snowmelt3

Raising her children had, in a way, been easier than Hina had expected. Of course, she expected hardship, what with the challenge of caring for a child she could barely even hold even while he was bound in curse-wards and sacred wrappings. But such a challenge was simpler to handle than expected, especially by one who wasn't afraid to endure a little pain along the way. Even if she found no workarounds, she would've been happy to endure the burns of her son in order to tend to him as a mother should.

Luckily, she was able to find ways to make her burdens easier. She was able to encase her hands repeatedly in frost whenever she needed to handle him directly, or douse his flames in water. The running water of a creek was fast and cool enough to wash away the heat before it could scald her hands as she washed her baby boy. He didn't much care for bath-time, always fussy, but he endured the inconvenience whenever Hina would steal the opportunity to rub her face into her son's hair in these moments where his usually flaming, now-dampened aura couldn't directly harm her.

Hina always made sure to keep a running source of water nearby, wherever they wandered in search of food and shelter.

The real challenge was the times between, when her son had to remain in his wrappings. He was growing increasingly impatient with it, always fussing and trying to worm his way to freedom. Hina's heart ached for him, and it hurt her soul to deny him, to tuck the wrappings more securely around him and beg him to endure it a while longer. He would cast such frustrated, longing looks at her, and his sister, and every single time it broke Hina's heart to deny him the right of a child to simply play and enjoy closeness with his family. In those times, she would endure the burns of letting his tiny little hand reach from his wrappings, and hold her finger as she sang to and cradled him.

He would always calm then, and look up at her with such big, warm, sweet eyes. It had turned out, comparing him to a little sleepy kitten had been awfully apt- the tiny thing would purr just like one in these soft moments, until he would drift away for a nap, and the purrs would sigh away... She was hardly surprised, considering his father. What a perfect little boy her son was. Hina could only hope he'd be allowed to be free sooner rather than later. That was the real challenge... she couldn't bear to keep her son imprisoned in wards forever.

***

What surprised Hina the most was how long it had taken for some other demon assail her, once it finally happened. She had been getting by raising her children in the wilds of these woods for at least a handful of weeks by her count, without ever coming across another soul as she followed the river. Even while waiting constantly for the other shoe to drop, it was difficult to keep up her guard at all times.

And then the other shoe actually dropped.

She had been sitting in a sunlit patch of wild grass, Yukina at her breast, the boy resting against Hina's lap. As she fed her daughter, Hina was contentedly watching her son, his tiny hands wriggled free from his wrappings, his hiruseki stone held in his little fingers. The sunlight caught and refracted in the stone as he turned it this way and that with his clumsy, infant motor skills. The glitter of the light was reflected in his big, sweet eyes as the stone held his undivided attention, a faint, soft purr rumbling up from his throat.

Only a few minutes later, Hina was backed against a tree, her children held close to her chest, a terrifying knife made of bone pointed at her. He had snuck up on her, his feet silent in the grass. She hadn't felt his presence at all, not until he'd made himself known, gently tapping her cheek with the flat side of knife as he stood behind her, low voice croaking out, "and what do we have here?"

Hina had moved as quick as she could, whipping around to face her assailant, both her children grasped in her arms. Yukina, ripped from her meal, had instantly begun crying, innocent of the present danger. The boy, however, only stared silently, hiruseki stone still held between his fingers. The demon only laughed at Hina's fright, an awful, high cackle. Backing away as she rose to her feet, Hina tried to be brave, even as her voice trembled. "What do you want?"

The demon laughed again, closing the distance between himself and Hina the more she tried to widen it. "Oh, I was only wondering what a defenseless little thing like you was doing out here, all alone..." He said, a wicked look on his face, "a mother of two, no father in sight... and what pretty things you carry with you."

Hina supposed she should be grateful that his eyes wandered not to her half-exposed breast, but to the stones that hung around her wailing daughter's neck, and held in her quiet son's hands. But it was of little comfort. Hina gasped when her back met a tree, boxed in with nowhere else to go as the fiend invaded her air, licking his lips. "Such pretty things are wasted on children, don't you think, miss?" He said, and then glanced back up to Hina's eyes. She met them with as fierce a stare as she could manage. "Oh, no need to ruin your pretty face with a look like that, love-"

"You will leave my children and I alone, if you know what's good for you..!" She said, still unable to hide the tremor from her voice. The demon failed to notice the way the temperature of the air had been steadily dropping- if she could stall a few moments longer, she could freeze him solid, or at least enough of him that she could run, or-

He only laughed harder, waving his knife almost playfully at Hina. "That's a good one, love, what're you going to do? Scold me to death?" He teased between rasping giggles, "you know, I think I like you, a spunky little thing. What say we make a deal- you give me those pretty little trinkets, and I'll let you and your crotchspawn live? A fair exchange, don't you agree?"

He didn't wait for a response before reaching for one of the jewels- the one held by Hina's son. But as the demon tried to take the stone away, the boy only held tighter to the string, a stubborn look on his face. "What the-" the demon growled, tugging harder, but the baby's grip held surprisingly firm, "hand it over, you damn brat-"

That was when Hina's little boy had apparently decided he'd had enough, baring his sharp, tiny teeth, and chomping them down hard on the demon's fingers. Hard enough to draw blood. The man shrieked in alarm, yanking back, which only caused a greater cut on his finger as he ripped it from the boy's teeth. The bottom dropped right out of Hina's stomach when the demon, infuriated, brandished his knife at her son, growling, "If you won't hand it over, how about I cut your hands away with it?"

"No, please, don't hurt him!" She cried, holding her son tighter to her chest- she wouldn't be able to manifest ice fast enough to stop him! Yukina wailed harder in Hina's grasp, confused and frightened and hungry. The boy, meanwhile, only glowered a challenge, devoid of fear.

"You little shit!" The demon snarled, and this time brandished his blade at Hina, pressing it to her jaw. Her blood ran cold, her eyes wide, her body going still. She still needed more time to gather the strength, more chill in the air, she wouldn't have enough time- "Maybe you'll hand it over after I slit your mommy's throat?!"

The knife pressed firm to Hina's neck, just under her jaw, and a whimper escaped her throat as it cut through her skin. She could feel the blood ooze down her neck... But still, her thoughts were less concerned with her own life than that of her children, her eyes darting down to her son, just in time to see the defiant, furious flash in his eyes, before she glanced back at the man who held her life in his hands.

Just in time to see half of his body burst into flames.

She didn't have to look to know exactly what happened, but she did anyway, Hina's eyes glancing back down to see her boy's arm wriggled free of his bindings, held out toward the man who was now half-engulfed in flames, small flames dying on the ends of the boy's fingers, replaced by smoke and steam. As their assailant ran howling back where he came, the baby boy's mouth curled into a tiny sneer.

"Oh, my darling..." Hina breathed, sinking down to the ground with her back still against the tree. The man was long gone now, leaving only the reek of burning flesh and his distant shrieks behind. Hina rocked and bounced Yukina against her shoulder to calm her, but her attention was still on the little boy in her other arm. He'd squirmed his arm back into his bindings like a good boy, and now his eyes were trained up towards his mother, that smug look replaced by something hopeful... wanting. Seeking her approval.

And how could she deny him that? Hina could feel her smile take over her entire face, and her voice was warm and adoring as she said, "look at you, my brave boy... My little hero!"

Her son's face broke into a bright smile at the praise, and Hina would let a thousand bandits burn just to hear the way her baby boy giggled in delight every day for the rest of her life.

***

Hina wasn't a bit surprised when the peace following that last attack didn't last long. It was only a week later, when she was taking her children away from the river. They were both freshly washed, Yukina bundled against Hina's chest, her son strapped to her back, and a basket of freshly caught little fish held under her arm. She rounded a bend along the river, into an open space along the shore- and was immediately faced with far more men than she had ever seen in one place in her entire life, even if only a handful.

Bandits. Of course. She'd just walked into their camp.

They were on her in seconds, surrounding her, backing her towards the river until the water rushed past her heels. "Please, I don't want any trouble, I was just passing through-" she tried to insist, but she'd barely gotten through her explanation when a familiar voice shrieked from within the group.

"That's her! That's the bitch who burned me up!"

Hina barely recognized him, but she couldn't deny that was his voice- he was bandaged all over, serious burns covering half his body. She was surprised he was still standing! At the sight of him, Hina heard an odd little noise just behind her head- like a tiny growl. "How I heard it," a booming voice said, a massive man pushing himself to the front of the pack- clearly the one in charge, "you came running home squealing about a baby setting you on fire!"

Hina's previous assailant was cowed, though he still shot her, and her son over her shoulder, a dirty look. Feeling brave, Hina said, voice low, "I did warn him he would regret not leaving us be."

The massive man bellowed out a laugh. "So you did, little lady!" He said, and reached out to put a large hand on her tense shoulder, his eyes wandering, just like his underling's, to her children's jewels. "Ahhh, but can you and that little twerp of yours make this many of us regret it? Why don't you just hand over the goods, and we'll let bygones be bygones."

To her shame, Hina considered it, until it hit her she could make a much more beneficial trade. "I can't give you my children's stones," she said, defiantly, ignoring the tremor in her voice, "but... I can give you something of similar value."

The men looked amongst each other, not exactly sure what she was offering- and that uncomfortable confusion only grew when she began to cry. It was a simple thing, to summon the tears. All she had to do was let her mind slip back, to the memory of her children's' birth, when she had the very, very real fear that her son would be killed. Returning to that place made the tears flow easily, and Hina calmly collected them as they rolled down her face, crystallizing just before dropping from her jaw.

She shed only a handful of tears, but she knew that would be more than enough, her face dry once more as she held out her hand- holding several shimmering hiruseki stones. The men gasped in alarm, their eyes alight at the sudden appearance of the precious jewels. "I will give these to you. You can sell them, and they will make you a lot of money," Hina said, voice growing more firm, "in return, you will leave my children and I in peace, and trade with us some supplies so that we may move on with our lives. These stones will repay everything you give us thousands of times over."

The bandits murmured amongst themselves, the leader rubbing his chin. But one voice spoke up among the men, and once again, Hina recognized that voice. "I say, if she can just make these stones, we keep her with us and force her to make as many as we like."

There was some quiet agreement from the burn demon's fellows, and no response from the leader, but Hina stood firm. "You won't find it as easy as you might think to force my tears from me. It would be a waste, when I am willing to give you this much."

The large demon in the center pondered a while longer, weighing the options... whether to accept her offer, give her supplies, let her leave, in exchange for a king's ransom. Or whether to take the risk, take her captive, and see if they can't make it profitable to force her to make more... Perhaps it was because the man was a little smarter than the rest that he decided against force, choosing the path of least resistance and healthy profit. Or perhaps it was the small arm that ha begun to reach over Hina's shoulder, emanating enough heat to singe the edge of her hair.

"Fine, you got a deal, little lady!" The man finally said, and Hina openly breathed a sigh of relief. The stones were deposited in his hand, and only a few minutes later, Hina was walking from the camp freely, her children in her arms, and a heavy pack on her back. A tent, bedrolls, a couple pans, a canteen, flint and tinder, and several other supplies including, most importantly, food. It was a heavy burden on her slight frame, but it was one she was more than willing to shoulder for the comfort and peace of mind it would offer her and her children in the times to come. She'd grow stronger soon enough.

Hina smiled down at the pair of infants in her arms- Yukina looked sleepy and hungry, on the verge of becoming fussy for her dinner. The boy, on the other hand, was looking expectantly up at Hina with big, waiting eyes. Hina knew exactly what he was hoping for, and she was more than willing to give it. "Thank you for helping, my darling," she said, the smile on her face matched by the one that forms on her son's as his delighted purring rumbles forth, "you drove a very hard bargain! Can I count on you to keep mommy and Yukina safe?"

Her boy answered with a giggle, squirming in his wrappings. Hina knew, of course, that it was a heinous thing to put the burden of protection for her family on her weeks-old child... But he was willing, and he was already so strong, and there was very little alternative available. What else could Hina do, but let her boy fend off any threats, when he was so eager to do so? So she would let him, and praise him, and bask in the happiness it sparked between them. Her son, her pride and joy...