The apartment had not seen the light of silence for some time. Following the arrival of five ghastly youkai and one very much corporeal lunar rabbit, things went from hectic to crazy when it came to that one bedroom, one bathroom living space. Chaos was something those that made up Team Tsuzuki were all very familiar with. The apartment, however, never stood a chance.

Walls were blown wide open like squares of Swiss cheese, flooring torn to absolute shreds, the miniature bathroom quickly turned into a makeshift water park, and the living room became everybody?s personal bedroom. Space, along with the only revived girl?s sanity, became narrow and nonexistent the longer they all shared the four walls. Fiora?s monster attack at the fountain was a timely blessing (for the girl at the very least). She owed the woman more than she?d ever find the ability to admit; what little she ever saw her following the chance meeting back at the market.

Because the apartment had renewed its license for stillness and gave her the solitude she desired more and more with each passing day, it returned to being her main residence. It was silly to presume she could live in a building that was larger than the Academy she attended back home, as was it ridiculous to think she needed all that space to carry on with her life. The girl was modest and petite in every sense. What good would large estates do her outside of giving her unneeded exercise and worn out legs? Her sense of direction was not top notch, either.

Since the home no longer housed a wide variety of roommates, Mayu was free to live as she pleased. What originally began as a neat home, with sparkling mirrors, glassware, and clutter-free floors soon saw the terror of its Master?s laziness. A maze of trash bags greeted the feet of those daring enough to check in with the girl; kitchen counters, what few she had in that culinary nook, were embossed with grime and dried out particles of leftover food. The lone sink was better suited as a mildew and mold graveyard, plates of various sizes and stained with who knows what piled to the rim of white porcelain.

And that was all before the smell of sickly rot invaded nostrils and wedged inside the throat of those not accustomed to it.

Her bedroom suffered a similar fate to the rest of the apartment: a platform bed that no longer cradled sheets and were a crumpled up tumor of fabric, various outfits and undergarments and towels making up more of the floor than glimpses of carpeting making up most of the floor, and that permeating smell from the kitchen encroaching on what fresh air remained behind.

The girl was stretched out on her bed, arms to her forehead, watching the only clean location presently, the ceiling. She lost all interest in going outside for the remainder of the day. The arguments that ensued around her, the lack of manners and politeness from another other, it was taxing. It was nerve wracking. And she was quickly learning that she could only truly strive in this world, even at the risk of being unprotected, by hiding alone amongst the dust mites and settling creaks of flooring. The only thing left on her schedule for the week was a trip to Teas to place an order for new supplies.

That could wait.

She sighed quietly, curling into a tightly wound ball on her bed, sheets spilling over the edge and cluttering up the floor even further. becoming a hazardous trap for the next person clumsy enough to not step over them. She was practiced at wading through a filthy home already; it would not be her.

She was succumbing to a relaxed state when Toby?s calling voice roused her from her daydream involving one of her more favored horror flicks. Fluffy clouds, a flying unicorn, and a gargantuan moth all battling for supremacy of the skies. She climbed up to a flimsy, highly unstable sitting posture when he barged into her room, hazy green eyes wide with fright. Had something unexpected happen? Was somebody hurt? She felt on edge by his arrival. It was expected of her to be self-conscious about the condition of her living arrangements, but surprisingly, there wasn?t an ounce of worry in her bosom or mind. His excitement was something that always startled her. His enthusiasm to get them out on the streets meant something troubling was on the horizon. Nothing like a leisurely walk through a park or stopping at Ichiraku?s for a drink. It was more along the lines of things like going to a painting store only to have your hair dyed an ugly, neon pink shade. Or, as his latest experimental game of life proved to ring true, transform a perfectly fine young man into a short, dorky, rather annoying, sixteen year old child when all he wanted was something to quench his thirst.

Or what seemed like a sixteen year old child?

?H-Hah?? she stammered up to him, his grip easily wrapping around her arm and hoisting her up. Her legs fit into the snare of spilt sheets, flailing to try and break free from the snake?s coil and ivory netting. ?W-What?s gotten i-into you?? She continued to flail either of her legs, Toby?s lift helping her go free.

?I?ve found something!? he exclaimed like the most filled chest of treasure was in their grasp and they could live like King and Queen.

Only, she didn?t much feel the want to become a Queen of another land?

?W-What do you m-mean you ?found something??? a little skeptical, and with good reason. Toby was marveled by shiny things, big things, boring things, dangerous things, and things that boys often liked that girls couldn?t stand. Like a bug. Or a talking bug. That was not something she could share excitement in.

She was jerked, propelled forward like his teeming energy was a fuel source to blow her straight on out the door. If it was any bit stronger, she could ride it to the moon. ?It?ll be great. I promise.?

He promises, she questioned. She hated him and his promises. While he's come up short some times in the past, not usually of his own doing, his promises were something of a pact. He knew the importance of the word, especially to her, and never used it lightly. She warned him about even thinking it in the privacy of his own head.

And she cursed him for doing something so profound as promise her. It meant he truly had something that she more than likely couldn?t keep from being curious over?

?N-Nnn?! A-All right, all right! I?ll come along! Just stop pu-pulling my arm so hard. It?s going to break off!?

Where her male companion was basking in the glow of sweat and humidity of summer, Mayu was already beginning to wane after only being outdoors for several minutes. She loathed the feeling of clothing stick to her skin like melted plastic, hot air that swelled in her lungs and made them feel like overloaded balloons eager to burst, and the sickly heat that beared down like ten tons of bricks and gave her full blown migraines. She knew he was a desert child, and after having played many a game where the protagonist was one, understood where he was coming from.

Which meant she was one of those party members who join mid-game and have much to complain about prior to the engagement with the end game boss. She was never a fan of those types, and here she was on the cusp of being one.

?Tooooby,? she whined quietly to him, navigating the streets for what felt like hours on end. She recognized one street when they wandered down it for the ninth time, having that sinking feeling they were going in complete circles. He was a delivery boy, and in some sense, a scout, but he seemed to carry the worst sense of direction she?d ever encountered.

It was, potentially, one way they always managed to get where they were going. She had charming directional skills and could normally guide her way out of a wet paper bag if given the chance (If that bag wasn?t top wet, of course.)

?Where are we going??? her whine continuing. She swore, even as the sun was beginning to shrink behind the endless stretch of horizon, it was getting hotter, which made worsened her mood exponentially. We?ve been going on like this for a while now. Are you just wanting to walk around the town with me because you?re afraid I?m really going to go home?? He wouldn?t answer no matter what she tried to convince him of. It didn?t slow her outward monologue. ?I?m not really going to be going anywhere. I told you that earlier today. There?s too much counting on me here to be running home all of a sudden??

He looked up straight ahead, the blare of music beginning to fill their ears. ?I know it?s around here somewhere!? he commented lightly without regarding her with a look. He was so busy, lost in his own mind, she thought, he wasn?t even listening to her.

Mayu looked ahead, the sound of music coming to a resounding finish and faint sound of applause and cheering. It sounded like a jazz concert, by her guess. The aroma of foods and spices didn?t trigger any feelings from the girl, having already passed several restaurants along the way from her apartment until this moment.

Was he taking her to a concert? She tugged on his wrist to suggest they go back. ?Come on? I don?t need to see a concert to feel be--?

His grip on her arm tensed and guided her further along, ignoring her arguments. A protest in the making was silenced by intrigue. The blare of a second song, festive and lively. Something she would have danced to back at the Academy during her years of practice.

Clutching her sense of sight and surrounding every iota of her vision was the brightness of lights, endless movements like a colony of ants, miasma of cooking fumes filling the air and leaving a smoggy aura. It was much like a festival. Small, simple, much like her.

What surprised her more than anything was the banners that decorated the entry to the street they were on. It read, ?Festival of Light.? It wasn?t the wording that surprised her, though. It was the fact that it was written in kanji.

It was excruciating.

Each second was like an hour, dragging by like it weighed a ton. The anxiety he'd felt building ever since he'd pulled her from her room, that same feeling that he had been trying to keep from crippling him, returned in full, staggering force. It chilled him faster than the passing snow fairies whose job was to keep the festival and its crowd comfortable despite the heat of the night and the several active stoves.

As he spoke to her, he had to fight to finish his sentences. She looked far from angry, upset or even annoyed. He could have been distracted forever watching the multicolored lights flicker and dance across the dark, ocean green plane of her hair; catch in her brilliant, wide, awe filled eyes.

That she'd suddenly turned onto him.

He felt his throat catch. He could see a question there, even though she hadn't voiced one. He felt locked under her stare. He couldn't even hope to explain himself any better than he already had.

He kept his hands stretched out for an extra moment after he had nudged her forward. He hadn't been able to calm his mind enough to stop the image of her turning on her heel and stalking past him to return to her apartment. Or the one of her whirling around, her face dark with annoyance and demanding the real reason why he'd done it because she couldn't believe the one he had given her.

His eyes stayed on her back. It was easier to relax and let his expression be completely taken over by apprehension.

...Then her hand shot into the air. He jumped, his eyes widening so quickly it should have come with the sound of a pop. He merely stood, rooted in place as she sped away, the dust in her wake a barely visible cloud. She was so small, he all but lost her in the sparse crowd. People sidled to and fro in front of her. Each time he saw her, she was looking at something else, pointing at something else, reaching for something else. His eyes could barely keep up.

Before he even realized it, he had begun to smile. It didn't stop at a mere smirk or a bright grin, but stretched until his cheeks ached, until he couldn't see out of his squinted eyes.

That's it, he thought as he watched her. Nothing matters outside of this place. All those worries and pains and all that junk can just go away. Let it all go. Just for a little while.

He'd done it. He didn't want to get so far ahead of himself to think he'd solved everything, but this was most definitely a good start.

The looping strands of light flickered and shifted colors like a disjointed, eye catching rainbow. The fires in the stoves roared vicious red and orange, showers of sparks exploding in shimmering displays. The blue white light of the fairies darted in and out of his line of sight, each one perfectly capturing the softness, serenity and the calm light of the season's first snowfall.

But nothing stood out as much, shone as bright or held his attention so unwaveringly as her smile and how it transformed her features, her entire being, in an instant.

He shoved his fist into the air and cried out in pure exaltation as he charged after his friend.

"For Wakana!!"