Thanks for everyone's reviews, 'favourites' or 'alerts'! I understand that RinxMaki isn't a particularly prevalent pairing in the fandom here, so I really appreciate everyone's feedback!

One thing I should add is that I generally tend to use British English in my writing, so some spellings or usage of words might look different to some readers. I am a child of both American and British influence, and sometimes I use one side's word without consciously realizing it. My apology if that causes trouble in reading the story.

Like the rest of the story, the timeline will jump a bit from chapter to chapter. This chapter, for example takes place on Christmas Eve.

Chapter 3: Snow Halation

It was funny, when Maki thought about it, but if anyone had suggested beforehand that she and Rin would get together as a couple, she would definitely burst out laughing.

Her first vivid memory of her, apart from the morning greetings in the classroom, dated back to the time when Hanayo was fidgeting over joining the newly established μ's. Maki didn't get along with Rin at that time, both being stubborn in their own ways and refusing to back down. She found the cat-like girl annoying.

Getting to know her better, Maki found her…immature, to say the least. Whether it was thinking that she could practise in the rain or those childish remarks that she had made over the course of time, Rin was, in Maki's opinion, a girl with a much younger mental age. She wouldn't deny, however, that she was probably too mature for her own age to judge, considering she had been brought up to be the successor to a renowned hospital in the city.

So when did she start feeling different around the energetic girl? She wasn't sure at all. Hanayo said she had noticed something different about them after summer, but honestly Maki had no memory of that. Rin didn't seem to care too much either.

'All that matters is that Maki-chan is here nyaa!' she would then jump on the girl and rub her face against hers, causing the crimson-haired girl to shriek and the surrounding classmates, who were too used to Rin's random acts of outburst, to laugh at Maki's helpless reaction.

Seriously, that girl, Maki smiled.

The young composer rested her back against the wall, raising her head to face the evening sky. Hugging her arms, she exhaled deeply several times in order to observe the white breaths fading in the air. It had always been a habit of her since childhood. For some reason she never grew tired of this repetitive act.

'Maki-chan!'

Rin's cheerful announcement of her presence made Maki turn her head, and she frowned immediately.

'Why are you not wearing a thicker coat?' she scolded, grabbing Rin's jacket and noting how thin the clothing was. It was the same blue jacket that Rin wore a month ago under the autumn breeze. Even though Rin had put on a pair of black leggings to protect her legs from the winter cold, it did not excuse her for wearing a skirt in this weather. 'Do you realize how cold it is now? You'll get sick!'

'Nya, nya, Maki-chan, you sound just like my mom,' Rin shrugged and proceeded to give Maki a hug. 'In that case, let's keep warm this way!'

Partly out of embarrassment and partly wanting to make a statement, Maki pushed her away and glared at her. The contrast between the two was too apparent: Rin's carefree, non-winter style versus Maki's thick winter coat and jeans. 'Y–you really think you can stay in the cold like this?'

Rin grinned sheepishly and scratched her head. 'I helped out with the volleyball team training this afternoon. With that much running and sweating, I'm totally fine.'

Maki wanted to say that she would still feel cold afterwards, even if the athletic girl was not it at the moment, but she was cut short when Rin exclaimed that they were late and had to hurry. With no choice, Maki let Rin drag her away from their meeting spot.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the cinema, and they quickly found their seats. It was a movie that Maki had been wanting to watch for a while, even though she wasn't entirely sure if the serious nature of the film suit the mood for Christmas Eve. It was a semi-biography about a pianist that she greatly admired, and judging by Rin's sleeping figure she knew that her companion did not appreciate the slow pace of the film at all. She sighed, though she adjusted Rin's posture to let her head rest on her own shoulder. Seeing Rin's innocent countenance brought a tiny smile to her face.

It had been almost two months since they started dating, a term that Maki still found hard to comprehend. True, they did share some intimate moments, hugging and kissing when there weren't many people around, but other than that it was almost like their lives remained the same. They continued their routine practice with the rest of μ's, shared lunch together with their classmates, and spent time together on weekends. It sounded like as if nothing had changed that much.

What did it really mean to be dating? To answer that question, Maki had consulted the movie and novel collection at her home, but none seemed to resemble anywhere close to her and Rin's situation. She had even sought help online, but what she found on the internet was too much for her fifteen years old mind to bear.

That didn't mean she did not like Rin, though. She was sure that she liked Rin a lot, and she didn't mind holding her or kissing her. What bothered her was that they seemed too different. It seemed like the two had very little in common. Common sense and scientific studies entailed that birds of a feather flocked together, so did that mean her relationship with Rin was not a normal one? Or worse, a wrong one?

'Maki-chan…'

Rin murmured, shifting her body slightly and wrapping her arms around Maki's to make herself more comfortable. Maki couldn't help but lift the corners of her lips. She relaxed and placed her cheek on top of Rin's head, feeling the steady rise and fall of the orange-haired girl.

Was it right? Maybe not, but at least she decided it could be dealt with later.

'I told you that you should have brought a thicker coat.'

'Hehe…'

Maki sighed and wrapped her arms around Rin's waist, allowing her girlfriend to get warm from her body heat. 'You happy now?'

Rin flashed a sheepish grin and gladly welcomed the embrace. She buried her head on Maki's shoulder, feeling the warmth and soothing her shivering body.

Shortly after they left the cinema, Rin began to complain about the cold weather, much to Maki's dismay. The rich girl had wanted to buy her a coat from a shop nearby, but Rin insisted that she had a better idea that was more cost-efficient. Sometimes Maki wondered if she had spoilt her fellow school idol too much. Wouldn't going somewhere indoor, instead of staying on the streets, be a more reasonable solution?

At least they weren't the only people snuggling up together in the plaza, Maki reckoned. With the area being that crowded, people generally put their attention on the erect Christmas tree and other decorations in front of them. When she glanced around, there were other girls doing the same thing, so she relaxed a bit upon learning they wouldn't be getting much attention from others.

'Ne, Maki-chan.'

'Hmm?'

Rin raised her head and met Maki's gaze, her chartreuse eyes softening. 'Thanks for staying with me and being here with me.'

Maki was a bit taken aback by her statement, and fortunately for her Rin broke eye contact and looked above the sky, hence missing the surprised expression on Maki's face.

'It's snowing…'

Maki did the same thing and saw the tiny white droplets falling slowly. The surrounding crowd started cheering, particularly the children were very excited and began running around to catch the descending snow. Joyful laughter echoed in the area, and everyone looked happy with the festive sight.

It was that moment that Maki made up her mind. She called for Rin's name, and when the girl responded, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against hers.

It wasn't a deep kiss, lasting no more than a couple seconds, but when she broke away Rin wore a peculiarly dumbfounded expression on her face.

'What's wrong?' Maki asked, worried.

'It…' Rin gulped and appeared thoughtful, 'it was the first time Maki-chan initiates a kiss with me.'

It took her a while to digest that statement, and her heart was immediately filled with guilt. If she thought hard enough, she might have remembered Hanayo once saying, in her usually diffident manner, that Rin constantly had worries over their relationship, that she wasn't sure if Maki actually returned her affection, that she was only forcing herself on her. Realizing she wasn't like everyone else had probably already put a lot of burden on her shoulders, and the constant fear of ruining their friendship forever remained a still thorn to Rin.

She was a horrible person, Maki mentally snapped at herself. She bit her lips and pulled Rin closer, hoping to make her message clear.

'Idiot,' she deadpanned, though her voice quickly softened after that. 'Who says I'm going anywhere?'

Rin did not reply, but only buried her head in Maki's embrace. The crimson-haired girl could feel her girlfriend's body stiffen a few times, but she did not break her hug. She only kept holding her, and watched the sky being purified on the eve of the holy night.

End of Chapter 3

This chapter actually turns out to be longer than I thought. I think this length is a good one? I'm planning for future chapters to be shorter, unless there's a big scene that requires more description and elaboration.

Kindly leave me a review to let me know what you think!