The Sun was beginning to beat down viciously and the hum of insects in the trees grew louder with each passing minute. The few clouds that lingered off in the distance seemed to be moving away, and a rather fierce humidity had begun to creep up in their place as the early afternoon began to settle in. Surely the heat had affected the turnout of people as well: the grounds of the temple were nearly vacant. Perhaps that should have been a sign.
Perhaps it wasn't the best day for a trip.
"Miya-chan, it's gotten kind of hot..." Yuno whimpered, gazing up towards Miyako seeking solace.
It really was quite warm.
Miyako glanced to Yuno to find a rather miserable expression on her face. Not only had they not had air conditioning for a couple days now, they were romping around a temple, walking on the stone pathways that had quickly become hot with the Sun's radiation. And while Miyako had managed to break a sweat, it was clear that Yuno's small body wasn't fairing as well as her own. Yuno's expression said it all, and Miyako couldn't help but feel bad. She couldn't help but wonder if maybe going to the temple was a bad idea.
Perhaps it didn't matter though. They were there for the afternoon, and the temperature wouldn't be much cooler back at the apartment. Furthermore, certainly this was more exciting than moping around with nothing to do, angsting over the multitude of things seemingly constantly running through Miyako's mind. Certainly angst was out of the question. Certainly she couldn't be downcast about anything right now... Yuno wasn't a happy camper and if anything, Miyako felt responsible for her well being, especially at this point in time. It was her idea to come here in the first place.
"Yunocchi, it looks nicer over there! We should get into the shade!" Miyako replied, pointing in the direction of what appeared to be the edge of a forested area. She wasn't particularly sure if it was permissible to be in that part of the grounds, but certainly no one would give them a hard time considering it was so warm.
"Ah, let's go there," Yuno answered after surveying the area Miyako had mentioned. Her eyes lit up a little, and her pace quickened.
"Once we stop moving I'm sure you'll feel a little better. Those steps we climbed up after getting off the bus were killer!" Miyako said, picking up her own pace to match Yuno's. "It's not like there were an absolute ton of them, but still..."
Several very warm and sweaty moments later Miyako and Yuno found themselves sheltered from the Sun's rays by a wonderfully large and old deciduous tree. Rather than the hard stonework of the walkways, their feet came to rest on the outskirts of the forest. It was essentially comprised of dry dirt with the occasional wild grass or weed popping up from the ground, but it was much cooler and substantially softer to step on, not to mention dirtier.
Setting the lunch and art bags down at her feet, Miyako plopped down happily at the base of the tree and leaned against the rather large trunk. Dirty schmirty - An artist had more important things to worry about. The pants she was wearing had been thoroughly stained already from last year's classes, a bit of good old mother nature wouldn't do them any harm.
"Have a seat!" Miyako exclaimed happily, brushing aside a small fallen branch so that Yuno could seat down next to her and in a particularly close proximity.
Yuno plopped down and gave a sigh of relief as she leaned back against the tree, her eyes closed and her hands coming to a rest on her lap. Her bangs had become a bit damp and the hair clung slightly to her forehead, resting across her eyelids where it was long enough to do so.
She was cute.
She was so cute that Miyako wanted to squeeze and smother her with attention, but she knew that would probably be a bad idea. Poor Yuno was far too warm and beat from the weather for unnecessary bodily contact, and even though Miyako found herself gazing silently at Yuno's wonderful features and taking in her presence and condition, Miyako had known the moment Yuno's eyes met hers several minutes before that she wasn't feeling particularly well. The heat was certainly to blame, but Miyako couldn't ignore the possibility that what was recently going through Yuno's thoughts also might be affecting her present mood and spirit.
Miyako reached up and brushed the damp locks from Yuno's eyes.
It was nice to offer support to the smaller girl when the chance arose. Miyako had found it to be less of a responsibility and more of a pleasure. A part of life that had begun to grow on her since the first day she met Yuno.
"Hang in there Yunocchi," Miyako said, a genuine smile on her face.
Yuno opened her eyes and turned her head to face Miyako. At first her gaze seemed to be one of distant curiosity, but after several moments it seemed to change into something a little more present. Yuno offered a small smile and sighed.
"I'm sorry Miya-chan, I guess this heat is too much for me," Yuno explained apologetically. "The shade is nice though."
"You think you'll be feeling better here? How about something to drink?" Miyako asked, turning her attention towards the insulated lunch bag and opening it. She pulled out a bottle of green tea and, after removing the cap, handed it to Yuno. "Here, Yunocchi."
Hesitating slightly as she considered the proprosition, Yuno took the tea from Miyako. Staring at it for a few seconds in thought before continuing, she finally took a sip.
"Thanks," Yuno said, handing the drink back to Miyako and leaning against the trunk of the tree again. Her facial complexion seemed better and not as depreciated from the heat, however she resumed the silence that Miyako had come to markedly notice over the course of the morning that day.
Perhaps it was time to say something.
"Hey, Yunocchi," Miyako started before pausing slightly for words, having not yet thought about what she was going to say beforehand, as per usual. Perhaps something simple was best. "Something on your mind?"
Yuno closed her eyes.
"Lately," Yuno replied, pausing. "Latey, yes."
"I'd like to hear it if you want to share, Yunocchi."
"You've heard most of it before, I'm just kind of letting it stick around." Yuno explained, her eyes still closed as a mild breeze blew through the trees and ruffled several loose strands of her hair.
"This isn't about your room key is it?" Miyako asked playfully, resting her head against the tree and facing Yuno.
Yuno smiled wryly.
"No, you know that's not it," Yuno replied, "I can't believe I forgot it, but either way, I guess it's okay. I'm glad you came back early to Hidamari."
"Me too." Miyako agreed, watching Yuno intently as another mild breeze blew though the trees. "I guess we were talking about it all break."
Yuno didn't immediately have anything to say to this, and rather than open her mouth she opened her eyes to take in her surroundings once more.
"Yuno..." Miyako began.
"I keep thinking that this is the last summer break," Yuno said, turning to Miyako. "It's kind of pathetic you know."
"No it's not."
"Sure it is, doesn't everyone have to grow up some day and go to college and all that stuff?" Yuno explained, turning her glance down to the bottle of tea that Miyako still held in her hand.
She gave a quiet sigh.
"That's usually what happens, I guess." Miyako said, and having noticed Yuno's glance, she handed the tea back to Yuno, "Have some more."
"Thanks." Yuno took the container and took another sip. The green tea lingered in her mouth for a moment before she swallowed. Several moments passed, and just before it seemed as if Yuno had nothing further to say, she asked, "Do you miss anyone from middle school?"
Miyako laughed at this, and Yuno glanced to look at her.
"What? That was a serious question!" Yuno exclaimed, frustrated with what perhaps seemed to be Miyako not taking her seriously.
"No no, Yunocchi... I know," Miyako replied as she resumed a more demure expression. "It's just... Middle school was... Awful. I didn't have any real friends."
"Eh? Why!" Yuno inquired earnestly. "You're like, the bestest friend ever!"
"I appreciate that Yunocchi, I really do." Miyako smiled and gazed over the temple grounds, "But middle school wasn't good for me... Leaving aside the fact that I didn't particularly fit in with the normal crowd... I changed schools five times. I never had a chance to make a good friend. I never had anyone to miss."
Miyako turned her attention back to Yuno to find that the smaller girl was staring at her. Miyako shrugged, "That's the way it was back then."
"But, well..." Yuno started, the grumpiness from only moment before seemingly gone and replaced by curiosity. "We get along great, right? Why didn't you make any friends?"
Yuno was so unassumingly and open sometimes... Miyako's heart melted a little.
"The boys were gross and the girls all talked about boys and useless drama crap. Raging teenage hormones are just so awesome." Miyako explained before adding, "Though really, I don't imagine that you would have been keen about such things either."
"No, not really, I guess..." Yuno said, the tone of her curiosity changing into something a little more reserved. "It seems out of character for you to not make friends easily."
"It's just circumstantial." Miyako insisted. "Didn't you have any good friends...?"
"No. I thought I did, but no." Yuno replied, a hint of harshness in her voice, one that Miyako had rarely been witness to.
"I don't actually believe you, especially if you're going to put it like that, Yunocchi."
Miyako looked back to her hands in her lap. For whatever reason it had hurt to consider that perhaps Yuno had once had a close friend in her life. Someone before her. Perhaps that was selfish, but to a girl that had never particularly been so close to anyone besides Yuno... It hurt in a way that Miyako didn't understand.
"It's silly, really," Yuno started. "There was a girl in my old school that I wanted to go to high school with, but her parents wouldn't let her go to Yamabuki."
"Well, you can't control that."
"No, but she could at least stay in touch with me." Yuno replied, looking at Miyako intently. "I mean, she said she would..."
Miyako turned her gaze to meet Yuno's, easily reading the message in Yuno's eyes as they met. It was hard to feel jealous about the girls in Yuno's past when Yuno was inches away and perhaps telling her subtly that she didn't want to lose touch. That Yuno wanted her in her life, at least in some on-going capacity.
It suddenly occurred to Miyako how close their faces were. For a moment Miyako felt an upwelling of desire in her chest as she considered closing the gap between their lips. She had never kissed anyone before... But somehow or another she found herself wanting such an experience with Yuno. A multitude of feelings had come upon her like a torrent, and while she didn't understand how all of them came to be, she understood what she wanted to happen between Yuno and herself quite clearly.
Of course, it was a new feeling and a new experience that would have to wait. A kiss was probably entirely out of the question, no matter how darling Yuno was in that moment. Miyako sighed, releasing some of the anxiety that had suddenly built up as she maintained her gaze on Yuno. It didn't help much, and the fact that Yuno had no words to break the sudden spell didn't help at all.
"Yunocchi..." Miyako began hesitantly, still painfully aware of her proximity to Yuno but wanting to continue the conversation just the same, "I wouldn't forget you like that, you know."
Yuno gazed at Miyako for a couple more quiet moments.
"I know," Yuno said at last, turning away from Miyako and taking another sip from the green tea.
Yuno's voice had captured a hint of remorse and it left Miyako to wonder once more what the girl could possibly be thinking about. Considering how the present conversation had winded along, Miyako was certain at this point that Yuno was presently troubled with graduating, but to what degree Miyako wasn't sure.
Miyako could understand the feelings, however. She hadn't brought it up too much in the past, but of course it wasn't in her nature to do so. Instead of making a fuss, Miyako was more inclined to frolic about and amiably chat about useless topics. That was much more fun, and it always put a smile on Yuno's face too.
Perhaps this conversation was much too depressing, but just like several other similar conversations that had happened since Hiro and Sae had left Hidamari... It seemed like it was bound to happen again and again, until there was some sort of finalization or closure. At some point the reality of the future had to be faced, and with each passing day it seemed like that reality had to be faced more and more.
The reality that Miyako wanted to be around Yuno after graduation was perhaps the most pressing, and when it was at the forefront of her thoughts, as it normally was as of late, nothing else mattered. Yuno was the first person to truly open up to her. She was the first person to truly understand her. She was the one that was always there for her, even extending into the realm of situations where her parents couldn't even help her. Where she had no one to turn to but Yuno.
Miyako couldn't forget how Yuno made her feel inside, either.
Yuno was always there, and for the life Miyako she couldn't bear to face the possibility that Yuno would perhaps one day not be there. Yet, at the same time, Miyako found herself in the troubling position of being perhaps unwilling to chase her own dreams.
Yuno had a right to her own life. Yuno had a right to her own space. It was always like that... And Miyako had always respected Yuno's personal space while at the same time testing it in ways that pushed the limits while never actually crossed the fuzzy boundary that had always restrained her. Crossed the line drawn between innocent childishness and a mature relationship.
Their relationship had grown because of a foundation of fun and games, in just spending playful yet honest time together, and while those times had nurtured their relationship for quite awhile... Miyako now felt that perhaps it was a barrier. That the assumptions of their relationship and how it worked were now hindering what was possible in the future, and it left Miyako to fight with her feelings and ambitions over what to do.
In the end what she was used to always won out. They weren't graduating tomorrow.
The trouble could be put off for another day.
...o.o.o.o...
Sunshine: Chapter 9 is scheduled for September 7th.
Hungry for more? This story is being released concurrently with K-ON!: My First!
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Beta: Itanshi
