A/N: Okay, I am sorry this is not the next part of Exchange Student, but I am going on Christmas Vacation and didn't have time. This is my Christmas gift and my first Tamers story. The couples are Jenki and Jurato, mainly Jenki. It's a bit sappy, but I think I have the characters down. Enjoy and as always R&R.

    Snowflakes drifted softly from clouds high up in the sky. The tiny white crystals fell with the grace of a feather until they hit the blanket of pre fallen snow, adding themselves into the mix. In the morning sun the giant comforter that rested over the entire city sparkled brightly making it seem somewhat magical. In the park children played in the snow, making forts and throwing snowballs until their noses and cheeks were red and their hands to numb to pick up any more snow. To them it was magical. The snow was a gift from heaven that fell every year.
    Rika shivered, putting her hands in her jacket pocket in hopes that they would warm up some. As she passed the park a snowball flew past her, narrowly missing her backside. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the child who'd thrown it. He was young, no more than five, and her glare frightened him. He bit his lip and ran towards his mother seeming to be afraid that she might attack. Of course, she would never have any intention of hurting the child, but she liked the way she could enlist fear with one single look; it gave her a sense of power.
    A snowflake drifted down and landed on her nose. She brushed it away as quickly as possible. She hated the snow. It was a nuisance. For one it had to be alarmingly cold for it to fall, and then, it stuck on the sidewalks and driveways creating more work for people who would rather be inside warming up. She herself was enlisted by her grandmother to shovel the snow off the walkway this morning before going anywhere else.
    "Hey Rika! Want to join us? We have a battle field made out of snow. Jeri and I could use another person." Takato called as she passed the emptier part of the park. Sure enough walls had been built and piles of icy ammunition stood behind them. Jeri, Takato, Kazu, and Kenta were all bundled up and kneeling behind them. Guilmon and Calumon were playing in the snow only a few feet away. They seemed to be arguing over whether their snowman should have ears and a tail. Leomon was no where in sight. He, like her, probably thought it was childish.
    "Why would I want to participate in something so childish?" She asked, "No one would guess by looking at your actions that your almost 16 goggle boy." Takato frowned, but it quickly disappeared and his usual goofy smile was in place.
    "Have it your way, if you don't want to have fun then that's your loss." He replied, before turning back to his fight. She rolled her eyes, but then laughed as a snowball thrown by Kazu hit him square in the head because he wasn't paying attention to the battle. It was only a matter of seconds before he retaliated and she once again started her walk away from the park. She hadn't the time to play in the snow any ways, even if she had wanted to. She had a term paper do on Monday and was headed to the large library to research her topic.
    After five more minutes of walking she reached the large wood doors of the West Shinjuku Library. On the steps two small children, bundled up in jackets and gloves were sitting reading aloud out of a colorful book with a picture of Santa Claus on the front. It was almost Christmas and the signs of it were everywhere. In stores the carols played nonstop and on the television the ideal gifts to give the ones you love were being advertised, all, surprisingly, for a great bargain. She didn't buy into all the Christmas hype, she'd never had any reason to. Sure, her family exchanged gifts and ate Christmas cake, her grandmother took her to Christmas performances for artistic exposure, but that was all. By far the new year overshadowed the foreign holiday.
    "Hey Rika." A familiar voice spoke, tearing Rika away from her thoughts. She took her hand away from the door and turned around to see Henry standing in front of her. He had grown quite handsome over the years, and even she would admit to that. Henry had been in her class since she started attending public school, and by far he and Jeri were probably her closest friends, and that wasn't saying much. She pushed everyone away, even them.
    "Hi, what are you doing here?" She asked, realizing that she didn't sound very friendly. He took no notice of her tone.
    "I'm here to work on the term paper, you?"
    "Same."
    "Maybe we can work together and get things done faster." He suggested. She contemplated it for a moment, and then nodded her head curtly. The last thing she wanted to do was spend her entire weekend researching for a stupid school report. "Great, now what do you say about going inside out of the cold?" This time she smiled.
    "I think I would like that." She replied. He stepped forward and opened the door, then motioned for her to step in before him. She accepted the offer and after she was inside he stepped away from the door, letting it close behind him. It was much warmer inside the library. She sighed happily and slipped her gloves off, stuffing them in her jacket pocket.
    "So, is Renamon around here anywhere?" Henry asked. She shook her head.
    "She's out and about somewhere. She didn't tell me where she was going today, and I didn't ask." Henry's backpack wiggled, and a long, floppy, ear popped out.
    "I see you brought Terriermon. He will be quiet in the library, right?"
    "He wanted to come, and yes he's been properly warned. I told him if he made to much noise I would have you send Renamon after him. Isn't that right Terriermon." The latch on Henry's backpack popped and the flap fell over revealing the rabbit like Digimon.
    "Momentai Henry, I'll be good."
    "Ack! Get back in, there's someone coming." Henry exclaimed. Terriermon rolled his eyes and sunk back into Henry's backpack. Henry smiled and bowed his head at the woman who passed by and walked out the door. When she was gone he sighed in relief. When they were younger he was able to pretend Terriermon was just a stuffed animal, but it would look strange for a 16 year old boy to carry around a toy rabbit.
    They walked through the entry hall and into the main library without another word. The room smelled of aging books. It wasn't at all an unpleasant smell. In one corner a fireplace with an electric fire burned. An older woman was sitting in a large chair with children around her as she read to them. Rika watched, remembering a time when her grandmother would read to her and she would sit listening solemnly until the energy built up inside her and she could sit no more.
    "Do you want to look in the books first or go up to the computer lab and use some of the software?" Henry asked. She snapped her head away from the scene and focused on Henry. His gray eyes were questioning her. She looked around.
    "We should look at books first. We both have computers at home, so unless we find the books we need before it's to late we don't need to use the computers here." She replied. She still thought that computers were boring, but as she reached the higher grades she gained a need for one as many assignments required internet research or to be typed.
    "Good idea. World War II books should be over here." He replied. Each person in the class had a different topic involving World War II. Hers was on the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and his was on the cause and effect of Japan's involvement in the war. They'd each received the two topics that involved Japan directly, which would make it easier on both of them.
    The World War II books were in a corner of the library and not many were around. Henry thought it safe to let Terriermon out of his backpack. The Digimon looked at the books with interest and then frowned when he realized that they were all non fiction.
    "Can I go to the fiction books?" Terriermon asked as he pulled down a book to look inside. Henry shook his head.
    "The fiction section is full of people. Maybe before we leave I'll pick up some books for you, but we can't let you roam around by yourself." Terriermon seemed okay with the compromise, but he still pouted. His pouting didn't last long though, for he'd become interested in the book he'd taken down. Rika tried to see what it was, but couldn't see past the digimon's large ears. She sighed and turned back to the books again.
    "Henry, I think this might help you." She said, pulling down The Battle of Pearl Harbor. He took the book from her, his hand brushing hers lightly; it was warm.
    "Thank you." He replied as he opened the book. She nodded in recognition and then turned back to the books, slightly angry at herself. For a short moment she'd wondered what it would be like if he'd held her hands in his own to warm them up. Thoughts like that were not acceptable. She knew better, the last thing she needed was a boyfriend, and yet...
    A few minutes later, staggering under the weight of many books, the two of them made their way back to the table to sort out which ones had the information they needed and which ones had information they both needed. Terriermon was once again in Henry's backpack, still reading the book he'd picked out. She had finally been able to see the cover. It was a book about World War II weapons, ships, and planes.
    "You're going to have to check that out for him." Rika said as she dropped her pile of books on the table. They landed with a resounding thud. She then plopped onto the chair and took the first one off the top. The work was terribly dull, but she could not afford to turn in anything less than a perfect paper. She was top of her grade, but someone in Class B was fighting for the position. If she wanted to stay on the top she needed to work harder than anyone else, and she had to be better. She was the best, and no one else was going to tell her anything different.
    "I know, and I'll be glad to. It's keeping him quiet and I'm grateful for that. He's my best friend, but just like most digimon he wants to have fun 24 hours a day. That, and eat." He replied. Rika looked up over the cover of her book.
    "Renamon was never like that." Henry nodded.
    "She's not like most digimon, she's always been more serious. You two suit each other." She narrowed her eyes.
    "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, her voice holding a defensive note. Henry gently laid his book on the table and held up his hands as if he were surrendering.
    "Nothing at all. You two are both very serious. In order to be a good team you have to be able to understand each other. You two understand each other because your personalities are similar." He explained. She looked at him quizzically.
    "What do you and Terriermon have in common?" Henry laughed.
    "Nothing aside from the fact that we're best friend. I understand him though, and that makes us a good team." She nodded, and then turned back to the book. After reading a couple pages she pulled her binder out of her backpack. A sketch pad fell out the side of her backpack, the cover flipped over. She picked it up as quickly as possible and stuffed it back in her pack before Henry could see it. Then she sat up again and set her binder on the table, opened it to a piece of blank binder paper, and started to write a passage from the book in her own words. Her eyes darted up from her page to study Henry's face. Had he seen her sketchpad? If he had, he didn't show it.
    "Should have known this was where you were going, when are you not studying something?" Kazu's voice interrupted her reading. It didn't seem like that long, but she'd already gone through two books on was on her second page of notebook paper. She looked up; the whole gang that had been at the park was now standing in the library.
    "So, you finally decided to bring up that 'C' average?" She asked, feeding him his own medicine. A blushed colored his cheeks and his eyes went blank as he searched for a way to come back at her. Jeri giggled. She was leaning against Takato who had his arms wrapped comfortably around her slender waist. They'd been a couple for a while now, but when they got together it didn't surprise Rika, who never really saw one without the other.
    "We can't all spend our lives trying to be perfect." Kenta said. Rika ignored his comment, not sure how to take it. Henry yawned and stretched his arms out behind him.
    "You all here to work on your term papers?" He asked.
    "Yep, and to scout out chicks to take to the Christmas Eve Ball." Kazu answered. Rika rolled her eyes at how typically male his comment sounded.
    "Your not going to find anyone who's your type in a library." She said.
    "The Christmas Eve Ball isn't something you invite someone you just met to any ways, it's something you bring the person you care about to. It's for couples, like Takato and Jeri." Henry said.
    "I'm hoping to find someone I care about, we still have two weeks."
    "Well, good luck. Finding someone isn't as easy as they make it look on TV." Henry replied, closing his books. "I have to get going home. Suzy wants me to take her shopping." He stood up, and stacked his books into a neat pile. She looked around and then did the same with hers. Her grandmother wanted to go see an American style play and had extended an invitation to her. She'd brushed it off by saying she would go if she finished her work in enough time. Hearing Henry speak so willingly about taking his sister shopping because she wanted to made her think that perhaps she should go with her grandmother.
    "I'm going to leave as well. My grandmother wants to see a play with me." She announced, picking up her books and following Henry to the check out counter. Terriermon had reluctantly handed him back the book after Henry promised he would give it back right after it was checked out. The woman took Henry's books and silently scanned them, only speaking to him to tell him the date they were do back, and then she did the same for Rika.
    A couple minutes later she was once again outside in the cold. She took her gloves out of her pocket and slipped them onto her hands, protecting them from the frigid air. The sun was now high in the sky, announcing it midday, but still no warmth came from it. Henry nodded a goodbye to her, and she nodded her head once in recognition and turned to walk the other way. They lived on opposite sides of the town. She passed the park, ignoring the children, and soon she had left the city and was in the residential area where most of the richer families lived.
    She walked down three blocks of houses, most of them two to three stories tall with western style architecture, until she reached her block. On the corner stood her house. It was alone, though surrounded by many other houses. It's building was only one story tall, and yet it wasn't any less grand than the others. The architecture is what set it apart, instead of being of western design it was traditional Japanese. It's sloping ceilings and many connected building which surrounded a beautiful Japanese garden looked fit for a queen. In a way it was the home of a queen, the queen of the modeling agency. When one looked upon the house there was no doubt in their minds that someone with a considerable amount of money owned it. Rika despised her mother's modeling, but she could never hate the house. It was like her, alone in a crowd. It stood out, and was the grandest on the block.
    She twisted the handle on the gate door and pushed open the heavy wooden doors. The garden sparkled white, but thanks to her handiwork earlier in the day there was no snow on the path leading to the front door, but from the looks of the sky she would no doubt be shoveling the snow later in the day. She sighed and started walking to the front door, ignoring the thoughts of future physical labor. The gardener would be coming tomorrow, so with a little luck it wouldn't snow until night, and Miko could take care of the path in the morning.
    "Grandma, I'm home." She called once she was inside as she slipped out of her shoes and into her house slippers. The house smelled of strange, but pleasant spices. The smell was originating from the kitchen and she followed her nose until she was inside. The room, by far, was the warmest in the house since the oven was putting off heat as it baked whatever was inside. At the table her grandmother was looking over something in the home keepers magazine she was subscribed to. Rika kneeled at the table across from her grandma.
    "Oh good. Did everything go well at the library?" The older woman asked. Her grandmother had a kind face that looked young for her age, but with the wisdom gained over the years.
    "Yes, I ran into Henry there and we worked on the assignment together. What is that smell?"
    "I'm glad to hear that. Henry is such a nice young man. He's going to go places in this world. As for the smell, it's gingerbread. What do you think?"
    "It smells wonderful. When will we get to eat it?" She asked, purposefully ignoring the woman's comments about her friend. Her grandma laughed.
    "We aren't going to eat it right away, we are going to make houses and men out of it, but I did make a couple of extra cookies. Your mother won't want much, heaven forbid she should eat much of anything sugary, but I knew you would like some." Rika wrinkled her brow in a confused manor.
    "Make houses and men out of bread?" She asked. The older woman laughed again.
    "It's not really bread, it's more like cookies. You roll it and shape it like a house and little bald men. Then you put the houses together and decorate them with icing and candy, and you decorate the men. It's a Christmas tradition around the world and I thought it would be a fun project for us to do. We can make a little village and display it for any visitors." Rika nodded her head, somewhat interested. She didn't know if she liked the idea of wasting perfectly good food to make houses, but if her grandma thought it would be fun then maybe it would be.
    "I guess. Is mom going to help?" She asked, curious, and perhaps a bit hopeful that her mother wouldn't be to busy to do this one thing with them. It always seemed like she didn't like to spend time with her mother, but that wasn't the truth. She loved spending time with her mother, as long as her mother's mind was not on being beautiful or trying to make Rika into a younger version of herself.
    "I certainly hope so. You would like that, wouldn't you, if your mother helped?" Her grandma asked, trying to discern what way Rika meant the comment. Rika smiled reassuringly, something she rarely did.
    "Yes, I would like that."
    "I'll talk with her when she gets home." She replied. The timer on the stove buzzed and her grandmother rose to her feet and grabbed two pot holders. Rika looked down at her hands, and then up to her grandmother who was pulling out a cookie sheet with steaming pieces that were shaped like walls and caricatures of people. The smell was even stronger and more delicious now, and Rika looked at the dark cookies longingly. Once the cookie sheet was down on the counter she reached down for another.
    "Grandma, when is that play you want to go to?" She asked before she forgot.
    "It's in about an hour." She replied while closing the oven.
    "I would like to go." She told the older woman. Five simple words were enough to bring a true and beautiful smile to her grandma's face. Rika smiled herself. It felt wonderful to do something for someone that would make them happy.
    "It's going to take us a little while to get down to the theater so we should leave now while the pieces are cooling. Those are only the pieces to the first house. We'll see how well we can put together the first house. Do you know where Renamon is, maybe she would like to see the play?" Rika looked around the house, but didn't see her digimon partner, nor could she feel her presence.
    "I was just going to ask you if you had seen her." Rika replied. Suddenly she felt the familiar feeling of her partner being close. At first the bond they shared had made Rika uneasy, especially when she still hadn't realized that Renamon was every bit as alive as herself, but now it was something she couldn't imagine being without. Whenever she was searching her partner knew, and whenever she was in danger Renamon would hear her. When she was close Rika could feel that she was, and she was sure it worked both ways.
    "You were looking for me?" Renamon asked, materializing out of the air.
    "I wanted to know if you wanted to come see a play with Grandma and I." She replied. The creature nodded her head gracefully.
    "I would love to."
    "Well then, with that settled let's get to the theater. I'll call your mother on our way."

    It was snowing again, as it had been for the past few days. In the suburbs everything was covered inches thick in the icy layer of crystalline flakes, but in the city only the dirty snow on the sidewalks remained, and perhaps some snow on the roofs of skyscrapers. The school field on the other hand was covered, making it harder for the soccer team who enjoyed practicing year round. Some of the younger students, and those who only pretended to be mature during the school day, had invaded the field and were now manipulating the snow to use it as ammunition. The adults, who would normally be yelling at them, decided that for once they would sit back and allow the children to have fun.
    Henry walked past the group, laughing. There was once a time when he would be standing outside with the children, but that time was long ago. Though the snow was still magical in it's own way, playing in it had lost it's appeal long ago. The only time when it truly brought joy to his life was when he was playing with his ten year old sister who loved to build snowmen and draw angels in the white layer. The brightness in her eyes always brightened his day. There was only one other smile that could make him feel like that, and that was the rare smile he could bring to his friend Rika's face. Making her smile, not just a normal smile, but a true smile that reached her eyes, was not an easy thing to do given her demeanor, but when it happened there was no doubt in his mind that she was more beautiful than her model mother.
    As soon as he passed the field the front door of the school came into view. Dozens of uniformed students lingered outside the front, and dozens more were coming in and out of the building. Every once in a while a teacher would come out, stop and talk to a student, and then go back inside. Reaching for the door at the moment was the object of his thoughts, Rika. He could only see her back, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was her. Her reddish brown hair was pulled tightly into a bun on the nape of her neck in the style that had become customary to her. Her uniform was worn perfectly to the dress code, and despite the tendency of the school uniforms to hide girls' figures her curves could still be seen. Henry sped up to reach her before the door shut.
    "Good morning." He greeted as the glass door shut behind them. She looked up, her normal emotionless facade in place.
    "Good morning." She replied. He slipped his gloves off and rubbed his hands together to warm them up a little, and then he placed his gloves in his pocket. She did the same, and then started towards their classroom to drop off her things. He followed since he really didn't have anywhere else to go. Jeri and Takato were already inside. Takato was sitting on Jeri's desk while she sat in her seat and they were talking to each other in hushed tones. He'd never seen a couple get along as well as the two of them. It was as if they were made for each other, that is, if he believed in destiny.
    "Hey guys, 'morning!" Takato exclaimed. Rika nodded her head in a greeting, more towards Jeri than Takato. Henry smiled.
    "How are you two this morning."
    "We're both just fine. Would you like a pastry? Takato's mother sent us along with a box of them this morning." Jeri asked, holding out a white bakery box. Henry took one, and looked to Rika. She stared at them for a moment debating, and then took one. She wasn't on a diet, but he knew years of living around her mother had caused her to have certain eating habits. Sure enough she'd taken the least fattening of the choices.
    "Thanks." She replied.
    "Did you finish your report Henry?" Takato asked. Henry nodded as he took a bite out of the jelly filled danish he'd chosen.
    "Yep, it wasn't really all that hard once I started to put all the information together. How about you."
    "Yeah, that trip to the library last weekend helped a lot. Kazu didn't finish his, though. He actually met a girl at the library and has been spending every waking moment with her since. They seem to be getting along great, though. We can only hope for the best. I have never seen him like someone so much." Rika snorted.
    "Is he being a gentleman?" She asked, "Because he never was one in front of me."
    "That's only because you don't act like much of a lady." Kazu's voice said as he walked into the classroom, Kenta trailing behind him. Rika shot Kazu a nasty glare that Henry was thankful he'd never received before. If looks could kill there wouldn't even have been a body left.
    "You don't have to wear a dress and do everything to please a man to be a lady." She snapped back. Henry put up his hands up between the two to stop a fight. Kazu had no problems hitting a girl in Rika's case, and Rika certainly wouldn't object to beating in his face. They would tear each other to pieces.
    "That's enough you two." He said. Sometimes he felt like all he did was calm Rika down before she did something she would regret. It wasn't as if no one else ever tried, it's just that she never listened to anyone else. Kazu took his seat, but his eyes never left Rika, and likewise. She was still shooting daggers in his direction, but some invisible field kept deflecting them. Everyone in the room was now silent, and the air was tense. Both had explosive tempers and no one wanted to be the person to snap the cap on the grenade. Lucky for the group of tamers the bell rang. Each student found their way to their own seats as those who were outside began to filter in. Henry quickly caught Rika's eye and without words told her to calm down. She looked away.
    Henry sighed and took his seat directly in front of her. He lifted the top of his desk and pulled out his English book since it was the first lesson of the day today. Once everyone was inside and seated the second bell rang. Together the class marched out in a single file alphabetical order line to the outdoor basketball courts where the entire school would hear the morning announcements and do morning exercises. It was a morning routine that many complained about, but Henry found that a little warm up in the morning certainly made him more awake through the day, and with Pre Calculus second period he certainly needed to be as awake as he could.
    The went through the daily exercise routine that mirrored the ones performed in most business meetings in the morning and then the principal called the school to attention while he gave out the morning announcements. First it started with an encouraging phrase, like it always did, and then moved onto the usual announcements of the days meeting and clubs.
    "Finally, tickets for the Christmas Eve Ball are on sale now in the student store. You are reminded that it is traditional formal dress and will be from nine p.m. to one a.m. Christmas Eve. You are dismissed to class, please walk back to class in your single file lines." The line leader began to move forward and the 10th grade class A class began to file from their rank to go back to class. Another day at school... Today's lessons were English, Pre Calculus, Physical Education, and Japanese History. At least most of them would be fairly easy.

    The hallways were bustling loudly with the sounds of students bustling into the school after the morning announcements. Classes were supposed to proceed to their room's quietly, yet that was never the case. Teacher had long ago found it impossible to enforce the rule upon the thousands of teenagers voicing their opinions to one another, so they just let it go. Especially today when students were given an hour long study hall before their first period in which not many used to study. Rika on the other hand remained silent as she walked through the halls.
    She was almost to the classroom, lost in a sea of people finding their ways to the library or friend's classrooms when a student from the Jr. High school grades came flying around the corner knocking her over. Her bag flew off her shoulder, spilling it's contents across the room. Rika glared in the general direction of the person who'd knocked her over, but the child was long gone. Slowly she picked herself up onto her knees and dusted off her skirt.
    "Are you all right?" She looked up to see Henry standing in front of her, an expression of concern passing over his face. She huffed and grabbed his outstretched hand, pulling herself into a standing position.
    "Fine, some stupid child was running in the halls against the rules." She replied distastefully. She always called the younger generations that occupied the lower grades children because even though they were starting their teenage years they still seemed immature and childish, especially in the way they disregarded the rules. She bent down and picked up one of her binder and looked hopelessly at the rest of her scatted possessions. Henry picked up her backpack and handed it to her, and then stooped down under the flood of students finding everything that belonged to Rika. She didn't know what to say so she just stood watching. After a few moments his head rose above the crowd once more. He dropped the items he picked up into her pack. She looked down trying to inventory what she had. She wrinkled her brow.
    "Something's missing." She stated.
    "What is it?" She thought for a moment, wondering if she should tell him what it was. It wasn't something she really wanted to share with anyone else, but she knew she didn't have much choice.
    "It's a sketch pad." He nodded and looked around the ground. Her eyes followed in a different path, but each one came up empty handed.
    "Excuse me, did one of you drop this?" A girl asked, she was pointing down at an old and worn sketchpad on the ground. It looked as if it had been used many times before, and in fact it had. Sketching was a talent Rika had long ago discovered she had, and like the Digimon card game she enjoyed it. The difference was that she did not want acclaim for her art, nor did she really want anyone else to see it. Henry bent down to pick it up when Rika realized that the cover had once again flipped off, as it had a habit of doing, and one of her drawings was showing for everyone to see. Henry's eyes moved over the drawing nonchalantly, and then as he picked it up they seemed to study it closer.
    "This is amazing." He exclaimed softly, "Did you draw this?"
    "Yes." Her reply was curt. He looked at it even closer, studying it as an art critic would study a painting by any acclaimed artist.
    "The detail is amazing and you must have done it from memory since I don't remember you sketching anything that day. Come to think of it, I had no idea you could draw at all." He said. She knew what the picture was. She'd drawn it almost three weeks ago after meeting up with Henry and his little sister at the park. The two of them were laying in the snow waving their arms back and forth to make snow angels. That night she was bored and took out her sketchpad, the image of that event immediately filled her mind and her hands transferred it onto paper the way she remembered it, capturing the moment as she saw it in her mind's eye. "The style is so unique, you draw everything you see, and yet the main focus of the picture seems to be alone even though the background is still there. I don't know how you did it, but you certainly have talent."
    "Thanks." She muttered. She didn't want him to look at her pictures, but wasn't sure how to stop him. Maybe a part of her did want him to see them. Either way she stood there watching as he went through the one thing no one else had see, not even her grandmother.
    Henry flipped the page and chuckled lightly. Rika glanced at it. She didn't know what had inspired her to draw it, but she'd sketched the image of Takato being hit in the face with the snowball. Henry was right. Her style was unique. The subject was always drawn as if they were alone though everything was around them. Once she had drawn an image of herself using what she remembered from looking in a mirror and placing herself in the center of the crowded sidewalks in the business district. Though there were people all around her she'd stood out in her picture, like a single red rose amongst a grove of white ones. No matter was the subject was, whether it was a plant, a person, or a group of people, it was as if they were the only thing that mattered.
    "Move it along children, you need to be in class or in the library." A teacher said. Rika nodded to the teacher. She wasn't from the school, but she did look familiar, though Rika couldn't place it. She shrugged it off, just a substitute teacher she'd seen somewhere before.
    "You heard what she said." Rika told Henry, he nodded his head and started walking, still flipping pages in her sketchbook. She glared at him, hoping that perhaps he would get the idea that she wanted it back, but the glare had no effect. She gave up, letting him do whatever he wanted to do.
    "Here you go. You surprise me. Right when I think I have you figured out you pull something else out of your hat that I never would have expected." She took her pad and stuffed it roughly back into the school issue backpack.
    "Well life's full of little surprises." She muttered bitterly. Henry sighed behind her, but she didn't care if she was being rude.
    "It sure is." He replied as he pulled a book out of his backpack. He fell silent, fully enthralled by text of the book as it described the story of some events in a fictional life. She pulled out a book of her own, one that was required reading in Japanese Literature, and started to scan over it with her amethyst eyes. The words were slowly absorbed into her mind and before long as was lost in the story reading each line, wondering what the next would say.
    The bell rang after a while and she closed her book, leaving a bookmark in her place. She then packed it up and placed her backpack under the seat. First period today was gym so she, along with the rest of the class who'd snuck into the classroom before the bell rang stood to make there way to the locker rooms where they would be changing. She walked silently with her head held high, not making an effort to speak to anyone on her way. The students chattered on about nothing in particular and once they reached their destination the boys and girls branched off into their own separate locker rooms.
    The girls locker room was warm and steam poured out of the showers that were already in use by students who'd arrived early to prepare for the morning lesson. The sounds of water pattering on tile shower floors, and lockers slamming as people finished with them was prominent in the room, yet over those sounds could be heard the deafening sound of four classes chattering to one another. They were talking about anything and everything, gossip mostly. Rika ignored them as she walked to the back where her P.E. locker was. Jeri followed since hers was in the same area.
    "You're awfully quiet today. You didn't even notice when I walked into the classroom this morning." Jeri said. Rika didn't turn her head to acknowledge the other girl, but said,
    "I'm not in a very talkative mood today." Jeri smiled sympathetically.
    "Maybe you'll feel better later." She said. Yeah, maybe Rika thought. The truth was that she hadn't been in a talkative mood for the past few days. With the Christmas Eve ball only days away everyone was busy talking about it. Once again the high school students had dance fever and it seemed that one of the most important things on everyone's list this Christmas was making sure they had the perfect kimono for the dance or that their hair accessories brought out the color in their eyes. Rika's mother had enough concern for fashion for the both of them so Rika never took any interest in it. She preferred to stay out of conversation rather than be pulled into the shallow world many seemed to be living in at the moment. Besides, no on had asked her, and it was likely that no one would. She wasn't dense she knew what they called her, she knew that to most boys she was the Ice Queen.
    She unlocked her locker with a few twists of the dial and pulled out her soap, and gym clothes. Every P.E. class was required to shower both before, and after classes to maintain good hygiene. Also in her locker was a bottle each of the top brand of shampoo and conditioner, a brush, a portable hair dryer, and an extra hair tie in case hers got lost somehow. She never washed her hair before P.E., but after. She would just assume get it wet, but her mother's many lectures on how that was horrible for the scalp became annoying after a while to the point where she just humored her mother.
    She took her items and stepped into the nearest open stall. Once inside she set down her neatly folded gym clothes and took off her uniform folding it meticulously and setting it down. She turned on the water and grabbed a washcloth off the towel shelf, then she stepped under the warm water, letting the hot droplets caress her body before rolling down the drain. She took out her hair tie and let the water saturate her hair while she lathered up soap on the washcloth and washed down her body. In order to get shower credit you had to look as if you showered meaning that your hair needed to be wet.
    The actions of her shower only took three minutes for she had trained herself to move quickly in order to finish in the time allotted. Once she was finished she turned off the water, tossed her washcloth into the dirty linens hamper, and pulled a towel off the shelf. When sufficiently dry she discarded the towel in the same fashion as the washcloth and stepped into her clothing. She picked up her uniform and her hair tie then opened the curtain where a freshman she'd seen before was waiting her turn. At her locker she gently laid her uniform inside and pulled out her brush. Using the small mirror attached to the inside of Jeri's locker she twisted her damp hair once again into the confines of the bun.
    "Chop chop girls." One of the teachers called. Rika turned from her image in the mirror and placed her brush back in her locker before slamming it shut. She put her shoes on and walked through the door to the gym where some of the class was already lingering. The sub she had seen earlier was standing looking at a clipboard. She walked towards her small group.
    "I can't believe Miss. Asajii is going to be our sub!" Kazu said, "I got in trouble so much in her class." The name was familiar and when Rika studied the sub she realized where she had seen her before. Miss. Nami Asajii, the woman who had taught Takato, Jeri, Kazu, and Kenta's fifth grade class. She hadn't gone to their grammar school, but on many occasions had seen the teacher who seemed to care so much about her students.
    "I am so glad I'm not late today, my knees would get bruised from how often I had to kneel on the floor outside her classroom." Takato replied.
    "Imagine that, the one time you manage to get out of the shower in time is the one day your old teacher is subbing." Rika said.
    "Don't tell her that." He replied. She rolled her eyes.
    "It's Miss. Asajii!" Jeri exclaimed as she walked up to the group. No one had time to reply, though, for the bell rang.
    "All right everyone, please get in your roll call lines. I am not familiar with this class, though a few faces do look familiar." Her eyes were pointed at their group, particularly the four who had been in her class. "I have never taught high school students before, so I am expecting you to act better than my fifth graders. If you disobey the rules then I will implement the same punishment I do on them, so be mature." There were a few giggles from the class at the prospect of being treated like a child as everyone took their seats in their roll call lines.
    After roll was taken Miss. Asajii explained that they would be starting the dance unit in class today. Everyone would find a partner that they would be dancing with. During the two hour period they would go over the western waltz, a traditional Japanese dance, and some other simpler dance forms. Rika pursed her lips, this was not what she wanted to do.
    "Okay now, partner up." Miss. Asajii ordered. Almost instantly everyone partnered with their best friends, girlfriends/boyfriends, or the people they liked. Rika stood alone. Of course no one was going to choose her, and she certainly wasn't going to choose on her own. She didn't want to dance at all. Dancing was stupid.
    "Rika, do you want to be my partner?" Henry asked. She looked at him, and shook her head. She had no other choice and being partners with Henry was a lot better than being partners with any of the other boys.
    "Okay, now for a waltz the girl puts one hand on the boys shoulder, or in some cases whoever is leading. The boy will put the opposite hand on the girls waist, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the waist is above the buttocks." She glared at a couple a few feet away from Rika who were already getting into position. "The other hand holds your partners hand out away from the body. You need to stand close in order to dance... Not that close Kenta. Now, everyone get into position." Rika, with her face blank of all emotion, put her right hand on Henry's shoulder, and he somewhat reluctantly placed his hand on her waist, or rather a little above it. She then grabbed his other hand. Standing so close to one another was rather awkward and she didn't exactly like that his hand was on her waist either. "Okay, that looks good. Now the first steps are 1... 2.. 3..." She explained showing them as if she were dancing with a partner of her own. "Try. Boys, you lead in whatever direction." Henry nodded and took a step to the right, Rika found that it was almost impossible not to follow, he then took the second step and she followed, and then the third.
    Miss. Asajii explained the rest of the steps and then set it to a soft playing waltz. After everyone seemed to pick up on the waltz she moved on to a traditional Japanese dance, explaining that everyone needed to pay attention because they would be tested at the end of the period. Rika gritted her teeth at the news. Tests in P.E. meant that she might fail, book studying could not do anything for her in P.E. One of the dances would be chosen and then they would have to perform in in front of the class.
    After one and a half hours Rika found that being so close to Henry was not so bothersome anymore, but she still did not like the dancing. Miss. Asajii announced the test, it would be on the waltz. She called up couples one at a time. Some were bad, but others were extremely good. When Rika was called with Henry she felt her body tense up. She had to be perfect, she couldn't fail, not even if she hated what she was doing. They got into position and the music started to play. She found it harder to move because she was tense. She could feel the eyes of her classmates on her, adding more pressure.
    "Rika, pretend like we are in one of your pictures. Everyone else is here, but they don't matter, we are the only ones that matter." He whispered. An image came into her mind, one of them dancing alone while everyone watched. They were watching, but they were not there, as if they were props in some sort of show. Suddenly they really were props. They were not real, the only real people were she and Henry. When the music stopped the classes clapping was heard. It was a rule that after each person finished the class was to clap, but it seemed real.
    "Very good Rika, Henry. The best we've seen yet." Miss. Asajii said. The two of them thanked their teacher for her compliment, and then took their seats as another couple stood up. Henry watched her for a moment and then spoke,
    "I have been meaning to ask you, but didn't know when. Would you like to come to the Christmas Eve dance with me?" He asked. His voice was neutral and so she couldn't figure out what he was feeling. She thought for a moment.
    "I don't know Henry." She said, right as the bell rang.

    Henry watched as Rika looked up at the moon. Her hair ornaments sparkled in the pure white light, and a soft breeze blew the chimed hanging off one of them. The dance was still going on inside the building, though it had died off slightly in the past few minutes since it was almost time to go home. They hadn't danced much, but the evening had been wonderful none-the-less. He'd picked Rika up at the time he'd specified, and a party was already starting inside the house. He'd been admiring the gingerbread houses when she'd come out of her room. Her beauty was even beyond her mother's. Though it was clear her mother had something to do with the way she looked because her kimono was one of the more expensive ones and the hair ornaments sparkled like jewels.
    They had gone to dinner at a traditional Japanese restaurant where many people they knew had been. She caught the eyes of many other boys, so much so that he was perhaps a bit jelous. Though probably the most enjoyable expressions were than of the people who said she was as cold as ice. After dinner they had come to the dance where they talked most of the evening with Takato and Jeri, who was also stunning kimono. Now they were standing outside, it was almost time to go home.
    "Would you hurt me terribly if I tried to kiss you?" He asked, after watching her for a while. She looked up from the railing and an expression he could not read was in her eyes. She searched his eyes with her own, seeming to look for sincerity.
    "I might have if you had tried without asking, but I guess it's okay." She said in a voice that sounded a little like she wasn't sure what she was getting into. He bent down slowly and closed his eyes. His lips anticipated meeting hers and when they did it was only for a short moment, but something felt wonderful about it. He opened his eyes to see her expression and it told him she would have no problems with another attempt. This time the kiss lasted longer, and was filled with some sort of emotion. When they parted he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, judging each reaction she had.
    "People couldn't believe that I cared about you, they call you the Ice Queen." He said. She didn't smile, or frown, she just sat there seeming content.
    "I know what they call me. The funny thing is that I don't even like the cold, I hate it with a passion."
    "I can see that."
    "I know that I am distant, but that's just the way I am. It's like my drawings in a way. I have always felt like I was alone, like I was the only one that mattered. I can't believe I'm telling you this, but there is just something about you." She said. Then out of her pocket she pulled a peice of paper. She unfolded it and said, "There's just something about you." There was no emotion in her voice, just the words. He looked at the paper. It was a sketch in the same style as all the others, but in this sketch there was a picture of them dancing. Though the class was around, they were all alone, just the two of them. "Something about you." She said again.
    "You know what Rika?"
    "What?"
    "There's something about you too, and I am glad I could spend my Christmas with you." He then looked at the picture again. Right now, they were the only ones that mattered. He'd melted the Ice Queen's Heart and they were the only ones.

Happy Holidays everyone. Just to explain, I used the Japanese idea of Christmas rather than the American one. Please R&R and have a wonderful holiday season. Peace and Prosperity in the New Year. ~Lacey~