DISCLAIMER: I don't any of these characters or sports managers.
Whilst Kakuzawa frets about the electricity bill and Arakawa worries about the fate of the immortal soul of one of Kamakura's growing list of urban legends, Nana prepares to offer her own up in order to apologise to Yuka…
CHAPTER THREE
"PAPA!!… Help me, my arms, my legs… … aww man…"
Nana awoke in her own bed with a start then immediately fell backward, her head collapsing on her pillow. Staring at the ceiling she recalled the brutal death-match between her mind and her body a while earlier, and upon remembering the result she wanted little more than to take a vector and shove it two-knuckles-deep into her own eyeballs. Speaking to herself in tongues that would shame Kurama forever she regarded the clock in her bedroom. It was Noon.
"Blast it, why didn't she wake me?" Nana thought, then scrambled to get up from her bed and reach for her limbs. Looking down she found herself in her underwear and couldn't remember getting undressed when she got back. Puzzled for a moment she went through the possibilities in her mind but none of them made sense.
Mayu couldn't have done it as surely Nana was still cogent just before passing out, Yuka she wasn't sure about as that human hairdryer was still turned on full-blast, Kohta… no, far too creepy- even though biologically they were pretty much on the same page she still looked up to him as an older brother / step-dad above all else, and besides in that regard he already had his hands full with Yuka and… and…
"Eliminate the impossible, Dr. Nana, then whatever's left... Lucy."
Nana reached for her limbs and got out of her futon, yawning, and for no reason other than to take advantage of stolen time she started to perform a simple exercise routine she'd normally reserved for weekends- press-ups, abdominal crunches and hand-stands. It went okay up until the latter stage whereupon she lost concentration and landed square on her head, falling backwards onto her front. After more Blu language she relinquished her battle, electing to pop downstairs to the bathroom for a quick wizz and more time asleep before explaining the guilty story to Yuka in more detail. On getting dressed into a dark blue T-shirt and track pants, leaving the bedroom she quickly spotted the flaw in that plan- Yuka was nowhere to be seen. Or, for that matter, anyone else.
Trudging downstairs she reached the bathroom and set around her business whilst staring at the floor disconsolately, trying to maintain her consciousness with as much dignity as possible. Eighteen months of death during the day and life during the small hours rained punches on her guts, heart and soul for the first time since leaving 'Home' and in spite of Mayu's collaboration she could tell Yuka had kept an eye on her, waiting for her to slip up at any moment; hence her reaction as Nana walked the plank inside was one of disappointment and anger but certainly not surprise. What was surprising was that Yuka wasn't there to give her the Alex Ferguson treatment, but it offered Nana no relief. Other than the kitchen there wasn't a spot of noise in the entire Inn, so naturally the kitchen came calling to Nana's addled mind once she flushed the toilet.
"Spidey-sense… dud. Nyu's on duty."
Entering the kitchen she discovered her second-best friend cohabiting her one-time-worst enemy's body as usual, kneading the tee and skirt Nana wore to work in a soapy bathtub on the floor in between her usual "Nyu" mutterings. Nana observed that in the last four years Nyu was the person who'd changed the least- still the same girl-trapped-in-a-woman she started a fight with on first sight, same unbearably adorable red Shojo/bug-eyes and long hair to match, horns fully grown back. The one outward difference Nana smiled at was a small tattoo on the side of her head just above her left ear- a bullseye with the letter K in red ink in the middle, the 'target' cloven in two by a penny-sized scar.Nana wondered for a second if Nyu understood enough of the situation to lend a sympathetic ear, and approached her.
"Morning, Nana-chan!" Nyu shrieked loud enough to pierce Nana's eardrums. She cried back and fell on her butt, begging Nyu not to shout so loud.
"Where is everybody?"
Nyu collected herself for a second to launch into a long sentence, then proceeded – "Kohta has gone to work at the clothes shop, Mayu is in coll-lege and she has Ger-man lec-tures today, Yuka is waiting for her plane to Lon-don and she's very an-gree at you. She's been using a lot of bad words today. How are you fee-ling?"
"My head hurts", Nana replied. "I was supposed to be doing German as well today and I've missed it."
"It doesn't matter, Lucy-san rang up coll-lege and told the tu-tors you were very ill."
Nana looked at her strange for a second, then remembered- The two personalities were finally aware of each other's existence and could also remember patches of what they did, yet still managed to remain as separate entities.
"Can I speak to Lucy? I need some advice."
"Sure thing, Nana-chan. Please wait a minute" Nyu replied, then reached into a drawer and produced a wooden mallet. The next thing she did shocked Nana rigid- she took the mallet and promptly bashed it into the side of her own face.
"Nyuuu, I missed!" she cried, then repeated the feat.
"Owww, not hard enough!"
Tears were welling up and Nana stood there with a guilty smile. After a few swift repetitions Nana pulled a vector to stop Nyu's trembling hands.
"It doesn't matter, don't be so silly. I don't think you can force her to come out if she doesn't want to, Nyu. You're hurting yourself over nothing, you silly girl."
Nyu hugged her. "Nyu so sorry, I won't do it again! Does Nana forgive Nyu?"
"Yeah, I forgive you. Now, let me take a look at that wound."
Nana looked at the reddening space over the tattoo- she hadn't bled it but it looked extremely sore. Before thinking of applying a cold flannel to it, Nana hit on an idea.
"Nyu, will you trust me for a second?"
"Yes, Nana-chan."
Nana took off her right arm and smoothed the vector over Nyu's sore skin for a second, then tapped tattoo hard once.
Nyu's eyes widened… and a bomb went off in Nana's brain. She fell backwards, clutching her head while the Diclonius in front of her clutched her own and slumped to her knees in pain. Replacing her arm Nana watched her rise to her feet and look at the wooden object swearing at her on the floor.
"My head hurts… Not that damn mallet again, there must be an easier way. I see you're awake, Nana" Lucy addressed her. "Yuka asked me to ring ahead to say you weren't going in today."
"Yeah, you… Nyu said that. Can I make an observation?"
"Go on."
"It's strange that Nyu can call you up at will but you can't seem to summon her."
Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "The best way I know is falling asleep or thinking of the past. I still do both far too much. But there's only one tiny mind in your body and you've been out of it for a year and a half."
Nana giggled. "That's about right. Still, I'm not going to pack it in now, we need the money. Oh, one other thing- Nyu said something about Yuka going to London today, any reason why?"
Lucy put her palm to her face, agitated. "You forgot", she exclaimed.
"… Shit! The merger!" Nana gasped, holding her hands to her dome.
"Correct. I don't think she's taken off yet, best get a quick call in. She won't be back for at least three days."
Nana dashed out of the kitchen, panicking while Lucy shook her head, grinning like a loon. Turning towards the tub she looked at the contents, shrugged her shoulders and started to resume where Nyu left off, but then looked at a packet of starch by the side and stood there, mouth agape. Lucy took the clothes out of the tub- they looked like they would have barely fitted Nana back when she first met her.
"…Oops" she chuckled, hand-on-mouth.
Nana reached her coat near the front door, and saw a yellow Post-It note on the sleeve facing her, yelling "YOU CAN GIVE THOSE UP AS WELL!!!" at her in red ink. One sniff of the leather and it didn't take a certain detective to figure out what Yuka was raging about. She reached back into her inside pocket to produce her cell phone and held the #2 key to speed-dial Yuka, waiting patiently. Her mind burned as he tried to figure out exactly what she had to say and how to do it- grovelling with apology? Defiant in that the job was something useful she took pride in? And does Yuka really need more stress to deal with on the way to her company's biggest achievement since joining fresh off graduating last year? Still a rookie to the electronics business, Yuka struggled with the finer points of negotiation but impressed her seniors with her unfaltering optimism and firm diplomacy, and Nana barely stood a cat-in-hell's chance of equalling this.
"Hello, Nana" Yuka's annoyed voice answered.
"Sorry, I forgot about your trip completely" Nana began to say, but Yuka cut her off-
"You're old enough to understand that I'm very disappointed in you, Nana. I see that you're trying to help out and I appreciate that, but your College work must come first. I suppose Mayu was in on this as well?"
"… yes, she helped out."
"I see. I'd like you to quit that nonsense but something tells me you're not about to do that."
"I was going to say I'm trying to get a better time-slot, but at this rate if I've still got that job I'll be lucky. All I want right now is to keep myself out of the way because if Kakuzawa finds us…"
"Nana, look- I know that you're doing this to survive but I doubt he's going to be chasing you forever. Strangely enough you have a future to look forward to, but you need an education to keep up with it especially if what you say about you ageing too fast is true."
"Don't remind me. In about fifteen years time I'll be old enough to be your mom."
"Brrrr, what a concept that is!" Yuka appeared to lighten up for a moment- "I'll be in London until Monday at the latest, if I were you I'd stay at home for today and hope the studio can get you on once every other day or something. But I insist that you give up the cigarettes. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Yuka, I'll do that" Nana replied with a sigh. "Good luck with your talks."
"I'll manage. Can you put Kohta on?"
"He's already gone to work, it's Wednesday."
"Oh yes, that's right. I'll have to try his cell. Take care of yourself, you hear?"
"I will, Yuka. Again, I'm sorry. Bye!"
"Bye."
Nana walked back towards the kitchen to find some sausages to sacrifice for breakfast, passing a worried Lucy on the way. She disappeared inside the kitchen for a moment, hearing the front door shut behind her, before screaming at the top of her lungs.
"THOSE COST ME TEN GRAND, YOU ASSHOLE!"
Storming out of the front door, mallet in hand, she found her on-off nemesis pacing towards the front gate, whistling nervously. Nana shut the door behind her and Lucy turned to face her, apparently regressing back to...
"…. Nyu?"
Nana shook her head, grinning, and batted the mallet in her hands.
"You gon' meet my friend PAIN!"
Thwack.