The next day finds me standing outside Seventh Leaven in human form, trying to convince myself to go inside. It's not fear so much as it is shame for the way I've mistreated my first friends here in Living World that's holding me back. I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. If yesterday was any kind of example, people tend to surprise me. Here goes.

I step inside to find the front empty except for Kana at the register. When she sees me, she turns around, raising her voice the loudest I've ever heard it. "Asaki's here!"

Haruka pokes her head out of the back, her eyes narrowing as she points a finger at me. "You!"

"Me?" I ask, completely confused.

"Where the hell have you been?" she growls, walking toward me with a whisk in her hand.

"I'm sorry!" I shout, eyeing the whisk. "I've had some things to take care of, and I-"

"I saw Shuichi the other day. He told me you've been back from your dad's for almost five days. What took you so long to get over here?"

I stare at her, my heart suddenly much lighter. "I've been doing homework," I say, which isn't the only reason, but it's also not a complete lie. I'll have to thank Kurama for softening the blow by making my absence seem less than it actually was. "Are you going to whisk me away?" I ask her, pointing at the cooking utensil she's still holding rather threateningly.

She snorts, shaking her head. "That was pretty bad, Asaki." Lowering the whisk, she throws an arm around me, and I hug her back, smiling.

"I know. It's been a long past couple of months."

"Asaki Anno!" Mrs. Tendou comes out of the back, covered in flower, hands on her hips.

I bow to her as I step away from Haruka. "Ma'am."

"Grab an apron. We can talk while you work." She heads back into the kitchen, and I exchange looks with Haruka and Kana before following.

"Mrs. Tendou," I say as I put my apron on. She hands me some dough, and I start kneading. "I wanted to apologize for leaving you like this for so long."

"It's all right, honey. I understand you've been going through a lot lately." The rhythm of kneading the dough relaxes me, the sound like music to my ears. It's been so long, and I find I've missed it.

"I'd like to be able to come back, but I don't know when or if I'll have to leave again."

"That's fine with me." I look over at her, surprised. "We'll make it work. Honestly, I've just missed seeing your face around. You always brighten the place up."

I smile, going back to the kneading. "You're too kind to me," I tell her, smiling. "I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"Don't disappear on me without saying something next time, or I really will fire you," she snaps, but there's a hint of a smile on her face.

"Yes, ma'am!" I reply. "I promise I'll work hard."

"You'd better. I don't employ slackers!"

For the next five hours, I work my butt off, pumping out bread and rolls and cakes, all the things I'm pretty good at. Thankfully, no one asks me to make cookies. I think I've forgotten how to do them properly. Maybe I'll go back over to Kurama's and have his mom teach me again. My heart warms at the thought.

"All right, shift's up," Mrs. Tendou says, pushing me out of the kitchen. "Haruka, Kana, let the new girls take over. You guys enjoy the rest of the day." The three of us head outside as three older women I've never seen before take the floor.

"New recruits," Haruka says to me as we make our way outside. "Anyway, it's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back," I say. "I've missed you guys."

"We missed you," Kana mumbles, her voice so soft I almost don't hear her. We head off in the general direction of home, me wishing I could become a demon right about now. It's too cold.

"Oh, hey, so I saw this girl with Shuichi the other night!" Haruka bounces like she's telling me some big news, which I guess she thinks it is. Little does she know…. "She had this crazy-long dark red hair, and she said her name was...Asami? I think?"

I flinch at the name, sighing. "Yeah, she's a friend of mine."

"And you're okay with her hanging out with him? What if she takes him from you?"

"I'm not interested in Shuichi like that," I tell them, sighing. This is only going to get more and more complicated. "And I'm pretty sure she isn't either." Lying twice, and both lies are about the same person. This is harder than I thought it would be.

Just then, a snowball whizzes past my head, and I turn to find Yusuke and Kuwabara in the midst of a serious snow battle. They go back and forth between pummeling each other with fists and with snowballs.

I make my own snowball even as Haruka says, "Asaki, I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's all right," I tell them, throwing it and hitting Yusuke in the back of the head.

He wheels around, looking for the source of the attack. When his eyes fall on me, he calls out, "Asaki! Where the hell have you been?"

"Busy," I say, walking over to them. Haruka and Kana follow hesitantly.

"Kurama told us your birthday was on Christmas. You could have at least said something so we could have wished you a good one."

I shrug. "I hate my birthday. Sue me."

"Well, uh, happy late birthday, anyway," Kuwabara says.

"Same," Yusuke adds.

"Thanks, guys." I turn, gesturing to my friends who look rather uneasy. "This is Haruka, and this is Kana." They mutter hellos, which is when I realize why they're so uncomfortable. Yusuke and Kuwabara are famous for being the biggest punks at Sarayashiki.

"Yo," Yusuke says, and while I don't find him intimidating, Kana takes a step back.

"I promise, they aren't scary," I tell the girls, making another snowball and chucking it at Kuwabara. It hits him in the face, and he stares at me, eyes wide.

"You're so on, Asaki!"

The guys and I go back and forth, tossing snowballs around. After a while, Haruka joins in, Kana not too far behind. I notice my classmates are a lot nicer with their attacks on the two completely normal humans than they are on me or each other, which makes me happy. They really are good eggs, despite what everyone else may think.

"Asaki, duck!" I do as Yusuke says, and his snowball flies right over my head, landing with a dull, wet thud against something not far behind me. I turn to find Kurama standing there, holding his book in front of his face as the snowball slides off.

He looks over at us, frowning as Yusuke calls, "Yo, Kurama, come join us!"

"I'm not much for snowball fights," he replies, looking over everyone gathered here. I know he's thinking we're a strange assemblage of people, but we've been having fun, and that's what matters to me.

"Chicken!" Yusuke crows, making chicken noises.

"Come on, Shuichi," I say, smiling. "Aniki."

He closes the book, scowling. "It doesn't matter how you say it, Asaki. I refuse to respond to that."

"Wait, can we call you that?" Kuwabara asks, frowning.

"No." He gives me a withering look, but I merely toss a snowball at his shoulder that he sidesteps. "Remind me to tell my mother to take back what she said to you last night."

I stick my tongue out at him, turning to face the others. A snowball hits me in the back, and I jump, glaring at Kurama. "You know," he says, smiling cheekily, "that was rather fun."

Haruka and Kana take a step back as the snowball fight gets more intense, and I don't blame them. I'm worried some of these might take my head off.

After a particularly vicious snowball hits me hard in the stomach, I slip, landing on my backside in a deep drift of snow. Just my luck. I sit there for a moment, my brain going a little fuzzy at the sheer cold.

"You're going to get sick," Kurama says, grabbing my hands and pulling me to my feet.

"That's fine," I say. "I'm always sick on New Year's. It's like a tradition." I give him a weak smile, and he sighs, shaking his head.

"I don't know that that's something you want to perpetuate."

"Eh." I shrug, heading back into the fray. He wouldn't understand anyway.

…

Morning comes, and with it a pounding headache and one heck of a fever. Perfect. I crawl to the bathroom, using the sink to get me to my feet, looking in the mirror. I look as bad as I feel, and I sigh. This is going to be a long day, but at least I don't have to spend it entirely lucid.

I burn myself on breakfast, sneeze so hard I send half of it flying into the wall anyway, and then spend way too long cleaning it up as I sniffle, my nose running. I end up curling up in my blankets, squeezing the life out of Shiro while trying to do homework. After writing something completely illegible and probably wrong for an answer on one question, I give up, grabbing a book and trying to read.

It takes me about a minute to realize it's upside down, and I sigh, flipping it over as the pounding in my head gets louder and louder. Wait. That's not in my head. Someone's at my door.

Slowly, carefully, I get to my feet, my stomach feeling kind of warbly. I wipe some sweat from my forehead as I stumble to the door, wrenching it open to find four familiar faces standing before me. I shake my head, closing the door to the startled shouts from the other side.

I move to walk away from the door, tripping and falling on my face. Sighing, I lay there, wondering why tatami is so comfy when the door opens again, letting in bright sunlight. I wince, putting my hands over my head.

"Well, she's either sick or drunk," Yusuke says.

"Are you all right?" Kurama's hand finds my forehead, and I shiver at how cool it feels. "You're burning up."

"I'm a fire demon," I sputter. "I'm always burning."

"Cute," he replies, scooping me up into his arms.

"Put me down!" I whine, punching him weakly over and over again in the chest. He sets me down by my blankets, and I throw them over my head.

"Poor thing." That's Keiko, I think. Her voice is muffled by the blanket and the fact that my head is still pounding.

"Wait, are we going to get sick too if we hang around?" Kuwabara this time.

"You didn't all have to come," Yusuke grunts. "Kurama and I were just coming to make sure she wasn't dead."

"Like I'm going to let three boys go over to a girl's place when she's sick," Keiko says.

"What do you think we're going to do, eat her?" Yusuke snaps. "Geez, Keiko."

I lift the blanket from my head, letting out a monstrous sneeze. "Ow," I mumble, even though it didn't really hurt. Just a lot of pressure.

"Did you sneeze fire?" Kuwabara asks.

I look up at him, my vision a little blurry. "I don't remember."

"You don't…?"

"Why is it so cold in here?" Yusuke shouts, stomping over to the thermostat.

I shrug off my blankets, heating my skin so the air gets hot. "I am the heater," I growl. "But turn it up if you want." I return to normal temperature as I say, "Wait a second. I don't recall letting any of you in here."

"You totally did," Yusuke says.

"Really?" I frown.

"Oh, yeah. You invited us over yesterday. You don't remember?"

I'm about to apologize for being rude when Kurama says, "Yusuke, that's not funny. She's liable to believe you."

"Jackass," I grumble, burrowing into my blanket again. I'm all sweaty and gross, and I probably look like a mess too. Good day for company.

Yusuke shrugs, looking around. "You know, I thought your place would be bigger."

"Excuse me for not being independently wealthy," I snap, grabbing the book I'd been trying to read. The words swim on the page, and after a moment, Kurama takes it out of my hand and flips it right-side up. I'd forgotten he was kneeling beside me.

"You boys are so rude," Keiko grunts. "Have you eaten anything today, Asaki?"

I point with my still-burnt hand to the dirty dishes from breakfast. "A little."

"How about I make us lunch?"

"Not much in the fridge," I grumble, leaning against the wall.

"I brought some things," she says, which is when I notice she's got two plastic bags in her hands.

"You don't have to do that," I mumble.

"It's kind of why we came over," Yusuke grunts. "I guess I'll help, since there's nothing else to do here."

I sigh, closing my eyes in the hopes of stopping this monster of a headache. It doesn't help.

"Have you taken anything?" Kurama asks, his voice soft and gentle by my ear.

"Mm-mm. My body burns up most medicine I take before it gets the chance to do any good in demon form, and I don't really have the patience to be a human right now."

"Why's it take patience to be a human?" Kuwabara asks.

"I'm this sick now. My human form would be even worse. Besides, it frustrates me how much weaker that body is at times." I hold my hand in front of my face, staring at the burn pattern before finally healing it. That takes a lot more effort than I'd thought, and my head swims a little from the struggle.

"You just need to train," Kuwabara says. "Maybe Genkai can teach you. She helped me out a lot back when I was new to this whole thing."

"Maybe," I mumble, resting my head on my knees.

It's quiet for a moment-blissfully so-until Kuwabara says, "Hey, what's this guy?" I open my eyes slightly to see him holding Shiro. "He looks just like you, Kurama." Kuwabara holds the stuffed fox out to the fox demon who takes the toy, handing it to me.

"Very funny, Kuwabara. Last time I checked, my fox form was white, not red," Kurama replies.

"He's kind of white," I say, holding Shiro in the air. "Shiro, Shiro, no treats for Shiro."

"Shiro?" Yusuke says from the kitchen area. "What kind of name is that for a red fox?"

"Shut up," I snap, holding Shiro close to my chest as I hum my Shiro song. Shiro, Shiro, no treats for Shiro. Kuwabara ends up wandering into the kitchen to help Keiko and Yusuke while Kurama stays with me. I find my hand tracing the chain of the necklace he gave me, but when I notice him looking at me, I stop immediately.

He pulls the Inner-Flame charm from his pocket, and I frown at the fire inside. It's that weird dull yellow again. "Broken," I mumble. I move to chuck Shiro at the wall, but Kurama grabs my hand, and I look down to realize I was about to throw the book instead. Where is my head right now?

Lunch is finished, and I end up nearly spilling food all over myself again, which eventually leads to Kurama spoon-feeding me. The others are snickering, but when I try to eat by myself, I just make things worse. I have no choice but to accept his help, feeling really stupid at the same time.

Once that torture is over, everyone decides to play cards. I go over to my bed and curl up, trying my hardest to just tune everyone out. In the end, what I do manage is to fall asleep once again.

I wake up in a cold sweat, grabbing the clock nearby. Today is nearly over. Shoot. I stagger out of bed, not feeling nearly as bad as earlier. Okay. I still have time. Throwing on my coat, I slide on my shoes and dash outside, one hand full of flowers I'd bought yesterday. I'd kept them in a vase in the kitchen, next to Kurama's roses, hoping they would still be healthy enough to suit my purposes.

There are so many people out, which is no surprise as it's New Year's Eve. Everyone is getting ready for the first shrine visit of the year. I don't remember seeing anyone in my room when I left, and I wonder if they aren't already somewhere, waiting to ring in the new year.

As I walk down a busy street, I get jostled here and there as I try to push my way through. Have to hurry. Only a half hour left. Someone flat out runs into me, managing to crush my flowers, and I stare at the broken stems, sighing as tears prick the corners of my eyes that I immediately evaporate. This is what I get for making an effort.

I drag my feet as I enter the cemetery where my mother is buried, wondering why I'm even bothering. As I approach her tombstone, I sigh. Father replaced it yet again, and either he came here himself, or he sent a servant because there is a massive bouquet of flowers laying at its side.

Kneeling down on the ground, I set the crumpled flowers beside my father's, laughing at the difference. "Sorry, Mom," I mutter. "They got beat up on the way here."

Visiting Mother's grave was something Father used to force us to do every year on her death day. The experience was so miserable, with an entourage of servants surrounding us pretending to be sad, that eventually I started forcing myself to get sick for the sole purpose of being unable to come. I had no problems mourning for my mother, despite the fact that I'd barely known her myself, but between the multitude of milling servants and the stony expression on Father's face, I just couldn't take it.

Even as I am now, it's hard to be here, but I take a deep breath forcing myself to look at the words inscribed on the white marble before me: Asami Anno, and the years of her life. Apparently, her family had insisted she be interred here, something all of the money in the world couldn't have changed, despite how hard my father tried. He had to respect the wishes of her parents, much to his fury.

"I know it's been a while," I say, feeling silly talking to a tombstone. Still, Father used to do this too, a long time ago. Maybe it helped him find peace. "You wouldn't believe all the things I've been through in the past year."

Sighing, I run a hand over the characters of her name that we both share. Hers was written as "morning beauty", something I found all too fitting. Morning beauty is fleeting; it doesn't last long, and you miss it when it's gone. My own name is written as "morning blossom", and I wonder how my father ever let her pick a name like that for me.

"I left home, which I don't think you'd like to hear, but, it's been good for me. I've made so many new friends, people who truly care about me." I tug on my braid, sighing. "You wouldn't believe it, but I've even got someone I see as my best friend. He's helped me out so much, and I think you'd like him. He can be irritating sometimes, and he's ridiculously stubborn, but then so am I. I cherish his friendship so much"

I find myself smiling, as I say, "I'm doing okay, so I hope you won't worry about me. I'm going to get stronger, I promise." At that, I nod, shifting Father's bouquet so that it's resting neatly on Mother's grave.

Footsteps catch my attention, and I look up to find, of all people, Kurama, standing beside me. He kneels down too, closing his eyes and raising his hands like he's paying my mom his respects. My heart beats fast at the sight, and I press a hand to my mouth as he opens his eyes, reaching toward the tombstone.

He raises his hand, palm up, and I see a seed there that blooms into a wreath of roses. He sets it on the ground, settling my crumpled flowers and my father's bouquet inside. Then, he turns to me, the expression in his green eyes so soft and warm.

"Feeling better?" he asks me, his voice quiet.

I nod, my hand reaching out and grabbing Kurama's sleeve. He looks at me in surprise, and I swallow hard. "K-Kurama? I need a favor."

"Anything," he replies, and I have a feeling he means it.

"Hold me," I whisper, leaning forward and wrapping my arms around him. He does the same to me, and we stay like that, my heart pounding fast. I love you. The words are practically burning on my tongue, but I swallow them down, almost laughing at myself. Not that long ago, I'd sworn I would never tell him, that I was content loving him from a distance. After tonight, I'm not so sure anymore.

This feeling is so strong, and just when I fear it might overwhelm me, I pull away from him, smiling. "Sorry. I know that was a weird request. I just…." I look over at the flowers on Mother's grave, and I let out a shaky breath.

"I understand," Kurama says, nodding. He gets to his feet, offering me his hand, and I take it, letting him lead me from the cemetery. When we're back out on the street, he lets go, turning to face me. "You don't look sick anymore."

"Nah. I'm feeling much better now. Thank you...for everything."

"Of course, Asaki." He smiles. "I'm rather impressed you managed to make it out of your home without me noticing."

"You were still there?" I say, eyes wide.

He nods. "I went to the restroom, and when I came back, you were gone."

I laugh. "My timing was perfect, I guess. I don't know that you would have let me leave, and I wouldn't have had time to explain."

"I probably wouldn't have without some kind of explanation." Looking back at where we just were, he sighs. "So, you're always sick on the day your mother died?"

"Yeah."

"I had a feeling it was something like that."

"How-"

"You did say she died about a week after you were born, and you've been acting a bit off lately."

"Ah. Cunning fox," I say, smiling. That's when I realize it's rather cold. Apparently, my determination to make it here before midnight was so single-minded that I forgot it's the middle of winter. I rub my hands together as I start to shiver. "Stupid winter."

Without a word, Kurama takes off the scarf he's wearing and wraps it around my neck. I stare at him, my face growing warm at his proximity. When he's done, he says, "Better?" I nod, unable to speak. "Good." He looks at the watch on his wrist, saying, "We've got about ten minutes until the new year. I don't suppose you'd like to meet the others? They're waiting at a shrine nearby."

I shrug. "I've never done that before, so why not?"

A/N:Hi, there, author here. (That's an old reference...) I like to mix up the sad moments with happy ones when I can, so Asaki's grave visit had a few happier moments involved. Also, I sure as heck spent a long time coming up with Asaki's name. Her mother's conveniently fell into place, name meaning and everything, so I'm pretty proud of them *pats self on back* I made an effort! Anyway, stick with me, and we'll get through Asaki's trials!

Thanks to everyone who's still sticking with me, and a special thanks to YukinaBlueRose and AmericanNidiot for the reviews!