There we go, this was supposed to go with the previous chapter, but I felt it was getting too long. The Hospital arc is finally coming to an end. Yay! Otherworld shenanigans will start soon.
Once again, thanks for the reviews, thanks to the people who put this story in their favorites, and big thanks to my Beta IzanagiMikoto.
Now, on with the show
Black Rock Shooter: Honest Hearts
Chapter 7
I'm not overreacting! I am not, really! … Okay, maybe a little
~Inicio~
"I am not sure this is necessary. It doesn't look as bad as you make it out to be, Mato."
-Blue Flame-
Rock looked down at the instant ramen on the table, waiting for the recommended time before she started eating; she even had the chopsticks ready and all. So she allowed herself a moment to think to kill some time.
Mato had left just an hour ago, moving back to that colorful world. Relief had filled her, knowing her Other could willingly move between worlds and that they could communicate with each other, so none of them would be completely alone ever again.
However, as comfortable as Mato's presence was, Rock couldn't help thinking how odd her Other was.
Mato could worry for the strangest things.
Rock didn't understand the point of wasting time on focusing on such things. Despite the worry, Mato didn't bring them up once they had been dealt with. There was probably no real point on worrying about them then.
She raised a hand and caught the humanoid that had lunged at her by the head. She clenched her hand a little and the humanoid howled, trying to claw at her arm. She raised her other hand to her chin, thinking deeply.
What they both agreed on was Yomi's safety. The mystery of what had happened to their Princess, the trigger of their whole adventure, was still unsolved. There seemed to be no other consequence other than their fight with the Other Yomi, so Rock expected things to continue like that. Mato however wanted to find out more about it as soon as possible, but Mato being Mato, didn't seem to be all that productive about it.
Rock raised her foot and then brought it down on the creature that had tried to bite her ankle. A little pressure and the creature's movement turned frantic.
She reached within herself and did as Mato had told her to, trying to reach Mato's voice.
'No, it wasn't that. Couldn't be the homework, I have been doing my homework on my own lately… The basketball Club? No, Yuu always makes sure I left with her so we wouldn't keep Yomi waiting… But lately we've been talking so much about basketball and kept Yomi out of the conversation… No, it couldn't… or could it…?'
Rock sighed quietly and cut the link.
The woman at her right slashed her blade towards Rock's head. Rock lifted the humanoid in other hand and used it like a club to bat the woman away. She stomped on the creature under her foot and it finally stopped wriggling about.
Mato needed to focus. All that disproportionate worry only made her waste time. If Yomi were to be taken into the Other World again, they would notice the signs in time. There was nothing that indicated that Yomi was even displeased, quite the contrary actually, but Mato insisted on worrying about it regardless.
Once Mato had calmed down a little, Rock would remind her about that darkness that had surrounded Yomi the days before she went into Otherworld. Surely Mato still remembered that and be on the lookout for any change.
She looked up at the clock and noticed the recommended time was finally over so Rock took the cup of instant ramen and removed the cover, snapped her chopsticks, and started to eat. It had a good taste and consistence. It seemed using the heat of her cannon to heat up water had been good enough to do the trick while she had been looking for a microwave. She knew where the microwave was at their house, so she only needed to look for more instant ramen before they moved back home..
… Maybe that's where the Other Yomi was hiding… Home...
Hopefully.
Rock felt her chest throbbing a little, thinking about those glowing green eyes.
~Heart of a Huntress~
Fingers quickly tapped on the keyboard, bringing up another tab on the browser.
"Where..." she looked down to the file at the side of her computer, double checking the case number. "Okay, here it is..." The file finally loaded, showing up the usual nonsense in this type of archives.
She brought up the attached files, looking for the forensic photos.
"Kuroi, huh?" she muttered, focusing for a moment on the full body photo that had been taken of the girl before she was given to the doctors care. "She disappeared the same day we felt that flare," she muttered, reaching out for a cup of coffee.
She scrolled up a few pages and then brought up the original kidnapping case of the Takanashi girl.
"Yes, it's the same thing. Their miraculous return matches even the hour you felt it."
A distracted nod and a gobbled down cookie later she leaned back on her seat, opening the attached photos on Takanashi's file.
"Who do you think will get to play dead girl in our hands?"
She started to close files, just pausing to write down some last moment information.
"Not yet. You can maim her all you want though. We'll need her mostly coherent to answer some questions. Can't get answers out of a bloody slab of meat," she said casually, taking another zip of her coffee.
~Little Heart~
Yuu looked into the room, content just seeing her friends talking and laughing about something. She could feel a smile on her own face as Mato said something to make Yomi smile and then Yomi said something that made Mato flinch and start apologizing. Yep, seemed everything was back to normal.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked, pushing the door open and knocking on it at the same time. She chuckled when both of the girls jumped a little before settling down close to each other again.
"Yuu, I didn't think you'd come so soon!" Mato said as she swung her legs off the bed, rising into a sitting position next to Yomi.
"You'd have to tie me down to keep me from visiting you, girls," Yuu replied, taking the chair next to Mato's bed. "Besides, I brought gifts!"
"Really?" Mato perked up, and Yuu couldn't help chuckling evilly.
"Oh yes, about a week's worth of homework!" she said, presenting a pair of folders with a flourish.
Mato immediately deflated while Yomi took the folders, leafing through them. The smallest girl noticed the peculiar look on their elegant friend's face, and Yuu leaned forward. "Is there a problem?"
Yomi started a little, causing Mato to give her a worried look, but the tall girl smiled at both of them, shaking her head a little. "It's just, this is really an entire week's worth of homework," she said quietly. "I was really gone for so long…"
"But you're back now, Yomi," Mato immediately replied, one hand holding one of Yomi's hands, and draping her other arm around Yomi's waist in one smooth movement. Yuu blinked at this and even Yomi was a little surprised at the vehemence in Mato's voice. "Nobody will take you away again."
"Yeah, we'll make sure it stays that way," Yuu chirped, wondering what had happened, before chiding herself for such silly thought. Of course something had happened. Mato was just being a little overprotective at the moment, but who wouldn't? Yuu herself had wanted to visit the hospital right away and see with her own eyes that her friends were indeed fine, but she still had to put up with school.
"Yes, thank you," Yomi finally replied after a moment of silence, giving them a little smile. "Thank you both," she said towards Yuu.
"Oh didn't I say I was bringing gifts?" Yuu remembered after the little solemn moment had passed. She showed a little plastic bag that emanated a delicious aroma.
"Ooooh, your mom made us lunch?" Mato said, looking as if she wanted to stand up and trying to figure out how she could do while taking Yomi with her. Silly Mato.
"That she did! Just a little something, I wasn't sure if you girls would have had something to eat already or not."
"I don't mind!" Mato was almost salivating now. Yuu was more than a little surprised by this.
"What do they feed you in this hospital? Mist?"
"Mato seems to have grown something of an appetite while she slept," Yomi said sternly, but Yuu wasn't fooled even for a second. It was painfully obvious the green eyed girl was trying to keep a straight face.
"I-I'm sorry, Yomi," Mato replied contritely, causing both Yuu and Yomi to stare at Mato in confusion.
"You can have my part if you want to," she said seriously.
Yuu shifted her gaze to Yomi.
'The heck happened?'
'… She happened…'
Her thoughts must have been obvious because Yomi immediately did a double take. "Mato, I was-."
"I really didn't mean to eat so much of your food before!"
"Mato, Yomi's just kidding with you," Yuu interrupted before Mato could say anything. "You're our little glutton," Yuu said with a big smile. "We're happy feeding you."
Mato still looked at Yomi, almost as if asking her permission to believe she hadn't done anything wrong.
'Again, what the hell happened?
"Anyway, thank you, Yuu," Yomi said, putting her hand over Mato's knee. Their blue eyed friend finally seemed to catch on that nothing was wrong and she gave them both an embarrassed smile. "It's very kind of your mother."
"Don't worry about it!"
"So, what is it?" Mato said, and Yuu chuckled at the palpable hunger in Mato's voice.
"Just a little bit of everything," she handed them each a big bento.
"This looks expensive," Yomi whispered, looking at her box.
"We didn't have big enough bentos so mom used the boxes we reserve for our special clients," Yuu said with a smile and chuckled at the look of confusion on Yomi's face.
"I never told ya!" Mato said, bumping her closed fist against her open palm. "Yuu's parents own a restaurant, Yomi."
"A darn good one!" Yuu said with a proud smile. "Go on, dig in!"
Soon enough both girls were moaning in delight as they ate the big lunches, and Yuu felt herself smiling happily. Yuu had to admit that Yomi was right; Mato was going through her food as if she hadn't eaten anything on weeks!
"This is delicious, Yuu," Yomi said and Yuu puffed out her chest proudly.
"Of course it is. Why don't we go to my parent's restaurant once you're fine enough to stand up again Mato?"
Mato looked at Yuu for a moment, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's, and then she jumped to her feet. Yomi immediately tried to stop her, but Mato was faster. "I can stand up already! I've been trying to tell everybody that I'm fine."
"Mato…" Yomi said quietly and Mato stiffened again, looking as if she were bracing herself, almost as if she were expecting Yomi to get mad at her. If Yomi didn't look as lost as Yuu felt, the honey eyed girl would have suspected the worst.
"S-sorry, Yomi," she said, sitting back on the bed.
Yuu shared a by now familiar look with Yomi... which caused the green eyed girl to start a little, almost as if she couldn't tell why she was doing so. The confusion quickly faded away, though, and Yomi shrugged helplessly. Yuu drummed her fingers on her knees and then nodded a little.
Judging by how hard Yomi's disappearance had hit Mato, Yuu's little idea sounded more likely by the moment.
"Mato?" she said quietly but sternly and the girl in question looked up in surprise. "You can't still be blaming yourself for what happened to Yomi!" Yuu said, standing up, knuckles against her hips. The trapped look on Mato's face was all the answer Yuu really needed, and judging by the gasp of surprise from Yomi, her elegant friend finally caught on it.
"Mato, you can't blame yourself!" Yomi said and the hurt in her voice was sure to make more effect on Mato than anything Yuu or Yomi could say.
"But Yomi, I..." Mato started but she quickly trailed off, looking to the ground.
Yuu stood up and directed Mato to sit back next to Yomi. "It was nobody's fault, Mato. You don't need to beat yourself over it and Yomi doesn't need to be treated with kiddy gloves. You don't deserve it and Yomi doesn't deserve it either!"
"Yuu's right, Mato. If anything I should be the one doing something for you. You are my hero, Mato!" A blink later Yomi finally realized what she had said and a cute blush covered her face. After a moment of struggling with herself Yomi steeled herself and leaned closer to Mato. "You did nothing wrong at all. If it hadn't been for you, I... I just don't want to think what would have been of me if it wasn't for you, Mato." The tall girl reached out, taking both of Mato's hands in her own and pulling her close. "I owe you so much I may never repay you in full. You are my dearest friend, Mato..."
'...Whoa, that was intense," Yuu barely kept herself from whistling. She hadn't seen Yomi act so passionate about anything before, always the proper and elegant ojou. Except when she thought she was alone with Mato of course.
"So, we okay? You won't be a thickheaded fool and accept that you did nothing wrong?" Yuu asked, patting Mato on the head.
"But... okay," their friend replied quietly, eyes still glued on the floor.
'What's wrong with you Mato?
'She is.'
~Desirous Heart~
If Yomi had ever needed any further proof that Mato would never abandon her, it was right in front of her, in the form of one little Hiro.
"S-shush you!"
"Big sis just sat there in her room, saying 'Yomi, Yomi, where are you Yomi?', and she would mope and ack!" the flying pillow succeeded in shushing him up.
"I said shush!"
"Yomi-neechan! Yuu-neechan! Mato is being mean!" the little boy ducked behind Yuu.
"You deserve it!" Mato replied, trying to get a good angle around Yuu.
"But I'm just telling what happened!"
"You want another pillow then!"
As brother and sister glared at each other Yuu and Yomi were unable to keep down their mirth and they both laughed at the siblings shenanigans.
"Now now children, calm down," Yuu said in her best impression of a respectable parent. "No fooling around in the hospital."
"Be nice, Hiro-kun," Yomi told the young boy and he immediately nodded.
"Okay, Yomi!"
"Grr, why don't you listen to me?" Mato grumbled and Yomi patted her on the head.
"You only need to act a little more like the big sister you are," she told her with a smile.
Yomi expected Mato to pout and tackle her down on the bed but instead... those eyes, as if Mato expected to have said something that offended Yomi so enough to lash out at her... 'She would probably deserve it.'...
Yomi looked over at Yuu and saw the honey eyed girl looking expectantly back. Yomi hesitated for a moment before shrugging a little, her brow furrowing in worry. Yuu nodded at her, mouthing a 'You can soothe her' of encouragement. Yomi's eyes travelled between Mato and Yuu until the shorter girl gave her an exasperated look.
Yomi felt her chest warming up at the knowledge that Yuu... 'Expects me to fuck it up'... trusted her like this.
She reached an arm around Mato's shoulder and pulled her back against the pillow. Mato blinked in surprise a couple times. Yomi gave her a little smile, trying to reassure her before Mato smiled in relief at Yomi.
The elegant girl sighed in relief herself, resting her head against Mato's pillow. She looked around her and couldn't help marveling at the scene around her. Yuu was resting down at the end of Mato's bed, while Yomi and Mato were on the other end under the covers, and Hiro was on a chair next to Yuu, fiddling with the television's control remote, trying to find anime to watch.
The warmth in her chest grew, filling her with an emotion that she had only felt once before. Back in that day when Mato had taken her to look over their gold painted city, when Mato had given her that little and wonderful charm, Mato had told her that she hated the idea of Yomi leaving her.
She hadn't believed it at first, but Mato had made her realize something.
She had a place she belonged to. She had somebody she belonged to. She had friends, true friends!
Even Yuu... Yuu had never been her enemy. Yuu hadn't tried to get Mato to forget her; she hadn't tried to get Mato to replace their friendship. Yuu had never tried to take her place in Mato's heart.
'Not like the bitch could have taken my place.'
Yuu was... Yuu was her friend too.
She had been there for Mato and Yomi, always trying so hard and Yomi had just expected the worst of her. Just like with Mato, Yomi had thought the worst without thinking it twice.
And Mato was the one acting as if she were the one at fault. How could Yomi even begin to make up for her private sins?
She caught a glimpse of the bag Yuu had packed the bentos in and a idea came to Yomi. It was small, probably insignificant, but at least was a beginning.
"Y-Yuu?" she said tentatively, and Yuu turned around with a smile.
"Yup?"
"Do you think your mom could teach me how to cook?" she was proud her voice didn't crack up at all.
However her spirits crashed down when Yuu winced. "I don't think she could accommodate time outside the restaurant and the kitchen is pretty crazy."
"Oh, I see."
Yuu turned around towards Mato and Yomi, sitting up and crossing her legs in front of her in a single motion. "But I can teach you a few things if you want to!"
"I would love to!"
~Worried Heart~
'I'm not overreacting!' A long moment of silence replied. 'I am not, really! … Okay, maybe a little, but I still don't know what I did to hurt Yomi like that!'
"Yomi doesn't remember."
'But I do!' Mato groaned, pressing a pillow against her face. 'I did something so bad that Yomi escaped to the Other World. What if I do it again without noticing?'
"Talk to her," came Rock's simple answer. Mato groaned again. Of course Rock would pick the direct approach.
'Maybe you're right... but I still can't let it go. She called me a liar so maybe it was a promise I broke? I would never lie to Yomi, but I wouldn't break any promise either, especially if it was so important for Yomi.'
"Mato... I used to think I was you."
"Huh?"
"That Other Yomi was like me. My memories used to be clouded."
"That makes sense," Mato said and then flinched. She looked around the dark room but Yomi didn't seem to have awoken. 'So, maybe what drove Yomi to the Otherworld was something different, but that Other Yomi thought it was because of me?'
"Possible."
'Wonder what her name is...'
"Whose?"
'That other Yomi. If she's like you, she probably has another name, right? Any idea?'
"I wonder..." Rock fell in a thoughtful silence, and Mato decided to let her be for a moment. They would have plenty of time to think about it while they looked for the other Yomi.
Mato pulled the covers over head, moving the pillow around, looking for a better position to rest her head. The nurses kept telling her to not do things like that, but nothing hurt at all! In fact, ever since she returned from the Otherworld she had been better than fine... around the time she helped Rock fix most of her injuries, actually.
'Say Rock?' she heard a little hum in return. 'What are you doing right now?'
"Resting."
'And before that? Did you do something around the hospital? Besides eating," she quickly added. Finding food seemed to be Rock's main hobby.
"... Killed more monsters," she replied, almost as if she hadn't really considered fighting monsters all that important.
'Many?'
"Many."
'Are there any monsters around the room? Or anywhere around the floor?'
"I have killed every single monster in the hospital."
Mato blinked. She blinked again for good measure. "All of them?" She smacked her forehead when she realized she forgot to think rather than speak. 'Even the janitors and those ghost nurses that were cleaning up the rooms and the others?'
"Only the ones that attacked me... Why?"
'…I have noticed that there was this... weight around me. In fact it has always been around me and I just noticed it when I saw you today. No, it's more like I noticed that it wasn't there. It had become lighter and lighter during the day and well, I think it had something to do with you.'
"I don't understand."
'Well, you went killing monsters in your way to our room, right? That was when I started to feel lighter. Then when I returned from Otherworld it was like, way lighter and I could feel so many other things. Good things. It was like, the other feeling, the heavy one, had clouded the good feelings.
'When Mom hugged me, it felt almost as if she were hugging me for the first time in a longtime, you know? And I could feel her relief and her happiness and how upset she was. And now that you told me that there are no more monsters I can tell exactly where you are, Rock. I could feel so many things from Yomi, Yuu, Hiro, Mom and Yomi's parents. Heck, I can even tell where the cops are outside our room!'
"I don't know, Mato."
'The entire city is filled with those monsters, Rock. You understand what that means? People may not notice it, but everybody probably feels the same thing that I do, even if it isn't that strongly. That weight felt almost as it were trying to keep me away from everybody around me. Maybe this is why there's been so many accidents and bad stuff going on in the city lately...'
"You want to make sure?"
'…Yeah, yeah I do!' she sat up and looked over at the other bed where she could make out the peaceful smile on Yomi's face. If whatever Rock did in the Otherworld was the cause of that smile... 'Tomorrow we can begin figuring out things!'
~Final~
"Maybe not, Rock, but I still worry! Can't help it. If we take care of things before they get bad, I would feel much better."
~CONTINUARA~
AN:
There we go. Now we will be leaving the Hospital and move to more exciting things.
Next chapter you'll get a look for the rest of the players in this story. From there we will get more action in Otherworld. Thanks for putting up with this story so far, hope you enjoy what's coming.
If you liked the chapter, leave a review, if you didn't like it, leave a review and tell me how I can improve to make things better.
