CHAPTER ELEVEN

Mahiru and Mitsuru are silent as they fly to the store a couple miles down the road from the Moonshine. Normally, Mahiru hates flying. She hates being so high up in the air to where if she looks down all of the people look like ants and the cars look like little beetles. She hates the thought of Mitsuru's grip possibly slipping and then she would be freefalling to her death. Mitsuru is the only thing keeping her from that fate. If something happens to him, there will be no one to catch her.

Normally all of these fears would be running through her head right now, but today is an exception, for today it is snowing. It started sometime last night and hasn't stopped since, gently coating a layer of white over the Earth about a foot thick.

Right now, seeing the ice crystals dance around her in the wind, it's like Mahiru and Mitsuru are the centerpiece in a snow globe.

"It's beautiful," Mahiru whispers.

"What," Mitsuru says, "this bird crap from the sky?"

Mahiru glares at him. "It's not bird poop, it's snow! And, yes, it is beautiful."

"Whatever," Mitsuru snorts. "I don't see it. It's cold, wet, hard to walk through when it gets all piled up, and it turns the ground to ice making it all slippery. It's friggin' irritating if you ask me." Mitsuru puts them down in an alley near the store. Instantly, they sink into the snow until it is halfway up their calves. Mitsuru scrunches his nose in disgust. "See? It's annoying! Now it's all in my shoes." Mahiru laughs and he tells her to shut up as he heads towards the street, grumbling to himself that snow should be cursed to the pits of Tartarus so that it would all melt.

They enter the store and Mahiru grabs a buggy. "May I have the list, please?"

"Here," he says and hands it to her. "Let's get this over with."

They shop in awkward silence, or, at least, for Mahiru it's awkward. She asked Mitsuru to go with her so she could find out why he has been avoiding her lately, but instead she's at a loss for words and all Mitsuru is doing is glowering at her side and basically ignoring her again. His attitude seems to be worse than before, actually. Is it because I yelled at him? Mahiru chews on her bottom lip as she chooses her words carefully. The last thing they need is to get into a yelling match in the middle of the grocery store. "I'm, um, sorry."

Mitsuru looks at her from the corner of his eye. "What?"

She pushes the cart to the side of the aisle they're in so they aren't in anyone's way and stops to face him. "I'm sorry. For yelling at you before. I haven't been sleeping well lately and just, uh, snapped."

Not sleeping well is kind of an understatement. Every night at exactly 5:31 in the morning, she has the exact same dream. Well, not quite exact, because each time she sees the dream, it's in greater detail. She now knows she is in a warehouse by the ocean, chained to the floor. Everyone is there, Mitsuru, Akira, Misoka, Nozomu, and the members of Dawn's Venus. Then, someone dies. She still doesn't know who, but the fear of finding out keeps her from falling asleep at night. Then when she wakes up after the dream she can't ever fall asleep again.

"It's…okay," Mitsuru says, focusing on the macaroni box sitting on the shelf next to her head. "I…deserved it anyway. I…I'm, um…." He grinds his teeth together. Why is it so hard to say? I want to apologize for ignoring her. I've been trying to figure out this mess in my head and every time I'm near her it gets harder to do so I've just been avoiding her. But I'm not any closer to figuring out what this stupid feeling is. Mitsuru pictures the look that had been on her face as she yelled at him in the Moonshine. The look of hurt that was there. He had wanted to hit his head against the wall. He had hurt her. Again. And he didn't want to do that anymore. So now he's trying to say those two little words that are so hard to say. "I'm s-sorry," he finally gets out. "For ignoring you."

Mahiru gasps. She's never heard those words come out of his mouth before. Ever. "Who are you and what have you done with Mitsuru?"

He growls at her and finally focuses his eyes on her. "Shut up! If you don't want me to apologize, then fine, I take it back!"

Mahiru giggles. "No, I'm glad you were able to say it, and I accept your apology. I was just surprised. You've come a long way from the boy I first met. Now come on, we still have a few things left we have to get." Mahiru continues pushing the buggy down the aisle and Mitsuru follows close behind her, a small smile on his face.

Not long after, they find the last item on the list, proceed to check out, and head out the door with four plastic bags laden with food that Mitsuru carries. They head towards the alley so they can take off to the sky but along the way Mahiru gradually lets Mitsuru walk ahead of her until she falls behind a little. When they are at the edge of the parking lot she bends down, picks up some snow, shapes it into a ball the size of her fist and cries out, "Snow ball fight!"

"What in the world are you- oof!" Mitsuru had turned around to see what Mahiru was yelling about just in time for the snow ball she had thrown to hit him right in the face. Mahiru bursts out in uncontrollable laughter. "Oh, you think that is funny, do you?" Mitsuru puts down the groceries and scoops up a snow ball the size of a basket ball. "I'll show you funny." He tosses the ball but Mahiru dodges it with ease.

"Ha, you'll have to try better than that!" She sticks her tongue out at him.

The fight continues for over an hour, snow flying left and right. Mahiru watches as Mitsuru's walls come down little by little. First he smiles, and then he actually laughs. The sound of it makes Mahiru stop with wonder and her face lights up like a kid who has just been given their favorite flavor of ice cream. However, her pause gives Mitsuru the perfect opportunity to hit her upside the head with another snow ball.

Their fun eventually comes to an end when Mr. Bat pipes up from inside Mahiru's pocket, Nozomu asking what's taking them so long.

"Sorry, Nozomu," Mahiru says breathlessly. "We got…distracted."

Batty's head cocks to the side as Nozomu asks, "Why are you guys all wet?"

"Don't ask!" Mitsuru replies and Mahiru can't help but laugh.

As they start to head towards the alley again Mitsuru feels…different. Like his chest is lighter. All of the worries he had about the strange feeling growing inside of him, of losing himself because of it, it all melted away during that snow ball fight. Mitsuru had smiled. He had actually laughed. He had fun. This feeling inside my chest, this warmth, I'm…happy. Happier than I ever have been before. I thought getting stronger would make me happy, but…this…this is so much greater than that. And it's all because of her.

Mitsuru stops in his tracks and watches the girl walking in front of him.

This feeling…I know what it is now. I…I love her. I love Mahiru.