What Needed to be Done

[JFC]

JFC.. wow.  The phrase "holy crap" comes to mind.  Remember that this isn't Alias.  This is just me.  I'm not good with convoluted conspiracies. I'm going to have to write a two-hundred page "alternate version" to use your ideas.

Told ya dude...outta my ass.

I get home and sit on the couch to open the bag that I've wanted to tear open ever since it was shown to me.  Now that I'm in the safety and comfort of my living room, I can let go and react in whatever way I want to the contents, shielded from the prying eyes of the world by four walls and a roof.

That makes sense. Considering how emotional these past few days have been for her, it's a smart move. Plus, it's no one else's business anyways but her own.

First there's a pair of socks.  They're black and they're wrapped in plastic.  The price tag is still on the wrapper - ninety-nine yen.

Miki's inside joke?

Second, there's a red album.  I open it up and see that Miki has pasted pictures and written or drawn things around them.  She's even pasted in other pieces of papers - ticket stubs, receipts, and so on.  It's a homemade scrapbook that I never knew she had made.

...


Finally, flat against the bottom of the bag is a rectangular piece of paper.  I pick it out, almost having missed it.  I recognise the name right away.  It's a ticket from a Matsuda Seiko concert.  Not just any of her concerts.  The one where Miki and I met.

Despite her "tough" image...Miki's a sentimental girl.

To whom it may concern,

This is my will.  I have not made any formal document because I refuse to think about that until I am much, much older.  I've written out this note in the event that something unexpected happens to me and I die before I can say any last words.  There are some things in my life that mean something to me, and I want the important people I know to have them.

...


Miki had written a will all this time ago and I had never known.  She'd never mentioned it to me. 

As cryptic as it may be to even consider having something at this age, it does make sense considering how practical Miki is. I mean, one wouldn't expect to need a will at such a young age, but...heaven forbid, you just never know sometimes.

She'd named me as someone whose judgement she trusted, her last voice on earth.  Me.

That says something about how deeply and profoundly Miki felt for Aya. She may not have always said it, but she definitely felt it.

If you're reading this, then I'm either dead or in some deep coma that I'm not expected to wake up from.  Either way, I can't talk to you, and you can't talk to me.  Are you sad?  I am.

Fuck, as soon as I got hear I knew it was going to be hard reading this.

That ticket was a ticket to your heart.

(If I'm in a coma, please come to the hospital and pull the plug and let me go in peace because I can't believe I said something so corny.)

  *gigglesob*

The socks.  Do you remember your first birthday present to me?  Probably not, because I think you bought it at the hundred yen store two minutes before you saw me.  So here you go.  The cheapest pair of socks I could find for you.  It's my payback.

I knew it must've been some inside joke. All of a sudden I'm reminded of the H!M ep where Aya was on trial and Miki accused her of always forgetting her birthday and Aya's attempted defence was so lame...

...


*gigglesob*

imagine I've just given you a big, slobbery kiss on your cheek, 'cause you hate when I do that.

Absolutely quintessential Miki.

...


*gigglesob*

Lastly, whatever has happened to me, I don't want you to blame yourself.  You've always been so good to me, even when you're mean to me (hah, I get the last word on that), so I know that you'd never hurt me or let me get hurt on purpose.  Whatever happened to me was out of your control.  Even if there was a tiny thing you "could have done," remember that life is about choices.  We all make them.  Sometimes we make good ones, and sometimes, unfortunately, we make bad ones.  I have absolute, one hundred per cent faith in all of your decisions.  It doesn't matter if they're good or not because I know they're backed up by your heart, which is nothing but good.

Damn, Miki and Aya really are/were totally in tune with how each other thought. It's like she could predict what Aya would do and how she'd feel/react should something like that happen to her.

*gigglesob*

[edhead999]

Holy crap... I don't think i've ever seen someone post chapters that fast before!

For some reason, the story doesn't feel as depressing anymore... I mean it sucks yeah, but it doesn't have that 'what's the meaning of living anymore' atmosphere. Anyway, keep up the good work! More (or some) sukeban Ayaya please!

[joyce]

i love miki's note...filled with honesty and embarassment~  i'm sure aya's gonna have a good night's rest drowned in love once again.

[orangesocks]

...You've rendered me speechless.

I agree with edhead999. It seems like it's not so hopeless anymore for Aya and Miki. 

It...uh, wow. I can't find the right words, but this chapter just felt so REAL and plausible.

I also didn't know I could adore Miki any more than I already do. It kills me that Miki couldn't have confessed face-to-face to Aya, though she probably wouldn't were she alive, anyway...Just that she can't now. Hm.

[iacus]

It may not be so hopeless for Aya anymore, but it certainly is for Miki. Can't get much more hopeless than being dead after all.

The extent of Miki's forethought is suprising, and regarding what she said about Aya, touching.

...And that was some mighty impressive ass pulling there JFC.

[coachie]

It may not seem hopeless now for Aya because right now she has her "mission", but afterwards...

[OTN1]

Wow, Ren.  Some people have done that before - read all my previous stuff suddenly in 1 or 2 nights.  It's kind of crazy.  Thank you.  Shibata and Aya hooking up is about as likely in my stories as Shibata and Megu hooking up, which is 0% (as I think I mentioned somewhere).  Hahaha.  And don't worry, I enjoy reading long comments.  Yours was just as entertaining as JFC's epic gigglesob-filled review comments, Amarghetta's questions about my mother tongue, Estrea's marriage proposals, and so on (hahaha! ).

Some of you have pointed out the difference between Aya's reaction to Miki's death and Miki's reaction to Aya's death.  This is good!  I like to look at things like that.

For me, the murder mystery is secondary to the emotional journey.  I think Yuuyami pointed out the "what path will Aya take?" question, which I think it very important (I can't find the reference for the comment.  I think it was during the backup forum time).

As usual, let's all listen to coachie. That's a good point.

[OTN1]

Oh, I forgot to say a simple thank you for the nice comments about that chapter.  I really enjoyed writing it, and I put a lot of effort into it.  I'm glad that others were able to appreciate it.

Chapter 16

There are several moments when I lower what I'm reading and look out across my apartment while thinking.  I think of my replies to some of her statements.  I touch my cheek because the image I have in my mind of her kissing it is so vivid that it actually feels like it's wet.

Miki is more thoughtful than I ever imagined.  To have worried herself into writing a final message just for me (and nobody else - not her parents, not any other friend) is proof of her love.  I've never considered writing something of the sort.  That just goes to highlight the differences in our personalities.  Opposites attract, and I guess that can apply to us in some ways.

These thoughts of hers are pure.  I assume they were written before she was ever threatened.  She wasn't writing desperately against time.  She took it easy and really thought it through.

She thanked me.  She praised me.  She loved me.  I will never forget.  Take my memories from me and I will still remember her.  She is part of me.  How can I forget myself?

After having my quiet, alone time, it's time to get back to the battlefield.  Time to go to the café.

I call Shibata and have her meet me at the station closest to our destination.  When we meet, she asks me how everything went.  I explain in broad terms what was given to me.  I mention the will and that Miki left some old things of hers in addition to a note, but I don't go into detail.  It's humiliating enough that Sugiura has more than likely read the notebook.  Miki's innermost thoughts and embarrassing admissions don't have to be broadcast to the world.

Shibata and I stop speaking for a while, both quietly preparing ourselves before we reach the entrance to the café.

"Just follow my lead," she says to me.

It's funny.  I'm the one who frequents the place, not her.

We walk in.  A wind chime at the door signals our arrival.  A server who I've never seen before (new staff, I assume) welcomes us and lets us choose our table.  We sit in a secluded corner and order hot tea.  After it arrives, we sip for a bit and then we call the server over.

"Is the owner in by any chance?" Shibata asks.

The girl's eyes widen and she stammers that yes, the owner is here and that she'll go and get her right away.  I think she's terrified that we're disgruntled customers who are going to complain about the service.

The owner arrives shortly.  Her face is set in a calm expression, her hair half pulled back in her usual style.  She's wearing a white apron over her business attire.  She's obviously been manning the kitchen.

"What can I do for you?" she asks.

Shibata starts by introducing herself and asking if she has time to talk.  The owner introduces herself as Ochiai Kiyomi.  In all the years I've been here, I've never known her name until this moment.  Astounding.

Ochiai says she has some free time since business is slow at the moment.  She takes a seat and I introduce myself.  With grace, she accepts my introduction as if she only knew my face before, not my name.  I'm sure she already knows, though, because there used to be a poster of me on the vending machine just across from the shop.  I have to face it.  There aren't many people alive in Tokyo that don't know my name.

Shibata is about to start with the questions, but I just can't be silent.  I need to talk to the owner - no, she has a name now.  Ochiai.  I need to talk to Ochiai honestly because she has the face of someone who can be trusted.  I cut Shibata off in mid sentence.

"Ochiai-san, please, I need your help," I plead.  Her head turns to me immediately, and she's all ears for what I have to say.  I hear Shibata take a breath in, but she doesn't stop me.  "You know I'm a frequent customer here, and I usually come with another girl, Fujimoto, right?"

She nods, and I wonder for a moment if I sound like some spoiled customer who's about to ask if she can start a tab so that she doesn't have to pay every time.  Or something like that.

"Something really bad..." I take a deep breath, "really bad has happened.  There's been a murder, and she's been, um... she's..."  I trail off because I can't say it.  My voice box won't let me utter those words.

Ochiai gets the point, though.  She nods once very slowly.

"In a journal that she kept, she mentioned coming here once for a meeting.  It was in September, and it took place either on the third or the fourth.  I think finding out about that meeting will help a lot.  Do you remember?"

Ochiai breathes a few times as she looks pensive, her eyes unfocused, staring at the nothingness in front of her.

"I admit that I don't remember that specific date, but it sounds like the right timeframe for when it started," she says in her mellow voice. 

My ears prick up.

"Started?  What started?"

"The frequent meetings."

The words stab into my head like picks that have broken through hard rock and hit gold.

"I need you to tell me everything.  What were these meetings?  With whom?  How often?" I ask desperately, keeping my hands in my lap to hide the fact that I'm fidgeting, twisting my fingers nervously.

"They started around September.  Fujimoto-san came in one day and met a gentleman for what looked like a business meeting."

A suspect.

I have a suspect.

I almost go into convulsions, I'm so worked up.

"Who was he?  What did he look like?  Has he been here before?!"

I bombard her with so many questions that Shibata puts a hand on my arm and stops me.

"Aya, chill out," she says, looking at me squarely.

I don't want to 'chill out.'  I'm on the verge of finding out who was harassing Miki.  There will be no stopping from this point onwards.

Ochiai doesn't look taken aback at all.  She begins to tell me all she knows.  She speaks slowly, but everything she says is clear.  Her tone tells me that she will tell me everything she knows and asks only for patience as she tells it.

"I still don't know who he is, but he had been here before the meetings started.  He came maybe once a month for the past year or two.  Not exactly what you would call frequent.  We have never spoken.  Prior to recent months, he usually came alone, but sometimes brought a friend with him.  He's a handsome man and he dresses well.  He seems like he would be very popular with the girls.  He gets stared at a lot.  He's young, but not as young as you girls."

I commit to memory everything she says.

"The first time I ever saw Fujimoto-san come here without you, Matsuura-san, was in September.  Maybe the third or fourth.  She came in and sat alone, looking like she was waiting for someone.  It was around five or six in the evening.  That man - I don't know his name - showed up and spoke with her.  It seems she was waiting for him.  They ordered drinks and had a chat and left an hour and a half later."

What did they talk about?  Why this café?  Where did they go afterwards?  I want to ask, but I know that if she hasn't already told me, she probably doesn't know.  I bite my tongue.

"After that, they began to meet frequently, sometimes coming in together, sometimes meeting at a table.  It was always around the same time.  They both looked like they were coming directly here after work.  They would sit, chat, drink tea or coffee, and then leave together.  They always left together."

I'm trying to figure it all out, but it just doesn't make sense.  What could they be talking about?  How did she meet him in the first place?

I look at Shibata to ask her opinion, but I'm taken aback by her expression.  She's looking at me curiously, an eyebrow raised ever so slightly.  'Sounds suspicious, doesn't it?' her expression screams at me.

I know exactly what she's thinking, and no.  No.  Not after what I just read in that notebook.  That mysterious guy could be more handsome than Johnny Depp and ten times a better person to her than I am and she would still only want me.  She is - was - kind of stubborn (or stupid) that way and wouldn't know a good thing if it came up to her and smacked her in the face three times.

"No," I say solidly.  "Miki was not-"

"I didn't say that," Shibata says, raising her hands in a show of good faith.  "Just keep everything in mind."

I refuse to believe that Miki would be going behind my back like that.  I mean, she was going behind my back with these meetings, but it wouldn't be something that would hurt me.  Or at least not like that.  Not my heart...

"Please listen.  This is only half the story so far," Ochiai says quietly.

I've forgotten that she's there, and I wonder what my outburst has sounded like to her.  Shibata and I hush up as she continues.

"The two of them met together once or twice a week for all of September, and then around the beginning of October, more people began to come to the meeting, all men. They seemed to be the man's friends or colleagues.  I'm not sure.  He would introduce them to Fujimoto-san.  Sometimes only one additional man came, sometimes two, sometimes three.  They were the same group of four men - the main man and his three colleagues.  The meetings followed the exact same format as the solo meetings between Fujimoto-san and the first man."

A group of colleagues.  There's more than one.  There were four.

I shoot Shibata a triumphant smirk along with a raised eyebrow.  'See?' my face says to her.  She doesn't know Miki like I do.

"I was just saying," she mumbles under her breath defensively, but she lets it drop.

"I began to realise that they were more business-type meetings.  Sometimes they took notes.  Other times they passed papers around.  They were always amicable.  Never any arguments.  Fujimoto-san always seemed quite pleased.  Then things changed around the middle of October."

"What happened?" I ask, my nervous hands coming to a stop.

"The meetings became more frequent.  Three or four times a week, still at the same hour.  They seemed to talk a lot more.  It didn't seem like fun get-togethers anymore.  There was a lot of note-taking, and sometimes I could hear them raising their voices.  It was usually Fujimoto-san who became agitated."

It kills me to hear this. 

What were they talking about?!

"This continued until a few days ago.  I've been expecting them back any day now.  Sometimes three days pass between meetings.  They're due for another one soon."

I stare at Ochiai and she blinks.

"Although perhaps given recent tragic events, I would assume the next meeting might be held off."

I nod and look at Shibata for insight, but she looks just as confused as I do.

"Ochiai-san, how do you know so much?  How do you remember all these details?" she asks with a frown.

I have to admit that I'm also wondering how she's been able to recall all of that so easily.  It's as if she just made up any old story just to get the conversation over with as quickly as possible so that she can get back to work.

"Shibata-san, in my line of work, I have no time to myself during the day.  My work keeps me busy, whether I'm balancing accounts, writing up schedules, or helping in the kitchen.  Every weekday evening at around five-thirty, I take my only break of the day and I sit and have a coffee in the corner where I can observe my little shop.  It's my time to reflect on the atmosphere of this place I've created and to notice what works and what doesn't.  Even on my break, I'm constantly working, thinking up ways to make this place better.  But atmosphere and decorations aside, nothing is more important to me than the people who come here.  One of my hobbies has always been to watch people, so that's what I do.  I look at my shop and I watch people in my spare time.  I have watched Fujimoto-san and you," she nods to me, "come in here and I've learned a great deal of your personalities just from looking.  I can tell you all sorts of things about some of the customers that are in this shop now, and we have never spoken before.  I'm a person of intuition.  I also happen to be blessed with a very sharp memory.  Not photographic, but closer to it than most people's memories."

Her passionate soliloquy comes quite unexpectedly, but she's easy to understand.  Easy, but eloquent.  I think she likes speaking like that.

"A person of intuition?" Shibata asks.  "Then would you mind if I asked you to tell us what your intuition is about these meetings Miki-chan and these men were having?"

Shibata and Ochiai.  Probably the two most intuitive people I know.  What a sleuthing pair they would make.

"To be perfectly honest, I had a very bad feeling about those meetings.  The man seems nice on the outside, but there's something in him that I don't like it.  Call it my sixth sense, but there's something broken in him.  He's hurting inside.  I know that Fujimoto-san is-" she breaks off and looks at me apologetically before continuing, "was a nice person.  A kindred spirit.  I think she got mixed up with the wrong people."

But for what??

The billion yen question.

Ochiai makes it clear that she's told all that she can remember, and she hints that she has to get back to the kitchen.  Before she leaves, though, she faces me directly.

"I want to help you.  Please come back and we'll talk again.  I have a feeling this is not over."

She disappears into the kitchen.

I'm touched by her willingness to help, but chilled by her last words.  Those men are still out in the open, and if they are the ones that killed Miki, nobody is safe.  Shibata and I leave the café.

Once outside, we stand in the street.  It's a little chilly.  Winter is coming.  We share a look and try to read each other's expressions.  What do we think about the conversation we just had?

A hopeless feeling seems to dominate the air around us.

While it feels like we've learned a great deal, we've really learned nothing.  We don't know who these men are and what they were talking about with Miki.  We don't know how they got in touch with her and where they are now.

It's like a ten thousand yen note has been attached to the end of a fishing line that dangles before our faces, the fishing pole strapped to our backs.  We can see the prize and walk towards it, but we can never get it because it's constantly one step ahead of us.

We're doomed I think.  Absolutely doomed.

[Mikan]

Hu huhu!!! Awesome!

*Crosses a few scenario deaths off the list*

But now what...?

[Estrea]

Wow, that was absolutely gripping. I was sucked in by the owner's account of what happened. Those men huh...I wonder...I wonder indeed. I'm even more curious now as to what really happened.

Write more soon!

[Ren]

Oh suspense!

As I said before... Hard for me to trust the new characters . That shop owner looks a bit weird too... And that's just make my mind set for that guy who likes Aya O_O, seems like a good description of what I have in mind for him.

But what exactly was Miki doing? Or the main question for me... Why did she keep those meetings a secret from Aya, even when she was still happy about those meetings... There must be something...

And I think its careless of Aya to walk around trusting people and asking about Miki, with Shibata also, if the people who killed Miki know, she and Shibata will be in danger right? And that will danger innocent people they asked too.

Also, even if Aya finally find the killer, what will she do to him/her/them? Things can get very emotional... And will it do any good for Aya herself? Relieve her from the pain of Miki's death? I don't think so... Miki didn't get anything beside the knowledge of why she can't get over Aya's death in your latest fic... Aya takes Miki's death better, but the pain in her heart is the same :|...

Wow, Ren.  Some people have done that before - read all my previous stuff suddenly in 1 or 2 nights.  It's kind of crazy.  Thank you.  Shibata and Aya hooking up is about as likely in my stories as Shibata and Megu hooking up, which is 0% (as I think I mentioned somewhere).  Hahaha.  And don't worry, I enjoy reading long comments.  Yours was just as entertaining as JFC's epic gigglesob-filled review comments, Amarghetta's questions about my mother tongue, Estrea's marriage proposals, and so on (hahaha! ).

Some of you have pointed out the difference between Aya's reaction to Miki's death and Miki's reaction to Aya's death.  This is good!  I like to look at things like that.

For me, the murder mystery is secondary to the emotional journey.  I think Yuuyami pointed out the "what path will Aya take?" question, which I think it very important (I can't find the reference for the comment.  I think it was during the backup forum time).

As usual, let's all listen to coachie. That's a good point.

Glad you enjoy my comment . Yeah I'm crazy, when I'm doing something I like I can't stop . And what is your mother tongue by the way?
Oh and you marrying Estrea might be good, produce babies to write fanfics like you guys do .
*gets kicked*

So Shibata won't hook up with Aya, well that's good, because I see her more of the straight type ^^;.

[glcorps2002]

So she had meetings with four men since Sept., the girls finally have a lead! A part of me feels that only one or two of them had a hand in the murder.

[Amarghetta]

Yours was just as entertaining as JFC's epic gigglesob-filled review comments, Amarghetta's questions about my mother tongue, Estrea's marriage proposals, and so on (hahaha! ).

Dunno if I should be glad or just ashamed for being part of that list... I don't like being this 'notorious'.

Now that Shibata and Aya have gone to the café, I'm kinda relieved by the things Ochiai said. Unlike many people here, I wasn't a fan of the murderer Tsuyoshi scenario. It was such an easy option that it bordered on disappointing... (No offense intended. It's just an opinion.)

There are even more questions to answer; but hey, isn't that what makes this fic interesting?

[JFC]

There are several moments when I lower what I'm reading and look out across my apartment while thinking.  I think of my replies to some of her statements.  I touch my cheek because the image I have in my mind of her kissing it is so vivid that it actually feels like it's wet.

Miki is more thoughtful than I ever imagined.  To have worried herself into writing a final message just for me (and nobody else - not her parents, not any other friend) is proof of her love.  I've never considered writing something of the sort.  That just goes to highlight the differences in our personalities.  Opposites attract, and I guess that can apply to us in some ways.

These thoughts of hers are pure.  I assume they were written before she was ever threatened.  She wasn't writing desperately against time.  She took it easy and really thought it through.

She thanked me.  She praised me.  She loved me.  I will never forget.  Take my memories from me and I will still remember her.  She is part of me.  How can I forget myself?

It's hard to find that one person who becomes such a part of you that their presence can always be felt, even if they're not physically there with you.

it sounds like the right timeframe for when it started," she says in her mellow voice.

My ears prick up.

"Started?  What started?"

"The frequent meetings."

Okay, here comes the interesting stuff.

"The first time I ever saw Fujimoto-san come here without you, Matsuura-san, was in September.  Maybe the third or fourth.  She came in and sat alone, looking like she was waiting for someone.  It was around five or six in the evening.  That man - I don't know his name - showed up and spoke with her.  It seems she was waiting for him.  They ordered drinks and had a chat and left an hour and a half later."

Now on first impressions, it would be super easy to get the wrong impression based on how it was described.

The two of them met together once or twice a week for all of September, and then around the beginning of October, more people began to come to the meeting, all men. They seemed to be the man's friends or colleagues.  I'm not sure.  He would introduce them to Fujimoto-san.  Sometimes only one additional man came, sometimes two, sometimes three.  They were the same group of four men - the main man and his three colleagues.  The meetings followed the exact same format as the solo meetings between Fujimoto-san and the first man.

The addition of additional people coming to the meetings (especially the parts about the note taking and arguments) really make you wonder what exactly they were talking about. It was obviously something that had to be fairly big if they were taking notes, after all. The fact that they'd leave together can't be coincidence either, IMO. Perhaps the meetings were continued in another location?

"Ochiai-san, how do you know so much?  How do you remember all these details?" she asks with a frown.

I have to admit that I'm also wondering how she's been able to recall all of that so easily.  It's as if she just made up any old story just to get the conversation over with as quickly as possible so that she can get back to work.

*soliloquy*

Her passionate soliloquy comes quite unexpectedly, but she's easy to understand.  Easy, but eloquent.  I think she likes speaking like that.

You know, it's the people like her that make the "mon 'n pop" joints so much better than big franchises. The people who are really good at what they do, and who are really good at what they do, they have this type of pride. And rightly so. You wouldn't get that type of attention to detail from a Starbucks employee.

"A person of intuition?" Shibata asks.  "Then would you mind if I asked you to tell us what your intuition is about these meetings Miki-chan and these men were having?"

Shibata and Ochiai.  Probably the two most intuitive people I know.  What a sleuthing pair they would make.

"To be perfectly honest, I had a very bad feeling about those meetings.  The man seems nice on the outside, but there's something in him that I don't like it.  Call it my sixth sense, but there's something broken in him.  He's hurting inside.  I know that Fujimoto-san is-" she breaks off and looks at me apologetically before continuing, "was a nice person.  A kindred spirit.  I think she got mixed up with the wrong people."

But for what??

The billion yen question.

Ochiai makes it clear that she's told all that she can remember, and she hints that she has to get back to the kitchen.  Before she leaves, though, she faces me directly.

"I want to help you.  Please come back and we'll talk again.  I have a feeling this is not over."

Well, it definitely isn't over for Aya and Shiba. The question is, what about those men Miki was meeting with?  If, assuming they actually did kill Miki, they still needed something from her, would they approach Aya the same way?

[OTN1]

Hahaha, well, it's certainly not a bad thing, Amarghetta.  My story is shameful - I'm known as the author who puts Aya and Miki through hell every story.

You know, it's the people like her that make the "mon 'n pop" joints so much better than big franchises. The people who are really good at what they do, and who are really good at what they do, they have this type of pride. And rightly so. You wouldn't get that type of attention to detail from a Starbucks employee.

I think instead of being an anthropologist, Shiba should follow in Ochiai's footsteps and establish her own coffee shop.  Put Starbucks to shame.  Maybe twenty years down the road.  Hah.

(English is the language I'm the best at and most comfortable using, Ren.)

(Another secret I'm dying to tell: I wrote that last scene of the story.  There are still quite a few chapters left before it comes, but I couldn't help it.  I've had planned out in my head for so long and I was in the perfect mood, listening to the perfect music.)

[orangesocks]

This is story's so complex...Now I can't stop imagining  Ochiai, Aya, and Shibata setting up a sting operation at the cafe and then jumping the suspects.

[magicnumber]

(Another secret I'm dying to tell: I wrote that last scene of the story.  There are still quite a few chapters left before it comes, but I couldn't help it.  I've had planned out in my head for so long and I was in the perfect mood, listening to the perfect music.)

So... oh god was it happy music you were listening to or sad music? or crazy OTN1-wants-to-put-Aya&Miki-through-more-hell music?
.......

[edhead999]

For some reason when I read that chapter, my inner perv started voicing ideas about what Miki was doing... x_x.

Yeah.

[OTN1]

Miki selling company secrets for sex with four men?  I've sent Aya off to another dimension.  I guess that's possible. 

Hahaha, or not.

I can't say what music I was listening to, but I will say that it was very appropriate.

orangesocks, I love that image.  Please read on.  You've somewhat hit on something.

Chapter 17

"What do you think it was about?" I ask Shibata as we are sitting down for an early dinner at her favourite Italian restaurant.

She puts her fork and spoon down on her plate and ignores her fettuccini as I shift uncomfortably in my seat.  I feel antsy, worried, and angry.

"It could be anything.  Those guys could be music producers, lawyers, drug dealers... I don't know."

"She wasn't dealing drugs," I state firmly.

Of all the ridiculous things...

"I didn't say she was," Shibata sighs. 

She sounds annoyed, and I feel bad.  She's been with me almost non-stop since she came back yesterday, exhausted and confused out of her jetlagged mind.  I don't mean to get so defensive when she says anything I don't agree with, but when it comes down to it, nobody knows Miki like I do.  I don't even think she knew herself as well as I did.  Do.  Still do.

"Are you sure she didn't say anything to you?  Any new thing coming up that wasn't necessarily related to U-Con?"

It's my turn to sigh.  I've searched my brain one thousand and one times for anything useful, but I haven't been able to find anything.

"No, nothing.  Everything she told me about was rooted in U-Con.  The latest big news she gave me was a few months ago when she mentioned her boss hinted that she'd be given a national tour next year.  But-" I breathe out, annoyed, "it was U-Con that told her.  Not strange men in cafés.  I mean, I talked about it with Tsuyoshi-kun, even.  He knew about it."

Shibata's jaw hardens.

"I know who Tsuyoshi-kun is, but can you really trust him?" Shibata asks.

She did not just ask that.  What is her problem?  I have very few people left on this world that I can trust.  I don't want them questioned like I have been by the police.  I clench my fists.

"Tsuyoshi-kun would never do anything to hurt Miki or me.  He wouldn't lie to me," I tell her evenly.

"You don't know that."

I put my cutlery down loudly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sugiura-san.  I didn't realise it was you I was having dinner with.  I thought you were someone else," I snap sarcastically.

I stand up and start to walk out.  I'm fed up with this.  We're getting nowhere.

"Aya-chan, wait," Shibata calls after me.

She runs up from behind me and grabs my wrist.  I try to shake her hand off, but she's adamant about keeping me from running off.

"I'm sorry," she says quickly.  "I'm playing devil's advocate.  I'm just trying to look at this from all possible angles and see if we've missed anything.  I really want to help you."

I let out a stressed out breath of air.  It's halfway between a laugh and a sob.  I look at her helplessly and she quietly asks me to come back and sit down.  She lets go of me and goes to sit while I stand there.  I look around and see some people staring at me.  They all look away quickly when they notice I've noticed.  I go back to sit down with Shibata.  I have to keep my cool.  Front page headlines about Diva Ayaya losing it at a ritzy Italian restaurant in Ginza is not what I need right now.

"Shiba-chan, I'm sor-"

"No, don't apologise," she says, shaking her head and refusing to listen to me.  "You are going through everybody's worst nightmare.  Don't feel bad.  Let the anger out.  You can't keep it bottled up.  Besides, it takes more than a few harsh words to really piss me off."

"Shiba-chan," I say, looking up at her, my heart feeling a gram lighter than it was two seconds ago.  "You're the greatest.  I love you.  Everybody needs a best friend like you."

"Hah, I wish you really meant that," she laughs.

"I really do.  Thank you.  You don't have to be doing this with me, yet you are.  That's the sign of a true friend.  Someone with a good soul."

She nods.

"Okay, Matsuura.  Getting creepy now.  Stop, please."

"Sorry," I say quickly.

We continue to eat, but in the middle of a bite of bread, Shibata suddenly makes an excited sound.

"Wait!" she says with her mouth full.  I look up at her attentively. "Ochiai-san said that they took notes, right?"

I nod and then start to smile.

"I see what you're thinking."

"We need to find those notes.  Do you think she had them on her?"

I shake my head.

"The police didn't find a bag when they found her b-" I stop myself and swallow down tears that seem to come out of nowhere.  I trek on.  "So they must be somewhere safe."

"Whoever killed her might have taken her bag from her," Shibata points out.

"Good point," I sigh, crossing my arms, my meal forgotten.  "The only way to find out is to search her things.  I need to get into her apartment.  I need to see if the notes are there."

"But you said that she was staying with you for a few weeks."

I laugh bitterly.

"Well, I obviously had no clue she was going to those meetings at the café after work, so she could have easily gone back to her place and I wouldn't have known."

Shibata eyes me warily.

"Are you going to be okay?  Are you angry with her?"

"I'm not angry," I sigh.  "I'm puzzled.  She had to have a really good reason.  And the threat.  That could keep her silent."

"You realise you can't just waltz in there and look around her apartment freely.  It's being treated like a crime scene from what I've heard.  If they find you, Sugiura-san seems like the kind of man who would retract his apology in a second.  They'll think you're up to something and then we're going to be watched like hawks," Shibata explains.

"I can't just sit here and watch them pointlessly riffle through her life," I snap.  "They don't know what they're looking for."

"Aya, they're police.  They're not all dumb.  Yes, we have an advantage because we've got that journal and we've got Ochiai-san.  But the police have far better resources, and while I don't always trust the men behind the system, they still stand a better chance than we do."

"We'll be safe.  We'll go when it's quiet.  Three in the morning.  They won't have men stationed there at that time, will they?"

"I don't know.  I guess not," Shibata shrugs.

"Fine, then.  Let's go tonight."

She doesn't say anything to that.

"What about at her workplace?  They might be in that bottom drawer of hers," Shibata asks.

That's right.  She could have kept her notes there.

And come to think of it, I remember the last time I saw her, she was carrying a big bag full of papers.

The last time I saw her...

I had no idea it would be the last time.  I'm glad we didn't argue.  I even made her leave twenty minutes late.  It was an accident, of course, but in retrospect, it was the best accident I ever had.

And she smiled at me.  It's like she knew we'd never see each other again.  I should have taken a picture of that smile.

No, I should have just not let her go to work that day.

"Hey, are you okay?" Shibata's voice drifts into my thoughts, and I look up.  She's watching me worriedly.

I nod glumly.

"S-sorry.  Just thinking," I mumble.  "Anyway, I'll get in touch with Tsuyoshi-kun and see if he can do anything for us at the office."

Shibata doesn't question my trust in him again.  I don't expect her to, but I feel a little tense now because of what she has already said.  Luckily, my phone ringing interrupts the tension that threatens to consume us.

I look at Shibata apologetically and pick up my phone, walking to the washroom.

It's Tsunku on the line.  He's just heard about Miki and he's calling to check up on me, no doubt wanting details.

"Did you see her before it happened?" he asks.

I tremble as I recall every single detail in my mind.

"Um, I did.  The day before she was, uh..." I trail off and he acknowledges that he understands.  "She was.... she was killed.  Did you know that?"

A dumb question.  Of course he knows.

"Yeah, I know."

"And they still haven't, uh, found who..." I stumble through it.

"I heard."

"And... um, so, I-I don't think I want to do the reunion," I blurt out.

There's a silence on the line.

"That's not what I was calling for," Tsunku says firmly.  "This isn't a business call.  I just want to know if you're okay."

He really is the nicest boss I have ever had.  It's a shame I don't work for him anymore.

"I'm... I mean..."

How do I answer that question?  How am I?  I don't even know.  One minute I'm fuming, the next I'm crying, the next I'm laughing...

I'm just confused.

"I'm hanging in there."

It's as neutral an answer as I can give.  Tsunku sucks in some air through his teeth.

"Well, if you need anything, get in touch.  Incidentally, the reunion is being postponed.  I thought it was best after I heard the news."

It's in this moment that I realise for the first time what kind of job Tsunku has.  He has to call the shots.  Make the big decisions.  He has to keep his record label afloat, bring in profit, and think of his employees and their families.

And here he is, cancelling what could possibly be his most profitable venture in the next fiscal year.  He's dropping it just like that.

Others might not be able to see, but I can.  He's got a heart, and he knows how to use it when it's important.

"Thank you," I mumble.

Our goodbyes are quiet and respectful, and I turn to head back to the table, but I receive another phone call before I can take a single step.  It's the Fujimoto family's home number.  I answer quickly.

Miki's mother tells me they received Miki's body this evening and that I should head up there the day after tomorrow.  She says I can stay with her and her husband.  My mood goes directly from touched to depressed.  I tell her I'll contact her as soon as I'm in Takikawa.  Our conversation is less than five minutes long, and it ends on a solemn note.

I head back to the table, and Shibata can see the cloud that has formed over me.  I tell her shakily about the two phone conversations, and she tries to comfort me, but I don't listen to her words.

Funeral.  I'm going to a funeral.  Miki's funeral.

I'm not ready for it.  I never could be.

All I want to do is walk down the street until I find the mystery man.  If he's the one that killed Miki.

But I can't just do that.  It's a gigantic city whose streets and crowds seem to morph into different, new shapes every day.  If only I knew what this man did or the neighbourhood he lived in, or even some hobby of his.  I could find his stomping grounds and go and stalk him down.  I could-

Find his stomping grounds?  I've already found one.

"Shibata!" I hiss, lowering my voice.  "The café.  Ochiai-san said that the man has been going there for a while now.  Even before he ever spoke to Miki."

"Yes, but she said he would go around once a month.  It's not exactly a regular spot for him," Shibata says carefully, weighing the idea in her head.

"He might have changed his mind.  Or-or maybe he's still going to have meetings with those other guys," I say, filled with a new kind of hope.  "We need to stake out the café and wait for him to show up and..."

"And what?" Shibata asks.  "Arrest him?  Even if he does show up there again, we can't prove anything."

I think hard.

"Then we have to get to know him.  Miki did.  We can, too."

"No," Shibata says with finality in her tone.  "Too dangerous.  We don't know what he's capable of.  He might have had something to do with the murder.  He might be the murderer.  And remember how in the journal there were those threats?  If we're interpreting them correctly, it's you those people threatened to kill.  He knows who you are."

The gravity of our situation has become apparent, and suddenly I'm aware of just how much danger I'm in.  I could be being watched.  Maybe I'm a target.  A liability to them that has to be eliminated.  Who knows...

"They don't know you," I blurt out before I can stop myself.  Shibata's eyes widen almost imperceptibly.  "I know it's a lot to ask, but..."

If she were to sit there and watch those guys, they'd be none the wiser.  They wouldn't think she and Miki were friends.

"You want me to sit at the café all day and wait for that man to show up - if he ever goes there again - and do what?  Talk to him?"

I shrug.  I don't know.  I haven't thought that far ahead.  All I know is that we have to find him.  He's our only lead.

"Fine," she says, and I blink in surprise.  "But I can't spend my whole day there every day.  I do have to work.  Tomorrow we'll go and speak with Ochiai-san again.  I have a feeling if we leave her our numbers, she'll be able to help us."

I can't believe it.  Shibata has just offered herself up as bait.  She's offered to sit in a café and watch the man who might have made my life a living nightmare.

It's dangerous, stupid, and silly, and if I could do it myself, I would in a flash.

"Shiba-chan.  Thank you."

It's a half-baked plan.  There are holes in it everywhere.

But it's a start.  We can get by with a little help from our friends.

[Ren]

The funeral. What will Aya do at the funeral? Stand there, watching Miki getting buried? Don't Miki's family suspect their relationship? Or maybe Aya is just going to tell them? Miki's family deserve to know something... Somehow I feel like Brokeback Mountain: GAM version O_O.

And as I said before again, too careless Aya... She's sacrificing or putting everything to be dangerous by doing the detective work, and what else can she find except who is the killer and why Miki was killed. Going detective mode and knowing all the truth can't change the fact that Miki is dead already... ;_; And to even put Shibata on the line, I doubt anything will happen to Shibata, but Aya risk the possibility of losing her other best friend...

Ahh by the way you have a typo . Is it okay for me to tell this? I figured you might want to fix it.. ^^;

"Shibta!" I hiss, lowering my voice.  "The café.  Ochiai-san said that the man has been going there for a while now.  Even before he ever spoke to Miki."