Hidamari Sketch Fan Fiction ❯ Still-life Sketch in Motion ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The room was dark, dim and gray, save for a pale blue luminescence seeping into the air from a monitor screen. The normally normally cheery and colorful decor was now painted in contrast, colors washing out to surrealistic pale or hungrily absorbing light until darker than the night sky outside. Even though the hour was late, the fluffy, slightly lumpy pink quilt on the bed was undisturbed. This was probably not a good thing, for not even the odd lighting could entirely explain away the the pale, wan cast and alarmingly dark circles under the eyes of the young woman sitting before the computer screen. Her dark eyes moved swiftly back and forth, scanning text written across a harshly white screen, then stopping with a startling suddenness. Eyelids shut wearily, and she leaned back in her chair, tipping herself back on two legs and sighing, before falling back forward with a light thump. Her eyes opened and moved down, squinting to look at the notebook splayed open on the desk, the scrawled pencil notes on the paper as ghostly and insubstantial in the electric light as the opportunities they had so far presented. She resolutely picked up her pencil and moved it down the page to cross out yet another line. That made about half the list now. She swore she could almost hear the sound of another door clicking shut.

She laid the pen down on the paper and pushed herself away from the desk, that small act fatiguing her far more than a night's toil had. None of these were quite right, for one reason or another. None of them were what she needed. There was still another half of the list to go, though, she reasoned with herself. Surely one of them would work out. She gnawed at her lip, a bad little habit she had picked up this year. For all the worries of a high school senior, that had entailed more than a few impressions of teeth on her small delicate lips, and she might have worn yet another if it hadn't been for a tickle on her thigh that made her twitch in surprise. She relaxed, and reached a hand into her comfortably loose pajama pants to pull out her cell phone.

“Mom? What's the matter, is everything okay?” The hands on her brass alarm clock marked the hour at a hair past eleven forty-five, an unusual time for a call from her mother.

“Yes, everything is fine. You were supposed to call home today, remember, Asumi Yuno?” Her mother's voice told her firmly. Yuno could have kicked herself, she had forgotten all about that. Then again, she had thought she would have found a nice school from her list to report back home instead of sitting in front of her computer this late.

“I'm sorry, Mom! I got distracted,” Yuno just heard a silence that seemed somehow faintly disapproving on the other end. So, for lack of anything better to say--and not wanting to get into the subject of school--she merely continued with, "How is everybody?"

“We're all just fine. What about you, dear? You sound tired,” Her mother's irritation lost the fight with her nurturing instinct. Yuno tried to laugh it off, but even her laugh came through a trifle wearily.

“Not really, just the usual problems of a senior student about to graduate.”

“Right, right," Her mother sounded a little relieved at that answer, she always worried so much. "Sometimes I forget how much you've grown up. Enjoying the stress that comes along with maturity?”

“It might be slightly more bearable... if I could get some of the height that was supposed to come along with it,” Yuno replied quickly. She got up from her chair and walked across the room to flip on the room light, and her mood brightened a little with her surroundings, and some of her fatigue cleared up. Though she really was a pale girl, her skin lost the ghost-like aspect it had assumed. She ran her small fingers, with plain-cut nails so as not to impede the use of her fingers, through the feathery soft, pale brown bangs framing her face.

“Oh, Yuno, you might as well get used to it. We don't have many tall people on my side of the family, and you got those genes. But just think, you might be shorter than the other artists, but at least you still have all your ears,” Yuno smiled wryly. This past year her mom had been researching famous art and artists after finally realizing that yes, this really was what her daughter wanted to do with her life. Since then she'd been trying to work her newfound knowledge into conversation when she could. Yuno flopped down on her bed and stretched her limbs, relishing the softness after several continuous hours planted on an unforgivably hard wooden chair, and her lips slipped easily into a gentle smile, her eyes softening after hours of staring at screen after screen of college information. She had the kind of face that was made for that kind of serene expression; large, expressive chocolate eyes shining above a little button nose and dainty mouth.

“Well, yes, but unlike Van Goh, I didn't choose to cut off my shins in a fit of artistic angst,” Yuno pointed out.

“Then being short saved you a good deal of messy work, didn't it?” Her mother replied sagely, “Nature decided that you were far too much of a genius to risk that way.”

“Um... isn't genius a bit much, mom?” Yuno protested mildly, stalling for time. She absently wrapped a short lock of pale brown hair around one finger and twirled. She knew why her mom had called, and could see that she was working her way to that subject.

“Not to your father and I,” her mother answered proudly.

“That might be a little biased.”

“Might be,” her mother admitted, “but it's still true. What TAU has to say should prove it.” Her mother finished with the lilt at the end, hinting a question. Yuno sighed, and decided better now than later.

“Er, I suppose it did, at that,” Yuno replied, trying to sound casual about it. She listened to the silence suddenly weighing heavy in her ear.

“Yuno, it's never fun when I start yelling, so you should probably start talking again soon.”

“I got accepted,” Yuno said positively, and truthfully.

“That's wonderful!” Yuno pulled her ear away from the earpiece as her mother's voice went to a pitch more suitable to her junior high years, “I'm so happy for you, I know how important this is to you. So when are you going to be heading there, do you know? Are you going to have time to come by here, or do you think it would be better if we came down to the school to meet you when you moved into the dormitories or wherever you'll be staying?” Her mother said all of this in a rush, excitement oozing out of every syllable.

“Neither, actually, Mom. I got accepted, but,” Yuno juggled several possible responses in her mind, but decided to go with the simplest, “I won't be able to afford it. Even with the financial aid package I was offered, and if I found a job to work part-time, it looks like I won't be able to make it.”

“Oh no, sweetie... what about loans, I'm sure we could handle another one or two, to help our baby pay for college--”

“That's no good either, Mom, I already looked into it,” Yuno said evasively. It was only half a lie, she tried to reason. She had looked into it, and they could have gotten a loan, sure, and she could have gone to TAU. However, that really was no good. It would have been a good deal more money than she wanted to ask her parents to provide–again, for one.

“But really, it's not a big deal, Mom. I'd been looking into Tokyo Arts, and it didn't really sound like the kind of atmosphere I would enjoy anyway. A little... stuffy, and formal, not at all like the great time I've had here,” she remembered that Miss Yoshinoya had expressed a highly unflattering opinion of the more elite Japanese institutions of art, mostly for their traditional master-pupil study system. She claimed it stifled creative expression, not allowing students to make ventures into developing and perfecting their own personal style until after graduation. Of course, though Yuno really enjoyed her as a teacher, she knew better than to take anything Yoshinoya said without a grain of salt. It was likely her teacher might very well have had her own bad experience with TAU and held a grudge. Her third year instructor, though, and the Principal, assured her that while TAU's system had its high points in getting to study under extremely skilled artists and learning their techniques, there really was a decently strict prohibition on more personal endeavors that not all students found themselves able to accommodate. A good deal of Japanese youth had begun attending Western institutions to escape that, but it didn't look like she would have to resort to such extreme measures, there had also been Japanese universities adapting and new academies springing up here and there, and the faculty at Yamabuki had been more than happy to provide her with the names of those they'd heard good things about.

“Are you sure? I mean, we could probably still find a way to make it work out if you wanted us too– ”

“No, Mom. Really, I was starting to think that it was going to be way too much to pay for something I don't believe I'll like. I thought it might be nice, but I wasn't really that set on going,” also true, Yuno concluded. This wasn't so bad, she was managing to tell more truths than lies now, that made it a good thing, right?

“You made other plans then, from the sound of it?” Her mother asked with a note of worry.

“Of course,” Yuno reassured her. “Though I haven't decided on any specific one yet. I spoke with the Principal and my old art instructors and they gave me a whole list of schools they think would be good, I'm looking through them all right now.”

“That's nice, but don't leave it too long,” her mother warned, but the relief she felt at confirming Yuno had planned for contingency was audible even through the phone.

“I won't,” Yuno reassured her.

“I know, I know, you're getting all grown up now. I shouldn't worry so much.”

“That's fine, Mom, worry all you like. I don't know if I'd recognize you if you stopped. Keeps me working hard,” Her mother laughed.

“I'll worry all I like, then, thank you very much. I'll try to hold of for right now, though, you still sound exhausted. I should probably let you go now.”

“What a coincidence, I was starting to think about sleep too, just a little bit,” Yuno expressed gratefully, “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, Yuno. Oh, wait, and Miyako too. How is she doing?”

“Same as ever, Mom, you know her,” Yuno answered, a grateful warmth infusing her voice and spirit. “Miya would send her love too, if she were here. She's not going to be back from visiting with family until tomorrow evening,” She explained.

“I hope you're not too lonely until then.”

“I'll be fine, Mom, and I'll be able to concentrate on finding a school. It's hard to concentrate with her around sometimes.”

“I'll bet,” Her mother said, and Yuno could just picture her mother's smirk and raised eyebrow, just like she remembered. “You be sure to keep in contact, you know your father and I will want to hear about what you find. We might not be able to afford Tokyo Arts, but we'll still be willing to help you out.”

“I know, Mom. I'll be sure to keep in contact. Love you.”

“Love you too, Yuno. Bye.”

“Bye-bye.”

She snapped her cell phone shut, and then loosed a frustrated sigh. She let fall the brave facade she'd put on for her mother's peace of mind, and allowed herself to worry. Concerned as she was, the thought of going back before the computer right now was repellent, and tired as she did feel, she still wasn't the least bit sleepy. She sat up on the edge of her bed. Her bed, she thought for a moment, and wondered how long it would be so. When she went off to college, she very well might end up in student housing. What would life in a dormitory be like, she thought, after all this time at Hidamari? Hidamari... it felt odd to think of these apartments as anything but a home by this point. With all she had been paying attention to her last days at Yamabuki and finding a college to attend, she had spared barely a thought for these apartments that had been her home and life for the past three years. She rose to her feet, eyes roaming slowly across every corner of the room. These apartments had given her so much more than a roof over her head, she almost felt ashamed to only be thinking about them now. Really, it seemed impossible for this plain room to have given so much to her. So many slow mornings inching out from under the covers, peering out those curtains to see what sort of day she had in store for her. So many afternoons of laughter and cheer in the company of good friends, and so many evenings of love and warmth with the person she cherished most. She hoped that when her little television, and her pictures and paintings, and her stuffed bear and pink quilts, and new computer, and everything that she had brought into this room were gone, some of the joy that she'd experienced would remain for the next young person to live here, so they might have as wonderful a time as she had.

She would never have believed that she could spend so much time just reminiscing about an apartment room, but she felt like she could have just remembered for hours and been content. She knew that if she did, though, she wouldn't be much good for anything else tomorrow. She undressed, and put on her pajamas. She walked into the bathroom and picked up her toothbrush, but stopped in the act of putting on toothpaste, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She peered closely, wondering if the person she saw now was really so different from the girl who had looked backed at her three years ago. She still thought her rounded cheeks made her look to young, slightly curly pale brown hair still tickled her cheeks and neck if she moved her head just so, and it was held back from her eyes by those same plain hair clips that she might have stopped using long before, if not for Miyako's assurance that they looked cute. Her pajamas now clung to her body in slightly more interesting ways than they used to, but she noted with a resigned frown that eye level with her current self was about the same as it had been when she had arrived at the apartments. Try as she might, she probably was not going to get any taller. Her bare feet padded into the kitchen and to the refrigerator, and she poured herself a large glass of milk, just in case.

She sat back on her bed, and realized that her sudden bought of nostalgia might have been provoked by an unfamiliar emotion, she was lonely. She couldn't recall many times that she'd felt lonely in her room, almost always there had been the option of visiting Miyako or Sae or Hiro, and even if she didn't they would be certain to invite her themselves, or come over to her. Now, however, with the first away and the latter two graduated and gone off to their own adventures in life, she found that unfamiliar feeling creeping up on her. Even so, she smiled; feeling lonely now just meant that she'd been fortunate enough to have the company of good friends for so long. She wondered how Hiro and Sae were doing, they'd kept in good contact this last year, but everybody had been busy for a few weeks now, and communication had been sporadic at best. She would have to give them a call soon.

She finished the last of her milk and went back into the kitchen to rinse out her cup, then went through with scrubbing her teeth. She slid into bed and under her warm quilt, reached a hand over to her alarm clock and felt to maker sure it was still set, then faded to sleep almost before she shut her eyes.

X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X

“Take care, Miya, we love you!” The worn-looking but warm and smiling woman called to her daughter, who was walking down the sidewalk backwards so she could wave longer.

“Love you too, Mom and Dad!” Miyako had a confident, cocky, almost careless grin on her face, and she fell flatly on her bottom just before turning the corner around the block. She bounded back up immediately, of course, not a trace of embarrassment in her eyes, though she decided that she ought to walk forward from here, so gave one last flourished wave and marched off.

“Dear, do you really think she'll be okay?” Her mother said, looking happy but tired, as Miyako's visits often left her.

“Of course she will,” the man next to her, a lanky and relaxed figure who had the same messy blond hair as his daughter, assured his wife gently, “She's a Mizuhashi after all, and we raised her right. I believe her when she says she's going to college.”

“I just wish we could do more...” Worry creased in dark lines through her olive-complected skin, focusing around her pale green, almost yellow eyes.

“We can only do what we can, honey, and I say we did a fine job. Don't worry so much. A nice girl sure worked wonders for me, and we have Yuno to look after her now. Miyako's not going to do anything too crazy with that one around,” he winked at her.

“Right, because you've always listened when I told you not to do something crazy,” She rolled her eyes over towards him, but some of those lines relaxed. He put a hand to his breast, feigning hurt. Before he could offer an excuse--or, as was more likely, another witty comment--she continued.

“But I suppose you are still alive, and that's worth something. I'm not sure what, but it's got to be worth something.” She smiled at him, and he felt his knees give a little; this was why he always tried to make her smile. “Bless that little Asumi girl, maybe she will keep our daughter in one piece.”

“That's right dear, she's out of our hands, but she's still in good ones. Now why don't we go inside and have a nice, quiet cup of tea. Been a few days since we've had one of those, eh?”

“I think I could listen to her talk nonsense all day,” she replied, face still shadowed with a mother's concern.

The man leaned over slightly to kiss her cheek. “You're just bound and determined to be mopey about this, aren't you?” He chided kindly, “I suppose mothers are good at that, but you do still have me around, you know. If you like, I can talk more and stumble around a bit, would that make you feel better?”

“A little bit, yes,” she chuckled.

“Fine then, whoops!” He took an exaggerated step and hooked his foot around his own leg, falling towards her and throwing his arms around her. He ran one hand through her long, silky, straight dark hair.

“I love you, honey. Now let's have another big smile.”

Miyako whistled a nameless tune as she strolled down the street towards her brother's apartment. Mizuhashi Ebisu had located his livelihood in the same town as his parents; he worked as a mechanic. It seemed often as though he had inherited their mother's more practical, serious, hardworking ethic, while she herself had gotten more of her father's eccentricity and easygoing nature. The wind blew freely today, and streamed her mostly loose, pale blond hair to the side. She had her thumbs hooked into her plain blue jeans, and she was sure that she wasn't turning many heads clad in just those and a too-large, loose white t-shirt, but that was fine with her. Being ogled wasn't really all that fun, she found. Unfortunately for her, she was also the type that got looked at often: full-figured and reaching a good height as she'd kept growing, with a face pretty enough that she'd never had to consider makeup and the kind of engaging, energetic personality that drew eyes even in a crowd. She saw her brother's shop about a couple of miles into town. Coming closer, she found her brother where he usually was, under a car, and doing what he usually did, grunting and cursing.

“Hey bro, your one and only favorite sister has arrived.” The stream of off-color language stopped, and he squirmed his way over the ground and out from under the vehicle. She always thought he looked kind of funny when he did that, like a ferret wriggling out of a small hole. He was something of a creature of habit, and after doing his own amateur work on the ground for years, he professed that the cement was actually more comfortable than the rollers other mechanics used, though he was rather vague when asked to explain how. His grease-smeared face popped out, and he grunted.

“Great, I was getting tired of this hunk-a-junk sonofa...” He shook his head, and fixed her with a smile. “Never mind. I need a break is what I mean, and it's always nice to see my one and only favorite sister. Just lemme go get cleaned up a bit.” He sat up and popped his neck, ruffling his thick, curly dark hair with one hand. They'd both ended up sharing their mother's bright eyes, but he'd ended up with her hair as well.

“Help yourself to a soda in the fridge, if you like.” He tossed over his shoulder as he opened the door from the garage to the back of the shop. She walked in and immediately felt the subtle change in mood from the garage to the inside. The shop also doubled as her brother's home, so it wasn't the cluttered, dingy space of a small-time mechanic's shop, but rather the cluttered, dingy space of a twenty-four year old man. She gingerly picked her way into the kitchen and took the offered beverage, following her brother who pulled the oil and grease cleanser from under the kitchen counter.

“Bet Mom was all teary-eyed watching her little artist daughter go off again,” he remarked, scrubbing the gritty substance up and down his arms.

“That's our mother,” Miyako nodded. Ebisu kept his face carefully devoid of expression.

"Still, it's not like you're just going off to some school an hour or so away this time, sis. You got any idea what you're going to be up to now?” He hissed as he scrubbed too hard on a cut he'd gotten recently.

“You're the one that just called me an artist,” Miyako noted, “What do you think I'm gonna be up to? I'll try and find a college I can afford.” Her brother always made it so hard to have a decent conversation, he was usually infuriatingly practical and level-headed, despite what might be suggested from his speech with his vehicles. She knew from experience that any attempts at shrugging off problems would go ignored until he got a serious reply.

“You make it sound pretty easy,” he said, “You have any idea what direction you want to go with a career? 'Artist' doesn't usually pop up as an occupation for well to-do people. Unless they're a few hundred years dead, of course.” Miyako looked at him blankly.

“Um...”

“Miyako, you know how much Mom and Dad love and support you, and want you to do better than they did--”

“I know, I know, Ebisu. Trust me, the possibilities are out there. They're practically endless.” Miyako assured him, waving her hand into the distance as if inviting him to look them over.

“But your bank account isn't.”

“I can get a job.”

“That's a start.”

“Mm.” Miyako affirmed, trying to edge in a note of finality for that conversation. She didn't want her last bit of time with family to be spent wrangling over the practicality of her life. Her family supported her, she knew, but they were worried. Her brother especially so, and it was only because she loved him too that she tried to take him seriously as well. He looked his arms over for any more traces of grime, then dried them and motioned for her to follow with a jerk of his head. They went out another door to a driveway at the side of the house, apart from the garage, and they got into his shiny new red electric car. He loved his rumbling, roaring fast cars, but he also knew which was better to drive for fun and which to drive for business. The car pulled out and onto the road. They were quiet, just listening to the radio while in town, but after they got onto intercity roads, he reached over and turned the dial down.

“Looking forward to getting back to that girl waiting for you back home?” He started up, not wanting their last bit of time together to have been spent arguing either.

“More than anything.” Miyako replied warmly.

“You're a lucky little thing to have landed her, ya know. I still can't hardly believe that there was somebody out there who could put up with you.”

“You've been saying that for a couple of years now, and through a couple of girlfriends.” Miyako teased. “Might as well get used to it by now. Your sister found the perfect girlfriend before her old brother.” He winced.

“You don't have to say it quite like that,” he objected.

“But it's true, isn't it?”

“I guess.”

“More fun, too,” she added after, “What's going on with lucky number three, though?” She asked before he could take any more offense.

“Amane?”

“So now it's 'Amane'? What happened to 'Hisa-chaaaan'?”

“It's not working out.” He said shortly.

“Lemme guess, you met her, took her out to a fancy restaurant, bought her wine, and treated her like a princess. Then when she found out that wasn't how all of your dates were going to go, she suddenly stopped thinking of you like the dashing fellow you'd made yourself out to be,” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I know, I know,” He looked at her sheepishly, “But it's so easy to do. I think I should get to feel like a big shot now and again.”

“And you're accomplishing this how?”

“So it's not that smart,” he sighed, “But it does feel good for a while,” Miyako looked at her brother for a few seconds, and couldn't even bring herself to continue teasing the despondent young man. Though she found it somewhat distasteful, she became absolutely serious for a moment.

“Trust me, do the right thing here. Find that one special girl and you'll feel good all the time,” she said sincerely.

“So now I'm getting relationship advice from my younger sister? You should sell videos.” He replied, chuckling. She gaped at him, scarcely believing that the one time she'd decided to be serious, he'd turned it around like that. She grinned at him.

“You're younger sister who's been locking lips with a pretty girl on a regular basis, unlike some people in this car whose names I will not mention.”

“Gee, wonder who those people could be?” He remarked with mock wonder.

“You, of course.” Miyako replied with an absolutely straight face.

“Miyako?”

“Yeah bro?”

“Shut up.”

“Whatever for?”

“Why doesn't that answer surprise me?”

They bantered for the next hour or so, until the Hidamari apartments came into sight and completely captured Miyako's attention.

“Ah, back home from my trip home,” she said happily, “If only for a few more weeks,” he stopped the car on the street and got out to walk with her to her room.

“Ya'll found another place to stay yet?” He asked as they mounted the stairs.

“How could we have done that?” She raised an eyebrow at him, “We don't know where we're going yet.”

“You have a point,” he conceded, “But keep it in mind. You certainly can't go to college while living on the street.”

“I know, Ebisu. Believe it or not, I do have a brai--”

“Miyako!” He suddenly shouted, looking astonished.

“Wh-what?” She said, looking around in alarm.

“I thought you were raised better than that. What would our parents think if they saw you lying like that?” Miyako smiled sweetly at him, then punched him as hard as she could in the shoulder.

“Miya?” They both turned to see the blue door they had been passing open up. Miyako straightened and turned to her.

“What was that for, Miyako?” He complained, rubbing his shoulder.

“Because I love you.” She threw out of the side of her mouth while keeping her eyes fixed in place for a few more luxurious moments, then she turned sideways and gestured magnanimously.

"Bro, might I have the pleasure of introducing you to this ravishingly beautiful young lady in her pajamas, rubbing sleep from her adorable little eye; the love of my life, Asumi Yuno.” She bowed in her girlfriend's direction. Yuno blinked, and looked up at the young man rolling his eyes at his sister.

“What's up, Yuno-san? Nice to finally meet you.” He greeted her with an easy smile.

“I–” Yuno started, but Miyako had straightened and bowed towards her brother, talking over her in a loud voice.

“And Yuno, this oaf here fashionably clad in the greasy coveralls would be the irascible Mizuhashi Ebisu, mechanic extraordinaire and my one and only brother. My parents refused to take him back when I asked them, something about losing the receipt or the warranty running out. I've learned to live with the faulty product well enough.”

“Ah, nice to meet you, Ebisu-san.”

“Now then!” Miyako said in the same voice, clapping her hands together, “We're all acquainted with one another, how nice. But Ebisu really must be going now, it's such a shame,” She looked pointedly at him.

“What? I do? Since when?”

“Since right now,” she said emphatically, “Remember that car you had to... weld the capacitors onto, and... unconfigure the carburetor from? Sounded like an all day job. Really, you must work on your memory, what would your customer say if they came back to find their car in disrepair?”

Ebisu just stared at her, then rolled his eyes, “Whatever. It was nice meeting you, Yuno-san. I would stay, but I have to go destroy a car, or something. Maybe you can ask her what the heck she's talking about later.” He waved shortly and started to walk off.

“Love ya, sis.”

“Love you too, bro.”

Yuno's lips stretched into a wide smile. Now this was better to wake up to than the most beautiful sunrise. Possibly brighter, too, she thought, her gaze lingering over Miyako's light blond waves and shining eyes.

“You're back early,” Yuno noticed.

“I took pity on my dear mother. She loves me, but I know I wear on her after a while. I'm glad that doesn't happen to you.” Miyako leaned to touch her forehead to Yuno's, “Looks like the opposite, even. I leave for a week and you look exhausted, and sleeping this late in the afternoon?”

“I--”

“Wait, don't tell me. Were you pacing the long halls in the midnight hours, thinking of me?”

“How did you know?” Yuno replied, and touched her lips to Miyako's. Miyako slid her backpack off of her shoulders and tossed it somewhere in the general vicinity of her door.

“Just a hunch. Worry thee no longer, lovely lady, I've come home now. Might I come in?”

“You'd think you could enter your home without asking,” Yuno pointed out.

“My home is wherever you are,” Miyako explained, “But this still isn't my apartment.”

“You're still being silly.”

“So?”

“Get in here.”

Miyako did, and Yuno walked back over to where she had been about to warm up some water for a soothing cup of afternoon tea.

“How was your family doing?” Yuno called from the little stove.

“Good, good, the same as when I left. Mom was worrying, Dad was being a goof.”

“Like father like daughter,” Yuno murmured, adjusting the heat. She had yet to meet Miyako's parents in person, despite their proximity, but she had seen several photographs. Privately, she thought that Miyako's father somehow reminded her of a wild gypsy man, whom she wouldn't be at all surprised to find at a fireside in the moonlight with that roguish twinkle in his eye. Then again, Yuno wouldn't have been at all surprised to see Miyako with him, charming all the village girls with song and dance.

“What was that?”

“I said, um, 'would you like sugar in your tea... otter?'” Yuno called back, relieved that Miyako couldn't see her flush. She reached up to take down a pair of teacups, elegant little things, pure white with a curve to handle and body that was pleasing to the eye. Yuno felt they were almost ostentatious compared to the rest of her kitchenware, but she loved them nonetheless. Hiro had given them to her for her birthday not quite a year past.

“No, thank you, my dear little platypus,” Miyako replied blithely, and Yuno looked curiously towards her out of the corner of her eye. Miyako sat there with a completely open smile on her face, and an almost fearful lack of anything resembling thought, much less duplicity, on it. Yuno didn't think that in a negative way, Miyako had a perfectly functional mind, she just decided not to use it at times. The teapot whistled, and Yuno turned her attention back to the task at hand. She chided herself for being so concerned about Miyako's ridiculous pet name, pouring the boiling water into the two teacups, over blueberry teabags. As she watched the deep purplish color infusing the clear liquid, she concluded that she had also been a little silly thinking that Miyako would care about her similarities to her father being pointed out. It would be a little difficult to correct now, however, and Yuno felt she oddly liked being called even so unflattering a pet name, because she knew that Miyako meant it as sweetly as any other. Yuno didn't really want to tell her that "otter" wasn't meant in the same way. As she muddled through her thoughts, a pair of arms slipped themselves around her waist and fingers interlaced over her belly

“I don't know too much about tea, but even if you wanted to make it iced tea, I don't think you're supposed to stand there and watch it get cold.” Miyako whispered with her lips brushing Yuno's earlobe. Yuno was certain Miyako was close enough to feel the heat infusing her cheeks, and not just from embarrassment. She turned her head to look deeply into Miyako's eyes.

“Then maybe you should let go so I could bring it to the table,” Yuno murmured back, putting as seductive an inflection into the sentence as she could. Miyako winked and unlinked her hands from their position, and straightened. Yuno shook her head and put her hands to the cups, then straightened abruptly with a yelp as she felt a firm pat on her bottom. She turned to fix Miyako with a meaningful frown, but the blonde was already walking away, whistling the way only the guilty did to appear innocent. She sat down and turned to meet Yuno's frown with her own cheerfully innocent smile, and Yuno felt her severe expression crumble almost immediately into giggles, but she turned so Miyako couldn't see. It didn't matter anyway, Miyako knew the effect she had. Yuno took a deep breath and smiled, and picked up the teacups, walking them over to the table.

Miyako took up her cup and brought it to her nose, inhaling appreciatively, “Mmm, blueberry.”

They both took a sip and closed their eyes, feeling the sweet flavor slip over their tongues. Miyako suddenly seemed to remember something, and looked around on the table.

“No snacks?” She asked, with an expression akin to a kitten by an empty food dish.

“No, sorry, I've been a little busy this week. We can both go shopping tomorrow, how about?”

“Shopping!” Miyako agreed enthusiastically, but then turned a curious eye towards her girlfriend, “So, my trip went fine, but what have you been up to since I was away?”

“Oh, bit of this, bit of that,” Yuno replied vaguely, not really wanting to go back to worrisome thoughts right now, but Miyako wasn't about to have that.

“Ooh, ooh, I know, while you were up thinking about me so much, were you doing perverted things?”

“What?! No! I was on my computer a lot of the time, looking--”

“--At naughty things, I know it! Were you trying to find me a 'special' homecoming present?”

“Miya-chaaaan!” Yuno protested, the affectation coming habitually from her mouth in a long objecting squeal.

“Ssh, not so loud, Yuno. People might think we're up to something in here, all by ourselves,” Miyako warned with a conspiratorial whisper, darting her eyes to the sides. The complete absurdity of the remark, given that they had been “up to something” more than a few times in recent memory, didn't make Yuno any more embarrassed, she just started laughing..

“Fine, find, Miya, I'll tell you what happened if you'll just stop doing that,” Yuno managed between helpless bursts of laughter.

“Doing what?”

“Doing anything,” Yuno answered her promptly, hoping to cover all possibilities, “Except breathing,” She amended, “And listening.”

Miyako drew her knees up to her chest, looking to Yuno and cocking her head to the side curiously, which Yuno took to mean that she would be able to speak without further playful interruption.

“I spent most of the past couple of days looking at art schools around Japan, that's it.”

“And?" Miyako spread her hands, welcoming more information.

“Now you remind me of my mother,” Yuno said accusingly, pouting slightly.

“Oh, that's going to make things awkward later tonight,” Miyako said mischievously.

“I think I'll get over it by then,” Yuno rolled her eyes, though she smiled, refusing to be baited.

“Good, now what did you find out about the long, bright road of educational opportunity stretching before us?”

“Er, I got word back from those I had applied to, and then I spent this time looking at tuition in other...” Yuno noticed Miyako's face had fallen, and she looked troubled, “What's wrong, Miyako?”

“I'm sorry, Yuno, I thought for sure you would get accepted to TAU and all of those others, I don't know what--”

“Oh, but I did!” Yuno interrupted her, “And so did you, for that matter,” Yuno raised an eyebrow at her, “I didn't even know you had applied, imagine my surprise when I found a letter from them in your mail,” Miyako didn't say anything, she just looked chagrined. “What, you didn't think your girlfriend would be nice enough to take care of your mail for you?”

“Well, you know, if I didn't apply I wouldn't have known for sure how much they would give me, and they agreed to waive the application fee, so...” Miyako smiled shyly, tapping two fingers together, “I take it that I didn't get a full scholarship, then?” She asked in a resigned tone of voice.

“I'm afraid not, Miya,” Yuno answered, “They said that, 'While your submissions clearly indicate the talent our academy prides itself on, they also display a break from tradition that we don't believe would make you a good match for our institution.',” Yuno recited the passage from memory. It had remained firmly in her mind after the thought struck her that it did sound very much like Miyako, though the letter was probably only a template that went out to countless other students, “They did offer you a decent financial aid package, but they had your information, and knew it was nowhere near how much you would need.”

“I guess I didn't really expect anything else,” Miyako said, but she still looked slightly put out.

“Don't feel bad about it, Miya. I talked to some people at Yamabuki and they said that TAU probably wouldn't be a good fit for us anyway. They weren't just making things up when they said 'a break from tradition' was a bad thing, they're very formal there. I don't think I could see you handling that well.”

“It's a terrible fate for trailblazers like us, isn't it?” Miyako sighed plaintively, but the gleam was back in her eyes.

“Maybe for you, Miya, I don't think I'm really that creative,” Yuno replied self-deprecatingly. Miyako just pointed her eyes to the ceiling as though trying to coax help from an otherworldly source. She'd already been through that discussion with Yuno a few times. When she was actually working on something, Yuno could be very concentrated and driven, confidently pursuing her vision, but any time she just sat back and thought about herself as an artist, Miyako's loved one couldn't seem to find that confidence anywhere.

“So why don't you go to TAU?” Miyako asked pointedly.

“Er, I couldn't afford it either,” Yuno lied, averting her eyes.

“Yuno-chi,” Miyako frowned at her.

“Oh fine, I could afford it, if I drowned myself in debt like most people. But I didn't want to go.”

“Why not? Yuno, I'm not going to be stupid about this, I would love it if we could go to the same school together, but I don't want to make you do worse for yourself than you should have to.”

"I won't be stupid. True, at least half the reason I don't want to go is because you couldn't go too, or even be in the same city–there aren't any more affordable schools anywhere near there–but that's way too much money to spend on a school that my own teachers have told me wouldn't suit me.”

“As long as you thought about it... and hey only half--no, never mind that. Er, but now what?”

“What do you mean?”

“What school am I, are we, going to next year?”

That reminded Yuno she hadn't told Miyako about what other advice the Yamabuki faculty had offered, and she quickly explained that she'd already been looking to other schools.

“I'm sure there will be just a perfect college for us in there somewhere, but if there isn't we'll go with the next best thing and make it work. You know, I would be really happy if I could find a good school we could both afford well enough, because that would mean I don't have to ask my parents for so much.”

“You're such a good kid, Yuno-chi,” Miyako said, reaching across the table to ruffle Yuno's hair affectionately. Yuno never could decide whether to feel irritated or not when Miyako did this.

“How is that fair? I'm as old as you are.”

“You're still a good kid,” Miyako replied simply, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, “And because of that, I suppose that we can stop talking about school. I don't really want to spend all day nattering on about that either,” she stood up and collected Yuno's empty teacup, along with her own.

"We'll work on it tomorrow, though, right?" Yuno called after her.

"It's a date," Miyako replied. She rinsed and washed out the cups at the little sink and put them back into the cabinet. Leaving Yuno waiting at the table, Miyako instead strode straight over to the bed and flopped unceremoniously down on it.

"You're bed sure is more comfortable than mine, Yuno-chi."

"My bed is also a bed, Miya-chan," Yuno reminded her, walking over and settling down on the edge of the mattress.

"That might have something to do with it," Miyako agreed amiably, reaching for and linking her hand with Yuno's.

"We don't have much time left, do we?" Yuno said, and Miyako smiled a little more somberly, knowing that trying to change the conversation wasn't going to be nearly enough to alleviate Yuno's worries.

"Only all the time in the world," Miyako replied tenderly.

"To find a school?"

"No."

Miyako gave her arm a light tug and Yuno effortlessly fell against her. Yuno, after having put a confident mask on for the day, just nuzzled her face against Miyako's chest and wrapped her arms around her. Miyako wrapped a reassuring arm around her, having sort of seen this coming. Yuno tended to get distressed easily, and Miyako had gotten better at realizing when she was getting that way. Miyako was also happy to find that the best cure for her was a nice long cuddle, which was one of the few things in the world Miyako had more than enough of to give away. She lightly stroked Yuno's side with her fingertips as the girl clung to her tightly.

Yuno could have a hard time coming to terms with life moving on. Miyako remembered how Yuno had put on a brave, cheerful, supportive face when Sae and Hiro had graduated, but had broken down heartbreakingly to have a good cry in private. Of course, Miyako had understood all too well how she felt, then, it was one of the few times Miyako could remember herself crying in recent years. It might have been mostly because Yuno started it, though.

As she lay in Miyako's protective arms, Yuno tried to consider the possibility of losing her, somebody even more important to her, and it made her feel terribly, horribly alone. She thought she was probably being silly, Miyako would certainly say something along those lines if Yuno tried to word her thoughts, but she couldn't help it. Right now the most important thing to her was that she stay with the person she loved most.

She felt a light puff of air ruffle her bags, and it tickled. She tilted her neck to look at Miyako's face, only to be met by her pursed lips blowing another burst of air at her. Yuno fluttered her eyes.

"Did I blow any rainclouds away?" Miyako asked with a tender smile.

"The only clouds here are between your ears, Miyako," Yuno reproved her, without ill intent.

"Something has to keep the fluff company, right?" Yuno shook her head and flopped her cheek back down on Miyako's breast. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She always liked how Miyako smelled, the impossible scent of sunshine filtered through a clean summer breeze; free and light, she could never take in too much of it without it buoying her spirits from whatever depths they had fallen.

"I love you, Yuno." Miyako spoke almost in a whisper, no louder than Yuno needed to hear it. Yuno smiled, Miyako really was good at this sort of thing, without even trying. She raised her face slightly to give her lips access to Miyako's bare neck. She began placing slow, lingering kisses there, the taste of Miyako's skin bringing the image of springtime showers to her mind. Everything about Miyako was just fresh and pure to her senses. Through her lips she felt her lover's throat vibrating in an appreciative purr. Yuno raised herself up on one elbow and looked deeply into Miyako's eyes.

"I love you too, Miya."

"So I gathered."

"I think I need you today, right now."

"You have me. You have me now, and always." Miyako reached out to take Yuno's hand with her own again, and linked them together as Yuno melted over her, their bodies molding together in the soft tangle of lovers. Through their bodies, their lips and skin and most tender places, Miyako helped Yuno forget her worries about the future for a now that was as full of love and passion as it had ever been and always would be. Miyako could hear in ever gasp and feel in every shudder her love's appreciation, and lost herself just as easily in their ardent reunion. Later, how much neither of them would have tried to guess, they lay atop Yuno's bed with their clothes strewn carelessly around the floor, passion spent, but still finding a warm, intimate pleasure in being wrapped around one another in as close a contact as they could.

"There might have been another reason I came back early," Miyako murmured, "I missed you."

"I'm glad you did, although I didn't get any of that school-finding work done that I was going to do today."

"We have plenty of time, and I'll help you out tomorrow."

"After shopping?" Yuno guessed.

"Of course, Miyako cannot live on love--wonderful as that love might be--alone. I need snacks, and you, I think, need chocolate. Chocolate makes all kinds of things better."

"Careful, Miya-chan, I never know for sure what you mean when you say something like that."

"Oh yes, I mean all kinds of things." Miyako whispered, then blew into Yuno's ear and nibbled her earlobe. Yuno burst out into giggles; that tickled. She sighed and rested her head back to its comfortable position on Miyako's breast.

"You're impossible, Miya."

"Really? I thought I was pretty easy just now."

"Should you really be teasing somebody with their teeth this close to sensitive areas?"

"Yuno-chi is a good kid, she wouldn't do something like that."

"And Miya-chan can be a something that a good kid shouldn't say."

"A sinfully fantastic dispenser of lovin'?" Miyako ventured comically.

"That's not quite was I was going for,"

"I'll keep trying."

"Please, don't."

"Wait, don't try to be a sinfully fantastic dispenser of-- ow!"

"I believe I gave you a fair warning, didn't I?" Yuno looked up at her with wide, innocent eyes; and a most uncharacteristic mischievous smirk to the side of her mouth.

"Fine, I'm sorry. Now can you kiss it and make it feel better?"

However Yuno might have answered that, Miyako didn't get the chance to hear, and she thought that was a shame. They heard the muffled sound of a cell phone ringing, and Yuno's head jumped up. She groaned and jumped out of the bed, casting about for a moment before locating her pants and picking them up to fish the phone out of the pocket.

"Miya, it's Hiro-san!" Yuno called excitedly before she opened the phone and brought it to her ear.

"Hi, Hiro-san. I'm doing great, and yes, so is Miya. Oh, I'm not doing too much right now," Miyako laughed out loud. The sight of Yuno saying that, blushing and twisting one foot uncomfortably while standing naked in her room surrounded by cast off and forgotten clothing, struck her as delightfully funny. Yuno shot her a sheepish little glare, if such a thing could exist, but then turned her attention to something Hiro was now saying.

"Yes, that's Miya. She just got back from her family's and came over for... some tea. Um, yes, it was good tea. Wait, what do you mean how did I enjoy tea when she was away? I suppose it is more enjoyable to have a nice cup of tea with--Hiro-san, what's so funny? I'm such a good kid? Wait, no you don't mean--Hiro-san! No, we really did have a cup of tea! Hmm, is that all? Er, well, that is... what kind of question is that to ask?! What exactly do you mean by 'this and that'... Hiro-san, you're terrible! Talk to Miyako for a moment," Yuno, face scarlet, thrust the phone at Miyako.

"Hey hey, Miyako here. Yes, we just had a fantastic roll in the hay, thanks for asking. No, there wasn't really any hay, just her bed. And the bathroom, and floor, and kitchen counter, and the stairs outside--"

"Miya!"

"Oh, you want details, too? Well, first I--" Yuno paused in the midst of picking up the discarded clothing and jumped back into the bed, wrestling around with Miyako, who only put up a token resistance, for the phone. A minute later, she breathlessly began talking.

"Hiro-san, don't listen to... Hiro-san, are you there?" Yuno's brows furrowed and she covered the receiver, "I think I hear her laughing, a lot," she took her hand off the phone, "Oh, Hiro-san? You... you hadn't even said anything to Miya yet?" Yuno's eyes closed and she fell back onto her pillow with a fwoompf, keeping the phone to here ear.

"Yes, I should have known better. But I can talk that over with her later, how have you been doing? Mm-hmm, mm-hm. No, no... really? A job already, and as a chef! Hiro-san, that's great, but you've only been going to this culinary school for this year, how did you get this?" Yuno listened intently for a little bit, then lowered the phone to pass on the word to Miyako.

"She says somebody built a restaurant in the city recently, some young heiress of an entrepreneur. She went through the classes near the end of the year, not saying who she was, and watched all of the students, and she was impressed enough with Hiro-san that she picked her for the new restaurant," finishing relating that, Yuno went back to the phone conversation.

"Well, yes, Hiro-san, it's possible that she's only doing this so she won't have to pay a cook as much, but that doesn't matter. Did she say anything to you when she was at the school? Ooh-ooh, what? Ah... n-no, Hiro-san, I don't think she--no! Hiro-san, just because she said that you looked like you 'obviously enjoy your cooking' doesn't mean she was calling you fat! You're not fat. Everybody samples their food while they're cooking, how're you supposed to know what it tastes like?" Yuno gave Miyako an exasperated look, but the blonde was too busy giggling to be of any help now.

"So you're going to be working when the restaurant is finished being built in a few months? Okay, so you'll start going to school part-time after the first quarter of the year so you can work. That's great! I just know that everybody will love the food that Hiro-san makes at her work. My plans? Well, er, I'm still looking for a good school to go to after the year is over. Yes, I know that there's only a few weeks of school left, but don't worry about us, you just be happy! And how is Sae-san doing? Yes, we were noticing that her career seems to be going well, Miya and I still pick up a copy of her new books when they come out, and the stores seem to be catching onto her, too, this last one was given its own display in the front of the bookstore. Yes, I think she's getting more confident, too, her artwork is improving with every release, I would say. Oh, by the way, did Miss Yoshi... oh, she already did? She asked me for Sae-san's phone number so she could call and compliment her on her progress, but I didn't know if she ever got around to it."

Miyako quietly slipped out of the bed while Yuno chatted and caught up with Hiro. She kept one ear on the conversation while she gathered their clothing and, without really thinking about it, put them into Yuno's dirty clothes hamper in the closet. Even through just half of the conversation, she was able to get caught up with news of their friends. She walked across the room to the kitchen, and her stomach growled as if in conscious reaction to her new location. She opened the refrigerator. Scanning about, she found that Yuno hadn't been exaggerating when she said that she needed to go shopping, though there was milk. Yuno was good about keeping a supply of milk on hand, Miyako thought with a warm smile, but she also thought it was just as well that the stuff didn't work, she loved Yuno just the way she was. She was at such a cute height, why did she want to be so much taller? She didn't hit her head on much, either, Miyako noted, which was something that she herself did not have the best record on, especially these last two years when she had shot up that last half-foot, give or take, to to her current--and hopefully final--height.

She poured herself a glass, milk being an acceptable enough substitute for food at the moment, and guzzled half of it down in one go before taking the rest more slowly. By now Yuno was working her way towards farewells with Hiro, with the usual assorted promises to call one another back soon. The promises would probably go better this time around, with the end of the school year approaching so quickly. Finals and graduation preparations hadn't left much room for other things lately, but they all understood that. Yuno wandered towards Miyako by the refrigerator after she had hung up.

"That was an interesting conversation you had with Hiro-san, wasn't it?" Yuno asked, pouting. She crossed her arms over her breasts in a display of irritation, but Miyako wasn't fooled, she knew Yuno was giving a good fight to keep from laughing. Miyako put on a show of being ashamed of herself, eyes downcast and shoulders slumped. Then she threw back the last of her milk like an outlaw would a last fiery shot of whiskey, clinked the cup hard down on the counter, and turned around. She leaned over, hands on the counter.

"Okay, fine! I'm ready, do your worst!" She screwed her face up into such a comically exaggerated expression of grit-toothed determination that Yuno could only stand there in disbelief. A light smirk flickering across her lips, she took a few quiet steps over to Miyako and laid one smart slap right where the irrepressible young lady had offered. Miyako's eyes snapped open and showed through just faintly with surprise, but she recovered and turned a sly gaze behind her.

"Oh, so Yuno-chi is into that. Biting and spanking, eh? Sounds like it could be fun, why didn't you ever say so before?"

"Miya, I'll give you a choice. We could stay here and I could tie you up and slap you around for a bit, if you'd really like that, or we could get dressed and go to the store. Why were we going to wait until tomorrow, again? It's only one in the afternoon." Both of them laughed shortly.

"After much lengthy deliberation," Miyako started without a single moment's hesitation, "I have decided to go to the store. Speaking of food, you said Hiro-san was going to be working at a restaurant soon?"

"Yes, aren't you happy for her?" Yuno beamed with pride for their friend.

"Of course, but do you think that will mean we can eat there for free?"

Yuno blinked, "I... maybe so, Miya."

"I can always hope," Miyako said, without any hint of facetiousness in her features. Things relating to her meals and their cost Miyako often took very seriously, Yuno noticed. "Now then, ah... Yuno?" Miyako looked around distractedly, then frowned, rubbing her chin and look speculatively at the door.

"What's wrong?"

"All my clothes are over at my apartment. Say, do you think if I ran fast enough, that nobody would notice if I just went o--"

"No, Miya! What happened to the clothes you we wearing?"

"I put them with the rest of your dirty laundry, should I go dig them out?"

"I could just go next door and get some of your clothes," Yuno pointed out.

"That also seems as though it could work," Miyako agreed, "But why is you running outside with no clothes on better than me?"

"I could also get dressed now, as all of my clothing is in this room."

"Aaaahhh..." Miyako mulled over this other information, "That makes sense," she concluded. Yuno buried her face in her hands. She really needed to find a way for them to at least attend schools in the same city. The thought of Miyako living alone, fending for herself in an unfamiliar city... it sent a cold shiver up her spine.