Steinherz wrote:A special shout out/thanks to Umber. Not only is she helping me with ideas/punctuation she's also the reason why Scene 3 became Scenes 3 and 4 Essentially I sent her scene 3, asked for opinions... and well it's now two scenes. When I sent it it was only around 1,800 words. Before the second half was finished it was over 2,500 words. and I like to keep my chapters/scenes shorter for ease of reading. Truth be told, Scenes 3 and 4 are effectively Umber's creation. I sowed the seeds, but they flourished for Umber better than I XD
I'm liking where this is going. I'm glad you ditched the third person narrative style. It's much better having Miki tell the story rather than a mysterious bystander
I also love how you're squeezing comedy into the fic. Not many fics I've read recently have much comedic value, in fact, most of what I read isn't funny in the slightest, but I do love the jokes that are appearing frequently in the newest chapters. The ending to scene 3 in particular
I think Stein took to heart my little suggestion that the fic must .be. FUN. Miki's a ball of fun.
"Nothing is beneath man. Everything is permitted."
"...since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved. However, it is important above all to avoid being hated."
YZQ wrote:I think Stein took to heart my little suggestion that the fic must .be. FUN. Miki's a ball of fun.
Ok, I'm going to state this again. Umber not me, is the source of this version of Scene 3. Mine was far, far more dull.
But I am going to try to add more comedy to my writing for this story. especially for later when Hanako becomes involved.
But thank you all.
(seriously though, stop giving me all the praise, Umber is the co-author/editor. She deserves some {okay a lot really } praise as well)
Considered Umber co-opted then. And yes, I think she likes Miki to be fun.
"Nothing is beneath man. Everything is permitted."
"...since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved. However, it is important above all to avoid being hated."
Mirage_GSM wrote:Very good internal monologue. Kudos to whoever is responsible.
Miki's internal monologue almost seems a bit like Suzu's in this chapter... perhaps our narcoleptic blue-haired sidekick is rubbing off on ol' Stumpfist, eh? I kid, I kid.
Mirage_GSM wrote:Very good internal monologue. Kudos to whoever is responsible.
Miki's internal monologue almost seems a bit like Suzu's in this chapter... perhaps our narcoleptic blue-haired sidekick is rubbing off on ol' Stumpfist, eh? I kid, I kid.
But seriously, I'm digging this fic. Props.
*holds up a sign that reads, "We love Scissorlips!"*
It’s Saturday. Which would normally mean a half day of classes, but Emi and I aren’t going to deal with that today. I meet up with her at the track and we have our usual run, she beats me only just barely. Again, I spend most of the time focused on her backside due to her being ahead of me.
I know I shouldn't be looking this much, but it's only impolite to stare if no one notices, right? Tiny thing she is, that girl. Beating me in every race.
She begins to slow down and I follow suit. Up. Move your eyes.
“I think that’s enough for today.” Emi turns around to face me. She’s a little flushed in the face. “I don’t want to be completely tired for our walk.”
“Makes sense. I think this is a good point to stop, too.” I give her an encouraging smile, to which she turns her head a little, her eyes to the side. She's huffing a bit for air, but I can see a hint of red on her cheeks. Is she trying to hide a blush? No, that's just the blood circulating. Probably, we just ran. Yeah. That's it.
Maybe...?
This is another stupid train I need to hop off. I shake the thought out of my mind.
“I guess I’ll see you at the gate?” Emi asks, her breathing almost completely back to normal. Woah.
“You know it. I thought you were gonna take a shower, first.”
“I need to go see the Nurse. You know, to make sure my prosthetics are alright." She points to those bent metal legs of hers.
“Ah, okay. Later, then.”
We agree to meet at the front of the school. I wave to her and head back to the girl’s dorm. The whole walk, and I’m still thinking on that one little thing, though, as I enter the showers.
Was she blushing? Because I smiled at her? Huh, wonder why. It's not like she's explicitly told me she's into other girls, and the only two I see herself hanging out with in public are Rin and I. She's hardly lovers with Tezuka, as far as I know. And I don't know a whole lot. It's a possibility. Hell, I'm a possibility, if that logic applies.
I silently laugh to myself, smirking at the comments in my head, before another thought makes me freeze on the spot. No --
Wait, am I blushing? Am I blushing? Oh. Hell. No. No.
I rush to a nearby mirror and puff my cheeks out a little. Left, all good. Right? No, everything seems to be fine. Pinch. No blood, alright. My eyes are still a little red from my nap, but nothing else has a pink hue.
More train tracks! Get it together, Miki, you can do -- Hold on. No one says that unless they're breaking down...
Just shut up. Shut the fuck up, jeez. Don't psych yourself out.
I get in the shower, letting the water run down my body. Bar of soap in hand, sliding the suds across my arm, my calves. It's comfortable, soothing. I stand there for a while, routinely washing myself. It takes my mind off of things, for a little bit. That is, until I have to worry about my missing hand. What am I supposed do then? Elbow-ninja that bar of soap across? Skin-and-soap sandwich, balancing a slippery square trying to clean myself? The same questions everyday, except now, they're trying to cover up something else.
I listen to the stream of water splashing against the top of my head, the droplets that fall from my hair to the tile floor. Can't keep it out of my thoughts, can't distract myself from it long enough. This shouldn't be bothering me so much. I don't know why it is.
Does she have a crush on me?
The phrase echoes more and more as I bathe. Yeah, she is kind of cute; a bit competitive, but I am as well. That's why we're track partners. Nutshell. That's all. Nothing more.
But it could be more...
Damn it, Miki. It's only been a week, even if it feels like a month. A year, even, maybe two. You don't know a lot, you don't know enough.
Cutting off the shower, I take out my silent frustration on a towel, drying my body and wringing the wetness out of my hair.
I guess I'll just have to ask her one day.
***
I head to the gate and see that Emi's already there. She’s in her casual clothes; they suit her pretty well. Pretty. Uh, well. Pretty well. Stop fumbling, act normal.
I wave when she turns towards me. She smiles and waves back. All good. Sweet.
“I’m guessing you’re all set?”
“You betcha‘,” I say, flashing her a grin. Nothing compared to that cheery, hyped-up smile of her's. But still.
“Alright. Well, come on, we have to walk there.”
We get to the park, and it's looking mostly empty. I haven’t been here that much, but I’d still kind of expect there to be some people relaxing on a Saturday, at least. Trees swaying in the breeze, benches looking warm and inviting, though they're not the reason one would go to the park. Our shoes clack against the stone path underneath our feet, a rhythm of nothing in particular. I'm normally a do-something-not-nothing person, but a walk like this with Emi is -- isn't -- uncomfortable. It's comforting.
She hasn’t spoken much on our way here, so I decide to break the silence.
“So Emi, why exactly did we come to the park?”
She seems to take a short second to think, her eyes a little distant. The memory of Rin in the dormitory hallways crosses my mind. “No reason, I kind of wanted to relax a bit. Stress from school needed to be let out, y’know?”
I nod a bit. Something tells me something's up, but I won't push that something against Emi. She wanted to relax.
“Yeah, I know that feeling," I reply, looking at the scenery around us.
Emi's walk slows down to a small halt. She's facing my direction, her head turned towards mine, perusing some thoughts.
“Hey, can you wait here? I need to use the restroom."
“Huh? Oh yeah, I can.”
She heads off towards the market, towards the public lavatories. I'm left just standing there with nothing to do. Time to start staring at the shrubbery.
It's not too bad. The park isn't huge, but it fits the setting in its own way. You don't get much nature in Yamaku, save for a few trees here and there, and the open air's nice once in a while. I can see how this would help Emi relax, even though I'm not really sure what for.
I wait for a little bit before I hear some unsteady running. Remembering that Emi's not wearing her track prosthetics, I turn around, greeted by the sight of the legless wonder herself, who's waving an arm above her head as if to announce her arrival.
“I’m back,” she exclaims. As she gets closer, I can see her slipping a bit. She's really not used to those imitation limbs, like she's walking on stilts, and then maybe keeping them for a bike ride. On a unicycle. Extremely difficult to balance. I wonder if Emi knows how to ride a bike --
"Aah!"
Emi's scream cuts right through my thoughts, and I see her falling towards me, arms outstretched in front of her. She's going too fast to intercept the stumble with her feet, collision is imminent. Oh, boy. Oh, shit.
[Catch her, before she falls]
[Move out of the way]
> [Frown and wait for the pain]
Nope. No way I'm gonna get this girl. My arms can't handle a tumbling Emi, I'd literally need a hand. A couple hands. Not enough time to move away, and if I did, well, I'd be a bitch to sidestep.
I roll my eyes. Here we go, I think to myself, as she crashes into me.
The impact sends me flying, throwing me off my feet and back-first into the grass. We slide about a foot's length before stopping, a disgruntled Emi on my chest, the wind knocked out of me. When the stars finally disappear, I glance downwards at Emi's face. Her eyes seem to be rolling around in her head, all cartoon-esque. Like me, she's in pain, but nothing too serious. There's probably a huge grass-skid-mark stain on the back of my shirt now, from all that sliding, but no blood, so there's that. It counts for something.
Emi's eyes focus, though I can tell she's still a little dazed. After a while, her brain finally registers the fact that she's on top of me, and is then reminded of who put us both in that position. Eyebrows go up, her lids fly open. Is that panic, I see? Man.
Cheerful Emi gone in three, two...
“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! I'm sorry, Miki! Sorry! Are you ok?” She starts babbling frantically, spitting out apologies faster than machine-gun fire. Boom.
Houston, we have lift off.
I'm about to open my mouth to tell her that I'm fine, but something grabs my attention. Grabbing more than just my attention, a lot more. Really tightly, too. Um. Uhm.
Fuck.
I stare for a couple more seconds, then turn my attention back to Emi. She hasn't run out of ammunition. Pew, pew, bullets everywhere, words going off a mile a minute. She can't even run a lap that quickly.
I decide to say something before the blood rushes to my cheeks. If it hadn't already, that is.
“Hey, Emi, I'm fine. Really, it's all good."
She ignores me completely, unaware of what's making me uncomfortable. Sorry's, Forgive me's, Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta, pew, pew.
I don't think she remembers she's still squishing me to death, so I lift my torso up by the shoulders and get ready to yell into her face. I won't swear, of course. Seems like nothing else'll get her to stop.
"EMI!"
Waterlogged. She goes silent, looking at my irritated expression. I think I've started to blush, damn it. Those green circles on her face show worry, but they're all but oblivious to...
"Hey, Emi?"
"Yeah?"
"Mind slowing down and relaxing a bit? I'm fine, I'm not hurt, everything's okay," I say, trying to reassure her.
She frowns, those thin eyebrows closing on each other. Her lips purse, and it look like she's going to go on with her rant. My instinct is to interrupt her before she can, but she beats me to it.
"You sure? Look, I'm just not used to running with these, and there was a rock, and I'm really sorry, Miki, I'msosorryplease-"
The words quickly mesh together again. I tune her out, closing my eyes and falling back on the grass, sighing in exasperation. This girl doesn't quit, does she? I'm just going to spit it out, that's the best thing to do. Spit it. There's no point in modesty anymore, really.
“You're grabbing my boob,” I blurt out.
Without even opening my eyes to check, I can tell her face is undergoing massive changes. Surprise, confusion. Disbelief, realization, more surprise. Embarrassment. You could almost hear the blood rushing to her cheeks --
"Hurk--Nngah!!" Ow, ow! Jeez, mother...!
You know those movies when something big happens? And people tense up? And they clench their hands into fists, but there's something in said hand, and it breaks?
Ow...
“Oh god, I’m sorry.” She pulls her hand away nervously.
I take a couple deep breaths, until the pain dims itself down.
“I didn't tell you to stop.”
Wait, wh -- Oops. Where'd that come from? That wasn't supposed to...
No, nope. Nope. Nonono.
I open my eyes. Her cheeks are a couple shades of red darker than Rin's hair. Damn it. Damn it.
You done goofed, Miki.
“What?” she asks. Those fingers that were previously tugging at my shirt seconds ago have now curled themselves up into a ball. Emi's expression is...shocked, to say the least, but there's no anger. Just surprise, with a hint of curiosity. No fury that commonly erupts from people who didn't quite grasp what happened in front of them.
Okay, there should be a better word than grasp. Understand, yes. That's it. Didn't quite understand. Confusion. Confused people, Emi.
I smile a nervous smile in response to her nervous question.
"I, uh. That wasn't. Heh. Accident. No, I mean, uhm," I manage to mumble. Attempt at clarification goes awfully awry. Emi's expression stays the same, her cheeks are still red, but...
She's looking at me. In a different way. More curious than surprised, now.
"You...You don't mind me grabbing your...er, boob?” She returns the nervous smile. That last word might've been eligible to be registered as negative decibels. Still embarrassed, it seems. I can relate.
I let my head rest on the grass, eyes at the sky. I messed up. Huge. All I can do now is give her the truth, or whatever you call it. Even if it's...painfully awkward.
“It's finally someone other than me fondling them, so no. Not really."
She blushes even more at that. Too soon?
“Miki, are you…Um, y'know...” She's hesitant, and I can see why. This must be touchy for her, but I don't care. Things are pretty close to hitting rock bottom, as far as I know.
“Lesbian? No. Bisexual? Yes,” I reply, simply and honestly.
“Oh. I -- I didn’t know.”
“I don't think anyone does." The phrase ends with a sigh, sounding a lot more depressing than I wanted it to. "It’s not like I run around shouting it to the world, like some people. Guys and girls, they're both...okay. There's nothing wrong with wanting a little bit of both worlds. Not much difference, right?”
Emi thinks this through, even though I hadn't said much. “I see your point,” she murmurs, nodding. Hopefully she's not thinking about the specificities of those differences, eurgh.
Her body is still on top of mine, but neither of us is doing anything to change that. Here we are, two high school girls with missing limbs, lying down on top of each other in a public park. A few glances might've been thrown in our general direction, as this isn't something you'd typically see every day. Not that I care.
The silence carries on, Emi seems to be thinking. Thinking about what to think. About what just happened. Man, today just turned into a total car wreck. Why do I get the feeling that metaphor is completely out of place?
We're on the fence, both of us wanting to say something, but not wanting to speak up, even though we feel like we should. My mind goes back to our morning runs, when I thought I caught her blushing. When I smiled.
And the showers.
Should I ask her now?
Another glance at Emi. She's fidgeting, lightly wringing her hands, getting ready to say something. No way to tell if what's coming out of her mouth will turn things into bad or better. For better or for worse. I have to try. I guess it's now, or...
“Also, Emi, I actually think you’re kind of cute.”
It takes her off guard, and her cheeks turn ten hues darker. The grass, and everything but my face seem to be the most interesting things to her right now. She won't return my gaze, and I'm not sure if she can. Or if she wants to.
She lays a palm on the ground, twirling a blade of grass between her fingers. "Do you really think so?" Her voice is sincere, innocent. Adorable.
It's so cute, so damn cute, and of all things, she has to ask me to clarify. Clarify. Because -- Because -- because she doesn't think --
"Pfffft."
A snicker escapes my lips, and it snowballs into a laugh, resonance in the sound escaping my lungs, hanging in the air. Emi starts giggling, and pretty soon, we're both in a fit, laughing for the sake of laughing. She lowers her head onto my neck, trying to hide the fact she's cracking up more than I am, and I put my good hand up to ruffle her hair.
She didn't take my laughter the wrong way. It feels good, the mood change lifting a great weight off my shoulders, all that tension, even if there's still a tiny girl on the rest of my body.
“Yes, I do, Emi. Very much so. I'd be an idiot to try and deny it otherwise," I chuckle, smiling to myself.
She brings her head back up again, but still won't turn her eyes towards me. There's a -- ah, something on her face. A mix of a grin, a smirk, a grimace or two, maybe. The red hasn't been completely washed away from her cheeks, but it's there. At least she's happier, albeit a tad abashed.
“Miki, is this your way of saying you like me?” That sincerity. She's trying to come off as innocuous, but the effort alone makes it all the more charming, pretty.
I take a second to think this through. Hm. Is it?
“I guess. I didn’t plan on asking you out, ‘cause, um. 'Cause I didn’t know how you’d react.”
She nods. “Okay. It's just...I need some time to think on it.”
“All right, then." Phew. Saved. Hallelujah. I live another day. "Hey, just one thing?”
“Hm?”
“Can you get off of me, pretty please?”
“Oh, sorry.” Hey, look. There's where that blush went.
Emi picks herself up with her arms. Oh, my chest. I can breathe again.
She offers her hand, which I gingerly grab, and helps me get back up on my feet. We start brushing the grass off of our clothes, though on further examination, my shirt's been ruined. Streak of green right along the back, and there's a rip on my left sleeve. Cheap, crappy cotton. Oh well, it's not like the manufacturers had designed these things for protection against high-velocity collisions delivered by a disabled track star. I don't think anyone has.
The sky shows the tiniest hint of orange. Emi and I glance at each other, but she decides to head on back to the market, with me at her side. We end up circling around, walking up and down streets, wandering back and forth some that we might've already been on. Neither of us say a word, but it's a comfortable silence. She wanted time, er. She needed time. To think.
We walk a few miles, for a few hours, and we start drifting back to Yamaku. As we’re getting near the school, Emi taps me on the shoulder, trying to get my attention.
“Hey, Miki?” Uh oh. Here it comes.
“Yeah?”
“I’ve thought on it," she says, her voice still. No strain, complete verbal composure.
“And?” I try to do the same, try to keep my voice from going an octave high, try to look calm. Try, try does not imply success. This shouldn't be difficult, this shouldn't be making me worried. Why am I worried? Am I worried? I think I'm nervous. Don't start shaking, Miki, don't --
“Close your eyes for a second," she murmurs.
I take a deep breath, shake the thoughts and all the doubts out of my head. Inhale, exhale, inhaleexhaleinhale.
“Okay.”
I close my eyes, and everything goes dark. No sight, no sounds, except for the ones that manage to stray far away enough from the market, the neighboring roads in the distance. A few more moments of silence, nothingness. The air brushes my hair to the side, though the atmosphere feels still and unmoving.
There's a bit of shuffling, the sway of fabric in the breeze. A small warmth touches my neck, my side, my torn shirt. It stops, hesitant, and it slowly brushes my cheek. It caresses my lips, a light heat, and pushes. Pushes itself, giving itself to me, it's...wait. Wait, wait --
My eyes fly open, and to my amazement, I find Emi, an arm wrapped around my waist, a hand on my collar, pulling me towards her. Her mouth, those lips, soft and luscious, against mine, locked together, embracing.
Oh God, she's kissing me. She's kissing me. We're making out. Emi. Here. With me. Outside. What, what do I do? I'm going haywire. This is crazy! Now? Help, I need...Emi, I'm. I. I --
"Mmph!~"
I can’t help but let a slight squeal of shock. My cheeks, it feels like they're on fire. Emi pulls away, a tired but satisfied smile on her face. She moves her other arm around my midsection, joining the opposite. The intimacy of it all, how she's wrapped herself around me, is driving me insane. I wouldn't be surprised if my heart gave out at this exact moment.
“Emi," I pant, out of breath. "What was that?”
She tilts her head to the side, biting her lip, staring into my eyes.
“I thought about it, and I...I decided. That was my decision.”
“A...a kiss?”
“Yes.” She sticks her tongue out a little bit. God, she's really cute.
The words come out, in one ear, out the other. They sound a little meshed. I haven't felt this dazed since, since she ran me into the ground at the park.
"Does...Does this mean you want to...?"
“You haven’t asked me yet, silly,” she remarks in a singsong voice.
Huh. She does have a point, I guess I never got the chance, in the park...
Okay Miki, you can do this. Your chance is now. This is that chance. This is your chance.
“Emi...would you like to go out with me?”
“Hmm. I don’t know…” She puts on a frown, an eyebrow raised, looking to the side. Is that doubt? Is she reconsidering? Was this all just for fucking nothing then--
“Sure, why not.” She looks up at me and smiles mischievously, knowing that my heart skipped a beat, or forty. Incredulous, written all over my face, but she's enjoying what she's reading.
Such a tease. You scared me, Emi. Allow me to return the favor.
It's my turn to deliver an unexpected kiss. I tilt her chin up, hold her by the side of the head, and lock lips. She makes a muffled squeak, indicating that she wasn't expecting it. High-pitched and surprised, but not frightened, though that might've have been an added bonus in the end. A taste of her own medicine.
Success! This feels good, feels nice, it tastes so --
You know, I should keep myself in check. I could lose myself with this girl.
I wrap my arms around her and hold her closer, as she did with me. When I finally do pull away, she’s blushing heavily, eyes never breaking contact with mine. Her breathing is erratic, short, staccato. Adorable. Huh, that word's starting to fit her well.
“So, now what?” Emi quietly asks. She genuinely has no idea on what to do, and neither do I. A simple suggestion, for now, will have to suffice, as my neural networks are too convoluted to try and think about anything else. Other than what's happened in the past couple of minutes. She might be feeling the same way, too.
“Well, we should probably head on back to school, and think on where this is going to go.”
She nods and moves to my right, as we walk back to the school and towards the girl’s dorms together.
About midway up the stairs, Emi's hand brushes against mine. I take the opportunity to give her's a squeeze, and that left her blushing for a short while.
The red suits her face really well. Maybe I'll be able to see it more in the future. Hey, maybe making her blush could be a new hobby of mine. I know I would enjoy doing it to her. Er, making her blush, that is. Not, uh. That. It's only the first day, and I really shouldn't be getting ahead of myself.
Hm, Miki. You're a naughty girl.
Once we reach her dorm. Emi turns to me, a little breathless from more than just the walk. It's apparent that I'm not the only one who's going to be taking the night to process everything, though, despite her exhaustion, a smile still manages to crawl on her face.
"Tomorrow morning, then," she says wearily.
I give her a weak grin. "Yeah, morning. I'll, uh. I'll see you later, Emi."
I give her a quick peck on the cheek before she walks inside her room. She freezes in surprise, and turns her head to meet my awkward, embarrassed expression.
"Sorry. You left yourself open, couldn't let it go to waste," I mumble.
Her normally cheery mood returns for a split second, as she punches me lightly in the shoulder.
"...Jerk," she replies, with her tongue sticking out as she closes the door behind her.
I give myself a mental pat on the back as I head over to my dorm. My shoulders are sloped downwards at would should be a physically impossible angle, my walk is slow and sluggish. But my mind is racing -- scratch that, since it's a little tired. Fast-walking around the track, left foot forward, right foot. Emi looks nice from behind, when she runs, maybe even better when she walks...
Ha, ha. My thoughts are making no sense to me right now. Wasted, high on life, on her. I need a break, before I break my back. Before Emi does, that girl is deadly when she runs. Into people. Into me.
I open my dorm door and shut it from the inside. Shedding my clothes, opting for a tank-top and pajamas, I flop onto the bed, arms spread, face first. I'm happy, I think. Reminiscing on what happened in the park, on what happened on the walk back to Yamaku, things turned out rather well. A shirt gone, but I...I got to make out with Emi. She even agreed to start dating.
With a girl. A girl. Named Miki.
I giggle into my pillow. Congratulations. Whoever that girl is, she's one lucky fella.
again, thank Umber for the amazing work of editing/fixing/making the story so much better XD.
I am now starting work on scene 5 so expect to see it... sometime this month hopefully XD
Last edited by Steinherz on Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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