In most times and places, people can only dream of having a white Christmas. But that was not the case now and here. Fortune and meteorology had blessed this little village with a whole December of snowfall. The white stuff lay all around in deep, crispy layers which sparkled blindingly in the strong winter sun. It was draped on the branches of the bare trees, paved on the roads and blanketed all over houses, turning the whole village into a storybook image of winter. And through this sublime picture, three girls and a man walked, towing a sleek blue sledge behind them. The snow crunched satisfyingly under the tread of their booted feet as they made their way to the station.  

            "My God," Mikoto chirped, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering dramatically. "Bloody freezing, ain't it?"

            Yukina nodded assent with her own shiver, while Akito just chuckled lightly. Ruri, however, remained as silent as she had been for the last half-hour without even giving her a glance. She just continued to walk along, chewing her white lips fretfully and fidgeting with her gloved hands. Akito knew this agitation was very unusual for her, the little girl who was an expert in keeping calm and composed. She'd been this way ever since this morning and it had become more and more evident throughout the day. Akito wasn't worried though, for he knew she was just nervous. Yes, hell had frozen over and stoic Miss Hoshino was nervous.

The young chef smiled to himself, knowing that the Ruri of old would never have been so restless. But then again, she'd changed a lot since those days. Family life had broken down her emotional barriers, allowing her feelings to break through the ice for everyone to see. In a way, Akito loved to see her like this. This emotional display was a testament to what a wonderful job he and Yurika had done with the girl. Thanks to their love, she was now more human than ever before and had the power to reveal these uncontrollable feelings she had on the surface. 

            What made it all the more amusing was that this fluster was all because of a boy.

            Yes, today was the day that Hari was arriving. Hari who was Ruri's closest friend, and her oldest one too, for her had also been involved in that experiment to produce child prodigies. Ruri had been the most successful of the batch, but Hari had been close behind, so Nergal had made the choice to pluck him from obscurity to train him up shortly before the war had begun. The pair had been reunited briefly before she'd been recruited to the Nadesico, then once again when she'd returned, during the official UEAF debriefing after the war. It was then that they'd realised that they shared the same past and this common thread had been the grounding for their relationship. Over the course of the summer and winter, they'd seen each other many times (for he was only in Hiratsuka, a handful of stops away on the train) and she'd even invited him along as her guest to the Nadesico crew reunion ball last August. Somehow, inexplicably, they had forged a very tight friendship in the short time they had known each other. Whether it was based on their numerous similarities or equally numerous differences was unclear, but one thing was certain. Ruri had finally found a friend her own age who she could relate to and he was thrilled for her.  

            By now they were at the train-station. A village of this size only merited two platforms, one each side of the tracks. Impressively, both of them had been freshly swept clear of snow. Only a few other people currently stood there, most likely also waiting for guests to arrive via rail. They were a little early, so Akito went and bought coffee for them to help stave off the cold as they began their wait. They had only been standing around for four minutes past the ETA before Ruri's impatience boiled over into worried voice.

"Is it possible there's been a problem with the track?" she asked, clearly concerned.

            "Don't worry so much Ruri!" Akito answered with a laugh. "He'll be here eventually. The train's just a little late that's all."

            "Yeah, I guess the weather slowed it down," Yukina added, in a tone that betrayed she'd spoken merely to sound as if she was smarter than Ruri, rather than to comfort her.

            "You're right. I apologise for being so irrational," Ruri said, dipping her head. "I suppose I'm just nervous."

            "I still don't get why you're stressed out and all," Mikoto said, stretching her arms out behind her with a lazy yawn. "You're never like this normally."

            Ruri looked over to her. "Well, I haven't seen him in a long time," she replied lamely.

            It wasn't enough to satisfy Mikoto. "So just what is he to you? A boy-friend?" the girl with purple hair continued. She made it sound like some gruesome tropical disease.

            Ruri blinked twice in quick succession. "If you mean he is a friend who is a boy, then I suppose he is, yes."

            "No, I meant…oh forget it!" Mikoto sighed. "Sheesh, you're impossible, you know that?"

            "Sorry," Ruri murmured. It was clear that she wasn't sure what for.      

            It was then that they heard the sound of an approaching train. Sure enough, it had finally arrived. As it screeched into the station, Akito saw Hari's face flash by them from one of the carriages. Ruri had seen it too and, to his disbelief, was actually running alongside the train in an effort to keep up with it, her dancing bunches sharing her urgency. Akito went to follow her, but realised he wouldn't be able to run without spilling hot coffee over himself and so came at a more leisurely pace. The other two followed him, making disdainful tutting noises.

            The train finally came to a halt. Ruri was way ahead of them and eagerly standing at the correct door, like a dog waiting to be taken for a walk. A second later, it opened and she was engulfed by a stream of people flowing out. She pushed through them to hold her ground, persisting even when a miserable old woman shoved her out of the way with enough force to knock her down. She was back up on her feet before Akito had chance to worry about her and stood ready to claim her reward, who was now stepping off the train, comically dragging a massive suitcase behind him. Hari Makibi had arrived. 

            For a moment they just stood apart, smiling at each other. Then they both said 'hi' at the same time and laughed awkwardly at that. Then Hari dropped his case so that they could hug each other. There was something tentative in the motion, perhaps natural given the time they'd been apart and nothing that a little 'how-are-you?' conversation wouldn't cure. It was a bit of an anti-climax after all the build-up, Akito felt, but hey, he was here now. And while he was, his cute little daughter would be happy.

            Yep, it was shaping up to be a very fine Christmas indeed.

A/N – I know that was short, but Chapter 1, coming around this Friday, will be longer and will get the story started for real. All comments are appreciated, no matter what your opinion is. And feel free to flame. If I get enough I can roast chestnuts on an open fire. ^-^