Ice…the first word that would come to mind when seeing the view ahead as coldness worked on numbing an underdressed body.

Trees and flowers were frozen along with everything else in the woods. Ice lay glistening beautifully on the surface of nature, freezing it to the core and killing it without mercy. Some trees had even gone as far as to fall defeated from their once proud stance. Splintering in different sized pieces when they made contact with the white ground and accompanying their other kinds that had before stood and reached for the blue sky of summer.

“I knew it” his voice came out with a cloud of warm air, mingling with the coldness and creating a visible ghost like breath. His assumption had come true and now that he stands in front of the evidence he knew, that a new adventure awaited him. All he had to do was follow the angry trail of cold ice and let destiny decide the rest.

So that was what Luhan did.

One silent tear fell from an unfocused eye. Freed from the cold skin of its owner it transformed into a little snowflake as it came closer to the pavement, only to melt when contact was made. Cold, sad eyes got blank with unshed tears, before spilling out slowly, making the boy sob out into the night.

Scream

He desperately wanted to scream but any sound refused to slip past the growing lump in his throat. He was doomed to sit on the rooftop of something he didn’t have knowledge nor curiosity enough to know what was. The pain was just barely contained. The frustration slowly boiled, threatening to come out at any second. His struggle did not end, nor was it any less diminished but only grew for every blink he made to try and get rid of the moisture in his eyes.

Why?!

Why did he do it?

He knew all too well that no matter how much he begged for time to be reversed, it wouldn’t help. What have been done is done. But would it be different if he had been there when it happened?

Yes, it would because then he wouldn’t be here to live in this guilt. He curses his stupidity and young naïve mind. His thoughts stumbled back to the smiles he had once been surrounded by. The sleepy but determined eyes of the people around him at early mornings, when the sun had barely showed itself from its hiding place behind the mountains. His parents gentle caresses on his skin whenever needed or just simple to show the love they held for him.

What if?

What if he had stayed?

What if he had just listened to the strict orders that he at that time had found so unfair?

‘This wall’ a hand appeared from the sleeves of his brown robes to slightly graze his fingertips over the said wall ‘was built five hundred years ago under the order of a noble, Hiroshi Amano.’ The hand that showed little of the years the man had lived but more about the hard work he had lived with, retracted back to the confines of the robes. ‘It is here to keep us safe from the rage of enemies that might come our way’ the small boy blinked up at the taller figure with ice blue eyes in question ‘that is why you, my little friend’ a pad was given to the smaller ones head and ended with a light ruffle of the brown hair ‘must not go beyond these walls.’

But of course as time flew by and the little boy wasn’t so little anymore, the curiosity had grown with him. Until one day he couldn’t contain it anymore, leaving the temple he had lived in since child. Going beyond that wall he had been forbidden to cross, his mind telling him that it will just be a quick stroll. He will come back before the others wake up from their slumber.

But their eyes never opened again.

A single sob-like scream broke the silent night. The frustration he had been trying to hold in refused to be tamed anymore. The screaming boy started hitting and kicking anything in his sight while tear after tear poured out of his blue orbs, falling silently down on the pavement as snowflakes. His legs promised collapsing and his heart threatened to break but that went unnoticed by a mind blurred by sorrow.

It just hurt so much.

That one rule which was made to protect him…

An icy blast froze the ground he stood on after a last roar filled the night air. His chest heaved and he was beyond exhausted but his mind was still very much awake.

A chuckle was to be heard behind his back and even though his senses were dulled his instincts made him turn around instantly.

But nothing was there to be seen.

As his senses awoke a little more, his sharp hearing caught a light thump from behind him and he immediately turned around, fist ready to make contact with whatever was standing behind him. But his fist got caught with a slightly larger hand.By instinct the slightly frightened boy quickly tried hitting the taller male with his free hand but that one got caught just as easily.

“Wrong move” a husky voice filled his ears and as the words processed inside his head, it was too late. A shriek escaped the boy as he got expertly tackled to the cold ground. He tried to wriggle free but he was pinned down by a grip he himself recognized from his martial art training as young.

“Calm down” the voice said now much more soothing as the boy still tried the knowledge he remembered. But even so it is no use trying to fight a male stronger than oneself, not to say the dominant aura surrounding him too.

“My name Is Luhan, don’t worry I won’t harm you” the boy surprisingly calmed down a bit but still glared at Luhan, noticing how the features of the male above him didn’t match the power he held.  

“Now will you be still and don’t attack me?” he asked and loosened his grip just a bit. The smaller boy looked like he was thinking in high speed, wondering whether this Luhan person could be trusted or not. But when Luhan send him a friendly smile, he nodded and was soon able to breathe normally again when Luhan got off of him.

“So what is your name?” Luhan asked while sitting down beside him. The questioned boy just blinked and looked down at the ground, still being cautious and senses on alert. When he didn’t answer, Luhan opened his mouth to break the silence but instantly closed his lips shut again when a quiet voice answered.

“Xiumin” it was said barely above a whisper. Luhan blinked ones then twice before a grin spread out on his handsome features and he held his hand out to shake with Xiumin’s.

“Well, Xiumin it is nice to meet you” the smaller boy hesitantly took the hand and shook it lightly, noticing the warmth spreading from Luhan’s hand to his own. He was wondering how this person could have attacked him before with such smooth and professional movements when his personality shows nothing of such.

Xiumin got startled out of his thoughts when a surprised yell came from the other. He looked at Luhan with wide eyes as the other took his cold hand in both of his to bring it closer to his face. The male complimented him by cooing that he has such soft hands. The warmth from Luhan’s hands started to melt the outer layer of ice that Xiumin had built in his defenses and a slight stinging pain started to spread from his held hand. Luhan didn’t give any signs of noticing before Xiumin quickly retreated his hand back to his lap.

“What happened?” Luhan asked in a comforting tone and Xiumin knew he wasn’t talking about his hand. He only shook his head, still unsure around the stranger and deemed it not safe to share.

“What are you doing?!” Xiumin was about to hit Luhan but his wrists were held tightly. He stiffened more than he thought was possible as a nose grazed his neck and trailed slightly down to end at the hem of his shirt.

“You smell of death” Luhan stated and Xiumin’s eyes widened as images pushed their way inside his head once again.

Blood… so much blood. His face got drained from color as ice settled in when he fell to the floor. His parents lay before him, a puddle of their own blood surrounding them as they lay in a slumber they wouldn’t wake up from.

“The blood on your shirt is not your own…” but how he wished it was.

‘No’ his shaking hands made contact with the cold body and his eyes darted from the pained face of his mother to the blood under her. He clutched the martial of her clothing as he showed his face down to her neck trying to inhale the last of her scent. A series of no’s kept spilling from his trembling lips as he hoped that this was just a nightmare.

Luhan got harshly showed away as Xiumin stood up yelling “don’t you think I already know!?” his rage picked up like it never left. Luhan didn’t show surprise if he was feeling it. He just had on a stoic expression as he let Xiumin continue.

“You don’t know anything!” Xiumin’s face got white as snow and his lips began to turn blue “leave me alone!”

His head started hurting like never before, feeling like something was trying to rip open his skull. He desperately clutched at his hair to do something about the pain but it just kept on hurting. He got startled when two arms encircled him in an embrace and he began fighting his way out. But it just seemed like he got weaker as the arms never left him even though he tried so hard to get away.

“Leave me alone” he mumbled as he felt limper in the males presence “you know nothing” he repeated but his voice was barely above a whisper.

“Sshh it’s going to be okay” Luhan’s voice kept ringing in his head like a lullaby before he out.  

Everything is going to be okay…