Author's Note: I actually hadn't planned on posting this. It was mostly just a fic I was writing for myself and some close friends after finishing the entire D. Gray-Man anime - and wow, let me tell you Alma and Kanda are officially the OTP of OTPs for me. Seriously, how perfect are they? (Okay, maybe you don't love them as much as I do, but they're pretty adorable and I personally don't think there's enough fanfiction for them yet.)

So yeah. This is basically a completely AU faerie tale cross over with Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen - which is probably my favorite faerie tale of all times. There is also some inspiration from the 2002 Hallmark television film Snow Queen, but I kind of just threw a bunch of stuff together. I wasn't too sure about crossing DGM characters into a faerie tale story at first, but the inspiration was somehow there. And it's just good for coping with the emotional mess the canon plot of DGM left me in.

I don't own any of there characters. Hashino owns them all, and Hans Chris Andersen owns the original plot I'm borrowing from.

Lotus in the Snow

Prologue
The Storm

Darkness. Somewhere far off, and far away from the realm of man was where darkness resided. It was a darkness that was so potent and astoundingly chaotic that it was suppressed within the deepest crevices of the earth, confined to the insides of a mountainous region that no mortal would ever dare to contemplate scaling. The rocks were sharp, and avalanches of crushing stones and minerals were all too common among the mountains. Black obsidian and charcoal-smeared onyx coated the earth, with only the bleakest of colors present. Nighttime was eternal among the landscape, figuratively and even literally – the sun itself avoided the area, hiding behind a continuous gray sky smoldered with a sense of foreboding.

No one went there.

No one went to trek the dangerous land. No one went to see the hideously polluted sky. And no one certainly went to see the monsters that dwelled there.

Trolls. Goblins. Demons. There was no one who could say for certain just what they were, but the creatures that dwelled in these mountains were the essence of nightmares. They were the beasts who hid beneath beds, waiting to grab mortals by their very ankles and drag them away in the dead of night. Glowing eyes of molten gold with cat-like slits peered from dark faces, as sharp grins often graced their strangely alluring mouths. Not that anyone had seen these demons in quite sometime. No, these creatures had been lingering away within their mountains – and if they did venture out, then it was out of sight and in disguise.

That was the thing about demons: they could change their faces. They could make themselves beautiful, and make themselves normal. To the human eye.

What a strange thing the human eye was. It was so easily manipulated, and so easily persuaded into seeing whatever it wanted to see. Humans were weak that way, and the demons knew it. They were fascinated by it, and how mortal eyes were so painfully weak. This, the demons had come to realize, was because the eyes often connected to the heart. The old saying of the eyes being the window to the souls had some merit, though it more appeared to be the window to the heart above all else. Eyes took in emotion, released emotion. Took in unspoken words, released unspoken words.

It was the leader of these demons who had initially come to realize this. A grotesque creature, he was an Earl of the demons, or a devil as some would call him. Pale, ashen skin covered his large, rotund form. His ears stuck out in a long, sharp horizontal formation, and they looked almost piggish to the extent of being hideously comical. Slit eyes were often concealed by the shadow of his top hat, which would often be decorated in an ornate mockery of aristocratic fashion, and his obscenely large teeth would protrude in a gruesomely wretched smile. He laughed sometimes, and it was a horrible sound – almost jovial, but cracked with underhanded malice and despair. A complete monstrosity.

His minions were nowhere as revolting as he, but perhaps that was why he was the Earl.

It was a particularly cold evening when the Earl was preparing to set his plan into motion – one that he had been formulating for quite some time. Outside, the wind whipped about madly as though it were in a frenzy, and icy hail was dancing about in a violent pas de deux. The Earl took no notice of this, or at least if he did, then he didn't care. He stood with his hands behind his back inside the safety of his mountain and was currently standing in a large room with tall walls of murky black and plum. A continuous layer of musky fog hung low to the lavishly carpeted ground of blood-red plush, which felt delightfully soft as the Earl stood upon it.

His attention was not on the floor though. Instead, it was on a large mirror that was currently being roped up by two of his minions. The mirror itself was a remarkable sight, with a shape that lingered in between the shape of a coffin and an upside-down teardrop. It was dangerously breathtaking, with sharp crystalized edges that framed the glass and twisted into unrecognizable shapes that were terrifyingly beautiful. Prideful, the Earl gleamed at his work. He had been working to create this mirror for quite some time now, and finally his immaculate planning and craftsmanship would pay off.

The two minions who were securing the mirror with rope were not necessarily in the same state of awe. If anything, they seemed to be too busy trying to untangle themselves in the rope that had somehow begun to fall around them in a complete mess.

One minion, who looked to be no older than a teenager with short dark hair and heavily lined eyes, finally stopped to glare at the other servant of the Earl. Face crinkled in annoyance, he let out an exasperated growl. "Geez, Jasdero, watch where you're roping things!" He finally snapped moodily, before tossing a handful of rope straight into his partner's face.

The other minion, Jasdero, blinked with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth that appeared to have stitches lacing it. Long, tangled blonde hair fell down his shoulders in waves, not at all complementing his smoggy-colored skin. Blinking, Jasdero giggled madly. He didn't appear to be taking the words of the other minion seriously, and naturally this angered the dark-haired minion.

In retaliation, the dark-haired minion yanked Jasdero's headband down his forehead, momentarily obstructing Jasdero's vision and causing the now-blinded minion to cry out, "Ah! Where did Devit go!?"

Before the other minion, Devit, could respond the Earl cut in. "Now you two be careful there," He warned, his tone of threatening amiability, "Unless you can't handle the task I've assigned you of course. I'm sure Tyki or even Road would be able to take care of it just fine."

These words caused the two minions to sober, as both of their faces fell. Devit spoke first, heavily-lined eyes still wide as he immediately blurted out his words. "HUH?" No, no, we've got this, boss!" Devit started, to which Jasdero was nodding furiously.

Upon seeing the two minions sober, the Earl's grin remained in place. From behind his glasses his eyes seemed to glow, hidden underneath the rim of his hat. "Excellent. I've invested quite a bit in that mirror, so I'm trusting you'll get the job done."

Not wanting to bait the Earl any further, Devit returned to tying up the back of the mirror, securing the rope around in knots to the back of the frame. Jasdero, who tended to be easily distracted and less efficient in productivity, often paused to watch Devit and mimic his actions.

As the two minions continued their preparation, the Earl watched. He soon felt a presence emerging from behind him, but needed not to turn around to know who it was before speaking a casual greeting. "Sheril and Tyki – so nice of you both to come see my finished masterpiece!"

The two new arrivals said nothing at first. The first, Sheril, was a tall man with dark skin and long, ebony-colored hair. It was slicked back at the top, while cascading down his back in long waves. Two strands on each side of his face framed his hair, in withering strands. His narrow eyes gleamed yellow with slit pupils as he looked on toward the mirror in slight curiosity as he held his chin in thought. "It's certainly ornate," Sheril commented before pausing briefly. "You planning to hang it somewhere?"

To this, the Earl laughed. "Oh, it's to be hung somewhere!" The Earl answered enthusiastically, as he looked on where Devit and Jasdero were beginning to finish up with the rope. "That mirror is made with the souls of a thousand akuma trapped inside. Their restless misery and damnation is so potent that anyone who looks into the mirror will see nothing but the ugliest atrocities in existence!"

Sheril's eyes immediately filled with surprise. "A thousand akuma in a mirror?" He questioned, refrained from asking how. Truthfully, Sheril did not desire to know that part. Akuma were the souls of humans who had never moved on, and often the result of dealings gone awry with the Earl. To think of such a vast number of damned souls lingering in a single object was nothing short of horrific.

The other young man, Tyki, had not yet said anything. He stood slightly back with his arms crossed and an unreadable expression. Like Sheril, Tyki had long dark hair, though his was pulled back in a low ponytail. His eyes were not as narrow, but just as yellow, and his darkened skin contrasted sharply against his white attire.

Looking toward Jasdero and Devit, Tyki finally spoke. "A thousand akuma in a mirror and you're letting the twins get so close to it?" He questioned dully, personally thinking Jasdero and Devit to be nothing short of a safety hazard.

As if on cue, Jasdero's foot caught in some of the rope, causing the blonde twin to trip. Falling down, he giggled madly as a Devit stopped to laugh at the fallen-down minion. Unfazed, the Earl spoke without much concern. "Ah, they know how important it is. Those two could use some more responsibility anyhow."

Tyki raised a brow, but said nothing. Sheril glanced at him and shrugged.

After a few moments, the Earl clapped his hands together. "Alright, my little devil duo! You all done?"

Jasdero nodded eagerly, while Devit grinned. "Yep! We got it all knotted up and secured like you asked!" After a few seconds, Devit's expression then became slightly confused, and inquisitive. "So…what do we do now?"

The Earl said nothing at first. He had gotten quiet suddenly, as though he were thinking about something. Then, he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers loudly. At this moment, there was a loud creak as the ceiling above the notorious group opened slowly, only to reveal the inky black sky as it screamed shrilly with icy winds and crashed with blasts of hail. A shudder of cold wind invasively passed through the room, though Jasdero was the only one to shiver.

Looking back at Devit and Jasdero, the Earl pointed his fingers to the open sky. "Fly her up, boys!"

Instantly, Devit's jaw dropped. "Fly the mirror up? Into that?!" He exclaimed as he pointed to the storm that tore above them. Jasdero looked equally uncomfortable with the idea, and clung close to Devit.

The Earl was unfazed. "That's what I said, wasn't it?" He responded, his tone light but laced with something that made both twins hesitate. "Now, take the mirror up into the storm as high as you can. And be sure not to drop it."

"They're definitely going to drop it," Tyki murmured flatly to no one in particular.

Sheril, however, heard him. He leaned over with a slight smile, eyes gleaming mischievously. "Yes, but I wonder how high they'll make it first?" He posed playfully, before stopping to look around. "Tyki, have you seen my little Road by the way? She's been gone all day."

Tyki's eyes glanced at Sheril before glancing back to where the twins were taking hold of the rope attached to the mirror. "She's playing in that little dream garden of hers I imagine. That's where she was earlier today."

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Sheril turned to watch the twins as well. Both Devit and Jasdero had each taken hold of sections of the rope, and together kicked their feet off the ground as their bodies lifted into the air. Being inhuman, one of the abilities these creatures had was that of flight, despite being wingless. The twins were slightly clumsy in their actions though, as a few times Jasdero in particular almost lost his grip on the rope causing Devit to struggle.

"Be gentle, you two! That's highly dangerous cargo you're lifting!" The Earl called out as the twin minions continued to fly upward, and eventually into the sky.

Watching still, Tyki remained silent before finally commenting to Sheril, "I give them two minutes before they get knocked out from that storm." Sheril smirked.

Outside, both Devit and Jasdero found themselves immediately attacked by the wintry wind. Sharp bits of ice cut past their skin, and the cold bit at their inhuman flesh viciously. The force of the storm fervently pushed against the two minions, who persistently were trying to fly as high up as possible.

Over the howling storm, Jasdero called out to his brother. "Devittttttt!" He whined, as his next words came out in shivering stutters, "How h-high do we h-have to g-go?"

Also shivering, Devit gritted his teeth. "Damn it, I don't know! He just said as high as we can!"

"C-Can we just say this is as h-high as we c-can?!"

"W-What? NO! We're not even high enough!"

"How do you kn-know what's high enough th-though?!"

"Because I'm older than you! That's how, now stop distracting me!"

Jasdero grimaced, partially from Devit's reaction and partially because of the storm. The tempest screamed in Jasdero's ears, making it hard to even focus on flying, and he could feel his hands numbing as the gripped the rope. A fresh gust of tumultuous wind blasted past the two, and the mirror dangerously swayed as though it may snap from the twins' grasp at any given moment, and Jasdero found himself almost losing his grip.

Clutching the rope tightly, Devit glared over at Jasdero. "Watch it! You almost dropped the stupid mirror!"

"But my hands are cold!"

"Well, so are mine!"

By this point, the twins had actually managed to fly up a fairly high distance. The air around them had thinned, but at the same time was heavily weighed with ice and snow. Both twins were so distracted with each other's arguing that they hardly noticed one of the ropes that secured the mirror was beginning to tear apart, with the icy wind turning the material brittle and weak in the wind.

"Devitttt! I think we've flown h-high enough!"

"Jasdero, we're not even that high-"

Snap.

The next moment was a cacophony of events, so much that Devit and Jasdero hardly had time to process the next turn of events. The rope that had been gradually pulling apart finally snapped apart from the frosty tension, and gravity tore the mirror from Devit's grasp. The sudden downfall nearly caused Jasdero to crash down with it, and on impulse the blonde demon instantly released the rope from his nearly frozen hands. The mirror plummeted downward, spiraling down as hail clashed against the glassy surface, sparkling menacingly as it finally crashed into a spike on icy rock on the mountain, shattering into a thousand pieces. The fragments were tiny, and mixed in with the hail; in their masked delicacy, they were then carried away into the wind, dancing far off into the distance.

Still high up, Devit and Jasdero stared in horror, faces pale. Timidly, Jasdero looked over at Devit, a worried look in his large, doll-like eyes. "Um…Devit…?"

Devit was still for a moment, with apprehension growing in his expression. Finally after a moment, he broke. "Shit, shit, shit, SHIT! Shiiiiiiiiiit, Jasdero, we are so dead! So very fucking dead!"

"Dead!" Jasdero wailed before also freaking out, "Dead! Dead, dead, dead!"

Down below, the Earl looked up, having witnessed the whole ordeal. Behind him, Tyki and Sheril were also looking, with Sheril wearing a particularly amused expression. "Hm. That didn't take long for them to screw up."

The Earl stroked his chin, gaze still turned upward. "No, not long at all. But long enough to make that impact absolutely flawless."

Blinking, both Tyki and Sheril looked at the Earl with confusion. Neither spoke at first, as both were questioning whether they had even heard the Earl correctly. Finally, it was Tyki who braved the question. "You didn't…?"

"Plan this?" The Earl finished, before laughing heartily. "Well, what did you take me for? You didn't think I'd honestly trust those two with something so precious unless I intended it to be broken, did you? Those two are so lazy that they would not have nearly flown as high if I told them to break it from the start!"

Tyki and Sheril just stared, both shocked by the Earl's words, and then not once it sank in. After all, the Earl was a cunning creature, and was always meticulous in his planning.

Eyes still gazed upward, yellow irises glowed. The Earl's hideous caricature of a smile remained plastered on his face as he watched the fragments of mirror being carried away into the storm, the thought of the chaos about to ensue delighting him to all ends. "This is sure to be interesting."

The wind was howling, crying as though it were some wild animal raging in the night. Yuu Kanda was not afraid of the wind though; the eight-year-old in actuality could not care less about how much the wind screamed, or how painfully the cold air bit. He was safe behind a glass window, with the only cold thing within reach the glass itself. Yuu clutched at the wooden window fame, his indigo eyes peering out into the tumultuous winter night. Occasionally he would press his nose upon the glass, allowing the refreshing iciness to chill his skin before pulling back as the numbness set in.

He repeated this process several times.

The little boy was not alone; toward the other side of the living room by the fireplace was an older man called Froi Tiedoll, with light brown, curly hair that was beginning to gray and a bushy mustache. Tiedoll had been preoccupied with a sketchpad, contently working away on some drawing when he suddenly glanced up, noticing the way Yuu would periodically press his face against the chilly glass. Peering through his glasses, Tiedoll looked back down at his current work as he spoke, the sound of a smile in his words. "You may freeze you nose off if you're not careful, Yuu."

Stiffening at Tiedoll's observation, Yuu lowered his face so that his nose now rested against the wooden frame instead of the glass, a small frown formed on his lips. He didn't like being told his nose would freeze off.

When Yuu didn't respond, Tiedoll looked back over at the boy. He could only see the back of Yuu, with his shoulder length-blue black hair gleaming in the firelight like the wings of a raven. For a moment, Tiedoll's expression was thoughtful as he stared at where the boy was before smiling softly. "I'm sure your parents will be back as soon as they can. They probably got held up by the storm is all."

Yuu just crinkled his nose. It was definitely a likely reason his parents had not yet returned – Yuu's mother and father had needed to run some errands that required them to travel to the next town over. A half hour's ride on a good day, so not all that far – but during such a storm one could easily be held up. The woods that separated the towns were hardly sheltering in such weather, and while accidents were not all that common they still were possible.

Yuu wasn't afraid of the weather. But he didn't like his parents being out on nights like this. It made him uneasy.

"They should've been back before sundown," Yuu murmured, more to himself than Tiedoll.

Tiedoll rested his chin in his palm thoughtful as his gaze remained on Yuu. This had not been his first time watching the boy. In fact, Tiedoll was quite close with Yuu's family as he was old friends with Yuu's father. Growing up in the village, both Tiedoll and Izo Kanda had always been close; Tiedoll had actually been the one to officiate the marriage between Yuu's parents, being that he was the priest who now ran the small church that had been cared for by Tiedoll's family for generations.

Setting aside his pencil, Tiedoll sighed. Despite the tough little front Yuu like to put up, Tiedoll could tell the boy was worried. Quietly, he walked over to wear Yuu was and placed a comforting hand on the little boy's head. "Don't worry. I'm sure they just stayed back because of the storm – it wouldn't have been safe for them to travel in such conditions."

These words seemed to ease Yuu as he continued to look out the window. He knew Tiedoll was right (though, he wouldn't dare admit it – despite being eight he had already gained a very prideful disposition), and that most likely his parents had been wary and decided to wait until the storm passed.

Eyes still gazing outward, Yuu watched as the snow and hail flurried about. In a way, they almost reminded him a thousand little white bees buzzing about in the cold night air, buzzing and humming as though they carried some heavy purpose within themselves. For a moment, Yuu entertained the idea of these snow bees having a queen as normal bees did – but just as quickly as the thought had passed into his innocent mind, Yuu found himself pushing the thought of away.

Soon, he began to grow bored of looking out the window. Tiedoll had retired back to his chair by the fireplace, and Yuu could feel his eyes growing heavy. He was not sure how long he had been waiting, but his small body was beginning to covet sleep. Pushing back from the window, he was about to go to his room when he suddenly saw someone approaching the house with a lantern in their hand. Suddenly energized, Yuu bolted up quickly and went to the door, nearly startling an unsuspecting Tiedoll who had been lost to his drawing. "Yuu, what is it-"

Not really paying Tiedoll any mind, Yuu opened the door, honestly expecting to see his mother and father. He came to a sudden stop though, the door only partially opened as he realized the man outside was not his father.

Approaching from behind, Tiedoll gently pulled Yuu aside in order to greet the unexpected visitor. "Ah, Suman! I wasn't expecting anyone to be out in this weather."

The man, Suman Dark, maintained a severe expression that seemed to age his handsome face by several years. He was heavily bundled, and his clothes with coated in white flurries. His eyes seemed tired, and looked as though they were worn from some trial that he had not yet divulged. In fact, Suman appeared as though he meant to say something – but his eyes briefly moved to Yuu, and he found himself unable to speak.

Noticing this, Tiedoll's casualty melted away, as he sensed there was something Suman meant to say. "Suman?"

Looking away from Yuu and back to Tiedoll, Suman locked his gaze with Tiedoll, his eyes conveying something that Yuu could not quite comprehend. Suman did not pay the boy any more mind though, and instead focused his attention completely on Tiedoll. "I need you to come see something," He spoke, his voice soft but laced with a quiet urgency.

Not needing to question the validity of Suman's request, Tiedoll nodded before looking back to Yuu. "Yuu, I need you to stay here. Don't open the door for anyone until I come back, understand?"

At this, Yuu scowled. Why did he have to stay?

But, there was no arguing with Tiedoll. As sweet and as much a pacifist as the man could be, there was a firmness to him that Yuu had a feeling he would lose against. Begrudgingly, the boy nodded, earning a satisfied smile from Tiedoll.

"Good," Tiedoll said, before going to grab his coat and returning to the front door where Suman was. "I'll be back soon," He then added while briefly ruffling Yuu's hair. This caused Yuu to grimace in embarrassment before he watched as the two men departed into the wintry darkness.

Looking out the window, Yuu 's eyes followed the two figures as they walked onward. Once they began to melt away into the thick, snow-infested air, Yuu bolted to grab his coat and gloves, threw up his hood and followed the two men into the cold.

As Tiedoll followed Suman, several other men had joined them that had apparently been waiting for Suman to return. This made Tiedoll uneasy, as there was a ominous air looming over the area. It was the feeling that one got in the pit of their stomach when they knew something was horribly amiss, and the longer the silence stretched among the group the worse the feeling became. Looking over to Suman, Tiedoll broke the silence, posing the question he can no longer contain. "What is it you are taking me to see, Suman?"

Suman remained quiet at first, as he continued walking. "Just up this way," He answered, his voice gruff from the cold. "You'll…you'll see."

Tiedoll frowned, but pressed no more.

Continuing to walk with Suman and the other men, the group finally arrived at the river. At first, Tiedoll saw nothing; everything was covered with ice and snow, and the landscape was warped by winter's hand. But then, he saw the tracks that were nearly covered by freshly fallen snow, and the familiar cart that had crashed into the icy river, have submerged beneath the frozen surface.

Chest tightening, Tiedoll could feel his breath stopping in shock.

Suman looked back at Tiedoll with a regretful look in his eyes. "We…we haven't found the bodies yet. But the cart looked like it belonged to…"

Tiedoll nodded mutely before Suman could finish, his eyes nearly blurring at the devastating reality. Already he felt his heart breaking, for no one could have survived such a crash in these temperatures. "Yes, that's….that's Izo and Lien's cart," He confirmed, though the words felt distant in his ears.

Sighing, Suman rubbed his fingers against his forehead. "I didn't want to say anything in front of the boy-"

Tiedoll shook his head. "No, no – it's better you didn't," He answered, mouth dry. He could not begin to imagine how he would break the news to Yuu, or how Yuu would even handle such a thing for that matter. The boy was such a distant child, and aside from his parents he tended to keep to himself more than other children. He never had much interest in the games the other village children played, and the only time Tiedoll had ever really see Yuu enjoy himself was when his family went ice skating or his mother's favorite lotuses were in bloom.

Gathering himself, Tiedoll looked to Suman and the other men. "We'll take a few more minutes to see if we can find the bodies, or the horses – they may have run off somewhere. But if we can't find anything soon we'll resume tomorrow when the storm has passed."

To this the men nodded in agreement, and began to break up into groups to see if they could find anything.

Yuu had lost Tiedoll and Suman. By the time he had made it outside their bodies had disappeared into the thick snowfall, and their footprints were already covered with freshly fallen snow. This was incredibly frustrating to Yuu, and at one point he even kicked the snow because he was so frustrated. "Stupid snow," He muttered, highly displeased with how the snow had very rudely complicated his plan to (very disobediently) follow Tiedoll. But he couldn't just stay in the house waiting for Tiedoll – Yuu might have been a child, but he was a perceptive one. And he knew something was very wrong.

A fresh flurry of icy snowflakes brushed against Yuu's face, and he immediately drew his hood tighter around his head. His long hair whipped in the wind, and was becoming damp from the icy storm. Looking around, he tried to catch any glimpse of a lantern – however, his attempts were in vain. Finally, he decided on continuing in the direction he had seen Tiedoll and Suman walking toward, which was the river by the edge of the woods.

It was not long before Yuu was able to make out the trees, barren and lifeless in the winter landscape. In the distance, he could finally see the glow of lanterns, though it was a ways down. He figured that's where Tiedoll and Suman were possibly, and eager to find out just what had happened the eight-year-old began to walk in that direction.

"Yuu."

Yuu stopped suddenly, his head turning around. Confusion laced his dark blue eyes as he looked about. He could have sworn that he just heard someone call his name-

"Yuu…"

'There it is again,' Yuu thought, his brow furrowing as he continued to look around. The voice he had heard sounded strangely familiar, and had a tone was hypnotically beckoning. Glancing back toward the lighted area where Tiedoll most likely was, Yuu turned and went in a new direction, and followed the strange voice that he had heard.

His feet trekked into an area he had not really ventured into – a part of the woods that most people avoided. Yuu had never been to this area, as he had never had much reason to nor did he have any curiosity to scope the place out. However, he felt a sudden draw into the darkened forest, which was glazed in crystalline frost and glittering icicles. Yuu glanced around as he walked, trying to listen in case he heard the voice again. Or had there been a voice? Yuu bit his lip, and wondered if he should go back. It could have very well been the wind, and he had been getting sleepy prior to Suman's arrival.

"Yuu…"

Snapping his head up, Yuu looked around eagerly. The voice was clearer now and sounded closer. Realizing it was coming from the right, Yuu began to walk in that direction, but stopped as his eye caught the sight of something gleaming in the snow.

Bending down, Yuu brushed aside the powdery white snow to reveal a familiar bit of silver. Eyes widened slightly in recognition, as Yuu picked up the silver lotus that he was more than a little familiar with. 'That's….that's my mom's….' He realized, recognizing the lotus brooch that his mother always wore.

"Yuu…"

Standing up, Yuu held the pin close. In the darkness, he was able to see the outline of a figure he had not yet noticed. Blinking, Yuu peered through the flurries and gradually took a few steps in the voice's direction. As he walked closer, he began to see a familiar silhouette, a familiar dress, a familiar strand of hair. His mother.

Relieved, Yuu immediately ran over to where his mother was. He was about to call out, but as he got closer he began to notice something appeared off. It was nothing extensive to the average person, but crucial things that any child would notice about their parents. Perhaps it was the way her eyes gleamed in the shadows, or the dull color to her usually vibrant skin. Or perhaps it was the way her lips refused to smile at the sight or her son, or the uncanny stillness her body maintained.

Drawing to a stop a few feet away, Yuu stared. Just seconds ago he had been so excited to see his mother, but now….now there was a strange knot in the pit of his stomach he couldn't ignore. There was a clasp on his heart that was oddly suffocating, and he felt his body wavering from something other than the cold.

His mother did nothing at first. Still and silent, her glassy eyes lingered on Yuu. Finally, her mouth opened, and reaching out she spoke in a strangely familiar yet ghostly voice, "Yuu…"

"Yuu, get away from there!"

Suddenly, what Yuu thought to be his mother screeched shrilly, startling the young boy. Her flesh shifted in color, turning into an ashy blue and her fingers extended into claw-like blades that reminded Yuu of dangerously sharp icicles. Eyes red and face hollow, the creature extended her claws out toward Yuu, who was barely pulled away in time as the claws clipped the edge of his hood.

Tiedoll, who had spotted Yuu and the creature, pulled the boy aside. "Stay back, Yuu," He ordered, his voice more serious than Yuu had ever heard it. Mutely, Yuu obeyed, still in total shock from the sudden string of events occurring. He watched as Tiedoll pulled out a wooden cross; the older man then began to murmur something in a language Yuu could not understand, but it was a language he had heard spoken before when he once overheard Tiedoll saying a prayer for someone at the church. Yuu watched as the cross gave off an ethereal glow, and the creature screeched once more as it retreated back into the icy trees.

As Tiedoll continued his chanting, the cross continued to glow more brightly with each passing second, and the creature tried to shield itself from the culminating light. Tiedoll did not cease though, and the brightness eventually increased so much that even Yuu had to close his eyes as a glowing blast radiated from the cross. The creature let out an agonizing cry, and it's body soon dissolved away into smoldering ashes.

The howling wind halted.

Breathing heavily, Tiedoll took the cross and put it away under his bulky coat. He turned to see a terribly pale Yuu, staring wide-eyed with complete shock on his face. The boy was simply standing there, with his blue eyes colored with horrified confusion as his dark hair clung damply to his tiny face.

Tiedoll felt his heart twist. While he was definitely upset that Yuu had wandered out on his own, Tiedoll found himself even more upset over the events that had just transpired. His expression was somber, and his eyes doused in remorse as he looked at the now traumatized child who stood there before him. Silently, Tiedoll walked over to Yuu, and knelt down in front of the boy. He stared at the child for a moment; Yuu had a glazed look in his eyes as though his very innocence had been marred. Eyes watery, Tiedoll pulled the child close. He then picked up Yuu; the child was incredibly tense, and so much that Tiedoll thought he could feel the boy trembling, his small body feeling incredibly fragile in Tiedoll's arms. Tenderly, the man stroked the child's back, and began to walk home.

Yuu simply remained silent the whole way there.