Christopher Golden - A Winter of Ghosts

"The storm is dying!" Miho shouted.

And it was. The wind's howlbegan to quiet. The snow lightened. Hachiro and Miho pulled hard and Kara'shands came free, the three of them tumbling to the ground together. Her handsand forearms were red and raw and bloody, and she couldn't feel them, but shecould move her fingers.

The ritual had worked. Yuki-Onna'spower was fading.

The witch spun around, staringin horror at the dying storm, the rest of them forgotten.

"No!"

She began to change, almost toshrink down upon herself. Her fingers became delicate and beautiful again, andher face followed suit. The wind danced around Yuki-Onna, her hair and herkimono flowing with it. As her power diminished her elegance and quiet, surrealloveliness returned.

Kara wondered if this was theface of Yuki-Onna, or the face of Etsoku Reizei, the girl who had died on themountain during the winter's first snow and whose ashes had been used to helpcreate a body for Yuki-Onna in this world.

The ghosts left her alone, then,standing by to watch as the winter witch glared at them all with eyes full ofhate.

"I still have the powerto kill you all," Yuki-Onna said, her voice like the wind, caressingthem, gusting around them.

"But you won't," Sakurasaid, stepping forward.

They all stared at her, thisgrim, hard-edged girl with her bandages, most of her face hidden by the jaggedveil of her hair. Kara did not know if the others could see it, but to her eyesthere were still two of Sakura, Akane's ghost blurred beside her, half joinedto her.

And then Sakura spoke in anothervoice.

"We won't let you," said the ghost of Akane Murakami.

And she left her sister, theintangible spirit only a silhouette against the snow as she rushed towardYuki-Onna. The Woman in White staggered backward in confusion but could donothing to stop it. Akane's ghost entered her, vanished inside of her.

Yuki-Onna cried out, but itsounded more like anguish than pain. The witch doubled over, and for the firsttime, Kara saw that she had left footprints in the snow.

Then she straightened up, andher eyes had changed.

They were no longer eclipsedwith bottomless black. Instead, they were a soft, gentle brown, and they werefilled with a quiet melancholy.

Sakura started toward her. Mihoseemed about to try to stop her, but Kara held up a hand to forestall anyinterference.

"Akane?" Sakura asked.

The snow woman shook her head. No.This wasn't Akane. But it wasn't really Yuki-Onna, either. Not the creature whohad longed to drink life and to kill with the cruelty of winter's darkest days.Perhaps it was that girl who'd died in the first storm of the season, or somecombination of the spirits inside Yuki-Onna now.

But Sakura smiled as though shedidn't believe it, like she was sure her sister was there. "I love you,"she said.

The wind, weaker than it was butstill strong, gusted powerfully once more. Snow picked up from the ground,swirling around Yuki-Onna, creating a churning maelstrom that lasted onlyseconds before it subsided into nothing.

A final gust, and then the windbecame an ordinary breeze, and the snow tapered to flurries, and Yuki-Onna wasgone.

And so were the ghosts.

"Master Kubo!" Mr.Yamato called, running over to drop to the snow beside Ume, who had beentending to the Unsui.

Kara walked slowly toward themwith Hachiro at her side. He was rubbing her hands, trying to get the bloodflowing well, to get some warmth back into them. Mai and Wakana appeared fromthe trees, helping a limping, bleeding Ren. Miss Aritomo and Miho approached aswell, until all but Sakura were gathered around the prone, unmoving body of theold monk whose kindness and wisdom had saved them all.

The Unsui, it appeared, wouldwander the clouds no longer. Or, perhaps , Kara thought, he willwander them forever, now .

But then Mr. Yamato looked up."He's still breathing. We need an ambulance."

Miss Aritomo pulled out herphone. Ume started snapping orders at Mai and Wakana, talking about her carbeing not far, just a couple hundred yards down the mountain.

Kara felt afraid to hope, butcould not stop herself. It felt nice. Hope and love were the things that wouldwarm her. She turned to Hachiro, stood on her toes, and kissed him. When thekiss was through their eyes met but neither of them spoke. There would be timeenough for words later. Instead, she lay her cheek against his chest and justrelished the feeling of him there, where he belonged.

"Look," Miho whisperedto her.

Kara glanced over and saw thatSakura had not joined them. She stood gazing up the mountain toward the placewhere Yuki-Onna had vanished.

"Give us a moment?" she said to Hachiro.

He nodded. "Of course. Whateveryou need."

Kara and Miho went over to joinSakura, standing on either side of her.

"Are you all right?" Miho asked.

"I will be, I think,"Sakura said. "But more importantly, I think Akane will be."

"I'm not sure I understandwhat happened," Kara admitted. "Is she Yuki-Onna now, the way theother girl was?"

Sakura nodded. "A part ofher, at least. When she was inside of me, I could feel what she felt and I knewwhat she knew. It was. . it was what I needed. It was wonderful. Now shewill be a part of Yuki-Onna, and none of us will have anything to fear from theWoman in White again. And Akane has put her own anger and bitterness behindher. In the spring, when winter is through, her spirit will finally go on tothe peace she has always deserved. And the rest of the ghosts will as well."

Kara reached out and took Sakura'shand, squeezed it in her own. On the other side of her, Miho did the same.

"Then we can all have peace," Kara said.

"And a new beginning,"Miho added.

Sakura nodded, then turned toher friends with a wistful smile.

"Let's go home."

Shortly after ten o'clock thenext morning, Sakura stood outside the hospital smoking her last cigarette.

She had taken up the habit outof nervousness and a careful cultivation of rebellion. Or at least theappearance of rebellion. Smoking cigarettes had given her an excuse to besolitary, to find places to hide and think. Miho's friendship had been her onlysalvation at first, and then Kara had come along and surprised them all, thisgaijin girl who had become like a sister to both Miho and Sakura.

A sister.

Sakura would miss Akane for aslong as she lived, but she felt a peace now that she had only thought she hadachieved before. This was different. She and Akane had had a glimpse into eachother's hearts in a way that she had never imagined possible, and they hadrecognized a kinship that went beyond being sisters. They shared anger .

But now Akane had found peace. Sakurafelt a terrible loss at the thought that they were parted from one another,now, but she had made her peace with that as well. She wanted to live a lifethat would make her sister proud, to strive and succeed and find happiness thatwould have been enough for both of them.

With a smile, she glanced at thecigarette in her hand — only half-smoked, she flicked it to the walkwayand ground it under her heel. It reminded her of a girl she no longer wanted tobe.

A door whooshed open behind herand she turned to see Mai coming out of the hospital. The girls regarded oneanother for a few seconds, and then Mai smiled.

"Is this the smokingsection?"

Sakura gestured to the deadcigarette on the ground. "I just quit."

"Can you spare one, then? Ithought I saw you headed out here."

Sakura handed her the half-emptypacket. "Take them. I won't need them anymore."

"Wow. You're serious. Goodfor you. I would like to quit, but not today," Mai said.

She lit a cigarette, took adrag, and blew out a plume of smoke. Sakura felt tempted to go back inside, butinstead she wrapped her scarf more tightly around her neck and plunged herhands into her pockets.