheating!" she yelled.

He dropped the force field and pulled his glove back on, ignoring the snowballs that hit him in succession as he crossed the small open area. He sat down on the bench and peered down at Syd behind it. She grinned.

"Do you surrender?"

Sky smiled. Her eyes stood out in the frame of gold and pink around her face. He had never noticed the intense shade of her eyes before. It wasn't quite a royal blue, something someone would find in a box of crayons. It wasn't Blue Ranger blue. It was more like… cerulean blue – bright and vibrant, while also intense. Those blue eyes framed by thick lashes – it was more of a turn-on than all the other deliberate goading they had been doing for the past two weeks.

"What?" she asked, standing up and leaning over the back of the bench.

"Nothing," he replied quickly.

Syd's expression clearly said that she didn't believe him, but she didn't say anything. "Come on," she said, tugging his hand. "Let's go in. I'm cold."

He stood up and rounded the bench, pulling her close. "I think I can warm you up," he whispered huskily.

Leaning down ever so slightly, he gently pressed his lips to hers. Their first kisses had been intense, full of energy. This one was lacking that urgency, but the energy was still there – it flowed between them, building up to create tingles all over his body. He didn't want this to end, but it had to. Breathing didn't stop for anything except death.

Breaking the kiss, he leaned a forehead against hers. "Wow," he whispered.

Grinning, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. "Can we go in and get some hot chocolate and continue this elsewhere?"

He allowed himself to be dragged back inside, a goofy grin on his face.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Wow... thanks to everyone who has reviewed this! The response has been amazing...