[i]Cold[/i]

Megumi ran through the intricate, tight streets of Fukushima's residential area, wearing her school jersey. Right now, in the freezing cold of New Year's morning, she was exercising. Jogging to be exact, pushing her freezing body through the frigid air on mother's strict orders. It wasn't like this kind of exercise was unusual, in fact, Megumi was often seen jogging in the morning whenever she had time. It was a good way to wake up and keep fit, and so, she ran, deciding that she would spend most of her morning in the park. She was feeling a bit too blue to stay at home, after all, and needed to think some things over. Yesterday, Megumi had decided to take a day off of work to spend New Years with her mother, and despite having fun watching TV and eating cake (which was normally against the house rules), she felt bad for leaving everyone to work. Her shift wasn't until much later, but she felt as though she wasn't work as much as she should.

[i]I'll work extra hard today, yes, that'll help with this depression.[/i]

Her mind chimed cheerily, that was, until a soft 'mew' interrupted her focus. Megumi froze, glancing about quickly to find the source of the meow, and then she finally caught sight of a black tail. A cat, black and sleek, stood on the wall beside her, and Megumi felt her body move on it's own, reaching up to give the feline a small scratch behind the ear while her lips formed into a large smile. The cat stared at her for a moment, then bolted, vanishing behind the wall, leaving the tall girl with a look of blank confusion. She waited a moment, thinking that maybe the cat would return, and when it didn't she began jogging again, a loud sigh escaping her lips with a puff of white vapor. Ah well, just one cat won't dampen her mood anymore...

"Ah! It's Kitabatake..."

Megumi froze in the center of a crossroads, staring curiously at two girls her age who stared back with wide, frightened eyes. She rose a hand to wave 'hello' but the girls flinched back, their colorful New Years kimonos shimmering against their small bodies, and Megumi felt her mouth form into a deeper frown,

"Sorr-"

"S-s-sorry! We'll be going, right, Kimi?" the first girl interrupted, her blonde-dyed hair shaking against her head.

"Yeah, sorry! Come on..." the second finished, dark hair pulled into a cute bun. They were both from her school. Kouhai.

And then they were gone, and Megumi felt her eyebrow twitch. What's so scary about her? She felt her hands reach up to play with the skin on her face, running gentle fingers over her flushed cheeks and thin lips pulled into a frown. Dumb, how dumb. Looks are dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. Megumi started moving again, walking slowly up the familiar hill that lead to a playground where most of her childhood memories had been spent. Swings, slides, a jungle gym, see-saws, and many other colorful, worn toys and gadgets scattered the plush ground, and Megumi moved silently through the still landscape, taking a seat on the swing set. The cold air chilled her body to the bone, and her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, and then she was swinging, moving her longs legs slightly back and fourth. Her eyes were dark, face formed into a look of annoyance, and she remained that way, deep in thought, as the morning began to pass.