Please forgive me! I know this chapter is inexcusabley late! I was really busy...okay, that's a lame excuse but still! sigh well, here it is: Chapter 8 of Heart of Ice. I planned to get a little farther than this in this chapter but I guess it works that I save it for number 9. Don't worry, in the next chappie you're gonna be seeing some romance...funfunfun!

Disclaimer: I do not own DNAngel...no matter how hard I try.

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At the dinner table, the Niwa family was eating in an awkward silence. Kari stuffed her face with rice, fish, and tea quickly and quietly. Once her plate was cleaned, she stood up, put her dishes in the sink, and headed up the stairs. "Uh, Kari?" asked Emiko, "I should warn you that your teacher called about your sudden outburst in class. I managed to come up with an excuse for your behavior…so don't be surprised if the teacher acts strange around you tomorrow."

"Okay, I'm going to bed."

"Oh, well…goodnight," she said.

"Yeah, g'night," mumbled Kari in reply.

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"Kari-chaaaaaaaan!" a voice interrupted her dreamless sleep.

"Uhhn…" was her only reply.

"COMEONIT'STIMEFORBREAKRASTTHENYOUHAVETOGOTOSCHOOLANDIT'SGOINGTOBEAGREATDAY!"

"Uh, To-to, don't you think that you're being a little loud?" asked Daisuke from the doorway. "I could hear you from the bathroom."

"But Daisuke-kun, she won't get up…and after I spent all that time picking out her outfit!" To-to moaned.

"You don't need to pick out her outfit, To-to, we have uniforms."

"Oh yeah!" To-to said with a silly grin spread across her face.

Kari struggled to sit up and clamber out of bed, "Daisuke, unless you want to watch me change I suggest getting out…" she mumbled, unbuttoning her oversized night-shirt.

Turning bright red, Daisuke quickly shut the door and let Kari get dressed. She pulled on the uniform, fumbling with the buttons and ignoring the wrinkles in the skirt from falling asleep in it the previous day. "Honestly, Kari-chan, you don't want to look like a slob, let me do it!" To-to offered.

"Uh…" before she could refuse, To-to was smoothing out her clothes and re-buttoning the blazer she was wearing.

"Plus, we HAVE to fix your hair…" she yelled, pulling out a curling iron from thin air.

"Wait…where did you get…" but she was cut off by To-to singing.

"Yes, you're gonna look so beautiful! Just wait until the boys take a look at you…" Her voice was high and out of tune, which made Kari laugh and let her do what she wanted.

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"I present to you, the new and improved Kari-chan!" squealed To-to flinging the kitchen door open and startling Daisuke who was eating at the table.

"Huh? To-to, what are you-?" Daisuke shut up the moment Kari stepped through the doorway.

Her long black hair was curled into gentle ringlets that fell down her back; silver eye-shadow was brushed against her eye-lids so that her eyes looked almost like water. She wore a simple pink lip-gloss and silver earrings in the shapes of stars. In other words: Kari looked like a goddess in a school uniform.

"Uh, Daisuke?" Kari looked at the shocked boy in front of her.

"Uh…uh…" Kari raised her eyebrow at Daisuke, and grabbed a piece of toast from the table.

"Come on, we're gonna be late."

All the redhead could do was nod and follow the angel out the door and walk with her to school. To-to stood in the doorway, waving them off with a knowing smile on her face.

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"I…uh, I like what you did with your hair," Daisuke commented.

"It wasn't me," Kari explained, walking beside him, "It was To-to."

"Oh, well…she did a good job."

"Yeah," Kari mumbled, stopping and looking in her reflection in a shop window they were passing. "I'm not sure I like it, though."

"Huh? Why?" asked the redhead. "You look great!"

She turned and smiled at him, it was a sad, forgiving smile. "Thanks, but I don't like the idea of boys looking at me like that. It…makes me uncomfortable."

"Oh," Daisuke whispered. They walked the rest of the way to school in silence.

"Good morning, Kari-chan!" a voice greeted once they stepped into the school yard, "Oh, hey Daisuke."

"Nice to see you, too, Takeshi," Daisuke replied sarcastically.

"Good morning, Takeshi-san," Kari said, smiling sweetly.

The boy blushed fiercely, "Uh…y-you don't have to address me so formally…"

"Aliright, Takeshi-kun."

"Eh…um…that is…are you feeling better?" the boy asked.

"Wha-?" she began to ask but was cut off by Daisuke.

"Yeah, she's feeling much better; it was just some food poisoning," he said, turning to Kari and smiling, "Isn't that right?"

She paused, then smiled, "Yeah."

The school bells began ringing, signaling the beginning of class, "We better get going unless we want to be late!" Takeshi yelled, turning and running toward the building. "See you later Kari-chan!"

Laughing, she said, "Bye Takeshi-kun."

"What? He didn't say 'bye' to me!" complained Daisuke.

Kari ignored him and headed toward the school as well. The boy sighed, and followed his gorgeous "cousin" inside.