salut et quoi de neuf (hi and what's new)! this is Like Snow, my first fanfic. my sis, LilacArcher12, read it, and i want to take the time right now to thank her (merci beaucoup and arigato). i'm working hard to finish the next couple of chapters, so they should be up soon. please review and enjoy...

disclaimer: full moon wo sagashite and their songs are not mine

Like Snow…

Eternal Snow:

I'm falling in love with you, and which will come to pass?

Will the feeling do nothing but swell, or

Will you notice it?

Even though I've never said anything?

Kouyama Mitsuki sighed gently as she watched the snow falling quietly outside of her window. Her bedroom was extremely warm, due to her health, but the snow gave her a sense of winter. The two Shinigami, or collector's of people's souls, Takuto and Meroko (or Negi Ramen), were up on the roof, probably watching the snow as well. A while ago, they showed up in her room, informing her that she was going to die in a year. The time was drawing closer, but there was only one more thing Mitsuki wanted to do. They had already helped her become the new singing sensation, Full Moon, but she had a promise that she had to keep to someone very close to her.

Tired of the silence in her room, Mitsuki very cautiously turned up the small radio in her room. If it was too loud, her grandmother would hear it, and she hated music, claiming that it ruined people's lives. Fortunately her new song, Eternal Snow, was on the radio, and she gently sang along with it, careful not to disturb the tumor growing in her throat.

"Kimi wo suki ni natte dorekurai tatsu no ka na? Kimochi fukurande yuku bakari-" Mitsuki was about to finish the last line, but Meroko came in through the roof.

"Aw, that Takuto! Why won't he understand?!" Meroko complained, clearly frustrated. She adjusted her bunny-eared hat and sat down next to Mitsuki. "He's all gloomy for some reason, like he's got a huge secret, and, he's not going to tell me!"

"Meroko, I'm sure he's just worried about something small. He probably doesn't want to worry you too," Mitsuki assured her as she turned off the radio.

"You're awfully optimistic for a twelve-year-old with cancer," Meroko reminded her. "Honestly, I wonder how you get through it all - you've lost both of your parents, and your grandma absolutely hates music-"

"True, but I've got the help of one cheerful rabbit and a kind cat," She picked up her debut CD, Myself, which had a picture of her sixteen-year-old self on it. "I can do anything now. The only thing I have left to do is…"

"Meet him again," Meroko said for her.

Mitsuki nodded. Sakurai Eichi was a friend of her's two years ago at the orphanage. He repeatedly told her that he loved her, but she was too shy to answer him. When he was adopted and moved to America, Mitsuki wasn't sure when she would see him again. But before he left, they made a promise to continue pursuing their dreams.

"I have to release at least one more song before I go to America, right?" she asked Meroko.

"Yeah, have you thought about one yet?"

"A little bit, but maybe Takuto could help me?" Mitsuki remembered that he said he was a singer when he was alive, so he would have experience in songwriting.

"I'm not sure. He might not remember." Meroko caught Mitsuki's disappointed look at once. "B-but I could go check for you!" she added cheerfully.

"Thank you very much, Meroko!" Mitsuki added before Meroko returned to the roof.

"What am I getting myself into?" Meroko asked herself while she was leaving.

Like snow, but quietly

It continues to pile up

Takuto was relaxing peacefully on the roof, observing the stars. He wasn't sure if he had ever felt this calm when he was alive, but it was nice to have some time by himself.

The moon was shining brightly in the sky, and Takuto smiled. It reminded him of Mitsuki and her bright attitude, but it also reminded him of Eichi, the boy that Mitsuki was absolutely in love with. Bothered by the thought, he pounded his fist down on the roof. Why did her dream only have to be for a boy anyways? Wasn't music supposed to come from your own heart, not somebody else's? Maybe he would just have to show her how music was meant to be. With his sudden inspiration, he sung to himself, putting some of the feelings he had over the last year into his song.

"I feel you in me. I don't know where, but I feel you. The cold comes over me, but you are warming my heart…" Takuto was about to finish the beginning off, but suddenly, memories of his past flooded to him, and he felt his lungs and throat burn in pain. The heat of a performance stage's lights glowed on his skin, and the familiar feeling of gripping a microphone in front of hundreds of fans rushed through his nerves. "No…stop…" he begged weakly.

Meroko floated up to the roof, expecting Takuto to still be the grumpy old self she left before. But instead, he was struggling in pain. "Takuto! What's wrong? Takuto?!" she floated next to him and held him in her arms. A few seconds later, his breathing was regulated, and his pain disappeared. "Takuto, what happened?" Meroko's concern glimmered in her bright pink eyes.

Takuto considered telling Meroko what happened for a brief moment, then decided against it. If he told her, she would suggest that he be removed from the case. There was something about that girl that kept him feeling alive.

"Takuto…please don't tell me that it was nothing," Meroko pleaded softly. "If you are worried that I will take you off the case…even thought I should, I won't. We are too involved now, and I won't betray your trust…"

Takuto was surprised at how mature Meroko was being currently. Typically, she didn't think things over, and was extremely loud and bossy. But this time, she actually wanted to help him.

"I only remembered a small part of my life." He admitted at last.

Meroko's expression was serious and she reached over to hold his hand. "I may seem like all I want to do is get between you and Mitsuki, but I don't want you to fade away. Please be more careful, Takuto. I'm not the only one who needs you…" She wiped away a tear on her face and put on a brave smile. "Come on, Takuto. You're song writing expertise is needed." She extended her hand, waiting for him to join her.

"Thanks, Meroko," he said as he descended to Mitsuki's room without taking her hand. He would actually enjoy having Meroko around more often if she acted like she currently was.

Meroko frowned and curled her hand into a fist. "Aw, Takuto, you're so mean!" she whined to herself under the moon.

Hold me tight if I think like this

I didn't want to know

What it was like to fall in love with someone

I love you; my tears won't stop

Therefore, I should be free of you

Truthfully, Mitsuki was not a natural songwriter. Her first song was fine, but that was because she had a little bit of help from the people at the studio. This time, she had promised her manager that she would write one on her own. Since Shinigami weren't exactly alive, maybe it would still count as on her own. Before Takuto came down, she decided that she would focus as hard as she could and begin working.

"Hey, Mitsuki, I'm going to help…I guess," Takuto announced as he entered the room.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Mitsuki screamed, surprised that Takuto was there. Sure, she knew he was coming, but she was too focused in her work.

"Shh! You know, if you're grandma heard you, she'll think some freak got into your room," he reminded her.

"That's right, I'm the only one who can see Shinigami…" she quickly turned on the television to create an excuse incase someone heard her. She waited for a few minutes, but nobody came. "Hmm, I guess my voice really isn't that loud."

"We were just lucky that time," Takuto sighed with relief. Mitsuki giggled and Takuto watched her happiness with a smile. For a moment, he felt his heart fill with warmth, but he suddenly stopped it, reminding himself of his job.

"I'm sorry. It's not really that funny…but you should have seen you're expression, Takuto."

"Yeah, well, let's get to work," he said with his grumpy attitude.

Meroko floated down, as him and Mitsuki began to work on the music. "I guess I'll just pick out Full Moon's outfit for tomorrow, again." Meroko grumbled quietly, floating off to Mitsuki's closet.

For some reason, the two of them never wanted her help. She was always alone, doing the minor job and getting even less credit for it. Her pink hair glittered while she turned her head to look back at them. They were always laughing or singing or smiling together and it made Meroko feel lonely. She knew that the feeling of loneliness was not new, but familiar from when she was a human. It stung and ached in her heart, knowing that even after she died, she was alone and nobody wanted her, especially Takuto. She finally made it to the closet, tears streaming down her cheeks. Exhausted and emotionally finished with her situation, she lie down and fell asleep.

"Takuto, what should I sing about?" Mitsuki asked, tapping her pen on the paper in front of her.

"Why are you asking me?" Takuto said, clearly annoyed, with his arms crossed.

"Because I don't know myself."

"Then I can't help you."

"But Takuto, why?" Mitsuki looked at him with her eyes that normally got Takuto to do anything for her.

"Because your music has to come from your heart, not mine. Otherwise, it won't mean anything to you or your fans." He looked away from her to avoid her stare.

"I know what I feel, but I can't put it into words…" Mitsuki's voice faded, the way it normally did when she thought about Eichi.

Takuto rolled his eyes knowing exactly what she was doing. "Fine, I'll start you off. What do you feel about your Eichi?"

"What?" Mitsuki asked, surprised that he mentioned Eichi.

"You heard me. Now answer me."

Mitsuki reached deep into her heart and memories to think about Eichi. Feelings of cheerfulness and sorrow came back to her. She closed her eyes to see her emotions more clearly. When she opened her eyes, she saw Takuto in his cat hat looking at her with such great care.

"Do you both see and feel everything?"

"Yes…" she looked at her paper. "I guess I need to sing it first before I can put my feelings on paper."

He smiled at how much she had grown as a musician. Maybe at first it was for a selfish reason, but now she was finally seeing how to release her feelings into the world.

Mitsuki took a deep breath, carefully singing softer than usual to prevent her throat condition from acting up. "I feel you in me. I don't know where, but I feel you. The cold comes over me, but you are warming my heart. Why do you have such a strong effect on me? How do you do it so easily? Someday I'll be…" she stopped singing before her coughing could begin and picked up her pen.

Takuto's eyes shot wide open. Wasn't that the song he was just singing? How in the world could they have the same song in their hearts?

"Takuto…thank you," Mitsuki said giving him a warm smile. "I think I can write the rest now."

"Sure," he said as he flew back up to the roof to sort things out.

How long will I keep thinking of you?

My sigh makes the window glass fog up

Meroko sighed with boredom while waiting with Takuto outside of Mitsuki's manager's office. Takuto was playing with a handheld video game and had no intention of talking to her.

"Takuto…" Meroko said with a singsong voice. "I think Mitsuki will be talking with her manager, Ooshige-san, for a very long time. Why don't we go do something fun, because I am bored." Meroko stretched out in her chair and yawned to emphasize her point.

"No," Takuto said plainly, without even looking at her.

"Aw, why not? This place is so boring! I can't take it anymore!"

"Stop making a scene."

"I can do whatever I want because no one can see us!" Meroko hopped out of her seat and tugged the video game out of Takuto's hands. "I can't believe even the video game gets more attention than me," she muttered to herself.

"Meroko, stop doing stupid things. You're acting immature." He jumped out of his seat as well and hovered next to her. "I'll ask nicely the first time, but if I have to warn you again-"

"What will you do?" Meroko teased him. "What can you possibly do to me?"

Takuto moaned, irritated at Meroko's habit of bugging him whenever she had nothing to do. "Can I please have that back?" he attempted to ask in the calmest voice he could use.

"No."

"Why not?!" Takuto yelled at her. "You know what, I don't care anymore. I'll just go into the meeting." He began to fly towards the room, but Meroko grabbed his arm. "Let go," he said firmly.

"Fine, you want the game back. Then you have to kiss me." Meroko's conscience started to doubt what she said. Was it really the right thing to do forcing him to like her?

"I…won't…" Takuto told her slowly.

"Why? You would kiss her."

Takuto felt a sudden rush of panic inside of him. Meroko knew and for sure he would be kicked right off of their case.

Meroko was scared. She didn't know what to do next. Maybe Takuto really was crazy about Mitsuki, like she suspected. Or, he could have been doing the right thing that any Shinigami would have done. In the end, she was jealous of something she didn't have.

"Meroko, just because you're alone doesn't mean you can make everyone else the same way," he said as he flew off.

"Somebody has to know how it feels…" she hid her face under her hat and sat back down in her seat.