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THE WARM STORM

Fuuko shivered and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Are you cold, Fuuko?" Tokiya asked as he walked up alongside her, one hand keeping a firm hold on their ski boards. Fuuko

sighed. Still walking without knowing the direction.

"Of course I am!" she said testily. 'Won't he ever stop asking me that? He's asked me that for about the ninetieth time! And

the point is, when will we reach the inn before dark?'

"You don't have to be so harsh about it." she heard him mumble in a hurt voice and she felt a tiny stab of guilt. She

adjusted her cap, pushing the guilt away. 'If only I didn't lost the way'

Tokiya walked closer to her. "The old lady at the inn said that once we reach the portal, we should be able to find the way

back."

Fuuko nodded, not really listening to what he was saying, absorbed in her own thoughts.

".........but the problem is, where is the portal was ........."

Fuuko stopped walking and turned to Tokiya.

"I thought you know where is the portal?" she asked.

Fuuko looked up at him and saw his face take on a cold expression. He closed his eyes and shook his head, turning slightly

away from her.

'Darn it! It's good to have a ski with him but now we lost.' She started walking to her left. 'I shouldn't believe in the

broken wayboard! It must be there's some jerks who had changed the direction!!'

"I already discovered the location of the portal. I don't know where it is exactly but maybe not very far from here. It's

still not too late to back to the inn before dark." Tokiya sighed.

The wind picked up, blowing freezing air in their direction hardly and snow began to fall.

Fuuko could hear her heart pounding as she watched the snow. Fuuko shivered but not because of the cold.

Then reality. There is a thundering sounds loud from their back. Quickly, they turned their head to see what's happen and

they gasps.

Slide! The large snow at the peak was going to slide-off!!.

"Fuuko! Watch out!!!" Tokiya pushed Fuuko hard to make her safe from the snow's hit, but it's too late for him to save

himself.

Tokiya saw the snow come at him but didn't make any move to avoid it. It hit him straight in the chest and he went flying

off the way and into a tree several meters away.

Fuuko heard a loud snap and the tree crashed down, split down the middle.

'Tokiya '. She stared on, her mind racing and her voice gone. She blinked as snow began to come down harder.

As Tokiya's body crumpled a short distance away from her, Fuuko ran towards him. She doesn't want to see Tokiya get hurted.

"No! Tokiya! Hang up please!" Fuuko cried. She scrambled up and flung herself on top of Tokiya. She felt a rush of air and

Fuuko didn't have to look to know that he had bad injury.

Fuuko watched as the heavy snow disappeared in the distance up by the whirling snow that was now falling heavily.

She then turned to the unconscious Tokiya and lifted his head to cradle it on her lap.

"Tokiya...."she said softly. Tokiya stirred then groaned.

"Don't move! Please, you'll hurt yourself more. It's gone now."

Tokiya coughed then rolled his head to the side. A trail of blood trickled out of his mouth. Fuuko looked down at him in

horror.

"Oh God!" She bit her lip to keep her tears from overwhelming her. She looked around in panic. 'What am I going to do? There

was no one around.'

Tokiya moaned and his eyes flickered open.

"Fuuko ..." he gasped then tried to sit up.

She felt him tense up as the injuries in his body shot waves of pain through him.

"Don't move!" She felt his body relax in her arms. Then, tears began to form in her eyes.

"Fuuko.........Are.........you......... okay.........?"

Fuuko held back her own tears as she realized what he was trying to say.. She closed her eyes. No, this is not the time for

that, Fuuko. Attend to his injuries first.

She opened her eyes and stared at the blood, which was now beginning to freeze on his face. His eyes were closed and pinched

with pain. She bent her head down, listening to his breathing. It came out ragged and shallow.

Fuuko's mind raced. 'I got to get help! He's beaten up pretty badly'. She gently laid him down on the ground and took off her

long jacket, covering him with it.

"Stay here and don't move. I'm going to get help." She ignored his weak cries of protest and stood up, gasping as the

freezing temperature penetrated her garments. She ran blindly towards any direction shouting for help. As she turned, she

suddenly froze.

She gasped, her pulse pounding. 'No, I can't found anything, not anyone, nor the way back' she thought, tears of frustration

stinging her eyes and forming icicles down her cheeks.

She ran back to where Tokiya lay, kneeling down beside him.

"The portal........." he choked out as another coughing fit seized him. His body painfully convulsed and the snow covered ground

turned crimson as he spat out blood.

"Oh God! Tokiya!" She looked around frantically then her eyes zoomed in on anywhere which was wandering a portal a few yards

away. She knelt down beside Tokiya once again.

"I don't think you're in a condition to walk. Let me find somebody."

"No.........no........." said Tokiya weakly, "We've already lost. Now all we can do is only to find the portal and stay there until Recca

and the others find us."

"But........."

"Please, Fuuko!" Tokiya pleaded, grasping her arm.

Fuuko looked at him for a moment then nodded. She also felt uneasy about staying there. She did not want another encounter

with the heavy snow slide.

"Here, I'll help you." She gently guided him amidst countless cursing and muted groans of pain. Finally, he was standing up

though leaning heavily on Fuuko.

".........!" Too weak and with his broken ribs sending a painful, burning sensation in his chest every time he spoke he acquiesced.
All way long, Fuuko looked up at him worriedly. Tokiya was unusually pale and she knew he was hurting really bad. 'The heavy

snow and get bumped with the tree broke his rib. I'm sure of that. Every jolt can be very painful for him.'

She shivered as she checked her jacket which was still wrapped around Tokiya. 'Oh God! Please, show me the way back', she

prayed and started walking.

Fuuko shook uncontrollably. The wind had picked up and snow was coming down very hard. 'Dammit! Don't tell me there's going

be a storm!'

They had been traveling for nearly an hour and Fuuko's strength was about to give way.

'This is a bad idea from the beginning'. Her mind was beginning to fog and she flexed her fingers, afraid that they might

fall off from frostbite. Her feet felt like it weighed a ton. She could hardly walk anymore, plus Tokiya's weight as her

burden too.

I don't want to die of hypothermia, she thought. Without her jacket, the air felt like pricks.

She looked around her. They were just coming out of the forest and headed up a mountain path, which she knew would lead to

the inn. 'I can't do it anymore. Got to stop.'

'Clumsy fool!' She berated herself. She struggled to her knees. When she looked up, something up ahead caught her eye. She

blinked, making sure she was not hallucinating.

Is it....? Fuuko squinted her eyes and a slow smile spread across her face. She scrambled up, brushing herself off. A surge of

energy flooded through her body as she look at the things in front of them. 'I can't believe it! That must be the portal!'
They stopped in front of a little cabin made from log. Fuuko cautiously pushed a pile of heavy log, which served as a door.

She looked inside, the tiny stream of light that filtered in revealing a somewhat clean interior. Her face fell. 'There's no

one here. No fire. No food. Empty.'

She looked back at Tokiya worriedly.

'I know we should be heading back to the inn but I don't think I can handle it anymore.'

Strengthening her resolve, she walked up to him and shook him hard. He groaned in pain.

'I'm sorry Tokiya. It's just for make sure that you're still alive' With an effort, she braced her arms around him and

unceremoniously pulled him off, only slightly managing to keep his dead weight from toppling her over. Tokiya gasped in pain

as her arms grinded against his chest.

"Fuuko ........."

"Shhh........." she said to him, tears stinging her eyes. 'I'm sorry, Tokiya, I know it hurts but.........'with the last ounce of energy

she had, she dragged him inside.

The interior of the cabin was dim. With only enough light coming in to be able to distinguish forms. She laid him down to the

hard and freezing wood floor. Spent, she sank down beside him. Her eyes fluttered shut. 'I just want to sleep...'she thought.
A soft moan jarred her back to reality.

'Tokiya.' She opened her eyes and slapped herself hard. 'Stay awake, Fuuko!'

With pain stinging her cheek, she began to crawl around in the semi-darkness, searching for anything she can cover herself

with. She was still shaking uncontrollably. Groping around, her hand was able to grasp something soft. She pulled at it and

ran her hand through it.

'A blanket!'

Standing up, she slung it around her shoulder and moved to the door, pulling it open. Savage winds immediately began to blow

inside.

'Damn! There really is a storm!' She thought in utter dismay.

Using the light that came in, she scanned the room. At one side of the room were smooth stones arranged in a rectangular

manner which Fuuko knew was where they lit the fire. Further squinting and inspection told her there were still bits of log

in there.

Fuuko battered the cabin's door and again, the room was in semi-darkness. Carefully stepping over Tokiya, she headed for the

hearth and felt around for the tin used to light fires. She found none. She bit her lip in frustration then went back to

where Tokiya lay. She placed a hand against his cheek and his skin felt deathly cold.

Fuuko was panicking. 'He's going to die! He's going to die because of me!'

She forced herself to calm down. She was shivering uncontrollably again and she realized that her clothes were wet from the

melted snow.

She shook off the blanket and started to take off her wet clothes. Then she stopped as she realized she was about to strip

down in front of Tokiya. She looked down at him, sure that he was unconscious. 'Do it, Fuuko!'

She turned around and stripped. As she dropped the last of her garments to the floor and wrapped the blanket around herself,

she then turned her attention back to Tokiya. Gingerly, she unwrapped her jacket from around him and felt his clothes.

'Wet. Cold. And stucked by the blood.'

She hesitated, but only for a moment then started to take off his clothes starting with his lower garments. When she was done

with that part, she covered him with her jacket and began to rummage through her discarded pile of clothing.

"Ouch!" she yelped as something sharp nicked her hand. She brought it to her lips and sucked at the blood that oozed out.

'Found it' She closed her hands carefully over the Ensui, she took it from his pocket. She turned back to Tokiya and

carefully began to work. She was still trembling from the cold but she forced her hand to steady itself. She pulled at a

portion if his shirt and began to slit it open. She then carefully removed it taking care not to move him too much to

aggravate his injuries.

When she was through, she examined him as best as she could in the dim room. She couldn't really see but she knew that he's

badly bruised. She placed a hand on his shoulder and felt him shiver. Fuuko frowned. 'He's freezing too. We need fire.' She

looked around frantically. 'Dammit! No matches, no nothing! We're....we're going to die here.'

She slumped down beside him in frustration and started to cry.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

' I'm so cold,' was all that he could think of. Even the burning sensation on his chest was nothing compared to the biting

cold that gripped his body. Then he felt something hot falling against his cheeks. Hot liquid.

'Warmth.'

Tokiya forced his eyes open but saw only darkness. He blinked a couple of times before he finally saw a silhouette above him
"Fuuko?" he asked weakly. The effort to speak sent waves of pain across his chest.

"Tokiya? Tokiya!" Fuuko cried out softly, laughing in relief. Then she caught herself. 'Why am I so happy? We're going to die

here!'

She felt around until her hand found his. His hand was very cold.

"Where are we?" he asked, wincing in pain.

Fuuko moved her head closer to his.

"Halfway from the inn. At the portal, exactly. We had to stop. There's a storm and I can't travel anymore. I'm

sorry.........you're injured and I wasn't able to get help.........I'm so sorry."

Tokiya again felt her tears. This time, they fell on his arm.

He lifted a hand to touch her cheek, ignoring the pain in his chest. Fuuko shivered against his touch and she wasn't sure if

it was because of the lack of warmth.

"Fuuko .........please don't cry," he said. "This is not your fault."

Fuuko willed her tears to stop.

He winced as he moved the long jacket, which was on top of him. Then he stopped. He realized he was completely naked

underneath.

"Wha...where..." he looked up at Fuuko.

Fuuko felt her cheeks heat up. She was thankful the room was dim.

"I removed them. They were wet. You'll freeze."

Now it was Tokiya's turn to blush, his pains temporarily forgotten.

'Gods....she saw me....'He pushed the thought away.

There was a period of silence. When it grew unbearable, Fuuko spoke up.

"Tokiya, tell me. How do you feel right now?"

Tokiya swallowed. "Uh..........I.........."

"What?" she prompted him.

Tokiya shifted in his position with a groan then threw back the jacket that covered him.

"Tokiya!" Fuuko cried shrilly, turning her head away. She knew that her face was probably as red as beet.

"Fuuko, Meguri Kyoza had trained me how to heal myself a little by sharing energy with somebody. I need to absorb your

energy, would you lie beside me?" he asked her.

Uncovered, Tokiya's teeth began to chatter and his ribs hurt as his body shook. And Fuuko knew it.

Clenching her teeth, she quickly got down on the floor beside him and took the long jacket he discarded and used it to cover

the two of them.

Tokiya felt his face begin to heat up as she settled beside him, her body pressed close to his arm. He can felt her body's

warm.

Fuuko silently turned to him. She pressed against him stiffly, images swirling in her head.

'No,' she told herself, 'don't think about that. You need to help him. This is fine. This is Tokiya. He won't hurt you...' Then

she realized he was still shaking.

Moving her head up, she saw that the jacket barely covered him.

'Darn it!' She thought. Then without thinking, she flung off the jacket and unwrapped the blanket from around her.

Tokiya drew in his breath as the faint light in the room revealed that Fuuko was also bare underneath the blanket. He just

laid there in shock as she settled back beside him and wrapped the blanket snugly around the two of them. She scooted as

close to him as possible without hurting him, and he flushed as he felt her body heat against him.

She turned to him and whispered, "Are you okay? Do it now." Then she closed her eyes.

"Alright," he whispered back and he gritted his teeth as he turned on his side and faced Fuuko. Pain shot through his chest

but he didn't want to ask Fuuko to do anything more. He rolled at his side and cupped her face gently. And then he closed his

eyes and concentrated.

Fuuko felt a warm stream of air moving from her body to his. She opened her eyes slightly and saw a faint blue light aura

between their body. 'It is the way? By sharing energy so he could heal himself? What an oppossite ability with Yanagi. She

could heal another person but she couldn't heal herself! I didn't know that Tokiya had such an ability like that!'

Fuuko looked up at Tokiya, the blue light aura highlighting his features. His eyes were closed and she studied his face.

'He....he looks angelic. So beautiful.'

Suddenly, the light disappeared and Tokiya opened his eyes.

Fuuko felt light-headed. His hand left her face and he laid back down as before. Fuuko leaned up on her elbow looking down at

him.

"Tokiya? Are you alright now?" she asked softly. He nodded. Fuuko lightly ran a finger down his chest and he winced.
"What? Did that hurt? I thought you're okay now?"

Tokiya shook his head. "No. I only took enough of your energy to mend the broken bones. I didn't take more than necessary."

Fuuko frowned.

"What? Why not?" She shifted her position until her face was only inches away from his.

"Fuuko?! What are you doing?!" Tokiya squeaked, scandalized.

"Shut up, you dummy and do it again!" she hissed.

"But Fuuko .........!" Fuuko placed a finger against his lips. "Do it again and get well. Then you can get us out of here."
Tokiya just stared up at her for a moment. She was so close that he could smell her hair. It smelled of roses, just like

before.

"Alright, Fuuko," he said. In the dim light, he saw her lips curve in a smile and she lowered her head down. Tokiya pressed a

hand against the side of her face, closed his eyes and concentrated. Again there was a stream of warm air flowing between

them. Tokiya felt a warm, soothing sensation spread in his chest. He began to breath easier and little by little the aches in

his body began to disappear. He concentrated harder and the whole cabin was bathed in a bluish light.

Then, his eyes opened as he felt Fuuko's lips touch his. Suddenly, she slumped against him, her head sliding down to the

crook of his neck. The light vanished and Tokiya at up, gathering Fuuko in his arms.

"Fuuko?" He turned her face towards his and realized she had fainted.

"Baka!" he cursed out loud. 'I took too much! Suddenly, he froze. He looked down on her.

'Gods.........I'm.........I'm holding her and she's.........she's.........'Tokiya could feel the blood pounding on his temples. He hastily set her

down on the floor, grabbing the jacket and wrapping it around his shoulders. He arranged the blanket decently around her.
He stood up shivering and flexing his arms. The room was chilly once more. He could make out the hearth in the one side of

the cabin and walked over to it but could not find the tin and flint. Only some dry logs spread there.

Suddenly, he had a burst of inspiration. He scanned the room to looking for his belongings and smiled to himself as his Ensui

is there. He grabbed a hold of Ensui and he knelt down by the hearth. Tokiya touched the Ensui and the hearth stone together

hardly, sending sparks flying. In a few minutes, Tokiya had a fire crackling merrily in the hearth.

He walked over to Fuuko and carefully lifted her in his arms. He carried her nearer the fire and set her down gently. He

looked at her face for a moment then brushed a finger against her lips. She stirred and he retreated from her. He gathered up

the wet piles of their clothing and spread it neatly around the fire.

When he was through with that, he sat down in the far end of the cabin across from her and watched her sleep.

He move his body closer to her, and then reach his hand to touch her, but he didn't.

(Tsuzuku)


Notes: 'Kay.... The first one at this section, I guess? Thank you for reading, and tell me what you're thinking, would you? ^^

I'll post the next chapter soon. Thank you.

Anyway, I've posted this story at ffnet long ago. Anybody has read it?

Diamond-Crest