Chapter Text
… He couldn’t feel anything anymore.
The cold snow around him made him feel numb. The snowflakes floating above him were almost like a taunt, almost like they were mocking him for being unable to get rid of them. He tried to reach his hand to touch them, but he felt far too tired to move.
He sighed and closed his eyes, becoming enveloped by the chilly, eternal winter yet again.
Shiratori Aira was simply on his usual venture into the world outside the fairy realm when he encountered a body half buried in snow.
Aira was a naturally curious fairy, having wanted to explore beyond the fairy island for as long as he could remember. When his mother finally, finally gave him her permission to explore beyond the island, he was elated. But he would soon discover two important facts:
One, that the outside world was covered in an endless layer of snow.
And two, that the snowstorms would never really end, despite the seasons changing.
Sure, they’d calm down a bit in the summer and spring, but they were still there. It was always a horrible feeling whenever he exited the safe bubble of the fairy realm, currently in the middle of summer, and was immediately hit with snowflakes in the face.
But even though most fairies had deemed the outer world a wasteland and totally useless, Aira still found joy in exploring its nooks and crannies. He had found frosty caverns, hidden waterfalls, and unseen vegetation. He always joyfully recounted his adventures to his Christmas fairy friends, Tori, Sora and Hajime, as well as his parents. But oftentimes, his mother would simply sigh.
“I know you love exploring, but please be careful, alright? There’s a lot of dangerous creatures out there, but most importantly there are reapers out there that’ll kill any fairy they see,” she often reminded him.
Aira would simply shrug it off. He’d been going outside the fairy realm for three whole years, and had never encountered anything that aimed to kill him.
With that mindset, he had yet again ventured out into the world, hoping to make yet another discovery. What he didn’t count on was that discovery being a pink-haired boy, lying in the middle of the snow with his eyes shut. He wore mysterious and ornate black robes, and shards of ice were laying on his palm.
Aira immediately panicked. “I-is he hurt? Oh god, is he dead?! Shoot, what can I do??” Upon finishing this, the boy in the snow slightly shifted, groaning.
“Phew, not dead!” Aira sighed in relief. Now all he had to do was get him to a safe place so he could recover.
“Uhh, what caves are near here…? Ah, that one!” He snapped up, and returned to the boy’s side.
“Please hang in there!” Aira could only hope he could hear him, lest he wake up in the middle of his transport and start attacking him. “I’ll bring you to safety!”
And with that, Aira lifted up the unconscious boy with a spell, and brought him over to the cave he had identified.
When Kohaku awoke, he was staring at a dark ceiling instead of the usual pile of snow on his face he was used to after passing out in the middle of the snow. Eh? Did Rei-han or one of the others find me in the snow or somethin’ and bring me back to the church…?
His thoughts were quickly interrupted by someone else popping into his vision. It was a blonde-haired boy, likely a fairy of some sort based on his outfit and appearance. Kohaku froze, while the boy broke out into a smile.
“I’m glad you’re okay! I found you passed out in the snow outside, so I brought you into a cave!” He cheerily stated. “Are you feeling better?”
“Err… yeah. Somewhat, I guess,” Kohaku muttered in response.
“That’s good. By the way, where are you from? I’ve never seen you around in the fairy realm, but I haven’t seen any settlements in this world either…”
He really is a fairy. Can’t believe he’s all the way down here…
“There are a few settlements here and there… I live in a nearby town,” Kohaku answered, watching as his savior’s eyes immediately began to sparkle.
“I see! Then, could you please lead me there?” He enthusiastically asked. Then, he suddenly turned slightly red, stepped back and cleared his throat. “Um, sorry for getting too excited. I’m Aira, a Christmas fairy. And you?”
“Oukawa Kohaku. Nice to meet ya.”
“Mhm! Nice to meet you too! By the way, why were you out there in the snow, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Umm…” Kohaku hesitated. “I was tryin’ to stop the snowfall…”
“That’s really reckless of you… A normal human doesn’t have the ability to stop something big like this, so please be careful,” Aira replied, furrowing his brows.
“Yeah, suppose so,” Kohaku muttered. I’ll just omit the bit ‘bout me havin’ powers due to being a half reaper… he’s a fairy, anyways. If he knew I were a reaper, he’d immediately run away.
“Anyways, I’ll escort you back to your town so you don’t end up passing out again or anything, if that’s fine with you?” Aira continued.
“Uh, thanks for the offer, but I really don’t wanna inconvenience you or anythin’-” Kohaku started, worried about spending more time with a fairy, but Aira interrupted.
“It’s not a bother, don’t worry! In fact, I would’ve visited the town on my own anyways, so you can consider it doing me a favor by leading me there.”
Kohaku stared at Aira for a bit longer. He was clearly very excited about seeing a human settlement, so he’d feel horrible if he kept turning the fairy down. He sighed. Well, it’s not like I’ll ever really see him again after this… It can’t hurt.
“Alright, then. I’ll take you to the town,” Kohaku finally responded. He watched as Aira silently cheered, and smiled.
He’s awfully cute… Then he stopped. Wait, why am I thinking like this?!
“Are you okay? You suddenly turned red…” He heard Aira comment.
“I-I’m fine,” Kohaku stuttered. He turned around to walk out of the cave. “Let’s get goin’ before it gets too dark.”
“Okay!”
And with that, the odd duo of a wandering fairy and a reaper departed for their destination.