Heh. Here we go, it's Saturday again. I honestly don't think I've laughed this hard at any chapter thus far while I was writing; I really put my poor characters through the ringer this time. Once again, not entirely sure where I pulled the end of this chapter from; that entire last scene sort of wrote itself and I didn't realize what was going to happen until it did. They keep doing that to me, yeesh. Also, a note about one of the events in the chapter itself...
SHINCHI, IF YOU EVER READ THIS, I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY! I know it's mean to poke fun, but you can't sing and that inspired me. You know we all still love you, and you're awesome at the piano, but... yeah. And besides, I'll openly admit that I can't really sing unless it's a very limited selection of songs, either, so no harm done, right?
Aheh. Yeah. Something tells me that if this gets out I'm going to have broken bones... Chalk another one up to personal experience, shall we? And Mana's antagonistic aquaintance from school makes a showing as the hunt for Touya continues. Somehow, I do not see this ending well.
Hey, we have another chapter with singing! In order of the songs, in case you want to check them out, we have:
READY STEADY GO: Fullmetal Alchemist second opening theme
Alchemy of Love: Tenchy Muyo! ending theme
Raison D'etre- Reason to Live: Chobits ending theme
I listen to too much anime music... anyway! Once again, thank you so much to all the reviewers! It's totally awesome to see responces in my inbox... and even more awesome for the chances I've had to talk to some of you over messenger! You guys really keep my hopes up in these tough economic times. Gods, I wish I was just kidding about that...
Also, before we get started, I want to say another thank you, this time to somebody who supports me in every way he can, even if it's just wishing he could give me a massage when too many hours in the computer chair takes it's toll on my backside. This person is behind me on everything, although sometimes I wonder if it's for the purest reasons, ha ha. No, really, I don't know what I'd do without his support; many are the nights he's spent on the phone with me, consoling me when I wanted to cry and encouraging me when I was frustrated. To my fiance, Ray, a big thank you. Long distance relationships are rough, but hopefully by the time this story is complete you'll be there to distract me in person as I'm trying to post my chapters. As it is, you have an uncanny knack for calling when I'm writing my author's notes, and somehow I love you even more for it. I would get sappy here, but I doubt the readers could take our unusual brand of cute...
So let's go!
Mana had hoped the map might narrow their searching down some when she picked it up at the store. Sitting at her kitchen table that evening, she decided it wasn't helping at all. Trying to figure out a location based on the direction of the cold spots had only narrowed her down to roughly half the city. She needed more to go by than that!
The blonde sighed, leaning back from the table. Today she had finally figured out what Jin had meant by an 'unnatural chill' in the air. The sensation that had made him stop in his tracks had also made her pause. It wasn't like a cool breeze, he'd been right about that. It was almost like a liquid coldness; it was fluid, like it moved with it's own consciousness. It had made the hairs on her arms stand on end... and then it was gone. For the first time Mana had seen Jin get frustrated; they'd been so close that time, and then the trail just vanished! And they had been so close...
She flicked at the map with one finger. If she looked again, maybe there was a pattern after all. It wasn't just half the city where they were feeling the chill, it was a smaller area than that. If she took a pen and made points where Jin had felt the cold air... Mana started marking the paper with red dots. Now if she compared the directions the wind had been blowing... ah, she needed the computer for that. Getting up, she headed across the living room to start the machine. On television shows, they used triangulation to narrow things like this down. She didn't know exactly how that was done, but if she could get the wind directions maybe she could do something similar...
An hour later the healer threw the pen down in frustration. That had hardly narrowed the search at all; in fact, she now had a completely different area of town to consider! For the most part, the wind had been blowing from the southwest during their searches. But one day, just one, the wind had been blowing in from a different direction- east- and given a signal from a new area entirely. The girl sighed, trying to make sense of it all. Why would there be one stray directional hit like that...
"Wot ya got there?" Mana jumped. Where the hell had he come from? Jin flopped down into the chair next to her, staring at the map. "That looks fun. Wot's it about?"
"It's a map of this city." Mana motioned to the red dots. "These are all the places we were, approximately, when you felt Touya's energy, see?" From each spot she had drawn a wide cone in blue. "I looked up the wind directions on those days. These are the areas he would have had to have be in for you to have felt that energy." Or so she thought... to be honest, Mana still wasn't sure if she was leaving the range too open or too narrow. Better not to say that, though. "From what I can tell, this is the area he's been in the most frequently."
Jin scanned the map quickly. Mana groaned inwardly as his finger landed on the one blue triangle that pointed the other way. "And that spot there, wot's that one?"
"That's from the first time you felt the signal. The wind was traveling in a different direction that day. I..." Jin was looking at her, a curious expression on his face. Mana sighed. "I honestly can't figure that one out, myself." She turned the map. "I think we need to start looking more closely at this area. That's where a lot of the patterns seem to overlap the most."
Jin raised an eyebrow. "So yer just gonna ignore this one here, then?"
Mana frowned. "Most of the chills came from this area. Shouldn't we focus on that?"
The wind master chuckled. "See, Mana, that's were yer still just an amateur, isn't it?" The girl gaped. "Part of readin' the wind comes from figurin' out not just wot it's givin' ya, but wot it's not. We go out for almost a week and get just a handful of hits when the wind's blowin' one way, right? But the one day it shifts, we get one there, too. If ya ask me, the next area we look at ought to be about here," he tapped at the map, to the east of the stray point, "'cause it could just be that this is where he is when he's not out lookin' for me. It coulda been that if we'd been seein' the breeze from the east we'd have a lot more little dots on this paper, wouldn't we?"
Mana felt her face flush. "I didn't think of it that way."
"Well, as I said, yer still learnin'. Give it time and ya should get really good, so says I." Jin sat back. "Sometimes ya can't just look at the patterns. Wot's important is wot breaks the patterns."
"Okay..." Mana sighed. "I'm hanging with out with the twins tomorrow evening. We can have a look around beforehand, and then spend Sunday searching a bit more thoroughly. Does that sound okay?"
"That sounds fine to me." The apparition reached over and ruffled her bangs; Mana gave him the flattest look she could.
"Why do you do that to me?" Jin just smiled without answering. Mana sighed to herself. "You're a very difficult person to deal with sometimes."
"Hey, now, that's not a nice thing to say." The demon actually pouted at her. "Why you gotta go and say such mean things to a guy, Mana? I'm only bein' friendly to ya."
That's what I mean, the girl thought to herself silently. Every day he was closer to going home. What was the point of being friendly any more? She stood up. "Do me a favor. Don't."
The moment she said it, she regretted it. Jin went from looking pouty to looking hurt. Mana cringed inwardly, but before she could try to apologize Jin spoke. "Ya really think ya meant that, don't ya?"
"I..." His expression had changed again, from that brief moment of hurt to a sort of sad curiosity. Mana swallowed, nervous about the way those blue eyes looked straight into her own so easily. She couldn't stand it; she turned away. "I don't even know any more."
There was a soft sigh behind her. "I don't think ya do." There was a gentle pressure on her head; Jin had rested one hand on her head, but wasn't mussing her hair this time. "Yer a good girl, Mana."
She pulled away. "I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean that..."
"Didn't think ya did." The hand that had been on her head patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Yer gonna get used to me, by and by."
The blonde nodded numbly. "I need to go soak now." She didn't give the demon boy time to answer as she headed into the bathroom. Turning on the water in the tub, she adjusted the heat and applied a liberal amount of scented bubble bath to the swirling waters. She just needed to relax. Music. Music would be very good right now. Frowning thoughtfully, she headed to her room while the tub filled. She needed her robe, her pajamas, and her stereo. Music and a nice long bath... that sounded like a good idea...
She spent probably close to an hour in the tub, singing to herself and trying to relax. It worked; by the time she toweled off and put her pajamas on, she actually felt a lot better. She opened the door to head for her own room… and yelped as Jin fell backwards right at her feet. The demon blinked up at her. "Oh... ello, there, must've dozed off..."
"What were you doing?!" Mana looked around, hoping to find something she could throw. Jin sat up, stretching, and turned to face her.
"I was listenin' to ya sing." The apparition gave her an almost vacant smile. "Ya haven't been singin' so much in the past few days. I kinda missed hearin' it from ya." Mana felt her face flaring red as Jin pushed himself up off the floor. "Ya gonna head to yer room now?"
"Yeah..." She brushed passed him quickly. "Good night."
"G'night." Jin stood watching her. She glanced towards him; he looked amused. "Sleep tight, then, and have good dreams. We'll have a good day tomorrow, so says I."
Right... Mana sighed. He was too cheerful. She pushed her door open. "Am I ever even going to see you again once you've found Touya?"
Jin stared at her for a moment before his expression inexplicably brightened. "Is that wot's got ya so moody, then?"
"No!" Mana flinched. That was not what she needed him to think... "It has nothing to do with that, I was just wondering!"
Jin laughed quietly. "Yer funny, Mana. Of course I'll be back to see ya."
"Of course." The blonde sighed softly. "I'll see you tomorrow." He was still smiling when she pushed the door shut behind her. Mana flopped onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Jin could be so annoying sometimes.
Climbing into her bed and relaxing on her side, her last thought before she fell asleep was that she almost hoped he would keep his word...
Waiting for Mana was boring.
Jin sighed, sitting on the edge of the roof and watching the ground below. Wasn't today supposed to be her short day at school? Maybe it was the fact that he was bored out of his skull that was making it seem so long... He sighed, dangling his legs off the edge. He was done with the books. The television, once he'd gotten the thing turned on, was only moderately amusing. That and it was indoors, and he didn't want to be indoors. He wanted to be out exploring...
Finally, finally there was that little hint of a breeze. Jin perked, his eyes on the end of the alley as the girl came into view. Finally, he could get away from this apartment! He jumped down onto the balcony as she headed up the fire escape, leaning over the wall to greet her. "Ello Mana!" The girl looked up, waving vaguely. She didn't seem cross today, that was always good. "Lemme guess, ya gotta get dressed and then we'll go."
Mana nodded. "I'm supposed to meet the twins for karaoke at about five, so we have until then to search."
"Can I come to karaoke with ya?" Jin did his best to look hopeful. Mana stared at him doubtfully. "Please?"
The girl chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "I don't know."
He sat, looking up at her with the best expression of wide-eyed innocence he could muster. "Please?" he pleaded again, drawing out the 'e' this time. Mana stared.
"Fine," the girl muttered, and then louder, "fine, just stop looking at me like that!"
Jin beamed. "I'll see ya when yer ready, then!" Mana stared at him blankly for a moment before heading inside. The wind master settled to sit on the railing, waiting and wondering when the healer was going to notice that he'd stolen one of her father's button-up shirts. It was a little tight around the arms, but he'd already worn all of the shirts she'd gotten him twice and he didn't know how to use the washer. He hoped she wouldn't mind. He really hoped she wouldn't mind...
Now that was a bright outfit. Jin tilted his head as Mana came out onto the balcony. Her off-the-shoulder shirt had a blaze of gold musical notes on it while her purple skirt had a deep gold band around the bottom. Everything the girl was wearing was completely coordinated, right down to her purple and gold socks and tennis shoes. The demon blinked. Did she look older? She did; the way her hair was pulled back and the hints of lipstick and eye color had added a year or two to her apparent age. He didn't have long to muse over that before she tossed his hat at him. "You left this inside again."
"Didn't need it up on the roof." Jin stepped back so she could make her way over to the stairs, adjusting the cap on his head. Well, he might as well take the fast way down.
Mana jumped across, looking back at him once she reached the escape. "Do me a favor. Don't-" Jin already had one hand on the railing. "Don't do that!"
The redhead blinked. "Don't do wot?"
"Don't jump. It'd be kind of hard to explain if anyone noticed." Mana started down the stairs. Jin stared, shrugged, and followed after her. "I mean, humans can't exactly fall four stories and land on their feet, you know? It's a dead give-away that there's something weird about you."
"Right..." Jin turned and followed her down the fire escape instead. It amused him how she always made it a point to go from the top floor down ahead of him and from the ground up behind him. At least she gained something from wearing all those skirts, even if it was just a healthy sense of paranoia. "So wot are ya plannin', then?"
Mana shrugged lightly before she dropped down from the bottom of the ladder. "We search. I have the map in my bag, so we'll try the area you suggested and see what we get." Jin nodded, jumping over the edge of the escape and dropping the last level. The healer sighed. "Must you do that?"
"That wasn't so bad a jump. Besides, wasn't anyone around to notice me."
"That's not the point." Mana headed off towards the end of the alley. "Like I said before, I do have to live here."
"Right, right." Jin fell into step next to the girl, observing things like street signs and the like as they walked. "Ya wouldn't happen to be hungry, would ya?"
The healer visibly rolled her eyes. "Are you?"
"Mebe just a little bit." Jin grinned sheepishly. "Ya got home afore I could get myself some lunch."
"And of course you couldn't do that while I was getting ready." The girl reached over, lightly striking him in the arm. "You're a pain sometimes."
"So can we get somethin' to eat?" Jin couldn't help a small grin as Mana struck his arm again. "Come on, we might as well enjoy bein' out, right?"
"Oh, fine." Mana shifted the handbag on her shoulder. "I know a noodle cart that's pretty good, will that do?"
"Sounds like fun." Jin poked her lightly, testing her energy. "Cause if I'm right, yer probably a bit hungry yerself."
"Not really," the blonde muttered... but, Jin noted twenty minutes or so later, that didn't stop her from ordering a second bowl of noodles. She looked up irritably as he chuckled. "What?"
"Told ya that ya were hungry." He jabbed her with a chopstick, watching in amusement as she jumped and squeaked. "See, ya can't think on an empty stomach, so says I. It just don't work." Whatever it was that Mana mumbled, he couldn't understand it around her mouthful of noodles. He chuckled to himself; at least the girl was comfortable enough around him to feel more comfortable eating without being all prim and proper now. It made him feel a little less guilty. It also made him feel more comfortable ordering a second bowl for himself. "This is pretty good stuff."
"I told you it was." Mana stood up. "Are you done?"
Jin shoved the last of the noodles into his mouth. "Am now." The blonde wrinkled her nose. He raised an eyebrow, but she didn't try to scold. "Come on. We've got a bit of walking to do now."
They didn't find much; just enough of a chill to suggest that Touya was definitely still in town. Finally, Mana sighed. Jin glanced down. "Wot's wrong?"
"I need to get to the café now. It's almost time to meet the twins."
"M'kay, then." Jin watched as the girl started back the way they came. "So yer actually gonna sing in public, then?"
There was a blush as he started to follow her. "That's kind of the idea."
"Do ya do that a lot?" He reached, intending to poke her lightly, but the way her cheeks darkened made him draw back his hand. "Well, do ya?"
"Only when there are contests at the café. Otherwise we rent a private room." Mana shifted slightly, quickening her pace. She seemed to be getting embarrassed. Jin tilted his head.
"Do ya ever win?"
"I got to third place once." The redhead frowned; something was distinctly bothering her now. He chanced a glance around as Mana swore softly under her breath. The wind master felt his own eyes go wide.
"Ey, now, wot was that for?"
"Keep your voice down," Mana hissed. "I want to get by here without attracting attention." The girl fell two steps back suddenly, walking very close to his arm. Jin stared down at her for a moment before chancing a glance around. Ah. There was a group of girls gathered around a shop window, wearing the same uniform he saw on Mana every day. Mana was trying to place him between her and them. Slightly curious, he tucked an arm around the girl's shoulder in an attempt to cover just a bit of her golden hair. She glanced up at him, but didn't say a word until they'd gotten around the corner and he'd let her go. "Thanks..."
"Ya got problems with one of them?" He watched as Mana needlessly brushed herself off, letting her compose herself. "They go to yer school, right?"
"Yeah..." The girl flipped her hair back. "Yuki's the ring leader. She was the one with the pink scarf on." Jin nodded; he vaguely recalled seeing that on one of them. "Her father works for a large corporation. She's used to getting whatever she wants. She thinks she's the queen of the whole school."
"And she doesn't like ya?"
"Not at all." Mana's expression was grim... and yet, as he looked at her eyes, slightly smug, as well. "My father is in line for her father's job."
Jin nodded. "So yer a threat to her."
"I'm already a threat." Mana stretched. "With our fathers in the business world, we're both probably going to be applying at the same high schools, and my test scores are better. I stand a better chance than she does at getting accepted." One corner of the girl's mouth curved upwards. "It's been like that since grade school. It's common knowledge that Yuki doesn't study well. She expects everything to be handed to her."
Jin tilted his head. "So she's jealous of ya, eh?"
"No, not her. She just hates me." Mana shrugged lightly. "Yuki's too selfish to be jealous. She just wants what everyone else has."
"I think that's how the word is defined." The wind master gave the girl a light poke. "Don't go takin' my word for it, though. Never been a big one on readin' the dictionary."
The reward was worth the stab to his own intellect; Mana actually smiled. And then, in one brief instead, the smile became frozen on her face at a curious voice from behind them. "Koyama?"
He saw Mana's shoulders bristle only slightly... but he definitely felt the air around her tense up. It practically chilled as she turned around. "Wakahisa. Good afternoon."
The girl in the pink scarf was standing there, with three other girls standing behind her. Wakahisa must have been this Yuki girl's family name, he decided. The girl was looking Mana over critically. "Koyama, you look pale. They say you passed out in class last week. Have you been eating okay?" There was an edge of venom to the girl's voice, buried under a rather frightening sugary sweetness. This wasn't polite concern. This was an attack.
Mana shifted next to him, resting her weight on one leg in a stance that wasn't quite provoking... but it wasn't too friendly, either. "I'm doing much better now, thank you. How about you, Wakahisa? I heard you'd been having some problems with your uniforms fitting. A faulty washer, no doubt?"
One of the girls standing behind the pink-wrapped ringleader inhaled so sharply that for a moment Jin thought it was a hiss. Yuki's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, but then she held her chin just a little bit higher. "Well, you know how it goes. Appliances don't last forever."
"Of course not." Mana wasn't smiling any more, neither girl was. Actually, Jin wasn't sure what to think of their expressions right now... other than the fact that they were starting to scare him. Human females. Totally different species... "Still, it must be a bother having to order a new uniform. I see what they were talking about; that does look a little snug."
Yuki cast an appraising eye over Mana's outfit, barely concealing a wicked glare before her eyes almost lit up. "Your hair looks so tattered. You really should let me give you the name of a good stylist. It would be a shame to let it get any worse." He felt Mana inhale rather abruptly herself, but it didn't make nearly enough noise to alert the four girls. "Now, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"
That got a rise. Not the kind that any of these girls could sense, no, but Jin felt the wind around Mana virtually sharpen. And then Yuki actually looked up at him, and for the life of him, Jin couldn't figure out what kind of reaction that was. The girl's eyes went wide. Mana, on the other hand, seemed to be gritting her teeth. "This is Jin. We were actually just headed somewhere, and are rather pressed for time. If you don't mind, we need to be going now."
Yuki nodded slowly; Jin was starting to feel uncomfortable with the way she was staring. Was he supposed to be saying something? "Em... 'ello, there."
Why the hell was the girl blushing now? "Hello..." the black-haired schoolgirl practically mumbled, her confidence apparently shot. "Right... we'll see you in school, Koyama..."
The small group of girls actually turned away before Mana did, following their leader back around the corner they'd come from. Whatever had just happened, Jin was pretty sure the little healer had won. "Was that normal?"
"The first part, yes..." Mana was staring after the group, confusion evident in her expression. "That... I've never seen that before. I have no idea what that was."
"Somehow, I don't be thinkin' I want to know." Jin turned. "So, where's this café, anyway?"
"Right here." Mana pointed. "I didn't want to go in with them around, though. I don't need them knowing where I hang out."
"Right..." Jin shook his head, sighing to himself. That had honestly been more intense than most to-the-death battles he had ever seen. Human girls... who could figure them out...
His convictions weren't helped at all by heading into the café, either, not when he saw who was waiting. For once he thought he could tell the twins apart; the one in the pink skirt and heart-riddled blouse had to be Hachiko, because the one in the baggy jeans, loose t-shirt, and prominent scowl could only be Sachi. "You guys are late."
"We ran into trouble. Are the sign-ups done yet?"
"No, but someone's already signed up for your song." Hachi shook a finger at Mana. "You always make us wait, and now look what you get."
The blonde sighed. "It wasn't my fault. We ran into Yuki. I had to wait until she was gone to come inside."
One twin winced, the other hissed. "Yeah, that would do it." Hachi gave Mana a sympathetic pat on the arm. "Go sign up, before all the good songs are taken."
Jin waited as the girl ran towards the counter, writing something down on a clipboard and chatting easily with the young woman behind the counter before heading back over. The four found a booth against a wall, away from the front windows, and Jin sat mildly bored as the three girls chatted. In fact, he'd started to zone out just a little bit before he realized that Mana was looking up at him expectantly. "Em... wot?"
Lavender eyes rolled. "I said, do you want a snack? It's rude to sit here without ordering anything."
"Em... sure. Wot's good?" Immediately all three girls piped in with different recommendations. The apparition tilted his head, unable to quite understand any of them. "How about ya just get me wotever seems like it'd taste good, then?" Mana stared at him blankly before shrugging. "I'm not picky. Ya know that already."
"Yeah, I guess so." The girl stood up and moved away, Sachi accompanying her to the counter. Hachiko looked across the table at him with a bright smile. Jin gulped. He already knew that look.
"So, any luck today?"
"Mebe a bit of it." Jin shifted. "We found a new area to search, and I think it's about right for what we're lookin' for."
Hachiko nodded cheerfully. "Mana looks a bit paler today. Try to keep her from using so much energy, okay?"
"Right..." Jin sighed. "Can I ask ya a question?"
"Sure. See, you just did." Great, happy twin was in a playful mood today. "Seriously, though, what do you need to know this time?"
"Are ya always so direct like this, or is that just with me?"
The raven-headed girl stared at him for a moment before she started to laugh. Jin blinked, but Hachi waved a hand at him before he could question her. "Sorry... sorry... it's just that I've probably been talking to you the same way I talk to my younger siblings and didn't realize it. I'm used to having to say things as clearly as I can so there's no question about what they're supposed to be doing."
Oh, that was very comforting. "Yer a strange person." That only seemed to make the girl laugh harder; Jin found himself grinning in spite of himself. "I've got a friend ya need to meet, I do. I bet ya could knock his ego down a peg or two."
"Oh, that's always fun." Hachi beamed. "I'm an expert at smacking egos. You should see my older brother, then you'd understand why."
Jin chuckled as Mana and Sachiko returned with the snacks. The girls chatted while they ate; the apparition found himself too wrapped up in the food to talk. The little cake Mana had gotten him was fruity and sweet... and the brownie she'd gotten herself was pretty good, too, once he'd managed to steal a piece. She'd glared at him, but at least she didn't hit. Honestly, he was kind of starting to like this café place. There were lots of interesting things to see and hear, and the food was pretty good. And then the singing started. The first two people who went up to the microphone were pretty good, but the third...
Sachiko stared up at the stage, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Who the hell told that boy he could sing?"
There was a sudden burst of laughter from the next table; a girl with vivid purple streaks in her hair actually stuck her head over the back of the booth. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Next to him, Mana cringed, and Jin thought he heard her mutter the words 'college girls' under her breath. Sachi just rolled her eyes.
"I said, who told that boy he could sing? He sounds like a dying frog."
The girl hooted as the rest of her table laughed. "Thank you! That's what we keep telling her, but she won't listen! She's a music major, and she swears that she's better than any of us because she has perfect pitch. We've been trying to convince her that perfect pitch does not mean perfect voice, but no luck so far."
"Sit down," came a sassy voice from the college girl's side of the booth, "it's not like you can sing, either!"
The girl turned away from them, settling back into her seat, and Jin could hear her saying to her table "But I sing better than her." He looked over at Mana; Mana was staring at Sachi warily. He followed her gaze as the black-haired girl turned and sat up on her knees in her seat, peeking over into the next booth. Even he wasn't sure he was stupid enough to say what she said next.
"You're telling me that's a girl?"
The only answer she got was hysterical laughter.
Hachi kept a firm hold on her twin's arm when the third singer came back to her booth, and didn't let go again until it was Sachi's turn to go. The girl strode up to the microphone, sticking her tongue out cheekily as she went. Mana sighed lightly. "Here we go." Jin blinked; Mana looked up at him with an almost-smile. "Sachi's a grouch, but she likes being in the spotlight. She hams it up."
"Ah..." Jin blinked, turning to watch the girl as the music started, and raised an eyebrow. The first part of the song was in English, bold and abrasive like the twin herself, although it switched back to Japanese quickly enough. The apparition tilted his head at the lyrics. Sceneries being blown away seem to whirl in front of me. Even if I'm desperate I won't overlook my target again. It was a very bold song. Hachi rolled her eyes.
"She always sings songs that are supposed to be sung by men..."
"Nothin' wrong with that." Jin sat back as Hachi stood herself. "Yer up next?"
"Yeah, we always go one after the other. It's kind of fun watching people do double-takes." The girl was smiling. "One of these days we'll do a duet, then maybe we'll actually place."
The twins slapped hands as they passed each other at the microphone. Jin watched, amused, as several people openly stared. "They like doin' stuff like this, don't they?"
"Sachi is more into the performance aspect than Hachi is." Mana fiddled with her soda pop, twirling the straw in the glass. "I could do without the contests, myself, but they really enjoy them."
"But yer still gonna sing, right?" Jin tilted his head; Hachi's love song was sweet and low compared to her sister's attitude of get out there and fight. No one can write the dealings of a fairy-tale, the alchemy of love. It was bittersweet stuff for a kid to sing. He wondered if they deliberately juxtaposed each other like that; looking at the brash, challenging girl in the boyish outfit and then seeing the crooning sweetheart all pretty in pink had to play with more than a few heads. Next to him, Mana was nodding softly.
"They don't give me a choice."
"Darn straight we don't." Sachi slid into the booth across from them. "Mana's the better singer out of the three of us. She doesn't get to get off easy."
Next to him, the blonde flushed slightly and sipped her soda. Jin chuckled lightly. Mana certainly didn't seem like the type of girl who enjoyed getting up in front of a crowd. He was interested in seeing just how that worked.
A few minutes later, Hachiko settled into her seat next to them. "Mana, you're up in four rounds." The girl's nose was wrinkled slightly; she looked exactly like her twin had shortly before. "Oh, and whatever you do don't look at the booth nearest the door."
Mana groaned. "She's not."
Hachi nodded, grabbing her twin by the arm before she could get up to look. "Look at it this way. It's just one more thing you do better than she does."
"Right..." Mana looked utterly miserable. Jin reached over, prodding her lightly. She sighed. "What?"
"Lookit it this way." He gave her a cheerful smile. "After yer run-in earlier, she'll probably leave ya alone."
"True." But Mana continued to sulk, right until her turn came. Jin watched, amused, as Sachiko threatened to drag her onto the stage herself. Still, she did get up, and she did sing. The lyrics made him almost feel sad as he listened to it; it was a song about wandering through life and trying to find a reason to live. He tilted his head as she finished and headed back to her seat; she was consciously not looking towards the door as she plunked down next to him. "Never again."
"Ya did fine," Jin assured her, ruffling her hair. The girl sighed, ducking away from his hand. He chuckled. She was getting predictable.
They stuck around for a while after the contest ended... none of the three placed... until they could leave without having to deal with 'the group by the door.' Jin found he actually enjoyed walking along behind the three girls, listening to them banter and tease each other as he looked around. The human world was a nice place, practically an easygoing one compared to the Makai. At times it almost reminded him of a more pleasant version of Gandara, but the buildings here looked a lot less hostile. He rather liked it.
At one point he thought he felt a chill on the air. Looking around, he made mental note of a couple of street signs and kept walking. Mana could add it to her map later. He was in no real hurry.
Mana stared out the glass door in her room, teacup in her hands, and wondered how she'd managed to get her pajama bottoms on the night before without getting her skirt off first. Sighing, she turned to rummage around in her drawers, finally settling on a brown skirt and a dusty red shirt. Scowling at the mirror- she'd gone to bed without brushing her hair again- she grabbed a pink undershirt to throw on under the t-shirt. There. That looked sufficient. Mana studied her reflection in the mirror critically. Cute and unassuming, that was how she was supposed to look. Nothing strange or unusual here. Not at all...
Jin was already up in the next room. "Mornin', Mana!"
"Good morning." Carrying the teacup over to the sink in the kitchen, she glanced back as the demon snickered lightly. "Something funny?"
"Nope." Jin looked cheerful. "Wot's for breakfast, then?"
She groaned lightly. He would bring up cooking. "Are scrambled eggs okay? I want to get an early start on the search."
Jin nodded, flopping onto the couch. "Ya know where we're headed today?" She mumbled a small 'yeah' in reply. He'd given her a new point the night before, one that seemed to go along with the previous stray. Focusing on her kitchen work, she did her best to tune the redhead out when he came over to watch what she was doing. It worked until she backed up right into him, sloshing raw egg all over her hands and the floor as a result. The blonde squealed; the apparition backed up so fast he almost tripped over his own feet. "Sorry! I'm sorry! 'At was an accident!"
Ugh. "Jin, you idiot..." Mana set the bowl down, hurrying over to the sink to rinse her hands off. "Gross..." Jin peeked over her shoulder, concerned. Mana went for the spoon. "Back! Out of the kitchen, now!"
"Ahright, ahright, no need to be hittin' anyone!" Jin cringed away from her, his hands up over his head, and managed to trip himself up right at the edge of the counter. The wind apparition yelped, reaching for anything to keep himself standing, his fingers hooking one of the drawers as he went down... and pulling it out completely. There was a startled yelp and an ear-splitting amount of clatter as her entire collection of forks, butter knives, and spoons slid clean out of their settings and onto his head, the drawer itself following afterwards with a dull thudding sound. Mana stared, her raised hand dropping to her side, as Jin sat in the middle of the mess of silverware, holding his head. He looked... pathetic. She felt herself shake lightly. His expression was absolutely comical...
Jin peeked up at her from behind his arms, blinking in a confused sort of way. Mana raised one hand to her mouth; he looked like a little child right then, scolded and told to go sit in the corner. Whining softly, his big blue eyes found hers- just like a child!- and he muttered one small, pitiful "Ow..."
The dam that had held fast for six long years burst. The wooden spoon slipped from her fingers, falling to the floor as Mana Koyama laughed until tears streamed down her face.
