Don't hate Miya.
Chapter 33“What the hell are you doing here…?” Miyabi grated in a very low, very tired voice.
Momoko blinked back at her with her big, birdlike eyes, a picture of seeming innocence. “This is my room,” she said plainly, as if she was stating something nearly too obvious to acknowledge. “It’s yours too I suppose, ne? I think they wanted to pair us together to help us get more comfortable with each other in Buono. Maybe they thought Airin wasn’t ready for us yet…” As if that would be the extent of the interruption, the girl turned her attention back to the manga she’d been reading.
Miyabi stared at her, her eyes starting to burn. “I would give
anything to stay with Airi instead of… of…
you…”
Momoko looked up again and continued blinking at her.
“Me?” she asked at an even higher pitch than usual. “Why don’t you want to stay with me?”
“You
cutthroat…” Miya said harshly, “
backstabbing… heartless… lying little
bitch!!!” she yelled, taking a dangerous step forward, her fury plain on her face and in the fists balled at her sides.
Momoko’s eyelashes worked furiously in response. “Oh my,” she said. “Someone must have slipped you a grumpy pill today…”
“Mór Macha, mi goir tu es mi,” Miyabi began chanting in harsh language, and Momoko’s eyes widened.
“Mór Medb, mi smèid tu. Mór Morrigan, éisd mi. Great goddesses of the earth, hear my plea…”
“What in the
world are you saying, Miya?” Momoko asked, but Miyabi ignored her, focused only on the face of her target in her rage.
“Come to me, and smite she who would—”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a voice interrupted her, and she momentarily lost concentration.
“Don’t try to stop me!!” she ordered, but noticed that Momoko was just staring back at her quietly with wide eyes.
“Now now, you should watch that temper of yours,” came the voice again. She couldn’t tell where it came from.
“Please hear my call—” she began again, shaking her head as if to rid herself of the voice.
“What did I just tell you?” it interrupted once again.
“Shut up!!!” she yelled.
“Who are you talking to?” Momoko asked, confused.
Miyabi did her best to ignore her, but her concentration was almost lost. “Come to me and…!”
“Sorry,” the voice said sadly.
“I can’t let you do that.”“Ahhh!” Miyabi screamed, and held a hand to her forehead. “Get out of my head!”
When she took her hand away, she saw Momoko staring at her with concern. The girl reached for the phone. “I think I’d better call someone…” she said.
That’s it! Miyabi thought.
I will not
have her calling for help like I’ve gone insane! The thought fueling further the anger inside her, she marched quickly across the room toward the girl, who fell back slightly, but not in time before Miyabi reached her and swung her tightly clenched fist, connecting with the girl’s jaw. The blow actually knocked the girl back further until her head hit the wall, and she collapsed onto her pillow, out cold.
Miyabi leered over her a moment longer, fuming, until blood started seeping from the cracked skin near Momoko’s mouth. Seeing her just lying there though, injured and peaceful, her anger faded and her excruciating sadness and shame toward herself kicked in. She turned quickly away, unable to look any longer, and jumped onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow and crying loudly, uncontrollably.
The night, a night which had started so well, had become one of the worst ones of her life. She didn’t know what to do. Saki… Her Saki, who she’d given so much to… her heart… her soul… her body… and now what she did to Momoko… She wondered if she had any soul left.
Who are you? she asked inside of her head, where the voice earlier must have come from, but there was no response.
Are you there…? she asked again, now hoping for someone, anyone, just to avoid being alone. The room, and her head, stayed silent though except for her own sobbing and sniffing.
She cried into her pillow and into the silence until she hardly had tears left to shed. In her extreme tiredness and grief, she finally fell asleep, a sleep without dreams as if even they had fled her.
…
The next morning she woke with itchy eyes and a headache. Rubbing them right after she opened them, she sat up slowly and realized that the rest of her was itching a little as well. She looked down at herself through her blurry vision.
Must have slept with my clothes on… she thought, and then the events of the night before came crashing back to her.
She darted her eyes to the other bed in the room, rubbing them again since it was at first too blurry to see, but no one was there. There was an insistent knock at the door, and Miyabi realized that must have been what woke her up. She looked out the window to see the sun shining strongly in.
“What time is it…?” she asked herself, looking around to find that apparently she hadn’t unpacked her travel clock. Of course; she was a little pre-occupied last night.
“I’m coming!” she shouted as the knocking continued, and she got up slowly, wobbling slightly and holding a hand to her head.
After making her way unsteadily to the door, she opened it enough to stick her head out to find Chinami and Yurina there. Both girls beamed at the greeting until they took in her appearance, and then their smiles faded slightly.
“Geez Miya,” Chinami said sourly. “You don’t have to be so obvious about it…”
“What…?” Miyabi responded in a daze, but the girl had already turned to walk away.
“Sorry about that,” Yurina said, frowning after her friend. “She’s still not comfortable with the ‘you and Captain’ thing.
“But she’s right,” the girl continued, now studying Miyabi. “You’re not doing the best job of hiding it. You know the tabloids would love to get their hands on some pictures of you like this.”
“There is no ‘me and Captain’ thing,” Miyabi retorted bitterly, turning back to her room and jumping on the bed, curling up at its foot.
She heard some steps behind her. “Are you all right?”
Miyabi almost coughed a laugh. “You don’t want to know what I did to the last person who asked me that.” Why was her head hurting so much…? She curled up tighter into herself.
There was a pause from the other girl until Miyabi felt a depression as she sat on the bed not far from her. “Was that you then…?” Yurina asked in a soft voice.
“Was what me?”
“Well, we came to tell you that your Buono rehearsal was cancelled today because Momo’s been injured and can’t practice. She apparently wouldn’t say what happened other than she fell somehow. But we all thought it was suspicious.”
“Yeah I did it,” Miyabi sneered in reply, though privately she was thankful the girl didn’t sound to be too badly hurt. Hopefully it left her a bit of brain damage at least though. “It wasn’t a fraction of what I was going to do though if… if…” She suddenly realized she of course couldn’t tell the girl about hearing voices in her head.
“So what’s the matter?” Yurina pressed on. “Did you and Captain have a fight?”
“You could say that,” Miyabi responded, unwilling to say more.
“Oh…” the girl replied. “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“I don’t think—” Miyabi began, but was interrupted by another voice.
“Toku-san,” it said commandingly. “Can I have a word with Miya?”
Oh my god… Miyabi thought, and wrapped her arms around her head to burrow it further into her knees.
“Of course, Captain,” Yurina said slowly, but it was a second before Miyabi noticed her rise from the bed, and she felt a hand on her arm before she left.
It was quiet for a minute after Yurina left, enough so that Miyabi eventually thought that she was alone again. She opened an eye and was just about to roll over until someone spoke…
she spoke.
“It’s not her fault,” came the quiet voice.
Miyabi squeezed her eyes shut again. “What are you talking about…” she mumbled into her arms.
“Momo,” was the response. “It’s not her fault what happened. That was over the line what you did to her.”
“You don’t understand…” Miyabi grumbled gruffly. “You don’t know what she’s like now to anyone that’s not apparently… you.”
“You’re right,” Saki said after a moment. “She’s my friend. I thought she was yours too.”
“That girl is
not my friend,” Miyabi growled.
There was silence again for a moment until Saki broke it. “I can’t have you two getting along like this – you
definitely can’t be breaking her jaw like that again.”
Miyabi snapped.
“What do I care!” she shouted, spinning around and glaring at the small girl standing near the door. The sight made her insides twist. She was still so beautiful, but now there was something different when she looked at her; something not beautiful at all.
“Everyone’s turned against me, and what do you expect me to do about it?
Huh!? Just lie back and take it? Well here, Captain,” she growled, and stood on her knees on the bed, throwing her arms out as if baring herself at the other girl. “I’m right here. Just give it to me. I punched Momoko? You’re damn right I did! Do you have the fucking guts to do the same to me? I apparently deserve it!”
Saki’s face darkened, though Miyabi couldn’t tell through the girl’s shielded exterior why. “Things can’t be this way…” she said slowly, shaking her head.
“Well they are!” Miyabi spat back. “This is the way you’ve made things for yourself and
your girls, so I hope you’re happy with it!” She continued glaring at her former girlfriend while Saki just stared back solemnly. After a minute Miyabi thought she was keeping her face just a little too tight…
“Ok,” Saki said finally, her voice void of emotion. “Goodbye then.” And she turned and walked out.
Miyabi wanted to yell something else at the girl’s back as she retreated, but bit her tongue, and soon she was gone. She fell back onto her bed and curled into herself again, starting to cry once more.
Come on Miya, don’t let her get to you like this! Don’t cry! Someone could come in at any time…Rising back to her knees and wiping her eyes, sniffing, she tried to calm herself. Yes, that wouldn’t do at all.
“Miya…?” came a voice from the doorway.
“What!” Miyabi shouted back, still in no mood.
“…I just talked to Yurina, and I saw Captain nearly crying as she ran down the hallway past me. I called out to her but she didn’t seem to hear.” Miyabi felt a depression on the bed next to her again. “What’s going on?”
Miyabi turned to look into Maasa’s face. Her friend’s eyes widened as she saw Miyabi’s red and tear-streaked face, still swollen from the night before. Instead of saying anything else though, she leaned forward and hugged her to her chest. Miyabi felt like resisting at first, but quickly relaxed into her friend’s strong arms.
“She’s gone, Maa-chan. She’s gone…” She repeated the words over and over, Maasa shushing her and not letting her go.
Eventually she cried herself out enough to pull apart, and sniffing, she looked over at the door to see Yurina had returned as well. She flushed at the embarrassment of being seen like this. “Um…”
Yurina lowered her head as if sensitive to her embarrassment too, and closed the door gently behind her before walking over to join Maasa and Miyabi on the bed.
“What are you going to do now?” the tall girl asked, still not looking up.
“What do you mean?” Miyabi asked, sniffing once again.
Yurina exchanged a glance with Maasa, who gave her a hard look, and then turned back to Miyabi, who looked at her questioningly. “I mean… you can’t practice in this state. And… Are you going to be able to do it in the same room as Captain?”
Miyabi sniffed once again, mad at herself that it was still continuing. She thought of Risako. “I’ve done it before,” she said. “I’ll do it again.”
“You’ve done this before?” Maasa asked. “Just broken up with someone who you… became so close with?”
Miyabi rubbed an eye before she responded. “…No. But I can handle it.”
“What about Momo?” Yurina asked. The girl looked to the other bed. “Is it true you were the one who… who gave her the black eye? I don’t know why you would have done it, but that seems like something you… well, honestly, that you can’t really handle.”
“That girl is a lying bitch,” Miyabi responded calmly and casually, and she felt Maasa’s grip on her tighten. Yurina almost drew back in a gasp. Miyabi gave both of them hard looks. “This is all her…” She rethought her words. “She’s right in the middle of all of it. I can’t forgive her.”
“But you…” Yurina began, and gave Maasa a look again. “You were the one that brought her back…” she finished quietly, leaning in as if scared someone might hear.
“Believe me, I’m regretting that right now,” Miyabi responded, leaning in conspiratorially as well before pulling away from Maasa to head toward the door. “I need some air. Thank…” She turned, and gave the taller girls a forced smile. “Thank you for your comfort, but… I’ll be all right.”
She left the room quickly before they could follow and jogged down the hall. Not wanting to mess with the elevator, she ran down the stairs until she made her way outside. Rubbing her eyes as she just realized how bad she still looked, she walked around the side of the building and listened to the sounds of the city street. Crowds of people passed by her with hardly a glance – salarymen mostly busily on their way to or from their offices in this part of downtown – and she let herself become lost in the mass of humanity.
Nodding to a doorman for the hotel, she wandered toward a small park that she knew was only a few blocks away. Reaching it, she walked slowly in, watching the pigeons that strutted all around before taking a seat on a small bench. She zoned out a little as she let all of her senses take in the movement of life around her, including a sense she’d only developed since learning about her magic, and tried to let all of that energy envelop her, join with her, to help soothe herself and her headache. She wasn’t doing it for long though before one voice separated itself from the buzz around her.
“Miya!” Risako said, and Miyabi opened her eyes to see the girl walk smiling up to her. “Hey! You decided to come here too, huh?” She looked around them. “It is pretty here, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Miyabi said, feeling calmer now. “Pretty.” She wasn’t sure though if she meant the park or the girl she now stared at.
Risako giggled. She was wearing a puffy white blouse, with denim shorts that fit tight around her thighs, giving no mystery as to the shape of her legs. She reached Miyabi and sat down on the bench next to her, which was quite tight since it was barely designed for two people.
“Taking advantage of your time off rehearsal, huh?” the younger girl asked again, still peering around them. “Momo’s so silly – she’s gonna really hurt herself one of these days!”
“Risako,” Miyabi said, feeling her calmness fading. “I was trying to get some time to myself…”
Instead, the girl laid her head on her shoulder, making Miyabi tense up. Maasa, someone who was perhaps her best friend and absolutely nothing more, hugging her was one thing, but this intimacy from someone like Risako… Miyabi felt herself become warmer in her continuing instability, and so she tried to relax again.
“I haven’t thanked you for yesterday,” Risako said. “I texted my boyfriend to break up with him last night. It feels nice not having to worry about that again.”
“Risako…” Miyabi repeated, feeling more uncomfortable by the moment. She broke up with him by text? She tried to imagine Saki doing that with her, but couldn’t even wrap her mind around the concept.
“But I still feel a bit lonely after it… I mean, I don’t really have anyone else…”
Lonely… Miyabi thought.
I know something about being lonely… “Me too…” she whispered, but apparently loud enough for Risako to hear.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “You’ve got Captain.” She wrapped her hands around Miyabi’s arm. “Now
that’s a wonderful romance. A girl and her Captain… There should be a story about it. You two are so cute.”
If only she knew… Miyabi thought. The girl really was so innocent. “Risako,” Miyabi said once again, and she finally turned to face the younger girl, who peered smiling up at her. “I’m not…” she tried to continue, but choked slightly and swallowed. She looked down again. “We’re not seeing each other right now.”
“Why not?” Risako asked, a picture of innocence. “Did she have to go somewhere?”
“No…” Miyabi said. “We… we had a fight. And…”
“W-what do you mean, Miya?” Risako asked, now pulling her head off her shoulder and looking carefully into Miyabi’s still downturned face. “You and Captain need each other. I need…” She trailed off.
“What?” Miyabi asked, turning an intense gaze onto Risako, and reaching her hand over to hold the girl’s own hands to her arm. “What do you need?”
“I need you to be happy…” Risako breathed.
“Risako, I…” Miyabi said, the emotion she tried so hard to control flooding back to her again at the proximity of this girl she cared so much for. However… what she was feeling now was far from the purity of loving care.
As if hearing what Miyabi told her was too much for her own stability after her own recent problems, Risako’s lip quivered as if she was going to cry. Miyabi was beyond that though as she tightened her grip on the girl’s small hand. “Miya… that hurts…”
Then, as Risako tried to pull her hands away, Miyabi leaned in and pressed her mouth tightly to the girl’s own. The heat burning within her led her to quickly slip her tongue between the surprised girl’s lips as well, and she leaned harder against her body in a kiss as passionate as any she’d shared with Saki.
Why did she have to believe those lies…? she thought while she pressed herself against the girl beneath her.
Why did… was I really such a bad girlfriend? Coming back to herself in horror, and also sensing a presence focused on them nearby, she extricated herself from the girl’s lips and darted her eyes toward a young man who had his cell phone held up and pointed directly at them as if taking a picture.
“Incendio!” she hissed, and the phone sprang into flames, the man dropping it in surprise before giving them a wide-eyed look and running away. She turned back to Risako.
The younger girl still had her head tilted up and her eyes closed, as if living a pleasant memory. She licked her moist lips. “Miya…” she cooed. Miyabi stared at her in horror.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, and jumped up, causing the girl to nearly fall face-down on the bench. “I’m sorry!” she repeated, and she started running into the crowd, somewhere, anywhere but there. Not really paying attention to where she was going in such a hurry, she ran into people from time to time, even knocking one man’s briefcase from his hand to fall to the ground, where it snapped open and papers from within flew all over. “I’m sorry!!” she called behind once more as she kept running.
“Miya!” she heard a young girl call behind her.
“Come back!” Soon though the voice faded away, and all Miyabi heard was her heavy breathing as she ran down crowded sidewalks and across a street. She was sure now… it was unmistakable; she had no soul. The next thing she heard was the blare of a horn that was heading straight toward her.
Topic: Berry Beautiful [Volume 2] (Read 113228 times)