"Ah, I see you got hot chocolate too, Funami-san," came the soothing voice of Chitose.
"It goes well with the all the snow," Yui replied, looking up. Her drink awaited her on the coffee table in front of her. She sat on a couch in the ski lodge, unbuckling her boots after an exciting bout of snowboarding.
"Speaking of snow," Chitose said, "have you been watching the TV?"
Yui looked up from her shoes to see the TV situated across the room, above the fireplace. Its screen was plastered in a Jackson-Pollock-esque smattering of greens, yellows, and reds: a storm heading from the west in their direction.
"Yeesh," Yui grimaced lightly. "That looks bad."
The sound of familiar voices chattering distracted both girls.
"Sakurako, it doesn't count if you fall on your face and your face hits the finish line first," Himawari explained to her snow-covered friend.
"Details, details," Sakurako waved her hands in dismissal. "I reached the finish line first, so I won!"
"How about you both won?" Chinatsu offered. "Just please stop arguing."
"Um...actually," Akari spoke, raising her voice in an effort to be heard. "I'm pretty sure I won." Chinatsu gasped and smiled as she spied Yui across the lobby, and she ran to her.
"Yui-senpai!" she cried, eventually sitting in the girl's lap as though she were Santa Claus. "We just did a red-level run on our skis! I dropped one of my poles though, so I had to stop and pick it up." She looked around the room as she finished her account, and her gaze landed on the television. "What'cha watchin'?"
"Just the weather," Yui said, slightly overwhelmed at the cold girl now occupying her lap. "Looks like a snowstorm's on the way." Chinatsu considered this for a moment, and then stood.
"What about Kyouko-senpai and Sugiura-senpai?" she asked. Yui placed a hand on her chin in thought, looking to her watch.
"Well, it's already five o'clock, and they're supposed to be back by six. I bet they're on their way back now." Yui postulated. She looked again at the menacing storm on the radar. "At least I hope they are."
/*~~~*~~~*\\
The microwave in the den beeped loudly, but was quickly silenced as Kyouko eagerly opened the door. The living area in the cabin was simple; a loft style, with a single bedroom overlooking a living room/kitchen combination. Across from a soft green couch sat a brick fireplace, glowing red with the flames Ayano was cultivating. Kyouko's spare clothes and food had impeccably come in handy, as both girls were now comfortable in their pajamas and had ample food to last them the evening.
"Bon appétit!" Kyouko cried, biting into her microwaved granola bar. She recoiled instantly and yelped in pain. "Hot!" Still tending the flames, Ayano rolled her eyes.
"I can't believe you actually microwaved a granola bar," Ayano said. She heard the clinking of a plate being set on the coffee table, and seconds later felt arms wrap around her from behind.
"Wow, Ayano-chan, you're pretty good at that," Kyouko observed.
"Hey now," Ayano said, blushing furiously, "It's dangerous to touch people when they're making a fire." Kyouko wordlessly released Ayano from her grip and sat on her knees beside her. "I didn't say stop…" Ayano muttered. Kyouko stuck her open palms toward the fire, basking them in its warmth.
"So warm!" She exclaimed. After a moment, she stood and hopped over the coffee table onto the couch. Propping her feet up on the table, she draped one arm across the back of the couch and patted the spot next to her with her other hand. Ayano watched her, and, finally, stood. She quickly walked over to the couch and sat next to Kyouko.
"This has been a fun day," Kyouko said with a contented sigh. Ayano looked at her, surprised.
"You call getting knocked unconscious and stranded in a snowstorm 'fun?'" Ayano asked incredulously.
"No," Kyouko said coyly. "I'd call going on an adventure, taking a nice hot bath, and cuddling by the fire 'fun', though." Ayano chuckled.
"I guess this isn't so bad," she admitted. She looked to the clock above the fireplace, its hands pointed in opposite directions. The snowstorm still raged outside. "It's six. We were supposed to be back by now."
"Ooh, you're right," Kyouko agreed. "I hope they're not too worried."
/*~~~*~~~*\\
"We'll do everything we can to find them, Ms. Nishigaki." The rescue officer assured. "There are shelters up and down the trail, hopefully they ducked into one."
"Thank you, sir," Ms. Nishigaki said, nodding to him and to the rest of the rescue team. She and the other eight girls watched as the four men left into the storm.
As the doors closed, a heavy silence descended upon the room. For a time, the girls stood, not looking at each other, letting the gravity of the situation sink in.
"What do we do now?" Sakurako finally said. Several of the others looked at her.
"We just wait, I guess," Chinatsu said. "Watch TV?"
Yui, Chinatsu, and Chitose sat back on the couch in front of the TV, while the others scattered themselves about in the lodge, some leaving to the eating area, others sitting on the floor or in armchairs around the lobby. The weather, still torrential, remained on the television screen, and for a time they watched it. There was an air of awkwardness about, though, as everyone worried silently. Yui, who sat bouncing her leg up and down, finally leaned forward and picked up the remote.
"Anybody mind if I change this?" she asked, looking to the others. No one spoke. She began flipping channels, passing over sports, news, dramas, and comedies, before settling on a home improvement show. She sat watching for a few minutes, grumpily sitting with her face resting on her hand, leg still bouncing up and down. Finally she groaned annoyedly and stood, marching toward the bathroom. She flung the door open, keeping her head down, and surveyed the restroom. No one else appeared to be present.
Yui stood in front of the mirror. She looked herself in the eyes, and took a deep, labored breath. It felt like the air had filled up her lungs, but hadn't reached her bloodstream. She tried again, but still, she couldn't catch her breath. Her heart rate jumped, and she began taking fast, deep, heaving breaths. Feeling utterly helpless, tears started to well up in her eyes. Her whole body became coated in a thin layer of sweat. Sniffling, she tried to calm herself down, but each time she began to feel better, a shot of adrenaline would course through her, boiling her veins.
"Yui-senpai?" a voice came. Yui's wheezing breath hitched in her throat. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she croaked. "I'm good."
"Yui-senpai, are you crying?" Yui could recognize the voice as Chinatsu's.
"No, no," Yui lied. "It's, ah… all the Pine, up here in the mountains," she sniffled. "Really sets my allergies off." There was a pause.
"It's okay to be worried about Kyouko-senpai and Sugiura-san," Chinatsu assured. "We all are."
"Those guys will rescue them," Yui said, mostly to herself. "It's gonna be fine. They'll be fine." There was another pause as Chinatsu considered what to say next.
"Alright, Yui-senpai. We're all here for you if you need us." Yui heard the door shut behind her.
/*~~~*~~~*\\
"Ayano-chan…" Kyouko breathed in disbelief. "How could you do this to me?"
"Toshino Kyouko-" she began to reply.
"This is… such betrayal!" Kyouko cried.
"It's not my fault, Toshino Kyouko!" Ayano pleaded.
"You didn't have to build that hotel on Boardwalk!" Kyouko whined over the Monopoly board.
"Was I just supposed to let you win?" Ayano asked.
"I mean, you said it, not me." Kyouko teased.
"Hand over the dough, Glasgow," Ayano said smugly. "I won fair and square."
"Alas!" Kyouko cried dramatically. "You did. I am defeated." With that, Kyouko picked up her stack of fake bills and began quickly flicking them one by one into the air with her free hand. The two devolved into a laughing fit at that.
"By the way, Ayano-chan," Kyouko said. "You won our bet, too." Ayano sat blankly for a second, trying to remember what she was talking about.
"I did?" She finally asked.
"I was the one who suggested we stop," Kyouko recalled. "So what is your one wish?"
This gave Ayano pause. Truth be told, she hadn't thought at all about what she wanted her wish to be, outside of impossible fantasies she could never ask of Kyouko. She glanced out the window, which now was plastered black with the dark of night. She listened to the snowstorm pounding on the ceiling and walls. Finally she turned back to Kyouko.
"Well," she began. "It's night time now, and it's still snowing. We'll have to stay here tonight."
"Mm," Kyouko hummed in agreement.
"And there's only one bed upstairs…" Ayano said, her face reddening slightly.
"Right…?" Kyouko prodded.
"I don't really want to sleep on the couch," Ayano said, tapping her index fingers together. Kyouko looked at her expectantly. "...and I don't you to either."
"Aww!" Kyouko cooed, moving in close to nuzzle Ayano, who recoiled. "You don't snore, do you?"
"Eh? No, I don't snore!" Ayano protested.
"Then consider your wish granted," Kyouko proclaimed. Ayano, all at once proud of herself for being brave, and embarrassed to have displayed her feelings so openly, sought to change the subject.
"How is that scrape on your back, Toshino Kyouko?" Ayano asked. Kyouko rolled her shoulders to gauge the pain.
"It's pretty bad," Kyouko admitted. "I can't believe you dragged me through the snow."
"I couldn't just leave you there!" Ayano laughed.
"I mean, you actually saved my life!" Kyouko said emphatically. "Thank you." Ayano blushed.
"Oh, you're welcome," She said, and then paused nervously. "I'm glad you're here with me. It makes being stranded on a mountain seem like no big deal."
"It is no problem at all, dear child," Kyouko said in a deep voice, patting Ayano on the head. "I shall always be here for you." Ayano couldn't tell if Kyouko was joking or not, given her playful attitude, but a part of Ayano wondered whether humor was how Kyouko dealt with serious topics and feelings. She supposed that's why she liked Kyouko so much; her good attitude was legendary.
/*~~~*~~~*\\
None of the girls had planned to sleep at the lodge that night. After 7:00 P.M. came and went with no word from the rescue team, Ms. Nishigaki proposed the group stay in the lodge for the night. After a few phone calls home to parents, everyone had agreed to stay.
Yui had been put in a room with all the girls minus Rise and Ms. Nishigaki. To her advantage, she set her sleeping bag next to the door, so she wouldn't have to step over (and risk stepping on) anybody's sleeping form.
She hadn't bothered to close the door behind her; she couldn't risk the creaking noise. She had tiptoed down the hallway, undetected, and had made it halfway through the lobby. The front door was in her sights.
"Yui-chan?" a voice came. Yui froze in her path, petrified. "Where are you going?" Yui winced and turned to find Akari standing in her pajamas with a glass of milk in one hand.
"Akari-chan," Yui greeted. "I...didn't notice you there."
Akari stood with an annoyed look on her face. She said nothing, and cocked a brow.
"I'm serious!" Yui pleaded. "It's the middle of the night, what are you doing up?"
"I was thirsty, so I came downstairs to get a drink. What are you doing up, Yui-chan?" Akari asked, cocking her head. "Were you going to leave?"
Yui avoided her gaze, putting her hands in her pockets and looking at the floor.
"Were you going to look for Kyouko-chan and Sugiura-san?" Akari asked, leaning forward in a vain attempt to see Yui's face. Yui rocked back and forth on her feet, looking away from Akari, who was now deeply concerned and looking Yui up and down.
"You're still in your pajamas!" Akari observed. "You were gonna go out in the storm in that? You'll freeze to death!"
"Kyouko's gonna freeze to death if I'm not there to help her!" Yui finally spoke.
"Yui, you…" Akari paused, considering how to put her thoughts into words. "The best thing you can do right now is be here for Kyouko when she gets back."
"I can't just sit around and do nothing," Yui said. "She needs me." A tear rolled down her face. "I need her." Akari's own eyes welled up with tears, and she stepped closer to her desperate friend.
"You don't have to go through this alone," Akari said, her voice breaking. "Let us help you."
Frustration began to overwhelm Yui as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She breathed hard, and, finally, reached forward and wrapped her arms firmly around Akari and clutched her tight. Yui sobbed lightly into her shoulder. After a moment, Akari hugged her back, sniffling.
"I'm scared, Akari," Yui admitted. "I feel helpless, and desperate, and I don't know what to do."
"Hmm…" Akari hummed, rubbing Yui's back. "Let it all out. I'm scared too."