Chapter 12 – The Stars of FateA knock on the door prompted Reina to set down her tea and rise slowly. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to do this, but she knew she had to have a friend who understood. She wasn’t crazy about doing anything Ai told her to, but she felt this was more of a “request” anyway. Ai had sounded as if she was genuinely concerned about Risa, which she should be being her best friend and all. Though, Reina wondered how much longer that would be the case, especially since it seemed Ai had almost given her up. She also felt for the girl. She had to have been going through a very rough time, the cause of which Reina only knew a little bit of, and well, Reina just thought of herself as a nice person. She arrived at the door, unlocked it, and opened it wide.
“Eririn…!” she said, visibly surprised.
“Hi Reina,” the other girl responded. “You’re finally home.” Without another word, she doffed her slippers and walked past Reina into her room.
Reina stood there a moment with her hand on the doorknob before pushing it slowly shut. “What are you doing here, Eririn? I’m expecting someone…”
The other girl just plopped on the couch and turned on Reina’s TV. “I was bored. And waiting for you to get here. You’re hard to track down, you know?” Eri didn’t take her eyes off the TV. “Who are you expecting?”
“Um… nobody,” Reina responded, fidgeting a little near the door.
There was another knock on the door. Reina froze where she stood. Eri still didn’t look up from the TV. The knock sounded from the door once again. “Nobody seems to be at the door. Aren’t you going to welcome her in?” Eri said as if absolutely nothing were out of the normal. Reina felt as if her brain was going to explode, but she turned back around to the door.
When she opened it to reveal Risa, the new arrival greeted her. “Hey, Reina-chan.”
“…Hi,” Reina said hollowly.
Risa gave her an odd look and peered beyond her into her room. “You have the TV on. Am I interrupting something?”
“Hey, Gaki-san!” Eri said in a loud voice apparently from the couch.
“Eri?” Risa asked, her voice a bit louder too so the girl within would hear her. Then she looked back at Reina questioningly. “Are you having a party?”
“It would seem so,” Reina said, sighing as if resigning herself to the situation. “Come in, Gaki-san…” The other girl kept looking at Reina a moment as if unsure before she strolled slowly in herself. Reina closed the door, wondering what the world had against her today, and tentatively moved back further into the room.
Risa was standing not in the middle of the room, nervously shifting from foot to foot and casting glances at Eri and the TV. “Want some pocky?” Eri asked, offering some toward Risa.
“Er, sure… thanks,” the fifth gen responded hesitantly, and she headed over to join Eri on the couch, taking a stick of pocky to munch on as well.
Reina was about fed up with the situation. Suddenly taking off from her spot near the door, she marched over to the TV and turned it off, spinning to look at the two girls sitting on the couch, fists at her hips. The two girls looked up at her curiously, both munching on their treats. For some reason Reina had an image of lambs looking up while munching on their feed like when they visited the farms.
“Eri,” she said commandingly. “What are you doing here?”
The other girl looked back at her innocently. “Eating pocky,” she said through her full mouth. Reina’s eyes narrowed.
Risa looked between the two staring at each other and swallowed the last of the pocky she had been chewing on. “Um… I can really leave if I was interrupting you two.”
“No,” Reina said quickly. “I asked you to come here and you’re welcome here. I wanted to talk to you.” Her eyes never left Eri’s wide innocent-looking saucers when she spoke. “I… I want to show you that I’m here for you.” She finally looked over at the other girl, who just appeared mystified. “Please stay.” Risa nodded slowly.
“Eririn…” she began, returning her attention to the still-munching girl. “You know I love having you here but… I need to talk about some personal stuff with Risa. I don’t know if she’d be comfortable having someone else around…”
“Anything she says to you she says to me. Right, Reina?” Eri asked, still acting as casual as ever.
Reina took a deep breath. “It’s okay…” Risa said. “I don’t really have a whole lot to talk about.” She shot a dangerous look at Reina.
“Please, Eririn…” she sucked in air very slowly, committing to a course of action. “I promise I’ll tell you everything I can in a little bit. I just need to talk to Risa alone now. Okay?” With that, she moved to right in front of Eri and pulled her up, wrapping her arms around her and giving the girl a long, deep kiss.
After some time she pulled back, still looking a breathless Eri in the eyes, trying to express as much emotion and honesty as she could in her own. She tried to tell the girl with her eyes that things would be different from now on. Eri for her part looked back at Reina, who had obviously gotten her attention, and swallowed the pocky that was still in her mouth before the kiss.
“The pocky tastes good, by the way,” Reina said, smiling softly.
After Reina let go of her, Eri pulled a little farther back and looked between Reina and a wide-eyed Risa. “Okay,” she said. “You’ll call me later, right?”
“I will,” Reina said definitively, giving a sharp nod.
Eri smiled at that and headed for the door, looking back at Risa. “She’ll take good care of you,” she told the other girl, before slipping out of the room.
Reina, whose eyes had been on Eri the whole way, looked back at Risa, who was still staring bewildered after the departed girl. Reina smiled and sat next to her. “So… How are you, Nii-chan?”
Risa still didn’t seem to have a voice for a moment. “I’m, um… fine,” she said, now giving Reina an odd look. “Since when are you two…?” she asked after a moment, obviously unable to restrain herself any longer or say any more than that.
Reina turned to look ahead as if lost in thought. “I guess it was since what happened… since what happened to Miki. We were always close, though.” Reina looked back at Risa to see her nodding slowly, still looking at Reina as if she’d never seen her before. “What? Do you mean you’ve never thought about that with Ai-chan?”
Immediately when she said that Risa scrunched her nose. “No! Of course not! Why would I…?”
Reina barked a laugh. “That’s right. You’re the innocent one, aren’t you? And you didn’t let her kiss you that one time…” It didn’t get the reaction she was hoping for, though.
Risa’s face suddenly became blank and she seemed to withdraw within herself a little, her eyes looking through Reina at something that might have happened in another place at another time.
Reina put a hand on Risa’s, which was lying on her leg. After a moment she asked tenderly, “What happened the other night, Nii-chan? You said something at our meal yesterday, but… What you said could have meant a lot of different things.”
The other girl looked fearfully at Reina, and Reina felt the hand beneath hers quiver as if with some inner turmoil. She squeezed it a little. Risa looked down at their hands and then back up at Reina. “I shouldn’t be worried that you’re gonna go all pervy on me or anything, right?” she said, attempting a crooked smile and cock-eyed look to try to divert the subject a little.
Reina giggled. She wanted to do her best to amuse the girl and follow her lead in order to be totally unthreatening and help her as best she could. “I don’t know…” she said sarcastically. “You are pretty hot, especially since I know you and Ai-chan aren’t together. If I didn’t have Eri, you might have to watch yourself!” The other girl finally let out a small giggle of her own. “So…” Reina began, thinking this was a good opportunity. “Who’d you have dinner with? I’ve been dying to know. Our innocent Nii-chan wasn’t out on a date, was she?”
Risa’s eyes widened in a mock scandalized look. “Of course not! What are you talking about? I couldn’t
possibly…” She shook her head vehemently. “I was… um…” She looked up at Reina again, as if unsure whether to tell her something. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt telling you. You’ll be the first to know though, and you have to keep it a secret until it’s officially announced!” Reina nodded quickly, overcome with eagerness at whatever scandalous thing the girl next to her might be up to.
“I’m doing another photobook!” she said cheerfully.
Reina laughed. Well, so much for scandal. “Good for you!” She raised Risa’s hand in hers and clapped it between her own a few times. Risa laughed softly too at the other girl’s oddness. Suddenly though, Reina dropped their hands back to Risa’s leg and adopted an over-serious look. “That doesn’t tell me who you were with, though,” she said, unable to hide a smirk at the end.
The other girl rolled her eyes. “Who I was
with…” she began, “was part of the crew. It was our first meeting to discuss our ‘vision’ of what we want the book to be like. I was meeting with Yamamoto-san, Kaho-chan and Tsuyama-san. They’re going to be the main staff for it, I think.”
Reina’s ears caught one of the names Risa just gave her. “Tsuyama-san?” A flower she hadn’t thought of for days came to her mind suddenly.
“Yeah,” Risa said. “I know he’s a little young, but he’s apparently going to be the senior assistant photographer for this job. Why…” Something suddenly dawned on the girl. “Wait! He was the one you were with at the memorial, wasn’t he?” Reina looked down to hide her deep blush. Risa poked her side with her free hand. “What, are you afraid I’m going to steal him from you or something? Of course…” she said, as if thinking about something, “Since you’re with Eri I guess that’s not it.” Suddenly she looked up and gave Reina a hard look. “If I catch you two-timing that poor girl, I’ll wring your neck!” She held the menacing air a moment before breaking out in another giggle.
Reina joined her after a few seconds. She felt like loosening her collar. Was it getting hot in here? “I don’t care,” she said, trying to appear as if that were true. Deciding a slight change of subject was most definitely in hand, she continued, “I’m happy to hear you’re finally being recognized for how insanely cute you are,” she said with a grin. It was now Risa’s turn to blush. “But…” Her mind adopted a more solemn mood. “Are you really okay? I don’t mean to push too…”
“No, it’s all right,” Risa said dismissively. “Thank you for making me laugh. I haven’t done that for a while.” She looked up at Reina, this time with no fear, but honesty, as if appealing to Reina’s friendship. Reina smiled encouragingly, glad she’d been able to make the girl comfortable with her. “Like I told you last night, yesterday morning I… didn’t wake up in my own bed. I was in a room of that hotel at the end of the alley behind the club. You know which I mean?” Reina nodded, worry creeping up a bit more within her. “I…” she hesitated slightly, but only slightly, before going on in slight embarrassment. “I was in only my underwear. My clothes were on the floor next to my bed. Nobody else was there and… I don’t remember a thing about how I got there.” She paused after that, and Reina couldn’t help but squeeze her hand a little harder.
“I’m sorry I left you like I did at the club,” she apologized.
Risa shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I was stupid. After you left, I ordered the bartender to give me a real drink, unlike the fake one he gave you, and even though he objected I wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Unfortunately I also know enough to know what’s real and what’s not.”
“You’re not that innocent after all then, eh?” Reina asked, looking up with her eyes at the other girl, her head still lowered slightly.
Risa laughed softly. “No, I’m not. I
am eighteen now, you know. There are some things I know too well. In fact, after what happened that night I’m not sure if I can be called ‘innocent’ at all anymore…” She didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “After I woke up I checked myself out enough to realize that I hadn’t… at least fully… done anything. Apparently whatever happened, it only involved me in my underwear. Still…”
Reina pulled the other girl’s hand up and kissed it lightly. “Nii-chan,
you didn’t do
anything. Whatever happened, it was done
to you. And if I ever find that guy, even if he didn’t go past your underwear, I’m going to kick his ass!” Images of Ai with her knives flashed through Reina’s mind, and she wondered if, before too long, she would be capable of fulfilling that promise and much more. Well, that wasn’t what was important now.
Risa laid her head on Reina’s shoulder. “Thank you, Reina. It just felt good talking about it with someone.”
Reina’s free arm was now wrapped around Risa’s neck, and she brushed back her bangs a little. “Of course. I’m glad you trust me as a friend.”
“I do.” Risa said, raising her head to look into Reina’s eyes. She then looked down at Reina’s hand which was now joined with hers near the top of her thigh. “Hey, no pervy stuff, remember?” she demanded. They both giggled at that.
After talking a little longer, Risa said she really had to get going as she had a lot of work to do, so the two girls hugged and said their goodbyes for now. When Risa was gone, Reina basked in the still silence for a few minutes before picking up her phone.
“Moshi moshi.”
“Eririn? Um, would you like to come over now? Gaki-san left.”
There was no response, and after a moment Reina was about to ask if the other girl was still there when there was a knock on the door. Carrying her open phone with her, she opened the door to find Eri standing there, her phone to her ear still. “Hello,” the other girl said lightly.
Reina chuckled. “Come on in, silly,” she said, dragging the girl into the room. Their phones were soon forgotten in the kiss Reina pulled her into. After what seemed like hours and a fraction of a second, Reina’s lips came away from Eri’s and she caught her breath. “That was quick,” she said with a grin.
Eri tore herself away from her and plopped herself down on the bed, looking invitingly up at Reina. Reina wasn’t quite ready for that yet though, and sat over on the couch, enjoying Eri’s pouting look of disappointment.
“You have to let me keep my promise, don’t you?” Reina asked tauntingly. Eri looked at her curiously. “I was going to tell you what’s going on.” Eri sighed and moved over to drop next to Reina on the couch.
Reina told her of some of her feelings since Miki’s death. She told her how it affected her, and that she wished she could do something about it. She told her about the detective, whom Eri gave a surprised yelp about. She told her about the club the other night and the strange men that approached her afterward, saying that they gave her an offer which they left her to think about. She told her about her worries that something was going on. She told her about Aya’s strangeness ever since the accident which apparently only she had seen firsthand. She told her that Risa had been going through a lot, but not what, saying that it wasn’t her place to tell her that story. Being a good person, Eri understood that.
She
didn’t tell her about Ai. Or Koharu from today. Throughout the whole telling of the story, she left out all the little bits that included her, except when it was necessary to acknowledge her presence. If she told her anything about that, she feared she’d fall into the same trap Reina had found herself in. She didn’t want that to happen to Eririn. She wanted to protect her.
After their long talk, they finally made it to the bed. For some reason, now that they had shared more with each other, it was a much different experience than before. It was softer… sweeter… more wonderful. It almost felt like they were closer than they had ever been before. Still, Reina felt that they weren’t as close as they could be. It was a feeling an obviously blissful Eri didn’t seem to share.
After an amount of time Reina had no clue to the length of, except for knowing that night had fully fallen outside, Eri pulled herself from Reina’s arms and got out of bed. Reina looked up at her in disappointment.
“I’m going back to my room to sleep,” she stated, pulling her clothes on.
Reina now felt like the one with her stomach emptied. “Huh? Why?” she asked uncertainly.
“You kick too much in your sleep,” the other girl responded with a grin. Reina sat up in the bed, pulling her sheets around her, grimacing. “I feel like one of these mornings I’d wake up with bruises all over after sleeping next to you!” she continued.
Reina pouted. “I’m sorry... But do you have to…?”
Eri giggled, leaning over to kiss Reina’s cheek. “Don’t act so hurt silly. But… we’re even now.” Eri grinned, and Reina sighed. She supposed the girl was right. “Seriously, though. I’d love to stay with you but… I have a lot of work to do, and I think you need sleep a lot more than me.” Reina began to protest, but Eri shushed her by continuing, “No objections. I’m making sure my little Reina gets plenty of sleep tonight! You’ve had a long few weeks.” Reina now kept her mouth closed. She didn’t want to argue any more. The girl was probably right anyway.
“I’ll find you when it’s dark…” Ai’s words sounded through her mind. Yes, it was probably best to let the girl have her way.
“Okay,” Reina grudgingly agreed. “I’ll see you at rehearsal in the morning then?”
Eri nodded. “Yeah. I won’t get to sleep until late tonight, so I’ll be sleeping in as long as I can.” Having now fully dressed, she grabbed her box of pocky and stood to look at Reina a moment. “You look cute sitting with the covers around you like that,” Eri said, smiling. Reina blushed. “Of course, you look better without them…” That made Reina blush furiously. “Good night~!” Eri cheerily said with a sing-song voice, and flipped around, heading for the door.
“Good night,” Reina said quietly to her back. In a moment she was gone, and Reina was left sitting within her covers. She laid back, hands behind her head, and peered out the window at the stars. She saw one shooting down to the horizon. Her mother always told her that shooting stars signaled change. Things were definitely changing all right. She wondered how far it’d go. She turned her head back to the ceiling, which kept her from noticing many other stars shooting across the horizon as well. Shadows seemed to play across the ceiling from outside. She tried following them until they all disappeared.
The next thing she knew, she woke up, lying on her side facing off the side of the bed. She wondered why it didn’t feel like she was wearing anything under the covers until she remembered what happened earlier. After shifting a little, she decided that she’d have to try this more often. It had a nice feel to it. While she was adjusting her leg, she felt it brush up against something warm and she froze. She scooted back a little more and realized that there was something warm along her full length. Someone was with her in the bed. Had Eri come back?
She turned over slowly beneath the covers, and when her eyes adjusted she gasped. Miki’s face stared from beside her.
“Why did you kill me?” the dead girl said.
“I… I…” Reina stuttered, hardly able to form words.
“Were you the one?” the apparition asked. Her hand came out from beneath the covers to rest on Reina’s bare shoulder. “You must help me. Heed the messenger, though she brings tidings of concern. The one who wishes, if she gains all, she loses everything. Listen for my voice…” Miki’s other hand took Reina’s other shoulder and pulled her close. Reina tried to scream when their lips were about to meet, but couldn’t…
She woke sweating. She was staring off to the side just as she was before, breathing heavily. The room was quiet around her.
It was a dream! she told herself. She forced herself to calm down.
It was a dream…“Bad dream?” a voice asked from next to her, bringing her out of her thoughts. So Eri
had come back…
She turned over, but no one was lying next to her. There was, however, someone sitting cross-legged on the other side of the bed, chin in her hands, looking down at the sweat-drenched girl. She glanced up and down Reina’s body. “While that’s pretty hot what you’ve got going there with the sheets stuck to you all over, don’t you think you should put some clothes on? We have a lot of work to do. Oh, and don’t worry about getting too little sleep before rehearsal tomorrow. It’s been… cancelled. For you, at least. Well, are you gonna move?” Reina just stared, frozen, up into the face of the girl who was sitting above her. Into Ai’s face.
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I have to say, I'm very happy about this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.