Lost Small World [Iyuki]

"Ghaa-!"

The shout was mixed with the displeased sound of a cat, bounding off against a trashcan before the feline darted off, leaving the young child to fall back and hit the ground with an "oomph."

She'd just tried to pet it though, and instead she'd nearly got clawed in the face before she was left alone.

That...was fine though; she was used to "alone." She was used to it...as much as she didn't want to be.

It...was good it'd run away though, if she'd gotten scratched up that would have been bad, she already had a bruise on her head from the neighborhood kids and their rocks.

Time passed, and she didn't move to stand, or get up to leave the quiet little back alley she was in; her long, cream colored hair was down and at length the front was long enough to act as a curtain almost around her face, while the back lay under the coat she wore, barely held together by the zipper as the rest of her hair poked out from the bottom as if she had a fluffy tail.

Muika looked up at the sky after awhile, and the sun shone brightly just as it had the entire day so far. Was it lunch time, or was it later? She didn't know; the thought about heading home briefly crossed her mind, but...

"Mm..."

Iyuki cried out as he hit the edge of a roof, bouncing off of it and flipping around as he then bounced off of the wall and down another as if he was a pinball. Hitting every painful spot on his body on the way down, he cried out in an unusual emotional freak out. "StopstopSTOPSTOP!"

Finally landing in a heap on the ground, he groaned in pain and laid on his back... What in the world had happened? Muika and he had been leaving for work, he had gone back upstairs to grab the forgotten wallet and then... He was floating in the air?

Of course he had panicked, wanting down immediately and thus he had begun to fall down and now that left him here in the present with still no idea what had happened to him. Perfect.

Muika blinked at the man that had just...fallen from the sky, after having bolted some to hide in the small space between the side of a nearby dumpster and a brick wall, peeking out from the side.

What...That kinda stuff didn't happen in real life though, so had he jumped from up high somewhere? After the shock wore off somewhat she looked up, trying to see any balconies or windows...they didn't look open or anything...

She was still...shocked and surprised; how could she not be?

"Ow..." A weak whimper sounded as Iyuki sat up, wondering what he should do now. Nothing was broken, nothing permanently injured and now he was in an alleyway. Hovering above the ground now, he tried to stand and failed as he fumbled around in the air.

Making surprised little noises, he attempted futilely to right himself and flipped around while yelping. "Help! Ah I can not stop spinning I think I shall be sick..."

He wasn't going to get help but he hoped just yelling at whatever was making him hover would help as he attempted to grab things to right himself. Pitiful, he was pitiful!

Muika blinked again, feeling...she should probably be more afraid or wary, but...this man was...floating around in the air. Was he some sort of weirdo magician? Considering he was yelling for help she didn't think so...magicians didn't call for help during their own tricks...and why would one be doing a trick alone with no audience?

She tried to peek out further as he moved and fumbled around, since sometimes he fell out of direct sight from her peeking spot; she leaned a bit too far though and hit the ground with a soft thud, though a small noise escaped her.

Eyes widened, she quickly tried to scoot back, with slight difficulty as the spot was quite small, into her hiding place.

Iyuki stopped spinning thankfully for his poor stomach, zero gravity spins not meant for someone such as him. Still floating however, he accepted this as the burden he must bare before a sound caught his attention. A little...girl? She was scooting away!

Oh no had he scared her? Giving a small sheepish laugh, the man scratched his cheek. "Ahah, I am sorry did I steal your...alleyway? I seem to be lost and floating. It is very strange. I was at home and now I am not..."

He had no idea how to soothe the girl, instead just speaking the truth. It wasn't as if he could move from his spot just yet it seemed, he was stuck floating right there about two feet off of the ground.

He...He'd noticed her!? Maybe...Maybe if she just hid here he'd get going. She didn't get what he was saying, he was at home but now he wasn't? How did that make any sense? It made as much sense as his floating did!

He wasn't some neighborhood kid, an adult, but...people were mean...even if they talked nice like that at first...

Eventually, she peeked out some from her spot again, this time being sure to not fall, looking over to him though she didn't come out fully.

Iyuki sighed, he was not good with children it seemed... but he wouldn't give up! She was his only hope! Giving another sheepish grin as she peeked out, he waved his hands helplessly. "I think...I am lost? Do you know where I am? I also...am stuck. I am very stuck I think."

She was adorable and reminded him of Muika so he was trying his hardest to be sweet and kind. It was hard to do though like this! He was three more minutes from full panic! Muika was probably already panicking and he was stuck floating here like a balloon!

"Idunno the city's name..." She only knew what was home, and what was outside; he was asking for help but what could she do? He was talking about being stuck, but...

Plus, he was still some strange man that had just...dropped from the sky!

She'd run off to here to get away from the other kids and now she'd run into some weird adult...

Iyuki sighed softly, his tiny savior not a tiny savior... Where was he then? Ruffling his hair, he tried to move again only to hover slightly higher than before. A soft surprised sound escaped him at that before his hands ruffled his hair in frustration and then fell limply. In fact all of him went limp.

"I am sorry for scaring you. I did not and still do not mean to, Miss. I am just very confused by all of this, I do not normally float like a balloon you see." His voice was utterly pitiful, sad and just depressed. He was terrifying the small child, he was floating and he was sure Muika was freaking out.

"...People aren't supposed to float..." Muika commented as the man went limp in the air; he said he didn't normally float, if he didn't then why was he floating then?

She watched him for a few short moments before stepping out completely, though she didn't come anymore than two or three steps closer before crouching down again. A safe distance.

He looked pitiful...grown ups weren't supposed to act like that...

"They are not. I do not know why I suddenly became like this, or why I was in the sky. Maybe I was cursed by a magician? But magicians are not real..." Iyuki mused from his pitiful pout, hanging there as he attempted to figure out the problem. He hadn't moved once he hung limply, laying there and not even seeming to care now.

"My dearest is probably worried over me, I wish to get back to her and let her know it is okay and I am fine." Sighing more, he seemed to wilt utterly like a sad flower.

He was...acting like a kid...or well, what she saw other kids act like; dramatic...that was the word, right? He was being...dramatic? Though, he was floating...so...

She scooted a bit closer as he seemed to wilt further.

"Your wife is worried?" She'd heard people that were usually married calling themselves that to each other, that and it was like that in storybooks she had. So it was the term she'd jumped on. "...If you're floating...you're...fine?"

If he was floating that didn't seem fine though...

"I am not married yet. I plan on one day asking her, but I must figure quite a few things out before then." Iyuki lifted his face a bit, smiling at the little girl who seemed so interested in his dearest. He could talk of her all day and it would lift his spirits... Thinking for a moment, he sighed and seemed to accept it. "Well, I am all here. I am not hurt and if floating is the only problem I have, I suppose it is not a bad one. She gets so worried over my being hurt, I think floating is an acceptable problem really as long as the rest of me is fine."

His hovering had stabilized but he was not taking a chance and trying to move again. He might just float off into the sky... though if he was floating around it was possible she could sense him and see him? Maybe.

"Figure out...?" What was there to figure out? Didn't people just ask and that was it? That was how it worked in all the things she'd seen it in. What was there to figure out? She didn't understand...

So floating was a small problem; it still seemed like a bigger one to her, but...if he didn't think it was then oh well. That was his problem.

"Mm..." Her usual noise escaped her, not knowing what else to say as she blinked at the man who was still hovering in the air.

"Well, I wish to make sure it is a good time. I love her, but I would want to make sure she wanted to be married. I also would wish to make sure I knew the types of ring she liked so I could help her pick one out. I would like us to have a more secure life and work, so that way after we get married we could start a family together. I wish it to be very special for her, so I will prepare and figure things out that way she can be the princess she always wished to." Iyuki nodded thoughtfully, finding no oddness in explaining this to a small child. She had asked a question and he would answer!

As he spoke, his body started to lower down a bit, apparently his focus on other things stopping his hovering from being so bad.

There was...all that to consider? Storybooks just made it look so easy though...

"Mm..." Muika blinked again, noticing that the more the man talked about other things he...was lowering, almost stopping with the floating. If he talked, and talked, and talked maybe he'd touch ground?

"Princess...mm..." She could understand that, she felt the same but...but those were just storybooks, right? But...it could happen in real life...she just had to...meet people that weren't mean...one day...

"How are you gonna be sure she wants to be if you don't ask though?" He talked like he wasn't asking, that he was planning it all...but how was he supposed to plan that far ahead if he didn't even know the first thing for sure yet?

That was silly...

"Oh! Did you wish to be a princess too?" Iyuki seemed curious, his warm blue eyes settling on the adorable little...fluffy...girl. She was almost like a kitten he noticed, pretty cream hair and eyes like his dearest. He smiled warmly and tilted his head before moving to answer her question.

"...Well I wish to have some sort of plan in place first before I do ask her officially. I...do not want her to think I am not thinking about our future and instead doing this on a whim. We have talked about marriage before and it is...her dream to have that sort of life. So I wish to bring that life to her and then work with her from there to make it totally perfect." Iyuki admitted a bit sheepishly, he wasn't going to leave Muika out of the loop entirely! She would get lots of input on such things obviously.

"Mm...mm..." Muika gave a small nod; most adults would just say it was silly, and it was stupid kid dreams, but...it...it was true though! It...It couldn't be...totally impossible...

Right...?

Even if everyone said it was...

So he had talked some...? Still it seemed like he was doing a lot for just...planning it before asking even. The concept of such planning still a bit complicated for her to fully understand. Whim...that meant quick? "Princesses are always asked on a...a whim though...?" She'd almost fumbled with the new term, but had saved herself.

He said she'd wanted to be a princess, why not do it the princess way then?

...Or was that just stupid kid stuff...?

"Ah! Then I am sure you will be a fine princess one day." Laughing happily, Iyuki nodded with pure enthusiasm. He truly felt she could be if she wished to!

"There are a lot of things in the stories that they don't have time to tell or don't speak of, unfortunately... It doesn't mean they are bad though! My princess is very kind but she is also very strong and determined, and she protects me so she isn't like a typical storybook princess. I think...asking her on a whim wouldn't be worthy of her, so I wish to do it as much like a Princess as I can. She, and other princesses, deserve that even if they don't get it in a lot of stories." Iyuki smiled softly, "There are lots of princess stories! So I am sure there are some where the prince spends time thinking and making sure it will be happy for her. There are also lots of different types of princesses too I bet."

So story books didn't have time to explain the other stuff, that's why they seemed so short then...? She...guessed she understood that much. They weren't bad though, they were fun...

His princess protected him? She'd never read stories like that before, but that sounded really neat... Princesses could be strong too...

Muika gave a small nod, thinking about all of that that he'd said.

Iyuki it seemed had stopped floating and settled onto the ground. He looked down in confusion before reaching up and scratching his cheek. "It seems I am no longer a balloon. Thank you Miss Princess, for all of your help."

His smile was sweet as he gave the adorable little girl a nod. She had helped calm him and thus he had stopped floating...he felt that was it at least.

"Mm..." She glanced down at his thanks; he'd thanked her for...helping him, he'd just talked though...he had stopped floating...

It seemed the kind thanks had her a bit shy, as she wasn't used to hearing it, but she looked up at him again before looking to the side once more. "M-Muika...O-Okura...thas' my name..."

She'd fumbled a bit with her words due to being shy; he...he hadn't done a mean thing yet but they'd been...talking awhile, even though he could have...

If...If someone was actually being nice she...she should be nice back...

She was really adorable! So fluffy and cute and even shy! Iyuki felt a warmth towards the sweet little girl before he started to wonder...what was a young child doing out in an alleyway alone?

No adults had come running... Someone should be around to see her talking to a strange man... and freak out really. He'd not blame them, they didn't know him and thus he would be someone who could be a danger, but there was nothing.

"Muika is a pretty name. My dearest has the same name!" Iyuki smiled, what were the odds of them sharing a name AND looks? She looked like what he imagined Muika would as a child really, small poof though was much cuter than he could have thought. "My name is Iyuki Osamoto, Princess Muika."

He stood, giving a small courtly bow to the girl. "Do you need an escort home? I may not be a Prince, but a Butler can see you safely there I think."

Maybe she got lost? He could help her then.

She had the same name as that woman he liked, she wouldn't have expected that, she'd never met anyone with the same name before.

When he mentioned going home though she shook her head. "N...Nuh uh..."

There wasn't a point, it wasn't like anyone was worried about her; she had no doubt her father was just sitting in his chair being quiet like always.

It wasn't fun there, it was too quiet...she tried almost daily to make him pay attention to her but...

That's why she left home a lot, it...it wasn't really any better but it wasn't painfully quiet. She got bullied a lot, but...

Plus, she was hiding in the alleyway from said bullies, they were probably gone by now but she didn't wanna get hit with a rock again.