Ice Festival

Mika: "It's COLD!"

Toushiro: "I like it!"

Mika: "You would!"

Although Mika had a nice fur coat on her, she still hated the cold. So, of course, when the two of them arrived at annual Ice Festival grounds at the top of a mountain, she had plenty to complain about.

Toushiro: "What are you complaining about, Mika? You're covered with fur, you shouldn't feel the cold that much... Plus a technique that freezes anything you stare at."

Mika: "It doesn't matter! I-HATE-THE-COLD!"

Toushiro: "You are a living contradiction, you know that right?"

Mika: "I could just hit you right now."

Toushiro: "Come on, the faster we get moving the sooner you can get out of the cold!"

And with those words, the cub started pouncing across the snow covered earth and Toushiro followed close behind. Every now and then Mika would land on a pile of snow that was way deeper then what it appeared to be. Her claws were completely useless on the soft snow so she couldn't climb out. That was why Toushiro followed behind the cub, so that he could pick her up from the trench. After awhile, Toushiro began to think that they must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Toushiro: "I think we're lost."

Mika: "I was beginning to think the same think, Toushiro. Should we head back?"

Toushiro was about to turn them around when something in the snow caught his attention. The young captain made his way over to get a better look at it. It were two pairs of prints in the snow that weren't his or Mika's, and he instantly recognized one of them.

Toushiro: "I'd recognize that print anywhere! That's Vegeta's!"

Mika: "Yeah and this one is Uncle Goku's!"

They were in luck! The fact that Goku and Vegeta's footprints were here and heading in the direction they had been going themselves meant that the two of them were going in the right direction after all!

Mika: "Guess we're not lost after all, huh!"

Toushiro: "Yeah! Let's hurry! Maybe we can still catch up with them!"

Hoping to catch up with the two saiyans, Toushiro and Mika hurried across the snow as fast as they could. They followed the trail all the way up to the face of a mountain where some rock stairs were. This was going to slow them down but they were determined to catch up with Vegeta and Goku. So they started to climb the stairs as fast as they could.

Toushiro: "Be careful, Mika. The snow makes these steps very slippery."

Mika: "No kidding."

It took them ten whole minutes to reach the top of the stairs. They were hoping that they could find Goku and Vegeta's trail again, but no luck. The footprints end at the rocks where it looked like the saiyans leaping over the mountain.

Toushiro: "Figures they take the high round."

Mika: "What do we do now?"

*****: "Mika!"

Both the cub and the Soul Reaper turned around to see a blue and white dog running towards them. It was Flame Curry, the wolf/husky mix.

Mika: "Curry!"

Curry: "Hey there Mika! I'm surprised to see you out here. What are you doing out here?"

Toushiro: *Seems Paurakou didn't notify her.*

Mika: "We're trying to find our friends and my mom. They were kidnapped and Uncle Goku and Uncle Vegeta are on their way to save them. We want to help."

Curry: "We?"

Toushiro coughed in order to get the canines attention.

Curry: "Oh I'm sorry I didn't see you there! Say you look familiar... ... Oh! You're that young Soul Reaper boy who's friends with Vegeta! What was your name again?"

Toushiro: "Toushiro. Toushiro Hitsugaya."

Curry: "Oh yeah, now I remember. Sorry, I'm Flame Curry but everyone just calls me Curry."

Toushiro: "Nice to meet you. So you weren't told about us by Paurakou?"

Curry: "Guess not. Why don't you fill me in."

Toushiro: "Well this is it in a nutshell... Some old enemies of Goku's kidnapped all of the others and are being held hostage at an old toy factory next to Pilaf Manor. Vegeta and Goku are on their way to save them but we followed them which they are not aware of. So we are either trying to catch up with Vegeta and Goku or be shown the way to Pilaf Manor. But we've lost their trail so our only choice now is to find Pilaf Manor which we have no idea where it's at."

Curry: "Wow. Lucky for you two I just happen to know where Pilaf Manor is."

Mika: "Really!"

Toushiro: "Can you show us?"

Curry: "Well now hold on... If Paurakou didn't show or take you, there must be a reason why and from what it sounds like the journey there is teaching you two something."

Toushiro and Mika just looked at each other. They had never considered that. Toushiro did figure that they would learn how to get out of trouble themselves this way but there apparently was more to it.

Curry: "I did see a Varu fly by here earlier, probably Ebony. What you need to do is, once you go down this hill, keep going as relatively straight as you can."

Mika: "Even when we get down the mountain?"

Curry: "Yes. Look for some old ruins, I'll meet you there."

Toushiro: "Ok, see ya."

Mika: "Later!"

With that said, Curry hurried off while Toushiro and Mika glanced down the hill. The snow was compacted which meant they could probably slide down the hill. Mika went first, and with her paws splayed out and her tail controlling steering she made it down in no time.

Mika: "Come on, Toushiro! It's easy!"

The boy looked down the hill with an unsure feeling.

Toushiro: "Easy for you, maybe."

Mika: "Just pretend you're snowboarding down a slope of ice!"

Well when she put it that way... Although Toushiro's imagination skills were weak. It took him some time to imagine the sloped hill as a slope of ice but he managed. But it seemed Mika had forgotten one tiny key detail. Toushiro didn't have a snowboard. As soon as the boy started his way down the hill, his feet sunk in the snow and he fell forward. The very moment he hit the snow again he started to tumble down the hill in a manmade avalanche. Toushiro didn't get caught in the snow but he was still sliding uncontrollably once he got down to the bottom. He slid past Mika and across a frozen pond. He finally came to a stop when he bumped into a pole in the middle of the ice. Poor Toushiro groaned as he rubbed his head. Using her claws to dig into the ice for traction, Mika hurried over to the Soul Reapers side.

Mika: "Toushiro, are you ok?"

Toushiro: "Yeah I'll be fine, once my head stops spinning."

The cub chuckled and looked up at the sign that had stopped Toushiro. Her smile instantly disappeared when she realized what it said.

Mika: "Uh-oh... Be carefully getting up."

Toushiro wondered what she meant and looked up at the sign too. It was a sign warning people that there was thin ice. Indeed there was thin ice alright, but only in a small part of the pond right behind the sign.

Toushiro: "I'll be ok as long as I don't walk across this area right here. But you're light enough to cross without any problems."

Mika: "Well still I'd like to get off of the ice now please."

Gripping the sign, Toushiro slowly started to pull himself up to his feet. With much care in each step, he was able to reach the snow covered ground on the other side. They both looked back towards the hill and were delighted that they were still going in a straight line. They started walking up a small hill when they got a big surprise, but at the same time they weren't surprised at all.

Toushiro: "Uh-oh... There's Mai again. I wonder what she's up to this time?"

Mai was at the edge of a stream with a fishing pole.

Mai: "Ahhh... Can't chase those brats on an empty stomach. So first I'm gonna catch me some fish and then I'm get me some chips."

Mika: "I bet if we snuck up close to Mai, we can give her a real surprise."

Toushiro: "I have a better idea, Mika."

Toushiro whispered his plan into the cubs ear. When he was done the cub giggled with excitement. Toushiro then quietly hid behind the rocks while Mika did her job.

Mika: "Ok, here I go!"

The Saboron cub carefully made her way over to Mai, who still had no idea the cub was even there.

Mai: "Shhh... You've got to be very quiet when you're fishing."

As Mika got closer, Mai's pole started to bend.

Mai: "Hang on! I've got a bite! Easy now, that's it!"

Mika was just a foot behind Mai when she roared! Mai's line broke as she yanked the pole in her shock!

Mai: "AHH!"

Mika started her run back down the hill as Mai chased after her.

Mai: "Oh when I get my hands on you!"

Mika headed straight back to the pond with Mai close behind. As soon as the henchman was past him, Toushiro followed behind. The cub reached the edge of the pond and continued to taunt Mai.

Mai: "Come back here ya stupid cub!"

The cub ran across the thin ice and Mai followed her. When she slipped, the ice began to crack under Mai. She looked over and saw the sign realizing what Mika had done, unaware that that was only half of the plan.

Mai: "Uh-oh..."

Mika: "Mai, what a crack up!"

Still unaware of what was going on, Mai carefully backed off of the crack.

Mai: "Easy now, easy..."

She breathed a sigh of relief but then got hit by a snowball. She looked behind her and there stood Toushiro just as he threw another snowball at her face!

Mai: "Why you little..."

Mai tried to run after the boy but instead fell into the ice water when the crack broke apart. An ice block came up a few seconds later and inside was Mai.

Toushiro: "That Mai! She's the coolest girl I know!"

Mika rejoined Toushiro laughing hysterically. With Mai taken care of yet again, they continued on their way. It was a clear run off of the mountain and far away from the Ice Festival but closer to their destination.