The Messiness of Life
By Victoria G.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story.
Fandom: A mix of Mai HiME and Mai Otome characters, AU
Rating: M. I suppose that I should warn this story contains various adult themes.
Narrative #10: A Dinner with Friends
Date: November 9th, 2013… a Saturday
"I haven't seen much of you lately. I was beginning to wonder if your feelings were waning." He said quietly, handing me a tea I recognized as being from a shop downtown I very much enjoyed. I climbed into the car and he shut the door behind me, returning to the driver's side.
"Ara, ara. Reito still feels insecure, even after all these years?" I answered with a small smile.
He laughed, a soothing chuckle as he clicked his seatbelt into place. "How foolish of me. Perhaps the challenges of your new title are starting to become tiresome? Not that I doubt your ability to handle whatever comes. However…should you need any assistance…"
"I do appreciate that." I honestly did.
"I have not seen both you and Haruka together either." Lifting the cup again to his lips, he glanced at me again.
"We've had differing schedules."
"Working with friends sometimes becomes exhausting."
"Are you tiring of my company?"
"Ah." He lifted a finger. "You know such a thing would be impossible. Should I be more direct?"
I smoothed out my dress with a sigh. "Haruka and I are not fighting." It was not an outright lie… fighting required communication of some kind, which I was happily avoiding until the nibbling anger I felt at seeing her faded. I pulled my jacket a little tighter around me, sinking into my scarf. It was getting quite chilly outside.
"I see. You're simply relocating her accidentally or did you not take over writing the case schedule from your chief resident?" He reached over, turning the heat up.
I was quite surprised. "Kanzaki-sensei is paying very close attention."
He gave me an admonishing look. "There is hardly a need with Armitage."
"If Haruka has a problem with the schedule, she is more than welcome to speak with me," I commented, successfully keeping my tone neutral.
His dark eyes caught mine. "I would not presume to speak for her, you should know that Shizuru." There was only gentleness in his stare and I could see the question inside it.
I softened my expression. "You needn't be concerned."
"She's been acting a bit strangely lately."
"Has she?"
"Yes… disappearing periodically and even, dare I say more irritable than usual."
I said nothing in response, merely looked at him with an expression of mild interest. Nina-han had asked about her, seemed concerned when last I saw her, but I had thought nothing of it. Of all the residents, the rather serious dark-haired woman got on with Haruka the best. I, myself, found Nina-han difficult to converse with as she barely spoke, nearly never smiled, and was seldom responsive to humor… but personality aside I could find no fault in her work. She was significantly more pleasant to deal with than her father in any case, who was the chief of my department.
A smirk wound its way across his lips. "Someone did ask after you, though it was not our blonde friend." I felt my heart speeding a bit and I was afraid to ask… the turn of his lips was clue enough. My avoidance of Haruka meant that being down in the OR required a bit of stealth... since our lunch, Natsuki and I had only seen one another in the lobby on Tuesday, when her sister brought us together.
"Ookini Reito… for coming tonight."
"No thanks are necessary. It's my pleasure."
If that were the case, then I would try to be better company. I looked over at him noticing the small, neatly trimmed beard he'd been working at and the outfit he was wearing. Something was most definitely going well for him. "This is a new sweater. Reito looks quite handsome in it, perhaps we should pick up a pastry or two from Mai-han's on the way…"
"That would be rather pointless." I turned my head to look at him, seeing a rather peaceful looking smile on his face. Interesting.
"Would it? Why is that?"
"Mai-san had to close early today… a previous engagement."
"How unfortunate." I smiled to myself. "There is nothing you wish to tell me?"
He sent me another smile that was truer than most we shared. "I think you've already deduced what it is I would say." I wondered how long they'd been seeing one another… if he hadn't told me because we'd not seen one another, or because it was very new. Either way, I was quite pleased with the news, he deserved a bit of happiness. "Is it just Chie-san and Aoi-san this evening?"
"And Midori-han and Yohko, which leads me to suspect there will be a significant amount of drinking as well."
"Of course. Keiko-chan will not be there?"
"I believe Chie's mother is watching her tonight anyway. And I was not the only one she was fond of… perhaps Keiko-chan has even forgotten about me, it has been awhile." I would need to see her soon.
"You are not an easy one to forgot." I smiled at him for the compliment, however unnecessary it was. There were times when we were together that I wished I could fall in love with him. Odd that I would consider such a thing now… but it would make my life so much simpler and as of late, my life did seem to be actively gathering complexities. I imagined were we together, Reito and I would be married by now, perhaps with children. Surely all my sins would have been forgiven if I married a charming Japanese surgeon. The depth of his voice, the width of his arms, and the shape of him altogether dashed such a possibility. That aside, I couldn't imagine what madness my mother would dream up to explain the disappearance of my original husband and upcoming child... not that it mattered now.
I felt a touch of guilt for asking him to come, for the fact that he seemed constantly surrounded by women. Likely that was not something he minded, but I wondered if he did not feel the need for some male bonding ever.
"I'm beginning to grow concerned with the friends Reito keeps," I commented lightly, to change the subject.
"I imagine there is one particularly troubling individual." He glanced at me and I raised an eyebrow at him in amusement.
"Should you not be out, 'running with the boys?' as they say?"
"I can find no fault in spending an evening with beautiful women."
I smiled. "Even with more than half of those women likelier to fall into each other's arms?"
"I would be hard pressed to complain about that." I laughed softly which drew a similar reaction from him. I could not reprimand for such a comment when I myself agreed.
We were welcomed into their cozy home with the same open arms we always had been. Midori-han and Yohko had already opened a bottle of wine before we arrived, but it seemed as though they were both sipping. The redheaded woman was wearing some sort of visor and shuffling a deck of cards. I was mildly concerned.
"I hope you came prepared Kanzaki, no kids tonight. There's a 2000 Yen in for the 'Let's See Who Has the Ultimate Pokerface, Ultimate Poker Showdown'." She commented. We both smiled at her, but there was a touch of confusion on our faces. I had played the game once or twice, but never with any seriousness.
"I was under the impression this was a dinner party Chie-san?" Reito said, voice full of mirth as he helped me out of my jacket.
She smirked. "It was going to be."
"It is going to be. I didn't cook all of this to have my kitchen table covered in plastic circles and playing cards." Aoi commented with a slight pout, looking adorable in an apron.
"Okay, dinner first!" The redhead had the good sense to remove her silly hat and start cleaning up. Everything was quite delicious, the conversation was light, Chie sharing this and that from her seemingly endless pool of gossip.
"So I hear your new fellow is a handful…"
"She is quite capable. That is more important." He answered diplomatically.
"I don't get what all the fuss over her is about anyway. She doesn't want to be friends with everyone… so what? I don't either." Yohko threw in. It was not unexpected for her to feel that way. The brunette nurse was one of the fairest and least judgmental people I knew. She liked most everyone the same amount… well enough… with the exception of friends (among whom I was happy to be counted).
"It's just that you are a little more…"
She gave him a look of dangerous amusement. Hazel eyes twinkled as they bounced between her friend and Reito, eagerly awaiting his answer.
"Affable." He settled on.
"God, what a boring word. I'm tame, you mean?" Reito grinned at her correction and I saw something of a laugh in the purple eyes of the woman across from me.
"Tamer than Kuga-han yes, but I would not say that you are tame." My comment drew a few laughs and Yohko gave me an entertained look as she sat back in her chair.
"Okay Shizuru, what would you say?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.
I paused as if deep in thought. There were too many adjectives that came to mind. "I couldn't begin to describe Yohko... I'm afraid I wouldn't do her justice." I gave her a smile and she flicked her hand at me.
"Don't worry Shizuru-san, she probably won't bite, she's half-tame." Midori-han said through a laugh and I smiled. What a motley little group we made.
"That would also mean she's half-wild." Reito chimed in.
"So Yohko's pretty much housecat." The redhead was beside herself at Chie's description and I had to admit it was amusing. The woman in question did not seem overly impressed by it, though she took it in stride… as was wont to do with nearly everything. "But this Kuga-san is what… feral?" The black-haired woman asked.
A puppy in need of taming my mind corrected. I felt a tiny bit of heat on my neck as the image of Natsuki's beautiful eyes came to my mind. My colleagues were not helping the situation with their twitching lips and sideways glances. I took another drink from my glass.
"What is that face they're making Shizuru?" Chie said laughing.
"Perhaps they've had too much wine." I gave Reito a warning look, which seemed to only widen his smile.
The nurse stared at me from across the table. "You are not getting out of this one."
"Honestly, you two. Yes, I like Natsuki, I suppose I find her… interesting." I said as if it were a curiosity that they were pushing the subject.
"Natsuki? Hmm." She rehashed. "I didn't mean to interrupt...you were saying you're interested in this woman… "
I gazed at her, smiling. "Chie is turning my words around on me."
She smirked. "Just interpreting as I go."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute… are you a lesbian too Shizuru-san?" Midori-han asked. The nurse beside her nearly spit up her wine. Chie and Aoi stared at her and then at one another. My eyes widened a bit and I blinked against my surprise. It may have been the first time someone actually said the word out loud to me. It was both true and unfamiliar to my ears. "But I thought you and Reito-san were at least…" She made some sort of bizarre gesture with her hand that I guessed was intended to represent intercourse. I felt my head tilt and it was his turn to choke on the shock of it.
"Come now Reito, is it truly such an unappealing a thought?" I joked quietly, patting his cheek. He tapped his chest lightly, eyeing me as though he no longer recognized me, his ears pink for the first time since we'd known each other.
"Oh! I get it!" An epiphany as the woman stared at the two of us, "He's a lesbro!"
I felt myself blinking as my mind swam around the term. Lesbro? It sounded like an English word, but I had no idea as to its meaning.
"Hmm?"
"Lesbro?" Aoi repeated, as perplexed as I was.
"Lesbian plus brother, it's a guy who's friends with a bunch of lesbians. A lesbro." Midori-han defended, her eyes jumping around in search of affirmation, her face clearly stating that she knew about this sort of thing, that she could participate in a discussion on such topics.
I glanced over at my now recovered dining companion, his expression indicating he was considering her pronouncement. Kanzaki Reito… a lesbro… it was outlandish enough to be true. He was spending his Saturday rather uniquely.
"Alright, so what's a straight woman who's friends with a bunch of lesbians?" Chie asked, smirking.
"Outnumbered!" Midori-han answered with a grin, nudging Yohko. The nurse responded with a rather humorous expression that went unnoticed by her companion. I suppose that meant the redhead was completely unaware that her good friend had shared my bed on more than one occasion. It was a fascinating answer with quite a few possible interpretations, though the fact that she was joking about it this openly surprised me. I kept that to myself.
A change in subject was in order. "Aoi, please tell us how your classes are this year." The brunette spoke briefly of her own trials at the private high school where she taught art to 'gifted' teenagers who, from the sounds of it, took the subject rather seriously.
"There is one girl that stands out." She said thoughtfully.
"Is there?" Mischievous eyes danced above thin-framed glasses.
She turned toward the source of the comment, tapping the woman's arm reproachfully. "She's very talented. I gave them a semester-long assignment… they have to create their own world in whatever medium they choose. She draws these anime characters. I mean she's given them back-stories and everything. Her style is just so interesting. I think she could actually make it if she wanted to. "
It reminded me of the situation with Natsuki's sister… it was actually possible it was Natsuki's sister. "She doesn't want to?" Reito asked.
"I honestly think she has no idea how good she is."
"Is there any money in that, though?" Yohko interjected sensibly.
"It's not about money. It's about passion and following your heart! If she has a talent she should follow her dream!" Midori-han announced excitedly, strands of orange-red bouncing wildly.
"Is that what you did? Chased your dream all the way to Fuuka University, Adjunct Professor Sasaki?" The brunette nurse said, a smirk on her face as she took another bite of her dinner, eying her friend. "Or was it something else you were chasing?" She was no doubt referring to the much older professor of Paleontology Midori-han had married after what I understood to be a rather long engagement due to the travel involved in his work. They had two sons, the younger of whom was roughly Keiko's age. They both had inherited her red hair and mischievous brand of exuberance. Upon meeting me, they'd taken turns imparting more information concerning dinosaurs than I ever intended to learn. Every so often, at the most random and unpredictable moments, the word Allosaurus still floated across my mind, said with her older son's subtle lisp.
"That's not the point." Yohko laughed lightly at her friend's petulant response.
"Have you talked with her about the possibility?" I asked, interested.
"She's very shy about it, but I tried."
"Well, what did she say?" Midori-han asked.
"She didn't say much. I think it embarrassed her more than anything, but she showed me a few more drawings. Still, you don't see that kind of skill too much. She gave me one actually… she was so cute about it, she left it on my desk with a note, while I was at lunch."
"She gave you one?" Chie asked, the most unusual little smile coming over her lips.
Aoi flushed lightly. "You make it sound so inappropriate." The woman in question grinned.
"Let's see it!" Midori-han said. I sensed her reluctance.
"Perhaps after your, what was it? 'Let's see who has the Ultimate Pokerface, Ultimate Poker Showdown'?" I suggested.
"How did you remember all that?" The nurse commented, pouring herself another glass of wine.
It wasn't long before the visor was back on and the lights were theatrically dimmed. I watched in surprised amusement as what could only be described as a dramatic monologue began. "Welcome to the first of what could be an annual competition of skill in the art of bluffing, betting, and strategy. 2000 Yen buys your way in, but will help you no further as the stakes rise higher and higher, until only one, the best, stands to be crowned the winner of the 'Let's see who has the Ultimate Pokerface, Ultimate Poker Showdown'."
"I'm out," Yohko said as soon as the speech ended, grabbing the whole bottle of wine, her glass and tossing herself in an armchair. I suppose that was one way to end this.
"Yeah me too. Sorry, Midori." Aoi agreed, pulling her lover over to the couch. They soon settled against each other.
Her face was rather comical as we all slowly drifted into the living room. I beginning to feel slightly tipsy and so had stopped drinking. It had been said before that it was impossible to tell when I was drunk, even though I felt the effects of alcohol almost immediately. Reito was sober…as always, he had stopped after one drink.
"You never did say what interests you about that fellow." Chie reminded, her head resting back on Aoi's shoulder.
"That is true." I folded my hands in my lap after taking a seat on the floor, tucking my feet beneath me. It was difficult in the dress, but I felt most comfortable sitting low to the ground.
She laughed at my response. "How do you get her to talk Reito-san?"
"If you believe me capable of such a feat, I'm flattered." He laughed softly.
"Oh, she'll talk to anyone. " Yohko smirked. "Just not about herself, she'll quip circles around you before she'll let something personal slip." I suppose that was not unfair.
"It was not a question." I defended with a smile.
Suddenly a body with a pair of beaming hazel eyes threw themselves down in front of me and my own opened a bit wider. "If that's the case…I'll ask the question. What about this fellow, Kuga-san, interests the calm and mysterious Fujino Shizuru?"
"Calm and mysterious..." I repeated, staring at them all as they watched me, anticipating my answer to the question. "I do not know." Collective groans met the response… such silliness.
"Textbook evasive answer!" Midori-han said, rolling her eyes playfully.
I gave a smile. "I have been interested since the first I saw of her, but I could not tell you why. I simply was." I received a searching gaze from across the room as glasses were pushed higher.
"I can understand that..." Aoi said quietly, threading her fingers with those of her dark-haired blanket, placing a soft kiss on the crown of her head. They truly were too sweet with one another.
Yohko, on the other hand, seemed disappointed. "I would've put money on 'her eyes'"
"I would have as well." The man beside me agreed. I looked between the two of them mildly shocked, my lips pursing. "It seems we both would have lost."
"She has nice eyes?" Chie asked.
"They're beautiful, I'm sure many would say. An unusually intense green and all the more noticeable with her surgical mask on." The man said. I cocked my head at his answer.
"Would Reito say so?"
He smiled. "I believe we were discussing whether you would say so."
The small prick of jealousy I felt was not welcome. I had no claim on the woman, nor did I believe Reito had any true interest in her.
"Wait… Kuga Natsuki." Chie seemed to be deep in thought. "Aoi… that girl who was friends with Tate Yuuichi?" I looked on, confused.
"Oh my god, yeah… the green eyes! Wow, I totally forgot about her." The brunette was suddenly animated and turned to the rest of us. "We went to high school with her. She skipped all the time though… barely anyone knew her."
"She became a surgeon… huh." The black-haired woman remarked. "That's kinda surprising." I wondered what she must have looked like back then.
"Mmm." Aoi agreed. "She was cute!" Chie shrugged and I smiled. Her tastes ran a bit sweeter. "A little rough around the edges though." The brunette added.
"Still is. Kuga-san scares the residents to death." Yohko tapped her fingernail against the glass of the bottle in her lap, as she spoke, swirling her wine glass in the other. A rather practical, slightly sarcastic lush of a housecat… and was this now going to become a habit? Comparing women I was attracted to with pets? It must be the wine. That must be what had me wondering after another woman who was much more a puppy than a kitten… "I think Fujino may be the only one unaffected by the eyes." I was most certainly not unaffected by them. "Probably because she has the same problem."
"My eyes make the residents anxious as well?"
"Not in the same way." She responded with a grin.
"There's nothing wrong with her eyes… they're very pretty." The redhead on the floor observed as if she had never seen my face before, sending me a wide smile, which I returned happily. She was apparently a flatterer when she was a bit drunk…
"Ookini, Midori-han. Should you not be cautious with your compliments though? You are, after all, outnumbered." I gave her a bright smile and she laughed, taking another sip of her wine.
"It's not about them being pretty." Yohko debated. "They're gorgeous, but... Kanzaki help me out…" Gorgeous? Really now?
It was possible I was being ganged up on. "I believe in a rare moment of insight, Armitage described the look quite well."
"So Reito also thinks my stare is 'indecent'? Ikezu." I feigned hurt.
"Indecent?" Chie said, looking deep in thought. "Hm. It's subtler than indecent."
One side of Yohko's mouth quirked in amusement as she made a gesture with her thumb and finger indicating just how close to indecent she thought it was. I clicked my tongue at her reproachfully and she grinned.
"Subtler than indecent… that's a lot of wiggle room." Midori-han said skeptically placing her wine down, lying on her back. I agreed…far too much wiggle room.
"Suggestive is a better word." Yohko studied my face and then added: "those eyebrows too." I let myself fall into an expression of surprise, which drew a chuckle from the brunette woman.
"I believe Armitage's words were a 'look deep into my eyes and submit' stare. I suppose one could consider that both 'suggestive' and 'indecent'." Reito commented, refusing to be baited. As unnerving as being teased about all of this was, the atmosphere was relaxed and so very normal. It was strangely comforting to speak freely of such things... as if it were just an average conversation… it settled the unease that kept swelling over the past few weeks, soothed whatever had unseated itself inside me for a few peaceful moments.
"I suspect it's the very same stare Reito gives a certain shop owner whose pastries he finds so irresistible, no?" I asked with a smile, as all eyes turned on him, Chie's with particularly acute interest. Normalcy, of course, did not mean I intended to take it lying down.
Digression #10: Kanzaki Reito
Date: October 18th, 2013... a Friday
He checked his watch as he walked down the street, his charcoal gray cashmere sweater feeling unusually warm. To any who passed by, he would have appeared a well-dressed man enjoying a stroll, peaceful almost, perhaps on his way home from work. However, on this day Reito was not headed to the garage that kept their cars. He had a different destination in mind… the shop he'd been coming to her shop for two and half years now. His younger sister had left early to study for a test, which he was pleased about. Though it did seem his sister and Mai had forged a rather close friendship, sometimes he worried that her clinging drove the woman who'd so generously employed her insane. His sister, even if undeniably lovable, was quite the handful. In typical fashion though, Mai had never seemed to mind and responded to the attachment with the same unflappable optimism that made her so endearing.
Mikoto had always been a bit wild. She had grown up differently than he had. In fact, Reito had not even been aware of her until he was a teenager. He did not know how or why, but he was given up for adoption by parents he barely remembered. His recollections were patchy… mostly of his grandfather and a rickety house in some unknown, bucolic corner of the country. In the orphanage, he'd picked up on certain things quickly. He learned how to win people over, that smiles were incredibly persuasive, especially his. The attractive young orphan, whose handsome features and innate charm won a wealthy, but barren couple over when they'd visited, was soon adopted. They treated him well and loved him as a son. Truly they were wonderful people and he enjoyed all the perks that came with their status. He embraced being a Kanzaki…and he appreciated how fortunate he was in all of this, even if there was a lingering sense of abandonment beneath his happiness.
When Mikoto showed up on their doorstep some eight years ago, looking as undomesticated as she would turn out to be, it was nothing short of a shock. He would have been inclined to disbelieve her story of a grandfather that just before dying had told her of a brother and given her a necklace… but the piece of jewelry grappled and tugged at his shaded memory while she stared at him with glassy eyes that mirrored his own. She terrified his adopted parents and was difficult to manage, was unrefined and not versed in any social norms. The girl was childlike, naive, and too young for her age. Nonetheless, he'd persuaded them to allow her into the estate on Fuuka island in which he resided. Slowly, he calmed her, got to know her, began to understand her. He did his best to teach her a more acceptable way of interacting with others. Their situation reminded him a bit of a musical he vaguely recalled seeing in his childhood. His adopted mother had loved classic American movies and Audrey Hepburn... modeled herself after the woman to some degree. He vividly recalled watching them with her as a young boy on Friday evenings… how beautiful she looked with her dark hair done up a la Breakfast at Tiffany's, hand resting delicately on her chest, overcome by the more romantic scenes.
As he got to know Mikoto, he found it impossible not to care for her… to want to protect her. She could have been him had he not somehow ended up in that orphanage. She did make certain things difficult though… dating being one. She seemed to overwhelm some people she met, because she took to them so quickly, so intensely. It was a death knell for him when a woman did not respond well to his sister… and it sounded with disheartening frequency. Mai's acceptance of the girl had been a turning point in his developing feelings for her. What had started as a sexual attraction, mild interest perhaps… had blossomed into a definite infatuation much to Shizuru's delight.
His friend had noticed almost immediately and had been subtly dropping hints ever since. Occasionally he wondered at the connection that he and the woman shared, how it was that they were able to keep so much from the world and so little from each other. The reasons did not matter one way or another he supposed because at this point it simply was. At first, he'd even been taken with the beautiful Anesthesiologist, perhaps because they were so similar and she was a gorgeous woman. Normally he would have been put off by her disinterest, but he had quickly noticed that the places her eyes wandered were the same places as his own did. It was fascinating to him to observe, to see what she was able to get away with because of her less threatening packaging.
Around her, he never had more than one drink, never allowed himself to lose control, lest he say something foolish. He valued the friendship too much for that, understood the rarity of finding someone, man or woman, who understood him as she did. In addition, he was not overly fond of himself when he was intoxicated… he became something of a letch, almost uncouth…his subtleness and charm dissolving.
He'd never seen Shizuru drunk either… couldn't imagine it really. As close as they were, he'd also never witnessed Shizuru display more than a passing interest in someone, just flirtatiousness with no discernable intention of letting it deepen. She exuded a subtle magnetism that had people eating out of her hand with amusing speed. It seemed at times, at least to him, that her playfulness was merely a response to their adoration of her, not from any true feeling on her part. Emptiness was the word that came to him when he watched her sometimes, a word he felt guilty for associating with her. His friend was not empty, nor was she shallow… so the shift he saw when she teased people must have been deliberate. It was this deliberate emptiness that caused him to worry on her behalf.
All of this made the sight of her succumbing to her own little crush, on his fellow of all people, something of a relief. Not that he blamed her for it... Kuga-san was exceptionally good looking and that was something he couldn't help but appreciate. However, the fact that the woman's aloofness and brash manner seemed to intrigue Shizuru further was unexpected. In fairness, he'd never met any of her prospects so he had little to judge her tastes by. Most encouraging of all was that in the looks and smiles he caught her giving Kuga-san, there was no emptiness, nothing hollow. It was solid and most definitely born of feeling.
Tabling his thoughts on Shizuru, he refocused. Today was a day that he intended to devote to resolving one of his own hang-ups so to speak. He followed the familiar curves of the sidewalk to a quaint shop where a redheaded woman was dragging chairs inside. Smiling, he hung his leather messenger bag on the small wrought iron fence that surrounded the modest outdoor patio occupying the storefront. With a smile he rolled up his sleeves, grabbing one himself and following her, unnoticed until both were set down.
Lifting his head, he gave a warm smile to the startled woman as she finally noticed him. "Good evening, Mai-san."
"Reito-san." She greeted, a small puff of air escaping her, as she nervously straightened her hair. With a nod he walked backed out, stacking the two chairs that remained. "I can do that! Really..."
"Please. Allow me." He said gently, carrying them in. With the slightest flush on her cheeks, she followed him in. She began cleaning off the tables and he walked behind the counter taking a rag and a spray bottle, as he had done a few times before. Quietly they finished washing the tables, each stealing glances at each other, neither catching the other.
"The shop looks wonderful." He commented. "I see you finished the display case."
She laughed nervously, untying the apron from around her waist and hanging it on the wall. Placing her hands on her hips, she surveyed the room. He silently put both towels and the cleaner away, rinsing his hands. "Yeah... it looks a little more professional I think." She turned back to the man who was adjusting his sleeves.
"I trust everything is working out with Mikoto?"
A warm smile crossed her face, and she adjusted her hair. "She's such a big help."
"How nice to hear."
"I'd offer you something to eat, but I've already closed everything up." She smiled anxiously, hand in her red hair.
"Ah. The thought is appreciated." He said quietly, but still with the same calm tone he always used. It was quite convincing and revealed nothing of the twisting inside his stomach. "Pardon me for my forwardness, but are you seeing anyone currently?"
Her eyes widened, a small frown crossed her lips. "That was a little forward." She mumbled, eying him. It was a misstep, but he would not give up quite yet.
"I meant no disrespect Mai-san, but I ask because I wanted to know if you would you be willing to join me for dinner."
"Tonight?" She asked, feeling shocked and stupid.
His smile never faded. "If you'd like."
"No…well no, not 'no'…" She was embarrassed and flattered. "Yes… I would but..." He looked on, waiting patiently for her to finish. "There are some things I should probably take care here … and I'm kind of a mess right now." A quick glance was thrown toward her clothes.
"Mai-san...I can assure you're anything but. It would be my pleasure to accompany you to dinner." He looked meaningfully at her, his tone gentle "You take such excellent care of everyone else, perhaps you should let someone take care of you for an evening?"
Her eyes met his and she paused, blushing prettily, while he focused on remaining even, relaxed. With a sudden enthusiasm, her lips curled upward. "Okay. Let me just grab my purse."
With a more genuine smile replacing the one he so often wore, he stepped back outside, slinging his bag over his shoulder with a new lightness and waiting for her to join him.
Aside #10: The HiME Project (Background)
Kuga Saeko had first encountered the HiME gene on a trip to Micronesia. Rumors of a Matriarchal tribe whose women experienced unusual longevity and little sickness drew her college professor to the island, accompanied by several of his brightest grad students. It required blood samples, which she took and interviews with the woman via a translator. She was meticulous in her collections, in her records, and in her observations. History upon history revealed that the women were routinely living to over 100 years of age, many with teeth intact and no signs of disease. The men of the tribe showed no such longevity and were ordinary in every other respect. Immediately she realized if this was genetic, it required the presence of two copies to express, that they would have to be located exclusively on X chromosomes to manifest only in the women. Her mind began planning for it already. She took samples of the staple foods in their diet for analysis along with dietary records for five of the longest-lived women in the village to cover all her bases. The women were also remarkable healers and used a wide variety of local plants for various medicinal purposes. She prepared samples of all of those as well.
They happened to arrive in time for one of the most important rites within the tribe's culture. Their leader, at the age of 99, was dying. The new leader was selected through some sort of ceremony, which they were preparing for. The word for it was translated roughly as 'carnival'. Twelve of the strongest warriors were selected from the younger women and trained to fight one another for supremacy. She found the entire concept disturbing especially when it was explained that the losers were not killed, instead, their families were and any future offspring. This way, only the strongest warriors continued the tribe. Nonetheless, what they saw of this carnival amazed them, impressed them. The healing abilities of the women, their strength, it was almost superhuman…beautiful despite the brutality of it. The winner would become the 'princess' until the leader died... when she would become queen.
Saeko spent the next two years preparing and sending out the samples of local plants and dietary specimens from Micronesia. All analyses indicated that they were from fairly common species, nothing unique. The excitement she felt in that moment, reading the last of the reports on the dietary samples, was unparalleled. It meant that the healing, the lack of disease, the strength, was more than likely genetic in origin. The real work started as she began to process the 117 blood samples she'd collected. It took years, graduate school and some post-doc work, to isolate the gene and make it express. She called it HiME, an acronym based upon its molecular components and a play on words. One of her lab assistants, Sakomizu, had come up with the name. Once experimentation began, it became clear that the gene produced some anti-oxidizing effects, which pointed immediately to its potential as a tumor suppressant or perhaps an anti-carcinogenic. Either way… it would be a breakthrough if they could find a way to introduce it, to control it.
Early results were concerning. The first introduction was given via injections of DNA strands containing the gene and had very low success rates. In addition, in very rare cases, it seemed to be absorbed selectively by the tumor itself, causing malignant growth to accelerate and become unresponsive to treatment. An entire test group of mice fell victim to this when they tweaked the serum, becoming so riddled with tumor that they were rendered immobile before they died…before the nutrient and blood-robbing tumors starved them to death. Saeko had considered abandoning the project in the frightening aftermath of this, in fact, it shook one of her assistants so badly he quit a month later. It was possible that the gene was causing heightened aggression as well, but she could not determine whether the squabbles among the mice were due to irritability resultant of their sickness or an actual effect of the gene itself.
She began to consider taking a different route with it, trying to come at it from an angle of prevention rather than treatment. It came to her when she attempted to induce cancer in some of the mice previously used in the control group. Her success rates with it were pitiful. This unexpected finding was the most promising result of the HiME experiments yet, but it would be an extraordinarily hard sell to Iwasaka… she knew that. Some more adjustments to the introduction mechanism, a switch to a viral vector rather than naked DNA, seemed to curb but not prevent the most concerning side effects. It was during this time that Homura Nagi came on board to replace her second assistant.