Notes from the Author: Frankly, sometimes I don't know what I was thinking when I was younger. o_0 The concept of this chapter is... weird! Its weirdness combined with how poorly it was written made for the hardest edit yet.

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Chapter 4: They Called Her the Christmas Queen

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"Urgh, I still haven't finished my Math homework from last night," complained Anzu to Mai, "What do they think we are? Robots? I swear I don't know how I'm ever gonna get through college!"

"Oh, you'll do it somehow." said Mai, chuckling at the way her brunette friend groaned "college." Suddenly Kouyou-sensei, the Biology teacher, came breezing out of his classroom holding a large, messy stack of papers.

"Oh, Anzu, just the gal I was looking for!" he said in his annoying way,"I need you to take these to the principal's secretary. She asked me for 'em over a week ago, and I haven't had time to bring 'em!"

"But sir," Anzu said as he piled the papers into her arms,"The principal's office is so far from the Math classroom where I have to go next, and the teacher is so strict, she'll make me-"

"I'm sorry, but I'm in the process of teaching my class! Now skedaddle, before any more time slips by!" He clapped the door of his classroom shut.

"Ugh! See what I mean? Well, see you, Mai.."

As she watched her depart, Mai realized she had not really heard much of anything Anzu had been saying that morning; her mind was instead stuck on Rafael and the previous evening.

0o0

"Finally!" cried Alister joyfully as the final bell shrilled, "The weekend!"

"Yeah, thank goodness for that." agreed Mai, "But I've gotta get home now."

Valon, who was with them also, said;"So soon? Sure you don't wanna go to the arcade or something?"

"Nope, sorry. I've got plans for today." she answered, and went off toward her apartment. "I've really gotta buy some new curtains..." she thought as her bedroom window came into view. The sun-faded slate blue curtains were not only old and ugly, but totally did not match the current furnishings of her bedroom. "Okay, first order of business, shower..."

0o0

"No, Shizuka, for the last time I don't know- Yes. Okay. Okay. Good-bye." said Rafael as he turned off his cell phone. "All that asking for math help can get annoying sometimes... But I suppose it's also sort of an honor... I've never had so many people look up to me like that before..."

He finished with a long swig of the hot coffee he was holding. "Aye, laddy, 'tis an honor to have many people look up to you... I should know!" Rafael nearly choked on the beverage from the start the voice had given him.

"My apologies. Didn't mean to startle yeh like tha'." The owner of these words appeared out of the alley Rafael was standing near. It was a woman, most likely in her eighties or so, dressed in rags and tatters and a black, hole-filled hat with frizzy, oily strings of matted gray hair hanging underneath it. But despite her apparent poverty, she had a cheerful face creased with smiling.

"Long ago, many people looked up to me as well. I was a celebrity. From Ireland I came, in the thirties, and rose to fame in the forties, when I was a wee lass of sixteen. I kin still see meh name up in lights: Abby 'O Roland, or The Christmas Queen,as they called me,cuz the whole reason I became famous is 'cuz of the Christmas movies I starred in. To this day,I hold tha' holiday a' dear to me heart as I do me own Mam."

"That's... uh... very interesting.." Rafael was quite taken aback by this strange old lady, and now upon finding out her affinity for the holiday he hated most, decided to leave at once.

"Whoa, lad, wha' causes yeh to leave so soon? We were havin' a nice lil' chat."

Rafael stiffened. "Look, is that really your business to ask? Maybe I don't have time to sit here and 'chat'."

The old woman tipped her head. "Well, mehbee yeh don't, but yeh needn't be so rude about it. Especially not at Christmastime!"

Rafael immediately hardened at that. "Hmph. That doesn't make any sort of difference to me."

He began to walk away, but old Abby exclaimed, "Oh-ho, me lad, 'tis not a nice thing to say! I never could stand folks like yehrself, so crabby an' Scroogey they hate something a' good an' pure a' th' Christmas holiday... plum 'shamed a' yerself yeh aut ter be. An' why? Some lovely maiden trample yehr heart on th' day o' Christmas?"

Rafael stood just a moment more with his back to her, then whirled around. "You senile old witch, you- you how could you- you don't know!" he roared, incinerated by Abby's brash words.

But she, too, seemed to be on anger's edge. "Now ye see ere'-" she cried, storming forward, but in her haste she stumbled and tripped on her skirt, and her hat- and her hair- fell off of her head, revealing a bun of thick blonde hair. Rafael gazed in shock as he realized "Abby"was actually-

"Mai?!" Rafael cried in anger and shock as she picked herself up from the dirty cement. Mai was so horrified at being caught in her ploy she didn't know what to say or do.

"Rafael, I- you- what's so funny?" Now it was her turn to be shocked, because Rafael had burst out laughing. "If you're laughing at how I look in this then I-"

But his growing laughter was contagious, and in a second they were both laughing til tears fell from their eyes.

"You are insane, Mai.." said Rafael.

"Oh really?" said Mai, taking off the rags. Rafael averted his eyes immediately, blushing red as a cherry. Even though he knew she had clothes underneath,the thought of watching her undress made him uncomfortable anyway.

When he looked back at her, she was now normally dressed. When she saw his face, an odd feeling passed through her, too.

"I... I never noticed how... well... handsome, he is.." she thought, looking at his face aglow with the soft light of the setting sun.

"I guess I'll be going now," she said quietly, feeling strange, nervous and awkward now that the saving grace of the laughter had faded away. She thought for a moment, then added, "I- I'm really sorry for this, I don't know what I was thinking, I was just trying to-"

"It's okay," Rafael cut in abruptly, startling Mai.

She stared hopefully at him, waiting to hear what he would say next, but he just continued to stare ahead, arms folded.

"...okay." she said at last, not able to think of anything else. "Rafael?"

He moved only his eyes to her, and she gave him a warm smile. "See you."

As she turned and began walking away, she did not see the way his eyes widened, the way he unfolded his arms. She did not know how much that smile in the sunset warmth had reminded him of her, or the sudden jolt of feeling that had caused him.

She only heard when he said loudly and suddenly, "You know, Mai..."

She stopped, and turned around, stepping closer when she heard his low tone, so that they were both standing in the alleyway

"I still don't know why I told you about... Hana the other day. I'd never told anyone about her before."

He paused, taking his eyes from the pink and gold sky and a hand from the pocket of his pants to run through his hair, "But I realize now that it's because I... I felt I could trust you."

Mai's heartbeat quickened. When he looked at her, her face burned.

"But... also because... you- and I didn't realize this until recently- you remind me of Hana more than anyone else I've ever met... she looked a lot like you, you know..."

Mai's heart was truly pounding now. She gazed up at him, she had to look up to see his face because he was so tall.

The look that she saw there, from his light blue eyes that she had once regarded as icy cold, now floored her with their intensity. She unconsciously bit the corner of her lower lip, not knowing at all what to say.

When one of his large hands came up, resting slowly on the side of her face, she thought she just might freeze. Freeze in place, despite the warmth that flooded from his hand.

Just as Mai thought this, Rafael leaned down, breathing "Hana...?" before he closed the space between them.

Mai felt her eyes close as Rafael's mouth touched hers. The world now seemed as frozen as she, all she heard was her own heart and breathing. His lips moved once, and their unexpected softness sent a thrill down her spine, she felt powerless, as his thumb glided over her cheek...

He pulled away, and thankfully for him, Mai did not notice how his hands trembled. It had been so quick, but Mai was still lost in that moment.

She opened her eyes, bringing herself out of it. She found she could not look at him. "I- I've gotta go..." she muttered breathlessly, and turned, hurrying away with her entire face burning.