First four parts of Silence of the Snow

Outside it was snowing. Shizuko sat and watched as the beautiful fluffiness filled her yard. She wished he was here to see it with her. He'd always reminded her of the snow. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away. The swing outside stil hung like a shadow upon the ever-drifting white. The very place they'd met. She knew thinking about it wasn't good, and tried to place the thought away. Her childish blonde hair hung into her eyes. She looked back down at her sketchbook. The elegant strokes of her pencil looked as if she'd really cared about what she was doing. She turned the page and picked up her pencil again. The image had returned at last, and she immeadiately scribbled down a base. The image of a boy smoothing a girl's hair as she lay weeping, her head in his lap. She remembered the gentle sweetness of his words as he whispered softly to her. She saw the tenderness in his vibrant blue eyes as he wiped the same tears from her eyes. Pulling out a box of pastels, she began to add the tender details to his clothing and face. Oh, how she wished she'd known. His pale skin and dark hair must've been what reminded her of winter. Or maybe his name. A tear from her cheek landed on the paper."Oh..." She cried. "My dear Reiyuki, Why?! You said you'd never leave me!" His smile was still present in her mind, the smell of his clothes still fresh as if he were standing right next to her. She finally added a small inscription to the bottom of the page, reading: "Reiyuki, My dearest, I'll always love you, As You always loved me..."


She opened the sketchbook. On the inside of the front cover was a sentence written in the most beautiful, calligraphy reading "Happy birthday Shi-chan! I hope you like it!" and was signed Yuki-kun. The first picture was of a winter day, almost as pretty as the one outside. It showed a boy pulling a girl up from the ground, as if she'd fallen into the snow. She remembered the day so well..."Shizuko, it's the snow outside is beautiful! Go play with the other kids!" Mom yelled. "But they don't like me, mom." Shizuko replied, her young blue eyes glistning with obvious shyness. "So? Get out there and make some new friends!" She yelled from the laundry room. Knowing she could not sway her mom's orders, she pulled a sweatshirt over her T-shirt. She pulled her kitty-eared hat over her head and wrapped a scarf around her neck. "See ya mom." She said, turning to the door. The world outside was, indeed, beautiful. Shizuko couldn't help but grin at the cold tickling of snowflakes on her face. She went outside and sat on the tire swing that her father had just hung the weekend previous. She was lonely. She'd been lonely ever since she'd moved her a month ago. Suddenly, she lost her balance and fell. Face first into the snow. She began to cry, as most young children would do if their face was cold. Suddenly, she heard a voice. "A-are you alright?" She looked up. A boy of a similar age to herself stood there, a hand extended as if to help her up. She took it. After helping her regain the ability to stand, he dusted the snow off of her shoulders and face. "Are you ok?" He asked once again, worry shinning in his vibrant blue eyes. "Y-yeah, I'm ok..." She stammered. "My name's Reiyuki," The boy told her, a gentle smile on his face. "I'm Shizuko." She said, nervous as can be. "So, what are you doing out here all by yourself?" He asked, snowflakes collecting in his black-as-coal hair. "Well..." As the two of them continued to talk to each other, they became better and better friends.She turned her veiw back to the window, where the snow was still falling vigorusly. The memories would never fade... Never ever fade...

She turned the page. The next picture was of the young boy with a flower behind his back as the girl stood in front of him. They were standing in a field with grass up to their knees.This had been the first day of spring..."Shizuko!" Reiyuki yelled from the top of the tree. "Look up here!" Shizuko looked up at him and gasped. "REIYUKI!!!!" She shouted. "DON"T FALL!!!""I Wont!" He said, standing on a branch. He lost his footing, Of course, and fell. Shizuko screamed. "REIYUKI!!!" Once she reached him, he sat up, laughing. "I'm ok!" He said, rubbing the back of his head. Shizuko's fear turned into childish anger. "REIYUKI YOU IDIOT! YOU HAD ME WORRIED!!!" He laughed and stood up. "I've got you something!" He said, his hands behind his back. "What?" She asked, completely forgotten her anger. "Close your eyes," He said, "and hold out your hands." She did as told as he pulled a Daffodil out from behind his back and placed it in her hands. "Now, Open!" He said. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "It's beautiful!" She hugged it close to her. It's petals were smooth and delicate. It smelled fresh and beautiful. "Thank you, Yuki-Kun!" She said. His blue eyes were smiling. "I Thought you'd like it!" He said, proud of his decision.She grinned back, full heartedly. She had an odd swelling feeling in her heart. She never wanted the moment to end...At this picture, she smiled. She went to her closet and pulled out a glass box, containing a dried daffodil. She opened the box. The wrinkled flower smelled just as sweet as the day he'd given it to her. She hugged it close to her, as she'd done before. The first symbol of his love...


She sat the box with the daffodil inside next to her and flipped to the next page. It was of the two of them on a swing in an abandoned schoolyard. The boy had bandaids on his knees. The girl's skirt was torn. They both looked very cutesy and young."Yuki-kun!" Shizuko yelled, frightened. Reiyuki stood up and dusted himself off. His knees were torn up, and bleeding. "I'm ok!" He said, gritting his teeth to ward off the pain. He sat back down on the asphalt. Shizuko looked horrified at the sight of the blood, and pulled a small white box from her bag. She opened it with shaking hands, and the bandaids flew everywhere. She yelped and scrambled to put them back in the box. Reiyuki laughed at her and said, "Really, Shi-chan, I'm alright! Just a scratch!" She pulled off the wax paper from one bandaid and put it across one knee, hardly covering the damage. "Maybe we shouldn't play tag on the concrete anymore." She said, upset. Then there was a silence as she plastered up both knees with bandaids. As she finished, she began to cry. "Wh-What's wrong?" Reiyuki asked, looking at her face beneath her childish blonde hair. "I'M SO SORRY!!!" She Cried out."What?" He repied, confused. "I Never should've suggested tag!" She cried, feeling it was all her fault. "Oh, Shi-chan, I PROMISE it wasn't your fault." He hugged her, and his shoulder got wet from her crying. He stood to his feet, grimacing at the pain. "Wanna go swing?" He asked her, gesturing to the swings at the other end of the aboandoned playground.Wiping the tears from her eyes, she nodded. "O-Ok, Yuki-kun." Eventually they forgot about the whole incident, for that is the way children's minds work. They were laughing and smiling and giigling all over again...Shizuko remembered that day as if it were yesterday, even though it had been several years ago. The playground still remained. She closed up her sketchbook and headed out the door, her book in tow. She headed to the schoolyard, the snow still falling. She went and sat on the same swing, the SAME EXACT place where he'd asked her the question. The swing he'd sat on was broken, one chain fallen to the ground. She dusted the snow off of the seat of it, and found that the initials were still there: R&S 4EVER...