A/N: Chapter 2 of The Cold's Shards. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Mikagura School Suite belongs to the rightful owner.

Warning: This is a yuri themed story, you have been warned.

Special thanks to those who reviewed as well as Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.


Chapter 2: After school stride

The next morning...

"Uugh...I'm hungry..." Eruna complained as she trudged through the open hallways, rubbing one hand over her grumbling stomach.

"In any case, you should visit different clubs. When you find one you like, you can join for a trial period. Ryui~" Bimii advised her as he flapped his wings effortlessly. A sudden yelped directed their attention to the open courtyard. A young boy with teal hair and turquoise streaks on the right side, was currently sitting on his butt looking up at another student with fright. His stature was small and he is said to have a high voice like a girl. Apparently his eyes are quite unusual since they have star-shaped irises. Apart from the standard winter school uniform, he also sported a teal tie, matching earmuffs and boots.

"I-I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" He continued to apologized, almost on the verge of tears.

"Why do you look like you're about to cry." Kyoma asked, his brows furrowed with mild annoyance. "It makes me look like I'm bullying you."

"Th-That's not what I'm trying to do..."

"That's Kyoma Kuzuryu-kun from the Art club." Bimii whispered as the two of them watched from the side lines. "The one apologizing is Asuhi Imizu-kun from the Astronomy club."

"Look." Kyoma said as he glanced at the crowd that formed within seconds. "Thanks to you, we're the center of attention, you girly rookie."

"That's not it." Asuhi said as he picked up what looked like a telescope off the ground and stood up. "I just wanted to apologize for bumping into you."

"Will you leave things at that?" A voice spoke up and the crowd parted to let the speaker through. Eruna gasped when she recognized the girl as the model from the magazine she read back at home. Her heart was beating fast inside her chest. The said girl had long black hair reaching her back, with a red braid attached to a lock of her hair on the left side. She wears the standard winter uniform with a skirt on the lower-left side, black garter belts, thigh-high black stockings, and brown school shoes. "Kuzuryu-san, it's not something to get so worked up about, is it?"

"Worked up?" The third-year tilted his head in confusion at the girl. "Don't be ridiculous. I was just talking to him." Turning his back and letting out a long huff, he walked away without looking back.

"Are you alright?" The girl turned her attention towards Asuhi with a soft smile.

"Y-Yes." He replied and politely bowed his head. "Thank you very much! You saved me!"

"Kuzuryu-san is easily misunderstood because of how he looks, but he's not scary. Please don't hate him." It was then that she finally noticed Eruna who was panting quite heavily, a huge blush on her face. "Is she the one you found this time?"

"M-Me...?" Eruna perked up and pointed to herself excitedly. "Is she talking to me?"

"I still can't say, ryui." Bimii floated over with the flick of a tail. "She might have possibilities on a different vector from you, ryui."

"I see." The girl replied before walking towards Eruna, stopping till they were at a respectable distance. "If you haven't decided on a club to join yet, will you join the going-home club for a trial period?" Every single spectator let out an audible gasp at the request. "Only if you feel so inclined, though."

"I do feel so inclined!" Eruna replied immediately before spewing her desires. "I feel so inclined right now! I mean, I have always felt so inclined! In fact, I have since the day I was born! I feel so inclined with all my body and soul!"

"Then it's decided." The girl smiled at her enthusiasm before walking off. "Oh, right." She said, coming to a halt and looked over her shoulder. "I completely forgot, but there is a club battle next week. Unfortunately, I'm planning on being indisposed that day, so please enter as the going-home club representative." Leaving it on that note, she disappeared back inside.

My goddess has invited me to join the going-home club! Eruna squealed on the inside. This isn't a delusion, right? It's not a dream, either, right? Feeling her blood boiling with so much emotion she let out a loud "Alright!" I have a feeling this is the start of a story...that will never fade!

"And what exactly...is making you so cheerful this morning?"

"A-Ah!" She turned around to see me gazing down at her with very sleepy eyes and a school bag slung over my shoulder. With my hood up she could only make out my eyes, my mouth and long strands of hair that cascaded down on either side of my face; everything else was hidden. "Naiteru-sempai! Good morning!"

"You are too loud, tone it down a bit." I commented dryly before noticing the crowd looking at us. "Did I miss something important?"

"Oh yes you did!" Eruna said, practically dancing on the tips of her toes and the blush was still evident on her face. "My goddess! The goddess from my dreams has finally invited me to join her going-home club!"

"What?...Goddess...?" I stared at her confused for the longest time before looking at Bimii. "Who is she referring to? I've never heard of a 'Goddess' in this school..."

"That would be the granddaughter of the headmistress, ryui." Bimii replied. "Seisa Mikagura."

"Seisa...Mikagura..." I thought about it a little bit before the light bulb went off in my head. "Oh...Mysterious girl."

"Is that what you call her? Mysterious girl?" Eruna frowned at the nickname I gave her, her cheeks swelling up into a pout. "She's a goddess you hear? My goddess!"

"Pipe down and get to class." I told her before pointedly glaring at everyone else who chose to stay in the courtyard. "That applies to all of you as well. Get moving." As if my appearance didn't get them to move, I lowered the temperature considerably and they all hurried off to get warm and out of the cold.

"S-S-Sempai!" Eruna's teeth chattered as she shuffled after me, rubbing her arms together in hopes of staying warm. "T-T-That w-was u-u-unnecessary!" She paused, covered her nose with both hands and sneezed loudly. "A-A-Achoo!"

"It got them to move and not late for class." I said promptly, snapping my fingers to remove the cold blanket and the temperature returned to normal. "If a huge drop in attendance on the first day were to occur I'd have another earful from the dean and sitting through one of her lectures of how this school was built on the foundation of..." I looked off to the side with a frown. "Something I don't remember but it was torture."

"What do you normally do, Sempai? Besides going to class of course?" Eruna asked, really curious about my life. "Also when did you first started studying here? What were you like back then? Were you popular?"

"Too many questions. I'll leave that for another time okay?" I opened the door to my class before looking at her. "Now run along. If I remember, Kurumi's your teacher correct?" Thank goodness I don't have her class today...

"Yes she is." Eruna blushed and started to think about the maid. "Ahhh~ Just seeing her makes me excited."

"As much as I would love to hear about your fetishes, she's probably gonna kill you if you're late." I leaned down till our faces were inches apart. "So get going."

"Y-Yes!" with that the first year excused herself and rushed off with a cloud of dust behind her.


Lunch break...

"Joining for a trial period doesn't change anything after all, huh?" Eruna stated as she sat by herself with only Bimii as company in the crowded cafeteria. She managed to make it on time and was in her seat for attendance before the lesson started.

"That's not true, ryui." He told her as his tail twitched back and forth lazily. "You have an extra minute of shower time, and look—" He slapped a paw down on the table. "You have one more side dish, ryui."

"Alright!" She decided and nodded her head in agreement. "Even if the extra dish is just fermented soy beans, if I think of it as a lavish and elegant breakfast at the mansion..." She gazed off into the distance and started to drool. "Yum! Foie gras is delicious!" She mumbled out of the blue as she ate her lunch.

"That seems heavy for breakfast, ryui..." Bimii sweat dropped in response. Putting the dishes away, the girl had one more class with Kurumi and was even called upon by the teacher herself so she made her way to the front of the class.

"A new type of banana!" She exclaimed when three crystals floated over her head after Kurumi snapped her fingers. They were red colored and in the shape of crescent moons.

"No, they're crystals used in the club battles." Kurumi corrected her. "Whoever breaks the three crystals floating around their opponent first within the allotted time is the winner. You can crush them with your hands like this-" She reached out and closed her hand into a tight fist, shattering one of the crystals right then and there.

CHOMP~! "Waah!"

"Bite them-" Kurumi continued as Eruna fell over after sinking her teeth into another crystal which exploded upon contact. "Or you can release your own individual powers and hit them with your special attacks."

"Special attack?" Eruna asked.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Eruna!" Shigure exclaimed as he entered the room, posing dramatically for emphasis. "I'm finally here! After thoughtful preparation, here's the magnificent entrance you've been waiting for!"

"Kyaa~ It's Shigure Ninomiya from the manga club!" A large crowd of girls swarmed him, fawning over him with heart-shaped eyes.

"You know him, Ichinomiya?" One of the girls asked.

"He's just a perverted coz-con." was the response before the girl elaborated further since her classmate didn't understand the term. "Like someone with a sister complex, but the cousin version."

"Then, I, a coz-con, will show you my special attack!" Shigure offered as he ignored the cheers and screams of his female fans. "I call it, Hero Time!" Striking a ridiculous pose, he reached into his coat pocket with his right hand. "Huh?" He frowned and rummaged around his coat as if he was looking for something important. "Huh? Huh? Huh? Shooooot! I forgot my pen in my room!"

"In order to release your powers, you need a summoning object, ryui." Bimii explained as he and Eruna left Shigure to grieve at his foolish mistake. "In the case of Shigure from the manga research club, that item is a pen, ryui."

"I don't really get it, but does that mean I have power like that, too?" Eruna asked.

"Unfortunately, a power like that does not live in you right now, ryui." Bimii said. "However, since you enrolled in Mikagura Academy-"

"I've got it!" Eruna exclaimed like she thought of a really brilliant plan. "I just need to get Seisa-sempai to teach me all that stuff. I mean, it's after school! And she's my senior! And it's time for club activities!" She took off running down the halls. "Seisa-sempai...!"

"Ah...Wait a minute, ryui!" Bimii yelled after her and the two of them walked all the way to Seisa's home. It looked like a giant mansion with a light blue exterior. There was also a stone wall that surrounded its perimeter and a metal gate that allowed entry. Attached to the stone piece on the right was a speaker and a button that was probably used for calling.

"Seisa-sempai! I'm here to do club activities!" Eruna yelled after she pressed the button a couple of times.

"Do you know what the going-home club does?" Seisa's voice floated through the speaker; the girl herself was currently in her room watching on her tiny monitor while holding a cup of tea in her hand.

"Nope!" The girl replied straight-forwardly. "So please tell me! Please lead me by the hand! You can hold places other than my hand, too!"

"All right. First, turn around." Seisa ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Next, put your right foot in front. Then, put your left foot in front. Repeat that about 350 times."

"Yes, ma'a-Hey, wait a minute!" Catching on to what she was about to do, Eruna ran right back to the gate, flapping her arms up and down like a bird.

"The going-home club's club activity is going home, ryui." Bimii informed her, noticing the hurt expression on Eruna's face. While he was watching the entire scene he did his best not to laugh.

"So long, then." with that, Seisa cut off communication completely. Deciding not to let that little set her back dampen her mood, Eruna decided to seek out other clubs and started with the Calligraphy club.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but are you saying that I'm Seisa's replacement?" Himi asked and the two of them engaged in a conversation that even Bimii couldn't follow, from favorite ice cream flavor to Eruna's messed up fantasy of her wedding with Himi as her wife. "If you want to learn about the club battles and special attacks, try some of the others that around here."

"The Art club shows up regularly in the top ten, ryui." Bimii explained after the two of them said goodbye to Himi and found themselves standing right outside another door decorated with paint.

"Wasn't that kinda scary upperclassman from the Art club?" Eruna asked, remembering the confrontation in the courtyard.

"Don't worry, ryui. Kuzuryu might look like that, but he's kind at heart and a good guy, ryui." Bimii assured her. Summoning up her courage, she decided that the best way to introduce herself was to not open the door and just spoke loudly from behind, hoping someone would hear her.

"Huh?" Finally the door slid open to reveal Kuzuryu himself, paint splatters still evident on his face and jacket. Walking past her, he went to the vending machine nearby and held up his phone near the scanner. Then he walked back with three boxes of 'Delicious milk' in his arms and closed the door behind him.

"He's kind at heart and a good guy, but he's usually like that, ryui."

"That's no good, then..." Eruna said before proceeding to the next club. When she arrived at the Flower Arrangement club, she actually opened the door by herself. What awaited her were a variety of beautiful arranged flowers, each with their own personality and uniqueness. The upperclassman in charge, Sadamatsu Minatogawa smiled as he stated that he was the one who arranged the flowers.

"He's the president and representative of this club." Bimii said.

"Nice to meet you!" Eruna said as the president seated himself in the middle of a large flower he created out of the ground.

"The Flower Arrangement club is also a regular in the top ten, but they have fewer and fewer members each year. That's why this is now basically a clubroom just for Minatogawa, ryui." Bimii explained. "Minatogawa's power, Selfish Flower, allows him to manipulate flowers, ryui."

"Do you like flowers?" Sadamatsu asked.

"If they're delicious!" replied Eruna.

"You can't eat flowers, ryui." Bimii chastised her.

"Huh?" She turned to look at him in confusion. "But the yellow ones that come with sashimi taste good."

"You can eat that, ryui?! I thought it was just for decoration, ryui!"

"I wish you wouldn't eat the flowers." Sadamatsu said. "I mean, look-" Holding up a sheer, he grew a mini apple tree right in front of their eyes. The process of the plant growing into a mature adult was really fascinating. "Right?" Cutting off only a few of the ripe fruits from the lovely branches, he handed them to her as a parting gift.

"Well that covers one meal for today!" The girl hummed as she devoured an apple with four more sitting beside her. Once Bimii reminded her of her quest to find what it means to have a 'special attack', she hurried off to the Drama Club, where the members were in the middle of rehearsing for their next play or just for fun.

"The Drama club is a popular club that ranks high in both members and points, ryui."

"I won't lose in acting!" Eruna said with confidence. "I mean, I've been entrusted with the important role of Tree since kindergarten! I'm an extraordinary actress!"

"Oh, it's the cute teacher!" Nyamirin exclaimed as she approached Bimii.

"S-Stop it, ryui!" He protested when she held him close, his face ended up pressed against her large bosom. "I can't breathe, ryui!"

"Her chest is huge!" Eruna stated.

"What was that again? The last late new student?" Nyamirin chuckled.

"Not late, the last great!" Eruna corrected.

"What? The last plate?" The two girls continued to banter back and forth forcing another member of the club to speak up, complaining that it was noisy.

"Oh, I saw that person at the new student welcome party." Eruna said when she recognized him.

"I'm the Drama club representative, Yuto Akama. Nice to meet you!" He introduced himself, casually leaning his scythe against his shoulder.

"Eruna is learning about different special attacks for the club battles by going around to different clubs, ryui." Bimii explained.

"Oh, really?" Yuto asked with a small smile. "Then, did you go to the Astronomy club already?"

"Is the Astronomy club amazing, too?" Eruna asked.

"No, not really." Yuto replied before he disappeared and reappeared right behind her. Then he disappeared again. Eruna looked all around as multiple Yutos appeared, some of them were obviously mirages but they looked exactly like the real one. "This is my attack...Coup d'Etat Faker! I'll play tricks on your eyes."


Night...

"Everyone's amazing..." Eruna breathed as she walked back around the halls of the dorm, her hands placed behind her back.. "What must I do to be able to use that power, too?"

"There's no use rushing, ryui." Bimii advised her as they climbed the stairs that led to the rooftop. "Train your mind and body every day, and with that hard work, one day..." Opening the door, they stepped out to witness a beautiful night sky filled with dozens of shining stars.

"Wow...there's so many of them!" Eruna exclaimed.

"Hey, are you listening, ryui?!" Bimii asked as the girl continued to stargaze.

"Oh, you're from this morning..." A voice spoke and they noticed Asuhi standing beside his telescope. "Eruna Ichinomiya, right? I can't believe Seisa-sempai invited you to join her club!"

"Speaking of which, the Astronomy club is scheduled for club activities here tonight, ryui."

"Isn't the Astronomy club the one Akama said wasn't that good earlier?" Eruna said bluntly.

"N-No, the Astronomy club is good." Bimii scolded her. "It's one of the top ranking clubs, ryui!" He then turned his attention to the boy. "Where are the other Astronomy club members, ryui?"

"The upperclassmen aren't here yet." Asuhi replied. "This is my first astronomical observation since entering high school, so I'm really happy..." He had a small blush on his face. "I couldn't wait and came early, but it looks like I'm the only one."

"What is this? Is he really a boy?!" asked Eruna, feeling her heart go ba-dum inside her chest as a blush appeared on her face. "He's overflowing with girlish behavior and femininity, though!"

"Even though Asuhi is a new student, he's already the Astronomy club representative, ryui. He's very gifted, despite his youth." Bimii praised him.

"Oh no, I still have a lot to learn." Asuhi said modestly.

"Hey, can I take a peek at that, too?" Eruna pointed to the telescope.

"Yes! Please wait a moment." He set to work modifying the instrument as well as wiping the lens with a clean handkerchief. "I'll adjust it so you can see more easily, Eruna."

"What a nice kid..." She commented, feeling a bit warm and fuzzy on the inside. Once it was done and he allowed her to use it, she was able to see the stars a lot clearer.

"Isn't it lovely?" Asuhi asked as he looked at the sky too. "Stars show us different expressions depending on the day. I never get bored, even if I look at them every day."

"Yeah..." Eruna agreed as she continued looking. "I feel like I could look at them forever."

"Don't push that button...!" Asuhi suddenly said when he noticed her hand lift to the side of the telescope. Too late. She pushed it and suddenly something shot out of the telescope, something similar to a shooting star. Eruna fell on her butt out of surprise and just stared in shock, unsure at what she just witnessed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Y-You don't need to apologize." Eruna said shakily.

"That just now was called Shooting Star. It's my power that fires when the telescope is loaded with power from the stars." Asuhi explained. "Its weakness is that anyone can fire it once the bullets are loaded..."

"That's amazing, Asuhi!" Eruna exclaimed. "How did you learn to use this power?"

"Huh? I...don't know..." He replied honestly. "I just like looking at stars, so I've been looking at them every day since I was in elementary school. And then, before I knew it..."

"I've got it! The keyword is 'before I knew it'!" Eruna said once she and Bimii said goodnight to Asuhi. "Good things come to those who wait."

"Are you going to wait in that sleeping bag?" Bimii asked.

"I don't want that!" She told him.

"Then you need to start by working hard to get out of that sleeping bag." He continued to flutter in the direction of the dorms.

"By the way..." Eruna turned to face him with a puzzled expression. "In the end, she wouldn't show it to me, but what kind of power does Seisa-sempai have?"

"Seisa's power is called Killing Art, ryui." The teacher fluttered overhead and proceeded to lecture. "It's the only power at Mikagura Academy that can be activated without an item."

"Really?" She asked. "Naiteu-sempai didn't seem to have an item either..."

"I'm pretty sure she has one, but to tell you the truth, Naiteu-sama's powers are still a complete mystery. Even to me ryui." Bimii told her. "Anyways, the most amazing thing about Seisa's power is-"

"That's my goddess!" Eruna cut in with a squeal before pumping her fists up into the air. "I take back the 'good things come to those who wait'! I'm going to do intensive training and learn a special attack, too!"


Somewhere...

Nothing out of the ordinary...again. I mused once I finished my regular route as my daily club activity. It's been really peaceful lately...but I can't put my finger on this strange feeling like something bad was going to happen...The wind blew casually, making the leaves and other small items dance in the middle of the streets below. I stood there watching them for awhile before looking out towards the downtown area.

I wish you could still be here to see just how much change the city has made...Iliya-sama. Turning on my heels I proceeded to make my way back to school when my ears stood straight up, cocking left and right as if to pinpoint something. My nose tingled and my eyes darted back and forth wearily. What is this?

"Peaceful night isn't it?" A voice spoke and I tensed up. "I'm surprised to see that you still loiter around here. It would seem that my mistress was right on the money." I looked all around but I couldn't see who the speaker was.

"Who are you?" I growled, getting into an attack stance. "Show yourself!" There was a rustling behind a tree and a shadow appeared. As soon as the mysterious figure stepped closure into the light given off by a nearby streetlamp, I felt my eyes widen with surprise. It can't be...! "Y-You're...!"

"That's right. It's me and I have a warning just for you."