A Munto Fanfiction: From Dawn Until Dusk © RedWingedAngel002
Disclaimer: Munto; Sora Miageru Shōjo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai © Kyoto Animation; Yoshiji Kigami and Tomoe Aratani
Genre: Family, Fantasy, Hurt-Comfort, and Romance
Summary: Drabble Collection. WI: The seasons have changed and she welcomed spring without a word. Now finally, finally, her waiting has been well received. Word count: 1,981.
Prompt: Week 1/10: Write a short scene of a character finding a letter; include the letter text, all in active voice. Omit all unnecessary words.

A/N: Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I have updated some side-stories, huh? I do apologize for not adding onto my other fanfictions, besides Waiting For You; motivation has dwindled and all has been put aside until further notice. I have scatters of work-in-progress chapters and one-shots, I just need to reign myself in to finish them up.
However, this series is going to be a drabble contribution, thanks to the following twelve-week writing workshop I am taking part of. It'll force me to write a scene, using each week's prompt and required 500-2,000 word count. Each chapter will be an individual one-shot.
It's nice, since we will be critiquing our group's work and giving our opinion of grammar, form, etc. This opportunity will help me become a better writer, which I strive for, for my upcoming internships require such a skill. Yes, even if it's fanfiction, it'll surely aid me in my process. At least, that is what I hope to achieve. So far, I need to work on omitting my comma usage and descriptions. XD;
For this range of drabbles, they'll likely contain the post-series, hints of fanfictions already written, to AU; for inspiration can come from many places in my mind, and knowing myself, I'll manage to conjure something interesting. (I have yet many stories to write, which are half-baked. This may help the motivation of working those out!)
Anywho, as always, I hope you enjoy the read.

Songs: Paranoia by: Ceui

Japanese Index:
Okaa-san, 'Kaa-chan: Mother, Mom, Momma (Towards mother)
Onee-san (when talking about/to someone's sister), Ane-san (when talking about one's sister), 'Nee-san/-chan: (Older) sister, sis, sissy
Onii-san (when talking about/to someone's brother), Ani-san (when talking about one's brother), 'Nii-san/-chan: (Older) brother, bro
Otou-san, 'Tou-chan: Father, Dad, Daddy (Towards father)

"Talking."
'Thinking.'
Memories/Flashbacks.

Chapter 1: Parchment

"Thank you very much. Have a good day," the postman bid farewell, followed by a polite tip of his hat.

Yumemi offered a wave and closed the wooden door. As she walked inside, she rifled through the delivered envelopes: her mother's pen pal reply, bills, and a letter from her father's advertising industry. There was nothing meant for her eyes, until she ended her search with a neatly wrapped package.

Curious, tentative hands inspected the nameless, medium-sized box. The whisper against polished floors indicated a hint to where it originated. She picked up the stray paper—still no address—and flipped it over.

The blonde almost dropped her bundle all together, once recognizing the pressed, wax seal, and stumbled into the living room with a beaming smile. She struggled to contain the giggle, which slipped passed her stretched lips, and plopped on the khaki, quilt-covered sofa.

Chikara offered a skeptical look from his perch, and continued on with his videogame. Like her father, who was reading the newspaper at the dining room behind her, she took no notice; she was in her own little world.

Yumemi gently placed her prize on the tabletop and turned to open the letter, wincing when she ripped the flap slightly, and resumed her careful handiwork. She was perplexed when finding the parchment blank, her stomach sinking in defeat, and wondered if something was wrong. However, it was then that delicate script started to bleed onto the page; fine, feathered scratches of ink filling the document, once identifying the thumbprint it was proposed for. *1

With a startled cry, the letter fell from her grip and to her black stockings. How typical of him, a magician, to surprise her so. There was still much she did not understand from his world, and this was one of them. She took a deep breath, in attempts to calm herself, and once her pulse slowed, her emerald eyes settled over the paper once again.

Dear Yumemi,

How are you? I cannot believe the amount of time, which has passed since our parting. The weather has become most pleasant, warming the hearts of the United Army with spring. Though tedious, my vision of reconciling the Eight Nations is gradually becoming a reality.

Thanks to you, the flow of Akuto, which we have reestablished, has at last brought clarity to the blind. New knowledge reveals that the solidified spirits have settled anew. There is yet one final step required, until all will be able to view the Heavens as you do on a daily basis. I was enlightened during my preparations; I now understand that your strength is needed once more.

With that, the Amalgamation Ceremony is steadily approaching. I assume by the end of summer, the initiation of our process with your world will begin. I want you by my side once that happens.

I realize the celebration of your fifteenth name day was in February. Though two months delayed, I do wish you a Happy Birthday. I hope all is well.

Sincerely Yours,

Lord of the Magical Kingdom, Munto

A heady blush peppered her cheeks as she ended reading his bold statement and traced over the fine arches of his name. The king's word choice was merely out of protocol, right?

"I am yours, Yumemi. You are the one I wish to protect," he confessed with fervor, the brush against her knuckles a butterfly's touch. "Once I come back, once this is all over, be mine. Allow me to court you." She emitted a flustered giggled at his old-fashioned taste of romance… *2

Oh, no. Why did something so embarrassing suddenly come to mind? She gave herself a shake to clear her clouded thoughts. The pink upon her face merely grew tenfold at her weak attempt. Nonetheless, a love-stricken sigh escaped her, as she wistfully held the parchment close to her thundering breast.

The seasons have changed and she welcomed spring without a word. Now finally, finally, her waiting has been well received. Her lips could not help but to broaden, bear toes curling in bliss. *3

"You look really dumb right now, 'Nee-chan, you know that?" her eight-year-old brother interrupted, not bothering to tear his gaze from the active television.

She emitted a strangled gasp, having completely forgotten of her audience, and snapped, "Shut up!"

Both were prepared to start a bickering quarrel, until Nozomi beckoned her from up stairs. "Yumemi, can you come here for a moment, please?" came her echoing request.

"Alright," she complied. The blonde then narrowed a cool glare to and silently mouthed, "Don't touch."

He merely rolled his eyes, while his older sister headed towards the second story.

"What is it, 'Kaa-san?" she peeked into the master bedroom, to where her mother was standing.

"I need your opinion," the brunette groused over the two articles placed upon the mattress. "Papa and I are going out to dinner tonight and I'm not sure which to wear."

Yumemi made an intrigued noise in the back of her throat, and eyed the presented dresses. "What for?"

"I honestly don't know. I thought perhaps it was as an early anniversary gift, but that isn't until October." Her voice bubbled, eyes brimming with affection. "Whatever the reason, I'm certain it is for a nice occasion."

She nodded in agreement, until realization struck. "That's right. I saw that the company wrote a letter to him in the mail. Do you think 'Tou-san is getting a promotion of some sort?" *4

"Oh? Perhaps. That would be a pleasant surprise." Nozomi smiled. "In any case, what do you think?"

The girl focused her attention on the brightly pigmented garments, a thumb propped at her chin in thought. One, the color of honeydew and exposed the dip of shoulder, the other, magenta, belling out alongside a white turtleneck. Both were cotton, fitted, and came to the heel. *5

"How about the green one?" she suggested.

Nozomi's mouth firmed into a line. "Is it too revealing?" her mother pestered with gnawing hesitation.

"No. This is what is in style right now. Ichiko has been keeping me all up to date with the fashion magazines she collects. Plus, many designs are like this on that T-shirt website I mentioned not too long ago, remember?" *6

"I can tell; this is a different look for you," she indicated to the mauve top and plaid, strapless dress her daughter was currently wearing. "So, it is not because green is your favorite color?" she teased.

"Second favorite; you know my first is pink," Yumemi chimed and they both smirked at the joke. "Plus, you don't wear cool colors that often. I think it would be nice. I can help you with your hair, if you'd like?"

A delighted giggle roused the cool air. "I'm sure it's not going to be that fancy, darling. But alright, if that is what you wish; you can doll me all up later tonight," she obliged and gave a pat to Yumemi's crown. A stack of folded laundry was suddenly in her grasp. "While you're here, you can put these away."

"Okay, okay," she could easily take the hint, and entered the sibling's bedroom.

It was then that she heard her brother make a boisterous squeal, followed by the tear of paper. Dread flooded in her veins like ice, once she understood what that meant. She tossed the rest of her clothing aside in a panic and threw herself to the rail of their balcony, which peered to the bottom level of the family home.

"Chikara!" His blue-clad back was facing her; the yellow wrapping paper of Munto's package in tattered ruin. "Hey, cut it out! I told you not to touch that!"

She ran down the stairwell, heat kindled both in anger and embarrassment. Strands of gold bounced alongside her white flower pin with each hurried step. Yumemi almost collided into her father, who gaped at the quarrel, and spun swiftly to avoid him.

The mischievous boy finally turned to her, flashing his prize with a cheeky grin. "Ooo~! Look what I've got, 'Nee-chan!"

She skidded to a halt, immediately recognizing the pink, gossamer fabric she had worn in the unseen isle above, and resumed her trek, snatching the gift out of his deft hands and bringing it protectively to her chest. Her green gaze hardened, like their jeweled counterpart, and, much to her frustration, began to flood with tears.

"You… brat!" she hissed, and with a turn of a heel, she stomped back up to the bedroom, once collecting the rest of her precious items. In her fit, she attempted to ignore the eight-year-old's whine, his inquiry to why she was crying.

"I'm not crying!" she yelled, and furiously wiped the dribbling evidence away from her flushed cheeks.

All she understood was that she was angry! Angry and upset at her mother for calling her upstairs, at her father for not keeping an eye out on the boy, at Chikara for ruining her thunder, and at herself for thinking she could trust him!

"Oh my, what is going on here?" Nozomi piped in, while carrying her brother's load of laundry, her stature filled with genuine concern.

She continued to toss the remaining clothes into her dresser and slammed the drawer shut. Yumemi's voice cracked, and turned away from the woman and her knowing brown eyes. "It's nothing!"

"Now, now… It doesn't look like nothing, sweetheart. What happened?" She felt a pair of warm hands at her shaking shoulders. They were comforting. Her mother beckoned them both to the bed and took a seat.

"It's nothing," she mumbled, and cast her swollen gaze at the gift beside her. Unbeknownst to the girl, Nozomi understood her denial and patiently waited for her to speak.

Shigeru's hushed scolding and warble of a songbird filled the room.

It was then there were two pairs of footsteps, one deep with weight and the other light, those, which gradually made their way up the wooden boards. Chikara tentatively walked forward, hands restless, and a guilty scowl twisted across his visage. Her father placed a palm at his back and nudged him forward. Irritation flickered in his irises, as he peered up at the stout man, but all was flooded in a mask of shame once again. He would not look her in the eye.

"Sorry for opening up your gift, 'Nee-chan. I didn't know it was from Munto-Nii," his pursed lips confessed. In her frigid silence, he started to nervously fiddle with the hem of his Ultra Montaro shirt, the red English lettering crinkling as he did so.

Yumemi emitted an exasperated sigh; her mother gave an encouraging pat. "It's fine. Come here," she accepted the young boy's apology with outstretched arms and encased him in an embrace.

When he emerged from the softness of her breast, he eagerly turned to ask, "What did he write? I wanna know!" all sullen thought forgotten.

Her gaze waxed to green moons. "Eh? You couldn't read it?"

"No! It was blank when I tried," his brows knitted in displeasure, then perked in interest. "What did it say? What did it say?" he bounced with excitement.

"Can you get it for me?" she pointed to the desk and brought her attention to her father. "Would you like to see, too, 'Tou-san?"

"Alright." A smile quirked into place, as he agreed to her offer. She folded the pink garment, gently placing it aside, and patted the available space. He walked over and took a seat on her right. The floral mattress bowed under his weight, as Chikara then crawled onto the grey-clad knee of his pant-leg. Shigeru adjusted the spectacles upon his nose to view the print more clearly.

All watched in awe as the lettering emerged under her hand. Her heart filled to the brim with happiness, as she read the parchment aloud. She could not have wished for anything more in this precious moment…

A/N: This whole scene was based off of the anime closing (slide five). I will likely use this tidbit in New Beginnings, or something of the like. I have uploaded the clean versions via our Tumblr group: tmblr. co/ZE8fixdCmBH_
Also, the self-translations I'm doing for the Inspired Album is giving me a lot of feels. Check those out, too, when you have the chance.
Happy (early) Valentine's Day; see you next week.

—Ari [2.4.13]

*1: Yes, I nabbed this idea from Harry Potter. Though I did not finish reading the whole series, I thank you, J.K. Rowling, for the brilliant inspiration.

*2: Here is a hint to le OTP's fateful promise, which will be featured in the upcoming chapter of Waiting For You.

*3: Despite not being totally accurate, I give my explanations to why I had chosen Yumemi's Birthday to be in February, in chapter sixteen of Waiting For You. (It appears, when following the anime closing, that it was actually in fall.) However, I know for sure that four months have passed, since their parting.
The end of episode nine states that she was off to her first day as a third year student (still in Jr. high), AKA: US Freshman year, where school starts on April 5th in Japan. She was brought to Heaven on the "closing ceremony" of winter, which is the day after the Emperor's Birthday: the 24th of December. This ceremony was mentioned in episode four, and one day had passed, so she was taken on Christmas Day. Another day, or so, had passed, while she was up in the Upper World—the actual time between the two got really confusing because of the whacked-out continuum—meaning the length to where they were separated, thus far, is roughly four months. Oh yeah, go basic math skillz and heavy research! Whoop, whoop! XD

*4: The old Munto website mentioned that Shigeru works for an advertising company. I had added this brief tidbit of her family—changing the grammar errors, of course—to Wikipedia.
Also, I like the thought of Nozomi having a pen pal. Because she is a housewife, I am curious to what she does with her spare time when not cleaning their home and getting things ready for dinner etc. Like Yumemi, her speaking patter seems very educated, which I believe could reflect in her writing, so perhaps she would connect with someone of a different country; perhaps even some sort of 'mole' from Heaven? Lol.

*5: I had chosen these designs based off of the final scene/song closing. Nozomi really does not wear cool colors much, besides those last clips; all has been shades of yellow, orange, and pink.

*6: If you look at the hints, Ichiko is actually quite conscious of her appearance and style. Not only is she really finicky when fixing her hair during the morning of her first day as a ninth grader, but within OVA II, she really frets over Suzume when she falls down.
[Removed audio from episode five: "You're such a klutz, Suzume. You have to get it together. Oh no! You've totally messed up your clothes!"] Also, the fact that Yumemi stated her farewell, while mentioning some website about cute T-shirts, makes the audience aware of that, too, one just has to look at the hints.