Chapter 17
It had only been a few days since the Cram Class began to plan the party for Kamiki. Miyuki had done her part and bought the supplies. Konekomaru and Rin were baking the cake, Shima was figuring out what to buy the feisty teen, and Suguro and Shiemi were in charge of decorating. Everything was going decently smooth other than the fact that Kamiki was starting to catch on. She had seen Miyuki walk into the grocery store.
"I thought you only ate junk food?" the polka-browed girl asked. Miyuki shrugged as she put a sucker in her mouth.
"Rin said he'd cook me something. I'm buying ingredients," she lied. Kamiki stared at her for a moment before shaking her suspicion off and continuing her walk.
After that encounter, she hadn't run into Kamiki. That was until Shima was forced to tell her what was happening.
"I swear it was an accident!" he cried as Kamiki glared at everyone in the classroom. She frowned.
"Nice job, dumb ass. Way to go," Suguro grumbled. Miyuki, who was sitting on the desk behind him, kicked the back of his head. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at her.
"But...I don't get it. Why are you mad?" Rin asked. Kamiki turned her nose up.
"You hang me out to dry like this? Well, I'm not gonna let you get away with it!" she snapped. Miyuki rolled her eyes.
"The princess is unsatisfied," she muttered, receiving an ironically cold stare from Kamiki.
"You're using me as an excuse so you all can have fun!" she crossed her arms. Paku, who had been caught alongside Shima, approached her friend.
"Izumo, you should be happy. This is for you," she tried to calm Kamiki down.
"I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I said we should throw you a birthday party and I wanted it to be a surprise..." Shiemi looked disappointed. Miyuki narrowed her eyes at Kamiki.
"You shouldn't be apologizing. Moriyama put a lot of hard work into making you happy so what's with the attitude?" Suguro asked.
"I'm just saying it's unfair is all! All these months go by and now you want to throw a party for me? How unfair is that?! What about everyone else's birthdays? How many have we skipped since the first day of class, huh?" the class gasped. Miyuki knew the brat was right.
It's not like she had any milestones coming up and she didn't deem a party necessary but this felt like a good idea...Or one that would blow up later. Either way, this could bring her some amusement. Kamiki went on to prove her point.
"If you want to throw a party, let's do it right and celebrate everyone's birthday," she said. A lightbulb went off in Miyuki's head. She thought for a moment.
'Yeah...Maybe that'll work...'
"You know...that's not a bad idea," Miyuki muttered. Everyone turned to her. Kamiki raised an eyebrow. Rin grinned.
"If the Ice Queen's in, I am, too!" he said. Miyuki rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the small smile that formed on her face. Suguro and Shiemi were already getting a headache just thinking about all the work.
"Man...This is gonna be a real pain in the ass..." Suguro grumbled.
"Then let's get to work," Shima chimmed in. All the students began to file out of the classroom to try and prepare the party. Miyuki trailed behind in the back, typing away on her phone with excitement. She put the device back in her pocket and let a small smile shine on her face. This wasn't going to fix everything, but, just maybe, it'll patch up something small.
...
The day had come.
Miyuki and the others stood in a decorated room in the boy's dormitory. It might have been a study or something but it was emptied. Everything from the banner to the cake was proof that, when they put their minds to it, the teens could accomplish it. They even got Yukio to show up. Miyuki approached the blonde who started the whole thing.
"This was a good idea Shiemi," she nudged her gently. Shiemi smiled.
"Thanks, Miyuki," she softly giggled. Miyuki faced forward, eyes trained on the entrance.
"You've been watching the door this whole time...Are you expecting someone?" Yukio asked with a quirked eyebrow. Miyuki sighed.
"I wouldn't exactly call it expecting...More like hoping," she clarified. Shiemi leaned forward a bit, studying her friend's face.
"Who is it?" she inquired. Miyuki hesitated. She bit her lip before pushing off the wall.
"I...need some air."
The Yuki-Onna let out a long sigh as she exited the room. The happy chatter of her classmates leaked through the door, making a sombre smile form on her face. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and peered down at it. No messages or calls...
"Why do I have to be such a screw-up...? Can't even fix one relationship..." Miyuki mumbled as she ran a hand through her dark hair. She put her back against the wall and slid down. The doors had shut so now it was quiet, leaving the girl to her thoughts. She held her legs close to her chest with her linked arms.
"I don't think anyone can really answer that."
Her head snapped up. She widened her eyes when she saw Mika standing in front of her.
"You actually came?" she raised an eyebrow. Mika clicked her tongue.
"Would have been here earlier but that demon headmaster decided to have a chat with me. Damn, he does not know when to shut up," she shook her head, vein nearly bursting from her forehead. Miyuki sighed, lips twisting into a smile.
"Why?"
Mika paused, a pink hue dusting her cheeks. "Because you invited me, dumbass!" she snapped. "That and...I think I saw Isaki."
"Really?" Miyuki gave her a shocked stare.
"It's mostly because I saw her in my sleep last night. It was like when she died. I saw her in my dreams for about a year and then she just disappeared. Now, it's like she's trying to tell me something but I always wake up before she can. Right after that, you called me," Mika looked very confused.
"I was never one to believe in ghosts or superstitions or whatever you want to call that crap but now...I-I think it's a sign," she said the last sentence quietly. Miyuki stood up and pulled Mika into a hug. The brunette widened her eyes.
"I really miss our friendship. I was hoping this party could help mend what I broke...Or, at least, put some tape on it until you're ready to rebuild it," Miyuki explained. Mika's tension was suddenly gone. She sank into Miyuki's arms.
"In all honesty...I missed our friendship, too..."
"Hey, Ice Queen! We're starting presents!"
Rin froze when he saw Mika.
"What is she doing here?" he snarled. Miyuki smiled, taking Mika's hand.
"She's not a threat, Rin," she said, walking in the room. Mika hesitated, pulling Miyuki back a bit. With a slight tug, the raven-haired girl managed to get the brunette into the room. No one seemed to notice at first but then Rin bust back into the room, announcing that presents were going to be opened. Everyone looked to the front of the room, eyes falling on Mika.
"Uh...Hayami?" Shima slowly approached her. Miyuki rolled her eyes.
"Everything's fine. She's here for the party," she said calmly. Mika stepped forward.
"And to apologize..."
Miyuki's eyebrow peaked as she watched Mika twiddle her thumbs.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused...I wasn't...I wasn't myself," the swordswoman explained. She took a shaky breath before lifting her head up.
"I hope you can forgive me," she scanned the room, meeting many eyes. Then, she faced Miyuki. The Yuki-Onna took her hand.
"I already have," she smiled. Rin tapped Miyuki on the back.
"Sorry to ruin the moment but can we start opening presents?" he asked hurriedly. Miyuki shot him a glare and Mika giggled. Bother girls felt weird hearing it. It had been so long since either of them heard the other laugh. They smiled.
"Alright, Rin. Let's open some presents," Miyuki said. Rin gave her a goofy grin.
With that, the teens began to open their presents. They drew lots and the number they picked correlated with their present. Mika sat off to the side with Miyuki. The silence between them was awkward but somewhat comfortable.
"Thanks for the knife," Mika muttered. Miyuki smiled.
"You're welcome. Figured it fit your personality," she crossed her arms and put her back against the wall. Rin ran over with a box.
"Miyuki, your turn!" he grinned. Miyuki sighed and shook her head before taking the box Rin held out to her. The class had settled on doing a Secret Santa type gift exchange, even though it wasn't Christmas. The idea was that you didn't know who got you your gift until they hand it to you. It had blue wrapping paper around it and a white bow placed on top. Miyuki shook the box and raised an eyebrow.
"Rin, if this is-" "Just open it, Ice Queen!" Suguro shouted. Miyuki shot him a look. Rin bounced a little as he waited for her reaction. As Miyuki unwrapped the box, her well-trained nose picked up the scent of sweets. Her eyes lit up as she ripped off the rest of the wrapping paper. Her tail swished behind her happily.
"Rin..."
Rin froze. His spine straightened itself at her tone. He watched as she rummaged through the delicious treats; candy, cookies, etc.
"D-Do you not like it?" Rin felt a lump form in his throat. Miyuki looked up, showing him her glistening eyes and fanged grin.
"I love it," she said before wrapping her arms around Rin. He widened his eyes in shock as she practically squeezed the life out of him.
"I-I'm glad," Rin wheezed as Miyuki let go of him.
"Does she seriously get that excited over food?" Kamiki asked Mika. Miyuki glared at her. The room got a little colder. Mika laughed nervously
"I remember how you used to trade stuff with the other kids for snacks," a small smile spread across her face, "One winter, you went a whole week without a pillow or a blanket just for some pocky."
Miyuki chuckled softly, "Ironically, the old hag didn't find out until I got a cold." Mika snorted, attempting to hold back laughter. There was a pause and then the two girls busted out laughing. Rin smiled as he continued to hand out gifts. This was the happiest he had ever seen the Yuki-Onna. Her smile looked good on her...
...
Hey, everyone! I'm trying to keep on schedule but with the holidays, it's been a little hectic around my house. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and get ready for next week. ;)
Thanks for reading, loves!
