The wind dusts snow across the white hills and around the feet of all the students standing on them. Taiga, Ryuuji, Minori, Ami, and Kitamura peer down the edge of the bunny slopes; Ami grins confidently while the rest of them shiver.
"Come on, you guys have never gone skiing before?"
"NO!" They cry back in unison.
"Well, it's not that hard to learn. Come on, I'll show you." Ami slides down the slope with the push of her ski poles. She weaves around the other skiers at high speed, and makes it to the bottom in no time.
"She makes it look so easy," Yuusaku complains while she waves to them from the end of the hill. Minori pushes off the edge next. She slowly glides down the hill, managing to stay upright the whole time. "Well, I guess if Minori can do it first try, we can too, right?" Yuusaku looks at his two remaining friends for affirmation. He's met with a pair of small hands on his back forcing him to go next.
"Nope, we're not gonna get it first try," Taiga responds after watching Yuusaku tumble down the hill. "But there's no way we can be as bad as him." Seeing Taiga start to lean forward, Ryuuji leans with her so that they can go down the slope together. They start out slow--like being at the top of a rollercoaster that's about to plummet--but the farther down they go the faster the wind blows around them. They turn to each other with amazement on their faces, at least until Taiga starts to wobble, then lose her foothold, then slide into a snow pile on her butt.
Ryuuji follows suit and crashes into the ground, giving Taiga time to dust herself off and slide back down to him. After seeing him fall, Taiga laughs and her spirits are back up again. He waves her over with a matching smile on his face and watches as she inches towards him, careful not to fall again. Taiga offers Ryuuji a hand up when she finally gets over to him.
"Your cheeks are all pink from falling in the snow," she laughs, and Ryuuji turns pinker. He takes the hand up and they finish their descent--not going too fast this time.
Ami, Yuusaku, and Minori are huddled at the bottom of the hill, waiting for them. Ryuuji hollers at them to move when it becomes clear that their trajectory is right in the middle of the group.
"Good job guys, you got this!" Ami yells, clearly misinterpreting Ryuuji's warning. Taiga waves her hands around at them right before impact, hoping they'll get the picture (they don't), but in the process her balance gets thrown off and she slides to a stop in front of them anyway. Ryuuji's efforts aren't so fruitful, and he slams directly into Minori, knocking them both over.
It's a soft landing, so nobody's hurt, and they look at each other and laugh it off. "You okay?" Ryuuji asks.
"Yup! Are you?"
"Yeah, thanks," he says with a smile. Wow, when was the last time I talked to Minori like this? Have I ever? I'm not nervous at all. I don't even think I'm blushing--not like earlier, when I was with Taiga...
Taiga pulls herself up, watching the whole ordeal between Ryuuji and Minori. "They're looking right into each others' eyes..." Taiga whispers to herself. Her voice catches when Ryuuji gets lost in his thoughts and then turns a shade of pink similar to the one he had earlier. Taiga averts her eyes and starts trudging towards the ski lift.
Ryuuji glances away from Minori, looking for Taiga to make sure she didn't have a hard fall. "Hey Taiga, are you alright?" he yells while getting up to go walk with her. He turns to the other three and waves them along. "Wanna go again?" They catch up to Taiga and head back to the ski lift.
Back up at the top, things go similarly. Minori goes first this time, faster than before and without falling. Ami offers to help Yuusaku after his unceremonious tumble down the hill. She explains how to point his skis to speed up and slow down, and how to turn. As he starts to go over the edge he nearly falls over, and Ami helps him steady himself. It's only by the time they're halfway down the slope that Yuusaku realizes he had grabbed her hand. He looks down at their hands laced together and blushes, but doesn't pull away.
Ami notices this about the same time he does and suddenly loses her rhythm, sending them both on a sharp turn, but she rights herself before they have the chance to fall.
At noon, everyone is called in for lunch and hot chocolate. The air buzzes with static electricity as the students take off their hats and goggles and find their way to their tables. Taiga and Ami get a table for the group while the other three grab everyone's food. As they enjoy their meal, Taiga notices that Minori's hair looks a little different than usual.
"Hey, Minori, weren't you wearing your hair clip when we started skiing?" Minori brushes the side of her head with her hand, but doesn't find it.
"Yeah, I was. Maybe it got stuck in my hat or fell out somewhere. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll turn up."
A few hours later, Taiga remembers this conversation while waiting at the bottom of the slope for her friends. She wanders around the spot where they were standing earlier, kicking the snow around with her ski to see if she can find the clip. She gives up after a few minutes, sitting at the wire fence that borders the skiing area.
Taiga starts to get up to walk over to Minori and Ami, who just hit the bottom of the slope, when a silver sparkle meets her eye from just beyond the fence. She gets a closer look, and it's Minori's hair clip! There's a break in the fence a few feet away, and Taiga goes through it. She moves through the wooded area, keeping her eye on the clip, and pulls it out of a bush. In her excitement to bring it back to Minori, her ski gets caught on a branch and she falls forward, hitting her head when she lands.
YOU ARE READING
Wouldn't It Be Nice (A Toradora Soulmate AU)
RomanceRyuuji's right arm is pressed against the blanket, and he stares at it before flipping it over to see if his fated words are there. His heart pounds and he notices the tips of his fingers shaking. This could determine his whole future, and waiting a...
