…

…

Are you afraid?

…Yes.

Why?

Because I am weak.

Then you should be afraid.

Please…

Very, very afraid.

…

…

Rapunzel never did like the short skirts. They were too small, they caused unwanted attention, and they made her legs cold. She wore socks the long, thigh-high socks, but those made her legs feel itchy. She would rather just wear a pair of jeans than this, no matter how much she despised denim.

As she walked through the hallways, she wondered vaguely what Mother was up to. She had been upset this morning, had literally pushed Rapunzel out of her bed so that she could attend school. She didn't enjoy school, not ever. Maybe it was the students. Maybe it was the food. Or maybe it was because she was completely useless.

After all, she lived in a beautiful world. Ever since the beginning of time, people in the Kingdom had been gifted with special powers. Every single kind. From archery, to taming, to swimming, to magical powers. It was amazing how everyone was so unique, so good at that one single thing. Every baby that was born was born with a power, whether it was cleaning, speed, or even gardening. You were gifted, everyone was.

When Rapunzel was just a baby, she was gifted with her hair. It was as though it were spun from liquid gold, trailing out of her crib, around her like a halo, like a comforting shield. She could remember a beautiful voice singing to her, and she would watch as her hair glowed like the morning sun. Besides that, she did not remember much of her childhood, she did not remember much at all. But one day, she remembered she woke up, opened her mouth, and no words came out. Her hair did not glow, it did not shimmer, and her throat felt tight and uncomfortable.

She supposed she should be happy to be one of those people—the "norms" as others called them. But she was not. It hurt, it hurt so much. And she could feel them staring, the other students, watching as her golden locks trailed behind her, useless, and her lips unable to form one word. She was useless, silent, and a freak. At least, that's what they called her.

After all, the school was made so that the students could learn how to control their brilliant abilities, save the world, and help citizens. Only the lucky ones were good enough to be called actual Guardians. Rapunzel almost snorted to herself. She'd once had dreams to become a Guardian, protect everyone and everything with her whimsical gift. But it vanished, slipping right under her feet. It had happened so fast, she couldn't even express her shock and terror. Mother barely looked at her now, and she was left alone. She finished her work one time, went to class, but stayed in her lane. She had no choice.

Tug.

She grimaced, jerking to a stop as a lock of her hair jabbed pain down her temples. It had probably stuck on something, such a nuisance, she swore. If her voice was gone, if her powers were gone, what purpose did the hair serve? Why wouldn't it just go away and let her live in her misery? She turned her head, and wasn't very surprised to see a small group of boys chuckling to themselves, the one in the center with a handful of her golden tresses.

It wasn't as if she wasn't used to this—she was treated like this on a regular basis. Nervously, she clutched her books to her chest. Mustering up her courage, she turned to face them. They were laughing now as the leader tried to make shapes out of her hair, tangling it.

There was no need for her to open her lips—she couldn't speak, couldn't reprimand them. The best she could do was ignore them, shoo them away, or find a teacher. All of those options just worsened her mood.

"Heeeey, Rapunzel! How's it going?" One cried gleefully, giggling away as he twisted her hair around in his hands.

"You call her by her name?" Another one scoffed.

"Course he would. With her dragging this hair around everywhere. Who would forget the name of the Shameful Rapunzel?"

The blonde flinched as they began to laugh amongst themselves. The leader was leering at her maliciously. For a moment, she vaguely wondered what his power could possibly be. He was stepping closer to her, tugging on her hair roughly.

"Show us your power, Rapunzel!" He crowed, and without warning, a strong wind pulsed through the hallway. Orihime felt goosebumps rise on her bare forearms and her breath catch. She swallowed with great difficulty. Could he control the air somehow? She was beyond befuddled and frightened. She took a step back, breath hitching, and watched as he followed, stalking towards her now with a wide grin.

She wished she could say something. She wished that she could yell at the top of her lungs. She wished she could just tie him up in her hair and toss him away.

Luckily, someone did something better.

The boy was just about to touch her cheek when something sailed through the air. It hit the back of the boy's head, almost sending him to the ground. It was white and thick and—Rapunzel tilted her head to the side, snow? The boy, irate and hair covered in a thick layer of ice and chilling, melting water, spun around to confront whoever antagonized him. Unfortunately, another snowball sped through the air before he could open his mouth and crashed into his face, sending him back and onto his bottom.

Rapunzel started, moss-green eyes larger than before. When he groaned from the floor, face covered by a thin layer of white, his friends rushed over to his aid, her hair falling from their malevolent hands. She was beyond confused at the moment. Slowly, she looked up, and was startled to see sapphire eyes staring back at her.

Her breath caught again, and she tightened her grip around her books. He was tall, well, to her, being so petite herself, and pale. He was dressed in the school's uniform, albeit messily—untucked shirt, loose tie, a few buttons undone, and dirtied converses rather than the usual church shoes. He was rather handsome as well. His snow-white hair was messy, falling into his eyes, and all over his head. He was lean, and she could see his sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He had some sort of staff in his hand, a wicked curve at the top, and she watched as his free pale hand went back to his pocket, a nonchalant, casual appearance, as though he hadn't been the one to throw the snow.

It was the middle of Fall, so it didn't take her a long time to convince herself he had a special talent. She wondered if she'd ever seen him around school, in any of her classes, but found nothing.

Their eyes met and locked.

Sapphire catching olive.

Nervously, she licked her lips. She wished she could fill the silence, say thank you as the boys began to stand and glare at the two.

"Damn you, Frost!" The leader hollered, peeling the snow from his eyes, "You bastard!"

The teenager called "Frost" didn't say anything, merely gazed at them.

"W-We should get the principle! Or better yet, call the police on you!" The second one bellowed, flailing his arms about.

Frost arched a brow, "If you need help with that, it's nine-one-one."

They glowered at him a while longer before retreating. They threw one more glare at Rapunzel, one purposefully stepping on her hair, before leaving. And then, the hallway was empty, and Rapunzel was staring at the stranger standing not six feet away from her.

The air didn't feel as stuffy as it had before, but now, it had a slight chill. She shivered, despite herself, and she watched as a smirk graced Frost's handsome features. She blinked rapidly, but didn't say anything—couldn't say anything.

Slowly, he broke their eye contact, looking down at the hair at his feet. "Nice hair." He commented dryly, an amused smirk on his face. She watched in clear awe as he bent down and scooped up her heavy tresses. With an armful, he walked towards her, gathering as much as he could, his staff in the curve of his left arm. When he stopped in front of her, she could smell his strangely masculine scent.

Smirking widening, he handed her the locks, watching as they piled up in her thin arms, books slipping until they righted. She stared up at him, lips parted.

"You shouldn't let them scare," he nudged his head towards the hallway the boys had taken, "They're stupid assholes."

She jerked at his words, but nodded nonetheless. She could not thank him, but she could try something better. She smiled at him, grateful, and outside, unbeknownst to everyone, the sun broke through the clouds and beamed.

"Frost" gazed at her, eyes widened. He opened his mouth to ask something else, but was cut off by,

"Rapunzel! Rapunzel, where are you?"

Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder, her smile falling. "Frost" watched as a girl, a bit taller than the blonde, took a hold of the girl's arm. She had wild red hair, crimson curls falling all around her shoulders. She didn't look happy.

"What're you doing, Rapunzel? You're missing first period, you know!" She tapped her foot, impatient as the girl named Rapunzel had the nerve to look abashed. When the emerald eyes snapped to his, he was taken aback before he grinned, "Frost, what the heck are you doing here?"

"Such a warm greeting," He teased, placing his staff on his shoulder casually.

The redhead rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't know warm if it bit you on the butt, idiot."

"Oh, c'mon, Merida. Don't be so harsh."

She shook her head at him, a cascade of fiery locks falling over her back before she turned to Rapunzel, "C'mon, Rapunzel. You'll catch a cold from just being around him." She tightened her grip on her arm, tugging her down the hall and away from the strange man who had helped her out in her time of need.

As the two girls rushed down the hall together—mostly Merida going on about how irresponsible Rapunzel was, how worried she'd been, and towing her along—Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder, and met the sky-blue icy eyes. he was watching her with a strange, vague expression on his face.

Rapunzel raised her arm, waving at him enthusiastically. He blinked, surprised, before raising his own limp arm and offering the gesture in return.

And she couldn't be happier.

…

…

Hope you liked it!

Sorry if it was a little short, but I intend to make future chapters much more longer. I'm sorry if some of you don't like that Rapunzel is mute, I do, and I think it's an interesting twist, something no one has done before with this couple. Also, I don't know if this story will be complete with the Big Four, but I'll definitely add Merida and Hiccup, since I love them both so much.

Onto the story: they live in the present, in a small Kingdom in Corona. People in Corona are born with special powers, and I mean ANY power. Knowledge, strength, cleaning, or even magic. Rapunzel is healing, Jack his power, Hiccup taming, and Merida archery. It sounds stupid, but I LOVE IT!

Hope you do too.

Also, I would like to thank my beta, Star Slightly to the Right, I LOVE HER. And her great betaing skills. If you like Ichihime, you should check it out, Bleach and Inuyasha. She's great and very talented.

Love you guys! Thanks for everything.

Please review. It helps out so much.

-Abby