#langwrites

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Weekly meetings had become a common occurrence by the time the children had turned into teenagers. The former Uesegi Tomoe would not have even allowed herself the time to rest on her quest for revenge, but the killers of her family were gone from this world.

In Tomoe’s place, Gekkō Miyako smiled and opened the door once three gentle raps sounded against the wood. In the doorway, Hoshino Hikari beamed back, a picnic basket of barely concealed sweets hanging from her right wrist as she waved with her left hand. Muffins?

“You have certainly outdone yourself yet again, Hikari-chan,” Miyako said softly, stepping to the side for her friend to walk through the doorway. “Have you been working with Tomoko-chan?”

“She’s been reading a lot of recipe books,” Hikari said instead of a direct answer, slipping off her geta sandals while ducking her head in a quick greeting. “And I have to be there to make sure she doesn’t overdo it.”

“As you should,” Miyako agreed politely, raising her hands in a friendly offering. Hikari glanced at her open palms once before her smile widened, proceeding to drop the picnic basket into Miyako’s grip. “Tomoko-chan is quite a handful.”

“Responsible children are all handfuls, Miyako-chan,” Hikari corrected, eyebrows quirked upwards on her head in mirth as she slipped on a pair of guest slippers. “But that’s what these meetings are for, right?”

Miyako rolled her eyes in return. “I will prepare the tea. May I ask for your assistance?”

“Of course!”

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Miyako did her best to not roll her eyes again once Hikari was “discretely” pushing the basket of sweets in her direction from across the dining table while mid-sip of her tea. “Hikari, I will partake in them eventually.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to your reaction!” Hikari blurted out past her teacup, the excitement in her voice betraying her “nonchalant” facade. Any other time and then Hikari might have spit out her tea. Miyako was internally grateful she did not have to dodge the tea splatter this time. “It’s the first time in a while that I got to present you something before Tomoko-chan could!”

Miyako made a small note to herself not to get onto Hikari’s competitive side. That part of her was certainly something her daughter did not inherit, and it may have been for the best considering how the other children could get in their training. “I was not aware you were so excited.”

“Oh, we both know that’s a lie,” Hikari said cheerily.

Miyako gave her the point for that. “So.” She lowered her own teacup. “Is there anything else you wanted to say?”

The enthusiasm on Hikari’s face died a little for confusion. “Is there a reason I need just for seeing a friend?”

Once again, Miyako gave her the point. “That is fair,” she said mildly, tilting her head. “But I still believe that you have something else to say.” The faint flare that was Hikari’s chakra was flickering, after all.

Hikari’s face contorted for a moment as she slowly blinked at Miyako, matching the flame in her chest. Her eyebrows furrowed against her forehead as she proceeded to rest her chin in the palm of her right hand, closing her eyes in thought. Her ponytail swished behind her neck, then she said, “Hey, I had no other excuse to come by and visit. I just wanted to see you!” Hikari seemed particularly indignant about the last part if her voice and narrowed blue eyes were any indication.

Miyako took a moment to realize that surprise was starting to flood her veins. “…At least you are being honest about it,” she admitted after a moment, averting her gaze from Hikari’s face out of habit. “I still have yet to be used to this.”

“Then get used to it!” Hikari seemed happier at Miyako admitting as much, the smile returning to her face. It took another moment for Hikari to pause and let the smile drop for a thoughtful expression. “Though, now that you do mention it—”

“Yes?”

Hikari pushed the basket of sweets towards Miyako again, and Miyako leveled a questioning stare in return. “Just look and see for yourself, will you?”

Eyebrows quirked, Miyako erred on caution, slowly reaching over to the basket and lifting the cloth keeping the baked pastries hidden from view. As expected, muffins were nestled in the space, but the surprise was laid out in how the muffins were arranged.

Thank you, the chocolate chips embedded in the muffins spelled out.

Miyako blinked. She glanced between the muffins and Hikari, moving her head back and forth between the two before catching herself. “Hikari, this is—”

“Remember how Tomoko-chan was making an ‘Appreciate Kei Day’?” Hikari said in lieu of an answer, waving a single pointer finger in the air. “I just took some notes from her and made these for you.”

Miyako blinked again, rapidly this time. “Hikari-chan…”

“We’ve known each other for quite a while thanks to our kids,” Hikari filled in for Miyako’s silence, gently tapping the table with her free hand. “But I kept feeling like I never had the chance to say thank you for your company, Miyako-chan. Especially after all the times we’ve hung out like this.”

“You do not have to, Hikari,” Miyako interrupted, biting the inside of her cheek. “I chose to spend this time with you.”

“And it’s because of that I’m grateful to have you!” Hikari blurted out in that moment, stopping whatever train of thought Miyako had in mind. It took a moment for an embarrassed flush to cover her cheeks and Hikari then glanced away, rubbing the back of her neck. “I-I’m not good at being as open as Tomoko-chan is, and I know we don’t know that much about each other outside our dorks for husbands and housework. Heck, I still need to memorize the date of your birthday!” Miyako wasn’t expecting to hear that part, but still waited for Hikari to look up. Hikari kept her gaze focused on the tea in front of them instead. Whether she knew about Miyako’s inner thoughts was another matter entirely. “But…”

“But?” Miyako humored gently.

“…I didn’t have the greatest life before I met Judai,” Hikari confessed, her head ducked and facing the tablecloth. “Not a lot of friends. I usually stayed in my room a lot. But you, Miyako-chan,” Hikari then looked up from her tea cup to smile, tears welling up in the corners of her bright blue eyes. “You’re one of the first and greatest friends I could’ve ever asked for.”

Miyako opened her mouth, covering it with her fingertips for the smallest moment once she belatedly found out there were no words on her tongue to speak with.

“I know, I know.” Hikari waved a hand in the air as if to dispel any awkward tension in the room, unperturbed by Miyako’s silence. “That was cheesy as all heck, but I mean it. Even if I don’t know a lot about you—” Miyako froze at that part, tasting iron in the back of her mouth, “—I feel like I don’t need to. Being around you is good enough for me.”

Miyako felt herself relax before she knew she was doing it. She then reached over to place a hand on Hikari’s shoulder, squeezing with all the gratitude she could muster. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.

“You’re welcome.” Hikari beamed back, apparently not minding the single tear that streamed down her right cheek. With a shaky chuckle, she then wiped at her eyes. Miyako waited for Hikari to compose herself. Once Hikari’s chakra flickered, pearly white teeth peeked out past her lips as she smiled again. “E-Enough about me. Can you just try one of those muffins already, Miyako-chan? I’m starting to sweat from the anticipation.”

Miyako decided not to mention the “sweat’s” identity as tears still dotted the corners of Hikari’s eyes, opting to shake her head with a fond shrug. “I doubt that last part, but alright.” She let go of her friend’s shoulder to take a muffin in hand, taking off the wrapper before bringing it close for a bite.

Sweet.

“Thank you for being here, Miyako-chan,” Hikari said once Miyako finished chewing. “I hope the muffins tell you that more than me getting teary over it.”

Miyako felt herself smile back. “Thank you, Hikari-chan,” she repeated back, inclining her head. “The muffin was delicious.”

Hikari wrung her hands together in sheer relief, laughing softly. “Good. Th-That’s good.”