Two Stars

Two Stars, inspired by http://i.imgur.com/hq861x6.jpg

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The air was crisp in only the way a cold Autumn morning could be. The sun's cool caress cut through the still air and splashed onto the head of the young woman walking down the crowded sidewalk.

Despite the chill in the air, the energetic girl felt warm. After all, she was going to see her friends! That was a reason to feel good, right? Right! She hadn't seen them for three years, so she was definitely looking forward to today. Everything was great. Well, almost everything...

"I'm lost," one Shiina Mikado realized, not for the first time that day. She thought that coming back to the city would be easy, but three years had resulted in an urban explosion that left her head spinning.

'I'll never find Shicchan at this rate,' she thought with a sad smile. 'Everything is so mixed up now. It's like someone poured the city into a bowl and stirred it around. Like a parfait! Ooh, I wonder if there's a nice dessert place nearby!'

Perking up at the thought of something sweet, the pink-maned Misha chose a random direction and surged through the press of humanity all around her.

---

Hisao was convinced that it was far too cold to be running around the city. The Shanghai was a thousand times more convenient and at least twice as affordable as wherever Shizune wanted to go. A familiar skip in his heartbeat accompanied the thought of the old Student Council President. Shizune had been so caught up in her University life that she and Hisao had fallen more and more out of contact. He didn't even know what they were anymore.

'I haven't even seen her since the last charity event. And that was, what, four months ago? I'm not even going to think about how many text messages we don't send each other these days... No. Today is supposed to be happy. Misha is back from America! It'll be nice to see her. Now, what was that address..?'

Fishing out a piece of paper and bolstered by the thought of reuniting the Student Council, Hisao pushed through the crowd and went on his way.

---

'They're late.'

Shizune liked to think she was a patient woman. Spirits know that dealing with the idiots she had to work with to make anything happen required copious amounts of patience. Still, she expected more from her old Councilmates. Loosing a silent sigh, she turned in her chair and started rifling through the pockets of her suit coat. Finally finding her phone, she flipped it open and navigated to her text messages. Ignoring the three messages from Hideaki ('Sis, where do you keep your corsets?') and the one message from Akira ('Your brother is dressing up in your old clothes again.'), she typed a quick message and shot it off to her two old friends.

'Shiina is lost, I'll wager. And Hisao...' Shizune's eyes glazed over at the thought of her...what? Boyfriend? Just friend? Something else? She jerked her head sharply.

'To be honest, I really don't know. I haven't even communicated with him since,' her eyes flashed to her phone on the table, 'since a long time. The distance between our respective universities certainly isn't conducive to a romantic relationship. Still-'

A staccato set of vibrations from the table burst through her musings. Snatching her phone off the table, she flipped it open to see a- BZZZZ- two- BZZZZ- three- ... three messages from Shiina.

'shicchan! :)))))'
'im lost :'(( pls help'
'o nvrmnd'

A sudden crash from her left threw the deaf girl's chair skidding back into the wall behind her. She could tell from the small vibrations in her inner ear that her attacker was yelling. She could tell from the sudden change in temperature that her attacker had just come from outside. And she could tell from the sudden smell of whipped cream and the sudden explosion of pink across her vision that her attacker has none other than-

[Shiina! Release me! Now!] Shizune attempted to sign with her suddenly full arms. Finding communication ineffective, she resorted to pushing the pink ball of energy away from her.

Finally back in control of the personal space she enjoyed so much, Shizune allowed her gaze to travel over her oldest friend. Misha's mouth was moving a mile a minute, but her hands seemed to be randomly flailing, so Shizune ignored what she couldn't understand and focused on how Shiina had changed. She still insisted on dying her hair that garish pink color, though it was much longer than Shizune had ever seen it before. She had lost a noticeable amount of weight, and Shizune firmed her abdominals in a rare fit of self-consciousness. Finally growing tired of Shiina's hysterics, Shizune called upon her most effective weapon and snapped her fingers. Smirking in satisfaction at the look of shock on the pink-haired girls face, Shizune did what she does best and took charge of the situation.

[Hello, Shiina. You're looking well,] she signed with a genuine smile.

---

Hisao was more than a little mad. He had ridden three seperate trains and taken four different buses, only to be greeted by a 'I knew you'd be late' text from his so-called girlfriend.

'The first time she actually makes an effort to contact me, and she makes fun of me. This is too much. I'm done. She can eat alone for all I care.'

His mind made up, Hisao typed up a quick message, sent it, and turned on his heel.

'I wonder if Kenji still works at that office downtown...'

---

[- so then he said "Do you really eat all that?" and I~ said of course! I mean, parfaits may be the most delicious thing on the whole~ planet!] "Wahaha~!"

Shizune had missed this. The familiar way Shiina grabbed her belly and threw her head back at the end of every mundane sentence. The way her hands signed a little too fast and a little too erratically. The way she shoveled food into her mouth quickly so she could continue to sign. She had missed all of it and how it combined into the girl who was Shiina.

Shizune turned around to look at the door to the restaurant. Now, where could Hisao be? Turning her attention back to the girl across from her, Shizune was surprised to see a frown on her partner's face.

[Oh, Shicchan. I just got a message from Hicchan... He says he isn't coming... And... And...] Misha fumbled her hands around a bit before just sliding the phone across the wooden tabletop.

'Tell Shizune that I'm not coming. I'm so tired of whtever game she's playing now. Tell her it's over. I'll catch up with you sometime later.'

Wait.

What?

Hisao... Broke it off?

What?

Shizune felt an unfamiliar prickling at the back of her eyes. Not here. Not in front of people.

It was kind of funny, in a way. She supposed that she did treat their relationship as a bit of a game. And Hisao had won.

---

Misha wasn't good at seeing people get sad. She was much better at hiding being sad. Or pretending not to be sad. Or any number of things. She was even worse at knowing what to do when her oldest and bestest friend was the person getting sad. Shicchan was strong! But still. Being friends meant taking care of each other, right? Right! So Misha did what she does best and became Shizune's buffer to the cruel world around her.

---

Two young women hurried arm-in-arm through the roiling mass of humanity that was the beginning of nightlife in the city. The girl with the pink drills in her hair led her moist-eyed companion through the crowd in a search for the one thing that never failed to make her feel better. Now, where would...there! Misha felt a smile stretch her cheeks as she caught sight of the ice cream stand on the street corner. Turning to let her deaf companion see her smile, Misha dragged Shizune up to the cart and ordered two sundaes ("With extra fudge and whipped cream and, ooh, sprinkles!!").

Her initial goal completed, Misha turned to Shizune and began to sign.

[Shicchan~, do you have a place to stay? We could go back to my hotel room! It's not as nice as you're probably used to, but! But it has me and ice cream!] "Wahaha~!"

Shizune hid a sniffle behind her sundae and signed back with one hand.

[No, Shiina, I do not. I would appreciate that, thank you. Ice cream and Shiina sounds like what I need right now.]

Letting out an exuberant laugh, Misha grabbed Shizune's hand and yanked her towards her hotel. Sadly, that same action resulted in her becoming intimately acquainted with the chest of a man in a blue business suit. Misha's pride survived the ordeal. Her ice cream did not. Now covered entirely in sugar and syrup but seemingly unfazed, Misha loudly apologized to the poor man and continued dragging her companion towards the distant hotel room. Shizune was more important than some stupid jacket and sundae anyway.

---

The rest of the night had passed in a bit of a blur. Misha could remember stopping at the convenience store on the way to the hotel and picking up a tub of ice cream and some cheap wine. She could remember digging through her suitcase to find her old photo album. She could remember that- oh whatever. She was much more concerned with the present. The present where Shizune was cuddled up next to her with her eyes focused intently on the TV screen. Misha shifted to get her friends attention and began to sign.

[Shicchan?]

[Yes, Shiina?]

[Thanks. This is nice.]

[I should be thanking you, Shiina. You've always stuck by my side,] Shizune signed back with a smile before a yawn overtook her features. The yawn proved contagious, and Misha suddenly felt very tired. Noticing her best friend's droopy eyes and knowing that she was on the verge of sleep herself, Shizune smirked and cracked her knuckles.

[Shiina, I bet breakfast tomorrow that you'll fall asleep before me!] Misha's eyes widened at the challenge.

[No fair! You know I fall asleep fast fast fast! Come on-]

Shizune grabbed her friend's hands tightly to stop her from finishing her thought. The deaf girl raised a single finger to her lips and leaned into the shorter girl's shoulder. Together, the two of them drifted off into dreamland, hands still clasped tight.