RP [Stitches] Doki-Doki Channel!

“Yeah! This is going to be fun!” Kiyomi said brightly as she stepped away from the bike rack. Her gaze flicked this way and that, no teachers in sight. Kiyomi wasn’t even sure if it was against the rules to use their powers out in the open, it wasn’t like they would be going off campus. Still, better to be safe than flicking paper footballs in detention while Miss Aoi took a nap.

“Yep, no one watching, so let's get going.” Kiyomi said with a wink. She stepped around the bike rack and with a tilt of her head she started away at a brisk walk. What crowd there was thinned quickly as the duo made their way around the school building and past sports fields where girls were gathering for club activities.

“For the magical girls they have little mockup sets for them to train in,” Kiyomi said looking back at Hotaru as she spoke, “we’re going to go to the forest one.” She said pointing towards some trees in the distance. Hues of reds and pinks and oranges wavering together in a cool autumn breeze. “Falling leaves can probably give us a good idea about how far the power can reach, right?”
 
[Stitches]

Taru followed after Kiyomi, shortening her stride slightly to match pace with the girl. They were almost the same height, so it wasn’t nearly as difficult as it tended to be with others. As they skirted around the sports fields, she listened to her new partner talk in hushed tones. The colorful leaves up ahead caught her eye when Kiyomi gestured to them. They twirled in the air like ballerinas across a stage, gracefully spinning past each other. A world of bright and warm colors that Kiyomi was leading her into.



I think that will work, yeah. We should be able to see pretty clearly how far the freeze can go, and how long it can last.


The temperature fell a few degrees as they passed beyond the tree line, the sun filtering through the branches overhead to create a kaleidoscope across the forest floor. The tall girl buttoned her sweater the rest of the way up and looked over at Kiyomi, untying her hoodie from the strap of her bookbag. She held the black, oversized article out to her new friend and sheepishly smiled.



Would you like this? It’s cold here.
 
“And I’m sure it will look really pretty too.” Kiyomi said with an agreeing nod as they stepped into the forest. What warmth the sun had offered seemed to vanish almost as soon as the duo stepped into the shade of the trees. A cool autumn breeze caused Kiyomi’s skin to prickle as it rustled the long branches of the trees above. Color shifted and danced in long flowing waves that likely would have been much more pretty if not for the shiver currently working it’s way up her own spine.

Maybe she should have grabbed her jacket before leaving this morning, not that it could help that now. Then, seeming to sense her discomfort Taru untied a hoodie hanging off her bag and offered it. A flash of surprise soon became a wide smile as Kiyomi reached out for the hoodie.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the clothing and pulling it on over her head. “That’s so much better, I was freezing!” She added with a laugh.

As the two walked the forest thinned as the bark of surrounding trees began to show signs of past damage. Kiyomi reached out and ran her hand along one curved cut that had long ago healed over.

“They say two upperclassman used to spar out here all the time, so it should be the perfect place for us to test out our powers.” Kiyomi winked as she turned to face Taru. She held out her hand.

“You knock the leaves off and I’ll keep them from touching the ground. Probably!”
 
[Stitches]

If the jacket was oversized on Taru, it was even more so on Kiyomi. While the girl was nowhere near as short as the other students all seemed to be, Taru still had a good two inches on her, and so the jacket hung low around her legs. Something about that made the mute girl blush as her partner extended a hand to her.



“You knock the leaves off and I’ll keep them from touching the ground. Probably!”



Her fingers were trembling slightly as she reached out and took her hand, her eyes drifting to the old score marks that marred the bark of the trees around them. Something about this section of the forest, with it’s scars and it’s autumn colors, reminded Taru of the forests that her mother used to read her stories about. Stories, where kitsunes ran away from their human lovers when they were discovered, where the kodama would wander through the bush and clearings, where tengu would take sanctuary. A small pang ran through her chest at the thought of her mother, and she quickly focused on the task at hand.



Make the leaves dance.



Taru took a deep breath and loosened her scarf around her neck. Letting go of Kiyomi’s hand, she took a few steps in front of her, and facing away from her, let out a sharp but short scream. The pitch overlapped with itself, layering and spiking to the range of tinnitus. It was the kind of sound that should have been coming from an angry spirit, not a teenager.



The trees around them began to vibrate as the wave hit them, and hundreds of already loose leaves disconnected, showering down like meteors. She winced as she saw how dense the blanket of twisting yellows and reds was, and she silently apologized to the forest for the damage. At least none of the branches had decided they would be following suit.
 
“Thanks, didn’t think it’d be so chilly out.” Kiyomi said with a laugh as she pulled the jacket on. It was longer than she expected it to be, Hotaru did have several inches on her, and the jacket’s hem tickled as it brushed against the back of her legs but it was pleasantly warm in the cool of the forest. She zipped the jacket up, and took a second to roll the sleeves back to her wrists. Kiyomi grinned up at the taller girl. “It’s so nice and toasty, watch out or I might not give it back.” She said with a playful wink.

Her attention returned to the trees as Hotaru prepared herself, her smile lingering on her lips. There was a sort of whimsy to the forest, the trees weren’t old enough for a kami to take residence, but from years of being subject to magic they looked far older, and their branches were alight in color as the sun filtered through the autumn foliage. The sort of sight that made you half expect to see some yokai up in between the branches ready to play a trick on passerbys.

Well, if there was then they had their own surprise didn’t they?

Kiyomi took a step back as Taru released her hand, the wings of anticipation fluttering in her stomach. She winced as Hotaru screamed, though it didn’t hurt anymore than any other loud sharp noise would. The discomfort only seemed to be with her for a moment before a look of awe returned. Above was a flurry of color as hundreds of leaves were shook loose. They danced and twisted in the disturbed air, a mass of shivering and shifting color that rippled like ocean waves. Kiyomi reached up, her fingers brushing against a leaf as it slid past, her gray eyes bright.

“Wow,” she said, a faint sigh of wonderment escaping her lips. A few leaves shivered in place as the sound passed them, stuttering like they had scuffed their toe unexpectedly. “Oh, right.” Kiyomi pulled in a breath of her own, filling her lungs. She parted her lips once more but no sound came, nor did there come any sound from the world around the two girls. The forest paused for them, the branches above stopped their swaying, and the leaves their dance, they simply lingered there, filling the air with color and the phantom of motion.

Kiyomi looked back to Hotaru, her lips still spread into a wide smile.
 
[Stitches]

It was as if the leaves were suspended by wires in the air, frozen in place. As far as Taru’s voice had reached, the leaves were now floating, still, unmoving from Kiyomi’s inaudible whispers. In fact, not only was there no movement around them, but she was fairly certain that she couldn’t hear anything other than their own movements. No insects, no birds, no animals- absolute silence other than their clothes shifting. The term “the silence was deafening” had never meant much to Taru before– after all, if anything was deafening, it was her. Deafening was noise so loud that you couldn’t hear yourself think, let alone anything else.

This, too, was deafening.

She turned to look at Kiyomi with wide eyes. She could make an entire forest grind to a halt- what could she do to her? Was it safe for her to talk around this girl? Could she stop her if she lost control?

Taru was getting ahead of herself, but she couldn’t help it. She had spent so much of her life terrified of her own voice. Now here was someone who she might be able to be safe around, someone who could keep others safe from her. She grabbed Kiyomi’s hands and spun, the excitement bubbling up from all of the possibilities that now seemed to open up before her- talking to someone, learning to control her powers, and— maybe— even being able to use her powers to help others like she had always wanted.

This is amazing!! You’re amazing!! God, this is beautiful!! She let Kiyomi go and ran out into the leaves, and they bounced off of her before slowing back down, freezing in their new places. Soon, the leaves began to turn again, twisting down through the air like snowflakes. Taru danced in them, laughing silently as she watched the leaves pick back up speed.
 
Disturbed leaves shivered with the passage of her hand, vibrant colors wiggling with the murmur of motion while others that her fingers grazed turned in drunken circles like a top that had all but lost its momentum. She laughed, a light and airy sound which more than filled its share of the silence before being entirely swallowed by it. It was so strange how much more keen she felt she could hear when there wasn’t much to listen to, the drumming of her own heart within her chest, the gentle sound of fabric rustling from their movement, even the sound of Taru’s breathing. Each sound was so clear that Kiyomi was certain that if she closed her eyes she could visualize whatever move Hotaru might make.

Kiki looked up and met the taller girl’s gaze, offering another wink at Taru’s look of wonderment. She could still move so was there a way to let other people do the same? Or a way to stop just one thing in particular? Could she…

Thoughts were cut short as Taru took hold of her hands and they spun in the open space, their bodies leaving a trail through the frozen leaves. Kiki laughed again as she spun in place as Hotaru released her hands, leaving a lingering warmth on her hands and on her cheeks. She watched as Taru continued to dance in the leaves, eyes wide with amazement as the colors that filled the air moved and twisted to the motion of Taru’s body. She too reached up to swipe her hand through clumps of untouched leaves lingering over her head, a smile lingering as she caught bits and pieces of signed word as Taru danced, watching the flow of color until the spell began to unwind and the leaves finally drifted to the ground.

“That was so much fun!” Kiki laughed as she spun in place, a red leaf caught in the strands of her hair. She came to a stop next to Taru and held out her hand. “Would you like to try talking next?” She asked.
 
[Stitches]

Taru brushed a handful of fallen leaves from her hair and shirt as she turned to Kiyomi. There was a hesitancy in her face as she thought about speaking. Either bad things would happen, or Kiyomi might mute her entirely. Either way, something would happen, and the odds of which left Taru stuck. She looked at Kiki’s hand with a look that slowly turned serious. What if I hurt you? I don’t know if you can stop it entirely, or if I’ll be able to say anything at all.

She took the other girl’s hand before it fell away and gripped it tightly, looking away. She watched the trees, now shaken of a large amount of their leaves. She watched the leaves that still fell slowly through the air. Anything to avoid making eye contact now that she’d grabbed her new friend’s hand. Something about the action left her nervous and her cheeks flushed slightly. There was something about Kiki that left her feeling more comfortable than she had in ages. The quickness of how her anxiety and fear had dissipated in the girl’s presence was something that shook her a bit. Taru had never really been allowed to have friends after her mother’s death, so she wasn’t sure if any of what was happening was normal.

I don’t want to be the reason another person gets hurt. There’s a reason I was in such basic courses. I know we’ve been having fun, but I am dangerous.
 
“Mm, if you don’t feel comfortable talking you don’t need to.” Kiyomi said with a warm smile. She held her hand out into the dead space a moment longer, not quite sure what to expect after the girl had already refused but before doubt had its chance to creep into her mind Taru reached out and took hold of her hand. Kiyomi looked up, her head tilted slightly to one side as her friend quickly looked away up at the newly barren tree branches. Her hand was warm, wasn’t it? A cool wind caused the branches far above to quiver as it prickled the bare skin of Kiki’s legs, but her cheeks still felt warm. After a moment of watching her friend’s face Kiki’s gaze also raised.

“But, if it hurts I can stop it, y’know, I’m pretty strong too.” She said with a grin. She laced her fingers between Hotaru’s and gave her hand a squeeze. “And if we’re bending a few rules to sneak out here anyway, we might as well take a risk or two right? And if it’s fine then we could practice talking to see if we can help you control your voice better!”

Kiyomi bumped her shoulder against the taller girl’s upper arm, her gray eyes glittering with a hint of mischief.
 
[Stitches]

Taru slowly smiled, and then a small, silent chuckle escaped when Kiyomi bumped into her shoulder. Everything she said made sense, and she couldn’t find any room to argue. Kiyomi wasstrong, and she had way more practice with controlling her powers than Taru did. There was no reason for her to not trust her friend when it came to this. She nodded and stepped back from the girl, letting her hand drop after briefly squeezing it back.

Then she took another step.

And another. If nothing else, she was going to give Kiyomi the space she needed to stop what Taru was sure was an impending accident.

And finally she took a deep breath and cracked open her rarely used lips. Her mouth felt strange as she tried to form words, but she finally managed a few short words. The vibrations kicked up on the last word, and she could feel it as her powers kicked in, and the words turned into a high pitched scream full of echoes as she tried to speak. “You can call me TARU.”
 
Kiyomi bounced on her heels as Hotaru moved back to what was probably a safe distance, maybe. She could feel her skin prickling with anticipation as her heart fluttered in her chest, still a large smile curved her lips as she waited. She couldn’t help but be excited to hear Taru’s voice, what would be be like? Would it be high or low? Pretty? It was being like let in on a little secret that’d just be between the two girls.

Was it silly to think like that?

“Okay, okay.” Kiyomi breathed softly to herself as Hotaru drew in a breath.

Kiyomi was surprised by how soft Hotaru’s voice was when she finally spoke. The first few words made her lean forward to try to catch what she was saying, the last word however came like a thunderclap. She could feel the word itself pressing against her skin like a sudden gust of wind, and she took a surprised step backwards. She was still for a moment as she looked at Taru, before her stunned silence turned to laughter.

“That tickled!” She said, stepping forward, “you have a really pretty voice too, Taru.” She added with a wink.
 
[Stitches]

Taru watched as the power of her words hit Kiyomi, wincing slightly as she took an involuntary step ackwards. She held her breath, looking the girl over for any potential injuries. But she seemed fine. In fact, she responded in a pleasant and giddy way. She let all of the air out of her lungs in a tight lipped sigh before smiling crookedly.

She wasn’t used to compliments, and so the one that Kiyomi gave her sat a little heavy in her chest, making heat creep up her neck and cheeks, until she was sure that they were glowing from their warmth. She hooked an arm behind her back, rubbing it slowly as she shrugged. When she was younger, she had thought her own voice to be nice- nice enough that one of her hobbies was singing. What she wouldn’t give to be able to sing again, to have that emotional release again.

But that likely wouldn’t be possible.

Thank you. I’m not the best with compliments, but it means a lot to me.She smiled as she signed, her hands moving slowly. She had a habit of talking too fast for most people when she used her hands- it was one of the reasons she had stopped talking to anyone at all before being transferred to the new program. And thank you for uh. For helping me.
 
“Of course! What else are friends for?” Kiki said, a wide smile splitting her lips as she bumped her shoulder against Taru’s. She couldn’t help but notice how bashful the taller girl seemed to get from being complimented which was really cute. It really made her just want to do it again, which wouldn’t it be mean to tease her like that? “This does mean that we’ll just have to keep practicing until you can show off how cool you are to others, unless you just want it to be a me thing.” She added with a wink and an easy laugh.

A cool autumn wind whispered between the trees and Kiyomi shivered. “Ah, it’s getting a little nippy out, I’ve stolen your jacket so you must be cold right?” Kiki said, hooking her arm around Hotaru’s. “I know this nice little cafe that isn’t too far away so let’s go get some tea and cake. And, you’re the new girl so it’s my treat.” She said, beaming up at Hotaru.
 
[Stitches]

Taru blushed lightly at the idea of Kiki being the only person to “know how cool she was”. She repressed her small laugh, her shoulders bouncing as she did. A breeze passed through and she could feel the goosebumps rising under her long sleeved uniform. As Kiki wound her arm through Taru’s, the taller girl smiled and nodded in response. ”I would absolutely love that. But there’s no way I can make you pay for it.”

Despite the mediocre allowance her estranged father sent her every month, Taru had gotten quite good at saving her money for special things. Not many special things cropped up, so her account was more stuffed than most of her peers. Tea and cakes with her cute new friend? That was definitely an event worth spending her money. A sad thought crossed her mind as they walked out of the forest. It’s only a few more years, and then I can get my inheritance from Mom and I never have to speak to Dad again.She tightened her grip on Kiki’s arm and tried to smile.
 
“Mmh, you sure?” Kiyomi said, bumping her shoulder against Taru’s as the two girls made their way back out of the forest. It didn’t feel right to make Hotaru pay, this was her first day after all. But she was clearly very kind, she had given up her jacket despite it being cold so she’d just need to be sure to pay Taru back later! Kiki looked up and beamed at her new friend. “This time’s on you then, but don’t worry everything on the menu is to die for!” She added with a wink.

-~~-~~-~~-~~-

The warm smells of tea and sweet cake chased away the cool autumn wind as the duo made their way into the cafe. There weren’t many customers when they arrived, a pair of academy girls Kiyomi didn’t recognize sat next to a window studying as an office worker at the counter sipped from a steaming cup.

“Let’s sit away from the door, I’m freezing” Kiyomi said with a slight shiver as she motioned towards a secluded booth in the corner of the small shop. “Oh, we can ask for a few extra napkins if you’d like to just write on those.” Kiyomi added, waving to the waitress behind the counter as the duo passed by.
 
[Stitches]

Taru shook her head at the offer of napkins, instead pulling a notebook and a pen out of her backpack. The two sat down in the corner booth, and Taru’s pen immediately hit the paper. ”You can get anything you’d like. I meant it when I said it was my treat.”

She tucked the pen into the spiral of her notebook and looked around the building. There was a glass display case that housed all kinds of sweets, a tea stand, and an espresso machine behind the counter. The decor was sweet in terms of design, and Taru felt her tense shoulders begin to unwind as they sat there.
 
“We~ll, if that’s the case I don’t want to hear any complaints later,” Kiyomi said with a mischievous grin and a wink as Taru repeated her offer to pay for their little celebratory meal. She knew that she would actually feel guilty if she went and ordered a bunch of expensive things off the menu, but a little teasing never hurt anyone. That said, the fall special cake did look really tasty, and as long as they shared the slice that would put her guilty conscience at ease. Why come to a cafe with a friend if you weren’t going to have something a little decadent anyway?

“They have some really tasty floral teas, I’ve always found their green tea a little bitter but it goes well with how sweet their cakes are.” Kiki said, picking up one of the menus on the end of the table and flipping it open. “How about we both pick something and share? It’s always more fun when you can try more stuff, right?” She said, leaning her elbows on the table as she smiled. It was a cozy day today, slow music mingling with the few scattered voices and the light clinging of silverware, and it felt like they had a little space just for the two of them here in the corner of the cafe.

“What’re you thinking about getting?”
 
[Stitches]

“I would love to get something to share!” Taru wrote in slightly bold and large letters on her paper. “And I enjoy a bitter green tea. I was thinking of getting one of these strawberry cakes. Its my favorite.” She turned the sheet toward Kiyomi and looked around again. Something about the cute place made her feel a bit more secure, a bit freer.

She smiled a bit easier. Outside the rigid school setting, she felt like she could finally relax in a way she hadn’t gotten to all day. It was difficult to relax when your every move was scrutinized. When the waitress came by, she pointed out the things she wanted on the menu, giving enthusiastic nods and head shakes before turning her toward Kiyomi.
 
“Don’t you worry, I’ll pick out something delicious for us then~” Kiyomi said with a wink as she leaned forward on her elbows to get a better view of the notebook as Taru wrote her notes down, her lips splitting into a wide smile as she flipped the paper around. “Ooh, good eye, the strawberry cake is super tasty.” She said, slipping back down onto the seat as the waitress approached. She opened her mouth, ready to give Taru’s order if need be, but it seemed that she had it handled.

“I’ll take the caramel apple cheesecake with the crysthanamum tea.” Kiyomi said as the waitress turned her attention Kiki’s way. “Oh! And a slice of the cinnamon crumble roll.” She added before the waitress left.

“You’ll love it, I swear.” Kiyomi added with a wink as she leaned back forward. Her voice lowered as she assumed a more conspiratorial grin, “So, I was thinking that next time we get a camera to record when we use our powers, we could use the footage for something fun, probably.”
 
[Stitches]

Taru giggled as Kiki placed her order, not minding the dent it would likely put into her finances. She had more than enough to sustain a habit of eating cakes with her new friend. She tapped her pen against her notebook as Kiyomi suggested they bring a camera to their next “outing”. She thought for a moment, but couldn’t come up with any reason to say no, so she smiled. “I think we could swing that! It might be cool to try to make our own special effects or something!”

Just then, the waitress returned, laying a tray down in front of them of tea and cakes. Taru reached out and took her order. The strawberry shortcake was a towering slice, with multiple layers of cream and strawberries tucked between what seemed like infinite layers of cake. Well, at least that meant Taru was getting enough bang for her buck here.
 
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