I'm ALIVE! Busy month was busy, blah blah, enjoy! I'll tell you the details later!

CHAPTER 3

Chassé

The alarm clock blared loudly in her ear. Opening her eyes, she saw stripes and pinwheels as she adjusted to the new lighting, trying to shut the darn thing off in her stupor. Slapping the snooze button, she looked through the jungle of hair swept over her face and stared at the blinking numbers. She nearly forgot she had practice on Saturdays.

Yawning, she tugged the sheets closer and rolled over on the other side, trying to get a few more minutes in. The alarm seemed to stick inside her brain, because she couldn't fall back asleep. Cutting her losses, she kicked off her sheets and started to get ready.

It was nine thirty, and the girl was less than excited for another day of dancing. Getting into her clothes, she did a combination of eating breakfast and brushing her hair while watching the clock.

Minutes ticked by and she was headed out the door to dance. By now, anyone could tell Kira lives an exciting life. Unlike fighting Rasetsu, criminals and running around in Kyoto, she was back on her weekly routine of school and dance.

A few hours passed, too quickly to Kira's surprise. As everyone started to leave, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face standing at the door of the studio. A girl walked up to him and gave him a light punch to his side, and he responded with a shove.

Hefting her bag over her shoulder, she walked up to him. He must've heard her, because he looked up and threw her a smile.

"Hey," Grayson greeted.

"Hey," she shifted her weight on her other leg. "What are you doing here?"

Nodding over to a girl in a similar shade of light brown hair as he, he replied, "I'm picking up my sister. I liked your dance," he then struck an over exaggerated pose, making the most ridiculous facial expression.

"Oh my god! You're so stupid!" His sister moaned. Over the months, Kira learned that her name was Maya. "Yes," the girl huffed. "This is my brother, and he's leaving right now."

"Oh come on! I'm not even doing anything," he wheedled. All jokes aside, his gaze returned to Kira, and he smiled lightly at her. "I should've known you were a dancer."

"Well, how could you? We only talked for a few minutes." She paused. "Souji told me you were new. Did you just join or move here?"

"Nah, I just moved. Maya went on ahead with my mom and I stayed back finishing a couple things."

Sparking her curiosity, she asked, "Where did you guys move from?"

"Angelstown, you know where that's at yeah?"

"Oh yeah! That's not far from here at all." Angelstown was fifteen minutes away. Her friends called it Rich-People-Town since it had recently got an influx of wealthy newcomers, and new houses were outnumbering the older ones. "How do you like it here?"

He shrugged. "It's not that much different, I guess it's okay. So how's the school here?"

"Like any other school. Dark and crowded," she smiled at the thought. "Are you gonna start soon?"

"Yeah," Grayson nodded. "What year are you?"

"Senior. You?" He nodded. "Well, if you want someone to guide you through the halls, I'm not the best choice. I'll leave you in the dust."

He smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You don't sugarcoat things, I'll tell you that. I think I'll be fine, thanks for your generous offer." Glancing at the clock and the rather irritated expression on Maya's face, he added, "Well, I guess I'll see you Monday then?"

"Yeah, if you can find me at least." Grayson nodded and turned around with Maya not so far behind, fishing out his keys, he jangled him as he waved before leaving the studio.

It hadn't been a second until she was hip-checked by Casy. Completely unprepared, Kira stumbled to the left before bouncing back with more of a body shove. "What was that for?" By the look of Casy's small smirk Kira knew too well, she shook her head. "Okay, okay, that was no one special!"

She scoffed and folded her arms. "That's what you said when we saw you talking to Souji. Who is that guy? He's really cute!"

The two girls collected their stuff and headed out into the chilly afternoon air. "He's some guy in Souji's kendo class. The guy hates his guts."

"Why?" She chuckled.

"Ahh, apparently Grayson is challenging Souji's skills or something like that. It's a competition thing," she said finally. "He's gonna start school on Monday."

Sliding into Kira's frigid car, the two peeled out on the road with the heater in full blast, only to get sprayed in the face with freezing air. "I didn't know Maya had an older brother," Casy replied as she shut the vents.

"Me either. They moved in from Angelstown,"

Her friend nodded, immediately recognizing the name. "Ohh, Rich-People-Town. How did he get from there to our lovely little town?"

"Does it look like I know everything?" She remarked, making a left-hand turn at a light. "Just because I talked to him, doesn't mean I know his life story."

Casy paused before something lit up in her eyes. "Wait, wait! This was the guy who walked up to you after kendo right?" Kira nodded. "I think he likes you," she grinned in a voice lower than normal.

Scrunching up her nose in distaste, Kira clicked her tongue. "Are you just gonna stick me with any guy you see me talking to? You're turning into Bryn! You're supposed to be the serious one!"

"Hey," she shrugged, "I need to make up for the void." The third musketeer was stuck at her baby cousin's birthday party. Her mother insisted that she had to tag along and watch kids run around with hands covered in cake and whatever they could get their hands on.

Arriving in Casy's neighborhood, she pulled into a driveway dusted in snow with little tire tracks showing that her mom borrowed her car, hence why Kira drove Casy home. Hurrying out of the car, Casy punched in the PIN for the garage door and the two dove under the slow moving door and hurried inside.

Casy lived in the older part of Francis, in the neighborhood with tons of oak trees crammed together alongside the sidewalks and ranch homes that were close together. The house was small, but more than enough for two people living inside. They had just redone most of the house, and Kira particularly liked the upgraded kitchen with granite countertops and high-tech appliances. Walking to the pantry she was all too familiar with, Kira poked her head inside and grabbed herself a box of Chips Ahoy! cookies and a can of Sprite.

Not being any better, Casy slipped past Kira and got a can of Root Beer and snatched a cookie from the already opened box in her friend's hand. Heading to the living room, Kira plopped down on the huge couch. Honestly, the couch cushions could easily swallow her entire body if she wasn't careful.

Casy turned the TV on and started to flip through the channels, pausing at Thor and then continuing. Kira jumped and exclaimed, "No! Go back! Go back!"

"But we've already seen this!" She wheedled.

"So?" Grabbing the remote, she went back to Thor and set the remote in between her leg and the couch's armrest. By the time the movie ended, the entire Chips Ahoy! box was cleaned out with a couple cans of pop littering the nearby table. Once the credits rolled, Casy got up to trash the box. Calling out from the kitchen she said, "So...how about that Grayson guy?"

"What about him?"

"He's cute, huh." Kira heard the pantry door swing open and the sound of rustling packages. "You know, it's nice that you're back."

She furrowed her brows and turned around in the couch. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she continued, now sitting on the armrest with a box of Goldfish, "the...I-don't-know, the old you! You're more talkative."

"Oh." Kira nodded.

"It's a good thing! It's weird, ever since you started talking with Souji you've been your old self."

Funny thing about that. Casy wasn't wrong after all. It was amazing how fast she pulled a 180 after she realized that there was another Okita in her time. Though he seemed different too...he seemed darker, less happy. As much as she wanted to believe that the Okita she knew was back, she couldn't shake off the lingering feeling that it wasn't completely him. Was it the memories they shared? Maybe if he just remembered, then everything would be fine.

Kira, you're so stupid! There aren't any demons here, no magic―nothing.

She shrugged. "If you say so."

"Well, just don't stop talking to him, Bryn and I like old Kira, not gloomy and lonely Kira―sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like that!" Casy shook her head, throwing her friend an apologetic grin, which Kira took with a nod.

"Nah, I get it. The accident just messed me up―I thought I died…"

"―And then the nightmare?" She finished slowly. Casy didn't press it any further, knowing too well that it was the main cause of Kira's depression. Over time, Kira finally got the guts to explain to her friends what she was going through, and although it was part truth, part lie, she explained that someone important to her died in the dream and it somehow messed her up. By now she was over it, but she still didn't want to talk openly about it, getting a few echoes from her previous heartache.

Pulling her lips in a tight smile, she nodded. After a while, the two sat in comfortable silence, that is until Casy broke it again. "So when are you guys gonna go out?"

"Oh my god!"

Eventually, Kira had to leave to get some procrastinated homework done. Saying goodbye to her friend, she headed on home while the clouds started to gather. As she got out of the neighborhood, small flakes dotted on her windshield and melted at the touch.

The sun was nearing its shift as she got into her neighborhood and pulled into the driveway. The ramp was left untouched as there were no tire tracks in the snow. They were probably caught in rush hour, that or some idiot didn't know how to drive in flurries and got into a wreck.

Parking her car, she hauled her stuff out. Ducking under the rising garage door, she quickly entered the house and closed the garage door behind her. Setting her stuff in the living room chair, she shrugged off her jacket as she went to her backpack and resurfaced her government book. Fishing out a pencil, she hopped on a stool at the island and flipped to the page.

Scowling at the pages, she took a quick trip through her thoughts. At least she wouldn't be this bored if he...if he didn't push her! She still didn't get why he did that. Of course she could've adapted to his lifestyle! There was no glaringly obvious answer, so she scrounged up the best case scenario and told herself he was overwhelmed by all the demons surrounding them. He was injured and didn't know if he could keep her alive.

She was pulled out of her memories when she heard a rather loud bang. Dropping her pencil, she scooted off the stool, slowly heading for the source of the sound. It came from the garage. It was that moment when someone was alone and immediately felt like they were being watched like in a suspense movie. Heading in the garage, she flicked on the lights, repeatedly telling herself that it was probably a mouse that knocked over something.

Nothing.

Maybe dad tapped the garage door with his car. He was never too patient with the garage door anyways. Pressing the button, she waited for the sight of the front of her dad's truck, but it never came. Kira froze at something else.

The door to her car was hanging there, wide open. She could've sworn she closed it instinctively. Hopping up the small steps, she reached in and grabbed a set of extra keys on the key rack and, without shoes, darted outside in the heavier snowfall and locked and closed the door. Almost immediately she could feel the frigid snow melt, and seep through her socks and freezing her toes. Moaning at her own stupidity, she turned around to see a man with snow white hair.

Hair color matching the snow and red eyes that seemed to glow with the familiar hunger she learned all too well, she nearly dropped her keys. What the hell? No, no, no, no! Hands numb from fear or the cold, she couldn't tell which, she fumbled with her key fob to press the right button. As it staggered towards her, she managed to press the lock button a few more times. "Shit!" She muttered and glanced at her door, hand on the handle and then at the demon she refused to recall.

On the verge of tears of frustration and fear, she managed to unlocked the car and whipped the door open and slammed it behind her as she dove into the car. Just before it could get ahold of the door, its body was yanked back and then tackled by another figure. Locking the doors one too many times, she stared out the window as she saw the two fight each other. She could see two heads of white hair, both sending punches and kicks to one another until the one who initially approached her was launched down the ramp, collecting up some snow on impact and staggered to its feet. Eventually, its strength returned and it dashed off into the snowfall. The second one lingered on her driveway, glancing at the car before sprinting away.

"The hell was that?!" She rasped. Waiting for a few seconds, she dashed out of her car, locking it and bounded to the house. Racing up the steps, she ran into the bathroom and splashed her face with water until her cheeks were red from the hot water. Staring at her reflection, she took mirror-Kira, "You were―you were imagining things! That was not―! That wasn't!" She patted her face dry and headed into her room, locking the door and burying herself under the blankets.

So sorry for the late chapter! This was the busiest I've ever been! Prom was fun, got blisters, guy trouble, choir stuff― geeze I need a break! But you all deserve something! Thank you for your reviews! I was surprised people still read it after my disappearance! I'm going to do my best to actually upload more frequently!

-Jen