As they stepped through the barrier the temperature dropped dramatically. Kurumu huddled closer to Tsukune for warmth as they were led to the village. It was exactly the way they remembered it. A beautiful village made out of ice, covered in snow that danced in the sunlight. Even having been here before there was nothing from keeping the two of them in awe. It was just so beautiful and unreal. The only thing that pried Tsukune's eyes away was the awed expression on Kurumu's face. She looked absolutely stunning. There was new life in her eyes and her hair had regained most of its color. Her skin seemed to glow with happiness.
She caught his eyes and another understanding of where they were took hold. Tsukune held her closer as memories of their lost friend passed through their thoughts. It had been a long time since they had visited Mizore's home, and would be the first time they would visit her grave. They kept the fond memories of their friend close to their hearts, along with their other friends. Although, no matter how much he tried to hide it, Kurumu could feel the pain building in his heart with every step they took. The fresh memories of Mizore's last moments were still fresh on his mind. How Mizore had sacrificed herself to save him. Kurumu tried to reassure him, but he could not place the blame on anyone but himself. He finally came out of his trance when Kurumu placed each of her warm hands on the sides of his face. She stared at him determinedly, her eyes moisten with tears that have yet to fall. The expression on her face told him more than words ever could. That they had gone through so much to finally be happy and that she was not going back and neither was he. He placed his hands over hers and brought them down in front of him.
"Okay." he said simply and pulled her into a hug.
They then continued following the other snow women into the village. Even the village and its inhabitants seemed untouched since they last saw it. They were eventually lead through the village and towards the palace of the Snow Priestess. They passed the field of white flowers that brought up even more painful memories, but Tsukune was determined not to get lost in them. He kept his attention on Kurumu, only thinking of her. There will be a proper place and time to morn for Mizore. Right now he had to keep his mind focused. The temperature dropped even more as they entered the shadow of the magnificent palace. The grand double-doors were opened before them and they stepped into the grand hall of the palace. At the end of the hall was the figure they had come to see. The Snow Priestess was sitting apron her throne of ice.
"Tsukune Aono and Kurumu Kurono of the Wong family." the Snow Priestess said smiling down at them as they both bowed to her.
"I see being in isolation doesn't keep you from being well informed." Tsukune said.
"You would be surprised at the wealth of my knowledge, even without my abilities." she told them.
They both knew not to question her on that, but Tsukune couldn't help but feel that this whole encounter was her plan and not Fong-Fong's. As if she knew his thoughts had turned to Fong-Fong, the Snow Priestess expression changed.
"Fong-Fong was a fool to announce your presence and your new position within the Wong family." the Snow Priestess said with annoyance.
"Luckily you did not linger." she told them, the meaning was clear to both of them.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Kurumu asked with worry.
"Don't worry, every single member of the Wong family escaped unharmed, but others were not so lucky." the Priestess said.
"So Fong-Fong's plan was successful?" Tsukune asked, glad to hear his friends was okay.
"To an extent. It has escalated matters even further and he was lucky there were no vampires. . .this time." she warned them.
"Now, I believe you have something for me." the Snow Priestess said looking at Tsukune.
He nodded and pulled out the envelope and handed it over to the Priestess. She opened it and carefully went over its contents. Kurumu and Tsukune waited patiently for her response. It didn't take long for her to finish, and she looked mildly surprised.
"I thought he would have asked for more. As he probably already knows, we are involved in this whether we like it or not. We were lucky we were prepared this time, but eventually they will find a way through our barrier and they will bring the war here and when they do, we will show them no mercy." the Snow Priestess said venomously.
Tsukune bowed politely, it was the answer he had been looking for. Grief gripped him knowing that such a peaceful and beautiful village would be caught up in a war that they wanted no part of. The best they could do is offer each other help to brace for the coming storm. The Snow Priestess stood up and approached them with a smile.
"Now, the preparations have already begun and the whole town is excited. It has been a long time since we have had a wedding here." she told them, grasping both of her hands.
"Oh? Who is getting married?" Kurumu asked happily.
"Why you two of course!" the Priestess said joyously.
The Snow Priestess laughed at their stunned expressions. Tsukune was the first to recover. He smiled and nodded his thanks to the Priestess. He had been secretly planning on asking the Snow Priestess to marry them, but obviously she already knew that. Kurumu was still trying to take in what was happening. She had not dreamed or even planned on having a wedding so soon. There were so many things running through her mind. Before Kurumu could even recover from her shock the Snow Priestess was shooing them out of her palace. She finally looked at Tsukune who was smiling broadly.
"Oh Tsukune! We are actually getting married!" Kurumu said happily.
Kurumu jumped on him squeezing him as hard as she could. He returned the favor and placed her back down on the ground. They wandered back down towards the village. Kurumu was smiling and giggling the whole time. She was trying to imagine what kind of wedding they had planned for her. Every now and then they would see a child run by, occasionally followed by fussy mother. Eventually they both came to the familiar house they were both looking for.
Mizore's house was exactly the way they remembered it. As they stepped up to the door an eerie chill swept through both of them. It was like they could feel the intense sadness crushing down on them. After a few seconds Tsukune raised his hand and knocked on the door. There was a few moments of silence before they heard some movement behind the door. The door opened slowly to reveal Mizore's mother. Even she looked the same as before. Except that she looked as if she had not smiled in years, and her eyes had a distant look.
"Oh hello. I've been expecting you." Tsurara said and allowed them in.
The inside of the house seemed cold and lifeless. The entire house had a timeless look to it, like everything had been frozen in place for years. Tsurara led them into the living room. Distant memories only brought more sadness for them. They could barely even give out words of gratitude when Tsurara brought them some tea. An eternity had passed before the cold silence had broken.
"You two will be staying here for as long as you need too." Tsurara told them.
"Thank you Mrs. Shirayuki." Kurumu said politely.
"Mrs. Shirayuki?" Tsukune suddenly asked.
Kurumu could feel his sorrows and regrets and she knew he was determined to face them. Even Tsurara was expecting it, but was wishing the silence would remain. It had been eating away at him for years.
"I'm so sorry. I wasn't strong enough to protect Mizore. She was one of the best friends I ever had. She was so understanding and gentle and I. . .I loved her." Tsukune said nearly breaking down into tears.
Kurumu held him tightly, fighting back her own tears. She knew that he had loved them all and still blamed himself. Tsurara tried to control the emotions that flowed through her.
"Tsukune, I know you have suffered, we all have. Mizore sacrificed herself out of love, and it makes me happy knowing that she was loved in return." Tsurara told him with great sadness.
"I know that you always wanted a granddaughter. . .and I am truly sorry that was robbed from you. If you would like, you can be the grandmother of our child too. I am sure she would love it." Tsukune said with Kurumu's approval.
"I've always cared about Mizore and I know this would make her happy." Kurumu told her.
Tsurara wept silently as she accepted the love from her daughters friends. She had never expected so much. A thought of the child of her daughter's beloved friends running around her home was to much for her to take in. Also, being offered to be apart of that child's life was precious gift.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Tsurara said as she wiped away her tears.
Tsurara felt like she had something to live for now. A small glimmer of hope and happiness. Tsurara even sat next to Kurumu and placed a hand on her belly. She smiled for the first time in years and hugged them both.
"What about you're wedding tomorrow? You must be excited." Tsurara ask Kurumu.
"Well, I wasn't really expecting it. I mean, I don't even have a dress picked out and I haven't even told my mother." Kurumu said blushing at the thought.
"Don't worry, the Snow-Priestess knows what she is doing." Tsurara said comfortingly.
The continued talking about their wedding and their child. Tsurara made them some more tea and they were happy for the moment. As the evening wore on Tsurara made them something to eat. Afterwards, she showed them the room she had prepared for them. Tsurara had retired for the night.
"I'm going to go for a walk. . .alone" Kurumu said when Tsukune stood up to go with her.
"Oh, ok" Tsukune said.
Tsukune knew where she was going and he understood why she wanted to be alone. It was the same reason that he wanted to go alone. Kurumu placed on a warm coat and walked out into the night. It was a cloudless night and the stars and the moon provided her with enough light to see. The chilly air made her wrap the coat around her tighter. She began walking through the snow, each step reminding her of her friend. It had happened years ago but it was like she had only just seen her yesterday.
Kurumu made her way up the hill through the shirayuki flowers that Mizore was so fond of. She found what she was looking for at the top of the hill. It was a beautiful ice sculpture of her friend. Mizore looked so beautiful and serene. The clear blue ice looked exactly like her. The sculpture of Mizore was holding something close to her chest. She was cradling a heart made out of red ice. Kurumu knelt in front of the statue. She held her face in her hands as her tears began to flow. Pain and loss wracked her body and she did not resist the painful sobs that consumed her.
"Oh Mizore, I wish you were here. I miss you so much!" Kurumu cried in front of Mizore's grave.
Kurumu continued to cry, her body began to go numb from the cold. Her tears dripped through her hands and fell on the icy grave. Kurumu's tears became apart of Mizore's icy resting place. When Kurumu had run out of tears she felt warmer. As if someone had wrapped a blanket around her. The air around her grew still under the starry night. Kurumu wanted to tell her everything that had happened and how happy she was now, but she couldn't. She couldn't say anything, she just wanted to be close to her friend again.
A long time passed before Kurumu got up to leave. She gave her friend one last farewell before she turned to leave. She only took a few steps before she stopped herself. The statue of Mizore was smiling. Kurumu was not sure if it was when she first saw it. It gave her a sense of hope and Kurumu smiled in return.
Kurumu made her way back to the house. Tsukune was already in bed and she climbed in beside him. She was not surprised when Tsukune wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. Their hearts beat together and their bodies warmed each other. Tomorrow they are going to be bonded together in ceremony and Kurumu's life long dream will come true. Kurumu drifted off to sleep in the arms of her destined one.
[~][~][~]
Inside the ice palace, the Snow Priestess was greeting an old friend. The Headmaster of Youkai Academy had decided to pay her a visit. Mikogami had always interested her since his future was always very hard to decipher. Not to mention that Mikogami always seemed to be one step ahead of her even though she could see the future. She was not at all surprised that he had gotten through the barrier.
"It's been awhile Mikogami." the Snow Priestess said.
"Perhaps too long." Mikogami replied.
"I presume you are not here for the wedding." she told him.
"You are being very generous. You are even going to marry them yourself?" he asked.
"In all of my years I have never seen anyone go through as much pain and suffering as those two. They deserve at least one day of complete happiness." the priestess told him.
"So you feel sorry for them?" he asked interested.
"For what is to come." she answered.
Mikogami studied her closely but she reveled nothing else. It was like a game between the two. They were always trying to figure out what the other one knew.
"So why are you here?" she asked him.
"What can you tell me about their child?" Mikogami asked.
"Their child?" the Snow Priestess asked slightly surprised.
"I don't see anything, which is usually the case with unborn children." she told him.
"I see." Mikogami said.
Now it was the Snow Priestess's turn to study Mikogami now that he had spiked her curiosity, though he reveled nothing.
"I suppose the blood inside Tsukune could make things complicated." she said interested.
"We shall see." he told her, and stood from his ice sculpted chair.
"Until next time." Mikogami said and turned away.
"Tsukune will seek you out." the Snow Priestess said.
"And I will be waiting." Mikogami told her as he left the ice palace.
[~][~][~]
Tsukune stood in the sun in front of the grave of his friend. The light danced off the beautiful statue. They had been woken early to prepare for their big day. Kurumu had been rushed off and he had not seen her all day. He imagined that she was still getting ready. After he had prepared himself he went for a walk. They told him they would fetch him when the time was right. The statue of Mizore was a perfect replica of her. He wanted to see her before the wedding and say his last goodbyes. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he had loved all of them. He just never realized it until he lost them. Tsukune stood their for a long time. He could not find the words to tell her how he felt. He knew it would be too painful if he said anything and he did not think it would be right to cry on Kurumu's big day. Tsukune smiled, it was his big day too. He just wished they were here with him and he hoped that his feelings could reach them.
Tsukune stayed with Mizore until they came to get him. He left her promising to return one day. Now he had to focus on Kurumu and the rest of his life with her. She made him happy and she was everything to him.
He everyone I'm back. I'm sorry it's been so long. I want to start off saying, that I will finish this story and every other story I have.
This story has become extremely difficult to write. If I mess up it could ruin the whole plot. Not a lot of action at the moment but there will be soon. I reviewed this chapter many times to make sure it was right but if there are some mistakes you'll have to excuse me. I've had a bad last couple of days. Someone slashed my tires, broke my phone putting the new ones on, but the worst part is that my hands had a reaction to the chemicals to the tires. They are incredibly itchy and inflamed, makes it hard to write haha.
Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review. I read every single one. They are actually pretty motivational too.