(Author's Note: Since I thought it was weird for the author to love their situation so much, even though they haven't even experienced a whole day as Mikki, I couldn't get myself to continue the other storyline. ^^; )
Mikki wasn't sure what to talk about, with Kinoko, so she returned to sitting in silence and watched her sister play volleyball with the other girls. However, there was something that was niggling at her, about what she had learned about her situation. It took her a few minutes to realize what it was.
Turning to Kinoko, she asked, "Say, um... If this is rehab, then what happens when it's over?"
"Whatever you want." Was Kinoko's simple response.
"So, if I wanted to..."
"To keep things like this?" Kinoko guessed. "Sure. We're authors, after all. You wouldn't be here if you weren't. I wouldn't be here, either."
Catching the tone of her voice, at the end, Mikki, her curiosity getting the better of her, asked, "What do you mean?"
Kinoko turned her head away and said, "Well... I've experienced so many things that I've become apathetic. Nothing really... feels like anything, anymore. Like I'm numb on the inside." She looked down and sighed. "I was hoping that watching a new author rehabilitate themselves would help freshen me up, or something."
She returned her gaze to Mikki and apologetically said, "Authors are usually alone in rehab. Sorry if I'm intruding... I can leave, if you want."
Mikki considered Kinoko for a moment before a look of determination crossed her features.
"It's alright." She said, smiling. "We're friends, right?"
"Yeah..." Kinoko replied, returning the smile with one of her own. "I suppose we are... Thank you."
At that moment Nikki came up to them, as another group of girls took the place of the girls she had been playing volleyball with. She sat down beside her sister and wiped her brow, and didn't say anything until she caught her breath.
"Doing okay over here?" She finally asked.
"Yup." Mikki replied with a grin. "I made a new friend."
"Oh?"
Mikki introduced Kinoko to her sister, who greeted her warmly.
"Is it alright if she joins us at the mall, later?" Mikki eventually asked.
"I don't see why not." Nikki replied, smiling knowingly.
Kinoko smiled reservedly, but was otherwise thankful for the opportunity that Mikki was going out of her way to give her.
After school, Mikki, Nikki, Aisha, Yuriko and Kinoko found themselves stepping into the mall. Where to, first?
Fri Sep 04 20:14:26 2009