Yet another piece I wrote about a month ago elsewhere. It takes place between episode 7 and 8 during season 3, primarily after Hibiki ran away from her father. This is just an interpretation of course of the many possibilities that could have happened. But I've always wondered how they, or Miku, managed to find Hibiki or where she ran off to or how Miku thought of the idea to set something up with Hibiki and her father to talk back in Tokyo.

So yeah, it's possible I may write a part two to this, been debating it for a while, but for now I'll say this is it. Hope it's enjoyable!

I obviously don't own any of the characters.

"Hibiki!"

Her friend faded away into the darkness, leaving them with rushed gasps and shoes slapping against concrete. The sound diminished, leaving Miku and the stranger alone in silence. No, he wasn't a stranger anymore, he was a person she remembered as a child. The teenager turned to face him, her eyes taking in every piece of his appearance; his hair has gotten longer while his chin was a bit more rugged due to brief facial hair. This wasn't the man she remembered as a child.

He never turned away from the direction Hibiki ran, forcing Miku to finally speak up.

"You're…mister Tachibana?"
"Oh, uh," he turned to face her, "…yes. So you are Miku. It's been so long since I've seen you!"
"Well, um," Miku took a few steps back, "…it has been a while. But will you be here later? I need to go find Hibiki."
"Of course! I work here overnight so if you need me, just come back. I can't believe that was Hibiki. Wow, how long has it been?"

He continued to ramble on, with a small grin on his face, before Miku turned to run.
'He looked…happy.' Seeing it repeat in her mind made Miku run faster.

"Hibiki! Hibiki!" Where did she run off to? It's dark, late, and they were set to leave tomorrow morning. Perhaps she went back to base? With each passing street light, Miku became increasingly worried but refused to stop.

'I need to find her. I need to find her. Hibiki, where are you?'

That man; his name was Akira Tachibana, right? She remembered him being playful, outgoing and positive. Miku believed Hibiki got most of her traits from him but…seeing him now left her conflicted emotions. After learning he left his family, Miku chose to never question Hibiki or her family about it ever again. Hibiki took great lengths to pretend her father was never there in her life, even to the point Miku believed her friend erased him out of her mind entirely.

To watch Hibiki rarely smile during those years was unbearable and to see her run away after seeing him only brought back her concerns. There was a part of Miku that was angry with Hibiki's father; how could he abandon his family at such a crucial time? Why did he choose to do so? Even after seeing him again, it felt as if he didn't seem effected by seeing his daughter run off. Yet at the same time, she believed that staying angry with him wouldn't do any good—it wasn't her place to be angry. It was up to Hibiki…wasn't it? Was she looking into it too much or were her worries well-spent?

Miku paced herself, slowing down to a walk once she saw everyone still on the beach. The firecrackers felt like an afterthought now. Miku failed to realize how heavy she was panting until Kirika poked her right shoulder.
"Hey, Miku, are you okay? You're out of breath!"
"Did you run all the way back here?" Shirabe spoke up, standing besides Kirika. Miku lightly smiled, taking the time to finally gather herself.

"I did, but I'm okay. But have you seen Hibiki?"
"No, we haven't seen her. Didn't you two go to the store together?" Kirika questioned.
"We did but—"
"Did that idiot eat up the whole store and get in trouble?" That was none other than Chris and even though she couldn't help but chuckle, Miku quickly shook her head.
"She ran off and I can't find her."
"Eh? How come?" Kirika dragged while Shirabe nodded her head in agreement.

"I…" Miku stopped; was it wise to tell them the truth? None of them knew about Hibiki's family life and maybe it's the way she wished to keep it. If Hibiki wished to inform them, then she should do it. Miku felt more eyes on her as she stayed silent, finally looking back towards Kirika and Shirabe.
"I…can't say, but she ran off without me and I can't find her anywhere. I was hoping she came back here but…" It was bubbling to the surface now.
"Hey, don't worry about it! We'll help you, dess!" Once again, Shirabe nodded her head in agreement with Kirika.

"If there's something wrong, I'm sure she'll be okay and come back soon."
"Yeah! Like Shirabe said! But in the meantime, we should go look for her!"

Chris snorted.
"Having you two wandering around late at night doesn't sound like a good idea. Might be wise for you both to stay here."
"No fair! We can handle ourselves, y'know!" Shirabe furiously nods in agreement while Chris glared at them both.
"Who the hell cares!? You're going to stay here while I'll go and look for that idiot. She shouldn't be wandering around town at night either, even if she could take care of herself."

Miku watched the faces of Shirabe and Kirika twist in disappointment but it was only for their safety.
"I'll come with you then," Miku stated, "…it will be easier with two people."
"No, you should stay here with those two munchkins. I'll try taking senpai and Maria with me instead."
"But—" Chris placed her hands on both of Miku's shoulders, cutting off her words immediately.

"Whatever the problem is, I'm sure that idiot will only release it to you. So it's better if you stayed here just in case she comes back, okay? That's all." Chris gave a few reassuring pats.
"Besides, that idiot makes you worry too much. Let us worry about finding her while you relax with them."

Miku hesitated before finally nodding. She knew Chris meant well and wouldn't want to see her constantly worry so maybe it was a better idea for her to stay here.

"Now you two behave while we're gone! Have no time to come back and see you causing problems for Miku!"
"Yeah, yeah, we know! We're not kids!" Kirika retorted back.
"That's debatable…"

They went back and forth for a while but Miku didn't listen to the rest. Her mind drifted off into the possible whereabouts of her friend.

'Hibiki.'

How long has she been out here? It was starting to get cold.

Hibiki brushed her fingers against her knees, removing any left over concrete pebbles from her skin. She's done so well hiding these emotions yet it all came crashing down on her in a moment. Why did she feel this way? Was it because of how he made her feel? He used to be a good person, he had to be in there somewhere but as soon as she saw his face, not a single good memory came into play.

She remembered the yelling, the crying, glass breaking and silence. It had to be the worst part; no one could have a normal conversation with him. He wouldn't listen to anyone, he wouldn't let anyone express how they felt and he wouldn't even look at her! Hibiki bit her bottom lip until it bled.

'He has to be in there somewhere. He has to be. He can't be the same person. I'm sure he loves us—me.'

Then why was she overcome with rage? She hasn't even held a conversation with him yet. Either her fingers were shaking from the cold or the brief emotional mess she felt. Is there a reason to be scared? What was she scared of? Perhaps the anger hid her fear. Hibiki held onto her fingers, mumbling carefree words to herself before standing to her feet.

She's been out here for too long—she needed to find Miku. But she wasn't going to head back towards the store; she needed to contact Miku another way. Hibiki sighed, gave her head a shake and wiped her lips. Her face felt dry now.

"It's okay, it's okay. You won't have to see him anymore. You can go back to Tokyo and forget it even happened. Y-Yeah." The idea made her smile and she found it easier to walk back to the beach.

No one was there, fireworks still strewn about in boxes. Where did they go? Maybe it was a good thing; she still felt as if she couldn't face anyone, let alone Miku, after running away like that. The temperature was lower but she felt warmer near the ocean. Maybe she could wash her fears away in the waves.

"Hibiki…"
Miku's voice almost melted into the sound of the water overlapping each other, preventing Hibiki from hearing her at first. Neither of them spoke and Hibiki broke eye contact first. At least she wasn't with her father. She could hear Miku's feet press against the sand, eventually standing beside her and interlacing their fingers together. The silence felt heavy and Hibiki was afraid to break it but with Miku's tight grip on her hand, Hibiki knew she should speak first.

"I'm sorry I worried you." It's what she caused for Miku far too many times—nothing but worry. Hibiki was grateful that she didn't leave her long ago either.
"I didn't mean to leave you there. I just…needed to go. That's all."
"I know." Miku kept her words short and said nothing else. Was she angry? Not like she could blame her—she ran off and left her there—no way a simple sorry could suffice.

The silence between the two was filled with the overlapping waves but didn't make her feel any better. Holding onto Miku's hand almost made her forget what happened.
"Hibiki," Miku carefully started out, "…I want you to be happy. I don't want to see you upset anymore. I'm going to try and help you, regardless if you want me to or not."

Hibiki turned to see Miku staring at her, forcing her to be stuck in her sights.
"So please, trust me."
Hibiki curled her free hand into a fist to prevent it from shaking; it was obvious what Miku wished to do. She didn't want to do it. She didn't want to face it again. But—

"I trust you." Hibiki said with shaky lips, tasting the blood in her mouth all over again.