Chapter 33: Snow day

--two days later--

~Third Person POV~ "I can't believe you're making me do this."

Byakuya shoved his hands in his pockets and buried his face in his scarf to try and keep warm as he and Makoto trudged through the thick snow that covered the ground like a blanket.

"Quit whining already, Byakuya. It's good for you to get out once in awhile!" Makoto said. "Going to the park is fun, you know...!"

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Just because today is a glorious snow day, doesn't mean I want to participate any more than I did before. Besides, when you yanked me out of my house, I was busy studying for mid-terms, which are coming up very soon, right after the Christmas Gala, in fact."

"That doesn't matter right now! What matters right now is having fun! And, since we're going to the park on a snow day, I bet our friends are there as well!" Makoto said with an excited smile. "Also, that means June will be there."

Byakuya raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Makoto nodded. "Yes."

Byakuya sucked in a huge breath and held it before he breathed it out. "Fine," he said reluctantly. "I'll go and I'll try not to complain. Happy now, Naegi?"

Makoto smiled. "Very." he said.

Soon, the both of them arrived at the park, where a scene was taking place that could not be described as anything else but a winter wonderland.

Makoto had been right; all their friends were there.

Sonia and Sayaka were laying in the snow making snow angels while next to them Leon was sledding down a very large and steep hill with his arms in the air, screaming excitedly as he went.

Over on the now frozen-over lake that was a couple of feet to the side of them, Erin, Ishimaru, and Ishimaru's good friend, Mondo Oowada, were ice skating, Erin helping Ishimaru whenever he looked like he was about to wobble and fall again. Whenever she helped him and he fell, landing her arms, she and Mondo would laugh and Ishimaru would hide his face from Erin, his cheeks turning red, and not from the cold.

On the other side of the small lake, June, Hina, Ibuki, and Sakura Oogami, a good friend of Hina's, were making a snowman together while Teruteru Hanamura and Celestia Ludenburg were watching, telling them their design was all wrong and where they needed to fix things. In actuality, however, Teruteru was only half-paying attention while he just talked about the food he was going to make and serve at the Christmas Gala. He also checked out all the girls around him while Celestia was really the only one judging the snowman June, Hina, Ibuki, and Sakura were building. Junko Enoshima was standing to the side against a tree, rolling her eyes and scoffing at everyone.

Practically everyone Byakuya and Makoto knew was there.

"Well, you were right, Naegi; apparently everyone had the same idea." Byakuya said.

Then, he sat down on a park bench that was behind them, took a book out of his bag, and began reading.

Makoto looked down at him, puzzled. "Um, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Training killer whales," Byakuya replied sarcastically before he looked up from his book. "Reading. What did you think, Naegi?"

Makoto shrugged. "I dunno... I just thought you'd wanna go and have fun, maybe help June build her snowman."

"June has Hina, Ibuki, and Sakura's help. She doesn't need mine."

"I know, but maybe she'd like it."

Byakuya put his book down. "Look, Naegi, you know June means a lot to me and I'm really glad I'm her friend again, but it's cold and wet out here and I'd really rather read a book than waste my time getting colder than I already am by building a snowman. So, no thank you, I'm good."

Makoto crossed his arms and sighed. When he realized Byakuya wasn't going to change his mind, Makoto then started toward their friends.

Byakuya looked up from his book. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Training killer whales." Makoto replied. Byakuya glared.

"Um, I'm going to have fun." Makoto said.

Byakuya stared at him before he shrugged and looked back down at his book. "Go on then, be my guest." He shooed Makoto away.

Then Makoto left without another word to join their friends.

"Why, hello, Byakuya. I had no idea they let animal-filth such as yourself into the park."

Byakuya's head snapped up from his book at the familiar taunting voice.

Leo stood next to the bench, smirking down at him.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Gee, and I didn't know they let abuser-filth such as yourself into the park, but hey, you learn something new every day."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "Funny."

"You know what else is funny? That you're still stalking June. Well, now that you think about it, it's not just funny, it's rather creepy."

Leo's eyes narrowed even more at Byakuya's comment. "As I said before, June is just confused, and soon she'll be back in my arms and away from you and her filthy friends. It's just a matter of time." he snapped.

"Whatever lets you sleep at night, Gonzalez," Byakuya said. "Actually, how do you sleep at night? Considering what an evil bastard you are, I'd think it'd be hard..."

Now Leo was full-on glaring at him. "Shut your mouth, Togami." he hissed.

Byakuya shrugged. "Well. Someone doesn't like hearing the truth, now does he?" he hummed, his even and natural tone irritating Leo that much more.

"Mark my words, Togami," Leo growled. "I will destroy everything you know and love and take the one thing that matters to you most, and you'll be a shriveling ball of patheticness wishing that you never crossed Leo Gonzalez. Just you wait. You WILL be SORRY."

"Trust me, I already am--I met you, after all." Byakuya said, not even looking up from his book.

Leo's face contorted in rage before he reached down and gathered up snow in his gloved hand, creating a snowball. "Just you wait, Byakuya Togami," he growled again. "Just you wait."

Without another word, he hurled the snowball in a random direction before he stomped off.

Byakuya rolled his eyes once again. "Oh please, he's so full of it. What a drama queen." Then he continued to read his book.

He didn't notice as the snowball Leo threw sailed through the air until it made contact with something--rather, someone.

Namely Leon, who had just finished sledding down the hill again and was getting ready to head back up when he was hit.

His eyes had widened and his hand felt around his back where he was hit until it felt the cold, wet spot of the snowball. He glared. "Hey! Who threw that???"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to Leon.

Suddenly, Ishimaru started chuckling.

Leon turned to face him and glared. "Oh, you think it's funny, do you, Kiyotaka? Well," He gathered up some snow in his hands, making a snowball. "let's see how funny you think this is...!"

Leon aimed and threw the snowball at Ishimaru, who ducked out of the way, causing the snowball to hit the person behind him: Mondo.

Mondo's eyes immediately widened before they narrowed. "How dare you?!" he shouted, grabbing snow. "You'll pay for that, Kuwata!"

Another snowball was hurled, this one in the direction of Leon, who immediately jumped out of the way...

Which caused the snowball hit Erin, who had just gotten off the lake to rest.

Within seconds after that, everyone began gathering up snow and hurling snowballs at each other, all at once.

"Snowball fight!" Leon declared as snowballs were thrown every which way, several pelted at him.

This went on for several minutes, snowballs being thrown at everyone and everyone ducking and jumping to avoid them.

Suddenly, no one saw who threw it, but a random snowball sailed through the air until it someone smack in the chest.

Someone who wasn't even in the snowball fight.

Someone who had been calmly reading his book.

Byakuya Togami's eyes widened when he felt the impact of the stray snowball. His head snapped up from his book again, eyeing them all.

Everyone froze under Byakuya's stare; no one dared to throw a single snowball.

"Who hit Byakuya?" someone whispered.

"I don't know! I certainly didn't!" someone else whispered back.

Byakuya's eyes swept over everyone. "Who threw that?" he asked.

Everyone remained perfectly still, no one coming forward to claim guilt.

Leon shoved Ishimaru. "It was Kiyotaka, obviously!"

Ishimaru's eyes widened before he glared. "No it wasn't!" he said, pointing at Leon. "Lies! He lies!"

Silence fell over the park. No one spoke, not even Byakuya.

Suddenly, the silence was broken with a giggle.

A small giggle, so small it was almost not heard.

Byakuya immediately turned toward the giggle and found its maker.

June had her hands over her mouth, trying to use her mittens to stifle any more of her laugh. Her shoulders bobbed up and down, making it clear she was laughing, however.

After that, everyone was sure Byakuya would snap; he would start shouting and insulting them.

However, he did something quite different.

Leon and Ishimaru winced as a snowball met each of their faces. Their faces were scrunched up before they wiped them with their hands, blinking in surprise.

Byakuya wiped his hands on his pants after throwing the snowballs. He chuckled. Then, he laughed.

It was silent for about a second before Leon gathered up more snow and, forming snowball, hurled it at Byakuya.

Byakuya easily ducked out of the way. "You'll have to try harder than that, Leon." he said with a smirk. Then, gathering up snow, he charged, throwing the snowball.

And just like that the snowball fight was resumed.

Byakuya threw snowballs left and right, laughing as he went.

June smiled as she watched her friend go crazy with all the snowballs. "You're going insane with power!" she called out to him.

Then, Byakuya suddenly sought her out as his next target.

June's eyes widened when she realized what he was about to do.

She ran.

But Byakuya was too fast and caught up to her easily, grabbing some snow, yanking her hood off her head, and dumping it inside before flipping it back on. June squealed as the cold and wet snow made contact with her head. "B-Byakuya!" She tried to push him away, but he dodged her.

"Oh, June, when will you ever learn you can't mess with a Togami? We always get our way." Byakuya said with a smirk. June scowled and rolled her eyes before she threw a snowball at him, but it sailed upward, past Byakuya's head.

"You throw like a girl." Byakuya said bluntly. June chuckled, a small smirk forming on her face.

"I wasn't aiming at you." She nodded her head up.

Byakuya, puzzled, looked up too just before the snow that was resting on a small tree branch all fell on him. He gasped.

"Oh, Byakuya, when will you learn that us girls don't get mad? We get even." June said with an innocent smile.

Byakuya shuddered, shaking all the snow off himself. "That's real cute, June."

"Thanks, I try!" June said happily.

"You achieve it well." Byakuya said before he gave her a smile that caused her stomach to erupt with butterflies.

June tensed. Get ahold of yourself, June.

She blushed. "Uh... thanks..."

"O-Of course." Byakuya stuck his hands in his pockets.

Suddenly, a snowball flew by, missing Byakuya's face by an inch.

Both Byakuya and June turned to see who threw it.

Makoto was holding a snowball in one hand, smiling.

Byakuya shook his head, laughing. "Oh I know you didn't throw that at me, Naegi."

Makoto shrugged. "What are you gonna do about it?" He nodded at June. "Send your girlfriend here after me?"

Both Byakuya and June blushed.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

"I doubt that," Makoto said before he waved. "Try and catch me if you can~!" He ran off without another word.

"What do you say you and I pelt the little twerp with several snowballs?" Byakuya suggested.

June smiled. "I'm open to it." she said.

Byakuya smiled back.