001↠ Action/Voice

[odastillhatesme]

[There is something extraordinarily jarring about finding yourself in a chilled, unfamiliar forest, when two seconds ago you were under the sea, fighting off a legion of crazed fishmen. The blonde man clad in the usual New Feather's garb is none too pleased with this switch once he gathers his bearings, and he sets off in a direction that might be

Comments

[Action] - I CAN DO IT, TOO.

[chiisaichou]

[There aren't too many places Miyabi haunts regularly, so it'll be fairly easy to find her. All the more easy because of the closeness of the Straw Hat house to the cherry tree hill. She's large today (had to stock up on winter clothes), and lounging on one of the branches of the tree higher up the largest tree. One leg is lazily dangling back and forth as she looks out over the colorless land of Luceti. The pain of seeing people and places like that has dulled some, but she still...can't paint. Not well anyway. Not how she used to, and not how she wants to. A mat laid out below her shows this - a forever incomplete painting held down by weights, brushes laying in paint dishes, for hours now.

No, she's not...in any condition to really try painting with color. Perhaps one single color, or black ink, but no more than that. No...today she's playing her flute. The person she must have become when the moon was coming down, it was that golden haired man. She remembered the hat he wore. It was gone now, but...maybe she could play his song...he had a flute, a lot like hers. It's taken her a while to figure out (the damn notes were so fast), but she thinks she's got it.

A few deer even come to listen and graze at the hill, eating their fill before the snow comes. The approach of someone from far away has the animals lifting their heads, ears swiveling left and right, before they take flight back into the forest. Their departure makes the girl blink in confusion, stop her music, and slide down from the branches.]

What's gotten them so scared? [She sighs, then crouches down to her paint set.] They better not have broken my brush or ink pots...

[Even if they were almost useless to her now. Her confidence was lower than the grubs in the earth by now. But still, it'd only be two more months. Two months...and she could see her beautiful world again. All the people she loved, too, and finally, finally make a painting she could be proud of. These things now...they were just empty drawings. Hopeful means of making art when she could not. Miyabi lifts the one she had been working on, stares at it for a long, long time, then begins crumpling it up into a ball angrily. She wants to paint again, she wants to see like she should, it's not fair! Why did they have to take that away from her?! They could have taken something else! Though, with a wry smirk, Miyabi knows the Malnosso took almost everything from her now, those bastards. With all her might, she hurls the little paper ball as far as it can go.

...Before picking up a brush, and starting again.]

[Action] omg that music is so beautiful

[odastillhatesme]

[There might not be many places Miyabi would frequent, but with Sanji's jumbled up mess of memories? She could be anywhere. He's searched for half an hour already, wandering around like a blind Zoro, until admitting temporary defeat for the sake of efficiency. He'll just have to try the journals later, after he finds a few of his other friends first.

It's on his way to the Trigun house that he hears it - music. The tune doesn't strike him as one he knows, but it's pleasant and light, filled with a stranger's nostalgia. Even on his self-inflicted time limit, curiosity eggs him on until the cherry tree sits in plain view.

And first thing Sanji sees upon his approach, once the music has stopped? A very familiar figure, hurling a crumpled ball away from her. The excited cry in his throat dies, the arm lifted in greeting freezes. He waits there, and watches her settle back down to paint again. If she's upset...

... Well, no harm in being creative, he decides.

Luceti puts a dampening on strength, but not so much speed. So Sanji puts those leg muscles to work, slipping quietly over to where the ball of paper sits, rejected in the grass. He picks it up, opens it as softly as he can, an eyebrow arched soon after. He admits he doesn't know shit about art, but--]

I dunno, Miyabi-chan. [He looks up, an earnest smile hidden by his casualness] I really like this one.

[Action] 1/2 the entire soundtrack is. |D ...all 4 CDs worth.

[chiisaichou]

[Miyabi doesn't hear Sanji approach, much like the animals earlier. Her ears aren't as good, and her attention is focused on the paper before her. She hadn't drawn anything, mind racing over what to draw, how, where to begin. She hates this. Hates it so much it hurts. Which color is blue, which is red? She can't tell anymore...and she just hates it. She had tried to draw Amaterasu earlier - the crumpled ball - and it came out messy. The colors bled into each other and were inconsistent...because she couldn't tell them apart. Other colors were simply misplaced, but the lines were good. Exquisite, even.

At first, the voice only barely registers, and she stops moving for a second. Her eyes flutter, as if she's trying to place the voice. It almost seems distant, like a faded memory...but in a snap, every comes rushing back, and Miyabi drops her brush to snap her head up and stare. She's on her feet without even thinking about it, staring. It can't be. She must be dreaming. It has to be a Malnosso trick. They'd never be so generous. It just...it can't--]

[Action] 2/2

[chiisaichou]

San--

[Her voice breaks, shatters, before she even finishes. It's not...he couldn't really be here. Not really. It has to be a dream, or something else. Yet, Miyabi still dares to hope. She wants to believe he's really there. Here. Again. After what felt like forever...

She takes a step forward, unsure of just what she was feeling. It was a race of emotions - anger, frustration, sorrow, joy, shock, hesitation - and it made her head spin and her stomach churn right along with it. She almost felt sick, but she pressed forward. If this was real, she wanted to stay strong.

Miyabi takes another cautious step, her eyes welling up with tears. She couldn't see him, not as she should - like everything else - but if he was real. If Sanji was really there...she could care less. It was worth it, to just see him again. Another step, and another, and yet another...before she stands right in front of him, tears spilling down from her eyes.]

S-S-Sanji...? [She reaches up one hand, pauses, then touches his face gently, almost collapsing forward when her palm met the warmth of his skin.] Sanji! Oniisan!

[Action]

[odastillhatesme]

[It's been two years since he's seen her, or given her a well-deserved hug, but he can be patient. He waits for her to tell with her own senses that this isn't a dream. And then there's an answering hand on her cheek, brushing some of the tears away.

Third girl he's made cry today. As if he didn't want to kick his own ass enough already. But he can focus on that later; for now, he smiles rather sadly]

I didn't mean to keep you waiting so long.

[Action]

[chiisaichou]

If anything, the hand makes Miyabi cry harder. It's surreal, but true. Sanji's back. He's really and truly back. Once he speaks, however, she can't hold back anymore, and practically flings herself at him, arms curled tightly around his waist. He's gotten taller, but he's still the same. The same smell of exotic spices and a hint of tobacco. He was warm and...and he was here.

Miyabi chokes between her sobs, a crooked smile spreading on her face.]

I-Idiot! I don't care how long it took! [She'd wait forever if she had to. Miyabi's hands curl into Sanji's clothes, and she just holds him there, enjoying the closeness and familiarity of his scent and just...just his presence.] I missed you...S-Sanji-nii.

[And the waterworks start again. She'll apologize for ruining your suit once she calms down some.]

[Action]

[odastillhatesme]

[Haha, he was waiting for it. Sanji curls an arm around her the moment he's engulfed in a hug, and starts grinning uncontrollably at her words. Just like he remembers - small but fierce in every way.]

Aa. I missed you, too. [Two years' worth of missing, in fact, and he didn't even realize. He can barely remember what forgetting her felt like.]

[Action]

[chiisaichou]

[Miyabi clings, her hands shaking slightly. It was really real. He was real. he was here and, gods, she was so thankful. So happy. She utters a prayer in her mind, a thanks, and just hugs Sanji closer. Don't leave again. Please. Not before she can see you completely.

Ah, that's right. Should she tell him? Mm, no...not yet. She's not going to ruin this right now. Sniffling, Miyabi pulls back to finally wipe her face and really just look at her brother again. She smiles, and tilts her head to one side.]

You changed your hair?

[Do they really go the same way?]

[Action]

[odastillhatesme]

[Touching as this reunion is, that doesn't stop Sanji from grinning sheepishly, pulling at his bangs with a free hand.]

Aah, yeah. I thought it was time for a change. [Something different, to celebrate seeing his crew again.]

It'd been two years, after all.

[Action]

[chiisaichou]

[Two years...huh. That would explain why he looked older, taller, and certainly a lot broader. Miyabi stares a little longer, then smiles through a few more tears. So long, yet it was only a month or so for her. And he even remembered, too! It was unbelievable, but it was real, and she was so, so happy.]

I-It looks good!

[Why is this so hard? She just wants to cry all over again. Cry and hold onto him and never, ever let go.]

[Action]

[odastillhatesme]

Really? [Some things never change - like the boyish delight that lights his face when he hears the compliment.

And somehow, he seems to sense talking might be best served when they're both a little calmer. So he just holds her again; he won't go anywhere.]

[Action]

[chiisaichou]

Mm-hm!

[She nods slowly, still smiling, before she just...just can't hold it back anymore. Thankfully, Miyabi's still smiling, but she feels the tears running down her face all over again, and laughs - a mix of laughter and her sobbing. Her arms come around him tighter as well, and she buries her face into his chest. Ha...he really is taller. She used to come up higher when she hugged him. That, or...gods forbid, she's getting smaller.]

A-And you've grown! Yo-You have to t-t-tell me everything ab-bout your journey, S-Sanji! [She gasps, and cries all over again, unable to speak louder than a whisper anymore.] I'm so happy you're back. I missed you so much... I-I'm so...so happy.

[Action]

[odastillhatesme]

Oi, of course! [He doesn't go as far to promise; not in this place, where they're so easily broken.] I tell you whatever you want to know!

It's the least I can do; for making you cry. [He mentions it jokingly, ruffling a few strands of hair.] Heh, I haven't been much of a big brother, have I?

[It not being his fault feels like such a flimsy excuse, now that he's back to face the consequences.]

[Action]

[chiisaichou]

[Oh, Sanji, you idiot. If she had the strength, Miya would hit you. Instead, she just laughs softly and nuzzles into his shirt, smiling at the hair ruffles. Don't mess it up, too much, though.]

Idiot...you've been that much better. And I-I cried because...b-because I thought I wouldn't see you again! I'm happy! [Even if, in the back of her heart, she is a little upset with him. Stupidly, of course, but it was when she needed someone like him the most, that he was taken away.

But Miyabi doesn't think on that for too long, she really is happy. Happy to have him back, as selfish as that sounds. She leans her chin on his chest and looks up with a small smirk. Right at his face. Then uuup, a little bit--]

...They go the same way.

[GIGGLE.]

[Action]

[odastillhatesme]

[He... should have been prepared for trolling. If he wasn't holding her, Sanji would banish himself to his corner of woe for a spell, but instead he scratches the covered side of his head, close to the hidden eyebrow.

Don't stare at them for too long. They might hypnotize you. B|]

Guess the secret's out. [he doesn't sound upset, only brightly embarrassed, a laugh clouding his throat]

[Action]

[chiisaichou]

[They are pretty hypnotizing, yes. 8|a

Miyabi giggles, distracting herself from the whirlpool of emotions still swirling around inside of her, and just...looks him over. Sanji's changed quite a bit in the, what did he say, two years that he's been away. Mm, two years...same as Luffy, and Nami, and some of the others, too.So, he's caught up.]

You haven't changed anything else, right? [Like his hair color or anything...she can't see it, and she'll tell him subtly. And gives said hair a bit of a ruffle after standing on her toes to reach. S-Sob, why so tall, bro?] You hair's the same color, isn't it?