Wonderland

~Ready or Not~

An icy breeze kissed Sebastian's cheek, causing a shiver to run down his spine. He felt the cold gnaw at his bones as he drew his brown cloak tighter around himself, rubbing his hands together for more warmth. He looked around and saw nothing but snow and barren trees. The bleak grey clouds overhead perfectly reflected his grey mood. These short days and seemingly endless nights made Sebastian ache for summer again. He looked around once more. Where was Kira?

A week ago, she had sent him word to meet her at the place they trained last time. Sebastian was finally able to make peace with the fact that she would not leave him alone and insist that they continue his training. Whatever her reasons were, Sebastian no longer cared. He just wanted to make the next few months fly by, so he could finally deal with whatever the King had planned for him. It was of little importance to him if he would come out dead or alive.

He scanned the horizon one last time, finally spotting the imposing figure of Kira Atkinson approaching him. She had her face hidden under a black cloak, as usual. She made her way through the snow with hasty steps.

"You're late." Sebastian snapped once she reached him, not bothering to cover up the irritation in his tone.

"No, you're just early." She razzed him, with the same serious look on her face. Her face never changed. With Kira, you couldn't tell the difference between a joke and a threat. Was the what being a hunter meant? To devote the rest of your life to killing and doing whatever an old man in a throne told you to do? To live a life of solitude, without even allowing yourself to smile? No wonder he didn't give a rat's ass about his life anymore. Better dead than unhappy.

Sebastian would have point out that it was now eight, and she was suppose to have been here by seven, but he knew from past experience that arguing with her would get him nowhere.  Something was off about her today. She appeared crankier than usual and she had left a week go by without any intense training. He didn't bother asking her about it, though. She was a hunter after all, with duties to fulfill, and training a clumsy, wannabe hunter was probably not atop her list of priorities. Thus, he decided it would be best to stay focused on his tasks and try to get through another session with arguing.

Or without getting punched again.

"Take off your cloak and start running. Two miles." Kira demanded, making Sebastian's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"W-what?" he stammered, hoping he just heard wrong.

"You heard me. Start running. Now."

"But there's ice on the ground."

"So?"

"So, I could slip and break an arm or leg or worse!"

Kira only shrugged indifferently, sitting down on a nearby rock and taking a book out of her cloak.

"Are you just going to see there while I run, possibly getting hypothermia, while you just read?"

Kira sighed and put her book aside for a moment, looking his directly in the eye. "Yes, yes I am. And now that you've managed to piss me off even more, you have 10 minutes to run those miles. If you don't make it back in time, that's another two miles."

For a few seconds, he did nothing but stare at her. He hoped that she wasn't being serious, but knowing Kira, she probably was. She didn't even look up from her book.

"Now you have nine minutes. I'd start running if I were you."

So, with a dramatic sigh, he ripped of his cloak and set a steady pace. He ran around the fence that separated the woods from the rest of the city. He began to run faster, his heart booming rapidly after only a few seconds of running. It wasn't the physical effort that made it difficult, it was terrifying to not slip on the ice. Occasionally, his foot would slip a little bit, but not enough to cause him to fall. The injuries from he whip still hurt like hell, as Kira had not allowed them enough time to heal properly. He, however, would not let kraken lady see him fall. He was determined to keep the little pride he had left. Quite a few minutes later, he made it back to Kira, who was still reading.

"I made it! I-" But he didn't get to finish his next sentence, as he slipped and hit the ground like a bag of potatoes. Great, he though, there went his pride.

Hearing the loud thump, Kira put her book down to find a very humiliated Sebastian struggling to get up off the icy ground. Every time he would get back up, he would just fall back down again. Seeing this, she couldn't help but crack a small smile.

She got up from her place on the rock and went to his side, helping him finally get up.

"At least you didn't break your neck." She said, trying hard to hide her laughter. She hid her smile behind her hand.

Sebastian only glared at her. "It's not funny." He mumbled grumpily, wiping the snow from himself. "I could have died."

"Don't be so over dramatic." Kira said, rolling her eyes. "Now, go run two more."

"What?" Sebastian inquired.

"You heard me. You didn't make it back in time, so two more. Let's go, princess." She said.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He shrieked. "I'm pretty sure I sprained my ankle." He argued.

She gave him a nonchalant shrug. "Tough shit. Run two more and you can go home."

He didn't argue further, as a plan was already formulating in his head. It wasn't his most brilliant idea, but he would take his chances. He began to jog again, and once he was out of Kira's range, he changed route and made his way home instead. He didn't care about the aftermath of his actions. He only wanted to go back to his house, take care of his sprained ankle, and get some sleep. He knew that, soon enough, Kira would make him pay for this.