#ehhh ill say me vs shit brain ended in a stalemate

[nerosdayinanime]

Cold

A gust of wind blew across him, ruffling soft fabric against his skin and loose strands of hair along his face. His eyebrows scrunched- Freezing -something landed above his eye- Snow? He blinked his eyes open to the open sky above, clouded but not dark, empty branches swaying around the edges in an echo of the harsh winds above their reach. Serene. He laid there watching their gentle dance, blithe and enchanted. Feeling the stray gusts wash over him every once in a while, taking away the curls of his warm breath against the cold and throwing the specks of white into a wild dance above him. He could feel, the cold wind and snow of winter, the slow rise and fall of his chest with each breath. He could hear, the whistle of wind and quiet clacking of branches bumping together, his own steady heartbeat through his neck.

He tried to catch a snowflake on his tongue, slack and heavy in his mouth instead, he grunted. Letting his head fall to the side trying to recollect his thoughts, breath mixing with the low fog surrounding the little clearing. A massive gray... boulder. Struck in half... a thick rope, ends frayed with time after being cut the same time as the rock. It was so familiar. Almost nostalgic.

Another snowflake landed on his cheek, he closed his eyes as he sat up, feeling each muscle slowly wake up as he rocked upright. He hazily blinked again, looking down at his hands. So rough, I should take better care of them.. Something ticked in his mind, he lifted his head to look around the empty gray clearing he found himself in- Behind me. He whirled around- stopping abruptly at bright pink. A little girl, looking at him from her place between the trees. Kind sea-foam green eyes and a serene smile, gone with a blink. Her presence he picked up on, gone as the rest of her- What? Where'd she go? He reached the direction she was standing- hesitated, rubbed at his icy dry eyes, Where am I?- He finally took in the clearing around him- dirt pressed and well-trodden in the center and around the boulder, yet so.. uninhabited. No one's been here for years.. But he could feel in his bones the song and dance and laughter and arguments had here, everything so familiar yet so- wrong. Everything was missing. What did they do here?

Why don't I remember anything? echoed in his head, feeling lost and alone in the foggy clearing that rang of home. He looked down at his rough hands again, Home... home is other people. Where are my people? Hands tightened to fists, Who are my people!? He shakily stood up, quickly finding balance on sturdy legs. Hn. He looked around the clearing for the girl, finding a path just to the side of where she was standing. She must know something. She looked like she knew me. Walking through the gentle snowfall, trying not to lose his thoughts to the atmosphere again- Winter... everything is dead. Nn. he grimaced at the thought, Too harsh... asleep. That sounds better. Nature was on pause for the cold, waiting out the harshest winds to rest and regroup. Shells of woody plants no longer in bloom trailed alongside the worn path, little of anything to provide any protection from the wind. His hand fiddled with the edge of his kimono, worn thin from use. Despite it he wasn't overly cold, aside from the occasional prick of ice landing on his skin. Off-white haori, black hakama and undershirt, flashy looking geometric pattern shared with his leg wraps, Pretty neat.. the red accent looks nice too. A blur of deep blue came to mind, vivid and striking. Blue? No.. that wouldn't fit me, besides- blue's not my color.

He stops in his tracks.

Whose color is it? He tries to think- of the pretty royal blue, a face, a silhouette, anything- ..nothing but blanks. He growled in frustration, Why can't I remember anything?

A crow's call startles him out of his thoughts, he looks up just in time to see a haggard looking crow flying right past him along the path. "Oi, crow, have you seen the girl wearing pink around here?" To his surprise, the crow landed on a branch and looked down at him, "Caw! Girl with pink?" It can actually talk? "Yeah! Did you see where she went?" "Caw! She's this way!" The bird started up and continued flying down the path, he quickly moved to follow. Is this thing really leading me to her? Handy. The trail from the clearing leads down a mountain, his sense of home expanding the further from the clearing he walks. Everything's desolate and quiet now, but he can feel the echoes of excited chatter and pleasant conversations as they walked under swaying leaves, the dappled light of the sun leaking through to the ground they walked, like liquid gold. He felt so warm at the sensation he couldn't fully picture, he tried to imagine the girl from the clearing by his side, smiling as he chattered about nothing- it felt wrong. The warmth and hazy brightness turned cold and dim, a sudden image- of her looking up at him with that same serene smile from his place atop the broken stone, smiling fox mask glowing in the diffused light. He blinked at the clarity of it, the flash of melancholy that accompanied it. He shook his head and watched for the bird, making sure he's still following.

A flat stream ahead in the path caught his attention, instinctively looking left through the barren trees he could see a great waterfall in the distance. He could feel the wash of freezing water crashing over him, teeth chattering as he laughed at something said. He turned back to watching the path pass below his feet, the more of these hazy flashes of memories the more fond he felt of the place, more like home, the more he felt a deep unease. A deep sense of absence in his core, I forgot something important. Someone important. All these little glimpses and hints of memories... I'll figure it out eventually. He gave a glance at a cabin towards the base of the mountain, slowing at the sudden hit of nostalgia.

"Caw! Meeting!" He whipped back towards the bird flying ahead of him, not waiting for his wandering mind. He jogged to catch up as it sped its pace in the air, "Right." Snow drifted and swirled around him, the incoordination from when he first woke up completely gone, replaced with a sense of strength and confidence. He sped to a full sprint, testing the bounds- legs pounding forward, a twitch as a branch snapped below his feet, Mistake, steps turning silent as thick forest faded to woods. He didn't feel a hint of exertion, This is going easy. He slows to a regular pace again, watching for the bird to change direction as they came up to a small village.

Everyone's inside, cozy and protected from the cold.. Cool. makes it easier for us, don't have to talk to anyone. He jogged down the main road, instinctively looking towards the empty road where vendors usually set up during the warmer months- someone's quiet voice mumbling and him repeating it louder for them. The earlier thought finally registered, They don't like talking to other people. Blue. Willingly hung out with me under a waterfall. ...Quite an odd character, ne?