Happy Holidays from me to you!

Chapter One: Good Cop/Bad Cop

Shiori Aoki cringed away from the all-too-eager face of Tamaki Suou. In her mind’s eye, the blond upperclassman reminded her of a puppy that was about to attack its favorite chew toy. Based on their antics (rumored or otherwise seen), the girl knew that members Host Club were a strange bunch but this was just ludicrous.

The Third Music Room was usually bathed in light and in an equivocal splendor. It was utterly flamboyant and ridiculously colorful at times. So with these facts in mind, it still didn’t explain why the infamous room was now shrouded in shadows, why Umehito Nekozawa would feel right at home at this very moment.

The only source of illumination was a lamp hanging from the ceiling and it kept swinging back and forth, back and forth; it was making her nauseous. Adding more to her discomfort were her arms were bounded to a chair’s armrests (her skin was also chaffing on the straps) and someone used a sock to gag her mouth. She prayed to whatever deity that watched over her that said sock was at least clean.

And then, the lamp stopped swaying, the sock was taken out of her mouth, the straps were loosened and light slowly engulfed her surroundings. She blinked and shook her head, straining her eyes in order to adjust to the sudden brightness. The girl sighed when she started to rub the raw skin on her forearms.

“You know, this isn’t really necessary,” a soft voice spoke, interrupting Shiori’s ministrations.

“Hah-Haruuuuhiiiiii!” This other voice made the girl flinch and cover her ears. “Ha-how can you not see that the situation is dire?? Dahaa-hiiirrreeeeee!?”

Well, you would too if Tamaki Suou’s yell was unfortunately in definite earshot.

The younger boy sighed and replied calmly, “As usual, everyone — especially you, Tamaki-senpai — are blowing this out of proportion.”

“‘Out of proportion?! ‘Especially me’?? BUT I’M YOUR FATHER!”

“I only have one father! ONLY. ONE.”

The last retort made Tamaki retreat into one corner of the room, somehow darkening the aura surrounding it.

“Is… is Suou-senpai well?” Shiori asked, craning her neck to get a better look at the gloomy upperclassman. “Huh. There are mushrooms growing…”

A chuckle made Shiori look up. The first thing she saw was a clipboard and then a pen scribbling something down. Lifting her chin a little, she caught Kyouya Ootori’s enigmatic smile.

“It may be hard to believe at first but this is actually commonplace, Aoki-san.”

“‘Commonplace’, you say,” she said, throwing a quick glance at the Host Club king before looking back at Kyouya. “And I thought the Visual Arts club had interesting people.”

The bespectacled boy let another chuckle escape. “Hmm.’Interesting’ is putting it nicely….”

She was about to say something else when someone tapped her shoulder. She turned and saw the famed baby-faced member, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, looking at her with dewy eyes.

“Shi-chan?” he hiccuped. Uh oh.

“Ha-hai?” Shiori found herself swallowing a lump in her throat. It looked bad; his lip started to quiver.

Man, why did she feel like she just kicked a kitten senselessly?

Whatever the little blond wanted to say was lost since he started to sob. Fellow senior and cousin, Takashi Morinozuka bent down to Honey-senpai’s level and patted his head.

“T-Takashi?”

“Aa.”

“Uwaaaa! Takashi!”

She watched in mute horror as the loli-shota clung to his cousin, burying his little face into Mori-senpai’s chest. The girl rose from her seat and quickly searched her pockets for something, anything she could offer to her smaller upperclassman for him to wipe his tears.

Who knew a handkerchief would be so elusive right now?

“Ah, here… Anou, Honey-senpai?” she said, gingerly tapping the older boy’s shoulder.

“*sniff* Ha-hai?” Mitsukuni rubbed his eyes before turning to face her fully.

“Um,” The girl knelt down and gently dabbed his cheeks with her handkerchief. “Please don’t cry, senpai.”

Shiori heard a whimper in reply. When she got a better look of her upperclassman’s face, she felt her heart twist at Honey-senpai’s crestfallen state.

“I-I’m… not quite sure what’s going on but it’s upsetting you,” Shiori sighed; she paused to tuck a stray hair behind his ear with her free hand. “I’m sorry. I-I wish I knew what to say to make it better… somehow.”

She wanted to say more but Mitsukuni shook his head, taking the hand that was wiping his tears into his own.

“Mm, it’s okay,” he chirped, gently squeezing the girl’s hand. “Now I know Shi-chan’s a nice person!”

The blonde couldn’t help but blush at that. People commenting on her kindness was something Shiori couldn’t get used to. Unlike the other instances, she was able to recover quickly and return a shy smile. She also squeezed the older boy’s hand in response.

“I’m glad.” she mumbled, finally turning away from her senpai’s direction. Mitsukuni released her hand in order to take up his cousin’s offer to ride the taller boy’s shoulders. Takashi grunted, making the girl look up at him.

He surprised her by patting the top of her head and giving a small smile of his own.

Her heart wasn’t twisting in agony anymore. It was now spluttering frantically against her chest. The worse part was she liked it.

“Um, you’re welcome?”

“Aa.” he patted her head again before making his way to one of the tables; Honey-senpai in tow.

Before she could even gather her bearings, two pairs of hands came out of nowhere and shoved her back to the chair she vacated earlier.

“Hey!” At least they didn’t tie her up this time. “That hurt!”

“Che. You’re no funnnnnn,” Kaoru Hitachiin cooed, plopping himself on a table that was in front Shiori’s chair all this time. “We didn’t even get to play ‘good cop/bad cop’!”

“Yeah!” Hikaru Hitachiin echoed his brother’s movements. The only difference was that he leaned towards the girl, wanting to close any physical distance between the two of them. Shiori tried to lean back but her head bumped against the head rest with a loud thump.

The older twin chuckled. “Is this bothering you?” he leaned even closer for emphasis.

For goodness sake, yes!, she screamed the thought in her head.

In a desperate attempt to evade the boy, Shiori leaned back; not realizing that this would make the chair she was sitting in to tip backwards. Before she could realize this, she was jilted forward; her abdomen almost colliding into the table.

“Hikaru! She almost tipped over!” With a slight tilt of her head, the blonde saw Haruhi’s hands gripping either side of the chair. Then she felt something tightening on her forearm. Shiori squinted at the pale hand that had her arm in a tight grip; it belonged to the younger Hitachiin.

“I could’ve sworn you were going for ‘intimidation’; not ‘flirtation’, Hikaru.” Kaoru chuckled, dropping the girl’s arm in the process.

The older twin simply shrugged the statement off. “Both could work,” he turned to the blonde and smirked,”… as long as you get the results you wanted.”

He said it so casually; in such a blase way that it left the girl speechless. His amber gaze caught hers and Shiori felt her blood simmer.

The devilish smile he was her giving right now had had made throngs of teenage girls swoon at the very glimpse of it. But given the context of her current situation, that smoldering gaze had a very condescending undertone to it.

It was like he was utterly confident if he scared her witless; if he dazzled her, she would be all-too-willing to tell him everything he needed to know.

She balled her hand into a fist at the thought. Pliable. Easy to mold. Easy to manipulate. Like clay…

But before Shiori could even voice out her indignation, a soothing voice somehow managed to quell the anger that was rising inside her.

“Aoki-san?” Haruhi gently patted the girl’s shoulder to get her attention, making the blonde uncurl her fist. “Are you all right? Were you hurt anywhere?”

When she didn’t answer (Shiori’s throat suddenly felt parched), the rookie shooed the twins off the table and moved in front of the blonde so he would be able to look at her fully.

“Did you bump your head?” the brunette placed both of his hands at the table, leaning to closer to get a better look of their priso-er, guest. “Please. You have to tell me…”

“I-I’m f-fine!” she manage to sputter out; crimson crept into her cheeks at sudden her outburst. “A little shaken but I’m fine.”

“Good,” Haruhi smiled and Shiori felt her face burn. “But two people here owe you an apology.”

“But we’re not sorry~~”

My story title came from a song. I’m drawing a blank who sang it though O.o. It belongs to the rightful owners!

*~*~*

Chapter One: This Does Not Bode Well

“What are you doing here?” Vivian was astonished. Why was the golden boy and musician extraordinaire Caleb gracing his presence in the dance studio?

“Um,” Caleb wanted to ask the same question to himself. “I need your help.”

“On what?” She wrapped the towel she was drying herself with around her neck. The girl had to hear this.

“Well, I accidentally signed up for dance as my P.E.”

“No. Really?”

“Vivian, let me finish.”

“Well, I’m all ears.”

Vivian eyed the boy carefully. They weren’t exactly friends but the two of them are civil to one another when they pass each other in the halls. A simple wave, a nod, and a cordial smile were all the communication they did.

But now…

“Y’see…”

It looked like Caleb was about to ask for a huge favor.

“I’ve been told repeatedly that I have ‘no sense of rhythm’ by Professor Quodrado.”

“Oh, Mr. Q? Yeah, he’s a tough teacher.”

“Anyway, he told me if I don’t ‘shape up’, he’s going to fail me.”

“Uh huh… Not once you considered dropping his subject? Choosing another PE?”

“I can’t. Well, not now. It’s way too late in the semester.”

Truthfully, she still didn’t see where she would fit in all of this. Vivian clicked her tongue (a bad habit but it helped her think) and placed her hand on her hip, still looking closely at Caleb.

“Okay, so you’re stuck with it,” The boy groaned inwardly. He was convinced that Vivian was purposely making this very vexing for him. “Aaand, you need my help… why?”

“Geez, Vivian,” Caleb took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I thought that somehow you can… ‘Tutor’ me.”

“I don’t think having two left feet can be cured.” She said with a laugh. “Nice try.”

“Awww! Come on, Vivi!”

“Vivi? Okay, the cutesy nickname isn’t going to convince me.”

The boy was growing desperate. He was seriously considering going down on his knees and beg. No, grovel was the more appropriate word.

“Vivian, please!” Well, it couldn’t hurt to try his luck. “What do I need to do? Be a worm and grovel at your feet?”

“Err, it’s a start.”

“Bow? Offer a human sacrifice?”

“Caleb—“

“Wear a coconut bra, a grass skirt, and then do the hula?”

The girl threw her towel at the boy; chuckling while doing so. “If you’re going to do the last part, you wouldn’t be here at all.”

“Yeah, true… By the way, why did you throw your towel at me?”

“To shut you up.” Vivian yanked the towel back and hanged it over a nearby chair. “I don’t know… Besides academics, dance classes pretty much eat up my time.”

“Then… when you’re free?”

“I have to ‘tutor’ you on weekends?!” She pretended to gasp. “Caleb, you’re poking a hole in my social life.”

“Do you even have social life?”

She now acted that she was shot in the chest. “Ouch. That’s harsh.” Vivian flopped to the floor and imitated how cartoon characters feign death. “Tell my mother that I… left the stove open.”

“Vivian,” Caleb fought back a grin before grabbing both of her wrists and hoisted her off the floor. “I’m dead serious. I really, really need help.”

Vivian saw that his expression was earnest and sincere, much to her dismay. “Okay, okay,” she sighed. “Tell me the where and the when.”

“Finally!” He took out a scrap of paper from his jean pocket and took out a pen that was tucked inside to his shirt collar. “Here’s my cell phone number. I’ll send you a text message with the details.”

“Well, okay so—“

He slapped the paper into her hand and then mock saluted the girl. “It’s a date!”

“Caleb, no! It’s not a date!”

“I’ll see you Saturday!”

Once the boy was out of earshot, Vivian said to herself somberly, “This does not bode well…”

Tokiya singing

Duet

and “Way Back Into Love” belongs to its proper owners. =D

~*~*~*~

“Mi-channnn”

“No.”

“Come on, Mi-channnnnn.”

“For the nth time Kirisawa, no.”

“AGH! COME FUCKING ON!”

“You’re very persuasive, ne?”

“Damn straight! COME HERE ASS!”

Fuuko pried off Tokiya from their table and dragged him to the karaoke bar’s stage. The boy now regretted in going along with this “excursion” as Yanagi had put it.

Actually, he wouldn’t have minded it at all if they were in a private room, just embarrassing themselves in front of friends and whatnot. But everybody – except himself, of course – wanted to sing in front of the entire karaoke bar.

It had the right ambiance for a wannabe POP star; big stage, bright lights, fog machine (That’s right. A fog machine). It was a bit too much for “Open Mike Night” but the people loved it.

Apparently, so did the rest of the Hokage.

“Okay,” Fuuko hissed while looking through a song book “I’ll make you a deal. We’re doing a duet. So, if I really bombed my part, you’re free to leave the stage.”

The swordsman liked the deal so far and the girl continued.

“But! If I sing beautifully, you’ll have to stay.”

“Kirisawa—“

“I’m not finished,” she swatted the song book at his arm “Now, if you bombed, I’ll personally drag our sorry asses off the stage, then I’ll drag Yanagi-chan and Recca so they’ll finish the song.”

“So… That’s all she wrote?”

“Pretty much.”

“…”

“I’ll pick an easy song. Don’t worry, you baby.” Before Tokiya could say anything, the wind girl scurried over to the karaoke machine operator and told the guy what numbers he should push.

“8453, miss?”

“Yeah, thanks mister!” With that, she flounced back to the older boy’s side.

“Yo,” She poked the Ensui master’s shoulder “I’ll tell you a secret. I suck MAJORLY. What have you got to lose? HMMM??”

“Let’s just get this over with, you monkey.”

“I should’ve picked a 5 minute song then.”

“You wouldn’t—“

“Psych. Hehe, relax Mi-chan. This is painless.”

“Just start already!”

Fuuko gestured to the karaoke operator that they were good to go. The boy squinted at the screen, making sure he read the title of the song right.

“’Way Back Into Love’? Are you implying something?”

“Shut up and just listen to me bomb okay? God!”

The whole karaoke bar was silent when the piano intro was played on the speakers. Tokiya braced himself for his immediate exit. He glanced at the screen and it showed that the female part was sung first.

I’ve been living with a shadow over head
I’ve been sleeping with a cloud above my bed
I’ve been lonely for so long
Trapped in the past, I just can’t seem to move on

She didn’t bomb at all. Fuuko was in tune and her voice was surprisingly pleasant. What didn’t match the voice was the smirk she wore. It was saying “Your turn.”

I’ve been hiding all my hopes and dreams away
Just in case I ever need them again someday
I’ve been setting aside time, to clear a little space in the corners of my mind

It was the girl’s turn to be surprised. She was now convinced that her ex-teammate was multi-talented. And the females in the audience concurred whole-heartedly.

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love
Ohh…

“HAH! YOU HAVE TO STAY BIYOTCH!” Fuuko yelled into the mike, ruining the moment for Tokiya.

“Kirisawa—“

“Epp! My turn again!” She stuck out her tongue at him.

I’ve been watching but the stars refuse to shine
I’ve been searching but I just don’t see the signs
I know that it’s out there
There’s got to be something for my soul somewhere

She removed the mike from the stand and sauntered over to Tokiya. He kept a wary eye on her as he backed away. He almost fell off the stage. Well, two can play at that game.

I’ve been looking for someone to shed some light
Not somebody just to get me through the night

Grabbing her shoulder and peering down at her, he emphasized, “I could use some direction, and I’m open to your suggestions.”

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love

Fuuko did not miss a beat. She looked up at him and touched his face when she sang “And If I open my heart again. I guess I’m hoping you’ll be there for me in the end.”

The crowd was loving their little act. The trouble was it felt a little too authentic for the both of them. The Fuujin master decided to lessen the tension the only way she knew how: Physical force.

Ohhhh…

Ohhhhh– Ooof!

She elbowed the swordsman at the second “Ohhhh.” The crowd also lapped that up.

Hohhhhhhhoooo

Fuuko snickered when the deed was done while Tokiya rubbed his sore part.

“Mi-chan! Just a little more. Come on!”

There are moments when I don’t know if it’s real
or if anybody feels the way I feel

“I need inspiration.” The older boy tilted her chin up.

“Not just another negotiation.” She placed her hand on his chest.

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can’t make it through without a way back into love
and If I open my heart to you
I’m hoping you’ll show me what to do
and if you help me to start again
you know that I’ll be there for you in the end.

They both turned to the audience and sang the chorus once more. Their movements were so natural, so fluid. They both wondered if they were still putting on a show or not.

“Big finish.” Fuuko said with a wink.

Ohhhhohhhhh…

She turned away from Tokiya and stepped back. The swordsman grabbed her forearm, holding her back.

Hooohooooo…

Ohhohhh…

He approached her slowly, staring directly into her eyes. His hand reached out, then hesitated to touch her again.

Whoaaaohh…

Tokiya surprised them both. He took Fuuko’s hand in his and tugged her closer to him.

Whoooaaahoooh…

Fuuko gently placed her head on his chest and looked up at him with an earnest expression. He found himself holding his breath.

Ohhohhhh…

The older boy rested his forehead against the wind girl’s. She felt the blood rush to her face.

Ohhhohoohh…

The last adlib was sung softly because Fuuko came to the realization that there was a nonexistent distance between her and Tokiya. They were brought out to their stupor when the audience cheered wildly for them.

“Fuuko-channnn! You were so cooool!” It was Yanagi’s voice that brought her back to her senses. The Fuujin master distanced herself from the boy to answer her friend.

“Yanagi-channnnnn! Thank youuuu! Thank you very much, everyoneeeee! Clap for my singing partner. Come on!”

They both bowed and said their thanks. The boy then marched her off to the side, wanting to clarify something. Stopping backstage, he turned her around to face him, and said in the most astonished voice, “What. Was. That?”

“Stage Flirting.”

Now, I’m not a fan of the Vampire genre but I have read 3 novels and 2 graphic novels that do indeed center on these “denizens of the night” (Hah! That was lame! XDD Sorry about that).

To be specific, that would be the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer, Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino, and Midnight Secretary by Ohmi Tomu (Oh yes. I has read smut 8D).

I noticed the female leads in each story - Bella Swan, Yuki Cross, and Kaya Satozuki respectively - have one thing in common. Their blood is special. That it scent is “mouth-watering” and the taste is “sweet” (I think Bella is an exception of this because Edward is really fighting his urge to suck her blood unlike the other male leads in the series I mentioned).

So, people who are more well-versed in this genre, is this a trope among Vampire stories or am I reading too much into this?

Okay… let’s see:

1. IMing online friends
2. Surfing in Winglica
3. Eat lots and lots of junk food
4. Nap XD;;;;
5. Update Haruhi Fujioka’s shrine (which I haven’t been doing lately)
6. IM RPing with michan, mido, mommy-daa, kitty, and toast-chama (not necessarily in that order 8D I miss you guys!)
7. Writing Fanfiction
8. Writing Original Fiction
9. Playing RPGs (Folklore ftw!)
10. Read books that aren’t related to school

I did this because I’m done with my two exams for the week! I’m so happy ;~~;

I’ve noticed that my reaction to boy-on-boy action (that rhymed XD) are not, well, normal :P. For example, when twins Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin were doing their “Brotherly Love” act in Ouran, I laughed.

That’s right. I went “OMG hahahahahahahaha!!!11one” instead of probably cringing or squealing all fangirly-like.

This happened again when I was watching the movie “Kinsey” with my History 4 class. There was a part where Kinsey kind of makes out with his assistant (who was also a man). It went something like:

Class: Moeeeeeeeeee!

Me: OMGFTWBBQ hahahahahahahaha!! XDDDDD

There was that time during literature class but it had toned down into a chuckle rather than a full blown guffaw. Guess that doesn’t count.

One more reason why I think I’m not quite right in head. Oh well.

I think I’m the only student that has inflicted a badminton-related injury on herself. My prof sort of said that herself ^^;;;;.

Note to self: Never space out during a service. Since:

Badminton racket + shuttlecock + lack of coordination = bloody lip and a bloody shirt used to apply pressure on lip

(I’m fine. It didn’t hurt and it’s a small scratch ^^b).

Yeah. Being clumsy is H-O-T.

—————————–

Fuuko let out a long string of curses as she paced around the nippy cabin. Everyone of the Hokage – except for her, Ganko, Kondo, and Tokiya – went outside to enjoy the snow.

Actually, she wanted to go with them too but when the little puppet master came down with a sudden fever, the wind child decided to stay and take care of the little girl.

Kondo did show concern for his mistress and became Fuuko’s pseudo nurse (though the plush fox also tried to feel up the older girl’s notable “assets”). All it took to make him stop was a threat from the wind girl. She could look vicious if she really wanted to.

Now, Tokiya did not stay behind to help Fuuko. He stayed so he could read in peace. That’s right, to READ.

She could understand his decision to read now when everybody else was outside. Recca, Domon, and Kaoru were the noisiest members of the bunch. The girl admitted that she was a part of their noise but she knew her limits. Her harisen came in handy in shutting up the three of them.

What Fuuko did not understand is why did Tokiya have not used this opportunity to hone his Ensui? He was the most disciplined fighter in their days in the Ura Butou Satsujin. Rightfully so, because he trained his ass off while she and others had fun doing karaoke and the like.

You would think that the boy would be happy to commune with his element but no, he was inside the cabin, reading god-knows-what while Fuuko and Kondo took care of Ganko.

But unfortunately, this wasn’t the reason why the Fuujin master let out a long string of curses. The reason was they were snowed in. While Ganko and her fox plushie were sound asleep, Fuuko was on the brink of panicking.

“Dammit,” she hissed while pacing faster now. “Where the hell are they? They were also going to bring food for us as well!”

“Calm down Kirisawa,”

“HOW CAN I!? We’re stuck in here without any food; we have a sick kid and a perverted stuff toy in our custody; we’re also going to freeze to death!”

Tokiya got up from his place in front of the fire to assess the situation calmly. He stood in front of Fuuko to stop her from pacing and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her a little.

“Calm down Fuuko,” he still used that icy tone of voice but with more conviction.

She finally stopped moving around and took a seat on the couch. Her blue eyes widened when she remembered that the older boy only used her name – not surname- when he was serious. “Do you want Ganko and Kondo to panic as well?”

“N-no,” she managed to squeak out. “I’m just… Ah, the cold is getting to me.” A chuckle escaped from her. Tokiya assumed that his tomboyish companion calmed down. He relinquished his hold on her shoulders and started to search for his madougu.

“The Ensui could make the cold a bit bearable for now,” he pocketed the sword and sat down beside Fuuko on the couch.

The sudden weight shift startled the wind girl. The temperature was at a comfortable level so it made her relax a moment. She stifled a yawn and made herself focus on the fire. Do not fall asleep, she told herself. Fall asleep and you’re doomed.

“Is Ganko and that pervert asleep?”

“Huh? What?”

“Ganko and Kondo. Your charge and nurse for the evening. Are they asleep?”

“Oh,” Fuuko couldn’t control herself anymore. She yawned before answering. “Yep. Fed them dinner and gave Ganko her medicine.”

“Fuuko, stay awake,”

“I (yawn) know. Sorry,” Her legs hoisted the girl off the couch and made her way to the kitchen cabinet. “I hope you don’t mind a couple of instant noodles and hot chocolate for dinner. It’s all we have here.”

“The chocolate will keep you awake,” The older boy smirked while flicking his bangs off his forehead. Fuuko just smirked back.

“Har har. Very funny, Mi-chan. Believe me, I won’t spit in your noodles out of revenge.”

Though they went through the evening arguing and getting bruises – More on Tokiya than Fuuko – the Fuujin master found herself actually enjoying Tokiya’s company. Sure, his intelligence intimidated her but he didn’t flaunt his “mental superiority” at her. Though the book he brought with him baffled her.

“’To Kill a Mocking Bird’,” She gingerly picked up the thing and read the English title. “I’m afraid to ask; you’re reading about how to kill some bird?”

“No,” Tokiya chuckled a bit and took the book from Fuuko. “But I think you can relate to the story. One of the characters here has a strong sense of justice. He’s a lawyer…”

“Before you bore the hell out of me, I’ll check on Ganko okay?”

“Sure. Go ahead. But you’re going to hear an earful from me.”

“I can’t wait!”

The pleasantness of the evening soon wore off when the wind girl arrived at Ganko’s room. The younger girl was panting like she was running a decathlon. She was also tossing and turning. Worry flooded into Fuuko’s features. When she looked for Kondo, he was fast asleep at the floor.

“Kondo!” The girl grabbed the toy by the neck and shook it. No such luck.

“I… Want… A… Meat… Bun… Yum.”

“KONDO!! WAKE UP!” She finally got the fox’s attention by yelling into his ear. Before he could scream his protests, the Fuujin master gagged the toy’s mouth with her fist.

“Mha ma matuh?”

“Why weren’t you keeping an eye on her? I specifically told you to tell me if there were problems!” Fuuko took out her fist out of Kondo’s mouth. The little thing shook his head vigorously before he whined his answer out.

“Geez. She was fine after you gave us dinner. I thought I could take a break, ya know?”

Fuuko groaned and told Kondo to sit with Tokiya. The former didn’t need to take a step further because the latter came into the room when he heard the ruckus a while ago.

“What happened?”

“I think her fever got worse,” The girl sat on the bed and felt Ganko’s forehead. “Crap. She’s burning up. We’re out of medicine too!” Kondo tried to use the silence as an opportunity to escape. A kunai that almost gashed his tail told him otherwise.

“I’ma stayin’ I’ma stayin’. Keep your panties on!”

“You better! I’ll deal with you tomorrow, you rag doll,”

“RAG DOLL?!”

Tokiya took the toy by the tail and promptly threw him against the window.

“Think about what you did while you ooze there,” he said while poking Kondo with his foot.

“Haaaaaiii. I’ll sleep now, yes?” The fox said dreamily as he lost consciousness.

Fuuko started to pace again. She needed to come up with a plan to bring down Ganko’s fever. If she recalled correctly her mother used to say that bundling up will sweat out the fever. She then started to look for the woolen blanket she had packed (In case the ones in the cabin were inadequate which they were in reality).

“Aha! Found you!” It took her and the Ensui master a while to wrap the little girl without waking her up but they did it. “Phew.” The girl sat at the other end of the bed to catch her breath.

”You really care for her,” The wind girl looked up at Tokiya, surprised by his statement

“Huh? Ganko? Of course! She’s like my little sister!” Fuuko said proudly.

“Just like Mifuyu.”

“Mifuyu? As in your sister, Mifuyu? Er, thanks, I guess.” The older boy sat beside her, a little closer than when they were sitting alone at the fireplace. It was unnerving for Fuuko so she shifted in her seat a bit.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment. The younger girl was no longer stirring yet she shivered a little. The Fuujin master was a little grateful that she didn’t need to sit with Tokiya a moment longer. It was getting tense for her.

“She’s still hot. This is not good,” Fuuko kneeled and stroke Ganko’s hair “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“I have an idea,” Tokiya said, back still turned. Without warning, he took off his jacket and sweat shirt, revealing his bareback to Fuuko. “Take your clothes off.”

”MIKAGAMI!” The girl felt the blood rush to her face. “What the fuck are you doing?!”

“What? I was merely going to suggest they we both hug her to share our body heat. It’s common sense, Kirisawa,” His tone was innocent and he chuckled at his companion’s reaction.

“Oh,” Fuuko felt her face heat up more. “You’re fine with this?” Great. He’s going to think I’m some kind of pervert. She thought dejectedly.

“Positive,” Tokiya climbed into the bed and held Ganko. “You?”

“Fine. I’ll strip under the covers. No peeking!”

“Are you talking to Domon, Kirisawa?”

“Good point. Now scoot a little. Don’t wake her!” She sank under the covers and removed her jacket and sweater. Her feet pushed the garments of the bed and turned to face Tokiya. Wordlessly, he gently pulled Fuuko closer to him but not so much so Ganko could still breathe.

“Don’t worry. I won’t.”

It was strange to her, lying with Tokiya and Ganko like this. Yet there was this feeling peace and security. It reminded her that when she was a little girl, she would sometimes just go to her parents’ room just to be close them.

Shit, we look like a family! She winced inwardly when this realization dawned on her. Fuuko glanced over to see if the Ensui master had fallen asleep. His eyes were half-lidded, as if he was fighting to stay awake.

“You can rest Mikagami,” Her whisper was hoarse but Tokiya heard it anyway.

“Hn?”

“I can watch her. You can go sleep.” Tokiya slowly propped his head up with his free hand.

“I thought we were doing this together?”

“We were? (Yawn) Why, I didn’t know you cared, Mi-chan,” She still had the energy to sass him. It amused the boy a bit.

“Well, you’ll only be able to see this side of me for tonight only,”

“Why is that, Mi-chan?” Fuuko sat up and batted her eyelashes for effect.

“Because the people who have left us in here are going to threaten me with bodily harm if you and Ganko become popsicles.”

“Right, right,” The girl tenderly placed her hand on Ganko’s head to check if she wasn’t feverish anymore. “She’s better now. Thank God. I guess we don’t need to—Hey!”

“Why are you getting up?” Before the wind girl could rise up, the swordsman grabbed her hand and pulled her down. “Her fever is down; yes. But we might get hypothermia if we’re not warm throughout the night.”

“You want us to be sushi for the rest of the night?”

“You do want to ski tomorrow, don’t you?”

“I do. And I want Ganko to recover quickly. I promised her I’ll teach her to ice skate. And Mi-chan?”

“What?”

“You’re crushing my hand,”

“Oh. I’m sorry about. It’s cold though,”

“Really? Then it’s okay then,”

“What?”

“For you to hold to my hand. I mean, the people who left us in this Godforsaken cabin would spaz if I lost my limbs to frostbite.”

“Touché.”

The next morning, Ganko wiggled out between the two teenagers that were keeping her warm. She was thankful to the both of them. They fussed over her and made sure her fever went down; she was grateful for that.

However, the little girl won’t let them know that she was half-awake when everything happened last night. Her eyes were closed but her ears picked up every single detail.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were flirting with each other last night,” Ganko giggled as she stealthily moved across the room, picking up Kondo on her way out. “You were a lot of trouble. Ne, Kondo?”

“I dun wanna go to school, mommy! I wanna stay home and bake cookies with you! (1)”

“Silly fox,” the little girl hugged the plushie while locking the door behind her. Good thinking too. Even though Domon Ishijima could break through the door – After a couple of tries – the banging would give Fuuko and Tokiya time to get themselves out of a compromising situation.

- END -

(1) Kondo’s line came from the movie “Space Jam”. If I remember correctly, Daffy Duck said this when he was knocked out XD.

[x] You dress the way you want to.
[ ] You hang out with friends more than once a week
[x] There is a computer/ laptop in your room
[ ] You have never been beaten up
[ ]You NEVER cry more than twice a month.
[x] You are allowed to listen to the music you want to.
[ ] Your room is big enough for you.
T0 T A L: 3

[x] You get allowance
[ ] You collect something normal.
[ ] You look forward to going to school.
[x] You don’t wish you were someone else.
[x] You play a sport.
[x] You do something after school.
T 0 T A L: 4

[ ] You own a car.
[x] You usually don’t fight with your mom
[x] You are happy with your appearance
[ ] You have never gotten a failing grade in your life
[x] You have friends
T 0 T A L: 3

[ ] You know what is going on in the world.
[x] You care about many people.
[x] You know more than one language
[x] You have a screen name.
[x] You own a pet.
[x] You know the words to more than 5 songs.
[x] You don’t have any enemies
[x] You are a generally nice person.
T O T A L: 7

TOTAL OVERALL: 63

Now count your numbers and multiply by 3
Then title this “MY LIFE IS _% HAPPY”

Hmm… not bad. XD