A/N: I know I have a particular time for uploading, but I just know I'll be fluttering about, grooming and nitpicking this chapter until then, so I'm going to go ahead and get it out of the way a couple hours early. So, welcome to the final chapter of the ski resort arc! I've actually just finished another chapter for this fic, which I consider particularly important, so that'll be up soon as well. But once that's done with, I'll probably pause TPS for a while (since I don't know how Ch 50 is gonna go). Now it's HC's time to shine!

Thanks to ZainR for the review! It wouldn't be a cheesy romantic ski resort arc without Person A slipping and falling onto Person B at least once ;) As for the chao thing, that was just Hejjiguchi being too meta and/or breaking the fourth wall. I'm sorta glad you didn't have that epiphany until now, at least that means I'm being subtle! XD That confrontation was hard just to write, but it was certainly inevitable. Four months (or in my case, years) in the making. Now we'll get to see how or if this group will survive it.

Enjoy!

[Chapter 48]: The Fallout

Needless to say, they didn't go see that movie.

Masuda approached them a couple of minutes after it all, looking dreadfully ashamed of himself like he'd committed the highest act of treason. He barely managed to get out a sullen greeting.

"You missed out on all the action," Hejjiguchi cracked, a weak attempt at humor. "Though I guess you and Ami already had your own little talk."

"I'm sorry," Masuda said miserably. "We were chasing you guys all day, and then the chairlift got stuck and she kept going on and on about dishonesty and keeping things from friends, and I just… snapped." He sighed and sat down in the snow. "I felt so guilty. Now I feel even worse."

"Don't be," said Hejjiguchi.

Kurimu shook her head. "We shouldn't have put that on you," she added softly. "It should have come from us."

"We took too long."

"You didn't want to ruin the trip," Ayato murmured. In fairness, he couldn't imagine what the week would've been like if this had happened on Tuesday at truth or dare. Yesterday might've gone very differently. Somehow he didn't see Karaoke Night playing out the same way.

"I tried to hold out until the end," said Masuda, pushing his hair back against his scalp. "I wanted that too, for Ami. But I couldn't distract her from her goal, and I couldn't keep your secret. I couldn't even keep my own composure." He rested his chin in his hands. "I let my own selfishness get the better of me, and in doing so, I failed all of you."

"You spent the entire week with her," Ayato pointed out, "which is more than anyone else here can say, and it took you this long to crack."

Hejjiguchi nodded. "He's right, man. You played the game on hard mode."

Masuda frowned down at the snow. "Maybe that's worse in her eyes. I had more opportunities to tell her and I didn't."

"At least she doesn't seem too mad at you," Kurimu said tentatively.

Masuda shook his head sadly. "No… you didn't hear the way I went off on her." Standing up, he folded his arms and stared toward the mountain. "I just thought, now that Shiruba wouldn't be bothering us anymore, we could make the most of our final day here together. And then she went full-fledged into mission mode and I had no choice but to help her. No matter what I did to slow her down, to shift her focus toward having fun, it never lasted long. She'd remember you guys, or think she spotted you, and we'd keep moving. And that – and the secret – just kept eating away at me.

"When we were in that chairlift, unmoving, I couldn't change the subject or pretend to be distracted by something. I sat there, listening to her rant for ten whole minutes about shady behavior and trust and that whatever's so important, she would think they would tell their best friend about it…" Masuda sighed, looking horribly guilty and forlorn. "And I screamed at her. I'm sure the entire resort must've heard me. I barely gave her a chance to speak before I was unloading the whole truth on her. How did I know? Yuri told me. How long had I known? October. Yes, I'd kept it from her that long. Yes, I was sorry, but I had to keep my word that I wouldn't tell another soul. I thought you'd do the honorable thing and tell her yourselves. But I was tired of the games, tired of the lies, and tired of her spending all her time chasing after you two when she could be enjoying her vacation with me!"

Masuda took a deep breath afterwards; Ayato supposed he was vividly reliving the outburst from up on the mountain, and they'd all just gotten an accurate recap.

"Anyway, the chairlift had started moving again during my little monologue," Masuda continued, more embarrassed now by the return of his rant. "As soon as it was safe, I jumped out and I left her up there. I yelled at her and ditched her before I could face the consequences. So yeah, she's definitely mad at me."

Another silence fell over the group, the only sound coming from Hejjiguchi scuffing awkwardly at the snow.

"This is bad, isn't it…" Yuri said softly.

"Worse for you girls," Hejjiguchi commented. "You share a room with her. At least for one more night."

"If she's even coming back to it tonight," she muttered.

Not really feeling the movie, they went into the café for dinner. Yuri had lost most of her appetite, but Kurimu talked her into sharing a cake. Ayato appreciated her for that. The rest of her food, she poked at or nibbled or moved around her plate. Even Hejjiguchi wasn't eating as fast as usual. The meal was very quiet, the silence quite noticeably Ami-shaped.

There was no sign of Ami on their way back to the lodge that evening, nor was she inside. Masuda headed over to the bar to drown his sorrows and guilt in hot apple cider, while Kurimu and Hejjiguchi waited hopefully by the open fire to watch for her to come in. Yuri left briefly to check the recreation building and the karaoke area, to no avail. The only souls to approach them were Fujimoto, Takada, and Hirohashi, who came by as curfew was approaching to ask if they'd seen Nezumi and Shiruba.

"What am I, his keeper all of a sudden?" Hejjiguchi crabbed. "We had one duet!"

"Okay, geez, sorry," said Takada.

"Tomo-kun here was just getting a little worried," Fujimoto added.

Hirohashi fixed him with a deadpan stare. "Okay, why have you started calling me that?"

"I just think it's cute, the way Saki says it…"

"Anyway, we won't bother you," Hirohashi said to Hejjiguchi. "But will you let us know if you do see them?"

Hejjiguchi softened. Out of all Nezumi's guy friends, Hirohashi seemed to be the one he tolerated the most, or even genuinely got along with. "Yeah, sure," he said. "Sorry, it's been a day."

"Yeah, I heard," said Hirohashi, wincing. "Good luck with that." He gave Yuri and Kurimu sympathetic looks before walking away with his friends.

"You heard?" Yuri called after them.

"Ami projects her voice, Saki listens," Takada returned smoothly. Walking backwards, he megaphoned back to Yuri, "She was in here earlier! Probably holing up with Sayuki and Kaori or something!"

The boys went over to join Saki and Hisakawa, who were watching them and the fireplace group from a nearby booth. Realizing she'd been spotted, Hisakawa frowned (almost pityingly) before turning away.

This was too much for Yuri. Sighing, she stopped drumming her fingers on the armrest and got up. "Well, no sense waiting around here anymore. I'm gonna turn in."

"Yuri…" Ayato started, though he realized he wasn't sure what to say.

She turned around, but just barely. "I'm fine, Ayato," she murmured, holding the Cyndaquil in one hand. "Goodnight."

He watched her go, disoriented by the way things had spiraled. "Goodnight…" he said, more to himself, then shared a glance with Kurimu and Hejjiguchi.

What else was there for him to do? Follow her? Offer more words of empty reassurance? This day had not ended at all like he'd wanted, not for himself, and not at all for Yuri, but he didn't know how to fix it.

Instead, he walked down the opposite hallway towards his own room. He might as well get one good long final sleep in Shiga Kogen, before facing whatever Friday had in store for him.

Tomorrow they would return to Akuma, but everything else was uncertain.

Early in the morning, Ayato, Masuda, and Hejjiguchi came to the dining area for an early breakfast to find only Yuri and Kurimu waiting for them. Not that it surprised Ayato, of course, but the contrast from yesterday was a thought he couldn't shake.

According to the girls, Ami had not come back to their room last night. She'd slept over in Sayuki's and Kaori's room, finally returning just before Yuri and Kurimu were about to leave for breakfast. She spoke very little, primarily to Jinko, who was currently still in the room helping her pack up for the bus ride home.

"We already packed most of our stuff last night, so at least she doesn't have to worry about us coming back to the room for a while," Yuri muttered.

Ayato harrumphed in sympathy, but also because he should've thought of that. He'd hardly been able to sleep last night, kept awake with thoughts of Yuri and her reaction to the ordeal with Ami. Having something to do instead of tossing and turning would've been helpful.

"She's got to talk to us sooner or later, right?" Hejjiguchi asked. "I'm used to Mad Ami. She's just kinda scary. Mad, I can deal with. Sad…" He twisted his mouth at the thought and tore at his waffle.

"Yelling's better than radio silence. Hands down," Yuri agreed.

Hejjiguchi gestured to her in agreement. "Yeah, like when Kurimu and I were fighting, and you two weren't talking to each other, I would see Naoi in class looking like a vampire sucked all the joy out of his life and I'd think, hey, at least I'm not that guy."

Ayato stared at him very hard.

"Alright, sorry, don't kill me," Hejjiguchi said, holding up his hands in defense.

Ayato considered for a moment. "I'm not mad," he said slowly, and shook his head at him for effect, "just disappointed."

Groaning, Hejjiguchi clutched at his heart in dismay. "Oh no, don't say that…"

Later, as they were finishing their food, Masuda's broody gazing out the window turned into furrowed eyebrows and a curious squint. "Is that Shiruba and Nezumi out there?" he spoke up, loud enough to get the other tables' attention.

"Wait, what?" Hirohashi, Fujimoto, Takada, Saki, and Hisakawa scrambled from their seats and piled up against the windows, peering out to get a good look. After a few joyous sounds of confirmation, they all made a stumbling dash for the front door. Ayato's table exchanged mildly stimulated glances, shrugged, and got up to follow them.

Outside, Nezumi and Shiruba were being led back to the plaza by a safety ranger. They didn't look hurt or anything, just a bit pinker and more bundled up. They laughed when their friends all rushed to surround them, Nezumi scratching bashfully at the scarf around his neck.

"Where were you guys?" Hisakawa asked.

"You were gone ALL NIGHT!" said Hirohashi, sounding very much like a distressed mother.

Shiruba grinned, shrugging at them. "Dude, craziest thing. We got snowed in."

"Yeah, some girl screamed really loud and suddenly there was this mini avalanche crashing down on us," Nezumi said, "so we ran into this cabin and we were stuck for like… what, twelve whole hours?"

"Maybe," Shiruba said.

Hirohashi shook his head. "That is so cliched..."

Nezumi just shrugged as if to say, yeah, but what're you gonna do?

"Did you fall in love?" asked Saki.

Takada elbowed her playfully in the side. "They were already in love. What kind of question is that?"

Scoffing, Fujimoto adjusted his glasses. "Sheesh, newbies."

"Nobody in this group ever minds their business…" Shiruba said, rolling his eyes with a sigh, but the grin slowly returned to his face and he sandwiched himself between Nezumi and Hisakawa. "So, what'd we miss? And why does Hejjiguchi look like someone yellowed his snow?"

"Oh, don't mind him, he probably just hoped I was dead," Nezumi replied, only to receive a little shove from Shiruba, who silently gestured toward Ayato with a wide-eyed grimace. Realizing, Nezumi sucked air through his teeth. "Wow, I just realized how profoundly unfunny that was. Let's go inside so I can take off these boots and put my own foot in my mouth."

"Wouldn't you rather have breakfast instead?" Saki asked, earning a roar of laughter from the boys.

As their group headed inside, Hisakawa whispered something to the guys that made Nezumi perk up in interest. "Oh, no shit?" he said, looking over his shoulder at Hejjiguchi. "What happened, did you tell?!"

Hejjiguchi shook his head with a lazy shrug. Masuda raised a hand in guilt. They could hear Nezumi hollering with laughter as he disappeared inside.

"Hey, Shiruba! Your boyfriend snitched on—" The door closed.

Masuda and Ayato both snorted, though his own was in sympathy. "He's still going on about that?" Ayato asked, reminded of his own struggles involving Kurimu that had started all of this.

"Oh, he'll never let it go," Hejjiguchi assured them.

It wasn't long before the buses pulled up to the resort, waiting to be loaded. The chaperons and a few volunteers helped students put their luggage away. Hirohashi slowed during his assistance with Yuri's suitcase, and Ayato was about to get offended for her (was he passive-aggressively giving her a hard time for the Ami thing?) until he realized the boy was getting distracted by something in the distance. He followed Hirohashi's gaze and instantly spotted Saki saying goodbye to Mitsumura and Specs (he already forgot his real name - Takamoto or something).

"One more for the road?" Mitsumura offered, giving her a sunny smile. Saki giggled and eagerly obliged, jumping into his open arms for a surprisingly strong hug. She did the same with Specs, but their redheaded friend evaded her grasp, so she made ominous "watching you" gestures while he used his buddies as shields.

Hirohashi was still staring, so Ayato rolled his eyes and stole the suitcase out of his hands, helping Yuri wedge it into place.

"Thanks," she said quietly, managing a smile as she reached for another bag. She'd been saying a lot of things quietly this morning.

Snapping back to attention, Hirohashi turned pink and rubbed at the back of his neck with his now free hand.

"S-Sorry…" he squeaked, hastening to get back into gear. "I was just—"

"Yes, I noticed," Ayato responded evenly, and mercifully said nothing more about it as Hirohashi helped them put the rest of their stuff away. Only hoped that he never reached the poor boy's level of romantic obliviousness and self-pity. Oh, this beautiful girl teases me and smiles whenever she sees me and spent this entire vacation by my side, but she could never really be interested in a guy like me! Ridiculous…

They started boarding the buses after that. The tree-dangler group slowed down the line for a moment during their dramatics of saying goodbye to Hisakawa and Rumi, who were heading toward the second bus.

"I'll wait for you!" Fujimoto proclaimed, reaching out his arm toward the girls while resting a hand over his broken heart.

Hisakawa barely looked back, shouting over her shoulder, "Don't be such a sap!" (Beside her, Rumi laughed uproariously.)

Then Shiruba got out of line and ran after the girls, stopping Hisakawa to talk to her before she got on the bus, so that at least sped things up a little. Eventually Ayato found himself trekking up the steps after Yuri and following her down the aisle. Fujimoto was in his seat but standing and chattering to Nezumi behind him as Takada peered out the window and tapped at the glass trying to signal Shiruba. Hirohashi passed the empty seats across the aisle from his friends and stopped at the one behind Nezumi.

"Saki, what are you doing all the way back here?" he could be heard asking after the rising dull roar of their classmates.

"Revenge?" Saki suggested. "Since Shiruba and Nezumi sat behind us and teased you for the entire ride here, I thought maybe we could do the same thing to them."

Hirohashi grinned from ear to ear. "You know, you're pretty smart," he said, and fell into the seat beside her.

Yuri stopped at a seat somewhere in the middle, and she was just about to sit down when she and Ayato simultaneously remembered their deal from Monday.

"Oh, right…" she said, lifting her eyes to him with an apologetic frown. "You were going to have the window seat on the ride back."

She looked so dispirited, so tired and guilty, that right now it was the last thing he wanted. Forget the fact that he didn't get much sleep last night, why would he want to make a pillow out of a rattly window anyway? "No, you take it," he told her.

Yuri's frown wavered. "Are you sure?"

"Go ahead." He gestured for her to sit down. "It's fine. Maybe we'll stop somewhere in an hour or so and we can switch then."

"Okay, good plan." She let herself drop into the seat and shift sluggishly toward the window. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it." He wished he could do more. But this wasn't something he could fix with strawberry stomach bombs or shouting in the hallway or heartfelt apologies. He didn't know what to do here except let her have the window seat. It seemed like such a paltry thing.

Hejjiguchi and Kurimu sat behind them, and Masuda diagonal. The seat across was taken by Sayuki and Kaori, who kept sneaking them looks he didn't appreciate. They stopped and looked up with twin expressions of consternation on their faces as another person climbed aboard, which meant it could only be one person.

Slowing in front of their seats, Ami spared them all mere cursory glances before surging forward. Perhaps she frowned hesitantly at the empty spot next to Masuda, perhaps she got caught on his doleful gaze, but for barely a second. Yuri, resigned, lowered her eyes again and turned toward the window, but on the aisle seat, Ayato had the privilege of turning and people-watching. Ami went as far back as she could and slumped into the nearest available empty seat outside the tree-dangler group's radius.

More people filed onto the bus, their chatter and laughter making his own friends' silence feel so much louder to Ayato. He heard Hejjiguchi and Kurimu murmur things to each other here and there, but the energy was gone, drained. Right now, their group felt like the worst part of winter – dreary, hopeless, and grey.

Shiruba appeared at last, in good spirits as he made his way down the aisle. When he noticed Ami sitting all by her lonesome, he hesitated and looked sorry for her. But then Nezumi poked his head above his seat and waved him over. A brighter smile crossed Shiruba's face and he passed Ami with a wave or even a supportive seat pat before sliding in next to Nezumi. Standing farther behind him in the aisle, Takamori had seen the same sad sight, and gave her friend Marina a brief look before going to sit beside Ami. Ayato saw Takamori smile and offer a soft greeting before the bus rumbled into motion.

The bus ride back to Akuma was uneventful, but stressful all the same. The ride itself went fast, faster than it had taken to get to Shiga Kogen, but the energy – the air around him – felt slow. Ayato didn't know if he wanted it to hurry up or never end.

He and Yuri did switch spots when the buses made a stop for food and bathroom breaks, and it wasn't as scenic as it would've been when they were just leaving the mountains, but he didn't care. The buzz of the window against his head was a lot more soothing than he expected. Then there was Yuri, who deemed his shoulder a suitable pillow replacement.

It surprised him, certainly, when her head came to rest against his shoulder. He doubted she was fully aware of what she was doing. She was completely zoned out, weary from the trip and from yesterday. He did his best not to move or disturb her in any way, which was a hard thing when it lasted the final half hour of the trip, but worth it if it meant some kind of comfort to her. She might've even fallen asleep for a bit, breathing slow, steady, and peaceful, which made Ayato feel like maybe he was at least doing something right.

Of course, reality reared its ugly head when they finally pulled into Akuma High's parking lot. Yuri stirred, looking around groggily.

"I guess we're back," she said, sounding about as dismal as he felt.

After their respective classes were dismissed and they got their stuff together, Yuri and Ayato said halfhearted goodbyes to Hejjiguchi, Masuda, and Kurimu outside as they were getting ready to leave.

"Alright guys, it's been… fun," Hejjiguchi tried, which actually earned him an empathetic laugh from Ayato. "You guys walking home together?"

"Yeah, up until the fork in the road, then I'm gonna head back," Yuri replied. She had luggage, so it made sense to Ayato that she wouldn't be dragging it all the way to the Naoi estate. All the same, he knew it meant he'd have to start missing her sooner.

"I'm gonna walk Kurimu home too," said Hejjiguchi. "Maybe we'll meet up at the neighborhood at the same time and go the rest of the way together."

"Sure," Yuri murmured, lost in thought again. Ayato tried not to feel too weird about her being alone with him. Hejjiguchi had enough girl trouble as it was without adding Yuri to the mix. Anyway, what was it that Ami had said when Takada suggested Yuri and Masuda kiss? You needed chemistry. He didn't think she and Hejjiguchi had any chemistry…

"Yo, Masuda," Hejjiguchi called to his friend. "You want to walk home with us?"

Another curious request. Ayato would think Hejjiguchi might want to walk with Kurimu alone. Going by the too warm, too welcoming, half-smile on his face, perhaps it was meant to be a peace offering.

But Masuda barely even noticed it. "Thanks, but I'll have to pass," he said, staring off in another direction. "I wouldn't want to be a third wheel or anything."

Following his gaze, Ayato found the real reason for Masuda's halfhearted gloom. Ami was rolling her red suitcase down the road in a haste, her bootsteps swift and clacking against the pavement.

Yuri noticed as well, crossing her arms and hugging herself as she cut her eyes to the side.

"What are we going to do about this?" she asked quietly. "Come Monday…"

"I don't know," said Hejjiguchi, running a gloved hand through his hair. Kurimu was cradling her Eevee plush for comfort. "I don't know what's gonna happen. We're probably not gonna see much of her for a while."

"This is all my fault," Masuda sighed. "I shouldn't have yelled at her—"

"Dude, don't," Hejjiguchi told him. "We shouldn't have dragged it out like that. No one blames you at all."

"But you trusted me with your secret, and I—"

"I don't care," he cut him off, shaking his head. "I promised you no more games and I played around all week. If anyone should be begging forgiveness here, it's me. You're my best friend. I might not see Ami at lunch on Monday but I better get to see you."

Masuda looked incredibly touched. They both dropped their luggage and went in for a hug, complete with brotherly backslapping. Ayato witnessed this with mild surprise, trying to stifle a weird pang that it gave him. Best friend…

Maybe that was for the best. If Hejjiguchi ever tried to put his hands on him, he probably wouldn't have hands.

"See you Monday," Masuda said, giving Kurimu a little shoulder squeeze goodbye as well.

"Or sooner," Hejjiguchi and Kurimu said in unison.

As Masuda picked his stuff up and headed towards home, the couple next turned their attention to Ayato and Yuri.

"And guys, really, thanks for everything," said Hejjiguchi.

"We're sorry for getting you in so much trouble," Kurimu added.

"It's fine," Yuri responded, shifting her bag on her arm. "You were right, I was the one who got you two together in the first place…"

"No, but before that," Hejjiguchi insisted. "I mean, you wouldn't've had to if we hadn't been bugging you so much."

"If I had just put my foot down with Ami…" Kurimu turned to Ayato with a look of apology. "But I guess I just liked the idea of making friends with you."

Ayato felt a blush creep into his cheeks. Not for any romantic reason, of course, but the girl really did have a talent for working her way into even the most troubled of hearts. "In that case, I guess it was worth the trouble," he admitted.

Hejjiguchi draped a protective arm over Kurimu's shoulder. "Hey now—" he warned playfully.

"Oh, don't start that up again," said Ayato, rolling his eyes.

The two laughed lightly. "We'll catch you later," Hejjiguchi said, and Kurimu waved goodbye with a little smile (a rarity for her today) before they turned and walked off.

That left just him and Yuri, unless he counted the resumed dramatics of the tree-dangling group reuniting with the gymnast girls somewhere behind them. Ayato would have let it fade into the background, except Yuri had picked up curiously on the friends' adamant discussion of a combined group nickname and turned slightly to eavesdrop. A few odd suggestions were thrown in before Saki chimed in with Jungle Gym, or "jungle gymnasts," and Fujimoto started raving about how cool that would be for a band name, prompting excited chatter from Takada and Nezumi.

"Come on," Yuri said, losing interest now. "Let's go."

Luggage in hand, Ayato was quick to follow as she walked across the street.

"Did we ever try to do something like that?" she asked suddenly, after a few seconds passed with only the sounds of suitcase wheels rolling. "Come up with a name for our group, I mean?"

"I don't think so," Ayato said, considering. "We're not that dorky." Yuri grinned briefly, then looked thoughtful again, so he added, "Like what?"

"I dunno… invincible squadron?" Yuri scrunched up her features, trying to remember. "Barnacle… something?"

Ayato started laughing. "Barnacle something? Do we live under the sea with a talking sponge?"

"I don't know!" Yuri shot back defensively, her voice rising in pitch. At least she wasn't sounding as quiet and sad anymore. She knocked her fist against her forehead. "Okay, what am I thinking of…?"

Happy to get her mind off of things, Ayato teased her about that for a couple of minutes as they walked through town together. He hummed a nautical tune once for added effect and she squealed at him to shut up, which pleased him greatly.

But then, the joke had to dry up sooner or later, and in time Yuri's embarrassed grin faded and she looked pensive again.

"Some vacation, huh?" she said, once they'd made it past a crosswalk.

"Yeah. Some vacation." He stared straight ahead, not liking the way the fork in the road was rapidly coming into view. "Kurimu swore, Shiruba turned into a snowman, and some guy tried to go skiing shirtless."

Yuri laughed, visibly cheered up by the memories. "Yeah, I guess it was a pretty memorable week," she agreed, then bit her lip. "All things considered…"

He didn't like the way her voice trailed off like that.

"Yuri," he said, catching her attention again. "I'm sure this will all blow over soon."

"Maybe…" Her pace slowed. "Or maybe it'll be another three weeks." Her lip trembled a little, and she looked away. "I don't want to do that again."

"I don't know why Ami would put herself through that," Ayato told her. "Give her some space, and trust me, she'll realize how miserable she is without you."

She gave him a look of fond, rueful empathy, before frowning ahead at the road. "She has every right to be angry with me."

After another couple of minutes, they reached the fork in the road, and Yuri dragged her suitcase to a stop and turned to face him.

"Well, good luck with… whatever's waiting for you up there," she said, offering him a weak smile.

In return, he managed a sardonic chuckle. "Reality, unfortunately."

Her features crinkled with sympathy, before smoothing out into a more genuine half-smile.

"Even so, I'm glad he was gullible enough to let you come with us this week," she responded, laying a hand on his arm. "I don't know what I would've done without you for a whole week. Especially this one. Especially after yesterday."

"Oh, I'm sure you would've visited the hot springs a lot more," Ayato said. He didn't know why – it was the first thing that came to mind.

"What is it with you and those hot springs, mister?" Yuri asked, grinning.

He tightened his coat around him. "I'm cold, and I'm living vicariously."

This earned him a light laugh. "You missed out."

"Shame we couldn't do that yesterday," he said daringly.

"You would've liked that, wouldn't you?" Yuri said, poking him in the chest.

"What? I've seen you in your bathing suit!"

"That's different, you perv!" She smacked at his chest, not very hard, so he knew he wasn't really in trouble. Then her eyes softened, and her hand dropped to her side. "But really… I never got to say it, because of everything that went down, but… Thursday wasn't all bad. I mean, we got to hang out all day yesterday. We got some books, beheaded a snowman, you won me the Cyndaquil. Thanks for that." To his surprise, Yuri leaned forward and pressed a feather-soft kiss to his cheek. "I had a good time."

Then she stepped back, seized her suitcase again, and turned to head for the road that would lead her to her neighborhood. Ayato stood there, utterly frozen except for the scorching spot on his cheek where she'd kissed him. Before she started rolling again, she looked over her shoulder at him. "See you later."

"See you," Ayato echoed, blinking way too much for a normal person. He raised his hand in a mindless wave, which felt dumb, but she turned back around and walked away like she wasn't questioning it.

Freezing in mid-wave, he touched that hand to his cheek. It had not, in fact, been set aflame, but it was tingling now and he didn't know what to make of it.

This week was all sorts of hot and cold, he decided. And with that, he picked up his luggage, turned, and headed up the dirt path towards home.

Preview:

"It's the anniversary."

"Maybe we could come up with another strategy?"

"I used to think the world was so beautiful when it looked like this."

"Yuri, it's okay!"

"She went home early today."

"I know what it's like!"

"You're no help to her at all."

[Chapter 49]: Terrible Timing.