"Fight on! fight on! fight on! fight on!"

Funny, how that was exactly what was going through Ami's head listening to Minori's chant. That's how Minori works. The trick is to let her come to you. She'll talk when she wants to. Endure.

"Oohashi! Fight on! Fight on! Fight on!"

...Enough enduring.

"Hey! Seriously… You're not going to see them off?" she asked, and… what a surprise Minori kept running.

"What? I can't hear you!"

Ugh, this girl…

Ami hadn't done a good job helping her out, last time.

"Regardless how strong a will she has, she still broke down after being dumped by both Taiga and Tasaku-kun."

And she, in grand fashion, just sat there.

'Huh!? Why do I have to-'

'Whatever, just go! You too-'

'Get off me!'

'You wanted to show me your crying face?'

'You're so embarrassing.'

'Are you stupid? It's still too early for us to talk about life.'

Minori'd pulled herself together, but only because of her own will and strength. Ami had done nothing but… sit there. ...Whatever. It was Minori's own fault, choosing Ami to confide in. And now here she was, trying to offer to talk the best she could, and the girl just wanted to ru-

Splat!

...A snowball. Really? "Hai!" Minori whooped. Idiot. Resist. It'll only encourage her.

"Why do I have to have a snowball fight with yo-"

Splat!

...Enough resisting. "You moron! Take this! Pure white sphere!" Ami grinned as her ball found it's target, and Minori stumbled with a grunt.

"Ahhhh," Minori began, her voice like a frail old master, "Your throwing arm is strong. Much potential. Perhaps softball is in your future. However…" She revealed the two snowballs in her hands. "You should not challenge a master. Have at thee!"

"You challenged m-" She was interrupted by a double barrage of snowballs, and Minori was rearing up for more. Minori imitated a machine gun, as Ami ducked for cover behind a nearby fence. "You're such a dork!"

"A dork? Now you have insulted my honor! I considered letting you live, but now you shall meet frozen death!" Ami fondled a snowball she'd hidden in her coat sleeve, and smirked. That's right, Minori. Come closer.

Just as Minori crossed the fence, Ami sidestepped and nailed her with the snowball before she tackled her to the ground, pinning Minori's hands and feet down.

"Ha! Victory! The master has been dethroned! Your students look upon you with shame, and now wish to learn from my teachings! Your way is old and antiquated, old woman! Muwhaha-" She stopped as her words caught up with her, and she looked around in a panic, praying that nobody heard that. Then she finally looked down, and noticed that… oh. Her face was… closer to Minori's than she meant it to be. And her legs were on Minori's, and her hands in hers, and their lips were so close that they could… could… n-no! No, Minori was heartbroken a-and was getting herself together and she can't take advantage, she won't! She's bad, but she isn't that bad.

"...Hi, Amin," Minori breathed out with a small smile, and Ami couldn't fight back a blush as she lifted herself off her awkwardly.

"U-uh… s-sorry…"

"Hmmmm? Sorry? I think quite a lot of people wouldn't mind being pressed up against Amin." Ami felt her face burn brighter as she bapped Minori on the back of the head.

"D-don't say that!"

"Ah!" Minori yelped. "Hitting me in the snow? Is it a rematch you desire?"

Ami scoffed. "No thanks. My cheek still feels that slap."

"And your arm gave an even better performance then, young grasshopper."

"I beat you. You're the old grasshopper now, while I'm the young master."

"Believing that strength is the only way to gauge a master… truly you have proven your studentness." Ami sprinkled snow on her.

"Shut up. Studentness isn't a word. I beat you back then, you know."

"Lies! Slander upon my fighting skills!"

"You know it's true. The others had to hold me back, you unleashed the animal."

"The Amimal."

Ami flicked her on the forehead. "Shut up." Minori recoiled dramatically.

"The beast! It has been unleashed once more!"

"Damn straight."

Minori giggled, and Ami smiled. She still wonders when it got like this. So… easy. So right. They could joke about beating each other senseless, now, or just sit there in the snow, in companionable silence.

Then, "...We said our goodbyes, Amin. We'll see each other again, right? That's what Taiga said. They have to do this alone. It's what they need."

"That's… mature of you. But what about what you need?" Minori looked at her, and smiled.

"I have what I need, Amin. I'm here with you, aren't I?" Ami's eyes widened, and she couldn't stop herself from looking away. "...Why aren't you seeing them off?"

"...Same reason. We had our goodbyes. We'll see each other again. I'm not going to ruin their whole runaways thing."

"Ah." Minori nodded, as if satisfied that that's all of it. But… it wasn't. And Minori deserved… more than that. She sighed, and kept her eyes away from Minori, kept her voice nonchalant.

"And… I've got what I need. And what I have is… needed." She didn't look at her, but she could feel Minori's smile, and then suddenly, Minori's head's on her shoulder. She didn't use Ami's shoulder as one to cry on that night, but here she was, using it as one to smile on. Maybe they were doing this all wrong. Or maybe they were doing it all right, the only way they could for themselves.

"...You are needed, Amin. Always." She felt Minori's hand lightly brush her own, but she could let it slide. She never told Minori about how she thought about leaving. But she didn't need to. Minori's observant. And Minori knows her better than anyone. That was scary, once. It still was, a little. But she knew now that the pounding in her heart and the blood rushing to her face wasn't because she was afraid.. Not anymore. "...Thank you, Amin. For that night, for that fight, for… everything."

"...Idiot. It was all you."

"You showed me it was possible for it to be all me. And even then… it wasn't."

"...Thank you." For being there. For making her laugh. For getting all of her and seeing everything she is and still thinking she's worth it. She wanted to say all of that, but instead all she said was, "Moron."

Minori giggled again, that annoyingly sweet sound. "Let's skip school today."

"What?"

"Taiga and Ryouji are skipping weeks or months or whatever. We can skip a day, you and me."

"And do what?"

"Anything. You and me." Ami looked at her, her eyes glowing, and sighed in a way she'd never admit was fondly. She smiled.

"Fine."

"Thank you, Amin."

"Yeah yeah."

"It'll be fun, I swear! This I swear on my lifeblood!" Minori exclaimed solemnly, impersonating some Japanese samurai.

"Is there blood that isn't lifeblood?

"This is why you are still the padawan, my dear student."

"Shut up."

"That, and the fact that you.. left your guard down!" She hit Ami with a snowball, and Ami glowered.

"You're going to pay for that!"

"Cash or credit?"

"Get back here!"

Their laughter echoed across the schoolgrounds.