The first snow of winter always tasted like forgotten memories. Kou Ogawagi had never known a day without snow, which meant he never forgot.
He never forgot the days he was humiliated in front of his friends, his family, and worst of all, by his own brother.
And by days, it is plural. Time and time again, his brother Taku Ogawagi defeated him. Of course, to no one's surprise, Kou had lost again today.
Their battle had taken place at noon. As always, Taku had been his first opponent. They always made sure he faced his brother first, so they could eliminate him faster. There was no point dragging it out when Taku would win anyway.
By afternoon, Kou had slipped past the border gates to clear his head. He did not know where he was going, only that he was walking away from the clan. But he could always return.
For hours he wandered, not even realizing that the lakes had frozen beneath his feet. Because of Khione's ring, the Goddess of Ice, snow-white crows were cleaning themselves by the lake. That usually meant wolves were nearby, waiting for the crows to join them.
He had not meant to walk far. He only needed to breathe, to let the wind scrape the shame off his skin. But the farther he walked, the quieter it became, and the more he wanted to keep walking. Before he knew it, he was too far to know where he even was.
Fish swam beneath the ice, their shadows visible through the frozen glass. Beyond the lake, mountains and pillars of ice appeared through the blizzard.
On top of one of those pillars, Kou saw something unfamiliar. It was not a crow or an owl or any other creature. It was human-shaped. And it was staring at him.
The figure came closer until Kou saw that it was a man. He lifted his arms to protect himself as the man landed in front of him. The stranger stepped forward and punched him hard.
Kou hit the snow, gasping, then rolled aside to avoid the next strike. The man raised something strange in his hand. It looked like a tool or a tube. It gleamed like polished steel and spat thunder when it roared.
A projectile, which Kou would later learn was called a bullet, tore through the flesh of his hand and into his arm. For a heartbeat he only stared, unable to understand what had happened. Then the pain hit, and he screamed.
Through the blizzard he could see only the man's silhouette as he approached again.
Then another figure appeared between them. Kou would later learn his name was Ciel Voldrald. He wore a tattered black cloak that was frayed at the edges and full of holes. A dark scarf was wrapped around his neck, and his black hair hung loosely around his face, which was streaked with soot.
While Kou was still struggling to stay conscious, Ciel struck the attacker and sent him sliding back. Kou wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to focus.
The attacker's clothes were strange, completely black and unlike anything Kou had ever seen. His hair was white, even whiter than Kou's, almost the same color as the snow around them.
Ciel stepped backward toward Kou. "The kid's with me, Zero," he said to the white-haired man.
Zero tilted his head and spoke in an amused tone. "That's unfair. I traveled all the way to the North Pole. I'm not leaving without my target." He raised his weapon again, careless and confident. "And you know that's not a kid, right? He's barely younger than you."
Ciel glanced at Kou. Up close, his faintly red eyes were visible beneath the grime. He turned back to Zero. "He isn't? He looks like a baby."
Zero spun his gun around his finger. "Nineteen, I believe. Born in July?"
Still clutching his bleeding arm, Kou hissed through the pain. "Born in May, not July."
Zero flicked a bullet between his fingers, unimpressed. "Whatever. Point is, the kid's worth a lot. So I'm taking him."
"You said he wasn't a kid," Ciel replied. "But no, you're not taking anything except blood and…" He paused, glancing around. "Snow."
Zero drew another gun from his hip that was just as white as the first. "Fine. Have it your way. Two birds, one bullet."
Ciel rushed forward. Kou stumbled backward into the snow. Ciel's kick met Zero's block, and Zero fired a shot straight at Ciel's face. The bullet struck his cheek beneath his left eye, shattered, and fell to the ground.
Kou crawled away, heart pounding and terrified. Who would not be? He hid behind a pillar of ice and tried to heal his wound, but the pain was unbearable.
Ciel was thrown back toward him, stopping himself just before he crashed. Blood stained his left arm.
"Head toward the clan!" he shouted. The desperation in his voice cut through the wind.
Kou ran. Gunshots cracked behind him, sending birds screaming into the sky. A bullet tore through his foot, and another grazed his knee. He looked back to see Ciel grappling Zero, trying to spoil his aim.
Ciel caught up beside him and yelled over the storm. "Go east! There's an avalanche to the west!"
Kou limped forward, half running, half falling. "What are you talking about? There's no avalanche!"
Ciel stopped following and turned back toward Zero. "There's going to be!" he shouted.
More gunfire echoed, followed by a deep, rolling sound. Kou looked up just as Ciel's hand began to glow faintly purple. He made a pulling motion, and the mountains answered.
Snow broke loose in a roaring wave.
Zero spun around. "Fucking imbecile! Why would you do that?!"
Ciel only grinned, clearly proud of himself.
Kou could not help yelling too. "You did that?! You idiot!"
"I'm saving your life!" Ciel shouted back. "So shut up!"
Zero reloaded, cursing. "You'll pay for this!" He fired at the avalanche, his bullets exploding into fiery bursts that melted sections of falling snow.
Ciel turned to Kou again. "What did I say about running?"
Kou started running as fast as he could. Ciel grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. The avalanche thundered closer.
Zero was still firing, trying to fight the disaster Ciel had unleashed. "I don't get paid enough for this!" he yelled, then ran in the opposite direction.
Ciel jumped just as they reached the lake, pulling Kou with him. They soared across the frozen surface as the avalanche crashed behind them. They landed, stumbled, and jumped again. This time they did not make it as far, but the snow was already starting to settle.