Author's note : Damn, I'm late for this one. I put too much energy into Chapter 35 and I'm very tired by school and stuff... I'll try to make the 29th chapter come faster. It's for next week. I hate to be late like that. I hope you're all okay, besides.
Enjoy this chapter.~
"One of these mornings, you're goin' to rise up singin'
Then you spread your wings and you'll take the sky"
- Billie Holiday
Miho remained in bed. She had been there for an hour or two and Kinuyo hadn't woken up yet. It was near 9 AM and no one had yet got uo. Not even Alice or Dogmeat. Miho had woken up at about 7 AM and hadn't gone back to sleep. She had continued to stare endlessly at the walls, the ceiling, the windows, all that there was to see while keeping her head resting on her lover's chest. Sometimes, the brunette was slightly moving, let out a small moan when she turned around, breathed faster or slower than normal, seemed to open her eyes for a second, but was still deep in Morpheus' arms. Miho tilted her head and found herself with one ear on her girlfriend's ribs. She heard the beating of Kinuyo's heart, the sound that reminded her that there, at that moment, the one she loved most in the world was there, alive and safe. She even heard the sound of the air in her lungs, and sometimes a crack of bone or two when she made a slight movement or another internal sound, like a stomach gurgle or any bodily function. Miho liked this kind of sound, despite some being not that attractive. She hadn't had the opportunity to hear it before, and it was a wonderful experience. With the time on the Pip-Boy, she had even noticed how many times a minute her beloved's heart let her know she was alive. Sixty nine. The number made her smile, but she knew that sixty-nine times a minute, when she was at rest, Kinuyo's heart would tell her "Don't worry Miho, she's alive, and isn't about to die at all". A multiple of three, that being said... This little innocuous discovery made her wonder. How many times was her heart beating in a minute when she was herself at rest? She was afraid that by trying to guess and feel her own wrist, she would be so eager to know that it would accelerate it, but wasn't going to ask Kinuyo or Alice to do it...
Miho still had an ear on her partner's chest when she opened her eyes and turned her head.
"Morning", the brunette groggily murmured.
"Hi you," Miho said with a smile.
She took a more comfortable position and squeezed Kinuyo in her arms. She stroked her head.
"Have you recovered from the emotions of last night?" she asked.
"Yes... In the end, it wasn't so much of a good idea from you to burn the diary... Hosomi could have acted even worse... even if I still think that she's nothing of a nasty person."
"You know, I think our opinions are made and nothing will change," Kinuyo replied. "But well.. as hard as it is to say, it's the past... if we dwell on it, it won't help things."
"Funny how you remind me of when I wanted to get over my fear of going in a tank again", Miho chuckled.
"And you have succeeded at it... It proves that I can do it too."
"The effort is huge, but once it's done, it feels like freedom... I think that when we'll arrive in Kumamoto, already, it could get a little better."
They got up half an hour later. Alice was coming at the same time, still very lethargic, and the dog greeted them enthusiastically, then kept staring at them. He wanted his food and was waiting for it. He opened his canine mouth, letting his tongue hang freely, as if he was smiling almost foolishly. Miho smiled and took out a tin of fish that she put in a bowl a little farther from the table, then looked in the cupboards to complete their reserves. She found boxes of cereal, but what would cereal be without milk? There was a bottle of it in the fridge, but was outdated since months... Miho didn't even dare opening it, feared that she'd faint directly from the smell. She preferred to put it in the trash. In any case, nothing was consumable in this refrigerator, they had only non-perishable foods like pasta, rice or canned food.
Miho brought the cereals back and served them in three bowls. Alice said nothing, looking weirdly at her.
"It's going to feel a bit odd without milk, but the only milk we've got is expired," Miho sighed.
"It's fine, we'll do without it", Kinuyo replied.
"Yes, it's better than nothing," Alice finished. "Expired milk is the worst thing in the world... I don't even want to think about it. The smell and taste are sickening."
After this light breakfast, they finally departed again. Miho felt relieved to leave. She was fine, but she knew she had to do it. Maho wouldn't magically teleport by their side. The road was still very long, although Chugoku was the penultimate region to cross. Only the prefectures of Shimane, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, possibly a part of Saga and Kumamoto were remaining before finding Maho. It was going to take a little more time. What disappointed Miho was that Alice's idea of making a Shinkansen work again wasn't possible. It would have been much more practical, indeed...
What gave them hope was that they were getting closer to their goal: finding their family, a new family for Kinuyo and Alice, and a lost family for Miho. Even without her mother, if there was only Maho, it was enough to make her happy. Her sister was one of those people without whom she couldn't imagine living. She would go to Kumamoto, and Alice would be the second little sister of the family... if Chiyo Shimada was gone. A new life would rise like the sun, she thought again and again to encourage herself.
Finally, the roads looked less and less alike. They had passed by so many places that they realized that their country, as small as they knew it, was actually very varied in terms of landscapes. It was only a small Asian archipelago, a little piece of Earth, but it was unique in the world. Even irradiated and destroyed by the fall of three nukes, it remained unique of its kind. This little cluster of volcanoes and mountains was their home. How would have it been like if they were in a country that was completely foreign to them? They would probably have died of hunger and thirst from not finding their way back.
Their next stop was in Yabase, in the Tohaku district of Tottori Prefecture. Miho saw the cities passing and wondered how many they had already crossed or seen from any distance. Not having the strength to dig into her memories to count them and being afraid to forget some, she preferred not to do so, although she estimated the quantity to more than fifty. She preferred to focus on the feeling of Kinuyo's hand in hers... They exchanged an affectionate look, then turned their heads towards Alice, who always followed them with a fully-energized Dogmeat.
Just when they arrived, they passed by a cemetery. The ginger felt a shiver going down her spine. A cemetery that no one would probably visit before a long time... or maybe it'd never be visited again... a cemetery that could fill up with a war. War never changes. Although Miho didn't want to look at it, she couldn't help but turn her head in its direction and couldn't take her eyes off from it. She remembered that one day, she would be there too. Her sweet Kinuyo who held her hand, kissed her, made her live magnificent moments, spend fantastic nights full of love and more, would be there too one day. Her little Alice, who was still so important to her despite the difficulties and who she wanted at all costs to protect, would be there too. Dogmeat, a dog full of life and joy, would die one day. Maho, her sister whom she loved so much and she wanted so much to find, would be there too. She had no idea if the others had already died. Her own mother, perhaps. Chiyo Shimada, plausibly. She didn't know for Fukuda. Same for Hamada. Teramoto, likely. Nagura, eventually. Ikeda, maybe. Kubota, yes. Hosomi, yes. Tamada, yes. Her friends' lives one day would also end. Destiny pushed every human being towards an irreversible and inevitable end. Some had already had their lives cut short by the three murderers. She thought about the urn and the ashes inside. Why not disperse them in Kumamoto, near their new house, or put them in a makeshift tomb? Tamada could finally rest in peace, probably, even if she was going to be far from her family. Kinuyo, anyway, couldn't have her ashes scattered in Tokyo or Chiba, and would most certainly like to be reunited with her dear Miho for eternity. Alice didn't even know whether her mother was still alive or not, and where she could have died if she was already gone. Her ashes would rejoin hers, no doubt about that, but where?
Miho had a very hard time recovering from this vision of a cemetery, although it was so insignificant, but yet it had hit her right where it hurts. She almost thought her throat closed up for a moment. Kinuyo, a little worried, approached her and held her more firmly to show her support. Alice also tended to accelerate the pace in order to be closer to her. Dogmeat started whining. After walking over a small bridge that passed over a small river flowing into the sea, they noticed a house a little farther and chose to settle there.
Facing the sea again, they entered through the garage door. A white car was still there. Was the nearest vault close to this zone? In any case, Yabase was deserted as everywhere. They put their stuff in the living room and went outside to stare endlessly at the horizon.
On the beaches, there were some wooden decks which delimited rectangles formed by the sea. Alice sat down and called Dogmeat. It was hard for him to stop playing, but he eventually did the same beside her. Miho walked over to the left deck, wanting to get closer to the sea. She hoped Kinuyo wouldn't have fun pushing her into the water: she would be playful and have no sick intentions, but who knew if its temperature was enough to cause a cold-water drowning? Besides, how deep was it? And what about the rocks? Couldn't she end up hurting herself in her fall or trying to climb back up?
Miho gazed at the sea. The immense sea that separated this coast from China's. What was going on there, beyond the blue expanse that almost surrounded her now? Feeling the wild wind blowing through her hair, she closed her eyes and smelled the scent of the salty water. She heard footsteps approaching behind her: no fear. She knew who it was.
She turned and cleared her face, a little blinded by her entangled ginger hair. Kinuyo had come to join her. Miho smiled and felt her feelings rise inside herself. It was so beautiful to find her in such a... romantic situation to the point of the cliché, but still romantic and lovely nonetheless.
"This sea makes me want to take a boat and go far away... far from everything," the brunette murmured, taking her lover's hand.
"We'll have to take one to avoid Kitakyushu anyway," Miho whispered. "I've never driven a motorboat, but I'm going to learn how to..."
"I have never driven one either, and it's a shame, because I'd have preferred to take you there. I could have gone on horseback with you, or by motorcycle, but by boat... Do you think Alice knows how to do that?"
"No, I don't think so," the ginger giggled. "Child prodigy doesn't mean 'child who knows how to do every single thing in the world'..."
"Nevertheless, it would have been so nice..."
"Decks like the one we're on reminds me of childhood memories, when we were going in vacation with Maho, Mother and Father... We liked to sit at the end of these. Our parents looked after us, I remember that we also liked to soak our feet in the water. I want to call Alice to come with us..."
Miho got up.
"Alice!" she shouted. "Come on, don't stay alone!"
The little girl walked towards them, always followed by her loyal Dogmeat. She sat down beside them, a very slight smile on her lips. The brunette didn't see it, but Miho knew full well that the girl was glad to be given some attention. She let the blonde sit by her side. Kinuyo looked over her partner to glance at the small one, then turned back her gaze to the sea, squeezing Miho's hand a little harder.
"Thank you," the little girl whispered.
"Be reassured, I never forgot about you," Miho murmured softly.
"I wouldn't have bothered to disturb you, actually, it seems to have happened a little too often," Alice said, looking down.
"You're nothing of a bother, you know," Kinuyo replied. "You could even come with us a bit more..."
The little girl answered no more, but seemed nevertheless less worried. She moved closer to Miho. The redhead looked at her and grinned before taking a look at her girlfriend. The brunette instantly had a gleam in her eyes. She nodded slightly. Miho chuckled. Alice didn't react, but it felt like she had a more relaxed aura, even though she wasn't letting her guard down completely.
Miho, satisfied at having been able to accomplish this thing, continued to stare at the horizon until evening. It was finally confirmed to her, things would finally go well. Her hopes were increasing. She was hopeful to meet Maho again in Kumamoto, to form a family with her sister, Kinuyo and Alice, their adorable dog, all of this were filling Miho's mind with such peaceful and good thoughts...
