Breath clouded in the air in front of her, easily materializing against the glow from a street lamp. There were more of these dotting the old, crumbling sidewalk on which the teal haired girl stood. Miku had her hands in her pockets, but that didn't stop her from feeling the full force of the intense cold that had fallen into place nearly the second of sunset. It wasn't that she had been standing long, but the day had been fairly warm, and she hadn't thought it necessary to bring anything besides a ratty old scarf. A harsh wind even carried a few snowflakes through the night air, as if for emphasis on precisely how cold it was. Regardless of her discomfort, Miku appeared to be intent on standing outside in the freezing cold. Subconsciously, she pulled the scarf that was wrapped loosely around her neck even tighter, constricting the accessory almost to the point of discomfort in her pursuit of warmth. A few cars drove by, quiet purr of engines the only disruption from the otherwise total silence.
Miku was so deeply lost in her tangled web of thoughts, that she didn't acknowledge the grinning woman that was approaching her from behind
" Hello, Miku-Chan." the greeting floated through the otherwise harsh atmosphere, adding a brief moment of warmth to the gloomy atmosphere. "Cold?" Grinning as she recognized the sound of a friend, Miku turned around to see the woman in pink. Instantly, a timid happiness replaced the cold that she had been feeling.
" Just a bit, Luka-sama." she replied, smile intensifying as she stuck her tongue through her teeth in greeting. Although she spoke formally, it was more of a joke shared between the two familiars, rather than a societal necessity. Luka walked forward a few paces, and then stopped, turning on her heel.
" Come on, then. " She motioned for Miku to follow, no explanations necessary. The teal haired girl did so obediently, subconsciously developing her usual childish grin as she picked up her pace. After a brief moment of silence, the two picked up polite chatter, crossing the street and approaching a nearby park. The snow had stopped, but it was still freezing. They approached the autumn park, tracing the perimeter until they came across the familiar entrance.
" I haven't seen you in ages." stated Luka as they walked along the park path, both she and her companion completely oblivious to the darkening clouds above. Before Miku could intervene, Luka spoke again. " What were you doing standing outside in the cold, anyway?"
" I was just… thinking." responded Miku after a short pause, absentmindedly drifting towards her previous train of thought. She was so deeply lost in thought that she almost missed the sharp turn in the park path and walked into a bench. Luka caught her friend's elbow and steered her away from harm.
" What's troubling you?" The fact that the usually optimistic ball of sunshine that she called a friend was so out of it drove Luka to slight concern.
" Oh, a little bit of everything…" muttered Miku, waving the question away as if it were a bothersome gnat. " It doesn't matter though." She said after a minute, perking up as her usual smile replaced the look of confusion that she had been wearing, hands swinging freely by her sides. " The fact that you would ask just makes my day." There was not even the slightest essence of a lie lingering in that phrase. Miku could not have been more genuine in her emotions, feeling joyful simply by being around someone with which she was so familiar. Luka simply responded with an identical grin, not wanting to destroy her friend's happiness and allowing the issue to rest for the time being. After that, casual conversation filled the air until they reached the food stand.
Ordering a basket of fish and chips, they took a seat on a nearby bench.
" How's work?" asked Miku after a minute of eating as she leaned back on the bench.
" Still on minimum wage, but I'm getting there." Luka muttered around a mouthful of fish.
" And the singing?"
Luka replied by shaking her head. She appeared to be disappointed, but didn't allow her eyes to leave her meal for more than one second as she greedily devoured it. Miku let out a sigh, leaning her head backwards so that her hair fell over the back of the bench.
" That's a shame," she muttered tiredly, " you've got a lot in you."
Before the conversation could continue, a few drops of rain fell from overhead. Luka's ice blue eyes snapped up to meet Miku's, both girls putting on war faces. Since they used to live together, both of them knew what the few drops of rain implied. Within seconds, a downpour had begun, pelting raindrops at the unprotected girls, who bolted off of the bench and assumed a routine that they had perfected over months of similar experiences. Luka picked up the food and threw it with all of her might into the trash can, ripping off her overcoat and holding it above both of their heads. They sprinted as fast as humanly possible out of the park, receiving quite a few angered shouts from various car drivers, before barging into Miku's apartment door.
The girl had already whipped out her key, throwing open the door and collapsing onto the floor alongside an equally drenched Luka. After Miku successfully closed the door without standing up, they both raised two weary heads, looking at each other with solemn stares. Neither broke eye contact, nor made any motion to.
After a dragged out minute of silence, Miku spoke in a deep, grave voice.
" We left the fish."
Luka paused for a brief second, face blank, and then proceeded to collapse into a fit of laughter on Miku's floor. What she had said wasn't even remotely funny, and they had both known that it was proper to throw the food out, but the way in which Miku had uttered it, solemn and unblinking, drove her friend to hysterics. They both laughed, soaking through the thin carpet on Miku's floor, barely able to breathe. The laughter was a combined release of the months of unrelenting stress that both had succumbed to, but it was also an expression of relief at finally seeing one another again. It also didn't hurt that they both looked like wet dogs.
" I missed this." said Miku finally, once she had caught her breath from the laughing fit. She sat up and rested with her soaking back to a wall. Luka cocked an eyebrow.
" No one ever smiles, anymore. It's nice." And it was. For the brief time that the two familiars had been together, an eternity of darkness had been washed away.