"Warmth fades faster than light. Maybe that's why we chase it." - Kentarō
Snowstorms howled through the mountain passes the kind that devoured everything in white silence.Inside a narrow cave, dim firelight flickered off the walls as the boys caught their breath.
They had just fought through a pack of Grade 3–2 Heartless to claim shelter here the air still stank of ash and dissolving black mist.
Shichiro's sword pulsed faintly in the dark, the core of his Heart glowing like a heartbeat. Its light reflected in everyone's tired eyes.
Katsu leaned against the stone, breathing hard. "Guess that's all of them…"
Rokuro sat cross-legged, hands frosted and trembling, his ice still melting off the cave floor."Barely," he muttered.
Shichiro looked toward the snow-covered entrance, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. "We'll stay the night. No one's moving till dawn."
The group nodded. The blizzard outside raged harder howling like a wounded god.
Kentarō stood up, gripping his spear. "I'll go hunt. Fire won't last long, and we're out of food."
Shichiro turned to him, frowning. "You sure? The wind out there's brutal."
Kentarō smirked faintly. "You can't fight on an empty stomach."
Without waiting for another word, he stepped into the cold.
The forest was pure white, buried and quiet, the sky swallowed by storm clouds. His boots sank deep, every breath leaving mist behind.
He moved through the trees, senses sharp, hand on his spear.Minutes passed before he stopped, spotting movement ahead.
Four bears.Massive, motionless, sleeping together under a cliff ledge, their fur covered in snow, breath slow and steady.
Kentarō froze. The hunt was over before it began.He could've struck, but something in him wouldn't let him.
He just… watched.The bears' closeness, their warmth, huddled together, protecting one another through the cold.
And that's when the memory hit.
A much younger Kentarō sat on a playground bench, knees scraped, staring at the dirt. The field was loud with laughter. Not his.
Across the grass, three boys were roughhousing near the goalposts.One Shichiro laughed so loud it echoed.Katsu rolled his eyes, arguing about something stupid.Rokuro just sat nearby, yawning, eating chips he probably didn't pay for.
Kentarō looked away, shoulders sinking.
Then.."Hey!" Shichiro yelled across the field. "You! With the stick!"
Kentarō blinked. "…Me?"
"Yeah! You're fast, right? You dodged that ball like a ninja earlier!"
"I wasn't trying to," Kentarō muttered.
"Perfect," Shichiro said, grinning wide. "Join us!"
Kentarō hesitated. "I don't even know how to play."
"Then you'll learn," Shichiro replied, tossing him a wooden bat. "Come on."
Katsu sighed. "We don't even have a ball, idiot."
"Then we'll imagine one!"
They spent the whole afternoon goofing around, using imagination, laughter, and bad acting to fill in what they didn't have.They didn't need a real ball just each other.
When the sun began to set, the four lay in the grass laughing, out of breath.
Kentarō looked up at the sky and smiled. "That was… fun."
"Told you," Shichiro said, hands behind his head. "You're one of us now."
Katsu mumbled, "Great. Another idiot."Rokuro snored quietly beside them.
The sunset painted the sky gold, and for the first time in a long while, Kentarō felt something he hadn't in years. Warmth.
Back in the frozen forest, Kentarō blinked as the memory faded.Snow fell softly around him. The bears slept on.
He exhaled a cloud of warmth in the cold.
"Guess I still have something worth protecting," he whispered.
He lowered his spear to the ground leaving it stuck in the snow beside him and turned back toward the cave.
The fire inside was dying, the cave dim and quiet.Shichiro was asleep with his blade across his lap.Katsu sat slumped beside him, head tilted.Rokuro was curled up against the stone wall, snoring faintly.
Kentarō walked in, brushing snow from his hair, and sat beside the fire.
He looked at each of them the warmth of the flame reflected in their faces and smiled softly.
"Guess I'm home too," he murmured.
The fire crackled once more, then faded to embers.Outside, the storm screamed but inside, the faint glow of friendship stayed alive.