Lost and Found

Deep blue

Mineko's POV

"So, tell me again...when does tour begin for you guys?" I questioned Kyo, as we walked through the streets of Tokyo, an ice-cream cone in my hand.

He titled his head to the side, "November...about 3 months from now." He replied, licking his already melting treat. "Did you forget already?" He joked.

I gave him a small smile. Our pace was slow, and the sun was beginning to set; creating a beautiful work of art in the sky. The clouds no longer resembled cotton balls; instead, they were pink and orange in color, and the once blue sky was crimson. Everything fit together perfectly, and I felt content. I watched as the warm Autumn breeze swept through Kyo's blonde hair.

"I had fun, today. Thanks for the breakfast, by the way." Kyo spoke out, stopping in his tracks to throw away his ice-cream stained napkin.
"Thank you for the ice-cream. I haven't had any in a really long time." I replied, finishing up my treat.

I thought back to the start of our day. After breakfast, we thought it would be a good idea to just...walk. Kyo didn't want to go back to his house, and I didn't finish unpacking all of my boxes yet. He was good company, and I felt comfortable around him. It was nice seeing how he truly was, 'Behind closed doors.' Kyo was a jokester, gentleman, and fun to be around. Of course, I'm sure there's more about him that I have yet to find out.

We continued walking, thinking it a good idea to plop ourselves onto the nearest bench. At this point, the sky was no longer a mixture of colors, it was only a deep blue; the clouds not visible. The wind was still in attendance, brushing against the trees and my skin—it felt nice.

"No one's here, now. I like it." Kyo chuckled, staring ahead of him. I only nodded in response.

"You okay?" He questioned me, a concerned look in his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm great! Just enjoying the weather...I love Autumn."
"I prefer Spring." He retorted.
"I get bad allergies," I replied, scrunching up my nose.
Kyo laughed at my facial expression.
"Seriously! I end up looking like someone who got punched repeatedly in the face." I sighed out, glancing over at Kyo, who couldn't stop laughing.

His laughing was cut short when his phone began to jingle. I noticed him roll his eyes, roughly grabbing his cellphone out of his jacket
pocket. He glared at the screen, and the jingle stopped shortly after.

"Hmm. It's not a call, just a notification." He said, sounding a bit relieved that it wasn't a person calling him.
I swung my feet back and forth, my shoes scraping the ground, as I watched Kyo stare at his phone.

His expression changed in such a short amount of time. I watched as his eyebrows furrowed in anger. I called out his name, but he was so caught up in what he was reading, that he didn't reply.
Hesitantly, I reached out my hand, grabbing his shoulder. The sudden human contact got his attention, and he glanced at me.

"What's wrong?" I inquired, concern dripping from my voice. Since the first moment I met Kyo, I noticed that I would worry about him more than normal. My mind shot back to four nights ago when he left the restaurant—I spent that entire time concerned.

He parted his lips, about to speak. "I got an e-mail saying that there will be a water and electricity outage on the block my house is on—for an entire week." His last words trailed off, and it was obvious that he was pissed off. "Fucking construction." He grunted.

I watched as Kyo's eyes stared intently at his shoulder, my hand was still resting on it. I quickly registered what was going on, and pulled my hand back, almost as if I accidentally touched fire.

"S-sorry." I glanced at my feet, continuing to swing them.
He shook his head, as if to say, 'Don't worry about it.'
"Is there anyone you can stay with for the week?" I questioned. Kyo stared up at the sky, grunting loudly into the air.

He pressed his lips together in thought. "Kaoru and Shinya are in Okinawa for some promotion thing. Toshiya's parents are over...and mine are in Kyoto." He pursed his lips, "I can call Die."
I gave him a smile, trying to lighten the situation.
Kyo rang Die, and for a moment there was silence until he let out an even louder grunt.
"Of course! The man never picks up!" He slammed his hand on the bench, shaking it. "Just my fucking luck. I guess I'll book a hotel." Kyo shook his head. "I hate hotels."

I twiddled my fingers, thinking carefully about how I was going to word what I was about to say.
This time, my entire body was slowly swinging back and forth like my feet; it was a nervous habit of mine.
"Um...I still have unpacked boxes all around, and it's kind of a small place—" I awkwardly stopped talking, and Kyo stared at me like I had ten heads.

"What?" He replied, obviously confused.
I breathed in, "Do you want to stay at my place?" I spat out. "I was saying, there are unpacked boxes all over and it's small...but I do have water and electricity." I chuckled, my tone dry and edgy.

Without hesitation, he answered me. "Really? Are you sure?" I nodded in response, shooting up off the bench. "We should probably head out now. It's getting late, and you need to stop by your place to get stuff."

"I was just about to say that." The left corner of his mouth pulled into a smirk. "Let's go."

Kyo's POV

Mineko and I arrived at her apartment. I cautiously stepped inside, not wanting to seem rude. Her apartment was pretty small, but it felt homely—even if tons of boxes adorned it.

"I really owe it to you," I said to Mineko, taking my shoes off.
"Don't worry about it...I mean, you can help me unpack." She jokingly responded. "I am sorry about how messy it is."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't mind at all. I'm used to it." I winked at her as she ushered me into her empty kitchen.

I watched as Mineko starting laughing to herself. "Man! I'm having déjà vu!" I sat down on one of the chairs in the kitchen, waiting for her to continue. "This reminds me of when I stayed at Kaoru's place for three days." She chuckled, her eyes trailing to the side. "Kind of ironic."

'And awkward'. I thought to myself.
"Anyway, you can sleep in my room, I'll take the futon." I shook my head; I couldn't possibly take her room.
"No, no, no...I'll take the futon. I'll be fine. Plus, your apartment is new...you should enjoy your own bed." I smiled.

Mineko shrugged her shoulders, and told me that she'd get me a pillow and blanket.

Later that night, I was lying on the futon, when I heard Mineko walk over. I craned my neck to see what she was doing, only to realize that she took a seat on the edge of the futon.

I watched as she moved her head side-to-side asking, "You awake?"
I propped myself onto my elbows, looking at her.
Her hair was up in a scraggly bun, and she wore a large shirt; her small frame engulfed in the fabric. The messy look fit her well.

"Yeah. What's up?"
"I just wanted to say that I had a good time, today." Mineko smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I did, too. Thanks again...I really appreciate it." She nodded her head, standing up.
"Well", she started, slapping her hands on her thighs, "I'm headed to bed. Feel free to help yourself to anything."

She stopped in her tracks when I spoke up. "You know, since breakfast...I haven't thought about her—about Mizuki." I whispered.
Mineko spun around, eyes wide at what I just told her.

"M-Mizuki?" She repeated, her eyes wide, as if she just saw a spirit.

I squinted my eyes in confusion, asking her if she was okay. She nodded her head, and her expression changed back to the one that I had already grown used to seeing.

"I guess that's good." She started, "As long as you can cope." I nodded my head; my elbows hurting from the weight of my body. Mineko said her last 'Goodnight' to me, and walked off to her room. I finally fell back onto the futon, closing my eyes.

I felt something that I haven't felt in a long time. It was a mixture of happiness, sadness, nostalgia, and confusion. I felt guilty for going a day without thinking about Mizuki. However, I felt happy that I met Mineko.

My heart knew that I was developing feelings for her...but my mind was fighting against my beating organ.

Which one was going to win the war?

I have no idea.