AN: Thank you very, very much for reviewing:)
Chapter IV
"So, what do you think? This one" and she held up a navy-blue satin dress, "or this one?" and she held a creamy silk dress.
Chindan fixed her with wide eyes. The question slightly surprised her.
"They both look good…I'd go for the cream, though."
Michiru was still studying the dresses, when the phone rang throughout the house. It was Elsa.
"Well…not exactly, I'm not ready yet. You see…" The girl laughed softly at her own childishness, "I can't decide on what to wear."
Michiru, it's not a royal ball, came the amused voice on the other end, it's just a school dance! I was ready in thirty minutes!
"Well, I'm not a track-and-field runner" she quipped, "speed is not my line of work!"
It better be, because I'm coming to pick you up in half hour.
"But that's not enough time!" she said with false indignation.
Sure it is, even for someone who doesn't run the track! So be ready!
Thirty-seven minutes later, Michiru opened the front door. Elsa was waiting outside, elegantly dressed in a black silky dress that stopped right above her knees.
"Nice to see you" the smaller girl greeted with a smile.
"Nice to see you're not still wearing the bathrobe" the other joked. "So…you ready?"
"Mmhm… not that I had much choice in the matter…!"
"You know", Elsa admitted, "you come across as rather mature, really. I've never imagined you as the girly type, anyway. Spending hours in front of the mirror and such…!"
For a second, Michiru's expression and tone grew serious.
"I'm not" she admitted. "But I have been feeling rather…immature, lately."
As they walked towards the car, she continued in a soft voice.
"It's as if something…some defense mechanism inside me is pushing me to be as childish and unreasonable as possible…!"
"Defense mechanism?" Elsa sounded disbelieving. "Defense against what?"
"That's precisely it…I don't know." Michiru paused for a second, then laughed dismissively. "It's silly, really…forget it."
The dark-skinned girl gave her a confused glance, but gave up the issue with a shrug.
The two drove to the dance in Elsa's car. As they rolled down the crowded road, Michiru couldn't help commenting:
"You know, for someone who wants to run faster than everyone else, you sure drive incredibly slow…"
The athlete laughed.
"I'm not that comfortable behind the wheel, actually. I'd take running any day. But I thought you didn't like speed!" she teased.
"I don't…" Michiru's voice caught a dreamy edge. "But I wish…I could feel the wind on my face as I drove down an evening road…just once…"
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Having arrived home little before midnight, Michiru went straight up to her bedroom. She changed to her nightgown, and opened the window for some fresh air before going to sleep.
She had only half-enjoyed the dance. Sometimes, when she found herself longing for company, she dreamt of that sort of school gatherings. But actually going to the dance had, once more, given her the impression that somehow, she did not belong…
Elsa had loved it, of course. Seeking fun and very outgoing, the fraise-haired girl had barely set foot in the room when a crowd of noisy dancers had swallowed her. Michiru, on the other hand, had been much more reluctant to join the general party. She did not feel overly uncomfortable—but not terribly at ease, either.
She had greeted classmates, chatted with a couple of them and a couple of teachers…and had eventually sought a more quiet atmosphere on the balcony outside. There, looking up at the night sky, in the growing light of the moon, Michiru had felt much more relaxed and carefree.
She thought she had seen a shooting star. But when she had wanted to wish upon it, she could not think of what to ask. There was no event she particularly wanted to happen, no one she longed for, and no material concerns to worry her. She could find nothing concrete to wish for. It seemed that nothing was missing in her life.
Or rather, I can't tell what is missing…
She had eventually wished to find the meaning of her life.
Then, just as the last fiery trail of the shooting star extinguished, she had also snuck in another quick wish. To drive down that long evening road, if just once…
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"Here's your morning mail, Michiru-san."
Chindan placed the envelopes on the table. The aqua-haired girl did not even look up. The woman cleared her throat loudly. As she still got no reaction, she tilted her head and gave Michiru a strange look. The teenager stared into her teacup, with an expression of doubt etched on her face. She mechanically stirred the steaming tea with a teaspoon, her eyes fixed on the twirling liquid inside the cup.
Chindan shrugged. Her employer's mental state was none of her concern. The girl was strange, anyway. Despite her relative celebrity and active social life, she always seemed aloof and snooty.
The maid went about her daily business: watching the morning news, opening the windows to air the house, and pretending to dust the elegant furniture. Some time later, she was surprised to find Michiru still at the kitchen table, apparently wrapped in thought.
"Michiru-san!" she raised her voice to snap the girl out of her reverie.
"Mmhm?"
Michiru slowly turned her head.
"Excuse me, but it's past eight o'clock" Chindan informed her, "and the driver has been waiting outside for some time."
The girl seemed genuinely surprised to hear how late the time was. She hurried to finish her tea, only to discover it was almost cold. Yet only a moment before, she had felt the hot vapors rise against her palm…
Was I daydreaming…?
She stood up and took her schoolbag.
"Do you feel a draft in the house, Chindan…?"
"Yes, I opened all the windows…but I think I'd better shut them back" the woman opined thoughtfully. "Looks like there'll be a storm later."
Michiru nodded slowly, a distant look in her eyes.
"A storm…"
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AN: Like it? Hate it? Should I go on? Please review and let me know!
(Chapter V will be up in a few minutes, as the two parts are meant to be read together—posting them separately just better outlines a couple of ideas)
Myosotis