Small, white flurries fell over the small town. Everyone was wide awake despite the late hour and alive with activity under the warm, burning lanterns playing games and eating street food at the many booths

Yu took in the atmosphere. He could feel the chill of the snow softly kiss his shirt and the frosty chill from the fresh mountain air bite at his cheeks. He could smell the strong aroma of chocolate steaming from the children's mugs. He could hear the excitement in the adults' hearty laughter and clinging mugs filled with either beer or cider. He could see the children running between their parents' legs chasing each other. He just stood out of their way, smiling passively when they dash past him. Everything here is still the same.

He used to go to the Winter Festival every year with his parents when he was little. But as he got older, they stopped bringing him. They started prioritizing work over their only son.

It was a last minute decision to come this year. His parents are wary of him leaving the city, but since his uncle and cousin lived here, he was given the okay. The festival used to be so magical in his eyes. He came this year to see if maybe he could get some of that magic back. But so far, the magic is still faded. He's starting to wonder why he came back.

"You seem troubled. Sir." A teen was standing in front of him. He stood out like a sore thumb among the girls and boys dressed in formal yukatas. The teen was still dressed like he had just gotten off of work.

"Maybe a little," Yu responded. "Just trying to enjoy the festival."

"Maybe this will help." The stranger held out an orange flower, soft in both looks and nature. "An orange lily for your troubles, sir."

He was hesitant to accept it. Never has a man offered him a flower, and he's not sure if he's okay with the possible reasons behind it. "Uh, I don't think-"

"Just take it," the teen insisted and followed with a wink. "It might come in handy later."

With a little more hesitation he accepted the flower.

"Good luck." The teen patted him on the shoulder before walking away and disappearing into the crowd.

Deeper into the festival, there was a crowd. There were maybe 10 to 15 people standing around in the circle. It wasn't thick but it wasn't thin either. It was big enough to create a blockade where people had to squeeze through just to get by.

Yu walked towards it.

In the middle of the buzzing crowd, there was a woman. She was dressed in a dancer's kimono. The vibrant orange and white cloth was a bright and sunny contrast to the blank whiteness of the snow around them. But what else stood out to him was her dancing,

Her motions were fluid, almost like the birds flying on her yukata. She flowed with the beat of the music played by the band, hitting every step perfectly and adding a little flourish to the final step. The uchiwa in her hand punctuated the movement of her arms and the hanging of her sleeves as she twirled created a swirling vortex that sucked away the bleakness of winter.

Some of the other partiers joined in on the dancing, joining hands together and just letting the flow of the music control them. The band even picked up on her cheer as their songs became more upbeat and sped up the tempo.

It was truly a sight to behold in the middle of winter.

The music came to an end, and the partiers bowed to each other. Yu somehow realized he was smiling. He must've smiled when the brunette bowed cutely to her little partner who tried to bow the same way in return but stumbled on her courtesy. He then remembered the flower in his hand.

The song changed and more people joined in on the dancing fun. The beauty stepped away, done with the dancing and moving on to enjoy the rest of the festival. He didn't know he had started walking towards her until she was right in front of him. She was looking up at him quizzically.

He placed the flower in her hair and blew his mind even further. Her hand ghosted over the flower's petals.

"Your dancing was beautiful."

And as he walked away back into the throes of the festival, he didn't see the glimmers in her eyes as she petted the petals of the flower in her hair.

There was no snow on the ground, but everything was icy. A winter wonderland in everything but snow. Parents were trying to keep their children on their feet, and trying even harder to upright themselves.

On the bright side, the icy weather inspired someone to create a skating area. Someone had sectioned an extra frosty circle of land and set up a free booth with skates of all sizes for both child and adults to skate on. There were a few people on the ice already.

An older boy and a little girl, a brother and sister duo maybe, were holding hands on the ice. The guy was steady on the ice while the little girl was slipping every now and then, clinging on to her brother's hand. Yu could see the older one smiling, trying not to laugh. It was a wholesome sight.

There was a couple on the ice, too, by the looks of how close they were skating together. Or maybe they were holding each other up. Or maybe they were like that on purpose.

"Are you thinking of going on the ice sir?" The person manning the booth walked over to him, noticing his transfixation of the skaters and the ice.

"Maybe." It could be fun, and he hasn't skated in a while. "Why not."

"Would the young lady be joining you?"

"Huh?" Young lady? There was a tap on his shoulder and there she was.

She forewent the kimono this time, it being entirely too cold for it. She wore a puffy, pink coat with a furry inner that spouts out around the neck. Her hair was tied up into a messy bun too.

"I would love to."

She hooked her arm around his after the booth owner left to go get their skates. Muttering under his breath about the size he thinks they are.

"You came."

"I wanted to see you again," she said. "To thank you for the flower, and the dance, and to hopefully ask for another one." There was a rosy blush on her cheeks, most likely from the cold but the shy flutter of her eyes suggested otherwise.

"Here are your skates." The man came back holding two pairs of skates. "I'm confident I got just the right size for you two," he said before handing them to the pair. His skates were a size 10. Right on the mark. The man had found a good fit, and the ice did look pretty inviting now.

"Well, ice skating is a close second right?"

Yu braced himself before he pushed himself off of the barrier and onto the ice. Rise followed him, but not as smoothly. He could see the brief moment of panic on her face when she stumbled on the ice. He caught her before she fell. Both of her hands were braced on his chest. She actually fit well in his arms.

"Sorry," she apologized. "It's been a while since the last time I skated on ice. I'm still getting reacclimated."

"Are you not from Inaba?" He asked as he helped pull her onto her feet. He stayed still to help her catch her bearing.

"I am, but I moved away when I was little for a career opportunity. I moved back here last year."

Work? Didn't she say she was little when she moved away? What work would someone that young find and have to move away to do? She didn't expound anymore on the subject, so he left it be.

When she was comfortable on her own feet, he started to slowly push them along the ice. He kept their hands together as they skated, but she didn't seem to mind.

And skating like this really was like dancing. It was the same ebb and flow just with extra attention paid to keeping their balance. Eventually she grew more comfortable on the ice as they did a few laps, but she still held on to his arm. He didn't mind it.

"Did you really think my dancing last year was beautiful?" She had to ask the question that has been haunting her for the past year.

"I did," he nodded.

"Beautiful enough to give me a flower," she asked. The flower had been a shocking gift for her to receive right then. She has received flowers before, but usually they were delivered to her by a company or someone else besides the person that sent them. They were never personally given to her. It was the first time someone gave her one personally.

"A lily suits you," he said, slowing down to skate around the bend of the barrier, letting the brother and sister duo pass by.

"Why? Because they're delicate?" That's what most people mean when they compare girls to flowers.

"No, orange lilies symbolize confidence and energy. From the small amount of time I've known you, I found that you erupt this warmth; especially when you dance. You looked so happy dancing with the kids in the square last year and they reciprocated that happiness. It's like you spread so much of yourself with others through your dancing."

"Y-you-" Rise was honestly speechless. It may be cliche to say, but she thinks that the sweetest thing she's ever been told before. Dancing has always been a passion for her. She practiced and got better at the craft, so that she could share her joy with others. She's never felt so… seen. The object in her pocket suddenly felt so heavy now despite its feather-like weight.

A buzz of a cell phone interrupted what she was gonna say next. They stopped skating close to the barrier, and Yu pulled his phone out. Someone had texted him and judging by the look on his face, it wasn't good.

"I'm sorry." That's the last thing she wanted to hear. "I have to go. Family emergency."

"Oh, okay." She tried to keep her disappointment out of her voice. Just like last year, he's leaving early. She had hoped that they could have spent more time together this year.

They skated back over to dry land and returned their skates to the booth owner.

"Same time next year?"

"Count on it."

He smiled at her answer and quickly ran off to face the issue; and as she watched his back get further and further away she realized they never exchanged names.

It stopped snowing earlier in the day, but there was plenty left on the ground. If it could be called that anymore. It was obvious no one was going nowhere anytime soon.

There were more children here this time, enjoying the winter wonderland for as long as it'd last.

A winter storm ran through the town. Then, a freezing rain tore through. There was a day or two of clear but freezing cold days before another snow storm trampled upon them, which means the cushy snow significantly hardened into thick sheets of ice.

A winter advisory was active for the whole week because of the inclement weather, and unfortunately the winter festival had to be canceled.

Nanako was supposed to come with him this time. She had been so excited too. It was the first time she'd get to go with her big brother. It killed him to see her disappointed face when she heard the festival was canceled this year.

"Come on. Cheer up, Nanako. You can always go next year." Because of the snow, Dojima couldn't report to the precinct. The station even told him to stay home when he told them the news.

"We can handle it here!" They told him.

"But what if big brother can't take me next year?" Her disappointed tone made Yu's heart crack in half.

"Of course I'll take you next year, Nanako."

"Really?!" At her cousin's nod the girl's frown turned upside down. That's the cheer they all wanted to see.

"How about I make you one of my famous omelets? Would that help cheer you up?" The little brunette brightened up immediately.

"Yay! Thank you, big bro!"

"I guess it's a good thing I stocked up on eggs before the storm hit," Dojima said.

Yu walked towards the kitchen to start prepping. He had just taken out the carton of eggs when someone knocked on the door.

"Who could this be in this weather?" Dojima pushed himself up from the tatami mat and walked towards the door. Yu let it become background noise as he retrieved the rest of the ingredients.. It couldn't be for him. He wasn't expecting anyone.

"Uh, Yu. It's for you."

Okay, he thinks he wasn't expecting anyone.

"Who is it?" He momentarily stopped his preparation and came from around the corner of the kitchen to see who it was.

His jaw dropped to the floor when he saw the beauty standing before him.

She was like a fluffy snowman, wrapped in plush fur and sprinkled with snowflakes and snow flurries. Better yet, she looked like a snow angel, falling from the sky and showing up at his door to bless him with her presence.

Her cheeks were rosy when she pulled down her scarf.

"...A friend of mine gave me your address," she said. "And I never got a chance to give you a flower in return."

Then he noticed the orange tulip in her hand, seemingly almost untouched by the snow. His heart felt warm and his throat full at the thought that she protected his flower through the storm.

"Who's that, big brother?" Nanako asked, and he came to the startling reality that he never got her name.

"My name is Rise." The dancer, Rise, smiled at him. A contagious one that he could only return as he walked towards her. He reached out to take the flower and their hands brushed, creating a tingling feeling he's sure they both felt if her smile widening was anything to go by.

"Hello, Rise. My name is Yu."