Frisson (Diabolik lovers)

XV. Star filled night

Once, when I was jogging by myself, I found a frozen lake. Ice was perfect - without snow, without a frozen ripple - as if someone created this with figure skating in mind. I was afraid I got out of form in these few past weeks without skating, so I had to skate.  

And I did. Secretly, when no one knew, I snuck out a couple of times. I wasn't afraid, because Umbra, that black female wolf, was with me. Whenever I was out there alone, she would come to keep me company.

So now, when I knew I was ready with my dance, I knocked a couple of times on Reiji's door.
"What is it?"
"May I come in?"
"You have my permission." I took a deep breath and pressed the handle down.

In order to survive, I had to get Reiji to really like me. I noticed his preferences in gracefulness and high class things, starting with the teaspoons, ending with women. The last one was my guess, but I was pretty sure I wasn't wrong, or at least I hoped I wasn't, because I'd be out of luck and...

"Did you come here to stare into nothingness while fiddling with your fingers, or did you come here for a reason?" His voice brought me back from my thoughts. He didn't stop with his work, he didn't even take a glimpse at me and yet he knew what I was doing. As if he had eyes on his back. That sent shivers down my spine.

"Uhm, yeah. I actually wanted to ask you if there is a place where I could practice figure skating."
"Oh my, you skate?" That got his attention. He put down the tools he was holding and walked towards me, his arrogant smirk getting wider by every taken step.

"Don't tell me an idiot like you can skate." Anger almost consumed my rational thoughts and I almost slapped him. But I knew better than that. I'll play humble for now.

"It's just a hobby of mine. I'm not really that good, I just like the way it feels to be on ice, flying like a snowflake in moonlit sky..."

"Oh really? Then I guess it's really worth seeing you trip over your own feet." We'll see about this. I was getting nervous, but my urge to prove this vampire shauvinist that humans are not inferior to them was way stronger.

"Just give me a few minutes to prepare myself." I ran out of his room excitedly. I dressed up to match my mood - in all white. I put on my white skating jacket with white leggings and a wrap skirt. When I was done, I took my skates and ran downstairs where Reiji was already waiting.

"Shizuka-san, once again you forgot your..."
"It's right here." I wrapped the scarf around my neck.
"Let's go, I still have work to do." Reiji obviously hated going outside. Poor guy was wearing heavy winter shoes, a long winter trench coat, it was a bit obvious that he had more than three layers underneath said coat. You couldn't see his neck because of a long knitted, fluffy looking scarf. He had black earmuffs on and...

"Get going, Shizuka-san." Reiji fixed his glasses and then I noticed mittens on his hands. He looked as if grandma had dressed him up. But he dressed up like this voluntarily!

"Reiji-san, do you, by any chance, dislike cold weather?"
"I despise it as much as I despise that good-for-nothing." Ouch. Reiji opened the front door and urged me to go. I let him lead the way to the lake.

We walked mostly in silence. I was repeating steps and music of my dance in my head all the way to the lake. I didn't want to embarrass myself by forgetting steps in front of this person.

Night was really quiet and calm, moonlight made everything around us shine and sparkle. A few snowflakes were shyly falling down from the sky, making me feel as if I was in a middle of the sky, surrounded by the stars. I took a deep breath, enjoying cool air. I finished lacing my skates before stepping on the cold hard ground.