The Freeze.

That's what they called it, well, what she called it, snow, that is. No one else seemed to pay any mind to the slowly descending snowflakes, dancing in the chilly breeze, only to end their performance with a finale arabesque on the ground. No, they were far too busy with the preparations for tonight's festival to notice such insignificant things, such are snowflakes. A single girl noticed their dance, out of all the souls in the village, a single little girl heard their white ribboned feet slam out their dance, but snowflakes aren't pretentious, and that single little girl was all they needed to be content. They thanked their audience, brushing up against her, tickling her face with their powdered hands eliciting a small giggle from her lips and soothing the scars on her bare arms with their touch. She wished to play for them. Help along their dance in the only way she could.

She reached to open the black violin case in her lap…

Only to recoil in fear.

'Too many people,' She thought. She may have gone unnoticed in her spot huddled in the alley between a bakery and a sweet shop so far, but playing her fiddle would only attract attention. For her, attention would only mean another beating at the hands of those who hate her kind. So, making sure the cloth covering her eyes was securely in place and keeping a guiding hand on the rough brick wall next to her, she threw the case that carried the majority of her earthly possessions over her shoulder and slinked out of the alley into the sea of people.

She walked through the village, unnoticed like the snowflakes that swirled around her, always keeping a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She stepped carefully, for she knew one wrong step and she would have a spotlight shone on her and a target painted on her back. She walked towards the edge of the village, where The Wall protected them from the dangers lurking outside. She had heard stories from the older destitute as they sat around a burning fire, cooking rats and unfortunate pets for their dinner, while she lurked in the shadows, just outside of the warm reassuring light cast out in a circle around them, waiting to swoop in and take any scraps before the several other children there for that very same purpose could. They told of grand battles that took place on open fields, as thousands of Samurai stood in columns facing the opposing force. The midday sun blinding off of the armor of their leaders who rode brilliant stallions behind them, speaking words of encouragement to their men who go out to die for their cause. They told of horrific Monsters that made their dwelling in the land across the mountains, and the legions of Demons who squabble for the supremacy of their Masters. They spoke of Shinobi, with their magnificent jutsus that stand tall to protect their Kage's and village from any and all threats.

She never really listened though, her attention was always on the sizzling meat that was only begging for her to eat.

Now that the temptation of food was out of the way, she thought back on those stories as she walked to her destination, all while the snowflakes made small eddies around her. The crowd thinned, until she stood alone in front of The Wall.

She slid down The Wall and placed her violin case in front of her. Slowly, almost reverently, she undid the twine knots that secured her most prized possessions from the world. She opened the case revealing what was inside: a threadbare frog coin purse that she had been in possession of for as long as she could remember that she had lovingly named 'Gama-chan" as she softly patted his head, she could hear the soft tinkling of the money with in, there were pages of music that she had ripped from music books whenever she had been able to sneak into a music store. She had no need for them, as she had already memorized every piece she owned, but she still kept them anyways, then there was a carefully folded pile of clothes that were the best she owned. A single shirt and pair of pants that were three sizes too big for her, but they were practically as new as the day she grabbed them off of their hangers when she was chased from a clothing store, and then, a fiddle; so fine was it that a single stroke of the bow across the strings brought the Angels to tears, it's curves so beautiful it made the most alluring women green with envy and the dark mahogany it was carved from was smoother than a babies bottom. To her, at least. In reality, it was always out of tune, as two of the tuning pegs had broken off, its' curves were so-so, and the cheap pressed wood it was made of was rough to the touch. There was even a small hole in the back from where she had accidentally banged it into a brick wall. Still, it was her most prized possession and she handled it with the care that such a title brought with it. The snow swirled happily around her as she brought it to her cheek and the bow to the strings.

'What to play, what to play… Yes, that will do just fine,' And with that thought, she launched into the music, and the snowflakes whirled into their dance.

As she played, she became lost in the music and the dance. The snowflakes twirled around her on the music, sending out its tinkling laughter as small breezes of wind shaped them into elaborate poses. The girl's laughter joined in with the snow's. She didn't think she had ever been this happy and at peace in the short eight years of her life.

All good things must come to an end though, and with the sharp tinkling of coins hitting the bottom of her violin case, the spell was broken. Jumping up, she curled in on herself. Desperately trying to protect her fiddle from the fists and bottles that were sure to come, as they always had before when the villagers encountered her. The beating never came though. She brought her head out from her defensive curl and was met with an empty street, her only company the waltzing snow. Looking down, she saw a small pile of coins at the bottom of the case. Crouching down, she hurriedly stowed her fiddle for safe keeping and slung the the case over her shoulder. She gave one more glance up and down the street before disappearing down an alley.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' She thought, ' I just had to go and bring attention to myself! All of my plans for the festival would have been ruined if they attacked me.' Oh yes. She had plans for the night. Big plans indeed.

AN: Hello, this is a story I had floating around in my head and I just had to write it down. If you have read it all the way through I would just like to say; thanks so much for reading! More chapters in the following week.

Update 10/16/16: Cut some stuff that didn't make sense. Thanks for reading and a new chapter will be out soon!