Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kumiko yawned heavily, trudging towards the door.
"I'm coming!"
She looked through the peep-hole and saw Terra's smiling face. She pulled her hair back, knowing she looked like crap but letting her friend in anyways.
"Hey Ter..?" She looked down at the painting.
"Where'd you get that?"

Kumiko watched her move the painting inside, still in shock at what was quite going on, and mumbled out a "Sure... why not?"

She wanted to throw her arms around Terra and thank her, but her body wouldn't follow and only went to pick up a purse and some keys from the kitchen counter.

Kumiko had been staring at the ground for a while now, and was startled by her friends voice.
"Kumiko.... why are you in debt? What happened?"
She looked up towards Terra, wondering what all Fiona had told her.
"Well... I...." She searched for words to put things bluntly. Nothing was coming to mind all that soon.
"I really don't know where to start...." She stared at her hands, and after a few moments she unzipped her purse and pulled out a small picture of a child. She handed it to Terra.
"He's adorable right?"
She laughed at the thought of the little one.
"He's my next door neighbor's. Just a little over five months there. His mom rented a room with us, and she went to our highschool for a while."
She looked back down at the ground, "Well, she quit school after ninth grade just disappeared. Do you remember Chelsie? The shy meek girl from Bio? That's her. She just disappeared and nobody knew what had happened. But..."
Kumiko looked up now, holding the purse in both hands and waiting as the city bus crossed the road.
"Well, she was raped that year. And her parents kicked her out. One day I found her in the park crying her eyes out and she told me everything. So, I offered her to stay with me, you know since mom's always away. No one would know. And we stuck together for a while. But the money was an issue. Chelsie got really really sick, and I spent all kinds of money, including moms, on her hospital bills. "
A tear peirced behind her eye,
"She died of cancer over the summer."
After a few moments of silence, and a turn down ninth street, Kumiko continued. "So, I've been paying back doctor bills since. Not to mention the extra food and baby stuff. And then Fiona, the girl who runs the art store started helping me out. I'd work there afterschool whenever I could." She sighed holding the picture up, "I gave Chelsie's baby, the poor little Ryan to Fiona. And, that's that."
She stared at her feet, and pointed up to a little cafe on the corner.
"Is that new?"

(( I gots a little carried away.... My bad! >.<;;; ))

Kumiko laughs, "Cake for dinner? What's the occasion?"

*she smiles* why, the occassion of living! heheh, no matter how bad life gets, yer still alive, right? so we should celebrate that!

*she throws her arms into the air with a childish smile on her face, she was clearly making up a dumb excuse just so she could buy cake.*

*as they walk to the front door, she notices kyo getting off his bike. seh waves him down enthusiastically* YO KYO!!!! hey, we hafta order to go, but why dun ya join us fer a bit? well? whaddya say? *she grins at him happily*

Kumiko smiles at the cheeriness in Terra's laugh but is thrown completely off when Terra jumps from her seat and yells out to someone.
Watching him comeover, she couldn't quite make out who he was.
"So Terra, who's this?" She elbowed her friend lightly.

Kumiko smiles politely,
"Kumiko Takahashi. And... they call me Kumiko...because that's my name."