A rare smoke| Mei

[Sam Llymns]

Sam sat on one of the benches with a frown on her face. She never thought that she would leave New Jersey and end up here! Here in this place, this hostel with a bunch of people she didn't know. They seemed cool and laid back but she wasn't too sure.

Sam took a cigarette and a lighter out her jacket pocket and lit out.

So much for saving the enviroment. Sam sighed. She felt lonely and out of place here. No one to talk to and no one to confide in.

She looked at the busy people pass by her. None of them really cared that she was smoking.

Samantha smiled a bit. Maybe they won't care that she was gay, unlike the citizens of the N.J. Thoughts ran back in forth in her head.

"What have I done?" she mumbled picking up a small rock. She threw it and watched it fall. It landed right next to a girl...

[ooc: is it good? nuff for you to start with?]

[Mei Atsuki]

{OOC: It's good =D}

Mei sat on the curb, watching the traffic go past the hostel. It gave her a sense of removal. She could just observe the happenings of the world without having to deal with them. She had discovered this past-time a few days after she got here. Back in Japan, she would have been mugged just for wearing what she was now: a white shirt with a rainbow across the chest, reading "HOMO REVOLUTION" in English. A customer had bought it for her instead of paying her.

Looking around, she saw a girl sit on the bench a few feet away and start to smoke, glowering at the cars driving past. A crowd of people flowed out the doors of the movie theatre across the street, and the girl glared at them, too. The girl was very pretty, and her manner was, in Mei's opinion, rather similar to Misa's when Mei had sneaked back to check on her after Mei had been forced to leave. She wondered who this poor girl had lost--probably some boy she had been dating.

Mei watched the girl pick up a rock and toss it. It landed a few inches from where she was sitting. She picked it up and rubbed it between her fingers for a few seconds, examining it. It was greenish, just the colour that Misa had liked best. Sighing, she put it into her pocket and looked at the girl again. She seemed kind of lonely, so Mei thought about at last introducing herself. The town was so small that they would probably meet at some other time anyway. After having made this decision, she stood up and walked over to the bench, sitting next to the girl.

Holding out her hand, she said, "Hi. I am Mei. Do you live at the hostel, too?" She nodded in the direction of her new home. "I am from Japan. I have heard that everyone there came from different places. Where did you come from?"

Hoping she wasn't being rude or saying something completely different from what she had meant, she looked at the girl pointedly waiting for a response.

[Sam Llymns]

Sam gave a warm smile at the girl. Sam shook her hand and then she turned her head in the opposite direction so she wouldn't puff the smoke into Mei's face.

"Nice throw, by the way." Sam smiled again. To Sam, the girl was very pretty. With her auburn hair and brown eyes, that made her even prettier. Mei didn't even have to say she was from Japan. She could tell.
Her Japanese senses were tingling.

"Nice shirt too! So, you're..." Sam looked at the passing people. She was almost afraid to say the next word. What if this girl was going to judge her for saying it?

'Well, we all have to take chances right?' Sam thought standing up.

"...Gay? I guess. I mean, just from the-" She stopped. She was nervous. Only once has she ever said,
"Guess what! I'm gay!" to someone and that one time, she felt out of place and alone. Samantha was out of place in thisstrange town and she didn't want to icsolate herself from everyone here.

She took a few blows and puffs from the cigarette. She looked back at Mei and smiled again. For some strange reason she looked Mei's beauty.

"My name is Samantha. Just call me Sam. Japanese? I'm only a 1/4. My mom was half Japanese. She died while having me... Tough stuff right? My father gave me up when I was 7. I was adopted by some homophobes...I ran not too long ago from pressure. The only person who I had actually loved, that wasn't a girl, left me." Sam said kicking around another dirty rock. She turned her head and gave a smirk,
"That's just in case you ask why I ran. And yeah, I'm in the hostel. G3. Visit some time"

[Mei Atsuki]

Watching the girl stumble over what to say without getting herself into trouble was rather amusing to Mei. She could almost see herself falling for this girl.

"Yes. I am gay. Hen." She thought about adding that the girl was very pretty, but that would probably have made the conversation very awkward.

Her name was Sam, apparently. A very pretty name. In her head, Mei was already calling her Sammi-chan. Mostly because she had spent the last few seconds trying to figure out what exactly Sammi-chan had said. Something about changing families. That was pretty much all that Mei had understood, but she couldn't say that to Sam, who reminded her so much of Misa, if only just in the feelings she brought about. From what else she could decipher of Sam's speech, she had run away. If only I had had that choice, she thought sadly. Being forced out had never been a choice, whatever her father had said when he was forcing her out.

Looking at the girl, Mei noticed just how pretty Sam's blue eyes were. She could get lost in them easily. Just like she had once done with Misa. Misa had the most amazing eyes, and she had often used them to get Mei to go along with her crazy stunts or simply to make Mei shower her in the attention she had desired. Sam, too, seemed to crave attention. Either that or Mei just very much wanted to be able to obsess over her, which she would never admit to, even if it was true.

Feeling that she should confide somewhat in Sam, who she already felt that she could trust to at least an extent, she hesitantly spoke.

"I was...made to leave my house. I then lived on the streets as a prostitute. This shirt was given to me instead of payment. I like it anyway. I am sorry about your family. It must have been difficult to leave. I would not have left my Misa-chan and if I had had a choice. I loved Misa-chan. Did you love someone at home?"

[Sam Llymns]

Sam looked back at Mei and nodded.

"Yeah. I did. His name was Mikael. When I was adopted, he was the only person in that family that accepted me. He was my older brother. Actually, he used to smoke. I never smoked cigarettes before. I guess, it's like a way to remember him." Sam looked at the cigarette amd giggled a bit. It was funny to her that she thought that smoking was going to remind her of a person who is long gone in Iraq.

She dropped the cigarette and stepped on it. A long steam of smoke followed.

"I'm gay too." Samantha smiled. It was the first time that Sam smiled over her sexuality. Sam didn't feel worried that she was gay because Mei was gay too. She won't have to go through it alone.

Sam sat back down with Mei. She put her hand on her lap and her head on Mei's shoulder. She already felt close with her, even though they had met like 10 minutes ago.

"You said you loved Misa." Sam said,
"There is the quote that I believe in. It goes like 'Either you love them or you never did'. I'm hoping you still love her 'cause that'll be sad if you didn't." Sam looked at Mei with her big blue eyes.

"I still love him..."

[Mei Atsuki]

So Sam, too, liked girls. When she heard that, her heart skipped a beat, just like it used to when she was small and she and Misa would hold hands walking home from elementary school, before either of them had even a hint of an idea of how close they would become.

Mei watched the cigarette smolder on the ground for a few seconds before she felt Sam's head on her shoulder. She quietly slipped her arm around Sam's waist, pulling her closer. She somehow knew that this motion wasn't as awkward as it could have been with someone else. It just felt right.

"I am sorry about your brother. It is good that you are able to remember him with a smile. I am sure, wherever he is, he is thinking of you."

She really did feel bad about whatever had happened to Sam's brother. He must have been a very nice person to accept Sam into his family so easily. Sam seemed to still love him dearly. She still loved Misa, but a part of her always wondered if when she moved on, maybe Misa did, too. The last time she had seen Misa, it had nearly killed her to see how empty her lover had become. It was best if Misa moved on.

"I do love Misa. I will always love her. She was my best friend. My first love. Sadly, my father did not like that. He was my only family, so when he sent me out, there was no one to tell him to stop. Families are not nice. You were too good for them." She said the last bit impulsively, without meaning to. Blushing, she waited for what Sam would say to it.

[Sam Llymns]

Sam looked at the passing people. Some of them gave awkward faces towards Mei and Sam. Sam didn't look them in the eye. This was the only the second time she was seen with another girl in a "romantic" sense. Sam gave faces back at the crowd.

"Me too good for them? You've got it all mixed up, hun! They were too good for me. That family was all about perfection. I felt like I lived in Plesantville." Sam laughed,

"But, hey. Thanks for the compliment. You're not too bad yourself." She smiled. This time, it was she was extremely happy that she could vent with someone and have that person understand her feelings.

She was happy a person this wonderful could understand. It was beautiful, in her eyes. She was beautiful, in her eyes. She was Japanese, a proud lesbian, beautiful, smart and just...awesome. Never has she ran into a person this special. But, Mei reminded Sam of another person she missed dearly...

"So, about your dad...Wanna speak to me about him? Plus, I was wondering...how did you get here from Japan? I'm all ears, Mei. I'm willing to listen too."

[Mei Atsuki]

Sam wanted to hear about her father. Describing him was going to be very difficult, so Mei decided she would rather tell about how she came here from Japan first. That story was actually rather interesting, the more she thought about it. It wouldn't be as painful to tell, and it hopefully wouldn't bring about any kind of pain for Sam, which was the absolute last thing Mei wanted to happen. Sam was the most beautiful person she had seen in a long time. She was beginning to rival Misa in Mei's mind, as much as that disturbed her. Talking about Mei's family might make Sam remember her own. An argument in favour of talking about her father first was the chronology of it, however, and chronology was important. Chronology was also the order Sam had asked for it in, so Mei decided that chronology would determine the order.

"My father is cruel. He found Misa with me. We were doing...awkward things. It made him angry, and he forced me to leave our home forever. He also told Misa's family. They beat her. I found that when I went to see her from a distance a few months after. She was so broken...I could not return and see her like that. At that time, I was living in Harajuku, working near a love hotel. That was where I got this t-shirt. I came here because of a man who was not a customer. He took me and forced me into his car. He then flew me here and left me at the hostel. I had been on the streets I do not know how long..." she drifted off.

Her story was told, and she would have to wait to see how Sam would react. It had exhausted her to tell it, just to remember it. Suddenly, she was conscious of the fact that she was trembling slightly remembering the fear she had felt when the man's blindfold had been wrapped around her face. She had thought he was going to rape her. An involuntary shudder ripped through her at the memory.

Wishing to distract herself, she wondered about Sam's brother. Curious of what made him so wonderful, she said, "Tell me about Mikael, please."

[Sam Llymns]

Sam reached into her coat pocket and grabbed the cigarette box. She shook it lightly to see if any was left. It barely made noise.

"You know," Sam smiled. "Your story is pretty sad. You sounded like you didn't want to leave. But I'm sort of happy that you was...kidnapped and left hear. That sounds a bit harsh but only because I would of never met you." Sam lips curled up into a smile. It wasn't a very happy one though.

"Mikael...He was tall. I remember when I was only a tad bit younger, he would put me on his shoulders at the Fourth of July Fireworks Festival. And he knew that I loved pizza so he would but me pizza once a week. He wasn't that rich though. He barely got an allowence so he had to steal stuff from stores. He got in trouble for it too. I tried to convience him to stop but he wouldn't. His parents would beat him and punish him almost every week. He said it was worth it. After a few months, they stopped. And then, one day, out of the blue, he decided that going toto Iraq or Iran was more important than being here and supporting me. He was one of the only people that I was actually comfortable around. He was like a big brother to me but just without the "overly-protective" part." Sam frowned. The thought of him made her tear up a bit. She still missed him. Every thing about him, his touch, smell and even his hair! Talking to Mei about Mickael made her into an emotional train wreck.

She glanced into the box and noticed that there was only 2 left. She took one from the box and left the other partner alone. She offered Mei one.

[Mei Atsuki]

Mei watched Sam try to blink away her tears. She wanted badly to wipe them away, but she didn't because it just wouldn't be appropriate for their situation. Worried about the girl she was coming to love, she almost didn't notice when Sam offered her a cigarette. Mildly shocked at the gesture, she wasn't sure what to say. She appreciated the gesture, but she hadn't smoked in such a long time, she wasn't sure her body would be able to take it.

Shaking her head slightly, she spoke softly, "No, thank you. I cannot smoke anymore."

She hoped Sam wouldn't get offended. There really was a good reason why she couldn't smoke, but it wasn't something she was comfortable telling people. Raised to believe that your medical history was private, she hadn't told anyone here that she had gotten some breathing disease that had never gone away. If she smoked, she wouldn't be able to breathe for sure. It was getting worse, as it was. As if her lungs knew she was thinking about them, she coughed, trying desperately to cover it up.

Still trying to stem the flow of coughing, she managed to choke out, "He sounds nice...Maybe he went there to protect you..."

Ashamed of her coughing, Mei turned away slightly, embarrassed that she had shown weakness yet still shivering from the coughing spell. The last thing she needed was for Sam, good, sweet Sam, to be worrying about her. Sam didn't need to be put through that. It sounded like she had already been put through so much.

"I am sorry," she spoke, unable to reach anything louder than a whisper. She involuntarily leaned on Sam for support as the road in front of them slid in and out of focus. "I am sorry..."

[Sam Llymns]

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "He was nice." It was all she could say. Sam glanced over at Mei who was having a coughing fit. It was only natural for Sam to start worrying about her.

"Are you okay? Is it the smok? Is it bothering you?" Sam dropped her cigarette on teh floor, by accident, and began to worry. Never in all the years of her life, she hear someone cough so much. Sam watched Mei blank in and out. What could she do? She didn't know what to do at all.

"Okay listen Mei, do you need medience? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Sam grabbed Mei's arms. She wanted to shake her but she was afraid that Mei might get sickER and throw up. Sam looked in her pocket. $15. 46.

"TAXI!" she yelled. Immediately a taxi pulled over. Sam flung one of Mei's smooth creme arms over her neck and helped her over to the taxi. Sam didn't care if Mei didn't need help of any sort. She was just worried about her first real friend here.

[Mei Atsuki]

In a state somewhere between consciousness and lack thereof, Mei noticed that Sam was panicking. She tried to shake her head and tell Sam to calm down, but it came out as more coughing. That was probably what caused Sam to call over a cab and drag Mei into it. When they were inside the vehicle, her coughing started to slowly subside to gasping as she tried to replace all the oxygen she had lost in her coughing fit.

Slowly, between deep breaths, she tried to say, "We can't go to a hospital..."

At first, she didn't realize what she had said, but then it occurred to her that she had said it not in English, but in Japanese. The lack of oxygen to her brain had made her forget most of the English she knew. She tried again, simplifying the sentence, "No hospital."

There really was a good reason not to go to the hospital, but at that moment, she was unable to think of it. She knew it had something to do with the government, but beyond that, her mind was blank, and her head was beginning to hurt rather badly now that her breathing was returning to normal. Then it hit her, and she gasped not from lack of oxygen as before, but from the knowledge of the consequences of what would happen if the hospital needed much of her personal information. She was an illegal immigrant. She had no visa, no passport, and no green card. She panicked herself and started coughing again, worse this time, if that was possible. She gave up on trying to dissuade Sam of making her go to the hospital and let herself slowly lose consciousness, hoping that Sam wouldn't worry too much.

{OOC: P.S. I have no intention of killing her}