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"IT SNOWED!"
Bakunetsumaru jolted awake at the delighted cry, accidentally smacking Zero in the face as he did so. The musha rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Snow?"
Zero, giving his friend a brief glare, threw off his blankets and went to peek through the curtains for the sliding door. Baku winced at the brightness that shone through the gaps.
He yelped as Zero suddenly pushed the curtains open, covering his eyes from the blinding assault of pure white.
There was a rush of movement from behind as Shute excitedly thumped down the stairs, skipping the last step with a jump. The eleven year old joined Zero by the sliding doors, pressing his face against the glass.
Baku's eyes had adjusted, and he could now see the thick blanket of white that lay over everything outside. "I don't think I've ever seen this much snow before," he said.
"Ark is farther south than Lacroa," Zero said in agreement. "Lacroa and Neotopia appear to get the same amount of snow."
"Mirisha is north of us, and they get more." Baku stood next to Zero, marveling at how the snow had softened or hidden the familiar sight of the Brauns' backyard underneath it.
Shute grinned up at Baku, who smiled behind his mask and ruffled his young friend's hair. The boy tolerated it with a giggle and then dashed back up the stairs as soon as Baku stopped.
"Is he always so cheerful?" he commented to Zero.
"I have not known him for much longer than you," the knight said, "but that has been my experience so far." He turned to consider the snow again.
They lapsed into silence, Baku having time to wander back over to their makeshift beds and start putting his armour on before Zero spoke again. "I remember one year Lacroa got as much snow as this. . . it was the first year I was old enough to properly enjoy it." He laughed under his breath. "My uncle said I stepped outside and then immediately disappeared inside a snowdrift. He spent ten minutes looking for me before turning around and finding me at the door, waiting for him."
Baku laughed. "Didn't like the cold?"
"Neither of us! He wasn't as strong of a fire element as you are, and he hated anything cold."
The musha was glad that his friend trusted him enough to share stories about before coming to Neotopia. When Baku himself had first arrived, not only had he and Zero clashed often due to their personalities, but Zero was rather closed off - the three of them had only learned about Zero being raised by his uncle two months into knowing him.
(Baku had a big family, Shute had his parents and baby sister, Captain had his creator and Shute. . . and Zero had only ever had his uncle and brother.)
Noise from the stairs shook the two gundams from their thoughts, turning to see Shute fly past them to the hallway closet. He pulled the doors open and began digging around inside.
"What are you looking for, my young friend?" Zero called, drifting over to witness the devastation Shute was unleashing upon the closet in his search.
"My snowpants!" he replied. "Mom said I can play outside until breakfast is ready." With a noise of satisfaction, he pulled out a pair of thick blue pants. The boy looked at Zero with big green eyes. "Come play with me?"
"Ah. . ." Zero turned to Baku, obviously looking for reinforcements in declining, but he was disappointed.
"I'll play with you, Shute. You can show me how to play with snow," Baku said, crossing his arms and trying to not look smug.
Zero's armour puffed in offense. "How-! You-! Not without me, you're not!"
"You can destroy him in a snowball fight," Shute said, grinning as he finished pulling on the pants.
. . . Baku didn't like the look that appeared on Zero's face. Suddenly, he had the great suspicion that he would very quickly become acquainted with whatever a snowball is.
Shute, paying no mind to Baku's sudden apprehension - he was used to the two gundams' constant conflicts - pulled on his jacket and hat, grabbing Zero by the hand and pulling the knight towards the door. Baku followed behind reluctantly.
Zero flew up after walking through the doorway, not keen to struggle through the snow if he could avoid it. Shute happily plowed into it, however, leaving a trail behind him for Baku to follow.
"Here," Shute said, stopping to scoop up handfuls of snow. "Watch!" He pressed the snow together between his hands, revealing a lopsided sphere. "The temperature is perfect for making stuff with snow. You try!"
Baku bent to pick up his own handfuls, creating a snowball twice the size of Shute's. He held it thoughtfully, before glancing up to the oblivious Zero floating above them, and then back to Shute. They exchanged a look, and then aimed.
Baku's snowball hit the knight in the leg, and Zero spun around just in time to get Shute's directly to the face, landing in the snow with a yelp. He sat up, wiped the snow off, and glared at them while they laughed.
The knight formed his own snowball and threw it at Baku, who ducked just in time for it to sail over his head. Shute quickly returned fire, and from there the situation devolved into a full blown, rapid fire snowball fight.
It was ten minutes later when they stopped, tired, catching their breath while laying down in the snow. Baku was steadily melting the snow around him, creating a puddle.
Zero sat up and shaded his eyes with one of his hands, looking at something in the distance behind them. His cape was splattered with dark spots from melted snow.
"Do you see something?" Baku asked.
"Yes," Zero replied. He stood up, and the other two followed, looking in the same direction as him. "It appears to be Captain."
"Captain!" Shute cheered, charging through the snow as fast as the eleven year old could. The Neotopian gundam was quickly approaching from above with his jetpack, still far enough away for him to be a blob of white, blending in with the pale winter sky.
It didn't take long for Captain to get close, cutting the engines of his jetpack a few feet above the ground and landing with a muffled thump. He easily caught Shute when the boy threw himself into his friend's arms.
"You're wet," Captain commented matter-of-factly as Baku and Zero approached.
"Yeah! We were having a snowball fight. What are you doing here early? You said last night that you'd be on duty all day."
"The Chiefs said I could have the week off, starting today. Kao Lyn said I'd gone too long without using any of my vacation days. . ." With a delighted yelp from Shute, Captain tucked the boy under his arm. "Guneagle took over my patrols because he'd already used up all his vacation days for this month. He was not pleased that he'd have to do mine on top of his own as well."
"I can imagine," Zero said, familiar with the younger gundam's personality, far more carefree than Captain. He suppressed a shiver - the melted snow on him was still cold despite now being a liquid, and was seeping under the gaps in his armour.
A shout from the house cut off Baku's response, all four looking to see Keiko leaning out the door. "Breakfast will be ready soon! Better come in now and get dried off. You too, Captain!"
She shut the door, and they looked at each other. "Best to do as the Lady commands," Zero spoke, lifting off and starting to fly back, following the trail Baku and Shute had made earlier.
"Don't think I didn't see you shivering just now!" Baku called, hurrying after him. "You let a little cold defeat you?!"
"I'm not a fire element like you! Everything is warmer to a fire element!"
Their voices grew quieter as they moved away from Captain and Shute, who watched as the knight and musha looked to start round two of the snowball fight.
. . . But perhaps without the snowballs this time, as Zero conjured clusters of roses on Baku's swords.
Captain let Shute down, and the boy took hold of his hand as they walked towards the squabbling duo. Baku got a faceful of snow as they approached.
"Now you're both even more wet," Shute said as the musha retaliated with a snowball of his own.
Through the door's window, Captain and Shute saw Keiko appear again. She opened it and put her hands on her hips as the woman stared at the two gundams now wrestling before her.
"Zero! Bakunetsumaru!"
They abruptly froze, Baku in the middle of shoving a wad of snow down the gap between Zero's helmet and his back, both turning to look at her with wide eyes.
"What have I told you two about fighting?" She said.
". . . Not to?" Baku offered, voice sheepish.
"Right! And what are you doing right now?"
"Fighting," Baku replied, letting go of Zero and climbing off him.
Zero swipes the snow off himself as he stands up. "My apologies, Lady Keiko."
"Please, Zero, how many times do I have to tell you? Just call me Keiko." She smiled as Shute walked past her, dodging his attempt to give her a cold, damp hug. "We have a place for you at the table, Captain. I left Mark watching everything, but it'll all be done soon."
"Mom, what are these towels for?" Shute called from inside.
"Those are for Zero and Bakunetsumaru to dry off with. Remember to hang your coat and snowpants in the laundry room! You forgot to last time."
"I know, mom!"
As they all trooped inside, a kettle started to whistle from the kitchen and Keiko left the four of them as she went to help Mark.
Zero dropped a towel on Baku's head, and began drying himself off with a towel of his own. Keiko had always been so welcoming to the both of them. In fact, all of Neotopia was. How? He knew that the Neotopians had, two hundred years ago, left their conflict-ridden homeworld behind. But what conflict was so bad that so many people had decided to abandon their home in search of a new one?
He could only guess. But he was beyond grateful for all the kindness that they had shown towards him.