Volume One [Mirai/Kenichi] [Closed]

There were few days off that Mirai allowed herself, but when one of these days showed up, she wanted to be some place that hollow could not come. Karakura City's defenses were unique in this sense. Hollow and Arrancar's inability to make their way through was perfect for a Shinigami vacation, even if it was only for a few days. This is why Mirai Takamatsu found herself wandering through old book stores, trying to find some old manga that survived the catastrophes of the past.

Standing in the aisle of one such book store, she found a small shelf of vintage manga and began reading through Volume 3 of something called Fruits Basket. Piecing together information in these stories was always difficult. Manga had a different way of telling stories than other pieces of literature. Into her basket it went. The second she pulled off the shelf was Volume 9 of Inuyasha. She already had Volumes 3, 15, and 41, so why not add another to the collection? Into the bag!

"Two new volumes!" Mirai said excitedly, though in a whisper expected from people in a library, not a book store. When her eyes fell on a third Volume, they widened. It was a Volume 1. Fairy Tail? She hadn't found any of these before. Mirai grabbed the book and opened up to the first page. From there, she was entranced, locked into the story and standing as still as a statue as her eyes took in each picture and the dialogue that came with it. Flip, flip, flip... she was a very quick reader.

Even if Kenichi was a man who preferred his action and adventure in real time, that didn't make him any less of a fan of manga and anime content. If anything, it only made him even more excitable. He had earned a good paycheck once again after bodyguard duty with Rita, and his first intention was to spend some(most) of that money on manga and anime! Oh, and maybe a meal after he left the bookstore. Waltzing in with a grin, Kenichi would walk into the bookstore, hazel eyes burning with excitement as he browsed the shelves in search of manga centered around action. Shounen, maybe? Fist of the North Star and Ranma 1/2 were two in particular he was looking to collect. He genuinely wanted to complete his collection, but a fellow manga reader caught his eye, and curiosity compelled him to see what she was browsing through. Approaching Mirai politely with a grin, his eyes would travel toward the manga she was currently reading. Fairy tail, eh?

"Heya, I see you're reading Fairy Tail. Are you a first time reader?"

Mirai jumped, startled by the sudden voice. The book in hand was accidentally released and she performed a clumsy catch three times before she finally got hold of the thing. Exhaling in relief, she looked to Kenichi with an embarrassed blush on her face, holding the manga to her chest. She didn't normally talk to people here.

"Oh, well, I..." Mirai said, looking down to the manga. When she spoke, it was soft, but easily heard. "Fairy Tail is new to me, but I have a pretty large collection of manga at home. I'm a bit of a fan of the older stuff, but they're so hard to find, so most of my collection is incomplete. Uh, what about you? Do you like manga?"

"I can't get enough of it! In this day and age of technology, it's sort of hard to come by when your looking for past works, but that hasn't stopped me from searching around until I complete one of the collections on my book shelf. Anime isn't half bad, either, but for a guy like me who travels a lot, manga is way more preferable."

Answering the woman with a hearty chuckle, Kenichi turn his eyes towards the orderly array of manga position across the bookshelf. Manga had it's own natural charm in his eyes. It wasn't animated, but then, that's what made it so interesting. Authors didn't have flashy lights and motion at their disposal, and thus, the only weapon afforded to them was to make the reader feel the action as it unfolded across the page. To those who could do so with relative success, Kenichi offered nothing but the utmost respect. Grabbing a copy of fist of the north star and Ranma 1/2, the fiery martial artist would turn back to Mirai with an infectious grin.

"These two in particular are my favorite! How about you?"

"Anime?" Mirai whispered in surprise. She wasn't expecting to find another person into all the things she was. She was normally made fun of for it, so this was refreshing. Now, she had to not mess it up and be weird. If she was successful, she might even make a friend to talk to about this stuff with.

"Well," Mirai put the copy of Fairy Tail into her basket and pulled out the Inuyasha book, "This one is fun, but it's not my favorite." Mirai looked on the shelf. There weren't that many copies of anything here, so finding her favorite might have been difficult. "Ah, it's not here... It's one called A Silent Voice. It's a tragic and beautiful story... I cried a lot. Oh, but I also found one called Vinland Saga. Found four volumes of that one. It can be pretty brutal, but in a good way... Not the overdone ways, like with Elfen Lied. I didn't particularly like that one, so I don't recommend it."

Mirai took a quick look on the shelf and found another Fruits Basket, but Volume One. Her eyes brightened like she found some treasure and she immediately put it in her bag. "That's all for me. These vintage books could get expensive, so I only buy a few at a time." Mirai said, heading to the counter to pay for it all. "What brought you into the store? I'm happy to meet someone who understands the fine literature that is manga. From what I've experienced, you and I a rare breed."

Kenichi listened to Mirai with eager curiosity as she detailed her favorite works, his expression akin to a kid with pockets full of cash left to wander around in a candy store. To him, it was somewhat of a rarity to find avid consumers of Anime or Manga---or, perhaps, those who were willing to actually buy the content. Technology made it so most could simply buy whatever they wanted, or even read it online without having to buy it at all. He wasn't particularly sure if his friend Vanyel enjoyed this genre of media, and so he never really entertained the idea of speaking with him on that sort of stuff. He knew he liked, mythology, of course, but that wasn't manga! After she finished speaking and posed a question, Kenichi would nod his head as he flashed a wide grin.

"Unfortunately, you aren't wrong there. I believe manga can be just as compelling and engaging as a piece of literature if you look hard enough! As far as why I'm here, I came to this bookstore looking to complete my Fist of the North Star collection, oh and possibly even JOJO's Bizarre Adventure. I frequent most of the bookstores in any state I go to in search of the best deal I can find. It's almost like looking for long lost treasure, you know? How about you?"

Hearing JOJO's Bizarre Adventure, Mirai put a hand over her mouth to hold back a giggle. She read a few of those and just could not keep trying. She cleared her throat and pushed the laughing back, saying nothing about his choice.

"Oh, me?" Mirai thought as she paid for her manga and waited for the transaction to finish. "I am on one of my few days off. I rarely allow myself the time to travel around this world, but this is where all the good manga is, and I've been out of new things to read for about three months now. I needed something new."

"I was going to find a park, or some place peaceful to read. Would you like to join me?" Mirai asked as she took her book bag and gave a thankful nod to the cashier.

Travel around this world, hm? Kenichi concluded that the woman was likely a Shinigami from her small explanation. To his knowledge, as far as he knew, they were the only ones that descended from a realm exceptionally different from this one. Obviously, he had not a clue on how they operated as far as granting trips and vacations, but he believed it couldn't have been any different from a usual job. Momentarily, he would grab a few books from the shelves, manga and some pieces of mythology that caught his eye. Following Mirai to the counter, Kenichi would happily nod his head in response to the woman's offer. There was nothing on his schedule he was aware of. He was definitely eager to talk at length with her even more about this shared interest between them!

"Of course I would! If you want a meal to go along with the reading session, I can probably pay for something from a vendor along the way. Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kenichi. Kenichi Murata. Pleasure to meet you, miss."

"Something to eat?" Mirai repeated in a whisper, an action that may be a habit of hers. Before she could answer, he introduced himself. A blush came to her face again, embarrassed. "Oh, right!" Mirai took her book bag in both hands and bowed. "My name is Mirai Takamatsu. It's wonderful to meet you."

Mirai stayed in the bowing position a little too long. Her mind distracted her from standing up straight. "Was bowing too much? I don't remember the cultural changes over the last century. Do I look like an idiot?" she thought. When she realized she was still bowing, she snapped her posture back to perfection.

"I saw a couple of lunch stalls with snacks on my way here," Mirai said, her face as red as her shirt. "We could pick something up there. I'm not sure where a park is though. I have a map, if we need one." Mirai made her way out of the store, holding the door open as Kenichi followed. Mirai pointed the up street at a few stalls selling different lunch foods. "They might have something good? What do you say?"

"It's wonderful to meet you too, Mirai. I don't put much stock into fate, but here's to thanking the universe I happened to cross paths with a fellow Otaku!"

Flashing his arms flamboyantly, Kenichi would chuckle softly as they finished buying their respective manga volumes, following the woman along as they exited the bookstore. It was always a cause for celebration to meet someone who shared a similar interest. From his point of view, at least. He hadn't really paid attention to any of the mannerisms Mirai found odd, finding himself far more invested in the joy this conversation brought him. Once she returned to her proper posture after the bow, Kenichi once again confirmed his approval through an energetic nod, his gaze following the direction of the woman's finger.

"They certainly smell like they might have something good. Let's go check it out!"