Colorful World [nsfw]

Not late... Just on time, so that was good...

Muika pocketed her phone after checking the time, still not used to checking the watch on her wrist entirely yet considering it was new; her feet slowed to a stop just outside of the building Miyako and Hibiki now lived in. Her eyes looked up towards the apartment as she headed for the stairs.

It'd been awhile since just...the two of them had spent time together, the last time it'd been between the four of them after...

W-Well...it'd just been awhile...

Too much had happened in between that last shopping trip and today, there just hadn't been time...

Today though was a good day, plans had been made and so here she was outside the door before she gave a light knock.

"Coming coming!" Miyako heard the knock as she was double checking her wallet for all the proper cards. If they were going shopping she should remember her rewards cards and the cards she'd gotten while drunk with Selena. Mostly name cards and store cards to let her know where good items were, though really this was all outside of their money situations though...

Hibiki seemed to really really like the stuff she'd gotten with Selena though...

So... Muika might benefit herself from such items if she could find cheaper. The mall was the easiest place to shop for various things, which was what they were doing. Shopping and spending time together.

They hadn't had a chance to talk at all really, settling in and dealing with work plus school had taken up all her spare resources after that... that incident. Miyako froze slightly as she thought that before putting a smile on her face, hand on the doorknob freezing briefly as well.

Wearing her usual, a cute short skirt and a nice, trenchcoat like jacket in the chillier October air, she also accessorized with a thin scarf in emerald green around her neck. Long socks went up past her knees and she gave Muika a grin. "I'm ready! Thanks for shopping with me, Muika."

This had been their first real outting together... Miyako did feel a bit awkward, it had been far too long since they'd spent time together alone and she wasn't sure how to act.

Hearing Miyako, Muika waited patiently and quietly as the woman gathered whatever other things she needed to gather, at least that was what Muika was assuming.

Once the door opened she gave a small smile, able to manage that much normally now with people she knew at least as Miyako greeted her.

"Welcome, it's not a problem." It would be good for them to spend some time together again, at least that's what Muika felt considering how long it'd been.

Muika wore her usual attire, a coat with a top underneath, as well as a skirt and leggings to go with it all while her hair was kept down to flow down in it's longer state now.

Miyako wondered if Muika had any fall clothes... That was important really, and it might be a good starting point. She'd smiled at least and Miyako's smile regained a bit of its more true nature at that as she gave a small laugh.

Stepping outside, she locked up the apartment since Hibiki was out. "So! I think first things first... You need fall and winter clothes, I bet. Did Yuki-nii think to get you that stuff?"

If not, this was the best starting point and besides they could ease in from there... No need to speak about important and awful things right now...

Fall and winter stuff...

Muika thought some as Miyako shut the door to her home before giving a small shrug; "I don't...think there's much."

She had coats, but...she had mostly stuck with leggings or shorts when it came to pants and such...they just felt more comfortable since they were what she was used to.

"I have coats, and some thinner sweaters..." She added, trying to be more helpful considering Miyako was asking.

It had been awhile since the two had spent time together, but for now Muika didn't notice how truly awkward the situation was... The fact that Miyako knew more now, not just due to the incident, was something unknown to her.

"You might need a bit more thicker sweaters and some nicer coats... Maybe sweaters. A long coat will go good with your skirts and stuff, and we can get longer skirts to keep you warm. Maybe thicker leggings too..." Miyako, given something to work with, was quite thoughtful as she lead Muika down the stairs. Not much... so that meant Muika would need a lot. It was getting colder out, as her scarf attested, so Muika didn't have much time.

She gave a happy grin as her feet reached solid ground, looking up and back at her friend. "Seems like we have a good itinerary for now! Haha, maybe I could get you to get some nice dresses too. Cute ones! They'd go good under longer coats... Scarves too, and gloves."

Thicker sweaters, nicer coats...mostly sweaters.... A longer coat, and thicker leggings, longer skirts... It seemed like they had a plan overall for things to get. She would...definitely be set for the colder months after this that were incoming.

She was glad she had money saved up, she hardly did much...impulse shopping, still not used to being able to shop entirely in general...like this anyway... She bought necessities, and even now when she was given gifts she just...hardly new how to react...

L-Like how she'd reacted with the watch, but at least Iyuki understood and had...let her work through everything...

"S-Sounds good, i'll definitely be set for the next few months..." D-Dresses and scarves too? C-Cute ones...?

"Haha, I thought you might object to be honest. Between you and 'Biki I have my work cut out for me. He's wearing my scarves now..." Miyako sighed, knowing she had to get him some of his own because he was starting to steal hers. He couldn't be that cold! It was barely getting chilly and he was like a freaking furnace at times, especially with that trenchcoat he loved to wear.

"I don't want you to go cold and stuff, and not tell Yuki-nii, cause you won't. Plus with me, we can surprise him with all your new clothes and get you really cute stuff that fits." And no worries about him distracting her half way through! Miyako was really good at realizing things and blanked her mind from thoughts about what those two might do if left alone with trying things on. She walked alongside Muika, smiling a bit and definitely loosening up. Serious stuff wasn't appropriate right now...

But she should ask... "How are you two doing now? I-I'm sorry I didn't...ask before right now. You both are okay, right?"

"A-Ah...well, I have some money saved up...and clothes are necessary, so... It'll be good to...get ones I'll need for when it starts getting colder." Muika answered, the small smile turning a bit sheepish as they began walking before her expression relaxed back into it's usually calm.

It... Well, Miyako wasn't entirely wrong...

It would be troubling to just...point out being too cold or something while out, she wouldn't want Iyuki shedding his coats or anything for her sake, he needed to keep himself warm too...and she had her coats and jackets...which even the thin ones had gotten her through the years she'd been living here...

T-Though she'd gotten colds sometimes... She had found it was...a bit easy for her to catch them, but so far without mention of that she'd been fine...

So she would...just keep being fine...

Huh? How they were...

"...Better...We're better, we went on a small...sudden trip after...things, and it helped..." Suddenly only due to her impulsiveness...aha... "We went up to Nishioka, it's...where I was born, and I kinda ran there on impulse..."

She had heard about what had gone on with Miyako and Hibiki somewhat while they'd been gone, though Muika hadn't really explained what she and Iyuki had been doing...

They'd talked, and talked...her and Iyuki, and it'd helped...a bit...

"Well if there's any styles or something you like better... I can try to help you pick out things that suit you, but clothes are all about what you like." Miyako led Muika along, looking up and giving a grin in response to Muika's sheepish smile. It was nice to be reassured she wasn't forcing her friend, mostly because she knew the woman needed things.

It was apparent, which made Miyako intent on helping her all the more. The mall was a bit away, but they were making good time. Moving ahead of Muika in the near empty streets, too early for crowds, Miyako walked backwards with her hands clasped behind her. It felt bad talking without facing her friend and she gave a pleased grin at her response.

"On impulse? Its good you had a vacation though... Hah, sorry about the note 'Biki left. So that's where you two were then?" While Miyako and Hibiki had to deal with the suprise but not unwelcome visit. On her end at least... She...was happy those two had escaped at least. Though she wasn't one to dwell on it, or she tried to be that person, there were times she worried about the rash decisions made that night. How many innocent people died... or well those like her friends? Ones who had literally no other choice...

Muika and Iyuki had gone to her hometown... "So did you two...go there to see them?"

Meaning her dead family, as Miyako's smile softened and she slowed her walking backwards.

"Aah, I'll try to...say something if I see something that catches my eye..." It was... Well, this wasn't a strong suite of hers, actually...being able to say she liked things when it came to shopping, she held the reactions that said she liked something, but...for whatever reason it was always hard to say so vocally...

She was going to try though, otherwise it'd just be...complicated, and make the trip hard...

As Miyako questioned her impulsiveness, Muika gave a nod; "I was...looking up some stuff after...after a talk we had, I felt I needed to, and...so the morning after I found information...I headed out there...I-Iyuki followed...

We ended up making a trip out of it..."

The note...

"O-Oh no, the note's fine...w-we...got a good laugh out of it..." More than just a good laugh, it'd been hilarious... "Did he tell you what he wrote? B-Because he scribbled what I guess was meant to be those two's faces, but...it was really messy, almost like a five-year old that tried to draw wanted posters."

Definitely something golden to come home to after the trip~

T-Them though...

Muika gave a small shake of her head, Miyako was...half right; "I went to see my mother's grave, I wasn't really concerned about my father."

"If you give me small signals, or like something enough to show a bit more feeling I can definitely pick up on it. Hibib is way worse with those things, so a little bit goes a long way for me now!" Miyako realized that Muika might not... Might not know much about her anymore. She'd changed a lot in such a short time, it was weird...

But she knew both of them had such problems, so she would definitely try her hardest to ease them into stuff. She gave Muika a short nod to show she was listening though. "Nishioka... So it wasn't that far was it? Kind of a weird coincidence... But you found out about your old home... Uwaaa, I'm really glad! What kind of talk?"

Her smile was bright, no hint of her earlier malaise now as she clenched her fist and gave a small hop. Apparently she was well coordinated and practiced at walking backwards, this happy bright otter. Her happiness only could grow though at the latest news though...

"...No. No he didn't..." Awe suffused her voice as Miyako stumbled slightly, trying not to laugh really hard because that sounded...sounded amazing. Maybe she held in her laughter, but she definitely didn't hide the excitement in her voice at such a treat as hand drawn Hibiki notes. "I need to see this! I really do. Do you have pictures? I totally want some!"

Five-year-old hand drawn Hibiki notes.

This caused her steps to falter though, only her mother? Miyako knew a little but... this reminded her of things, things she had briefly forgotten... "You have...the worst luck with men huh?"

With shining green eyes, full of sympathy, the warm woman stopped and reached out to take Muika's hands. Normally she might care more about propriety, but really lately there'd been a disconnect for her regarding usual things like that... Maybe they should sit somewhere and talk before shopping shopping...

"R-Right..." Muika gave a small nod; small signals would work, just in case she couldn't exactly show more... Miyako had learned to pick up things from Hibiki...and according to her he was worse when it came to things... Muika herself had felt she'd gotten at least a little better...so... Hopefully it wouldn't be any trouble for Miyako.

As for Nishioka, it wasn't that far...Miyako was right; "I'd always thought I'd ran...really far, but since I was on foot I guess the distance tricked me, aha..."

It took about an hour and a half by train, so on foot it'd seemed like she'd been going forever back then...

"As for the talk, it was about a lot of things...Iyuki had fun seeing all the things left behind by my mother... She had a website kind of, and since she was a photographer she put some of her photos on there, work photos, family...those things...

We also talked about...past things for me, the escape and...after it, and stuff." Lots of...heavy things that needed to be talked about...

Did she have pictures though...of Hibiki's note? Muika pulled out her phone, opening some of the pictures she'd gotten of the note she'd put on her phone in case she needed to humilate Hibiki in public or something.

"Here..." Once it was pulled up, she handed her phone to Miyako, the image having been zoomed in on the note so it could be read, and then if Miyako scrolled down she'd be able to see the drawings, though before she could hand her phone off her hands had been taken.

Huh?

Miyako's next words caused some slight surprise, but... "Aa...I guess, I hardly knew many women... My mother died when I was young so...I didn't really remember her."

Other than that...it had been her father, and Seiya... Those had really been the only adult figures that made any impact in her life back then...

Least Muika was more at ease now, Miyako felt. She knew for sure she could pick up signals as long as they were given! Especially with Hibiki, who still had so much trouble even admitting he liked something when it was obvious he did! Least he never once, never once, had denied his feelings for her. Of all things, that told her the most really...

"I...if its okay can I see too? And...if you wanted I can listen too about your...your past..." Wanting to know more about her friend, Miyako realized that she hadn't told or shared much of her own family or life with her before the...the estrangement. She'd never really asked much about Muika's life either, or any of her family... It... it was such a huge oversight... Still there was a bit to be corrected and her tone took on a bit of a chiding one at Muika's minor self deprecation. "You did though if you were on foot, trains are really really fast you know."

The woman had gotten the picture up for her, and Miyako had... had... Maybe grabbing her hands wasn't the best idea... Now there was that picture, hidden from view... But she didn't want to let go! Miyako sometimes acted impulsively, it was a rather annoying thing she felt especially with how rude it was to do such things.

Besides she was glad she hadn't given in to the impulse to drop Muika's hands as the woman continued. Once more, heedless of their rather public display right now, Miyako gently let go of Muika's hands. She accidentally grabbed the phone, but wasn't paying attention to it right now as her arms slowly slipped around her neck and she hugged Muika.

It was a gentle, but firm hug, giving reassurance and showing her love even as she blushed. "You have me now... And Aoi. And um...that other one, the one who learned coffee from Hibiki... Plus Iyuki's family..."

(OOC:

d'awww:

If she saw...the pictures from her mother? That... Considering the embarrassment damage had been done when it came to Iyuki's cooing she didn't think it could get any more extreme than that...so...it seemed fine to her...

E-Embarrassing, but...fine...so a small nod was given; "I don't mind, talk...what...what all do you wanna know?"

It was... Well, if Miyako wanted to...to know more... Muika didn't mind sharing... Miyako was...obviously a close friend now, and with everything they'd all gone through... Plus, really when she thought about it...she'd hardly told Miyako anything about herself...

She was further taken by surprise as she was hugged, though not badly surprised, as she didn't move away. "M-Mm..." Again, a nod was given; she had...lots of people now...lots...

Muika returned the hug, somewhat, though her hold was weak due to...her attention being both on Miyako and what she was saying, and also their surroundings.

"I-If we're...gonna talk though...private's better..." Obviously, and she knew Miyako had to know that, b-but... it was best to not draw...tons of eyes right off the bat.

Miyako was almost positive that Muika was used to hugs like this, filled with utterly large amounts of sparkles and love as she felt the woman return the bhug. But really it couldn't hurt to allow her more of them from her instead of Yuki-nii...

"Mmm... Lots I guess... I feel really close to you, but really I don't know much. I-I...know more from him telling me than anything else." There could be no mistaking who she meant, the him could only be Hibiki in this case. She knew most from...from that and also a bit from the bubble... Most of the mundane things were things Yuki-nii had told her, like her love of chocolate and pocky. Of course Taiyaki too...

"One of the big parks is nearby? Maybe...we can grab some snacks and talk before shopping. No one's gonna bother us at this time of day." It would be as private as they'd get, Kamei park being mostly used by couples and well... it was pretty empty during the middle of the mornings like today.

Pulling away from hug, she was shocked to notice the phone still in her hand though she quickly remembered that moment before about the note. Unlocking the phone, her eagerness to see almost made her drop it as she was treated to... to... Miyako's cheeks puffed up as she unconsciously attempted to hold in her laughter, before she remembered Hibiki wasn't here and burst into bright, happy peals.

"Aahahahah! Ahaaaahahahahahaha! Ahahahahahaah! Oh my spirits look! Look at his... His drunken scribbles! I need... I need copies! I need copies of all you have, please please!" If they hadn't drawn looks, Miyako's utter breakdown and now crying filled laughter was drawing a few. H-How was she supposed to cope with that stupid message and drawing though?!

Lots she wanted to know a lot...well... Muika could...start from the beginning she guessed. From the beginning then...

She'd learned...some things from Hibiki, and while Muika didn't know how much she...felt it was better if Miyako heard about her from herself. That...would be best if she wanted to know more...

One of the parks also sounded fine, and she gave another small nod in response. Kamei was the closest, and at this time it shouldn't be too busy.

"Sounds good, we can do that then." Snacks at the park while talking.

Muika let Miyako see the phone, watching as she finally got to see what Hibiki had left them that they'd found when they'd returned from their trip.

She couldn't help but give a tiny laugh herself at Miyako's reaction.

"Mm, I'll try; I can ask Iyuki about making one for you." Iyuki would likely definitely get one for Miyako, it shouldn't be a problem at all.

A..Ah... P-People...

"M-Miyako...Let's...park...get to the park." She managed to stutter out, having caught a few of the eyes that had gone to them due to Miyako's outburst.

They could talk in the park for sure then! Muika would tell her lots, which was really really good! Miyako felt her excitement well up at being trusted that much, she'd...finally get told it all!

Still caught up in her utter amusement over Hibiki though, she barely caught the fact that Muika had laughed too. Her words though brought Miyako to her senses and she jolted up, squeaking before looking around quickly. P-People!

"S-Sure! Sorry Muika just... H-He's so freaking adorable! And silly..." Miyako wiped her eyes, taking Muika's hand with her free one and pulling her along with her as she scurried off. She saw the eyes and didn't want to stay around either, her blush showing how flustered she was.

Luckily it wasn't far and Miyako quickly pulled Muika along behind her as she darted into the entrance and down one of the paths. She forgot about snacks for the moment, but there were vending machines around!

"I-It's fine!" Muika answered after Miyako had taken her hand and darted off to get away from the crowd; g-good, they were getting away from...from too many people. It would be easier to talk without eyes on them, not just about...the obvious, but anything really.

Miyako didn't need to apologize though, she'd just...just been reacting to something that was funny!

She couldn't exactly comment on the woman's compliments towards Hibiki, but...but she could agree that the note had been hilarious.

The park wasn't far, lucky for them, and she followed Miyako as they reached the entrance and headed down one of the paths. They could find a stone table or bench or something to sit at... If they got a table they could worry about snacks and all that like planned.

Once they were in a more secure location, Miyako barely winded at all despite the quick running, the woman had realized she was holding her friends phone. Handing it over with a sheepish grin, she let go of Muika's hand and reached up to twirl her hair lightly. "Oh! Here, your phone whoops!"

Luckily her mind had thought to take them down one of the "lover's paths" so named because of the more shaded area and hidden nooks and crannies. At night you could find people on dates or...things. She'd accidentally taken Hibiki down one, one night and well...they'd accidentally gotten a show when all she'd wanted was to show him the lake at night.

Luckily there were no such things going on right now! It was entirely deserted, far too bright out for anyone to want to be here as Miyako looked for a nearby vending machine. A little bit further down the path was a small table and chairs to sit on, with a small alcove with a drink and snack vending machine. How nice!

"Aha! Look, I knew it. Err, well my body knew it. It knew instinctively the right path to take for the closest vending machine." Miyako patted her stomach and giggled before trotting off towards the food. Muika and her could talk once they had things! "Want anything in particular, Muika?"

"M-Mm..." Muika accepted her phone back, pocketing it after it was returned to her.

This path was definitely secluded, it was a good place to talk once they found somewhere to sit down. That was what was needed now...

Finding a place to seat was on Muika's mind as they walked, her eyes going to the tables and chairs once they were in sight. That seemed good, and nearby were vending machines!

She headed over to one of the tables as Miyako headed off for the vending machine, and hearing her she was quiet for a moment in thought; "Aaa, some chips or bottled water or tea is fine by me..."

Whatever was fine with her, overall; there was plenty the vending machine had to offer...

"Chips and bottled water! Or tea... Hmm got it!" Miyako paused in her trotting, nodding back at Muika with a sparkle imbued grin. This was an easy request to fulfill!

Pulling out her wallet, she quickly found just what they both needed and wanted before putting in the coins and punching the codes. Two cans of tea dropped down, which she scooped out of the bin before moving to the snacks. Chips for Muika were selected, and then several chips for her followed by three candy bars and four packs of melonpan and taiyaki each.

Mostly for herself, Muika was too spoiled by now she bet~

Carrying the armload back with what looked like no trouble and quite a bit of practice, she dropped their bounty on the table with a grin before handing Muika the cans she had carefully held. "Help yourself! Though, if you want to talk while I eat a light snack, I'll definitely be listening..."

Her smile was soft and a bit nervous, not sure of how to go about talking of important things with someone else like this. It... was different with Hibiki. He... he was Hibiki, no matter how anyone else felt around him he always put her entirely at ease. She could tell him worries or listen to his worries with no problems...

With...With Muika, there was still at times her awkward feelings over how things had started and how... how much she'd been kept out until now. And it showed a bit in her hesitant laugh, her smile not shining as much as it usually did while her one finger came up to scratch her cheek.

Muika had seated herself, about ready to get up as she noticed all the things Miyako had gotten to help, but...it seemed she had things handled. Miyako liked eating a lot, and it seemed she had some experience carrying this much stuff...

She reached for one of the canned teas as Miyako told her to help herself, taking it and one of the chip bags for herself for now.

Had this been happening months ago...she would have reached for some taiyaki or melon-pan, but...as she'd learned recently... Iyuki had spoiled her on that to the core...

"M-Mm...I guess...I should...start from the beginning, then?" She said, a bit nervous herself considering they were...suddenly talking about this... It wasn't really something they'd talked about before, but...

Muika took a small sip from the canned tea, looking down at the can.

"Aa...I didn't really...go to school, or have...anyone when I was little...I lived with my father in Nishioka, I...should have been going to school, but I tended to stay out...skipped...and just either stayed home or went off somewhere in the neighborhood...

My...father didn't care, that's...why I don't really mention him much? I...stopped caring... After my mother died, he just...lost himself, I guess...He hardly even acknowledged my existence, really..."

She wanted to...try to add in some good in between all this, considering nothing was really all that good in this story...what... Bubbles?

"Um...Iyuki learned...about that first hand...when those bubbles happened. He met me when I was little, I'd been hiding in an alleyway after some kids bullied me, they'd thrown rocks and hit me in the head so Iyuki treated that later...

I had...fun that day though, at least during some of it... That was the day before...Mm..." Another sip of tea was taken, her eyes looking off to the side. "Iyuki wasn't able to stop it, but...that was the day when...my father took his life, I guess...it all just got to him...or something, I can't exactly answer that...but...I ran away after that...

I didn't want to be taken to some orphanage, I'd always heard they were scary...so...I ran..."

Miyako, for her part, wasn't sure how to...to react. She could listen, but was just listening good enough? Should she interject? Should she... speak up at times? What... should she do to be able to properly accept all of this...

Maybe, maybe it was like Hibiki. Maybe she should just let... let her tenseness and awkward feelings fade and just... accept it. Accept Muika's wish to tell her... Not...feel like she had to smile...

It was a fight, but Miyako let her awkward little smile fade as her hand reached for a taiyaki pack to open it instead of nervously scratch her cheek. She took a bite as Muika began, for once allowing her smile to stay off of her face as she listened intently, giving only a small nod as Muika questioned rather rhetorically she felt. It hadn't need a response but was just a way to start things...

As Muika continued though, Miyako felt herself fidgeting a bit and found herself pausing in her bites of the taiyaki. She wasn't inhaling like normal, a bit upset by hearing how Muika's father had been. Mother dead...father apathetic to that extreme...

She knew what that was, depression. School taught that a lot, it was a big worry nowadays and well... she winced at the mention of the bubbles. That was something else to bring up, but instead of saying anything she stuffed the taiyaki in her mouth and felt herself tearing up. Her father's depression getting that bad, killing himself, even Iyuki's attempted stopping hadn't worked... Her lack of caring anymore... At such a young age...

"...And that's...when they got you...didn't they?" They being...that awful group... Miyako sniffled more, opening another bag of chips viciously as her emotions took over from the awkwardness of before. "So...Yuki-nii's bubble was that... He was there when...when your dad? Wh-Why... why did...something so awful have to happen!?"

"That was...a few months after...actually." Muika answered, taking some of the chips from the bag to eat as she prepared to continue on.

Miyako could ask questions, if the woman felt the need to know anything else...ask for further information, she was free to.

"Iyuki had been...trying to keep me from running, but...I couldn't hear him, I could hardly pay attention to him... My only thoughts then had been to run...it'd been my only instinct..."

Iyuki had tried to stop her, tried to prevent it, but...it wasn't something possible...

"I ran far enough...to another part of the town and managed to surivive on my own for a bit... I stuck to alleyways, and typically people saw me on occasion and gave me food...but that was about it...

It was...after that, when it was night when I got snatched..." She answered; "When I woke up I was there... My hair had been cut some, and I was meant to be a multi-purpose subject...I'd also been branded like everyone else...

T-The doctor that attended to me was named...named Seiya Nomura..."

This was...the harder part to get into... This had impacted her life...much more than anything regarding her father had... She'd...been able to just...numb herself to anything regarding him, she'd hardly felt anything towards the man despite him being her father... It was...harder when it came to discussing Seiya...