Almost as if you're beside me

[miracaretaker]

[...That's strange.

Sakura season has long since passed, but here in the park there was a tree in full bloom as if it had just begun yesterday. More of the Dressing Room playing around with time, perhaps...?

H'm. Keeping a sakura tree around longer than normal certainly isn't the worst thing it's done, though. It's nice, a peaceful sight. And since Gakupo has no pressing errands to attend to at the moment, it wouldn't do any harm to enjoy this while it's here, right?

With just a bit of effort he sits, staring up at the petals with a contented sigh.]

Comments

[sakumi]

[As she senses the presence of another, a previously napping Gumi awakens from inside her tree-body.

Oh! It was another purple-y Onii-sama. Though this one seemed oddly more familiar than the others...but that was silly, wasn't it? Her Onii-sama was pink, just like all the Sakura tree spirits.

She steps out of her trunk, on the opposite side from Gakupo to peek around it and try to get a better look at him...but isn't hidden very well. She keeps forgetting humans can see them here.]

[miracaretaker]

[The shape of someone else in the corner of his eye catches his attention, turning to glance up at them--

And stopping when he sees her face, frozen.]

I don't have an awkward enough icon for this orz

[sakumi]

[ofosfjdoops]Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt Onii-sama! You just seem really familiar, and I kind of keep forgetting people can see me...

icons are the bane of all of us

[miracaretaker]

[It takes him another moment to snap out of it after "onii-sama", but yeah, she's bright pink. Matches the tree, come to think of it.]

...It's alright. I was only taking a moment to rest.

[sakumi]

[A small head tilt.] Are you sure it's alright? You seem kind of...not.

[miracaretaker]

You startled me, that's all. [Dismissive handwave]

[sakumi]

Well, if you say so. Sorry again.

[She turns around to lean on the opposite side of her tree-self, and starts humming a random tune. For some reason, doing this much had always made her friends want to keep talking. Maybe her humming was annoying, but as long as it worked on them Gumi didn't care.]

[miracaretaker]

[Well, it'd be rude to interrupt even if it is just humming, so for a little while he's going to just sit and listen. It's a nice sound, after all.

But eventually he does get...curious.]

...Your name is Megumi, correct?

Btw I just made a BeastMiku post in the vdr if you wanna bug her or just stalk

[sakumi]

[YEAH totally counting this as having worked.]

That's right! Though it's easier for everyone to call me just 'Gumi'...ah, except for Miku, she calls me 'Gumimi'.

Most excellent, most excellent

[miracaretaker]

["Gumimi", huh? Cute. Fit her, didn't it?]

Mm. I wasn't certain which you preferred. I'm Kamui Gakupo, pleased to make your acquaintance.

[sakumi]

[Peeking around the tree again.] Pleased to make yours as well!

[She giggles.] I think this is the first time I've been formally introduced to a human.

[miracaretaker]

[Ever-so-slight headtilt] Are you not human?

[sakumi]

Nope! Well, not anymore I guess. Onii-sama says we were re-incarnated as trees, but he's the only one old enough to have his memories back.

But anyway, this is me! [She points up to the sakura tree that is her 'real body'.] I'm actually a tree spirit. Normally humans can't see us at all.

[miracaretaker]

[Reincarnated as a sakura tree...? My, how poetic.]

Ah, I see...I apologize for trespassing into your home, then.

[sakumi]

Oh, no, you weren't! Miku and I lived around a high-school back home so we had students sitting around us all the time!
It's fun to have humans around.

[miracaretaker]

Good...I wouldn't want to intrude.

[Taking a moment to look back up at the tree itself, thoughtfully.]

A tree in full bloom is unheard of this time of year...is this place keeping you so?

[sakumi]

Seems that way, it was still spring back home but when we got here it was summer...we thought we'd be affected as summer usually affects us but it hasn't.

It's starting to feel a little like fall, though. I think we'll be back to normal after the season change.

[miracaretaker]

H'm...a shame. Your flowers are very lovely.

[sakumi]

Thank you, but they always come back, you know~

[miracaretaker]

...Mm. That's true.

[He keeps his gaze on the tree itself, cracking a small, bittersweet smile.]

[sakumi]

...

"Just because you can't see something anymore, doesn't mean it's gone forever."

[miracaretaker]

[He finally snaps out of his little daze, bringing his eyes back over to her.]

H'm...?

[sakumi]

Ah! Sorry, it's something Onii-sama said to Miku and I once. I'm not sure why I repeated it just now, I suppose I was reminded when we were talking about flowers.

[miracaretaker]

...He speaks the truth. Though we may be apart, those we love never truly leave us. Be they watching over us or living within our hearts, they are there.

[Most of this seems more said to himself than in response to Gumi, but at the very least his smile seems far less mournful.]