Nox1Literally nox (night). Nox is the name of the Clan (family name), also the name of a Province. ZaiWin uses it because he is the Governor of Nox. ZaiWin2Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). sat right in front of him, watching him attentively, alert to any change in the environment around them. After all, the damn brat had been freezing everything around him for the past few days. He wanted to be aware of the minute it started, so that he could pull him out of it before things escalated to the point where both their physical integrity would be at stake. He was so focused on what might happen around them, that he failed to notice how pale Snow had gotten, his entire body completely wet, until it was too late.
Suddenly falling on his side with a wet splash, the brat chocked and gagged, and simply stopped breathing.
For an instant ZaiWin just sat there, staring at him, too shocked to be able to react. Until that sharp pain pierced his head, making him wince and propelling him into action.
Jumping from his place, he quickly laid the brat on his back, straddling him and using both his hands to press down on his chest.
He had got to be kidding!, his mind raged in a mix of anger and despair. He was deadly cold again! And wet all over, as if he’d just taken a dive in some invisible lake! And he wasn’t breathing! The freaking brat wasn’t breathing! His skin quickly turning even paler.
Tilting Snow's head back, he pinched his nose and pried his mouth open, pressing his lips against his and breathing directly into his chest. Once, twice, before he pulled back to press on his chest again.
Suddenly coughing, the brat threw up a mouthful of water, and ZaiWin quickly turned his head to one side, so that he wouldn’t choke again.
A numbing relief the likes ZaiWin had never felt coursed through his entire body at the sound of his gagging, wheezing breathing and, for a moment, he couldn’t move at all. Leaning forward, he simply rested his forehead against his cold chest, allowing the quick up and down movements that indicated that he was breathing again to slowly restart his own heart as well.
Snow tried his best to control his breathing, his eyes burning filled with tears, even though he couldn’t tell if they were due to the fact that he’d almost drowned to death, or for the sorrow that filled his chest.
Looking up at the dark dome above his head, he slowly turned his mind away from his bitter memories and back to the present.
He was lying on the ground, and he was wet and cold, except for one point in the middle of his chest, that was strangely warm.
Looking down, all Snow could see was a mass of darkness spread all over his chest and, for a moment, he feared he’d lost his ability to see him again.
Wanting to make sure, he raised one shaky hand and tried touching that darkness. He had never been able to touch the mass of black energy that always surrounded him. But, this time, his fingers found something soft and tangible, and he curiously raised it, trying to understand what it was.
Suddenly all that darkness was moving, softly sliding across his skin, and a pale, angry face appeared from amongst it.
“You damn brat! Do you really want me dead?!”
Blinking in confusion, Snow looked up at those bright-blue eyes. Even in the dimness that surrounded them they seemed to hold a light of their own. And then he finally understood that what he was holding in his hand was a lock of his long, black hair.
“Shit!” ZaiWin cursed under his breath, lowering his head, looking somewhat in pain, and Snow couldn’t help feeling guilty, even though he didn’t know exactly what had happened.
“I’m sorry …”
“Why are you apologizing? What are you apologizing for??” ZaiWin immediately demanded in an angry tone and Snow immediately sealed his lips shut, afraid that whatever he might say would only make things worse.
Seeing that he just kept lying there, motionless and in silence, ZaiWin slowly raised his gaze, to find those pale eyes silently staring at him, obviously at a loss.
Lowering his head again, he allowed himself to take a deep breath before he straighten his back. Even if he managed to survive that whole shit, he had a dreadful feeling that nothing in his life would ever be the same again. And he simply hated the mere thought of that!
He was about to stand up when he realized that the damned brat was still gripping his hair, making it impossible for him to move any farther away than that.
“Let go.”
Snow followed his cold gaze and noticed it as well, blushing in embarrassment. But even though he had all the intentions in the world to quickly obey as fast as possible, somehow, instead of releasing him, he wrapped his hand in his hair, forcing him to lean down again.
“What the …!” ZaiWin started in a furious tone, but then he noticed the brat’s panicking expression. His eyes were wide with fear. Even his lips were quivering. “What are you doing?” he demanded coldly and Snow quickly shook his head, his wet silvery hair sticking to the dirt beneath him. And yet he still wouldn’t let go of his hair.
Looking down at him, at his terrified expression, ZaiWin ended up sighing and, propping an elbow on the ground right next to his face, rested on his head on his hand. Well, at least he still hadn’t frozen everything in sight, he considered, trying to sum up any positive points he could find in their present situation.
“Just calm down, will you?” he told him a bit more gentler, and the brat averted his gaze, refusing to look at him.
“Were you drowning?”
Snow's entire body tensed up at the sound of those words and it took him a moment until he finally nodded.
“But you didn’t actually drown, right? Or you wouldn’t be here now, safe and sound,” ZaiWin tried to rationalize it as best as he could and Snow closed his eyes, the burning feeling of the cold water filling his chest still too fresh in his memory.
“Did you fall into some lake? A well maybe?”
He shook his head again.
“River …” he finally answered, which was a good start, ZaiWin thought.
“You fell into a river?”
“I jumped …”
“You jumped?!” he repeated in outrage, raising his head to look down at him in pure disbelief. Had the brat tried to kill himself?!
“Someone was drowning …”
For an instant ZaiWin just stared at him, and then he frowned, suddenly angry again.
“Someone was drowning and you jumped into a river to save them? Are you stupid?!” he demanded and Snow took a fearful peek at him, trying to measure just how angry he really was. “How old were you? Four? Five years old? Of course you would drown! No matter how good of a swimmer you may have been!”
“She was just a little girl … she would have died if I hadn’t jumped in,” he argued in a timid voice but that only made ZaiWin’s frown deepen even more.
“So what? Weren’t you just a little kid yourself?! Where were her parents? Or whoever was with her?”
“There was a storm … and the river was too fast.”
ZaiWin clenched his teeth, trying to hold back his anger.
“I really want to smack you right about now!” he confessed and Snow finally turned to look at him, lowering his gaze.
“I’m sorry …”
With a sigh of exasperation, ZaiWin straightened his back again and, since the damn brat was still holding on to his hair, grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him up to a sitting position as well. Carefully opening his hand, he started to untangle his hair from his cold fingers.
“And? Have you figured out why you were sent back to that time?” ZaiWin asked, and the brat’s shoulders slumped as he allowed him to pull his hair away from his grip.
“I think so. But I’ll probably be sent there again … Even though I have the feeling that I understood the reason why, I still haven’t actually faced it …”
ZaiWin’s hands halted for a moment, and then finally finished freeing his hair, throwing it back, over his shoulder.
So he would have to drown again. And ZaiWin would have to go through that dreadful feeling that he was about to die as well.
Hahaha *is secretly delighted that ZaiWin has to suffer too*
... What? I didn't say anything 
xDDD