The snow was soft, white, pure. I smiled. It was so miraculous. I loved it.

"Grandpa, can I go play outside?" I asked softly, not turning from the sparkling white wonder just a window pane away.

"Well," I heard his gentle voice say, like dust. "If you wear all of your winter things," Grandpa conceded after a moment. A grin broke my wonder-stricken face.

"Yay!" I shouted, hugging him. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

He was laughing, like soft papyrus hidden deep in a museum. He was so old. "Okay Yugi, okay. Hurry up. It's getting dark and you don't have long to play."

"Okay Grandpa!" I squeaked, smiling and relinquishing my grip. "I'll hurry!"

I rushed, slipping on boots, a coat, mittens, and ran out the front door. Into the snow, the wonderful, swirling, sparkling, beautiful, pure snow. Laughing, I collapsed in a pile and began to wave my arms, creating a snow angel. Grandpa wasn't watching from the doorway like usual.

After a while I got bored of laughing, stood up, and looked around. There was a boy standing at the edge of the driveway, holding a strange, tan-colored ball. He looked kind of like me, with spiky, multicolored hair and blond bangs, but his eyes were sharp, crimson, wide. He tossed the ball up once, catching it, without taking his sharp eyes off me. "Hello," I said awkwardly.

"Hi...," he said slowly, after a long pause. He tossed and caught the ball again. He was a little bit taller than me, I'd guess. He was only wearing a T-shirt and long, loose pants. His feet were bare too.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked softly. He shook his head, turned around, and ran off, the ball under his arm.

"W-wait!" I called, running after him. He ran fast, past my house, past my friend Joey's house, past Joey's friend Tristan's house, past Tea's house. He darted into an alleyway, with me close behind. I stopped. He'd disappeared.

I blinked. Where'd he go? Glancing around, I caught a glimpse of a tuft of white amongst the greasy black and brown snow. No longer pure. I walked slowly toward it.

"Ow!" I cried, tumbling down and thwacking my jaw against the ground.

"Hey, watch it!" I heard a voice growl darkly. I blinked, sitting up. I had tripped over someone's leg. His Hair was what was white. And he had blood red eyes, mixed with a dash of brown. "Tch, you're just a kid?" he kicked me.

"Ow!" I cried, recoiling across the alley. He smirked. He was only a year or two older than me.

"What's wrong squirt? Lost?" he asked grimly, smiling evilly. He too was only dressed in a T-shirt and pants, but HE looked cold. And wet.

"No!" I cried back indignantly. "I was just, following this kid. And he... he just...," I trailed off.

"Disappeared? He tends to do that. You know kid, you look just like him," the kid said in a strange tone. He stood up, dusting snow off his clothes. "C'mon, I'll take you home," he said, holding out a hand to help me up. I blinked, then took it. He pulled me to a standing position.

I nodded slightly. "I'm Yugi," I muttered, following him as he trudged, also barefooted, out of the alleyway.

"Tch, Bakura," he said smoothly, crossing the street. We continued walking in silence for a long time before he stopped. "This is your house," he declared, and I looked up. Indeed it was. There was my snow angel and everything. "Go on," he snapped, glaring at me. He was shivering.

"Um," I said, pulling off my coat and holding it out. "Here."

He stared at me wide-eyed. "Wh-what?" Then he seemed to regain his composure, shaking his head. "No way, Bakura don't take charity."

"It's not charity!" I argued, already feeling the cold through my turtleneck. "This is for leading me home!"

He was silent a moment, then took it. "Go home," he muttered, and stalked away. I smiled. Then I ran up to the front door and knocked.

"Grandpa! I'm home!"

He came around from the back of the house, rushing up and pulling me into a huge hug.

"Yugi! I was so afraid you'd run off! Where have you been? Where's your coat?" he asked in a rush.

I smiled softly. "I donated it, Grandpa. In exchange for some help," I said softly. He looked at me firmly a minute, then smiled, shaking his head.

"Oh Yugi...," he muttered. I grinned broader.

"There are angels watching out for me grandpa! Angels..."