A/N: Hi hey! We're back! This is Hikari and Cia! A little word before you start reading this chapter: IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE REWRITTEN CHAPTER VI WE ADVISE YOU GO BACK AND DO THAT NOW OR YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND THIS CHAPTER AT ALL! –coughs- Ahem. Now that's taken care of, I'd like to say thanks for all the people who managed to review the edited Chapter VI, be it by PM or actual review. Comments and suggestions are always welcome to help us write the fic!
-long pause- Okay, the bold bits have been typed by Cia. I will recap and tell you all that from now on my best mate Cia will be assisting me in the writing of this fic. She somehow helps me get out of my daily funks and write, but you can tell from the difference in writing style who wrote which bit. Today, the entire 7 paragraphs of the beginning section (not sure if that's what you'd call them but whatever) were written by Cia. The rest were written by Hikari during Maths class today, when she really should've been working. –sweatdrops- Yeah, suppose so. Anyway, credit goes to Cia. This fic is also dedicated to her, just so you all know.
Remember, the bits written in italics are what's happening to Shuichi in the dream world. We hoped we'd established that in the last Chapter but just in case you forgot, we thought it best to remind you again. And if Yuki's writing it you'll know 'cos we'll have typed it before of after the big block of italics.
Now, if you haven't already, go back and read the rewritten Chapter VI! But if you've already read it, we hope you enjoy Chapter VII!
Pure as the Snow
Chapter VII
Touma looked at each of the four standing before in turn. It was eight o'clock in the evening of day one since 'the news' had reached Touma and he had alerted four important figures in the singer's life to dine at a restaurant after work in order to break 'the news' to them.
There was Hiro, the best friend. Touma studied his face, every line that etched with worry and his dark blue eyes concerned. Hiro knew something was up all right.
Then Suguru. Looking at his cousin's unreadable expression so like his own; Touma knew that Suguru was probably mulling the situation over and putting together bits of information until the whole thing fell into place.
Mr Sakano, having already been told the news, was running round, tearing his hair out. Touma sighed, hoping Hiro and Suguru wouldn't take the news this way too – he didn't need any more hysterics
And finally K. The manager was stroking his gun; he too had also already been told. His blue eyes were bright and expectant, waiting for Touma to spill the news.
Touma sighed again and took a deep breath.
"Listen everyone. As some of you already know we have a crisis on our hands. I'm afraid Shindou has gone missing…"
A cold wind blew its way through the dream world, sending him into shivers. He curled up in a ball, desperate to stay warm. The darkness spread over the world once again, leaving him frozen with fear. He felt like he was literally waiting for death, leaving him cold, lonely, afraid and, above all, confused.
Each moment he spent here a piece of himself seemed to be dissolved away by the impending darkness.
The cold ate hungrily at his bare toes and fingers, making them both swollen and numb. He sobbed quietly and alone. He hated it here. He wanted to go home. He wanted to return, back to his world. But he knew he could not. Not until he solved the mystery of the snow.
"You alone have the power to heal the snow," spoke out the voice for the first time in a long while. He simply didn't respond and suffered silently, curled up tightly in a ball and praying someone would find him.
"Save me… please save me…"
"Save me… please save me…"
Yuki sighed, staring at the last line of text. He wondered what had caused him to write this story in the first place. The last line of speech had simply come to him, as if he himself was the person being call by this character from his story. He sighed once again. Shuichi had been missing almost two days now. In fact, it would be two days by nine o'clock. And, as if on cue, the clock on his desk beeped, indicating it was now nine o'clock. And then, for the second time in six years, he allowed his loneliness and grief to take firm hold of him and he collapsed on the desk, sobbing his heart out. His miracle had been taken from him. And the moments without him just seemed to last an eternity.
Day six of the snow of Tokyo had become a world news story. Everyone wanted to know the reason behind the snowstorm of Tokyo, but no one could work out the mystery behind it. A glimmer of light flickered in the sky and went out as quickly as it came, giving false hope the darkness would soon pass. False hope rang out…
… and the world was dark once again.
A/N: Short no? Sorry, it was the best we could do in a short space of time. There's some really horrid woman charging around our ICT room and kicking us out if we aren't in there doing homework, so we can never get the story finished properly. Instead we end up writing it on my handy black notepad and then I type it up when I get back from school. Anyway, hope you liked that Chapter. More are coming your way soon so review!
