Ice Queen

The song of winter called out to her.

She looked out of the car window. There were other winter spirits sweeping through the cold air before disappearing back into the spirit realm. They seemed as confused about the hail as her, but much happier. Their white hair was streaked with frost, the locks leaving trails of cold air. One returned her gaze. It smiled, revealing icicle teeth.

"Take joy in this winter offering, young vessel," it said to her.

She shuddered. Her hand was tucked into her vest pocket, hiding hailstones that she clutched in her fist. She focused freezing energy through her arm to keep them from melting. She closed her eyes, trying to listen to the tiny whisper in her mind.

What do I do?

Yukika pushed away the bubbling fears and uncertainties blocking her consciousness. 'Swim past the whirlpools and rocks to reach the shore,' she told herself, even when the current was sweeping her away. She waited and listened.

But there was no answer. Only the cold rushing underneath her skin. There was only the cold. Rushing past her ears, tracing her skin, freezing her mind. Her tense body slowly relaxed, bit by bit. She let go of her physical form, and entered her spirit mind.

Her consciousness was dark and howling. Winter hurricanes danced through the wind. Her arms reached out and turrets of cold air whizzed out to knock the hurricanes away. Yukika's head ached from the power she used to drive them away. It was feeble compared to the power surrounding her. She walked forward, barely pushing away the other gales that rushed towards her. Her eyes picked up on a tall form in the center of the cyclones. Her bruise-blue skin contrasted with the winter white all around them.

"Bheur!" she called out, her voice drowned in the howling wind. Nonetheless, she turned around. Her rail thin body was wrapped in silver cloth. The black eyes that stared her down did not faze her. What did was the wide open mouth screaming the sound of winter winds, and the white blood pouring out of her stomach. Her throat tightened, and her body froze.

Her eyes shot open. She was safe, still sat in the sleek car. They were slowing down, driving through rows of neighboring houses. She gave the hailstones a squeeze, relieved at the hard ice pressing against her skin. They halted in front of the Fukumura house. She composed her face and gave Mr Allende a smile. He smiled back. She opened the door and stepped outside. The warm air swirled with uncertainty.

"Thanks for the ride, Mr Allende!" Sakura chirped. The door between them shut, and the shiny Hephaestus drove away. She heard a loud vibration from her bag pocket. She took out her phone. The glare from it being turned on accompanied a bitter message.

"Akira messaged me to come home," she told Sakura.

There was a gentle look in Sakura's eyes as soon as she said that. She tilted her head as she asked, "Will you be staying the night?"

Her heart warmed. She slipped the phone back into her pocket. That house brimmed with a painful cold uncontested by any winter. She couldn't care less about whatever Akira wanted from her now. Nonetheless, it was better to take a walk to clear her mind.

"There's nothing she can do to stop me."

Yukika gave Sakura's bag to her. She turned away and started off to Akira's house on her own. Darkness was descending upon the sleepy town. Yukika kicked away dead leaves that littered the street. She waved to tree spirits laying lazily down tree trunks. Their eyes twinkled and they waved back.

She spotted a spirit as tall as two houses stacked together standing at the end of the street. It was dressed in an old beige suit and a black hat that covered its face. She slowed down as she walked past, bowing her head to it. It held out its hand to her. It held a piece of paper between two long fingers. She held out her hand and took it. She smiled politely.

"Thank you."

It tipped its hat before it dissipated into a dark fog. She smoothed out the paper with her thumb. There was a scrawl across it. She couldn't recognize it, but she couldn't detect any malicious energy on it either. It gave her a reassuring peace as she clutched it in her hands.

Making a turn to the next street, she soon arrived at the house. The bright paint job was discernible from miles away. She saw a newly polished car parked in the driveway. She unlocked the gate and walked to the door. It opened after a slight budge.

Bright lights shone in her face. The house smelled of pine and bleach. There was no one in the living room. She approached the stairs and was immediately met by her stepfather, Carlos, pacing down them. He stood barely taller than her, which was fair since she was rather tall herself. He had a kind face and eyes that were a clear window into his feelings. He was dressed in a tailored suit that fit his stocky build nicely.

"Yuki," he smiled nervously. "Thanks for coming."

"My name is Yukika," she spoke plainly. His smile faded slightly, but it stayed on his face. "What did she need me for?"

"Ah. We're heading out for a date night," he hesitated. "Can you look after Manuel tonight?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course, what else would it be? It was the only thing Akira ever wanted to do with her. At least she would be able to spend some time with her half-brother. He was a plucky little baby that Sakura fawned over whenever she brought him over.

She made her way upstairs to Manuel's room. She opened the baby gate to enter the room. It was a beautiful mix of pastels with expensive toys and baby necessities stacked from wall to wall. It was dim with only the ambient lights on, and Manuel was sleeping soundly in his crib. Yukika found his bag and started to stuff it with his baby bottles, diapers and change of clothes. An odd sound came from the baby monitor. She turned around.

There was a small fear spirit perched on his crib. It was a pale white, with gigantic claws digging into the wood. It had its mouth wide open, with bloody sharp teeth ready to consume his energy. Her arms shot out, and her powers latched onto the spirit. She flicked her winter cold to drive it away. It hissed at her with narrowed red eyes, before it flew away and disappeared out of the window.

She sighed in relief that it was a weak spirit that didn't fight back. She hurried over to Manuel. He was still sleeping peacefully. She noticed the piece of paper she held in her thumb. Hesitantly, she placed it on top of his chest. It glowed. A smile played on her brother's lips. She touched the paper.

"My heart of frost," she whispered. "I call upon you to keep away the spirits of agony. Hear me, song of winter, and keep this one safe."

Manuel opened his eyes slowly. His mouth stretched in a yawn. He smiled and giggled at seeing her. She felt herself smile.

"What are you doing?" she heard a sharp voice speak. She didn't turn to look. Instead, she picked up Manuel and walked over to take the bag. She walked past Akira who stood firm in the doorway, brushing her shoulder against hers. Akira was dressed in a silky red dress that wrapped around her slender frame. The pearly make up she wore made the sneer on her face beautiful. She spoke again. "Don't involve him in your freak spirit games."

"I would never hurt him. If he gets a spirit mark like me, what are you going to do?" retorted Yukika quietly. Akira looked at her from the corner of her eyes. "What are you scared of, spirits or shame?" she continued.

"You've always been disrespectful," hissed Akira. She ignored her.

She went back downstairs to the kitchen. Her heart was still beating fast from talking to Akira. She picked up some of Manuel's baby formula before heading out the door. Carlos sat on the couch and waved as she shut the door.

"Thank you, Yukika."

The night was quickly settling in around them. She hurried back to the Fukumura household. She spotted more spirits coming up, and she held Manuel closer to her. The paper crinkled against her chest.

She soon came around to the welcoming rosewood door. She opened it to the sight of Cleeve in the living room. The house had been well looked after, there wasn't a speck of dust. Cleeve smiled at her, her full lips were upturned to her eyes and as rosy as ever. She took Manuel from her arms and rocked him in her arms. She cooed. Her brother giggled.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Cleeve frowned in worry.

"I was about to leave from work at the S.U.N. when we received news that there was a hailstorm at your school area. I had a feeling you would be affected, so I came over. Apologies for the sudden intrusion."

Yukika nodded. She put down her bags to the side and pulled out the hailstones from her pocket. They melted slightly from her being distracted. She focused her arm on freezing them, and they returned back to normal. Cleeve seemed interested.

"So it was from spirits?" she asked.

"It seems to be that way," said Cleeve. She picked up a hailstone and winced from the cold. She gave it back to her. "These are much colder than normal. The only thing is that I don't know why. There haven't been any reports of winter spirits being disturbed. I fear it might be something more serious."

"That was what I was worried about," she murmured.

Cleeve patted her head. "I'll just put this little one down and we can talk about it. Have you brought his blankets?"

"Yeah."

Yukika knelt down to the bag. She pulled out Manuel's blankets and pillows. She and Cleeve arranged them at a safe spot before Cleeve put him down. Manuel wriggled a little and immediately fell back to sleep. He was adorable, with his mouth forming little bubbles as he snored.

"Do you want to take a shower first?" she asked, and Yukika shook her head. "Then, let's go the backyard," Cleeve offered, and she agreed. They went out of the back door. Cleeve turned on some lights, illuminating the young night. They sat down on a bench.

"What's on your mind?"

She hesitated. She began to squeeze the hailstones as she tried to sort out the thoughts in her head. The thoughts of her spirit dweller, the images of war brought on by spirit bursts, her powers tearing her apart as spirits surround her. It filled her with dread and anxiety. Was Bheur trying to tell her something?

"Bheur - the spirit living inside me... I tried to talk to her earlier. But I only ended up seeing her surrounded by tornadoes, with blood pouring out of her. Why would I see that?"

Cleeve thought about it. She placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Do you know how she died?" She shook her head. "Then maybe she was showing you her death."

"But why? Why now?" she frowned. Cleeve stared out into the distance. A lone bird streaked through the sangria sky. A dog could be heard barking from a distance.

"Maybe it has something to do with what just happened. She's a winter spirit, right? Then she might know."

She stared at her feet. Frost was forming at the edge of her toes. There was only one question on her mind.

"... do you think another spirit burst is coming?"

Cleeve dropped her hand to the side. She leaned forward, resting her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees. Everything was quiet around them.

"They're inevitable. In my eyes, one might come sooner than we know. It doesn't mean that hailstorm was a sign. Spirits affect us more than just during the bursts. Don't worry."

"But what if it does happen? How can I protect everyone..." she trailed off.'

Cleeve smiled at her. It made the edges of her eyes softer. She held Yukika's hand in hers. It felt reassuring to feel Cleeve's warm skin against hers.

"You won't be alone, Yukika. The S.U.N., your friends, me, we can all help you. Don't be scared of what will happen. Just face it, and trust that everything will be alright."

The tension clutching her heart released. She nodded. Her heart was still lost, but her mind held firm onto Cleeve's words. She got up from the bench. The hailstones were clutched tight in her hand. Her skin was numb.

"Can we train now?" she asked. Cleeve got up and nodded. It was routine for them. Cleeve would come over, and she would practice on her powers with her. It was a way to keep working on her powers, but secretly it was more of a way to stop herself from being scared of them.

They stood facing each other in the yard. Cleeve was six paces away from her. Yukika readied herself. She raised her hand, and with the other, she hurled the hailstones. Cleeve caught them in her hand and threw them back.

She focused her gaze on the stones. She reached out her hands and pulled them away from each other. They split into tiny fragments. She froze the water vapour around her. When the hail came close to touching her, she sent it back to Cleeve along with the small fractals she had made.

Cleeve dodged, with only one or two of the crystals touching her. Yukika's heart dropped. She pulled back the crystals to form three large icicles. She sent them flying towards her. Cleeve dodged again.

She stirred up the wind. She froze more water vapour and swirled them around to make the wind faster. It spun around her, obscuring her gaze. She took it all in. Cold and ruthless, just like winter. Soon it was whipped into a formidable gale. Cleeve had moved to the side, but she could detect her warmth. She threw the wind towards her. This time she couldn't dodge, and she was knocked onto her back. Yukika stopped.

"Cleeve!" she hurried over to where she was. Cleeve was coughing heavily. She sat up fine, and there didn't seem to be any wounds on her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded after a few more coughs. She got up with a little wobble. Yukika followed suit. "No worries. That was pretty impressive," said Cleeve.

"I didn't mean for it to be that strong. I shouldn't have..."

Cleeve patted her back. "It's alright, I'm fine, see?"

Yukika took a deep breath. It was alright, everything was alright. The cold inside her warmed down. She smiled, though uncertainly.

They heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Cleeve walked over steadily and opened the door. They returned from the backyard both shaken and secure. Yukika found Haruka placing her car keys onto the table. She smiled as she looked up. Her voice was silk soft as she spoke.

"Hello, sweetie. Have you had dinner?"

She shook her head no. Haruka tilted her head and saw Cleeve. Cleeve pretended to hide behind Yukika.

"Miss Cleeve, you didn't tell me you were coming to practice with Yukika."

"Ah, um, well... the thing is, I got the news that a hailstorm happened at their school. I was worried, so I came over." Cleeve rubbed the back of her head with her hand. There was a sheepish look on her face.

Haruka raised her eyebrows. She started to frown, deepening her wrinkles. She looked to Yukika for confirmation. She nodded silently.

"I thought telling you would make you worry, besides, we're alright," Yukika reassured.

"You've done a great job making me worry now," Haruka sighed. She rubbed her temples with her fingers. Soon, she relaxed and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're alright. Please tell me next time though, who knows what could have happened to you."

She gave her a thumbs up. Haruka shook her head, a smile on her face. She thought again and she looked around quickly.

"Where's Sakura?" Haruka asked.

Cleeve reassured her. "She's just upstairs, probably napping." She pointed to the TV recording a show. A girl was staring into her mirror, with a different face staring back. It must have been that one show Sakura was excited to catch. "She still had time to record her show though."

Haruka laughed at that.

"That's my daughter. I'm sure she still stinks from not showering as well."

She walked to the dining room with the two following at her heels. Yukika saw cauliflower rice on the table. Her mouth watered. Haruka stopped in her tracks and spun around. She poked Cleeve's shoulder.

"You mean to tell me you went through the trouble of cooking and Yukika hasn't ate yet? How awful of you, Miss Cleeve."

Cleeve blushed. She set down two dinner plates, apologizing profusely. Haruka shook her head at her. Yukika went with Haruka to wash her hands before sitting down. They scooped out cauliflower rice into their plates and Cleeve emerged with a cup of tea for Haruka and extra minty lemonade for her. As they sat down for dinner, a sense of calm came over her. Perhaps everything would be alright.