When all is said and done, do friendships really stand?
There was to much yeast in the bread and to much parsly in the cheese topping, but the girl didn't complain as she spread some more icing on it.
The teller for the small shop had given her quite the odd look when she had ordered the side of icing.
Sipping her chocolate milk she stared out the window in to the pouring rain.
She often came to this shop to sit in the corner booth and stare out at the river, alone with her thoughts.
Today was dark and stormy, blurring the image of the of the empty park across the way.
"Would you just look at the miserable weather out there. Radio says it's going to keep up like this all weekend." said a lady to an employee as she was leaving.
"I like the rain." the girl whispered to herself, not glancing away from the window, "It keeps the people away."
"and what would you call yourself then Miho?" came a friendly male tone
The girl didn't move at all, she simply kept watching the water on the window as she replied still quiet
"Dead Kyo. I'd call myself dead."
"You look perfectly alive to me."
Kyo smiled at her as she turned to weatch him sit down across from her.
"Then stop looking with your eyes." seh stated sharply as she stodd and walked out of the cafe and into the storm.
"To many things have changed since that day." Kyo sighed to himself as he watched Miho walk away, never looking back
"Do you think she'll ever snap out of it Ryder?"
Turning Kyo looked to another boy stepping up beside the table
"We all changed Kyo. It's not a matter of 'snapping out if it'. Miho lost herself back then, and it almost cost her all of us. She refuses to place us in any type of position where she might have us harmed. Indirectly or otherwise."
"So after all this looking we're just going to let her dissapear agian?"
"I'll go and talk to her."
"You want me to come?"
"I think it would be better if you didn't. Better still if you didn't follow either."
Ryder paused as he glanced at Kyo,
"She's not as trusting and won't stick around to talk if someone else is watching. We saw that here."
Kyo nodded as Ryder headed for the door
"Alright. I'll meet back up with you later then."
Ryder found Miho only a couple of blocks away, around a corner in a small allyway.
She was leaning against a wall, arms crossed upon her chest and face uplifted.
Her mask of antisocializem was down now as she seemed to be enjoying the pouring rain as it hit her skin.
"So there is some emotion other then fear left in there."
Miho let her smile fall away as Ryder stepped in front of her, smiling himself, hands in his pockets looking relaxed.
He didn't smile like that normally, it was,.. kind of nice.
"Only false hopes and lost dreams." she said quietly, more to herself then him.
"Stop hiding Miho. You cna go home now. The wa-"
"I can go home" Miho snapped as she leveled a dark glare on him, "You where there. You saw what happened Ryder."
"Yes. I saw it wasn't your fault to."
Ryder remained calm and unphased, just like he had always been.
Miho stepped forward from the wall trying to choke back adn hide her tears.
Her old friends being here was grinding on some old scars that she wanted left alone.
"It was my actions that led to what happened, " Miho stopped, her emotions where getting the better of her
"Miho," Ryders voice softened as he stepped towards her
"No!" she yelped falling back on the wall
Ryder could see panic edging into them as she worked to remain calm.
After a few moments she spoke again.
"No."
Her voice was quiet like before, änd she seemed to be calmed once more
"Ryder."
"Hrm?"
"Why are you really here?"
"Heh, I was wondering if you would finnally ask."
"I'm not dumb Ryder." Miho's eyes narrowed "You left me to myself this long."
"I came to give you this."
Pulling a hand from his pocket, Ryder held out a small diskett to her, she knew those disks...
"Ryder,.."
"It;s a mission disk Miho. Take it or leave it." Ryder stated, his old calm tone returned
Miho's thoughts raced.
Did she want to know why he was here after all this time?
What was worth this trouble that he would want her?
Apparently her curiousity hadn't dimished much despite everything else aboout her that seemed to have.
Looking up Miho meet a very dark questioning gaze from Ryder
"You do still have it?"
Miho returned the glare with one of confidence, not the slightlest sign of any of the fear that had resided in her only a moment ago.
Everything about this had just changed.
She knew, at least in part just what this was all about.
"Hai."
"It's needed Miho."
Reachign over Miho took the still offered disk from Ryder,
"I make no promises about this."
Ryder turned away and began his way back towards the end of the ally
"None of us ever did. Go solo or whatever. Doesn't matter to me."
"Who said I was coming?"
Miho never got a reply other then a shrug from Ryders back as he rounded the corner adn dissapeared from veiw.
