Chapter II
Ghost of Days Past
In the dark, I lie on my back looking up at the ceiling, the sounds of various things fill my ears. The buzz of Naoki's reading lamp, the rattling of trains passing by on the tracks around us, the steady breathing of Tsubasa, the slimy movement of bugs in the walls.
I sigh, and turn on to my side, closing my eyes, I try to block out the sounds. Is it like this for humans too? Slowly, I drift into a restless sleep.
A school bell rings, I stand under the school gate, looking at the grey drab building, it doesn't in any way resemble the yellow, bright and happy buildings I saw in books. Mama holds my shoulders firmly, "Come on -?, let's get you signed in." We go inside the building, people stare, they're all older than me. Mama squeezes my shoulders reassuringly as we go into the principal's office, "Ah, Miss -?, come in."
I stand in the doorway of my bedroom, looking onto the kitchen, as mama sits at the table crying, with her head in her hands. I go to the sink and pour her a glass of water, before putting the glass in front of her. She looks up with red rimmed eyes and smiles, "It's just you and me now, we're going to have to be a team okay?"
"Poppa, where are you going?" I ask, he pats my head. "A far away place, I'll see you soon okay? Be good for your mama for me." his hand leaves my head as he walks towards the door, a suitcase in hand. I stand still, before stumbling forward, reaching out my hand, "POPPA!"
I sit up, breathing hard and sweating, Naoki peaks from behind the privacy curtain, "You okay Ame-san?" "I'm fine." I mutter, "What time is it?" Naoki looks behind him to the clock in the main room, "Just after six. Tsubasa's gone to work." I nod, "I'll go too."
He nods and goes back into the living area, while I get up and throw on some shorts and a jumper.
How long has it been since I had that came back to me? One year? One and a half?
I shiver, and pull on some boots.
Are they even accurate? Can't your brain alter memories for you or something?
I stand in front of the grimy mirror, and start pulling my hair into a ponytail, before faltering.
How did mama say my name again?
I shake my head, and tie my hair. Like mama I have long dark hair, and grey skin, with a relatively proportional face, but my eyes, one grey/purple, the other dark brown. I pull out the small lenses case, and slip them into my eyes. Blinking a few times until my vision clears, I look at my reflection.
At least I look normal now.
As I'm about to go out the door, Naoki shouts, "Ame-san!"
I sigh, "What?!"
"You haven't eaten yet this month. Here take a-"
"I'm fine!" I begin to walk out, but Naoki grabs my shoulder, "Ame!"
The tone of his voice startles me, I turn around to see Naoki towering over me, glowering, "Ame-san, I know that you try to keep the food share equal, however, Tsubasa and I don't do as much fighting as you, and don't require as much energy as you. So please! Eat! Or I'll be forced to use force."
I stare at him, I don't want a headache right now, I sigh, "Naoki,"
He tugs me back in, and pushes me down onto the couch, before putting a plate of 'meat' in front of me. I force myself to swallow the tough, dry piece, before grimacing up at Naoki, "Old guy?"
Naoki laughs slightly and sits next to me, "Yeah, sorry, but think of it as a punishment for not eating properly. You're a growing girl, you need to be strong and healthy, you know?." I glare at him and chew, we stay silent for a moment, "You know, I really admire you Ame-san."
"Huh?"
"You're strong, and a survivor. Unlike me and Tsubasa, you can hold your ground in a fight, and lead us. You've kept me and Tsubasa alive for the past year, even though you're younger than us. So for that, I really admire you, Ame-san."
I finish eating, and get up, taking a deep breath, I smack my palm into his forehead, "Idiot, you're supposed to be the responsible one, and I'm stuck here babysitting you. Buck the hell up and take position as leader, or I'm going to have some serious complaints!"
He rubs his head, and smiles, "Thanks Ame-san, I'll try."
"And quit it with the san, geese, you're both hopeless." I sigh and leave through the door, but secretly I smile, Thanks Naoki.
Taking a deep breath, I walk out of the underground, and up to Tokyo. Winding through the crowds, I discreetly slip my hands into pockets, bags, the usual, picking out anything useful. After a few hours, I go into some quiet side street and look at the contents. Picking out cash from the wallets, I discard everything else into a corner, the police can return them to their owners.
Walking home, I sense I'm being watched. Muttering some curse under my breath, I take a right turn into some back alley, and climb up a fire escape to the roof. Looking around, I pull the mask out from underneath my jumper, and secure it on, before running across some rooftops, and jumping down into a secluded area. After a few minutes, a person lands behind me.
"Kitsune, you are requested to come with me."
"On who's authority?"
"The leaders of Aoigiri Tree."
I groan internally, and turn around, launching a kick into the messenger. They The hit off the brick wall, and I repeatedly hit them, lazily, mainly woth kicks before I then plant the sole of my boot firmly into their mask, "Look, if I had some interest in your goddamn cult, I'd join, trust me, I'm not into denying myself. However, if another one of you underlings come and bother me again, I won't be so kind. So, please go tell your superiors or bosses or whoever the hell you take orders from, and tell them to eff off, while I go back to my own group and get on with my life."
"K-Kits-"
I bend down, and remove their mask to see a bloodied face underneath, "And if you still don't get the message, I'll guess I'll have to demonstrate."
Their screams echo in the secluded area.
"What took you so long?" Naoki asks as I walk into the living area. I empty my pockets and hand the notes to Tsubasa, who begins to count them, "Sorry, I bumped into an old acquaintance."
Naoki raises and eyebrow but doesn't say anything to complain, I remove the lenses, and put them back into their case. Tsubasa shouts, "Looks like we'll be getting better clothes this month!"
I smile slightly, and grab a can of coffee, "Any visitors?"
"Nope, quiet day." Naoki smiles, grabbing two more coffees, handing one to Tsubasa, we all sit on the couch and drink, "You'd almost think that people didn't know we existed."
"Better than being too well known." I mutter.
"You're quite popular among Ghouls, Ame-san. They all call you 'Kitsune' and are totally terrified of you!" Tsubasa informs. I take a deep breath, "Great."
"What's up Ame-san?" Naoki asks, I sigh and stand up in front of them, "I was confronted by some underling from an Aogeri Tree or something."
"Aoigiri Tree?!" Tsubasa and Naoki exclaim. I shrug, "Yeah them."
"What did you say?"
"I told them to eff off like every other group that's confronted me, why?"
Naoki stands up and holds my shoulders, "What were you thinking?! This could get us killed!"
"Fat chance," I push him off, "We've stayed hidden, no one's going to find us."
"Ame! They have some of the most powerful Ghouls in Japan in their ranks, they could find us easily."
"And what if they do?" I raise an eyebrow, Naoki shakes slightly, Tsubasa looks grey, "They will kill us."
I stare at both of them, not quite believing them, but at the same time...
We need to act fast.
