{Vocaloid} Where the Odd Ones Lie

Coming to Terms;Communication

A warm, silent afternoon.

Mayu awoke in the usual cart, pressed into Fukase's side, with Piko lying still behind her. Tomorrow night would be their last show before the spring season came into its climax. After that, they'd probably move on to a new location. Their recent small hiatus caused the show season schedule to be tighter.
They had plenty of time to worry about that, though. Right now, they wanted merely to bask in the silence of the area.

Over the few days they were given to practice, Mayu and Piko visited Luka multiple times. Mayu was always fidgety when going to see her; she was anxious that on one of their visits Gakupo would return again (seemingly, out of nowhere.) But, to Luka's dismay, he never showed up during the end of spring. She missed him so, and everyday her due date came closer and closer.

Piko's behavior was a lot calmer now, but Mayu couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Piko was a naturally flamboyant individual. To see him so docile, almost meek, it certainly was alarming. And Mayu wasn't the only who noticed the change.
Both Miku and Oliver brought it up with her, all coming up with their own separate theories on what the issue could be.
Miku thought it was malnutrition, the Flowers said it was fatigue, Oliver thought he was simply depressed.
Mayu didn't know. She didn't wish to pry, but as Piko became more and more quiet, Mayu took it upon herself to ask him what was the matter.

But not right now. Right now, they were all relaxing, and everything was still.

☀︎︎☀︎︎☀︎︎

Once everyone had awoken and the day began, Mayu desperately wanted to talk to Fukase about her feelings. Her feelings about the situation with Piko, her plans of escape, and her feelings for him. She was absolutely itching to get all of those things off her chest. Her new found drive stood unmatched.
Something about her injury from earlier allowed her to see things not in a new light, rather, with different intentions and motivation. Everyone was just as they were to her; she still found them all uniquely beautiful. But now, she felt so much more towards them. She found reason in every thought she had about them. Every tug at her frail heartstrings, every conversation, they all amounted to so much more now. Sure, this came with stress, but gradually, it began to feel natural. She was too busy to even think about her life prior to the circus. As she made a b-line to the tent to reach Fukase, she paused.

Life...before the circus.

It was strange. Before, she dreamt about her sister every night. Now she...she really barely thought about her. It'd been many months ago when she decided to run away. Her sister had probably visited home many times by now, worried to death to see her sister no longer there. A small seed of doubt planted itself inside of Mayu. A small reminder of what was before, what was now only a fuzzy memory.
Her mother's face. What did it look like again?

She was busy now. She has people to care about.

Slowly (almost hesitantly) she entered the tent.
She greeted everyone, and went into the center to find the dancers. Fukase was having a lively conversation with Oliver, Piko standing over to the side, with his hands folded in content.
As Mayu approached, Piko was the only one who I initially noticed her, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. He could probably sense her tension.

"Hey, Fukase." She said sweetly, as not to interrupt.
He turned to her swiftly.
"Hey!"

She was a bit taken aback, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. Oh dear, what should she say first? She eventually caught her breath.

"I was wondering if I could steal you away for a moment."

Fukase grinned, and waved his chattery friend goodbye.

They sat outside on a blanket, sitting silent for a few tranquil moments. Finally, Mayu was ready to say something. She held her knees to her chest and took a deep breath.

"Piko...you two are close, right?"

He nod slowly, having to think a little before answering. "We've known each other since I got here. I'd say we're close."

"Have you noticed anything...strange about him lately?"
Fukase nod more assuredly this time.

"Definitely. I don't really remember when I noticed, though. It's been hard to keep up with time."

Mayu completely understood. She remembered mostly the event of desperately trying to get Luka and Fukase to safety. She remembered feeling completely different after her deal with master, and then a small gap. It was fairly easy for her to put the pieces together. She was practicing, then woke in a make shift infirmary next to Fukase. She remembered waking up to the gentle shuffling of her cast mate. And she remembered their brief, mutual moment of affection. A simple moment that sat comfortably in Mayu's mind.

Her mind went on a little tangent. That moment set softly, in the limelight amongst prier similar memories. That wasn't her first kiss.

When Mayu was around the age of 13, she'd just finished secondary school. During her time, secondary education only went as far as age 13 for girls, say unless they were exceptional in school. Mayu's older sister, Galaco, was the exception. Mayu was not. So, when her parents were busy (they were too busy to be oblivious to her absence, they simply didn't pay much attention) she'd leave a day of cooking a sewing to a night of mischief. She would spend her time with children who were seen as peculiar as she, unfortunate enough to be born into and watched upon from the eyes of upper class society. There, she made several odd friendships, one with a boy her age. She initiated it, and told everyone within their group how awful of a kisser his was. Their relationship, somehow, still continued after that.

After that, she felt more comfortable with herself in those regards, experimenting with other boys and girls in her group, never taking things too far.

Here she sat, beside Fukase, struggling to look him in the eyes. He was by far one of creepiest people she'd ever met, but no one had shown her the type of kindness and gentleness he had to offer. How she'd love to explore these swelling feelings more. The phase of ignoring her young heart's needs in order to adapt to her new living conditions was long over. She felt secure enough now to let these feelings grow. And if things didn't work like her fruitful imagination thought they should, she was secure enough to say that she could move on.

Still, there was so much she didn't know about him. About anybody. How could she feel so absolutely sure about her feelings? She didn't realize until later the simple answer to that. Before she felt secure in her relationships with the people around her, she somehow slipped into the mindset of feeling secure with herself. That was something she honorably gave credit to Piko, Luka, and the Flower sisters for. Soon, she'd be thanking Fukase, too, and the rest of her circus family.

"What do you think we can do to make him feel better?" Mayu asked, her voice more gentle as the warm brisk air envoloped her more.

Fukase stretched back a little, both palms flat on the ground behind him. "I don't know. The best solution I can think of now is to just listen."

To just listen. She took all of his words to heart. She felt a calm jolt of emotion before she settled again.

"Fukase, there's something else I'd like to talk to you about.."

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❥❥❥❥❥A small author's note.

Hello all!! I've been working on some chapters and I want to publish them all probably biweekly. I cant believe we're on the 24th chapter! I had a sudden surge of inspiration, & after a long plague of writers block, I'm back!! I hope you all enjoy!!!