.Chapter 19.
"Girls!"
"K-Kaiya!"
Miyuki, Mika and Isaki sat outside the monastery, guilty looks on their young faces. Kaiya glared at them with a disappointed yet stern gaze as she ushered them inside. It had begun snowing outside and all three of the girls wanted to witness it but didn't bother waking up the others.
"We just wanted to see the snow!" Mika whined with large, watery eyes that were slowly diminished of hope.
"Yeah, Miss! Mika and I didn't get a lot of snow at home so this is the first time we've seen it in real life," Isaki's eyes grew as she innocently fluttered her eyelashes in a desperate attempt to persuade their caretaker. Miyuki simply watched in amusement. Kaiya turned to her, expecting the raven-haired girl to object her decision but no words were uttered.
"Well, it's too cold and you girls don't have on nothing but pyjamas!" the woman huffed, crossing her arms. Mika ran to her bed and dropped down to her knees. She dug around for a moment before pulling out two thick coats and one sweater. Kaiya's eyebrow quirked when the brunette scuttled back over.
"One for Saki," she handed a coat to her sister then the sweater to Miyuki. She took it with a quiet nod before slipping it on. Her friends did the same. "One for Yuki...and one for me!" Kaiya frowned, clearly not amused by the display. She paused, noticing the gleam in the two sisters' eyes. She could only sigh.
"Fine...just go wake up the other children, first," she caved in. Mika and Isaki giggled before running off to inform the other kids of the snow. Miyuki stayed behind. Kaiya watched as the raven-haired girl picked at a loose button on her blue sweater.
She couldn't help but think of the girl's mother. She missed Arai more terribly and everytime she thought about her, their last encounter came to mind.Speaking of, which...would the cold even bother her daughter? If she had Yuki-Onna blood in her, would the cold elements affect her? There was only one way to find out...
"Miyuki, dear...Are you-" "I'm fine," the scarlet-eyed girl responded sharply. Her reaction caught Kaiya off guard and made her hesitate before saying or doing anything else. "A-Alright, dear," the older woman muttered quietly. Her attention was drawn away by the sound of excited squeals running past her. She spun around on her heels and bustled after the children, attempting and failing to calm them down.
Miyuki couldn't help but smile as she stared at her for a moment. She was forced to look away when Mika grabbed her by the arm and ran out of the orphanage. Miyuki blankly stared at the brunette, her other arm linked on to Isaki's.
"Are you ready, Yuki?" the small child's emerald eye shone with excitement. Isaki giggled lightly and tugged on her sister's hand.
"Let's go, Mika!" she grinned cheerily. Miyuki couldn't help but smile as she watched the sister's gather snow and throw snowballs at each other. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath while packing some snow into her hands. Joining in on the fun, Miyuki found herself laughing alongside the other kids.
Kaiya sat on the steps of the orphanage, watching closely. She couldn't help but tell herself that Arai and Ichiro would have been wonderfull parents to this little girl.
Not but a few days after the children had their snow day, Miyuki was bed bound. She was physically unable to get up and had a high fever. Mika and Isaki sat at her bedside while Kaiya rang out a wet towel. She tsked before putting it on the child's head and saying a quick prayer.
"We're sorry, Yuki..." Isaki mumbled, looking at her feet from sheer embarrassment. Miyuki's laboured breathing hesitated as she slowly looked over to her friends.
"Yeah, w-we didn't mean to get you sick," Mika was on the verge of tears. Kaiya's eyes narrowed softly. She stayed silent while she gently poured some cool water into Miyuki's mouth and held her back up. The raven-haired girl sneezed when she laid back, a tired look in her ruby eyes. They had lost some child-like wonder but still held that hopeful glint.
"I'm just glad that I got to see you smile," she muttered. After a short moment of silence, Mika burst into tears. Her and Isaki went against Kaiya's orders and hugged their sick friend, both of their eyes watering. Miyuki chuckled weakly as she wrapped her arms around them with all the strength she had. Kaiya shook her head but couldn't stop the smile that grew on her face.
"What am I going to do with you three?" she sighed.
.
.
"Are you sure about this?"
"No..."
"Then why would you ask?"
Miyuki huffed as she closed her eyes, breathing in the cool air. They didn't stay closed for long due to the fact that Rin's flushed face popped into her mind every time she closed her eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head vigorously.
Mika stood in front of her, sword in hand. She had caught up to Miyuki but only after tieing up Rin to make sure he wouldn't follow.
Don't get it twisted, the two girls weren't quite friends yet. However, calling them enemies wasn't the best term for their relationship, either. A friendly rivalry was the best way to word it.
"Just end my suffering," the Yuki-Onna whined, dropping to her knees. She narrowed her eyes in a sad manner as she held herself tightly in her own arms. Mika sighed before sitting down next to her.
"Now you want me to kill you? It's a little late, don'cha think?" the brunette forced out a chuckle. The tufts of grass beneath Miyuki slowly froze over, prompting Mika to shake her head. "Talk to me," she urged, leaning over to gently nudge the Yuki-Onna with her shoulder.
The Ice Queen clenched her fists, knuckles turning white. The moment of silence was tense and hung a heavy atmosphere over the females' heads. Finally, after about a minute of reminiscing about the night, Miyuki caved.
"I...kissed Rin..." she grumbled. Mika froze for a few seconds, watching her childhood friend roughly entangle her hands in her ebony tresses. "O-Or he kissed me...? I don't know! It was a two-way thing!" she let out an angry groan.
"Which one is that?" Mika asked her rival who replied by simply describing the boy as 'the other demon'. "Oh, yeah..." the brunette raised an eyebrow quizzically. "How was it?"
"Awful!" Miyuki threw herself back until her body came into contact with the hard ground. Her eyes were tearing up but the moisture didn't dare escape. "I told him that he shouldn't have gotten close to me. I worked with Amaimon for fuck's sake! I know that I'm going to hurt him and there's no denying it..."
"I meant the actual kiss..." a bead of sheepish sweat fell down Mika's forehead, "but I know why you would feel that way. With what happened back then, I don't blame you. We can be pretty cruel to things or people we don't understand. Maybe that's what's happening now." Her eyes briefly flicked over towards the distant, shimmering city as Miyuki looked towards her with a confused glance.
"You're scared. Afraid of what might happen if you let someone into that block of ice you call a heart. So, instead of figuring out how to get past the pain and fear, you push away whatever you think is causing it," Mika explained for her. She almost seemed to read the noirette's inner thoughts or rather, she spoke from experience. Emerald eyes met ruby ones, both irises glistening in the moonlight.
"Yuki, be honest with yourself."
Miyuki paused, scarlet eyes closing. Honesty was what got her into this mess. She reluctantly thought over the events that occurred about an hour before Mika had caught up to her.
With a shaky breath, she began to tell her about the night in intricate detail. The looks Rin gave her...The words exchanged...The way their lips meshed together. Everything.
"I-It felt right but considering everything I know...It's just scary," her voice drifted off as her story came to a conclusion. Mika was silent as she took in the information and looked up at the night sky. The twinkling stars almost spoke in a code she couldn't understand.
"So you chose a side, then?"
"What?" Miyuki furrowed her eyebrows.
"I hunted you for like ten years. Did you think I wouldn't ask around? Some imp came to me and said you were sent to capture the son of Satan. Based on the Vatican's reaction and everything I've seen, not to mention the blue flames..." she paused to sit up and give the raven-haired girl a sad smile, "That's him isn't it?"
Miyuki's glossy eyes grew wide. She had made the hard decision of terminating her deal with the Devil for Rin's sake. He didn't deserve to be the prince of hell. He deserved to be a normal, teenage boy.
For a moment, she remembered how her mother was in the same situation. Toshiko Arai also refused Satan...and look where that got her. Would Rin's story end the same way?
"You know...at times, I forgot that he was the Devil's kid. H-He passes off as normal so well..." her scarlet eyes stared off into the distance as her hand trailed down her side and into the grass. She slowly released ice from it, a thin layer of frost covering the grass around her and Mika. The snow began to pile up around them, ice crystals now budding from the ground in sparkling towers.
Mika's jaw dropped as she looked around. She was reminded of Isaki's final moments, but the pain and anger that lived in that memory will always stay. Despite her own thoughts, she knew Miyuki never meant to do anything harmful.
The noirette didn't need more stress piled on top of her and Mika understood that. It just took some time for her to see the silver lining of the situation.
"I want to protect him but I'm not sure what I can do. If Satan himself decides to take matters into his own hands then there's no way I'd make it out alive. Based on the fact that he sent Amaimon, I'd say that time has come," Miyuki's lps slowly turned purple as frost formed on her shoulder. Frostbite; Signaling the overuse of her powers.
Around her and Mika were beautifully made crystal flowers. The grass was covered in frost and chips of sparkling ice while the crystals radiated this calming energy. The brunette looked over to her rival and noticed how the bottom half of her was slowly fading into mist. She tensed up and pointed.
"New power?" a bead of sheepish sweat fell down her forehead. Miyuki nodded. Her eyes were red from holding in the tears but she didn't let them fall.
Mika sighed and shook her head, "I don't think I'm the right person to give you advice since all I've ever done is run or attack my problems..."
Miyuki froze.
Run...or attack.
"Mika, you're a genius," she jumped up to her feet. The swordswoman grinned cheekily.
"Of course I am," she smugly watched Miyuki walk away. A few seconds later, she blinked in confusion and shook her head. Getting up, she trailed after the demon, "Now what exactly did I do?"
"You gave me an idea," Miyuki explained, speeding up slightly. Mika had to sprint in order to catch up. "I came here with a goal in mind and now I'm not bound to it..."
"Y-Yuki! Where are you going?" the swordswoman huffed once she was able to casually walk beside her rival. Miyuki spared her a glance out of the corners of her eyes. She gasped. "Are you gonna kill him?!"
Miyuki held back her laughter as she rolled her eyes, "No, Mika..." She suddenly stopped walking and grabbed the girl's hands. She expected them to be rough from years of training but they were surprisingly soft.
"I'm running."
Mika's eyes widened slightly as her jaw fell. "Dude, I didn't say that to give you options! I spent years looking for you and I didn't do it all just to lose you again..." her evergreen irises sparkled in the glowing moonlight. A hefty sigh escaped her lips, "Yuki, think this through. If you leave, the Vatican can consider that going rogue. Then what's stopping them from killing you? I know I've already got Stephan to deal with but that's one guy versus a shit ton of Exorcists."
Miyuki seemed to hesitate after hearing the swordswoman's words, "It...It doesn't matter. They won't be able to find me, anyway." Mika shook her head, disappointment riddling her features. There was no stopping the Yuki-Onna. She had her mind set on leaving and that was what she was going to do. That meant there was really only one option for her childhood friend.
"Fine. I'm coming with you," the brunette huffed. Miyuki furrowed her eyebrows.
"No. Absolutely not. It's way too dangerous," she snapped. Mika pursed her lips, puffing up her cheeks in the process.
"We're both going to be on some very powerful people's blacklist. Better to stick together and protect each other, right?" her pout slowly faded into a reassuring smile. Miyuki blanklh stared at her for a moment. There was ann uncertain silence that filled the atmosphere.
"...Fine."
"Great!"
"On one condition."
"Ugh," Mika rolled her eyes dramatically. Miyuki crossed her arms over her chest while she watched Mika finish her child-like tantrum. The grassy-eyed girl pouted again. "What is it?"
"I have to do something first...but I need a favour," the raven-haired teen began walking. Mika stared at her with a confused glare before running to catch up.
"You have cash, right?"
.
.
It was late at night and everyone who had shown up for Kamiki's birthday party was gone. They had all witnessed Miyuki running away from Rin after God-knows-what and didn't stick around much after that. The entire building had a rainy cloud over it because of Rin's sulking attitude.
After the raven-haired boy melted away all of the Yuki-Onna's ice, he sat on the roof and thought for a little while. Thanks to his sweat, his hair had stuck to his forehead but he still sat up there for almost two hours, staring at the stars.
The half-breed clearly needed to be alone so Yukio took the liberty of politely asking everyone to leave. He slept in a separate room for the night and decided against talking to his brother until the morning.
Despite his respect for Rin's privacy, he couldn't help but wonder what really went down between the two of them. He knew that girl was trouble and even told her to stay away. It was no matter now. If she kept running, she would be the vatican's problem.
The dorm room felt chillier than normal, a melancholy kind of cold that explained why Rin had his blankets wrapped around him like he was rice in a sushi roll.
Kuro, who had wordlessly fallen asleep beside the demon boy, purred as he curled up at his feet. The Cat Sídhe didn't mind Rin's unusual silence but wished he could do something to make him happier.
The azure-eyed boy's dreams were plagued with his mind's relentless thoughts like where Miyuki could possibly be and what he could have said differently to make her stay. He shivered in his sleep as something cool grazed his face.
The sensation caused him to stir slightly but he was lulled back to sleep by a faint hushing sound. He held his pillow closer to his face as he curled up into a tighter ball, eyebrows unconsciously furrowing.
"Shush...Go back to sleep, Rin," Miyuki gently ran her fingers through the dark strands of Rin's hair. The bottom layers were still a little damp thanks to his sweat but it didn't bother her.
However, she did notice the way that he nuzzled closer to her lap whenever he drifted back into his slumbering state. She narrowed her eyes softly. The quiet commotion caught Kuro's attention, causing the cat spirit to hop off of Rin's bed.
He looked up at Miyuki with large, curious eyes, "Where are you going, Miyuki?" She reached down and gave him a scratch behind the ears.
"I'm leaving, Kuro," her smile faltered as she unintentionally kept stroking Rin's head. Her sorrow was locked away behind her ruby eyes yet Kuro could see it clear as day. The two-tailed cat gasped, eyes widening in disbelief.
"You can't! Rin and I won't let you!" He began to headbutt her calves. No damage was inflicted, of course, but it's was still a sweet gesture.
"This isn't a decision either of you can make." Kuro paused. His muscles loosened and his jaw dropped as he looked to Rin with despairing eyes.
"He's been so sad...Did something happen...?" he asked Miyuki who shook her head and also looked back down at the raven-haired boy. She gently placed her palm over his cheek, caressing his face with her thumb.
"I can't say I'm not going to miss him...but it's better this way. I don't want anyone to get hurt..." she felt her eyes tear up again and instantly stopped talking so she could wipe them away. There was so much she wanted to tell him but knowing he couldn't hear her would make all of her attempts futile.
"This is the easiest way, you see?" her voice cracked. The smirk she wore was a façade, distracting her from her forming tears. If she let them go, she wouldn't be able to quit.
Instead, the Yuki-Onna gently lifted Rin's head off her lap and placed it back down on his pillow. When she stood up, she hovered over the boy's face, inches apart from him. She was so close but had never felt more distant. Her breath caught in her throat.
Suddenly, a head popped in through the opened window on the other side of the room, "Yuki, if we want to leave tonight, we should go now." Mika's eyes saddened when she saw how Miyuki was looking at Rin. The noirette lowered her eyelids.
"Yeah...I know," she sighed through her nostrils, icy breath tickling the boy's face. The Yuki-Onna brushed her nose against his and closed her eyes softly as she leaned in closer. Her heart fell to her stomach when she paused.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered. Changing direction, she opted for a kiss on the forehead. It's better this way, reminded herself. If she was out of the way, things would be somewhat easier for Rin while he was on his journey to defeat his father. An absurd goal but one she believed he could accomplish.
"...Miyuki..."
Miyuki's eyes shot wide open. Had she woken up Rin? No...he was still sleeping. At least he appeared to be. His eyes were cracked open by only a few centimetres, causing Miyuki's to narrow in kind.
"Hey, Rin," she muttered quietly with another distracting smile.
The half-asleep boy seemed to frown at her sad tone, "Where are you going...?"
"I don't know," her blood-red eyes couldn't stop the tears, anymore. A few dripped down onto Rin's bedsheets but she didn't notice.
"Oh...When are you coming back?" he asked groggily as Kuro hopped back onto his bed. The Cat Sídhe curled up and simply watched the encounter.
"I'm not coming back, Rin," Miyuki's voice cracked. She mentally cursed herself and dropped her head, using a hand to cover her mouth. Sleepy Rin furrowed his eyebrows gently at her words.
"Then...how will I see you?" he asked with an innocent tone of confusion. The sad shell of a girl next to his bed took a deep, shaky breath as her shoulders bounced. She couldn't help but laugh at the state he was in. After she let out a sniffle and whipped her tears away, she gently brushed his hair out of his eyes so she could see his face.
"You won't," she explained calmly, each word stabbing her. Rin pouted and let out a child-like groan of disappointment. Miyuki's chest ached with an invisible force seeming to crush the organ in her chest. "At least not for a long time..."
"Miyuki..." Kuro sniffled. Miyuki turned to him and smiled, crouching down until she was at his level.
"Take care of him, okay? Look after this idiot for me, Kuro," she gave him a two-fingered salute before straightening back up. The familiar reluctantly nodded, watery, green irises never leaving her. The raven-haired girl silently thanked him with a nod of her own.
"Yuki," Mika called from off to the side of Rin's room. Using her elbow, she propped herself up on the windowsill. The brunette hated being the bearer of bad news but they did need to leave soon. They had to be at the station before the next train arrived.
"Alright, I'm coming..." Miyuki sighed. Convinced that she had finished saying her goodbye's, she took a deep breath and glanced over to Rin's nightstand. The piece of folded paper she dropped onto it had the boy's name written on it in her script-styled handwriting.
She approached Mika, meeting her at the window. The brunette's grassy-coloured eyes glanced over her old friend, then they loomed over something behind her shoulder for a few seconds before disappearing as she exited the windows.
"Don't go," Rin groaned in his sleep. The raven-haired girl stopped walking when she felt his hand grab her wrist. Her eyes widened and her breath got caught in her throat as her lungs ceased to breathe.
"I have to, Rin-" "Don'tgoIloveyou," the sixteen-year-old boy's disoriented state and inability to put a sentence together without slurring it was evidence that he was still sleeping. His grip was surprisingly tight, however. He clearly didn't want to let the girl go...To be honest, she didn't want him to.
If the situation was different, she would have crawled into the bed with him and fallen asleep. The thought made her face redden but it was true as well as the least of her worries. Instead, she gently shook her hand free and, despite Rin's groggy protests, spared him no second glance as she proceeded to the open window. The curtains swayed as cool air blew into the room.For a moment, she contemplated whether she should grab him another blanket or not.
It's not my place, she reminded herself. With a hefty sigh, the Yuki-Onna climbed out the window and onto the tree limb she had utilized in order to get up. Her long legs got her down the tree and down to where Mika was patiently waiting with two backpacks full of their things. She took the dark-haired teen's hand in her own and squeezed it in a reassuring way. This was the right thing to do...
"It didn't feel good, did it?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood with a forced laugh. Miyuki nodded, a distant and thoughtful look in her glistening, ruby eyes.
"Maybe I should have let you kill me in that forest..." she smiled sadly. Mika scoffed as she held back a chuckle.
"Don't threaten me with a good time," she rolled her eyes.
"Asshole." Miyuki smiled.
"I know," Mika elbowed her lightly in the side.
Together, the two began to walk away from True Cross...from everything Miyuki had worked for over the past few months. "Besides, I don't think you would have wanted me to give your icy, demon heart to Stephan. He's the real asshole."
"I believe it. Thanks for not...you know...killing me," Miyuki mumbled as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her blue jacket. A breeze blew by, tangling itself in both girls' hair and ruffling through their clothes. The brunette scoffed playfully.
"Never would have even tried if I knew you could talk to the dead," her evergreen eyes stared off into the distance while she lazily put her hands behind her head. The girl next to her grew pale as her tired eyelids drooped.
"Yeah..." she yawned as her sudden drowsiness began to set in, "About that." Mika sighed, raising a chocolate-coloured eyebrow as a look of pity took over her facial expression. She closed her eyes, trusting herself to walk without her vision.
"Still can't do it?" she asked. Miyuki shook her head and hummed her answer. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I still don't understand it completely but I think I could only do it because I was close to death..." she shrugged before rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It had been a long day for both girls. Emotionally demanding, if anything.
"Hey, don't give me any ideas," Mika let out another forced chortle. She sighed and shook her head, opening her eyes once more as she looked over to Miyuki. The brunette's emerald eyes were filled with concern as she brought her worry to light, "Are you okay?"
Miyuki brought her hands up and stared at her cool palms for a moment before dropping her head down into them, "Just tired..." Mika nodded in understanding.
"Lucky for us, the train station's just over there," she pointed a few metres away to a building next to train tracks. Miyuki let out a sigh of relief as the girls ran towards it, hopeful gleams in their eyes and backpacks bouncing up and down on their backs.
When the two teens got to the station, Mika paid for their tickets. This was the favour Miyuki mentioned earlier. Once the tickets were paid for, the girls sat on one of the benches under the awning.
They began to wonder what life would be like from this moment forward. This was a new chapter. Their reunion was long overdue but skipping town together wasn't something they planned on doing at any point and time. An unexpected turn of events that was unfortunately necessary...
The Vatican would be after the rogue Yuki-Onna demon and the Collector most likely had put a bounty on the head of the swordswoman who ran off with his merchandise. Both girls were being hunted, so this was truly the safest thing for them to do. To run away and never look back. Miyuki did it first, just a few years too early.
"Hey, Mika?" the hybrid asked as she lazily rested her head on her friend's shoulder. Mika, who had crossed her arms and was also starting to drift off to sleep, raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah?" she grumbled
"Do you think...I'll ever be able to see my parents and Isaki again?" Miyuki slurred, closing her eyes. The brunette next to her shrugged, making the scarlet-eyed girl's head bounce lightly.
"I don't know but I hope so," she muttered tiredly. With everything said and done, the two girls allowed themselves to rest so they could get up in time to catch the train. They had a big day ahead of them. Both girls were hesitant to move forward yet they knew it was where they needed to go.
They could only go up from here...Right?
.
.
.. Hey again, everyone. I'm so happy that I finally got over my excruciating writers' block. Because of the length of the break I took, I decided to write a longer chapter, this time. With schooling now being moved to online classes, I've been very busy but I try to take some time off every now and then in order to get caught up on my writing. R.I.P to my sleep schedule.( T_T)\(-_-)Oh, I almost forgot! I have a little surprise! I'm revising some of the old chapters of this story so it looks a little better and fits my new writing style. If you ever feel like it, maybe some of you could reread the story. I know that it doesn't sound appealing but I promise there's new stuff! As always,Thanks for reading, Loves!! STAY SAFE !
Special thanks to;NoxNightKingNightWingAlchemistEGORickDemonKira6FutureFalls KaZe128Piedpiper007hudson3447kyokosa2gawa015midnightwolf32shiorinatsuAspiceDKMariaFangirling101BGlasrevinMr. IndigoMrsVBergOddSenjuOut Piedpiper007SaChan22XxTheDarknessOfMySoulxXhudson3447iWasDamnedkyokosa2gawa015mysticfairydancerReviews!DemonKira6 - I understand, haha. I'm also picky with the stories I read but I'm glad my story caught your attention! As I said earlier, I'm working on fixing the mistakes in earlier chapters and I know there's a lot. Thank you for taking the time to comment.Guest - Aha...Yeah, I know I'm bad about posting...I promise I'll get better at it, though!
