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BEWARE of iCE

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&startthecar--

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kai. It's Sora."

"... Oh, hey."

"Wow, Christmas Eve already, huh?"

"Heh, yeah ..."

"You ready?"

"Hmm? Ready for what, Sora?"

"Christmas, duh. You know ... it's that holiday that's kinda tomorrow."

" ... Well, I guess so. I don't think it will be a problem."

"Really?"

"I've got everything planned out ... you could say."

"Oh, well that's good."

"Yeah ... good ..."

" ... You okay, Kai?"

" ... Yeah, of course. W-why wouldn't I be?"

"You just sound a little ... out of breath, that's all."

"Oh, well, you know. Been doing some last-minute things. You know how I am."

"Haha, yeah. Well then, if you're sure you're okay--"

"I'm fine."

"--I'm on my way over to drop off your present. Hope that's alright with you."

"It's alright ... but I probably won't ... be there, just to let you know."

"Okay, I'll just let myself in then."

"... Yeah, okay. You have a key ..."

"Yup. Be there in a few minutes. 'Bye."

"... Goodbye, Sora."

--&soitbegins--

There was an unheard crash as a carelessly dropped cell phone hit the concrete and broke into pieces, the screen flickering helplessly before permanently fading to black. Guilty hands were quickly shoved into baggy sweater pockets, while flat shoe soles slapped against the sidewalk, splattering small puddles with every quick step. Long, cherry-red hair, left loose and uncombed, fell about stiff shoulders that were raised up to the ears, protecting a delicate, tear-stained face from the arctic winds.

But nobody saw those cold, frozen streaks on her face.

It was Christmas Eve, after all. Everyone was inside and had already locked their doors for the night. She imagined families gathered around the television set, watching Channel Eight It's a Wonderful Life special, eyes droopy with exhaustion as each frame of the classic passed by on the screen. Had she turned her head as she passed by these windows, she would have seen couples curled up by a warm fire, a blanket wrapped around them both, cozy as could be, mugs of steaming hot cocoa clasped between their hands. That's where she should have been, locked up in her little house with Sora by her side, exchanging gifts with her best friend and laughing at his antics, safe and sound as he always made her feel.

But she couldn't be satisfied with that, could she?

As her shoes stepped off of the concrete and onto the slippery metal planks of the bridge, thoughts of the boy crossed her mind. His unruly brunet spikes, his goofy smile, his bright blue eyes, his kind and caring nature ...

She stopped at that last thought and let the wind blow strands of her hair into her face, where some stuck to her still damp cheek. His kindness ... that was his greatest fault, it seemed, and likewise, it was hers.

He was so selfless, that Sora. He always put others before himself, helping those who needed help, befriending the friendless, offering a hand to those who slipped and fell, comforting words and a shoulder to cry on for those who were having a hard time. Kairi was often bewildered by his actions and how he could stand being so perfect all the time, and he would just chuckle at her wide eyes, smiling and asking rhettorically, "If I didn't do it, who would?"

That always shut her up.

He was the best friend anyone could ever ask for, and Kairi could never imagine a life without him. But lately, he had become so engrossed in helping others that he had been distancing himself from her, the one who he cared the most for.

And frankly, Kairi just couldn't take it anymore.

So here she was, hands grasping the cold, steel rail of the bridge that stuck to her skin like glue in the cold, night air, about to hurt the one person she loved more than anything else in the world worse than he had ever been hurt before.

Why did she want to cause him so much pain?

Because he had been so obsessed with his work as of late that he hadn't noticed she was suffering.

The wind howled at her as she leaned over the railing to get a glimpse of the torrent below. Chunks of ice floated along in the river, swept swiftly away from the banks by the raging water. She shuddered, imagining just how cold the water was, and how painful the entry would be. But the thought really didn't bother her. It would all be over quickly, anyway.

And so, legs shaking, she kicked off her shoes and placed one foot on the first bar of the rail. After a moment's hesitation, she placed her other foot beside it, raising herself up completely. Then she moved her up to the second rail ... and then the third ... and then over the top one ... and before she knew it, she was standing on a thin ledge, arms extended behind her, still attached to the rail, practically dangling over the lethal current below her.

She was terrified, but she wasn't going to let that stop her.

No one was going to stop her. Not even him.

No, he couldn't save her now.

Eyes were shut tight as foggy puffs escaped her trembling lips. Finally the breathing ceased and, with one last gulp, she let go.

She was falling ... falling ... falling ...

... and then she stopped.

That was not how she had planned it.

The girl didn't even have time to open her eyes before the two strong arms that had grabbed her tightly around the middle yanked her up and over the railing, their owner pressing her tightly to their body before the added weight caused them to stumble backward into the opposite rail. Her head banged into a man's chest, and the two of them collapsed to the ground together. His chest, on which her head was resting, rose and fell with tremendous speed as the man panted, his heart beating so unbelievably fast that the she could hear it loud and clear.

But she didn't even have time to turn her head and give her savior a piece of her mind before the world around her vanished.

--&itwillbealright--

There she sat, cross-legged on Berber carpet in her own living room, a wool blanket wrapped around her as she gazed absentmindedly into the fire, watching, but not really, the flames swirl and the sparks flicker and die, flicker and die, until she was tapped on the shoulder. Snapping out of her trance, she slowly turned her head, and her eyes fell upon a plain white coffee cup, held before her by a man's outstretched hand.

"Here," he said, and that was all.

Not looking up at him, she took the mug from his grasp and held it between her palms, taking one small sip of the piping hot cocoa before turning her attention to the warm fire once more. She took another sip, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sora sit down in front of her.

The two sat in painful silence for the longest time, and then ...

"Why'd you do it, Kairi?"

She paused, setting the mug down on the hearth, before turning and staring at her best friend's feet, her words failing her. She couldn't just tell him. She couldn't just say, "I love you, and that's why I tried to kill myself." No, she couldn't say that, because then she would be lying.

She hated him right now.

"Damn it, Kairi, why the hell did you do it?"

When she heard his voice shake, she immediately locked gazes with him, and her eyes grew wide. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn that there were tears in his eyes. But no, that wasn't possible. Sora never cried. Especially not over her.

So she just sat there, blinking, just trying to figure everything out, when all of the sudden he fell forward, wrapping his arms around her once again.

"I'm sorry," he said as he embraced her more tightly. "I'm so sorry ..."

It was then, amidst his apologies and way too many "I should have known, I should have known"s, that she felt his tears fall onto her shirt, and she, too, broke down and cried.

Her own arms found their way around his torso, and the blanket that had surrounded her fell away as uncontrollable sobs wracked both of their bodies. They held each other tightly as if they would never let go, crying as if the tears would never stop flowing, at last letting out all the fear and the sadness and the anger and the love that they had both kept bottled up inside.

"Thank God you came, Sora," Kairi managed to blurt out between her gasps. "H-how did you know ...?"

"I drove past the bridge on my way here." He took a deep breath. "God ... if you ... if you had ... I don't know what I would have done ..."

Kairi stopped at his words and pulled away a little, so that she was holding him at arm's length, looking deep into his eyes. She blinked away the few remaining tears before sputtering, "W-what do you m-mean ...?"

Sora smiled weakly and let his gaze fall. "It ... it's hard ... harder than I let on ..." he mumbled, and then he looked back up, his eyes staring into hers once again. And then, before either of them knew what was going on, his lips were on hers.

The kiss was deep and passionate and completely spontaneous, but despite that, it felt so right. With it, all of their problems just seemed to melt away with the ice, and everything was alright in the world. It was perfect, and, though in reality it only lasted a few seconds, the bliss lasted for an eternity.

Just before Kairi had wrapped her arms around Sora's neck, he pulled away, but both kept their eyes closed. Kairi felt his warm breath on her cheek and neck, drying up what was left of her tears as he whispered sweetly into her ear ...

"You save me every day."

--&merrychristmasmylove--

Twelve chimes of the clock signaled that the long awaited holiday had finally begun, and the new day found two lovers sitting peacefully in each other's embrace, a blanket wrapped around the two of them, a warm fire burning at their sides. The problems that had faced them previous day had long been forgotten and never would arise again, now that they finally had each other. They sat in a calm silence for a long time, when all that could be heard was the crackle of the flames, until the man spoke.

"I brought you a present, you know," he said softly.

The woman in his arms turned her head to smile up at him. "Thank you, Sora. It's wonderful."

Sora looked slightly startled by her words. "But, Kairi," he said, "you haven't even opened it yet."

Kairi only chuckled and placed a quick kiss on his cheek before turning in his arms to face the fire again. "I don't need to, Sora. It doesn't matter to me ...

... My life is the best gift I've ever received."

--&toallagoodnight--xx

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for Namilaa's challenge. i hope it's adequate

very slightly inspired by the film It's a Wonderful Life, which airs every christmas eve.

which means it's on tonight. yay!

good movie, by the way. you should watch it.

merry christmas!

hikari-aozora