I am Succubus!

The storm had snuck up on us. It hit sooner than the forecast predicted. Ms. Serizawa was on the wheel, and she was putting pedal to the metal. The winds howled something fierce outside. They were like wolves giving chase that we couldn't outrun. Snow didn't just shower down, the storm was so strong that snowfall fell sideways. When we were in the city, the streets were clear. Now, out in the rural parts, snow packed higher the longer we were out. Hokkaido might very well be facing the storm of the decade.

We finally reached the mountain pass and had to start driving slowly. It seemed like we were the only vehicle around. You had to have a screw loose to be braving a storm like this in a car, us being one of them.

Soon, we entered a road with a dense forest to either side. They were all draped in a curtain of snow. This was the last stretch. Only a little under half an hour drive, and we should be back in the safety of the inn.

"Oh, no… I can barely see the road anymore!" Ms. Serizawa complained, sitting forward at the wheel.

"Damn. It's been a while since we had a snowstorm this bad. Just take it slow, Seri. Better safe than sorry," Mr. Kogiri implored.

"But we're like right there. I know for sure it isn't much further," she said.

The five of us in the back were scared shitless. We never had or experienced a storm like this. Snowstorms never hit Tsukiji to such an extent, and many of us celebrated even the most minor of storms, because that meant a snow day.

"I'm feeling nauseous… Is this normal?" Erma asked, hand pressed to her mouth.

"You might be getting carsick, and the storm is making it worse. They said we're almost back though, so hang in there," I said.

"Crap!" Ms. Serizawa cried right before slamming the brakes.

Everyone and the car lurched violently. Erma gagged, but she quickly swallowed the urge to vomit. Thank goodness, because we were piled tightly in the back.

"You're lucky I had Elly's nice juicy tits to cushion me. What the fuck happened?" Mio groaned.

"Th-There's another car. Someone is waving to us! I think they're car is stuck?" Ms. Serizawa explained worriedly.

"God… Can we afford to help? Even if we want to pick them up, there's no room!" Mr. Kogiri threw his hands up.

Freezing winds blew in from Ms. Serizawa's side of the truck as she jumped out. I emerged, too, to see if there was anything I could do to help. An older couple wrapped in heavy winter clothes were groaning about their luck. But the raging storm was too loud for me to make out what exactly they were saying, and I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me.

"It's their car! The engine's gone kaput!" Ms. Serizawa came back to me and exclaimed. "I really don't want to, but we can throw some stuff out of the back and have them sit in the bed…"

"In the freezing cold? They're about as old as my grandparents. There's no way they survive back there… but… Maybe they can take my spot. Mio and I can fly. We'll stay real close to the car," I explained.

"Honestly, I'd rather lose the food than you. You're guests of the inn…" She frowned.

"And we made a promise. My friends and I got to ice skate because you drove us into town. We helped bring back groceries to the inn."

Ms. Serizawa grimaced at the idea, but she ultimately relented at my insistence. I returned to the truck to tell Mio and the others, and some of them were rightfully against it. The only one who wasn't was Mio.

"I've flown in storms out at sea before. This ain't shit," Mio said.

"But Mio, it's not worth the risk," Elendir desperately tried to get through to her. "Everyone at the inn might go hungry, but at least we'll survive by the end of the storm. If you two get lost out there… Everlight, preserve me, I don't even want to think about it."

"We've made our decision and plan to stick to it. The two of us will be fine! We'll stick real close to the truck. Like right on top of it," I explained.

"Still…" Kana eyed the storm.

"I'll join you two. I have survival experience out in the wilderness. The trek back to the inn will be nothing to me," Erma offered to leave in our stead.

I shook my head.

"The storm's intensifying while we're debating this. Mio and I are going to fly back, and that's final. Stay put in the truck, alright? We'll see you back at the inn. I promise," I assured them.

"I'm expecting some bomb ass dinner for saving the food when I get back!" Mio said to Ms. Serizawa and Mr. Kogiri.

Mio and I stepped away from the truck, and the old couple took our places in the back with Elendir, Kana, and Erma. The look on their faces after seeing two elves was hilarious, a nice gift in return for basically saving them.

As the truck began to drive, Mio and I flew in pace with it beside the back. The windows were too frosted over for me to see inside, but I was sure the other three were watching us worriedly. Thankfully, the truck wasn't going too fast—

The winds picked up. The snowstorm showered us with hail. I looked over to my side, and Mio was struggling to hang on.

"Mio, are you—" Something hit me hard on the head, and I blanked out

When I opened my eyes the next moment, the truck had vanished. I was lying on the ground in a mound of snow. The street to my side, but no one else was around. I couldn't even hear the truck's engine because it was so loud.

"Saeko!" Mio came back, even though I had hoped she didn't.

"You should've stayed with the truck!" I shouted.

"And leave you? Fuck no! We're getting battered by ice out here. What do we do?" she asked.

I pulled Mio into the forest with me, where we hid underneath a tree. Hail the size of baseballs pummeled Hokkaido. Hopefully, the inn was okay. Part of me didn't want the truck to come back.

The storm continued to get worse, but fortunately the same couldn't be said of the hail. It subsided, and we were able to at least poke our heads out without getting punched by blocks of ice.

"I say we fly for it!" Mio suggested.

"Are you sure?" I wasn't as confident.

Mio and I unfurled our wings and flew up, but the intense storm sent us hurling away like ragdolls. We hit the ground again, farther into the forest. I slammed into a tree, and a canopy of snow buried me under. I couldn't breathe anymore. It was dark and cold. Freezing cold. No matter which way I dug, I wasn't able to get out.

Suddenly, I heard Mio's muffled voice somewhere above me. Her fingers came through the layer of snow first. Like a dog, she shoveled an ungodly amount of snow off me. She grabbed my hand and yanked me out. Her arms wrapped around me tightly.

"You scared the shit out of me… I thought I lost you!" Mio cried.

"Maybe we should wait it out… Wait, look. Do you see that?" I spotted a tiny cabin and pointed it out to Mio.

"Fuck it. Better than taking our chances out here!"

We held onto each other on our way to the cabin. The snow was packed up to our knees and gradually getting higher. Trudging through it all was a greater effort than I expected. When we finally made it, the two of us had to dig snow from the door just to get in.

After slamming the door shut, we collapsed on the ground. The modest single room cabin had a cooking pot in the center. Fishing rods and nets hung from the wall. I grabbed some firewood, tossed them under the pot, and started a fire with magic.

"I think we found a fishing cabin. There are a bunch of rivers nearby. Talk about getting lucky…" I sighed with relief, only to panic when I glanced over at Mio. "Your fingers are frostbitten!"

"Huh? Oh, shit. No wonder I didn't feel anything. Must've lost my gloves when we got knocked around." Mio shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"We need to do something about it, or you can lose your fingers. Yumi isn't around, so it isn't like she can heal our injuries away."

The tips of Mio's digits weren't exactly blue, but they were incredibly pale up to the second knuckles. If we had been outside any longer, it could have progressed to bad news.

Thankfully, the lodge had a stock of supplies. Whoever this place belonged to was ready for anything. I grabbed water bottles off the shelf and emptied them into the pot. The fire slowly heated it up, and I pulled the entire thing off the fire once it became warm. I had Mio dunk her hands inside. She winced at the pain and wanted to pull out.

"Stop resisting. You have to keep them in there." I groaned.

"But it huuuurts!" Mio complained.

"That's a good thing. It means you aren't going to lose your fingers. Now keep it in there for a while longer."

In the meantime, while I still had some semblance of a signal, I texted the others that we were safe and to absolutely not come and search for us. Doing so was tantamount to suicide. My phone was only down to one bar, but hopefully it went through.

Fortunately for Mio, the warm waters fixed her superficial frostbite. She still had a hard time moving her fingers though. I placed the pot of water back onto the fire, and the steam brought us some temporary comfort. The two of us spent hours sitting together in the creaky cabin as the winds howled from every direction. Earlier, the place would shudder every now and then. That stopped. When I checked the windows, I found that it was because the snow had risen up pretty high and packed us in.

"It's getting c-c-crazy cold… Do you think the avalanche Uta was worried about will hit us from here?" Mio asked.

"I don't know. I hope not. Man… I'm sorry for convincing Serizawa and Kogiri to drive us into the city. We could've stayed at the inn, soaking in the hot spring right now. I feel like I ruined our vacation…" I looked down.

"You kidding me?" She turned to me like I was out of my mind. "I had the most fun I had in a while! saw the stars. Clearest damn stars ever. Not the kind of sight you get in the city. We ate some bomb ass food. Rode a cool train. Fucked a whole lot. The snow mobile bumper thing was fucking cool. I ice skated for the first time and watched Erma eat shit a lot. That was great! Everything was! And it's all because you planned this shindig out. So don't sell yourself short."

My chest welled up with emotion. I held back the tears though. They would freeze up instantly into icicles. If Mio really felt that way, then I was sure the others must be the same.

"Th-Thanks. Also, that's not what shindig means. We need to work on your proper usage of slang." I giggled to myself.

"Hey, screw off. My grasp of your Earth language is perfect." Mio let out a big yawn, and her eyelids grew heavy. "Ugh. I'm getting sleepy…"

"We did play a lot today. Got thrown around by the snowstorm, too."

Mio started nodding off. Her head eventually landed on my shoulder. I stayed awake to cast a low intensity fire spell and held it in my hands. The small flame provided plenty of warmth, even after the fire underneath the pot had gone out.

I put us in this mess, and I intended to take responsibility for keeping Mio safe. We were going to make it through the next whether fate wanted us to or not.

However, I also started nodding off. The fire in my hands fizzled out every now and then because I slipped from consciousness. My sexual energy was running low though. At times like this, I wish I still had the Blade of the First Temptress. Maybe I'd be strong enough to get us out of this mess.

As I was about to fall asleep, a warm sensation not from me radiated all over my body. My eyes snapped open. It was Mio, her hands now casting the same spell I was doing earlier.

"If you were gonna try to be all selfless, well don't. We can just take turns. I had a good nap. Why don't you get some shut eye?" Mio asked.

"I'm fine. I just want to stay like this for a bit," I said.

"Hey, you remember way back when at Rika's bathhouse? The sword finally popped out of you?" She dug up some old memories that I remembered clearly.

"Of course, I do. Why?"

"Nothing. I'm just glad we stayed friends. I dunno what I'd be doing now if I went through with stealing it from you. So… Yeah. Stupid cold is just making me feel a little sappy is all." Mio mustered up a grin.

"Me, too." I nodded. "But, you know… You being sappy is nice every once in a while. Maybe we should put you in freezing cold situations once a year."

Mio increased the intensity of her fire spell and scorched me a little. The cozy warmth returned soon enough. In fact, it wasn't bone chilling anymore. Probably because the snow had mostly buried the cabin now and served as insulation.

As time went on, mine and Mio's eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Her spell waned. I grabbed her hand instead, and she squeezed back. We held each other tight for as long as possible until sleep finally took both of us.

Saeko? Mio!"

I started hearing voices. Was it normal to hallucinate in the freezing cold? They called out again, louder this time. Mio shifted next to me, waking up and yawning deeply. She heard someone shout our names and sat upright.

"That's Elly!" Mio exclaimed.

"What?" I gasped.

Someone started banging on the door. We weren't hallucinating. Mio and I raced over to the door, only for our entire bodies to fail us. We collapsed to the floor on top of each other. Our joints were stiff, bones and blood in our veins frozen, but we pressed on to the door.

Mio threw it open, but we jumped back as the snow that had piled up poured into the cabin. But snow wasn't the only one to slip in. It was Kana, lying underneath a mound of snow and facing up at us.

"Okay… I should have expected that to happen…" Kana groaned.

"Kana! What are you doing here? I told you guys not to come!" I hugged him anyway.

"We didn't. I got your text. It's early the next morning now. You guys were out here the entire night!" he explained.

"And the others? I heard Elly's voice earlier!" Mio exclaimed.

"We're over here!" Elendir waved from outside and above the snow, looking down at us.

I distinctly heard Ms. Serizawa repeating 'no, no, no' and sighing as Erma and Elendir slid down into the cabin to embrace us. It was warm. Really warm. Being in their arms again, I wanted to be nowhere else.

"Not that I'm not glad to see you guys, but how did you find us?" I asked.

"The proprietor of the inn has a map of the area around Asahidake. He also happens to be an avid fisherman around spring. He recognized where you fell off when we described the area and suggested you two might have come here," Erma explained.

Relief overwhelmed by relief, my knees gave out. Erma gave me a shoulder to lean on.

"I'm glad you're okay, my mistress." She smiled.

"What about the avalanche? Don't we still have that to worry about?" Mio asked.

"We do!" Ms. Serizawa shouted impatiently from the outside. "So can we get back in the truck already?"

They helped us out, and we drove back safely to the inn. Mio and I had been asleep all night, but the second we got to our room, I dropped into my futon. She did the same. I felt like I could fall asleep again.

Glad that we were safe, the others went to pitch in helping around the inn. Alone in our room, Mio scooted into my futon and wrapped her arms around me.

"It's gotta be Okinawa, right? For our next vacation?" Mio asked.

"We barely got out alive, and you're already thinking about the next vacation? Okinawa does sound really nice after being in the cold for so long though," I said thoughtfully.

"Actually, anywhere is cool with me as long as we're together." She rubbed her nose against mine and giggled.