Duran-kun and Kiyo-chan's Omake Theater!

(featuring the Kuga-Fujino family pets)

Natsuki Kuga did not like winter.

This was, perhaps, surprising. "Ice princess" was more or less her social motif, or at least it had been. Her HiME Element had been pistols that shot ice bullets. Duran's most powerful attack was his Silver Cartridge ice shells.

"Just because I use it doesn't mean that I have to like it," she muttered under her breath. She looked out through the house's front windows, verifying that yes, indeed, they'd gotten nearly a foot of snow overnight. "Did we move to Hokkaido when I wasn't paying attention?"

"Perhaps your parents should have named you 'summer princess' after all," Shizuru remarked. Natsuki's girlfriend was, predictably, sitting at the breakfast table with a steaming cup of tea between her palms. "It would certainly have fit."

"Shouldn't you be getting dressed?"

"I don't have any lectures today until twelve-thirty."

"Is that a smirk I see, Miss University Student?"

"Ara, would I find amusement in my Natsuki's so incredibly cute fussing over the weather?"

"Yes. And I am not being cute!"

"But Natsuki looks like a giant ball of cuddly fluffiness in her puffy winter coat and fuzzy earmuffs and tasseled hat and tall winter boots!"

Natsuki blushed at the squeeing.

"What's cute about being wrapped up like a mummy, anyway?"

"Thoughts of unwrapping you later?"

The blush went from faint pink to tomato red.

"I-idiot! Anyway, some of us don't have time to stand around and make jokes." Especially since I can't use my bike with the roads the way they are, she thought. She yanked open the door and stomped out.

"Natsuki—" Shizuru began, but the screen door swung shut before she could finish whatever her next joke would be. The entire front yard lay under a blanket of pristine whiteness sparkling in the sunlight, and even Natsuki had to admit that it was rather pretty.

"I'd appreciate it more on the other side of a window in a room with a roaring fire and a mug of hot cocoa," she grunted.

Since it would take several minutes of shoveling just to find the front walk, Natsuki figured she'd just cut straight across the yard. She took one step, then another, feeling her boots sink in and compress the snow, but not all the way down. At least she wouldn't need snowshoes, since the—

Her thought was cut off sharply as the snow completely gave way under her with her third step and she found herself stepping into an empty space under the crusted surface. Natsuki windmilled, trying to regain her balance, but it was too late, and she pitched forward, faceplanting full-length into a sea of fluffy white powder.

Halfway across the yard, a snakelike purple head popped up through the snow like a submarine's periscope. Another, then another followed suit, until all six of Kiyohime's heads were looking to see what all the commotion was.

Natsuki heard the door open behind her.

"Oh, Natsuki...That's what I was trying to tell you. I let Kiyohime out to play in the snow this morning. She doesn't get a chance to burrow very often, you know, since we don't want her digging up the yard, so she's been tunneling all over out there for the better part of an hour. We need to be careful where we step."

"Now she tells me," Natsuki mumbled around a mouthful of snow. Seriously, I really need to look into how this whole hibernation thing works.