Prompt from Quiet. eclipse : Cars, Ramen, Yoda, Sunflower, the idea of peaceful resolution.
So yeah, dedicated to Quiet. eclipse for making such a random prompt which actually sparked something in my mind. And yes, it's still a happy story.
Two Way Street
by Autumn Win-Dow
Mikan liked the street the best when it was summer.
She found the carefully tended flower beds a wonderful sight to see every morning – it was a sea of vibrant colour which had the ability to lift her spirits every morning. Her neighbour Anna was a particular enthusiast for home economics – including gardening – and Mikan often envied her for the evident contrast between the pink haired woman's flower beds to her own.
It was why Anna would cleanly snip a vibrant sunflower from her bed and give it to Mikan every week, so that she would have her own beautiful flower in her house every day.
Whenever she walked home, she would pass a ramen store situated at the corner of the street. Sometimes, when she managed to get a whiff of the noodles and soup cooking from within, her feet would lead her towards the entrance.
Mikan had always loved food, and it was the reason why she always entered the ramen store after work, and would eat one large bowl already prepared by the owner – of whom she had already become acquainted with. The feeling she would have after emptying the bowl was painful for her full stomach. Her mouth would burn from the chilli powder, and her lips would feel warm from opening her mouth as wide as possible from trying to fit as much of the ramen in her mouth as possible.
But nonetheless, she would always leave the ramen store satisfied.
On the way home from work, she would always encounter a young child named Yoichi, who lived five doors down from her home. He was a boy who was fascinated with space related movies and series. Mikan was often stunned at the quotes which Yoichi – a young seven year old boy who didn't know of the world's hardships – could dictate by heart.
She enjoyed listening to him, though.
He particularly liked quoting Yoda from Star Wars. He held a particular fondness for the iconic character and his wise words.
Mikan could remember a time when she was in an animated conversation with his mother, of whom had invited her to a barbecue on the weekend. Unsure if she was free on that day, she had said that she would try to attend – only to be interrupted by Yoichi.
"No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try."
Mikan felt that the boy was too smart for his age – or that his life was full of coincidences.
Natsume liked the street best when it was autumn.
Even though he wouldn't admit such a thing, he enjoyed watching the orange leaves drift and gather at the sides of the road. He was never the type who enjoyed suburban scenery, but the particular street which he drove through would eradicate the stress which he experienced at work every day.
He always found himself slowing down his car as soon as he turned the corner into the street. Natsume would lift his foot from the accelerator as he instinctively straightened his back and watched the occurrences in front of him.
Natsume either slowed down at the street, or drove as fast as the speed limit to reach the street sooner.
It was something which he never really intended to do, but in the end, he would do it more than willingly. He decided that rather than the urban traffic near his work, he much preferred the calm suburban street.
The man would leisurely tap the leather of his steering wheel and even more strangely, would enjoy the melodic tunes of the music playing through the in-built radio. The car seat felt much more comfortable than usual, and he was able to smell the leather as if some unknown source had amplified its wonderful smell. He was also able to relax his arms, since he wasn't required to turn the wheel as he drove along the street.
The street made him act in a way that would be considered completely out of character, but he wasn't able to help it.
There was a definite reason why he felt more light hearted than usual when he drove.
He never encountered people directly as he crossed the street, but he always observed – students animatedly chatted as they walked home in a group, Koko mowed the lawn in front of his house as his wife Sumire watched on while drinking a can of Sprite, and occasionally, a man returning from the army would tearfully reunite with his family.
Natsume felt more optimistic than usual. He couldn't help but miss the days when he had attended high school – when things were much easier in life, and the biggest problems were the final exams for university and trying to get the girl you loved.
Even though he had already succeeded in both, he still missed those moments.
Eventually, Natsume would reverse park into his house's garage. At the same time, Mikan would have finished talking to Yoichi and his mother, and she would walk towards the entrance of her own home – only to notice that the man in the car had beaten her home.
For both of them, meeting each other halfway was the best part of travelling along the street. Mikan would welcome him home with a smile, and he would retort with the fact that she had arrived basically at the same time as him. They would laugh, kiss, and enter the home after a long day of work.
They would never find out that the other residents along the street found the couple's meeting halfway a pleasant sight to see every day.
They both had their own routines as they started travelling down the street, from different sides. But it was a two-way street, and they would always meet at the same time, halfway.
Things were happy for both of them as they travelled along the street, because they knew that they were minutes away from seeing one another, at their home.
They expected the day to end peacefully, as they encountered each other halfway.
And so it did.
A/N: I felt too angsty from the fic I wrote a couple of hours ago, so here's another one. Wow, I feel really relieved. I hope you guys liked this! :D
