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“Ojou-chan, are you cold? Maybe if I kiss you, you’ll feel warmer.” The orange-haired boy said with a smirk.
“Kiss? What is it?” asked the small girl with blonde hair. Her amber eyes filled with curiosity. The two children were standing in the middle of the snow-covered garden.
“Like this...” The boy moved closer and held the girl’s hands. “First, you close your eyes. And then...”
“Lumine!”
Both of them turned around to see where the voice came from. Another child appeared; his hair and eyes resembled the girl’s.
“Lumine. What are you doing there? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“I’m sorry...” Lumine spoke softly. “I... I was lost... and he found me...”
Aether frowned. He motioned for the twin sister to step towards him. But she didn’t seem like she wanted to go, at least without saying goodbye to her new friend.
“I have to go now... Thank you, for finding me.”
“Hmm. Next time you can come and play with me, new neighbor!” said the orange-haired boy, followed by a wink.
“Of course... But what is your name?”
“Ajax. You can call me Childe. That’s my ********. Sort of.”
“Lumine!” Aether seemed irritated. “Mother said we must hurry back now!”
Lumine said goodbye to her friend she had just met just a few minutes ago and left with her brother. The orange-haired boy did not know what a kiss was, or what it felt like. He had noticed when his mother felt cold, his father would tell her the same thing he’d just told the girl.
Aether and Lumine's family had just moved into the neighborhood. They were a middle-class family; making money by taking risky adventures, ones that nobody would dare to do. Both the twins' parents were often away from home. At such times, two children learned to take care of each other. The older brother, Aether, had mastered housework from a very young age. His sister, Lumine, loved to climb and explore around the place. Occasionally, she got lost. And when she was, Aether always struggled to find her back home.
Lumine often got lost in the garden of a noble family. Childe's family. They had been nobles for generations. Their family has five children. Childe is the third child. As neighbors, they did not mind at all when Lumine was "lost" in their manor. On the contrary, they welcomed and treated her with kindness. The children were fond of one another, especially Childe and Lumine.
The two spent most of their childhood days together; reading books, playing from the garden to the kitchen, exploring every corner of the city together, fishing on ice,... When they grew older, Childe and Lumine trained in swordsmanship together. Each of them had a big dream in their heart. Lumine wanted to be a talented adventurer like her parents, while Childe wished to stand in his Archon's elite army.
Everyone would have thought that Childe and Lumine would grow up side by side like that, yet an unfortunate event came to her family. During a faraway expedition, the ship with Lumine's parents was hit by a thunderstorm and sank. The twins, Aether and Lumine, did not believe their parents were dead, so they decided to go find them. Since Lumine didn't know how to face separation, she only left a goodbye letter to Childe and quietly left.
That time, Childe was just a fourteen years old boy. He was found unconscious in the snow forest after three days rummaging through the city. All he wanted was to find his Lumine. No one knew what Childe went through during those three days. They knew a different Childe when he returned then.
They said that childish love would fade over time, but Lumine’s eyes and her smile would forever be a wound in Childe’s heart. How swiftly the time flew! He had turned into a fine young man, working in The Tsaritsa’s army as their Eleventh Harbinger. Still he did not give up on finding the twins. He had this thought; as long as he became invincible, he would be able to protect Lumine and the people he loved from anything.
Every winter, Childe's family hosted a feast. Every year, he was reminded of the beautiful little girl that got lost in their garden one snowy day. He always wondered if she was cold and lonely? Or could he ever find Lumine again, no matter what horizon she be?
It happened in a winter that was colder than all previous winters. Childe stepped into the abyss alone and fought a giant monster. His arrogance led him so close to the door of death. But it was also at that time, he once again met his angel.
Childe woke up in a small shack. Outside the blizzard was howling. His entire body was covered with wounds, almost paralyzed he was. But he could still feel the warmth from the person resting her head down on the edge of his bed.
Blonde locks of hair fell on his hand. Unintentionally he touched her, waking her up. Amber eyes gazed up at him.
“Ojou-chan? Is this really you? Am I not in a dream?”
She was quite surprised and confused. There was only one person in this world who called her ojou-chan...
“Childe? Childe? Is it you?”
That orange hair and ocean eyes. It’s him! Lumine had a thought that the person she saved from the abyss was her childhood friend. But as the years had passed, she didn't know how much he had grown. But upon hearing his words, she knew it was him, whom she had always missed even though she thought they would never have a chance to see each other again.
“I’ve been looking for you... for so, so long...”
Lumine's shoulders trembled slightly; probably due to the cold in the ending place of this world. Or perhaps it was the feeling repressed for so long now suddenly exploded.
They talked about past memories, and the things that had happened after Lumine and her brother had left. The twins wandered through different lands and sea, still not a piece of information about her parents or the sunken ship. Recently, Lumine had lost her brother while traveling through the abyss. Hence, she couldn’t return.
To see her again in this place was a miracle! Even though Childe was injured, he would recover quickly and help her find her family. In the past, he was just a little boy; he could not help nor protect her. But now, he’s Tartaglia, a Fatui Harbinger. Who had yet to hear his name? This time, he would protect Lumine at whatever cost.
“Ojou-chan. Remember the first time we met? It was snowy and cold, just like this.”
Lumine nodded her head. “I was lost, and cold. But you found me.”
“And now you found me,” said Childe, “Perhaps you do remember what I told you back then as well?”
Lumine pondered for a moment, then her face grew red.
***
Whenever she said she was cold, he would tease her with that suggestion. But she never let him have it his way. It was not until their journey was over, and the two of them returned to Childe's snow-covered garden many years later that he told her once more:
“Ojou-chan, maybe you’ll feel warmer if you just let me kiss you.”
Childe smiled teasingly. He never thought that little Lumine was ever more bold this time. Out of the blue, she grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, whispering:
“All this time you’ve never actually put your words into action. When will you actually do it?”
“Huh?”
Childe was puzzled. He could not think about anything but the sweet first kiss that both of them had been yearning for so long when she brushed her lips against his.
-The end-