Hanging Around

Madison sighed to herself bored, hanging upside in a tree, she saw almost everything around her. "The same old thing happens every day." She pouted and bit into a juicy peach, sending drops of juice below her onto the forest floor.

Michi's eyes blinked in surprise as she heard the sound of someone's voice. She sat up from underneath the tree from where she had been napping and looked up, moving out of the way as juice from a peach lightly sprinkled the ground. She looked up, spotting a girl hanging upside down and she blinked in wonder and then friendliness. "Hi there." She said cheerfully, crossing her legs indian style as she looked up at the girl. "I didn't even hear you get by." She said.she brushed out a few leaves that had gotten caught in her short brunette hair while she had been sleeping and looked back up at the girl. "I'm Michi by the way." She introduced herself.

Madison squealed with delight. A friend! She quickly began the long journey down the tree, talking the whole way to the girl. "I'm Madison, but you can call me Maddie. How long have you been here? Where are your parents?'' She stumbled and fell to the ground, about 10 feet. When she hit the ground she rolled over laughing. "Such a first impression huh?'' She grinned.

Michi grinned as the girl named Maddie replied with enthusiasm and she gave a small laugh of joy as she spoke. "Hi, Maddie. My parents are at home with my little sister." She said and then thought to herself about how long she had been there. "Hmm...probably an hour or. Two. I had a nice nap." She said, about to speak again when she saw her tumble from the tree and her eyes widened in surprise. "Woah! Are you-" she was cut off as the girl began laughing and Michi let out a giggle of relief. "You scared me there! I thought you'd be unconcious!" She laughed in amusement, helping Maddie to her feet before smiling at her again. "I know what you mean, I can be pretty clumsy, and it always seems to happen when I'm meeting someone new." She giggled.

Madison stood up and ran her hand through her long brown hair. She tilted her head, "That's nice." She smiled a bit, "I don't have any family, they left a long time ago." She motioned all around her, "this is my home." Maddie plopped back on the ground and leaned against the tree.

Michi felt a bit of saddness rush over her as she heard Maddie's reply and she sat down next to her, thinking to herself for a little. "That reminds me of my friend Glimmer." She said, half to herself. She blinked, her neko ear twitching a bit and she looked at Maddie out of the corner of her. "Do you like it living around here?" She inquired, curious. She hadn't ever lived anywhere away from her parents, nor had to be faced with the decision. "My other friend Shizumi lost her parents and she lives by herself in an apartment." She said.

"I guess it's alright, gets lonely sometimes." She shrugged. "An apartment.. that doesn't sound bad." She looked up, trying to fight on coming tears. "If I had any money." Madison stood up, not wanting her new friend to see her cry, "I guess you should be going, it's getting late. Your parents are probably worried."

Michi looked at her with concern and her neko ears began to droop a bit in saddness. She hated seeing people sad, especially when they were kind. She struggled for a solution when she explained that she didn't have any money to get an apartment. "Hey, its alright...maybe we can find someone to help you get one." She said softly, giving her a small nudge of encouragement. "And don't worry about me. My parents know I stay out late." She said. She gave her a small smile. "If you're unhappy about living here, I'll help you figure something out." She said.

Madison smiled weakly and rubbed her eyes, "thanks for understanding." She felt herself begin to blush. "Want to help me pick some fruit?" If you cut them up and lay them in the sun they taste amazing.

Michi smiled in relief as Maddie began to cheer up and she nodded with intrest as she asked her. "Sure. Sounds yummy." She said, getting to her feet, a cheerful smile on her face. "I actually have a place under a tree where I plant flowers." She said matter of factly. Though she didn't look or act the type, she enjoyed being around and discovering different types of plants as well as planting them. "Are they the ones up here?" She asked, looking up at the peaches. She took in a breath, breathing in their sweet, tangy scent as the wind blew a bit, rustling the leaves.

Madison sniffed the air and shook her head, "Those aren't ripe yet." She kept moving forward, listening to the *crunch* *crunch* *crunch* of the leaves. She smiled back at her new friend and pointed up to a tree. "There they are!" She almost yelled out, and began the long climb up the tree. Using branches to help pull herself up.

Michi nodded and followed her, eyes glittering with wonder as she gazed up at the tree. "Ooh, they look yummy." She said, begining to follow Maddie up the tree. "I haven't climbed trees in a while. I almost forgot how much I enjoyed it." She said with a smile as she grabbed hold of a branch and pulled herself up the tree until she had caught up with Maddie, looking around at all the sweet smelling fruit.

Madison chuckled, "Its not that great, kind of gets old after a while." She grabbed a couple of peaches and tossed her one. "Wanna try? They're great!" She took a bite into one and looked at the juice drop down and hit the forest floor. She stuffed all she could in her pockets and began the long way down the tree.

Michi laughed as she spoke with a smile. "True. I do tend to stop doing things after they bore me." She said, stopping to sit on a branch, looking up as Maddie tossed her the peaches. Michi reached out, catching them but almost dropping one. She squeaked in surprise as she reached after it, making the branch quiver a bit. She chuckled nervously as she looked back at Maddie with a small red blush on her face. "Told you I was clumsy." She giggled before biting into a peach, watching as maddie started heading down the tree. Michi sat, finishing her peach and looking over the land before following her down with the rest of the peaches, being careful not to slip.

Madison smiled, pulling a knife out of her pocket. She sat down and began slicing the peaches into strips, then laying them on rocks to dry.

Michi set the rest of the peaches down beside Maddie as she sat down, looking around the forest. "So what else do you like to do around here?" She asked, turning back to Maddie with a smile, watching as she cut up the peaches.