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Who: Mirai and Miyume
Where: Dorms then out to Kobe
When: Thursday, April 20th
What: Dinner and a movie.

Miyume headed out of the dorm about fifteen minutes early, thinking that it'd be a good chance to get some fresh air and perhaps collect her thoughts before meeting with Mirai for another date. She sat down on a bench outside, fingering the edges of the scarf he'd given her earlier that week. It felt a tad chilly to her tonight but whether that was the weather or simply her had yet to be seen.

Part of her wondered at the wisdom of breaking curfew twice in one week. They still had a couple of hours but if this date was anything like the last one, the guards would have to let them in at the gate again. It certainly wouldn't do much for her reputation or her permanent record but Miyume found that she simply didn't care enough to stop. Student life away from home was stressful, far more stressful than her new acquaintances could guess, even more so with recent development. Mirai offered her pleasant company, space to explore and be herself in, and a promise of a good time. Miyume wasn't so short-sighted she couldn't see the path he was leading her down or that others would condemn it without understanding him, her, or what they wanted to accomplish.

Besides, childish and selfish as it may have been, Miyume liked having secrets. Things that belonged to her alone, things no one but her could see and touch. As a little girl, it had been imaginary friends and hidden treasure troves of little trinkets she'd collected from around the house. This one was simply more daring, thrilling, and rebellious and the ones she usually kept. For once, she felt like she actually had a life she could call her own. It felt good.

Miyume checked the time on her phone. Just a few more minutes to wait. She smoothed the skirt of her simple black sheath dress, one of her own this time. Her make-up was more or less the same as it had been on their last date, though applied with a little more skill and confidence now. She'd left her hair down this time, strands of it fluttering a bit in the evening breeze that picked up.

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It was a cool night. And the sunset sky hid quite some distance behind corners and buildings to give a mysterious view, so that he lost sight of the evening's glow, till the radiance seemed to grow and his shadow stretched out across the grassy grounds of the dorm, touching a bench where Miyume was sat waiting.

In a chilly rush of wind, he rubbed together his hands before he pulled his coat tighter around him and approached quietly from behind. And the lawn here softened his footfalls to make a silent walk, so that he was lost to her ears from then on, until he stood only a few centimeters behind. There was a moment or two of quiet ignorance. Then he smiled and covered her ears with his hands. Things seemed to stop for a long time. He stooped, then, and planted a kiss on the back of Miyume's head. Then he let go to drape his arms over Miyume's shoulders, coming even closer. His fingers began playing with her hair. He was staying there for a good length of time.

"Hello."

Edited 2013-09-04 07:25 (UTC)

Miyume jumped when someone covered her ears. She hadn't heard anyone approaching. She relaxed though as soon as she recognized the presence, smiling softly when Mirai kissed the back of her head. The arms draped around her shoulders were growing increasingly comfortable and she leaned into the embrace, somewhat amused that he'd chosen to play with her hair just at the edge of her bodice.

"Hello," she murmured happily and turned her head to give him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Edited 2013-09-04 20:32 (UTC)

Mirai's head snapped backward. With a smile. With the sort of smile a sneaky kitten might make if it had a deviousness it would never grew out of - and a tip of the head as his eyes shone with curiosity. His fingers, however, seemed to follow his earlier attitude. They untangled from her hair gently, traced up her arms, over her shoulders, and then tried to dig under her scarf to rest crossed over her breastbone.

He smiled. "Well then, just what are you doing out here? Anybody could find you. Are you waiting for someone?"

"I was. But I believe I may have found him. Or rather he's found me. It's hard to remember the order of these things sometimes," Miyume purred back, seemingly unaware of how Mirai had pulled back aside from a slight tensing of her shoulders.

She chuckled at him trying to get under her scarf, reaching up to loosen it so he could rest his hands there more comfortably.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked kindly, making no effort to move whatsoever.

But her shoulders tensing made no difference to Mirai, who simply brought his hands back to work away her stress. It was not that he didn't like her - he was fond of everyone he focused on - but there was no way this would last. And the thought of that made him quiet with a deep thought.

"... Yeah. You want another cab again, right?"

He stood rather quietly behind the bench, massaging. It amused him to hear that somebody thought of him that highly. He pointed his thumbs into the back of her shoulders, where they circled. He didn't want her saying anything else.

Something was definitely wrong. Miyume didn't know how she knew it, just that she did. The massage felt nice and on a physical level, her body was beginning to relax. But it wasn't enough to dispel the troubled shadow of doubt that had begun to cloud her mind.

Miyume had known the high couldn't last forever but she'd hoped it would go on just a little longer. That they would have a little more time before reality and all its harsh disappointments and sorrows came crashing back down on them. But she supposed it was only natural when it came to passion. It could flare with such violent intensity it threatened to destroy the heart of the one that held it. Or it could dwell quietly in the shadows, in the deep, waiting for a time to break free.

It took her a moment to realize that she'd fallen completely silent. She offered a small, if slightly wary smile.

"Another cab would be great. Did you make reservations? Or are we still deciding on that?"

"I already did that, never fear. I reserved this morning," he said.

He was standing behind the bench looking contented and feeling befuddled. He had warmed to her so much and allowed himself to be swept along - so that he could get off on that and forget who he was. His hands on her shoulders stopped, promising no more massage and hanging on to her as if he was desperate to stay on this heavenly cloud.

His head tilted then, and he took a downwards peek. The ground was at his feet. There was no sign of a change to who he was and certainly no change in his circumstances. But, he realised, turning his eyes back to her, he could certainly get something more out of this before he came back to earth.

At which he turned and asked, "Shall we go?"

It was the sign she'd been waiting for.

Miyume relaxed, all the tension seeming to flow out of her. It wasn't quite the same harmony she'd felt between them before but it was close enough for her to deem it safe enough to proceed. Acting on some sort of inner impulse she couldn't quite understand, Miyume turned on the bench so she could give Mirai a rather awkward one armed hug around the waist. Then she let go, faced forward, and stood up.

"Sure. Let's go."

The smell of grilled beef had come into Mirai's nostrils as soon as he'd entered the room, absolutely silently and with great curiosity. He had looked around at everything he could set his eyes on. An open grill, whose charcoal flames and seared sides of meat made him rein in his hunger at a rapid pace. The diners talked around him. Finally, he had followed the serving girl and slid himself into his chair.

From it he had a decent view of the grill. He could imagine how, in the heat of summer, this place would be full of people. He turned his attention to Miyume. Finally, his lips broke into a smile so usual that even he couldn't be sure if it was genuine or the face he wore.

"I have always wanted to try Kobe beef," he said, his voice low, his eyes lingering on her. "So have anything you desire."

His smile widened, so slowly and widely that some mischief seemed to appear in his eyes. He was amused that it wasn't his money that was paying for this night out with one of his special friends. He knew exactly where he got his allowance from, and how to save it for special occasions.

That spark of mischief made her giggle. However, she didn't ask what was so amusing. She ran through options in her mind. Usually, she just ordered tofu dishes but maybe it was time to try something a little different.

"I'll try it, too," she said, smiling at Mirai. "It smells good in here."

"Yes, I think so too," said Mirai, eyeing her giggle. "You know that there's other things that smell equally good, right?"

Now she would see his eyes fill, not with mischief but suggestion, and his voice was so tempting. He was then turning his head from Miyume to his sight of the grill, feigning innocence.

Miyume eyed him with a deadpan expression.

"I want to try the Kobe beef," she confirmed. "It smells good and I've never had it before."

Mirai was looking back at her, with the suggestive smile still on his face. It was no wonder that some of the female students were scared or curious about jumping into bed with him, so to speak.

"Then you can try it with me," he said. "... If you like."

Miyume smiled with faintly triumphant glint in her eyes.

"Sharing sounds great."

Amusingly, Mirai's smile began to seem more satisfied then. He planted his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands. Then he looked at her. His left foot unhooked gently out of his shoe and there - under the shelter of the table away from eyes - he began to brush it lightly over her foot and up her ankle.

"I believe in sharing," he said agreeably.

Edited 2013-09-05 12:26 (UTC)

"What about sharing me?"

Miyume attempted to make the question sound casual but its seriousness still came through. There was no judgement in her voice, only a slight hint of nervousness. It was better to ask now than find out differently later.

Better to know exactly where we stand with each other now than find out later, she thought.

Mirai blinked. Evidently the question had made him think, and his face was possessed momentarily by avarice and lust - and a hurricane-like loss of control. It blew away, but he still seemed to have an appetite for something.

"Oh no," he said deeply. "I can't share you."

Miyume's expression remained calm. She was no surprised to see the greed, the lust, or even the lack of control. She was merely confirming what she had come to expect to be true.

"Will I have to share you?" she asked. Her voice was soft and gentle, like one might use to soothe a cornered, frightened animal. And once again, there was no trace of judgment, simply calm concern and kindness.

Mirai's eyes kept showing a feral instinct and intellect. There were hidden thoughts behind them, tinged dark like sunless water. He loved shrouding himself in these, and knew she would be disappointed for a moment when he gave a kind smile. He did not seem unperturbed when he said.

"Do you want to share me?"

Miyume sat quiet and still as she pondered her next words. One wrong move, one false word, and all the delicate work she'd done so far could be completely undone.

"I'd like to know that I'm not just another game to you. That I'm not investing too much in a person who is simply going to throw me away for the next pretty girl who comes along."

Her expression hardened just a fraction.

"My father was a man like that. He never gave me anything, not even his name. 'Hazama' is my mother's name, not his. He left us when I was a baby. I don't know what kind of man he is now, nor do I particularly care to know. He's dead to me."

She bowed her head a moment. Once she'd regained some of her composure, she looked up and she was back to her usual kind-hearted self.

"I won't cage you in a relationship you don't want. I'd like to keep you for myself but not at the expense of your comfort and autonomy."

There was another pause.

"Unless you don't want me to share you with others. Either way, I can adapt. The choice is yours."

Edited 2013-09-05 17:10 (UTC)

Despite her love and consideration, Mirai did not seem reassured when he drew his foot off her ankle and continued to smile. Frown lines appeared either side of his face. His eyes were deadish. He was a fool. The reason people said such things were to amuse themselves at your emotions and to force you to become involved in some sort of plan. Their earlier meeting, it seemed, had been done when he was head over heels in love with something new.

Regardless of his frustration, he leaned back in his chair and gave Miyume a genuine smile. He did not blame her. She was just doing what came naturally. So, since she would be acting like that anyway, perhaps he could do the same. He stirred merrily, and returned his foot - further up her leg.

"... Okay. I never thought you were a daddy's girl. Well then, I understand what it's like to be the child of a parent who won't think of you. You'll understand who I am now, won't you? Let's stop worrying." He dismissed their parents with a hand-waive. This card was one he still had to play.

She watched him, expression tinged with sadness and concern but neither did she seem surprised. Whatever had left him so damaged would require time, space, and patience to heal. All of which she could give him if he let her. But she knew better than anyone that you couldn't force a recovery. The healing process took time and a delicate touch. The feeling didn't come back immediately, it required careful stimulation over a prolonged period of time in order to promote growth.

Miyume gave Mirai a benevolent smile, even as she caught the heel of one shoe with the toe of the other and slipped it off her foot. She rested her chin in her hands, meanwhile stretching out her free leg to run her foot lightly up his leg. Well, what she hoped was lightly. Her pressure sensitivity in her feet still wasn't quite what it should be.

While she was doing this, Mirai leaned, in a slow and mysterious way, over the table with his left elbow. He pushed the plates aside with an extended thumb - his other hand, which was now drumming a slow rhythm on the table. The tender contact - if you could call it tender - did not have him falling at his feet to adore her. It was not that he hated her. He was simply surprised how physically firm she was being.

She would look up to see him looking at her in a dangerous way. It was just as well he had gotten her alone. His interest in her was becoming even deeper, if that was possible. There was nothing weak about the passion he was feeling. He burst into life and his foot came back to hers to hook it away, and then under the table he began playing to win.

The bright, carefree smile and otherworldly aura that graced Miyume just then would seem familiar to Mirai just then. It was the same mysterious quality that had appeared on the day they first met. Though hints of it had manifested here and there, this was the first time Miyume had shown herself completely since the first day of spring term.

She laughed, a pure, gleeful sound, as Mirai's footsie became more aggressive. However, rather than retaliating, she simply gave in to the onslaught.

There was a sparkle in her eyes that was both curious and a good less innocent than her smile suggested.

For Mirai this caused an excitement, if possible, greater than the thrill he got from tricking someone. His head tipped slowly when he realised he had come this far and how it couldn't have ended in anything else; in his experience, to see splendor amongst normality meant that he wanted to own it.

He leaned in closer to Miyume over the table, and the look on his face told her they were going to eat well indeed. Whatever she had been, she was hungry for something.

"Oh dear, I fear it's not as secluded as I hoped," he said, feigning disappointment. "It's as crowded as some as the places I've been, and that's quite enough. Well then, shall we order take out and go to the park?"

Miyume leaned in close as well, smiling coyly.

"It does seem a bit crowded in here," she said in a delicate, conspiratorial tone.

She cast a playfully furtive glance about the restaurant before meeting Mirai's eyes directly.

"It would be nice to go somewhere more private to eat. Takeout, it is."

"Then that's that."

He brought his purse on the table and began counting his money against the prices on the menu. Even if he wasn't poor, his chances of getting more money at this moment were slim. He glanced at Miyume and at the people sitting around them, and until the server came said no word of any kind.

He was paying his money and keeping his foot still. He was even more excited now and counting quickly. He stood after, returned his attention to Miyume and offered her his hand to use to stand before they went to collect their food and leave.

Miyume snuggled up to Mirai, cheeks flushed, and pleasantly breathless. They were laying on a blanket Mirai had spread out on the grass in a secluded area of the park. She had been amused, but not particularly surprised, that her date had prepared for this sort of outcome.

By some stroke of luck, the place that they'd chosen appeared to be free of any homeless people. Perfect for a quiet, late dinner and some time to themselves before going back to the school.

Mirai's arm climbed steadily to embrace her around the shoulder. He found himself supporting her head on his chest as it rose and fell, and was so satisfied by what had happened that he wasn't in need of more comfort. He was lying on his back and even beginning to appreciate the slow pace of things. There was also the deliberate testing of boundaries - though from how she didn't always bat away his fingers she must have enjoyed it too. And he enjoyed that feeling of being wanted.

That sensation made him sigh about it feeling so perfect. A remarkably short time after the fact, he was still on that cloud. And felt brilliant. The familiarity was comforting to him. When he had finished satisfying himself with his thoughts, he brought around his second arm to ensure she was held close before he brought them into a sitting position.

"I think I should tell you," he began saying, "that I appreciate what you told me about your father. I understand it takes much to reveal something that... hurtful."

Miyume smiled. The contact pleased her beyond words and it wasn't just the physical aspects of it. She felt like she was floating on a cloud of happiness, a far cry from her typical cloud of numbness she hid herself within so often. She could infer that he felt something similar to what she did, too, and that just made it that much more wonderful. That precious sense of harmony had returned.

"You do?"

She nuzzled him fondly. It'd been a gamble to tell him about her father but it seemed to have been the right card to play at the time. He'd needed to be better informed of the stakes he was playing with, as far as she was concerned. But it appeared to have served a fortunate, second purpose as well in creating a possible bridge between them.

"It doesn't bother me now as much as it used to. I've had years to adjust and other concerns eclipsed it with age. But still, I thank you."

Mirai sighed. His arms unwrapped. He sat alone beside her and leaned forward with a hand over his mouth. The thought of their similarity overtook him with a great dread because, for some reason, he could not bear it - it was like trying to climb a hill but never quite reach the top. And as his father would say he's anything but a hard worker.

He had raised the conversation but he had wanted to know. Now he wanted it changed.

"... Hmmm? I don't quite follow your logic in worrying over him. I told you not to, right?" His voice was kind, but it underlined his words with a warning - what he had said would end the matter. "The guard might not let us in, you know, or he'll report us." And he leaned back with his arms folded behind his head.

Miyume frowned, more than a little confused. One moment they'd been comfortable and simply enjoying being with each other and the next, he was slamming the door in her face and trying to lock her out. Would it be better if she simply didn't speak at all? She wanted to help him somehow but maybe he was like her and didn't really want to be helped? She just sat there, mentally running through options.

"I don't worry about my father because I have more immediate concerns. He's been out of my life since I was a baby," Miyume finally said after a long pause. "Why are you bringing up the guard now, Mirai?"

He hadn't seemed terribly concerned about the guard last time but maybe she'd been reading him wrong.

Mirai rolled over onto his side and lay there. He tried to relax with his back facing Miyume, watching shadows flicker underneath bushes and trees. It lulled him into security, restoring the shadows he used to cloak himself now he felt he didn't have any - again.

All he could think of to do was not get in trouble with the guard. He had no care for it. But he was a lazy man when it came to sorting out his own hassle. There was not so much a fear of the guard as working to clean up his mess.

To that, and her, he replied, "Because I wanted to change the subject." And because he could.

"Oh."

Miyume wasn't sure what else to say. Or even if she should say anything. She recalled how upset he'd gotten when that lady had brought up his father and how determined he'd been to cover it up in front of everyone. It'd been the night he'd confessed his feelings. They'd had their first real conversation that night. The bond between them had strengthened so quickly since then, that it felt like it had taken place much longer ago than it actually had.

After a moment, Miyume lay back down beside him, close enough for him realize she was there without imposing a connection.

Edited 2013-09-06 21:22 (UTC)

"You understand why, don't you?"

Hovering over him was the doubt she couldn't. He did not seem reassured when she turned and lay beside him, not just because he was afraid of what he could be feeling the next moment but also that he was in deep thought. He analysed the situations the best he could - which did not surprise him either, because using his mind helped him explain a lot of his problems. But most of his difficulty came from how other people responded to it - including himself.

Nevertheless, he rested his hands under his head and listened. It was telling him they had experienced their own at different ages, so he had to observe they couldn't understand how the other was feeling.

"I think I do. At least, part of it. I don't have all the details yet."

Miyume spoke slowly and carefully but there was an undercurrent of certainty to her words, as if she were recalling facts from a book rather than sharing conjecture.

"You have a bad relationship with your father and what happened at school isn't the first time he's hurt you," came the quiet statement.

Miyume had suspicions about his relationship with his mother, too, but not enough to share just yet even if she had been one to rely on logical analyses instead of instinct and hunches.

Edited 2013-09-06 22:37 (UTC)

Mirai's lips pursed, when he thought that he would have to say something about his father at last. She kept making observations about him, and he kept having to pull more shadows around himself, from this side and that. It was such hard work that he began casting them off, looking much lighter with the release from his worries. His smile became somewhat nicer and he sat up.

No. His shadows were still there. She wasn't going to be that lucky.

"How nice," he remarked dryly. "You're a smarter girl than you seem, Mii-chan."

Thanks for finally noticing.

That statement would have been unnecessarily harsh, however. Besides, the best wolves were the ones who dressed in sheep's clothing so perfectly it was impossible to separate them from the real sheep. Maintaining her ego wasn't worth sacrificing her primary means of survival or revealing her strategy too soon.

Miyume looked over at him and simply echoed his kind smile. Let him have his secrets, she mused. He couldn't keep her at bay forever. It was only a matter of time before he slipped up and she caught him napping again.

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Sometime after the restaurant, public park somewhere in Kobe

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