[ Rated M for Language, smoking, alcohol use, slight drug references, marijuana use, adult themes, nudity ]

It's nice to see you again

She didn't deserve it.

They didn't have the right.

With everything she's done, the amount of people she has helped. She gave her voice to all of them and now I was digging her out of a dumpster.

I brushed away a cup-of-noodlez and combed the noodles out of her hair which had been torn out of her favorite pigtails. I'm surprised they didn't cut it off. They must have had some respect for her.

The roaches were the worst part. They love technology and they were doing all they could to crawl away from me as I picked them away from my friend's ear.

She disappeared a few days ago and after thinking (or rather hoping) she had just ran away again, I decided to come here because usually she would be back by day 3 of her missing. It was day 5. There was no one else who would dream of hurting her except the ones that created her and that was after she was no use to them.

I stayed quiet, a frown tugging at my lips and a hard look in my eyes while I pulled away empty bottles of beer and empty soda cans from her body. I was pissed. She was the last person who deserved this.

After I had gotten all of the bugs, the trash, and the food of her, I scooped her up into my arms as if she were my bride. I glanced at her before walking her back to our new home.

Wherever that might be.

"880…900…" I fingered through the dollar bills in my hand. My orange nails were bitten to the nub and the knuckles on my right hand were wrapped in thin white cloth. The bandage was tattered and even with the ginormous bandage underneath, there were still spots of dried blood that had seeped through.

The man in front of me was short, fat, and the grease and dirt from his face made its way into his beard. Typical landlord looking doof with stains on his red shirt with holes in faded blue jeans. His timberlands were the only nice-looking thing on him even though they had a fresh drop of black spit on toe.

He spit again as I counted the last of the money I owed him for the house. He looked over my shoulder at the car we came in and with a nasty grin, he looked back at me.

"Yer friend had a wild night?" he asked, his voice scratchy from smoking too many cigarettes and his teeth yellow, chipped, and rotting from drugs.

Not even his breath could shake the angry look that had froze to my face since I found Miku in the dumpster. I didn't look at him, I couldn't. If I looked at him now, I would never get his house. Not only that but we'd be chased off the property with a shotgun and a mangy mutt chasing us.

Said mutt was sitting in the bed of the truck, it's black paws on the edge of the truck. He watched me with his ears up and the eyes of a hawk. He was ready to pounce if his owner gave the demand.

"990, 1,000." I counted the last few dollars quickly and shoved the money out towards the landlord who snatched it out of my hands, still with that gross grin on his face.

"Heh." He murmured. He pocketed the cash in his back pocket then got his pack out and lit one. I waved the smoke away and he frowned. "Look, ya don't got any neighbors an' closest town is 45 minutes away." He flicked his cigarette then brought it back to his lips.

I heard smoking can help control stress and anger. "Mind if I have one?" I mumbled.

The horrible man raised an eyebrow then pulled out his pack and handed me a long, skinny, white cylinder of tobacco and nicotine. I raised my eyebrow at him, giving him a look that said "how am I supposed to smoke this"

The man sighed in agitation and handed me his lighter. "Just don't break anything. If I have to pay to fix something because of a child, I ain't gonna be happy."

"Yeah." I muttered as I lit the cigarette. I handed him back his lighter, which he again snatched from my hand then turned and grumpily walked toward his truck parked behind mine. Rusty and loud when he starts it. He yelled over the exhaust "No smoking in the house! And keep the place clean! I ain't got the money for a damn exterminator!" He shift the truck into drive, at the same time dropping the cigarette from his lips onto his shirt, burning a hole in the fabric. He mouthed "Shit" then placed it back between his lips and put the truck in drive "Ya need anything, don't fucking ask. But word of advice: I'd get that there green out of yer hair and those holes out of your ears! Ain't no one gonna buy anything from you looking like ya drink piss for living!"

No response. I exhaled some smoke and watched him speed away. The wheel of the truck got caught on the edge of the mountain's dirt road. I silently hoped it would topple over and roll down the side. But then I wouldn't be able to pay rent in two months.

He never told me his name.

Once he was gone and I couldn't see his truck, I walked over to Miku's window and rest my arms on the sill, looking in at her lifeless form. Her head was resting against the back of the seat, her eyelids were closed and her mouth was opened slightly. I had put her seatbelt on and placed her hands in her lap to give her some dignity even though she wasn't breathing.

I didn't touch her. I let her rest.

I looked over my shoulder at the house then back at Miku. I ruffled her hair as she would have liked if she was still alive and then I turned around, crossed the yard, stepped onto the porch, placed the key in the lock and turned it slowly. It made the loudest noise, like nails on a chalkboard.

I pushed the door open then nudged it with my foot when it got stuck. Upon further inspection, I noticed the hinges were rusted over.

The place didn't have power yet, which would be a problem since I would have no way of charging my battery and at the same time be able to be awake to make sure nothing happens to Miku.

I stepped inside and took in my surroundings. It was a one story house with a living room and what was supposed to be a dining area to the right. We were lucky enough to get a coffee table even if it was fallen over and one of the legs was nowhere to be seen. There was a fireplace though.

That was the icing on the cake.

Miku loved being next to a heater or a cozy fire, and we were surrounded by enough trees to keep us warm for many lifetimes.

I walked into the kitchen. It had everything. A gas stove with cigarette ashes stuck to the burners. A dirty rug painted black with debris, a cracked wooden island and horribly stained wooden cabinets.

I took a puff of my cigarette and flicked the ashes onto the floor. It was made of the same dark, maroon wood used on the counters and matching cabinets. There was a spot in particular that was soft which meant there was some serious damage to the floorboard or it just wasn't there. Perfect for bugs and other creatures to climb their way into the house.

I was definitely going to have to keep this place clean and get some duct tape.

I walked through the kitchen, noticing the way the house seemed to settle with each step I took. I wasn't sure what color the walls were when it was made, but now they were caked with black dirt. Or… was that mold?

With the way the smell hit my nostrils, I knew it had to be a little bit of everything.

Thick cobwebs in every corner, black mold on every surface, and the sound of scratching in the walls. I knew this place wasn't the best for Miku but it would have to do. Besides, I did plan on cleaning it up.

I was afraid to know what the toilets looked like.

I walked around the house and discovered some things.

The bathroom was small. It seemed like it was only fit for one person to be in there at a time. The plumbing worked but the water was cold. The toilet flushed which was a blessing. We had a working bathtub but no shower head and no shower curtain. One of the nozzles on the sink was missing.

The bedroom came with one window and no bed but we had dark blue black out curtains and a dresser which happened to be missing a drawer.

When I walked out of the house, I flicked my cigarette into the garden which was made up of grey dirt, broken branches, and weeds.

It was the end of fall. Everything was dead except the grass and the pine trees.

One day I hope to give Miku a beautiful garden and hope she can wake up to morning glories and tea.

I went back to the car window and brushed that one lock of hair that always seemed to hang in between Miku's eyes behind her ear. It just fell back though. I let out a soft exhale as I cupped her cheek and planted a gentle kiss on her blue head.

"Miku." I kissed her temple, my hand never leaving her cheek as I held her close. Green and cyan hair mixed together in strands.

I placed my lips by her ear and whispered to her gently, two words that would have her dancing and singing in her seat.

"We're home."

I can't remember the last time I deep cleaned a house to this extent. We always did spring cleaning at the house but we were always having help from each other. We never did it alone.

Memories of cleaning with the others went through my head like a flashback. Len and Rin fighting over who has to scrub the toilets and Len ultimately losing.

The best part is Len has a weak stomach so while he was cleaning the bathroom all you could hear was him gagging and Rin laughing until she produced tears. Coughing because she couldn't breathe, she was laughing so much.

Kaito and Meiko often tag teamed on things or just made cleaning the house a competition. No real reward was given but they had fun and the house got cleaned faster.

But two best friends/lovers also took a while to get things done at times. They would end up teasing each other back and forth and sometimes take a good 7-10 minutes to laugh at something that was said. Kaito often laughing because Meiko's laugh was incredibly contagious and once she started laughing it was always hard for her to stop.

Luka loves to work outside. She loves to garden and she always makes dinner with fruits and vegetables she's grown herself. She definitely has a green thumb. While we're cleaning she often sneaks outside and when she comes back in she has an armful of flowers ready to be put in a vase.

Her room was full of color. Pastel pink walls but with an abundance of green. Purple lavender hung in front of her window and beautiful bright colors of flowers overflowing in tan, brown pots.

I realized these memories were making me slow down. I snapped myself out of it and as I began to hurriedly scrub the wallpaper with the soapy cloth, I heard soft footsteps in the distance.

My head spun and I heard a soft "Unh…" before seeing fingers gently touching the corner of the wall.

Then strands of cyan.

Little blue toes stepping out from around the corner I had just scrubbed.

Emerging behind the corner, rubbing sleep from her eyelashes, was my best friend.

I felt my eyes widen more than they ever have before. Her lashes raised slightly as she looked at me. We stared at each other for a good minute. She looked so worn out and so tired while my eyes were wide and my body alert ready to run and catch her in the biggest hug I would have ever given anyone.

Before I could even manage to utter a sound, Miku spoke in a soft and sheepish voice and what she said next shocked and horrified me.

"Who am I?"