A/n: I don't know . . . I felt like writing this.

And because of course I feel like writing when school starts again

O~~O~~O

Ah, nothing tastes quite as bitter as the morning breath of the first day back to school. Christmas is over, the artificial tree might already be back in the basement, stored in a cardboard box next to the cobwebbed bicycle, and the textbooks must be retrieved from the various places around the house. The dark wintry morning is filled with moans, lost socks, and bagged lunches. At school, the students shuffle to class and grumble about the injustice of it all. But winter break couldn't last forever, for the show must go on.

The mood inevitably picked up around the afternoon, and it was then that Tadase collected the other Guardians in the library. He would have loved to meet at the typical Royal Garden, but it was January and there wasn't any internal heating. No one protested to relocate to the library; it was better than having their butts frozen to the chairs.

Sitting by a window with a view of the cloudy day and a bare tree, Tadase planned an activity for the Guardians to reconnect, since they never met as a large group over break. They had planned to, but all of their schedules had conflicted.

But looking around, Tadase had the vague feeling that it wasn't going to work.

He realized that the table was a rectangle, not a circle like the frozen one outside.

Tadase frowned at that.

And so all of the Guardians were frowning. Or, at least they weren't smiling from ear to ear.

To Tadase's right, and on a corner seat, Rima sat primly. Or, rather, she stared ahead at a bookshelf. Bored stiff.

Going around the rectangle, Nagihiko had pulled out a textbook and worked on math homework, only to have to stop every other problem because it was uninteresting.

Across from Tadase, he only saw a backpack. Yaya's head was using it as a cushion as she tried to capture sleep. It seemed not even sugar could save her.

And on Tadase's left, Amu yawned as she crossed her arms and slouched in her seat.

Well, it looked like Tadase had a lively group today.

Tadase tried to smile and cheerlessly said, "So, how were all of your holidays? Nagihiko?"

Looking up from his textbook, Nagihiko said, "Oh, uh it was alright. How about you?" Then he went back working.

"Oh I had a nice break. You know, saw my family and . . ." Tadase knew he had none of their attentions. " . . . Anybody else?"

"Nope," was all Rima said. Tadase wasn't sure that was even a proper answer.

"Okay, then. Well, did anybody come up with a New Year's resolution?" Tadase prodded.

"Nope." Rima deadpanned.

Tadase glanced at Rima, but continued anyway. "I'm going to try to be more open to new things. Like, things I haven't done before and broaden my horizon."

"Oh, that's nice," Amu muttered. But then she yawned again.

"How about we go around in a circle and try to come up with resolutions. Um . . . Rima, how about you go first." Tadase needed to get these people awake and thinking.

Rima blinked slowly and stared at Tadase. It looked like she was trying to glare but just didn't have the energy to do so. "My New Year resolution is . . . to be taller."

Complete silence, and then, "Yes, I believe that you can easily achieve that." Nagihiko said that to himself, but everyone heard and Rima knocked his science textbook off the table and onto the ground.

"Rima, pick that up." Nagihiko looked at Rima and then at his fallen book. Every second wasted meant that the binding was breaking and the pages were bending.

"No, I think that you can easily achieve that yourself." Rima quipped. And smiled, just a bit.

Ah, of course, Tadase thought. Just get those two in a fight and everyone else can be amused.

Nagihiko leaned and swiped his book back, and said. "Well my New Year's resolution is to remain taller than Rima. And so far, I'm doing just fine."

Rima kicked his leg, once, for good measure.

Nagihiko nudged Yaya, shaking her shoulders. "Yaya, wake up, what's your New Year's resolution?"

Yaya shrugged him off and shook her head. But at the persistent nagging of the other Guardians, Yaya mumbled. "To go back to winter break, and stay there."

"That's impossible." Rima raised her nose, regally. But the effect was ruined when she sneezed. "I knew I was coming down with something."

"Her resolution's not as impossible as becoming taller—and being you at the same time." Nagihiko teased.

Rima sniffed, instead of responding to him, and said, "Amu. Your turn."

Amu sat up when she realized the focus was on her, and said, "I guess I want to spend more time with Ami, and be a better sister. And work harder at school to get my grades up."

Tadase smiled at Amu. "That's great." Now turning to address the rest of them, he said, "And as a member of the Guardians, I just want to say that let's have a great year and help out as many kids as we can. We're improving every year."

The table fell silent, and Rima said, with an almost disgusted look on her face (as in, an eyebrow raised), "Was that some sort of motivational speech? You could have done better by bringing hot cocoa. I've decided: your new resolution is to get better at persuasion."

Nagihiko smiled. "There you go, Rima. Now your resolution seems more plausible."

The two high-fived, and everyone got up to leave.

Tadase had planned on a longer meeting, but it was only the first day back from break, and that might be asking too much.

He didn't want to suggest it to himself that maybe, just possibly, Rima was on to something.

So instead, while he was walking home alone and kicking the slush on the sidewalk, Tadase shoved his hands into his pockets and said, "Well, at least I'm taller."

O~~O~~O