Hmm, is it someone's birthday today?
Chapter 15“I think they’re gone,” Risa said, peering around a corner while holding her pistol tightly clenched in both hands just behind it. Having apparently satisfied herself of the truth of her words, she lowered the weapon to her belt and turned back to regard the people behind her.
“They’ll be back,” Fujimoto replied as she brashly brushed past Risa and out onto the street to peer, or perhaps rather glare, up and down it. “Activity here has been picking up lately. I just wish I knew why.”
Brushing past the younger Niigaki myself, if a bit more deliberately, I traded a glance with her. Somehow the brazen girl always seemed to hold onto my eyes a bit longer than most, but I managed to look away and fall in next to Fujimoto, reaching up to rest an apologetic hand on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry for getting us into this,” I confessed demurely, but Fujimoto didn’t seem to respond for a moment as she had a glazed look in her eyes. Finally she turned toward me though, seeming almost surprised at her words.
“What?” she asked, and I shrank away a little as I seemed to feel the glare in her tone as well. “It’s not your fault. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
“But I—” I responded before Fujimoto placed a silencing finger to my lips. My eyes widened, fearing what the woman might do to me next. It was said that if you felt her touch, that could only be the beginning, and those that managed to survive what came afterward were barely even coherent. All except for a few notable exceptions…
“No,” the girl said firmly. “I don’t want to hear it.” She turned to the rest of the group, who were now flowing into the street to join them. “Tanaka, Jun, pick a direction and scout it to make sure they’re really gone for now. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to be careful, no matter how much promise you might show…” Her eyes seemed to linger on the younger of the two at that, and Reina gave what I thought was a cute yankii pout in return before jogging off south down Cedar Street, leaving the Chinese girl to shrug and amble off north herself.
…
“Fujimoto…” Aika commented, staring off to a faraway place. “I remember her. I only saw her once though I think. One time when I was looking out my window when you guys gathered in front of the house. I recognized her right away from Risa’s description…”
“Did you watch us often like that?” Ai mused.
“Sometimes I would,” Aika replied. “If I was at home by myself studying or something. It was like that a lot after she started staying out more often. Koharu would come over of course, but…” She trailed off, wondering if Koharu would ever speak to her again. She wasn’t sure she would herself after what happened.
“I’m sorry it got to be that way,” Ai said softly, sincere apology clear in her voice. “Nii-chan tried to do what she could for you, but the rest of us especially never really think of how being away hurts our loved ones. At least, those of us who have them… back home…” This time, Ai trailed off herself as if becoming lost in thought.
“It’s okay,” Aika replied. “I had Koharu, and eventually others. With mom being gone too we just kind of made the house our own really…” She glanced up at Ai when she didn’t get a response, to see the woman’s eyes still glazed in thought. “Did I say something wrong?”
Eventually Ai blinked and caught Aika’s eyes again. “No, it’s okay. I want to go back to what I was telling you before though.
“I felt so guilty about leading us into that ambush. I should have sent someone to scout it out first. I just couldn’t have imagined they would be there in those numbers. My mind wouldn’t stop thinking about what I’d done wrong… Soon my perception of things would change, but in the meantime, I found that I wasn’t alone…”
…
“Ai-chan,” her voice said from outside the door again. “You’re being ridiculous. Just come out of there. It’s not gonna benefit anyone if you just shut yourself up all day.”
Once again I didn’t respond, even though I could hear her easily through the American metal music blaring in my headphones. Nobody knew I had them since I just kept them here, so I took advantage of using them when I could, especially at a time like this. Most of the others around here, like Risa, barely even had the means to keep themselves fed and clothed, so I tried to hide how comparatively well-off my family was as much as possible. I still think she suspected though.
“Ai-chan…” came the voice again, and this time it sounded almost pleading, a strange tone coming from someone who was usually a very strong-willed and tenacious young woman. I thought I heard a little rattling from the doorknob, but quickly ignored it and closed my eyes as the quasi-musical noise continued to wash over me.
When the current song ended, my eyes opened to see a girl standing between me and the still-closed door, arms crossed as she studied me carefully. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but when reality dawned on me my breath caught before I ripped the headset off my ears and futilely tried to stuff it beneath my blanket.
“Who do you think you need to hide from?” she asked, still not moving from her position in the middle of the room.
My eyes strayed past her to the door before capturing hers again. “How did you…?”
She responded by holding a small hairpin up between two fingers, and a smirk formed at the corner of her mouth. “Us street urchins tend to learn useful skills sometimes.” Then she glanced around at the various perfumes and small electronic luxuries not many Japanese girls in the City other than me could claim to possess. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I…” I responded, not knowing what to say. “I didn’t want to make you feel…”
“Uncomfortable?” Risa asked in a light tone, and took a step toward her. “Worthless?” She sat next to me as I felt worse by the word. “Do you think I would care about this stuff? There are so many other more important things in the world, like school, or keeping yourself fit… family...”
I looked down again. Part of the reason I had all these things was because my father lived primarily in another city for the job he’d earned thanks to the recent opportunities made available even to Japanese, even though they were still very few. I was also an only child – another rarity – and even though my mother and I didn’t really communicate, she bought me things sometimes, and other times I would secretly take the train to shop myself, in full daylight of course.
“You’re thinking about your dad again, aren’t you?” Risa asked, looking into my face.
“Not really,” I replied simply. “Father’s not around often enough to think much about.”
The other girl smiled. “Look at who’s really sounding like the classy girl here. Your house must bring it out of you, I guess?”
I couldn’t help a blush. “Sorry…” I replied, looking down.
My eyes hardly connected with the floor though before I felt a finger lift my chin up to bring them back to sparkling brown ones. “You apologize too much,” she said. “I don’t mind.” She grinned again. “Actually, I think it’s kinda cute.”
I felt her finger leave my skin, but I couldn’t look away. In fact, my eyes traveled slightly down from her own, and I still don’t know why I did it, but the next thing I knew, I’d pressed my lips against hers.
My eyes closed as I enjoyed the feeling for a moment, but then I realized what I’d done. I yanked my face back, staring appalled into her own surprised and somewhat confused-seeming features.
“Oh my god,” I gasped. “I’m so sorry…” I wanted to hide under my covers right then, and I started turning to do so, but was caught by a hand on my shoulder turning me back to face the younger girl.
“There you go again…” she said, and a smile returned to her face.
“What?” I asked nervously. I still couldn’t believe what I’d just done… Surely the girl hasn’t taken me seriously since she stepped into this room, and she definitely won’t now.
“Apologizing,” Risa replied. Before I could say anything else she’d leaned in and kissed me again. It took me a moment of her mouth moving against my own and her arms around me before I realized this was really happening, but then I returned the action eagerly.
After what had to have been several minutes of roaming hands and lips, we parted a bit breathlessly and shared a long gaze. Somehow I got the feeling that Risa looked more unsure and anxious than I felt. Why would that be? I was the one who failed today. I was the one who wasn’t like the rest of the girls in the City…
“A—Are you gonna go?” I asked, hesitantly. “You probably don’t want anyone to catch you in here with me…”
The other girl just continued staring at me until her expression completely changed and that characteristic determination reflected from her face.
“Just shut up,” was all she said, and I felt her push me back onto the bed as she crawled on top of me. “You need me right now. And I…” I started breathing quickly as I stared up into her hovering face. “I’ll show you that you really aren’t that different from the rest of us.” And with that, she leaned down to capture my lips again, though much more forcefully than before. As I felt her body press down onto me, I wondered if I should ask her to stay the night.
…
“Of course there was no need to,” Ai continued, grinning, then glanced over at Aika. “Not that… you should know about things like that yet. So... forget I ever said anything!”
“Please,” Aika replied with sharp disbelief. “It’s not like I don’t know about things like that.”
“Oh?” Ai asked, raising a curious eyebrow. “Is there a special girl I don’t know about? Or a guy perhaps? Should I ask Reina to keep her hands to herself as I know she hasn’t been?”
Aika blushed. “Um…” she replied, then started thinking about her friends again. Yeah, she was gonna find a girlfriend. She’d be lucky to have any
friends left, other than perhaps Ai.
Ai must have noticed her darkened features, because she rested a hand on her own again. “Don’t worry,” she said, smiling positively. “You’re cute enough that soon they’ll be knocking down the door for a chance to get into your pants.” She seemed to catch herself, though a moment too late, and mouthed a soft
“oops” before correcting, “I mean, to go out with you.”
Aika furrowed her eyebrows at the woman. The correction was so smooth it seemed almost as if she hadn’t made a mistake in the first place. “You’re a bad influence, you know that? I was just in
jail. You should be like, trying to reform me, teach me proper class and shit. Especially since now I know you really are high class.”
This time the grin didn’t fade away. “That was a long time ago,” she said. “I haven’t finished the story, after all.”
“Thank god,” Aika replied. “But if all that’s left is more of you and my sister going at it, then I’m alright with skipping. How much longer ‘til we’re home, anyway?” she asked as the train rolled to a stop.
“Gotta transfer here,” Ai replied, and pulled Aika to her feet. Then she turned the grin back onto her. “But afterward there’s still plenty of time for the rest.”
Aika didn’t know whether to be glad or to prepare to cover her ears this time.
Topic: City of Angels (Chapter 15 on 10/20) (Read 31954 times)