"It's snowing..."

One hand ran absently through her knight's hair, through the chilled tresses just to thread them between her fingers and thumb across his scalp. Her other lifted, catching a wayward snowflake before another would fall upon her nose and cause her attention to shift; wrinkling it with a pronounced sniff, her returning hand wiping the drop of melted ice away.

"It's cold..."

Her tone didn't seem to give the impression that she considered this a bad thing - the opposite, in fact, as her voice lifted and her cheeks reddened in the frosty air with a quirk of her lips. "Isn't it nice, Masa-chan? We didn't have much snow back in the kingdom ... it was always so warm in the winter."

"Just once, I think. I think I remember just one time it snowed ... I wasn't allowed out then. I have read about it, though, and you've mentioned it before. Isn't it nice ...?" She echoed her earlier sentiment, almost in a sigh as wistful as the look in her eyes, cast over the tops of the trees that surrounded them.

One of her heels tapped idly against his chest before pressing in with her other foot, rubbing them together and leading a viewer's gaze up the bend of her legs to her place atop Masanori's shoulders. This was where she had to be, after all, unable to walk much or for very far on her own. She had at times hung off his back, but then her arms would get weary and she'd end up collapsing behind if he didn't use his own to support her. It was troublesome, she knew; she felt bad for it often, and would occasionally whisper tired apologies into his ear.

They weren't left with much other choice. Such was her life. Such was theirs, now that they were impossibly intertwined - even if you didn't count the many years spent together before as being just as so. She did. She considered every moment important, and cherished each second.

And so here they were, the princess and her knight, bound as physically as they were emotionally and embraced by the sweet, careful cold of winter in one of Konoha's forests.

She gave the smallest of shivers, nestling closer with a murmured apology and a bury of her lips against the top of his head.

"I don't even mind that we're lost."

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His knees felt weak once again, something that seemed to be occurring to him more and more often during his time travelling with the beautiful Princess Hinata. She was his sun in the sky, the light that guided his way during the long days, and his moon during the nights. He loved her so very, very much, with every fiber of his being. His knees were always weak when she was this close, and since he had had to carry her for most of their journey, they seemed to be weak quite often. He was there to protect her from all of the evils of the world, to cut down anyone who would would threaten her well being. Her father had entrusted Masanori to protect her, and he had decided that he would do so to the best of his ability. He hadn't realized that along the way, however, he would fall in love, something that most definitely was prohibited. If her father had known that he loved her, he would flense him and Masanori knew that.

His normally well kept hair was being combed through by her soft, delicate hands. His heart fluttered at her touch, which the princess was gracious enough to not point out as her heels touched his chest. She commented on the cold, instantly making him think of his warm cloak. She was prone to becoming sick quite easily, and Masanori knew that. There were reasons that she hadn't been allowed to leave the manor, her frail health always a concern to her family, as well as to Masanori. He often wished that he could have taken her for strolls along the riverfront near the manor, the evening lanterns and the moon and stars beautifully reflecting off of the water. It was something that he had often dreamed about, and a thought that kept him going.

"It is quite beautiful, my Princess. Though I do not wish for you to become ill on my watch." He felt her lips bury itself onto the top of his head, his cheeks gently turning a shade of pink. He would wait for that to subside before helping Hinata off of his shoulders and offering her his cloak, navy made of thick wool. "Please Princess, I insist. You must wear my cloak to keep yourself warm." He wouldn't take any objection, placing the cloak over her slender shoulders. He would wrap his arms around her, standing behind her, as he secured the broach to keep it all in place. The broach was made of jade and silver, something that his mother had snuck to him when he told her that he was leaving. As he wrapped his arms around her to fasten the broach, his face would light up with a soft smile, Hinata unable to see it. He wanted to plant a kiss on her cheek as he did it, holding her closer to him and not wanting to let her go ever, but he knew that he could never do that.

"You must keep warm, Princess Hinata. I get warmth from you being near me, but I will gladly sacrifice my warmth for you." I love you, so much. The heavens be damned and your parents as well. The mind was a beautiful thing where it was possible to live out the things you wanted more than anything else. Masanori was ready to sacrifice everything for her, but he was terrified that if he told her he would lose her forever...

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"Masa-chan ... Masanori."

Her voice was at first a squeak, then a sigh, that bit of royal upbringing in her showing through the steady glance she tossed him as her feet dug into the grass. More snowflakes kissed her skin on their way down, slowly dusting the forest floor until their world together was coated in a soft sea of white.

She couldn't deny the skip of her heart as his arms looped around her, securing his heavy coat in place. She was also unable to stop the satisfaction blooming along with the warmth that slowly began to course through her veins once again, quickly chiding herself for allowing that moment of guilty pleasure. "Masanori, honestly, how many times must I tell you? Here on this new continent, I hold no status. I am no princess and you are no longer bound to me as my guard."

"We are friends, are we not?"

She slowly turned around; a small, bony hand pressing to his chest before tracing to one of his own. Her tone was gentle and soft, the same degree of affection underlining her words that she always took when speaking to him. "You baby me enough, I feel. I apologize for the trouble I have put you through thus far, but you shouldn't go so far as to even take the clothes off your very back ..."

She sighed, her thumb running over the back of his hand before lifting up and pressing to his cheek; cupping his face with a small yet warm smile. "It is all going to be okay, I swear to you. So please do not worry yourself ragged with my health - you have always had that particular vice." Even now, as her words trailed off, the softest of laughter fell from her lips. Despite her words, however, she knew he would refuse if she tried to offer his coat back; so instead she just took his hand, lacing her fingers through his, and tugged him with a step forward.

Every step was effort, but a price she would gladly pay to quell his anxieties. "For now let us see if we cannot get our bearings, yes? Perhaps find shelter before a blizzard kicks up."

As much as he wished to protect her, she held the same desire for his safety. After all, he was her world - the only person she had ever had in her life, and the only one she ever needed.

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When she spoke his name he felt warmth move throughout his body. Her voice, no matter how it sounded to anyone else, was the most beautiful sound in the world to him. He couldn't help but to smile when he heard her, something that he generally did anyway since the two of them had made their ways off together. He loved her, that was all there was to it, and it was impossible for him to not feel that way. He knew that she didn't reciprocate those feelings, but he didn't let that bother him. He knew that he would lay down his life for her in a heartbeat if she asked him too, and he was sure that she knew that too, and that was what was important to him.

She would tell him that she held no status here, which made him cringe a little bit. She was his princess, and also her charge, something that no matter where they were would never change, but if she wanted him to call him something different he would try to ensure that he would do whatever it took to make sure that she wouldn't be upset with him, for making her upset was the last thing he wanted to do. "I'm sorry prin...er...Hinata. Forgive me, it is difficult for me to think of you as anything less than a princess." He would chuckle and grin at her. "And of course we are friends." His heart skipped a beat at the word, the red from the wind nicely hiding the blush he would probably show from her talking to him. "You never put me through any trouble Hinata, everything I have done I would gladly do again and again. I want to be here with you, and you are certainly no trouble. And besides, I tend to keep warm anyway, I don't need the cloak to keep me warm, but you need it."

He was sure she could feel the warmth coursing through his cheeks as she cupped his face, chuckling once more at the act. "I worry for your health only because I do not want to lose you, Princess...er sorry, Hinata. For what would a man do once his entire reason for being is taken from him?" That last bit was probably a little bit more sappy or maybe even depressing than he wanted it to sound, but it was true on a few different levels. She was his charge, and it was his lifes goal to keep her safe. He also wanted to do so because of how he felt about her on top of that. He would take her hands in his and gently press his lips to the top of her right hand. "I apologize again, I'll try to remember myself."

His eyes scanned the trees, looking for a glimpse of warmth or light, something that looked like there were people around. It didn't take him long to notice that there appeared to be a village through the trees, lots of light and the sound of people laughing and yelling breaking through the forest. "It appears we may be able to escape the storm. There seems to be a village in the distance through the trees. If we continue to trudge forward, I'm sure we will make it in no time." His blush was likely more red than the cold now as she pulled him forward, something that he would gladly follow. He didn't tell her that he was indeed cold, which was part of the issue of steel armour. He would simply walk with her, his arm moving to wrap around her to hold her close to him as he walked, a smile still plastered on his face.

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