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 Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 8:53 pm
Natsumi gave a thoughtful look.. it was hard to really say since she'd never lived anywhere else. "I always loved it... Mom made me clean and cook all the time, but I always had so much fun with her. When I got older she let me help serve some of the food in the resteraunt, and sometimes I was even able to play as one of the backups in the traditional dance shows. Never a big part, but just being involved and all the kimonos and makeup was so much fun!" she smiled softly, almost sadly.. Talking about it both made her feel happy and sad. on one hand, they were such happy memories.. On the other it made her homesick. Still smiling though, she thought of another question "What school did you go to?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:02 pm
Kikue smiled, lost in her own whirl of memories. She thought of her own mother, of their times together...times she longed to repeat just once more, but would never be able to. She wasn't sure if there was truly a 'heaven,' or an after-life at all, but she hoped okaasan was looking down on her now. What was she thinking? There was no way to ever know...
"I love the traditional arts and clothing," Kikue said brightly, clearly impressed with Natsumi's ability to perform in such a dance. "...I went to an international school in London. I was actually born in England; my father was a Japanese diplomat attending to the embassy there. We returned to Japan after some years abroad." Kikue smiled again, knowing her past probably sounded at least somewhat exotic. It never seemed that way when she thought of it herself, but she knew it must be occasionally to someone else. Especially Natsumi, having always lived in Japan.
I wonder how different it would be if I had been born there...I don't think it would change the fact that Mother is gone. It's stupid to think about it that way in the first place...
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Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:13 pm
Natsumi was indeed impressed, listning intently. "Aa wow, that's amazing." she paused to think, there were some peopel from england here right? Wasn't Thom one? Her memory failed her for the time being. Had he said just the book was from there, or that he was too? Either way, that wasn't important now. "What was it like there?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:25 pm
Kikue let the waves wash over her feet as she walked. "Well," she started, "it's a crowded place, kind of like Tokyo in that regard. But it's very different from Japan. The streets are much wider and more open, and there aren't as many people. Almost everything is in English : I learned it alongside Japanese when I was very young." She broke into a smile, and even stifled a giggle. "The food isn't very good at all...at least, not the real English food...it tastes very bland. Not like Japanese food.
"There are people from many nationalities there, unlike Japan. Many of them speak their own language. It could be confusing at times. I know small words from a few other languages because of it."
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Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:47 pm
Natsumi nodded, once again listning intently. It was all very interesting... The other places of the world. She often had tourists pop into the shrines, so she knew of different nationalities... Kikue's mention of food brought on a nice time for a topic change though, before this conversation died. "It sounds like fun..." she nodded, giving a pause before switching incase there was anything left to speak on that. "What foods do you like? My friends always made fun of me for eating umeboshi..." she gave a soft laugh, figuring that was probably the oposite of bland foods.
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Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 10:06 pm
Being such a fan of Japanese food, Kikue was only to happy to switch the conversation to it. "You like umeboshi? I like it, but not too much of it. My favorite food is shikasashi. I love it! They actually have it here, in the mess hall. Isn't it strange?" Kikue stifled laughter again, not letting herself wonder if, somehow, the labs had found out that she liked it and brought it to the mess hall because of that. That was silly...
"I love sushi and sashimi," Kikue admitted, as if her declaration of her favorite food didn't make it obvious.
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Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 10:42 pm
"They have it here?" she really needed to pay more attention apparently. "I'll have to get some, i haven't had any in so long." she paused to look over the ocean. "I like shikasashi.. sushi is okay too." Her conversation was broken as she watched a seagul suddenlly fly past them, jumping back some at it's sudden swoop by, then watchign as it landed.
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Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 10:47 pm
Kikue watched the seagull very intently, cocking her head slightly at it as it patrolled the beach in front of them for food. Kikue's rounded ears twitched, yet she didn't move. Something was very distracting about the bird...the way it bobbed its head; the way it constantly moved. Kikue was completely entranced for a moment, before shaking her head and looking back at Natsumi. She smiled softly, a bit confused by her own actions. "Yes, it's there...it doesn't taste as good as home, of course, but it's still good. I've been having a lot for some reason...maybe the changes."
Kikue put her arms behind her head quietly trying not to look at the gull. But it was as if her eyes were drawn to it. She shut her eyes hard before opening them again. "Do you like...any anime, or manga?" Kikue asked, although her voice sounded preoccupied. The gull...
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 1:21 pm
Natsumi nodded, it was easy to beleive that food wouldn't be the same here... But still, it was nice to know there were some familiar foods here. She was suprised she hadn't noticed them yet though...
She breifly noticed the look Kikue had given the bird, "Anime? Oh Uhm... I never watched it myself, but my brother loved it. He had all sorts of toys and videos."
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Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:01 pm
Kikue knew the question may have sounded childish to someone else, but she had found that many anime and manga could be much more mature and sophisticated than at first glance. She was a bit surprised to hear that Natsumi had little interest in it. That thought alone broke her concentration on the gull, which had already begun to look faintly threatened. It flew off. "Really? I had brought some with me since I thought I would be here for some time...do you like it at all? Maybe we can watch some, some time." A smile spread gently across Kikue's face. Natsumi might not take to the offer, but the thought of watching something so native to both of them together made Kikue hopeful.
It was then that she noticed it again : a strangeness about Natsumi's sweater, implying something that Kikue didn't dare mention openly. She tried not to look like she was staring, but only remembered after her glance had lengthened into something like a distinct 'look.' The bump under the fabric might be nothing, and yet... Kikue broke her line of sight and tried to look at the sky or the ocean distractedly. Oh gods I feel awful! I hope she didn't see me doing that... What am I thinking? That's so rude! Flushing slightly, Kikue looked around for the gull to quickly find a way to change the conversation. Unfortunately, it was gone.
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Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:41 am
Natsumi'd never really stopped to take intrest in it, the only thing htat had drawn her intrest was the toys of her brother when she was younger. She always wanted to play house with them, but alas.. He wouldn't let her near them. Though now, she could hardly blame him. Those things were expensive and as a child she'd have destroyed them in some way.
But when she got old enough for it, she'd gotten too wrapped up in her own highschool dramas of getting good grades and looking good...
"I would like that." Natsumi smiled, if anything it would remind her of her brother whom she so very much missed now.
Natsumi shifted under Kikue's sudden stare... feeling suddenlly nervious. She hadn't noticed had she? If she did.. well. Natsumi knew it wouldn't go over as well as any of the others. She wasn't sure why it had gone over so well... Or why none of them had asked where her husband was.
Swallowing, she clasped her hands together infront of her, letting them sit over her stomach in hopes to destroy whatever idea Kikue might have been getting in her look. "So which ones do you have?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:37 am
Kikue noted Natsumi's clasped hands over her stomach. It only served to solidify Kikue's assumptions...which made her feel worse. Something was definitely there, at least in the sense that Natsumi was trying to hide it -- which meant it was no bump made by her sweater. Oh...gods. I feel horrible. I wish I hadn't noticed this now...
She quickly latched onto the new topic of conversation, dipping her clawed feet in the water as it continued to wash over her skin. "Actually, I have several with me..." It sounded so hollow. Kikue knew she wouldn't be able to begin asking openly about what she suspected; it was so rude that the thought of doing it made her stomach squeeze. "Most of them are shoujo anime...but they're very interesting. Have you heard of 'Shoujo Kakumei Utena'? I really like that one. Most of them are on discs, so I could bring them over some time." Kikue's thoughts on the matter momentarily distracted her from her suspicions. The mental image of sitting with Natsumi in a room, watching anime and giggling about some silly thing on the screen made her long to do it. She had never done anything like that with another girl, or anyone at all really. It seemed like it would be fun...
"It would be like...a 'girl's night,'" Kikue said, breaking into something just shy of a grin and stifling a little laughter. It sounded childish. But fun. She hoped Natsumi would think the same way.
...Which brought around all of Kikue's thoughts on the girl walking placidly next to her, trying to hide something that was quietly becoming obvious to Kikue. Kikue wanted to say something; to reassure Natsumi somehow. She didn't know how. Or what the other girl would think. Before she could stop herself, she asked softly, "Is everything okay, Natsumi-chan?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 11:06 am
Natsumi tried to think back.. Utena? Hm. It definatly sounded familiar, though not from her brother. "I don't think I have. Of course my brother was into all those.. fighting.. things." She gave a tiny giggle, "I guess... 'Boys will be boys,' ne?" She mentally hoped she got the old american saying right. And if she had, that Kikue knew of it. Though, Kikue seemed to know more about english than she did...
She bit her lip when Kikue mentioned a 'girls night.' A grin tugged at her face. She wanted so very much to sqeual and offer to bring candy. But she tried to reassure herself that she was an adult now and needed to act like one. "I would love that." She finally admitted, giving a soft 'teehee.' She started making a mental checklist of things she could bring... nail polish, shampoos, She could get some Shikasashi from the cafeteria.
She had noted that Kikue had said to 'bring them over,' no doubt due to the instincts. Not that Natsumi cared, but it seemed like a good thing to remember and keep track of.
"Mm?" she blinked at the sudden question. She hoped that Kikue had meant that due ot the fact she bit her lip... or maybe in the sense that was it okay for them to do that at her house. Or... Well, The one she didn't want to hear. "Yes, everythings fine." Whichever it was, she felt that responce about covered it.
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:03 pm
Kikue nodded heartily. "I'm not really a fan of the fighting anime...unless it has a good plot and interesting characters..." Relieved and somewhat excited at Natsumi's enthusiasm in the idea, Kikue began plotting exactly what to bring over. Utena? Tutu? Everything she had? She had some old Japanese movies too; some were a little scary but had good plot... Natsumi-chan might not like scary movies... Kikue had pictures from home, and her journal -- she could bring those things, too. If only she could play her violin, she could play something for Natsumi...or even write a piece for her.
Kikue glanced self-consciously at her bad hand; it was no longer bandaged, but depending on how she moved it, jolts of pain would shoot up her arm. If only I could play...
It didn't matter. She had movies, and anime, and books -- all in Japanese, that she could share.
...But it was Natsumi's answer to Kikue's lingering question that brought her to a halt. Natsumi's answer -- there was such finality to it, and strength in some way. A kind of reassurance. She doesn't want to talk about it...I understand. Would I want to? Probably not...yet...
Kikue stopped walking. Turning slowly, she looked into Natsumi's expression. Sighing a little, Kikue turned her eyes out to the ocean. "Natsumi-chan," she said quietly, "I try not to think about what this place means too often...about not going home." Looking back over her shoulder at the girl beside her, Kikue flicked her fuzzy rounded ears. "You are the first person that I've met who can understand me in ways that others here can't. We are from the same place...I want to be able to be good friends with you." Emotion was welling up, as much as she tried to beat it down. She turned around fully now, facing the other girl. "..I want you to be able to trust me."
Kikue tilted her head slowly. She didn't let the claws on her hands deter her : she gathered up Natsumi's hands in her own for a few seconds, looking at her. She bit her lip. "...You're not afraid of me. I'm not afraid of you, either. No matter what." With that, Kikue let go of Natsumi's hands, and placed the girl's hands back around her stomach, like Natsumi herself had placed them only moments before.
It was all that could be done when it came to this : to simply tell the truth.
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Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:39 pm
Natsumi looked on ahead, nodding as Kikue spoke. Once again her thoughts wandering over just how relaxing and refreshing it was to hear her own language. It wasn't too bad here right...? Even if Taro was here.. Natsumi had good friends. heck, she had more friends than she ever had back home. Maybe that's what came with being stranged somewhere.. But no matter what the reason she was still very thankful for them.
She paused when Kikue stopped, turning to look at her curiously. A part of her already seemed to know where this was going... She ahd noticed. Here it was.. The you're a dirty whore and discraced your family talk, right? She'd avoided such a talk for so long after all... Running from it, straight into a trap. This island.
"We are Friends." Sh emanaged to note during Kikue's pause, atleast she assumed they were now. Maybe not best friends but... They'd get there eventually, right? She flinched some as Kikue looked back at her, biting into her lip.
Whaat Kikue had hadn't been what she expected, not even close. Natsumi blinked, choking suddenlly. Her eyes tried to water up.. Even she didn't think poorly of her? No one did? What.. What if her parents would have accepted her? What if she idnd't have to be here? What if Taro really had meant that he hadn't meant to leave... What..
She gave a little hiccup, covering her face with her hands quickly. Don't think about that. "Y-You know then?" Aaa... Why'd she have to be so obvious?
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