It's late and I have class at 9 but here's the next chapter cause this seems like the best time to update... I guess... Idk my brain ain't workin too well rightnow.

AquilonIII: Self-conscious as in like, people come here to read about the fanfic characters, like the Host Club, so I just worry that readers will think, "Oh this is boring" when faced with a lot of OC-time hehe. ^_^ Thank you! And I think it's really cool how you see characters in colors. :) Thank you for always reading and reviewing! :D Hope you like this chapter.

BizzyLizy: Lol goo. XD Hehe glad you like it. :) Thank you for reading and reviewing! Hopefully this chapter has some more goo as well. ^o^

EarthBender001: Hi! :D Thank you for reading and reviewing! (And favoriting hehe) I'm glad you like it, and hope you continue to enjoy. :) Also cool name there, though I personally prefer water benders. :P

Chapter 30 already?

The Mazawa twins arrived at their family's vacation home in Niseko, a small town near Mt. Yotei. Their mother's side of the family was there - aunt, uncle, and cousin included. Emi and Ryuu prepared themselves for a week of snowboarding, onsens, and delicious hotpot.

"You guys ready?" Hana said, standing by the door of the house with her snowboard in hand. She was younger than them by two years and had an unwavering poker face.

"Yes!" the Mazawa twins said. They were dressed in full winter gear: puffy coats, hats, goggles, scarves, and gloves.

"Be careful out there," their mom called from the living room.

"Okay!" The three hopped into the awaiting vehicle.

They snowboarded until it was dark and returned for dinner. Their vacation home had its own onsen, or natural hot spring, in the backyard, though it could only fit a few people at a time. Emi and Ryuu were enjoying themselves, until the fourth day, when Ryuu found Emi curled up in bed staring at her phone. It was almost noon, well past the usual time that she was up.

"Is something wrong?" he said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yes." She buried her face into the pillow. "I'm experiencing Kaoru-kun withdrawal."

"You make him seem like a drug." He sat down on the bed. "Come on, let's go snowboard."

"Ugh," she said, yanking the blanket up to cover her face.

"There's no way Kaoru withdrawal can cause physical symptoms," Ryuu said and pulled the blanket down to see her face. She was frowning.

"I want to see his face. I want to hear his voice."

"Just video call him then."

"The time difference though," she said and rolled over. She also wanted to kiss Kaoru, but she couldn't tell Ryuu that. She wanted to touch Kaoru's hair, find out if it was really as fluffy as it looked.

"If we go out, maybe you'll forget about him?"

"It's not just that Ryuu," Emi said, putting a hand on her stomach under the covers. It hurt, a lot, more than usual.

"Then what? Should I call Mom?"

"No need."

"Are you sick?" He leaned over and checked her forehead.

"I'm fine, Ryuu," Emi said, puffing her cheeks out.

He poked her cheek. "Then what's the problem?"

"You really wanna know?" she said, looking away as he nodded. "I'm cramping."

He blinked. "Uh. As in…"

"Yeah, as in I'm on my period and I'm cramping and it hurts like crap," she said then rolled onto her other side. "Ughh."

"Okay, sorry." He stood up. "Do you want me to get Mom anyway?"

"No I'm fine," she said, clutching her abdomen.

He walked to the doorway and glanced back. "Do you want breakfast?"

"I can't eat when my stomach is trying to devour my insides," she said through her teeth.

"Okay, okay!" He held his hands up and disappeared out the door. A moment later, his head poked back in. "Is it okay if I go snowboarding with Hana-chan?"

"Why the heck are you asking me?" Emi said, ready to throw a pillow at Ryuu's face.

"Right." He ducked back out.

The Kaoru withdrawal wasn't an exaggeration though. They were messaging each other and sending pictures of their respective vacation locations, but it wasn't the same as being together in the same place, breathing the same air. After seeing him almost everyday, not seeing him was strange, like something was wrong.

Emi closed her eyes and thought of him: his sweet smile, his gentle gaze, and his soft voice. Her shoulders loosened, and her breathing evened. Soon she drifted into sleep.

"Hey Kaoru-kun."

"Hey Emi," he said. She smiled and closed her eyes, turning onto her back. She could see the dark sky through the window and hear the voices of her parents downstairs.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"Good. The weather's really nice here," he said. "We're going scuba diving today."

"Oh that sounds so cool!"

He chuckled. "It'll be fun. What are you up to?"

"Not much. We mostly just snowboard and pig out when we come here," she said with a giggle.

He joined in. "Pig out? Sounds delicious."

"My grandma makes the best okonomiyaki," Emi said. "I'm pretty sure I've gained five kilos already."

"No way," he said, laughing.

"Oh you have no idea." She bit her lip but couldn't stop the grin from taking over her face.

"You should teach me how to snowboard sometime," Kaoru said.

"You don't know how to snowboard?"

"I can ski," he said.

"Is that Kaoru?" Ryuu said, walking into her room with a towel around his neck. Emi nodded. He rubbed at his wet hair and sat down on her bed.

"Is that Ryuu?" Kaoru said from the phone.

"You heard that?" Emi asked.

"I heard a voice," he said, "and who else could it be?"

She giggled. "Is Hikaru-kun there?"

Ryuu's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Nuh-uh, Emi."

Kaoru was already saying, "Hang on, I'll go get him."

"I don't need to hear his voice," Ryuu said.

"Are you sure?" she asked, nudging his back with her knee. She listened to some clattering on Kaoru's end.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

She covered the mouthpiece of her phone. "Yeah," she said. "Let's try out the biggest hill tomorrow."

"Are you crazy?" His jaw dropped.

"No. The usual hills are getting boring."

After another rustle, Kaoru's voice was back. "Is Ryuu there, Emi?" Emi hit speakerphone and sat up.

"What's going on?" Hikaru said. Emi smiled at Ryuu, but it looked like an evil smirk to him.

He sighed, shaking his head. "Nothing, Emi's just being stupid."

"Oh," Hikaru said, "I thought that was your job."

Ryuu frowned and stood up. "Okay I'm going."

Hikaru snickered. "I was kidding. Jeez, learn to take a joke, dummy." Ryuu could just see Hikaru sticking his tongue out, and the image didn't help.

"We have nothing to say," Ryuu said, gesturing at the phone while looking at his sister. "Anyway, I'll leave and you can go back to being mushy-gushy with Kaoru." Then he stepped out of the room.

"Wait, you should at least say bye," Emi called after him but he didn't stop.

"Oh hey Emi," Hikaru said.

She smiled. "Hi Hikaru-kun. How are you?"

"I'm good." There was a rustle, then he said, "Kaoru, I'm gonna get breakfast."

"Okay, I'll come later," Kaoru said.

"Don't be too slow or I'm leaving you behind," Hikaru said, though his voice was fading.

"Okay!"

"You should probably go, Kaoru-kun," Emi said. Her chest ached. She thought hearing his voice would help, but it was having reverse effects. She closed her eyes again, snuggling into the covers.

"Yeah," he said, but neither hung up. They stayed there for a moment, listening to each other breathe.

"I miss you," she said in a whisper.

"I miss you too," he said. Another silent second passed before Emi heard a muffled voice from Kaoru's end. "Ah, sorry. I gotta go."

"Yeah," she said. "See you, Kaoru-kun."

"See you," he said. She waited until she heard the disconnect tone before pressing the red button.

They returned to their Tokyo home in the late evening.

"You're back?" Kaoru said, yawning.

"Yeah. Are you jet lagged, Kaoru-kun?" Emi giggled.

"Yeah, I really want to sleep now," he said. "Keep me awake Emi, or I'll never get rid of this jet lag."

"It's already nine, Kaoru-kun. That's not too late for sleep." She stood in front of the window, watching the world disappear in sheets of white. The wind was howling and helped kick the snow into greater flurries.

"Mm," he said.

"I might go sleep right now too," she said, "then tomorrow will come faster."

Kaoru chuckled. "And you think I'm a smooth talker."

"You must have rubbed off on me, Kaoru-kun," she said, laughing. When she caught movement in the corner of her eye, she glanced over and saw Ryuu putting his winter coat on. She grabbed his sleeve. "Sorry, Kaoru-kun, I gotta go."

"Okay, I guess I'll go sleep then. Good night."

"Good night." She snapped her phone shut. Ryuu was buttoning his coat up. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going out," he said as if it wasn't blizzarding outside.

"Do you have eyes?" She spun him towards the window.

"Yeah," he said and pulled his hat on. "I want some red bean buns."

"Are you crazy?" She raised her eyebrows while he wrapped a scarf around his neck.

"No, I'm just craving red bean buns right now."

"Can't it wait until it's, oh I don't know, not storming outside?" she said. Her grip on his sleeve tightened when she saw him slip gloves on. "You're not walking, Ryuu. Take the car or something."

He blinked. "Oh. You're right!" Then he stepped into the kitchen to call for Berty. Emi's jaw dropped. He forgot about the car? Did he turn into a commoner or something?

Ryuu came back with a smile. "I guess I got used to walking there."

"Walking where anyway?"

"The convenience store. I'll bring one back for you. You'll love it," he said.

Emi tilted her head, inspecting her brother as he pulled the gloves off. "Ryuu, did you get a concussion while snowboarding?"

"No." His brows furrowed. "Why?"

"You're just so… I don't know. Random," she said. Different, she didn't say.

He shrugged. "I want red bean buns. Can I not want red bean buns?"

She smiled. "No, it's fine. Sorry, it was kind of out-of-the-blue."

Bertrand stepped out from the kitchen with keys in hand. "Sorry for the wait, Ryuu-sama. Where did you want to go?"

"The convenience store," Ryuu said as he followed the butler outside. "It's a few blocks down." A gust of icy wind billowed in. Emi shut the door behind them, then, hugging her arms, slipped upstairs to find a warm blanket.

Ryuu stared at the falling snow. The few cars on the streets crawled, and he was beginning to rethink his decision. Maybe red bean buns aren't that important. They were passing the park when he saw movement. He blinked, then squinted, trying to see past all the white. There seemed to be a shadow on the swings.

No way. Ryuu tapped the headrest of the driver's seat. "Wait, stop stop stop!" Berty brought the car to a rest.

Ryuu tossed the door open. "Ryuu-sama?" Berty said, twisting in his seat.

"I'll be back," he said. He checked the road for cars before crossing. As he neared, the figure on the swings became clearer. It wasn't a mistake. "Michi?"

She didn't move. She was in a winter coat with her hands hanging by her side. Her eyes were dark, and her gaze dull. Ryuu waved his hand in front of her face. "Michi? You okay?"

She blinked and dragged her head up to look at him. "Oh." She cleared her throat and blinked again. "Ryuu."

"Are you okay? It's freezing out here!" He shivered, feeling the cold bite into him, and he was decked out from head to toe in winter gear. Her complexion was paler than usual, and her nose and ears were red. He pulled his scarf off and wrapped it around her.

"I-" She shook her head. "What are-"

"Come on." He tugged on her arm. "You can't sit out here, Michi. You'll freeze to death." He pulled her onto her feet. Taking her hand, he led her to the car.

"Ryuu," she said. Her voice caught in her throat. He opened the door and pushed her into the warm vehicle.

"Everything okay, Ryuu-sama?" Berty asked.

"Yeah." Ryuu nodded. "No cars came by right?"

"None. The weather's too terrible. Are you sure you still want to go to the store?" he said, glancing back. His eyes widened. "Ryuu-sama?"

Ryuu looked at Michi, who was shivering where she sat. He took his coat off and bundled her up in it. It turned her into a puffy coat monster. "She's my friend, Berty. Keep going and head for the apartments on the intersection. We can drop her off at her place."

Berty nodded and the car inched forward.

"Michi, are you okay?" Ryuu said, trying to make eye contact. She nodded. "What were you doing? There's a storm advisory going on right now."

"Wh-What are you doing here?" she asked. Her words were a whisper, escaping through her trembling lips.

"I wanted red bean buns," he said with a shrug. "I didn't expect to see you."

"Oh," she said. She kept her gaze down and hugged her arms.

"You okay?" he said. She didn't say anything, so he took her hands in his. They were cold and red. He rubbed his hands over hers, trying to heat them up. "Maybe we should go to the hospital. What if you got hypothermia?"

"I-I'm fine," she said. She smiled but it was mirthless, and her eyes remained blank. Berty pulled up in front of the apartment complex. Michi slid Ryuu's jacket off her shoulders and handed it to him. "Thank you." She smiled again and opened the door.

Ryuu slipped his coat on. "Berty, can you wait here a while?"

Berty nodded. "Of course."

Ryuu followed Michi out the car to the entrance of the building. "It's okay, Ryuu," she said as she unlocked the door.

"Are you okay?" he said.

"Yes," she said. Their eyes met, then her brow furrowed and her bottom lip quivered. Her eyes widened, and she ducked her head down, shaking it. "No." Her voice broke. "No, I'm not…" She swallowed. "I'm not okay, Ryuu."

He reached an arm out towards her. "Michi."

When she looked up, he saw her eyes were glistening more than usual. "Please," she said, blinking and swallowing, "let me treat you to a cup of tea."

"Okay," he said, nodding, and followed her in.

Her apartment was tiled in white, with a small kitchen and dining table to the right. Before Ryuu was the living room containing a TV, couch, and a kotatsu table in the center. There were two bedroom doors and the bathroom past it.

Ryuu could see several glass cases stacked against the wall of a bedroom, and he shuddered when he caught movement within. Must be the spiders, he thought as he hung up his jacket after Michi. "This is a nice place," he said.

"Yes," she said while fetching a kettle from the cabinet and pouring hot water from a dispenser on the counter. "You can turn the kotatsu on."

He sat down at the table, looked under the kotatsu, found the switch, and turned it on. Then he tucked his legs under, while she put a tea bag into the kettle. "So, what's going on?" Ryuu said.

She took a deep breath and turned to face him, leaning on the kitchen counter. "Well..." She let out a long sigh. "As you know, I skipped a few grades. Five to be exact."

"Wow," he said.

She nodded and licked her lips, staring at the floor. "My parents thought I'd go on and do great things like discover the cure for cancer or at least be a doctor."

"Original," Ryuu said.

"I didn't want to," she said. "I don't like the sight of blood. Or people, for that matter. I'm not a people-person. You've probably noticed." She pushed herself off the counter and walked to the table with the kettle, dropping down beside him. She lifted the tea bag up and dipped it back in. They watched the color spread and the steam puff out. "When I told my parents I wasn't going to be a doctor, that I wanted to do research instead, they were okay with it. Then I graduated and began my research on spiders."

Ryuu raised an eyebrow. He had a hunch as to where this was going.

"Oh they were mortified, Ryuu." She chuckled, shaking her head. "Disappointed. Upset. They told me to do 'real research,' to do something that'd change the world. They wanted my name in the news for some impressive breakthrough."

"Like what you found the last time we met?" he said.

Michi looked at him while pushing the corners of her mouth up. "They stopped talking to me a year ago. I thought my paper, my discovery, would make them happy."

"But it didn't," Ryuu said, keeping his eyes on her.

"No," she said to the tabletop, "it didn't."

"So you decided the best thing to do is go sit in the freezing cold?" he said.

She shrugged, and in a small, quiet voice, she said, "I don't know what to do Ryuu."

He cleared his throat and looked around. It was his turn. He could help her the way she'd helped him out. But what should I say? What can I say? I never knew Michi could look so… so small and fragile.

"You should keep trying," he said. "Not to please them, but doing whatever makes you happy. And you should try talking to them."

"They won't talk to me," she said. "I sent them a copy of my paper and an article about my research, but they haven't responded. I called them today, and they said that I wasn't living up to my potential." She glanced at him. "I'm not that smart, Ryuu. They thought I was a prodigy when I was a kid, but I'm not."

"You're still their kid, Michi, and their only kid," he said.

"Yeah." She let out a breath and stood up. She returned with two cups and poured the tea. "I don't really drink tea, so sorry if this is bad."

Ryuu chuckled. "It's fine. I don't really drink tea either."

"Thanks for hearing me out, Ryuu." She smiled at him. "It means a lot to me."

"You've done the same for me, Michi, and more," he said. He took a sip of the green tea. "When's your birthday?"

"January twenty-third, why?"

"Just curious." He shrugged. She was only three years older than him right now. "Don't you have other friends? Someone who'd be better at this."

"At what?"

"At… giving advice," he said, avoiding her gaze, "and being here for you."

She set her cup down and stared at her reflection in it. "I'm not a people person, Ryuu. I'm... weird, remember?" Her voice cracked near the end, and she began blinking again while biting her lip.

Ryuu's chest stung. He wanted to hurt whoever made her think that way, but he couldn't. So he leaned forward instead and said, "You're not weird, Michi. At all. You're amazing, and nice, and smart, and a great friend. And-And if no one else can see that, well, then they're the ones missing out!"

She smiled and this time it reached her eyes, though they were still sparkling and slightly red. "Thanks Ryuu."

He was tempted to squeeze her in a hug or pat her head or just do something that'd be more helpful than a few words.

"It's late," Michi said. "Your family's probably worried."

He checked the time and saw it'd been over fifteen minutes. "Yeah, my sis thought I was crazy when I told her I wanted to go out for red bean buns." Ryuu stood, and Michi followed suit.

She laughed. "That is pretty crazy considering the weather outside."

"Really?" he said, raising an eyebrow while a half-smile took over his face. "I remember someone sitting outside in that weather."

She laughed again, and Ryuu's chest filled with warmth. It was like her laughter lifted him into the air. He didn't know what was going on or why she made him feel this way. No one else had before. She walked him to the doorway where he put his jacket back on.

"Thanks, Ryuu," she said. "Really."

"You did the same for me, Michi," he said. "Besides, it's what friends do."

"Yeah," she said. Her face was glowing with that soft smile of hers.

"Thanks for the tea," he said and put his hand on the doorknob.

"You know the way right?" she said.

He nodded and looked at her. "Uh, see you then."

"Yeah." She held a hand up to wave.

"Oh, wait!" He pulled his phone out. "You- I mean, in case we don't run into each other at the park."

"Oh, good idea." They exchanged numbers, then he left with a promise to message her in the future. It wasn't until Ryuu was lying in bed did he realize that he'd left his scarf with her. And he'd touched her - the first girl since middle school who wasn't Emi - without a shred of fear.

Emi let out a sigh of relief when she saw the clear skies the next morning. Hikaru and Kaoru were heading over now. Kaoru had told her that he'd been up since eight in the morning. She sat on the couch and played with Roro, waiting for their arrival.

A half hour later, she paced the living room. The roads were probably still slick from last night's storm. They were taking their time and being careful. Or maybe they'd forgotten something and went back home to get it.

She sent a message to Kaoru when an hour had passed. He didn't reply, so she sent one to Hikaru.

"Hey, when are they getting here?" Ryuu asked, coming down from the stairs.

"It's been an hour," she said. "Kaoru-kun told me they were heading out an hour ago, Ryuu."

He looked at her biting her lip. "I'm sure they're fine, Emi." He knelt and petted Roro's head.

"I messaged them and they haven't responded," she said.

Ryuu pulled his phone out. "Hm."

Fifteen minutes later, Emi's phone rang, and she jumped from the sound. "K-Kaoru-kun?" she said, pressing the accept-call button multiple times.

"Hey," he said. His breathing was ragged. There was a low hum and the sound of sirens in the background.

Emi's chest tightened, and she chomped on her lip. "Is everything okay?" she said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said and groaned. "Emi, we-we got in a car accident. And Hikaru..."

Prepare for some action!

Guess it's not gonna finish in like 10 more chapters huh...

Thanks for reading! :) And do please share your thoughts, it's much appreciated. ^_^