Shicchan

														Shicchan



Misha: 'Thank you for shopping at Maruetsu!'

She looked at her watch; Ten minutes left. If she was lucky, that is. If not, someone would come in a minute before the end of her day, and she would have to wait for ten, fifteen minutes, half an hour for them to be done. No extra pay for overtime, of course. She almost had to fight with her boss to get paid on time for her regular hours. It wasn't a great job, but as they say, it pays the bills.

She didn't expect to do this her entire life either... But after Yamaku, she couldn't find a job as sign language instructor, but she had to do something, anything, and fast. Getting a job in a grocery store was easy enough, and Misha was quite sociable, so this was a natural fit. She still had some trouble with the cash registers sometimes, but other than that, it was a fairly simple job. Fairly simple job, for a fairly simple person, she thought, bittersweet.

She didn't hate the job, not really... But working there meant that she failed at her dream. And once in a while a deaf person would come in and be directed to Misha - as always - to chat a little... Customers found that amusing, to be able to talk with an employee, but to Misha, talking in signs while working on another job, was a constant and painful reminder she was not where she wanted to be. But if nothing else, her time at Yamaku taught her how to pretend, how to smile even when sadness overwhelmed her, so it wasn't a big deal. And there was still time for her... Time to quit this, and find what she really wanted to do. But this one... This job... Well, Misha had never been one to care that much about jobs, either her own or other people's jobs. To her it was not a passion, just a means to an end. And right now, the end was in her pocket;

She reached inside to make sure it was still there; Yup. She felt the links of the two delicate golden chains between her fingers. Plain, but pretty. She couldn't wait... These chains had been expensive, more than a week's salary... But they were worth it. Misha didn't care about money any more than she cared about jobs. Only one thing she really cared about, and that had not changed in years;

Shizune. Shicchan, as she called her. She was all Misha cared about. Just thinking about her name made her heart beat just a little faster. She was very nervous, something that almost never happened to Misha... But today was a big day. An important day. Their fifth anniversary.

At first, Misha wanted to buy her a ring, but she changed her mind and went instead for two identical chains, so they could each wear one. A ring was too... Serious. Too close to an engagement ring. Thinking about that got Misha's mind to jump from one thought to the next, and shortly, she found herself daydreaming about scenarios like that. She wished Shizune would come up to her one day, take a knee in front of her, and propose. Misha pictured this exact thing in her mind so much, that she could see Shizune's hands doing the "Will you marry me?" motions perfectly. "This would be the dream", Misha thought... But she brought herself back to reality; "That's stupid", she thought. "I should not think about silly scenarios that will never happen. I should just be happy with what I have".

Thankfully, no late customer this day, so Misha was able to leave on time. She lived a few miles from the store, and there was no train, so she had to walk for an hour, six days a week. These chains she bought... that could've been the first payment on a car. If Shizune had been there when she bought them, Misha knew she would've told her not to spend money like that; To just save for a car. Something useful. But to Misha, these little chains that meant sharing something, being closer, were more useful than any car. She didn't mind the walk, anyway.

...

She arrived at her place forty minutes later; Anxious to get there, she walked much faster than usual.

Misha: 'Shicchan, I'm home!'

She didn't expect a reply, for obvious reasons. Misha locked the door behind her and took her shoes off first, then her shirt; Curtains were always closed at the windows, so she could walk around topless, no one could see her.

Misha: 'Gonna hop in the shower real quick, see you soon! I'll have a surprise for you!'

She always talked out loud, even when no one could hear her; Probably a habit she picked up in Yamaku, translating back and forth for Shizune while voicing out everything for whoever Shizune was talking to. But it wasn't really the same here; She talked out loud to feel closer. To feel with her. Part of her thought it was stupid, but it worked, so she kept doing it.

Shicchan was in her room, as always when Misha came back from work, and she couldn't wait to go to her. She stripped off the rest of her clothes and took a shower, barely washing herself, instead just staying under the water a few minutes. When she was done, she changed into something sexier; Well it was just some comfortable, light pajamas... But Misha thought herself sexy in these. "Shicchan would be cute in those too", she thought. "Maybe I should get some for her someday...".

Misha felt nervous again, and spent a few minutes in front of the mirror, making sure she looked great. "Perfect!", she thought... Then she found herself a bit silly. What does it matter? It wouldn't matter if I looked bad. Shicchan wouldn't care. She shrugged these sad thoughts away, and patted in front of her pajamas. She had a small moment of panic when she didn't feel anything where the pocket with her chains should've been, before realizing she was in her pajamas, and her pants were laying on the floor. She grabbed them and reached into her pocket, sighing in relief when she felt the small golden chains. She put the first one on her left wrist, thinking it'd be better that way; She would only have to put the second one on Shicchan.

Considering herself ready, she walked to her room and opened the door. Lights were off, as always. Misha turned them on and looked at Shicchan, laying on her bed, under the sheets. "Hot day today", Misha thought. "Should've pulled the sheets off". She did that now, revealing Shicchan's body, inch by inch. She had a light blue shirt on, displaying a big rainbow on the front, and cartoonish stars with smiling faces. Below the waist, she wore grey leggings, tight enough that Misha could see her shape, like she wasn't wearing anything. It turned her on as it always did, but it wasn't the time for that. Pink frilly socks completed her outfit, other than a few bits of jewelry; Small earrings, a collar around her neck. She had light makeup on, blue eyeshadow and a touch of lipstick. The outfit wasn't very Shizune-like... But that's what Misha liked, so that's what she wore, most of the time.

Misha: 'Here's the surprise!'

She held the golden chain in front of her, next to her own, around her wrist.

Misha: 'This way we'll be the same, wahaha!'

Shicchan didn't say anything, of course, and only laid on the bed, her eyes wide open. Misha was proud of her gift, proud of herself working so hard and so long for days, to be able to afford this. She wasn't very wealthy, but these chains were so pretty, and looked high class; Something even Shizune could appreciate, she thought.

Misha: 'Here, I'll put it on you, it'll be cute!'

When she was done, she moved back a little, to look at it; "Perfect!" she thought again. It completed her outfit pretty well. Misha moved back in to lay next to her, and brought Shicchan's soft arm around her, to hold her.

Misha: 'Happy anniversary, Shicchan!'

Tears were in Misha's eyes by then, and she kissed Shicchan on the cheek first, then on the lips. Always felt a bit weird to Misha, the texture and material, but there was no way around it. Her eyes were still watery, but she was smiling, one of her sad smiles. She wished Shicchan could talk to her. Or sign to her. She would've liked for her kisses to provoke any reaction in Shicchan's large, vitreous eyes. She shrugged these thoughts off again... Why think of what cannot be, can't ever be?

She closed her eyes and brought Shicchan to her in a hug, positioning herself for the night, to cuddle with her. Misha kissed her again; It might not be the real thing... But it was the only thing Misha could ever have. "Five years done", she thought. "Here's to five more.".

Misha: 'Good night, Shicchan.'

She cried a little then fell asleep, holding her doll tightly against her chest.


The end