Cursed path
It was already routine for Nagisa. Cross the school gates with her boyfriend on the way home.
"Takuma still hasn't moved to sit next to us," said Aki.
Now they were together in the classroom, too. Nagisa felt happy despite his worries. It would only be a matter of time for their relationship to solidify in the routine of other students and be considered normal. They would become normal. "I don't think he's going to do that. He hasn't even spoken to you."
Aki looked down. "Yes, but that's what I find strange..."
"You need to relax," Nagisa said, "maybe we should do something together."
He took a while to nod. "Okay... so... are you going to talk with Kitomono-san?"
"No." Nagisa looked away, smiling. "It would be just me and you."
Aki rubbed his neck. "A-A date, just the two of us."
She noticed that he had turned red, which made her cheeks warm too. "Yes..."
"Cinema again?"
"Anywhere," she replied, "as long as it's away from school..."
Aki looked at her with curiosity.
Nagisa continued, "Hidaka-kun, I don't know if it's only because of Kuroki-kun, but... school makes you very nervous. When you forget a little about it, you show your best side."
Aki repeated, blinking, "My best side..."
"I like you," Nagisa stated, "but I know you're much more."
Aki acknowledge that with a faint smile.
Walking side by side, the two were approaching the station. Nagisa could see people coming in and out, adults in their uniforms or executive clothes, women who paused their everyday hurry to see the novelties at the stores' windows, boys eating in front of a stall, elderly people who spent their time just watching the movement...
"Momoe-san..."
Nagisa noticed that Aki had stopped. "What?"
"I know I'm asking all of a sudden," the boy scratched his head, "but I was... I was wondering if... if I could go with you to your home."
She gaped. "Today?"
"Yeah... I know it's weird..." Aki started rubbing his face. "But... this isn't supposed to be a date, okay?"
He was very nervous, more than usual, but Nagisa could understand the effort he was making to ask that. "No, it's fine. I only can't invite you in. I would have to tell my... aunt."
He was still fidgety. "I just want to know where you live."
"Then it's great." Nagisa smiled more to see if it calmed him down. "It may not be a date, but I'm happy to spend some more time with you."
"Then let's go!" Aki crossed the street.
Nagisa frowned at his initiative, wondering if this was the result of her smile. She followed him.
He was in a hurry, pointing. "That's the direction, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes." Nagisa then commented, "If we keep up that pace, we'll get there much sooner."
Aki entered an alley.
"Where are you going?" Nagisa's question received no answer, did not even stop the boy. She had to chase after him. "Stop! This isn't the way!"
Aki obeyed, but reluctantly. "Isn't that the direction?"
"Yes, but I use the main street."
He smiled. "But this one should reach there too, we can try."
To Nagisa that was certainly a false smile and his breathing was short. "What is going on?"
He said nothing, his eyes widening in dread.
Nagisa felt that he was looking at something behind her. She turned and faced a group of boys who had entered the alley, the same ones that were eating in front of the stall at the station. From the expression they were doing, she already had a good idea of what would be.
"Hi... guys," Aki said.
The boys had varying ages, some wore school uniforms while others not, this was the case with the older boy, who seemed to be the leader. His clothes and hair did not call much attention compared to the earrings and the various silvery rings on his fingers. He wore a thick red beard and his blue eyes were cold as its color, staring at the couple as he drew closer.
Nagisa stepped back, standing next to Aki, her expression defiant.
Among the boys, Takuma appeared. "Why didn't you go to the station?"
The blond boy widened his eyes again. "You... followed us."
Takuma ignored him, his attention already with the older boy. "See Hiro? He wanted to avoid us."
Hiro nodded and then rubbed his beard under his chin, looking at Aki. "I heard some stories from Takuma, that you got a girlfriend and was using it to pull a fast one on him. I didn't believe you would be such an idiot. You know you mess with one, you mess with us all, huh?"
"He's not fooling anyone!" exclaimed Nagisa.
Aki was surprised and also concerned with her attitude.
"I'm his girlfriend and he wants to spend time with me."
"So you have no time for us?" Hiro asked Aki.
The boy swallowed hard and opened his mouth, but was unable to utter a word.
"He knows what he wants," Nagisa said.
"Yeah, I can see..." then Hiro started to laugh.
Some of the boys followed, but most of them remained quiet, not understanding what was happening.
The leader looked at Takuma. "Fucking hell, what a shit sissy you got for us."
"It's not my fault," Takuma said, "I told you this is a plan of Sanjuro's girlfriend. She convinced this girl to ask the sissy, just to screw me over."
Aki looked at Nagisa with surprise.
The girl reacted. "It's not true!"
Another boy in the group said, with a mischievous grin, "Hey sissy, why don't you share your girlfriend with us?"
Nagisa was horrified to see more boys agreeing to the proposal.
But that was not the case with Hiro. "Shut up all of you!" He came closer to Aki, further evidencing the difference in stature between them. "So you're not going to say anything? They're disrespecting you and your girlfriend."
With the shadow looming over him, Aki lowered his head.
Nagisa said, "You can't see he's sca-"
"I'm tired of hearing you." The leader interrupted her and pressed the boy again. "Use your mouth."
Aki glanced at him. "Sorry..."
"I don't want your sorry, I want to know what will become of you."
Takuma was confused by this conversation and asked, "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Hiro turned his head, glaring at him.
Nagisa saw Takuma bow his head and be silent, it was astonishing.
The leader again spoke to Aki, "What will your future be? You think you're a man now that you have a girlfriend? She even seems to have stolen your voice..." He cracked his fingers. "You know what upsets me the most? A weak mind."
"Please." Aki bowed. "Don't hurt us."
"I won't hurt anyone." Hiro pulled him by the uniform. "You're coming with us, you're not ready."
Nagisa protested, "Leave him alone!"
"He has a lot to learn, girl," Hiro replied, "you'll thank us later."
"No!" Nagisa shoved the older boy, throwing him back. She saw the surprise on his face. This distraction proved fatal when she noticed a movement in the corner of her eye.
A boy from the group came running and punched her in the face.
Aki, with his eyes and mouth wide open, saw his girlfriend fall face down on the ground. "Mo... MOMOE-SAN!"
"Wow!" Hiro exclaimed with sarcasm to the boy who had attacked her, "you hit a little girl, I'm so proud of you..."
The boy, in an expression of pain, was hugging his hand. "She... ouch... attacked you."
"That was nothing, I was only surprised. She has more courage than many of you." Hiro then was curious about his reaction. "What is that?"
"Owwowwww... I think I broke my finger. Her head is hard as rock."
"Idiot. Learn to punch."
Aki crouched to help her. "Momoe-san! Momoe-san!"
As she stood, Nagisa did not show her face and whispered, "Let's run away..."
Aki did not have time to ask for what she said, because she grabbed his wrist and pulled as she ran. "Ah!"
"Hey!" Takuma saw that and pursued them, followed by the rest of the gang.
The alley ended at a bifurcation, becoming the entrance of an unknown labyrinth of walls, pipes and trash cans. Aki struggled not to stumble, such speed that Nagisa was imposing, with her white hair fluttering on his face. His wrist ached with her grip and his hand was numb.
Behind them was the gang. Hiro and the older boys led, the only ones who could keep up that pace.
Aki was almost flying, his feet aching every time they touched the ground. It was then that he saw that there was a wide ditch ahead. "Ah... Mo-Mo-MO!"
"We're going to jump," she said.
"Wait! We can't make it... We can't maAAAAHH!" This time Aki actually flew, but his legs could not handle the landing and his knees hit the ground.
"Hidaka-kun!" Nagisa helped him to his feet. "Can you still run?"
"Ah... Ah... Ah..." Aki felt his heart would jump out of his mouth. "I-I think so..."
"Go!" She pulled him again.
Soon, Hiro and a few boys had reached the ditch and jumped over it. This was not the case for Takuma who was forced to stop.
This caused a domino effect, making the rest of the gang stop as well. "Damn! They're fast!"
"It's not them." Takuma narrowed his eyes. "It's her."
At each step, Nagisa was more confident that she was opening a greater distance and was closer to reaching the main street, where there would be police officers.
"MomoeAhhh!"
The problem was that she was literally dragging Aki's body on the ground. She stopped to pick him up. "We must continue! Just a little more!"
"Cough! Ahhg... Ahhhg..." Aki was all sweaty and red, veins jumping out, almost vomiting. "Ahh... I... ahhhh... can't..."
They had managed to make their pursuers lose sight of them, but there was no time to rest. The situation was bad, but for Nagisa the idea of carrying him on her shoulders and keep running was still out of the question, this feat would be too suspicious.
"Ahhh... They want me... ah... so..."
Leaving him was not an option either. It was then that Nagisa noticed a door of a building opening slightly. That was the golden chance. "Come!" She dragged Aki inside and left him sitting against the wall next to the door. She saw that there was a key and locked it, then she turned around, hoping to explain to the residents what was going on.
The dark place was quiet and empty. Finding it a little odd, she sat next to her boyfriend and waited.
Hurried footsteps down the alley.
Aki felt Nagisa squeeze his sweaty hand. He covered his mouth to try to control his breathing, there was a metallic taste on his tongue.
The footsteps slowed down and was possible to hear a boy. "Did we lose them?"
Another voice, which was from Hiro, replied, "They may have hidden somewhere."
Footsteps approached the door. Aki held his breath, against the protests of his body wrapped in the heat of perspiration. Nagisa tightened his hand even more.
The doorknob turned and the door was forced to open, but the lock did not budge.
New steps, a larger group. Hiro announced, "They disappeared."
A new voice, was Takuma. "Fine, they have to go to school tomorrow. I'll bring him back."
"And you must do," said Hiro, "if you let this weakling leave the group, how can you think I'll let you to be in a position of command?"
The voices became distant until they could no longer be heard. Aki opened his mouth to bring all the air he could to his lungs.
"I think we did it," Nagisa commented.
Aki was still catching his breath, but he felt the need to say, "Sorry... ah..."
"Why?"
"Ah... for not... being... ah... completely honest with you..."
Nagisa looked down, with a good idea of what it was about. "What you mean?"
Aki took a deep breath. "I know them. They're friends of Takuma and I was part of the group. They're cool sometimes, but there're a lot of things they do... which I don't like..."
"Hmmm..." Nagisa gave her opinion, "Like you said, they're friends of Kuroki-kun, not yours. You don't have to be one of them."
"It won't be easy. I got into another trouble..."
She nodded, but she felt the statement was for himself.
Their eyes grew accustomed to the darkness. They were in a hall with wooden floor, there was a staircase that led to the second floor just ahead. The end of the hallway beside the staircase was partially illuminated by the afternoon light. Everything was in good condition, but there was no furniture.
"This place should be on sale or rent," said the boy.
"Yeah."
He turned to her. "It was very lucky the door was unlocked and had a key."
"Yeah..." Nagisa looked at the second floor entrance, which was more lit.
"Doesn't it hurt?"
His sudden question made her confused. "Hi?"
"He punched your face," Aki said, "though I can't see if it left a mark, but..."
"Ah..." Nagisa smiled. "I think it was a reflex. I turned the face right on time, so he didn't hit me fully. I lose my balance and fell."
He rubbed his aching knees. "You were incredible, you can run and jump so much..."
She smiled more. "It was the adrenaline."
"You don't even look tired, not even a little."
"It must be because I make the journey from home to school by foot." She shrugged. "You're very sedentary, Hidaka-kun."
"Sedentary?" Aki winced, admitting, "Yeah, I am..."
Then Nagisa said, "About what Kuroki-kun said, about me asking you..."
Aki shook his head. "I didn't believe it. Kitomono-san would never do such a thing."
Nagisa nodded slightly, pressing her lips together. "Yes..."
"And... And you proposed a date, just you and me. No girl who teased me would go so far..."
"That's right..."
They kept sitting against the wall, waiting, the boys might still be searching for them.
The smell of wood, the dark environment, the body tired... Aki was beginning to feel sleepy. With the silence, he could hear the tranquil sound of his girlfriend's breathing. When he exchanged quick glances with her, the girl made short encouraging smiles, but at other times she seemed distracted, her mind occupied.
Aki was sure she was worried about what had happened. It's all my fault.
Sounds. Quick steps of something small sneaking on the second floor.
"Did you hear that?" he asked.
"It must be a rat," she replied.
Aki noticed that Nagisa was smiling. "And aren't you scared? Girls don't like rats."
She looked away. "Well... It's not on me, is it?"
"Right..." Despite the response, Aki felt her squeeze his hand hard. In fact, he had even forgotten that she was still holding it. The small, delicate fingers... like his.
His gaze was drawn to the mesmerizing pattern of the pantyhose she was wearing. Today it was black with white polka dots. At that moment, she bent her leg, making the fabric stretch and partially reveal through it the fair, smooth skin of her thigh.
"Hidaka-kun?"
Aki almost jumped as he looked at her.
Nagisa's face was neutral, except for a slight raise of her eyebrows.
He did not say anything, fearing that his mere voice would reveal his nervousness.
"I'm going to check a window on the second floor," Nagisa said, "I want to know where in the city we are."
Aki nodded quickly. "Uh-huh!"
She got up and went to the stairs. "Take care of our bags and warn if they come back."
As Aki watched his girlfriend climb up, he hit his own head, with both hands, repeatedly as he whispered, "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"
At each step Nagisa grew more tense. It was not a window she was looking for, in fact, she already knew what she would find.
On the second floor, the door closest to the stairs was open. On the ground, in the middle of the room bathed by orange rays of light, was a girl sitting cross-legged, smiling, with a pyotr in her arms and a small rubber ball in her left hand.
Nagisa entered, immediately recognizing. She was wearing the same clothes the day she met her in the park. The blue hair was also the same, short with a lock from the fringe long enough to reach her mouth, actually it was inside... Was she chewing it?
But the most important thing was the confirmation of one detail, which she only did not do for having made a foolish mistake at that time.
In the middle finger of the girl's left hand was a metallic ring with runes.
"You found me," said the girl, "your familiars have good nose."
Nagisa kept serious, "What's your name?"
The girl examined her ball. "That depends..."
She sighed. "I'm Nagisa Momoe."
"If that's the name you want..." She held up her hand. "... why didn't you see yet?"
Squinting, Nagisa could read the runes on the ring.
Michiru
The pyotr struggled to break free, but the hug was too strong for the little creature.
Nagisa noticed that. "So, Michiru-san, Madoka sent you?"
"Sent me?!" Michiru tilted her head.
Nagisa became more worried. "Aren't you part of the Law of Cycles?"
"Of course I am!" Michiru replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "However, I have no idea how I ended up here. I remember hiding under one of our goddess' locks of hair. Then I saw some beautiful colors and then I was back to our old world."
"Really?" Nagisa frowned.
"Wait, so Madoka is sending girls here and you're one of them?" Michiru deduced, "so you know where our goddess is."
Nagisa frowned even more. "The person you were looking for was Madoka? Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was just what I was going to do, I thought the same thing happened to you." Michiru shrugged. "But you started talking about your boyfriend and I thought you wanted to live in this world. I don't understand why anyone would like that, but I'm not to bother..." She then grimaced, raising an eyebrow. "Well, you and your boyfriend are in trouble now."
"It was you who helped us," Nagisa said.
Michiru closed her eyes and smiled. "I'm helpful."
She bowed. "Thank you very much."
"You're welcome. I think you would do the same for one of us, Madoka must have sent you for some reason and it should be good." The girl reopened her eyes, showing their yellow. "Do you want me to kill them?"
Any sense of ease that Nagisa was beginning to have gone. "Huh?"
"You understood. I want to go back to Law of Cycles and you're going to bring me to Madoka for this. Before that, I can kill these boys and you don't have to get your hands dirty."
"No." Nagisa got angry.
Michiru held out her hand with the ball. "You never thought about killing one of them?"
She said more emphatically, "No."
"So you're one of those virtuous people..." Michiru made the ball bounce on the floor before picking it up and putting it in the pocket of her jeans, from which she took out a white crayon.
Nagisa clenched her fists, feeling her ring.
"So how about I..." The girl chomped the tip of the crayon, making a loud crack.
Even though she had seen so many strange things, Nagisa was astonished by that.
Said as she chewed, making more cracking noises, "I can break their bones, without killing. So they'll learn a bit of humility, a great virtue, don't you think?" Feeling that the other would not respond, Michiru looked at the crayon. "Want one too? This is banana, but I have strawberry, green apple, pineapple, papaya..."
Nagisa's patience was already exhausted. "It's not to hurt anyone!"
"They're only offers." After swallowing, Michiru put the rest of the crayon in her mouth. "But they have a truth in common, Nagisa Momoe-san, the truth that you'll not be able to solve this by yourself."
Nagisa could not retort that. Her actions brought consequences, could she handle them? She was sure she was not going to give up, but would her new efforts not result in more trouble for Aki?
"Momoe-san?" It was his voice. "I heard something, are you talking to someone?"
Nagisa's eyes widened.
Michiru just smiled at her as she chewed.
"Yes," Nagisa replied as she looked at the stairs, "I found someone, it's okay."
"Oh really? I'll bring our bags."
To Nagisa's desperation, she heard him coming up the stairs.
Michiru took her ball back. "You forgot to say 'No need to come! I'm having an ordinary conversation with an ordinary person.'."
Nagisa gritted her teeth at her and then asked, "Release him."
"What?" Michiru caressed the frightened creature. "Why? He's so weird, but so cute..."
Seeing his blond hair appearing at the second floor entrance, Nagisa closed the door of the room.
Soon Aki asked, "Where are you?"
More tense, Nagisa whispered to Michiru, "Let him go!"
The other frowned.
"Momoe-san?"
Hearing him again, Nagisa advanced toward Michiru, her face red with anger, her mouth wide open, showing her teeth.
The girl opened her arms, letting the creature escape and disappear into the shadows of the room. She was completely confused as she stood up. "Why are you like this? You can't be so naive..."
Nagisa took a deep breath before announcing, "Here!"
Aki opened the door, was holding both bags with one hand, "Excuse me."
Nagisa smiled. "Hi..."
Michiru made her ball bounce. "Hello."
"Hi." Aki looked at her. "So it's a girl..."
Nagisa was somewhat impressed that he had noticed right away.
He continued, bowing, "Sorry for invading your house."
"This is my hiding place," Michiru replied.
Leaving him stupefied. "Oh... hiding place..."
Nagisa was already nervous again. "Ahnn... Hidaka-kun, let's leave. I had already apologized."
Michiru bounced her ball. "Aren't you going to introduce your boyfriend to me?"
Aki remained surprised. "She knows?"
Nagisa lowered her gaze. "She must have deduced..."
The ball bounced once more.
"I'm Aki Hidaka," he said politely.
"You can call me Michi, or Mi-tan."
"Mi-tan?!" Aki raised his eyebrows. "Isn't that childish?"
Michiru smiled. "It's cute, Akkun."
Aki blushed at being called that way by such gentle voice.
While Nagisa was surprised with the sudden intimacy between them, became even more when Michiru touched his hand.
Said the girl, "Look at these pen markings on your skin... they're scribbles..."
Aki was shaking, but he tried to smile. "Eeeeehhh... Yes, I did these during class. I was bored, so..."
As fast as she had approached, Michiru pulled away. "It's not the truth." But she smiled, pulling the long lock of her fringe. "But it's because you don't know."
"W-What?"
"Scribbles are born when we abdicate our consciousness. It's the expression naked of conventions and shame. A pure cry in this world of disguises."
Aki nodded with mouth open, eyes blinking, "It's a... quite different way of seeing this..."
Michiru made her strand of hair stand between her nose and mouth, forming a mustache. "Do you have more to show me?"
"Actually, I have a notebook with them." He opened his bag. "Only a moment."
Nagisa made mention that she would protest, but was interrupted when the door closed on its own.
Aki took a slight scare, it must be the wind.
This was not the certainty of Nagisa, who glared at the other girl.
Michiru maintained a serene smile, but her hand tightened the ball to the point of deforming it.
All was clear, Aki was in a domain of a witch and he would only come out alive if she allowed.
"Here." The boy handed the notebook.
"Let's see... let's see..." Michiru began leafing through it.
Aki was extremely anxious, waiting for any reaction.
Nagisa was extremely tense, waiting for any reaction.
The girl's smile disappeared as she flipped faster and faster. Suddenly, she stopped on a page and laughed. "Haha! I liked that one." Then she returned to flip, serious again. Faster and faster, to the point of making no more sense, and then closed it.
This was not a good sign for Aki. "Didn't you like?"
"You wasted your time and pages with garbages." Michiru handed the notebook back. "There is so much doubt here and you keep insisting..."
Nagisa was astonished by the harsh response.
Disappointed, Aki just nodded and picked the notebook, yet the girl still held it firmly.
"You expected me to say something else?" asked Michiru, "something like 'It's kinda fine' or 'Keep going, it's going to get better and better.'" She slowly shook her head. "Half truths are full lies, Akkun, how many times is your future already hurt by them?"
The light that bathed the room grew darker and colder.
Aki saw a shadow cover Michiru's face. When it met her eyes, the yellow died and they seemed to have became hollow.
The girl released the notebook. "The night is approaching. You'd better go."
"Yes." In a rush, Nagisa grabbed her bag with Aki and went to open the door.
The boy walked away slowly, saying nothing.
Whoe said was Michiru, playing with the ball between her fingers. "Bye, Akkun. You decide what you want to do with your life, that's a truth."
"Bye... Mi-tan."
Walking down the stairs with her boyfriend, Nagisa was still tense. She would only feel better when they were outside. "Don't mind anything she said."
"Uh-huh..."
[I want to see our goddess. Don't forget.]
Michiru's sudden voice in her head paralyzed her.
Leaving Aki worried. "Momoe-san?"
Then was heard thuds. They looked to the top of the stairs, where the little rubber ball was descending, bouncing from step to step.
Nagisa winced. "Let's get going."
While Aki swallowed hard. "Y-Yes."
The alley was almost as dark, but the fresh air brought relief.
It was only then that the boy realized that his breathing was short. He began to speak so as not to appear more frightened, "Did you even see where in the city we were? We can try to return by the same route to reach the station."
Nagisa checked well if she had closed the door. "But you didn't want to know where I live?"
"C-Can I?"
"Of course!" Nagisa approached him, smiling, but still looking back a few times. "We just need to get out of here." She took his hand and started to walk.
To Aki's surprise, to feel her fingers interlocking his. It was not exactly comfortable, but he could not say it was inconvenient either, quite the contrary.
They explored a few more alleys until they found a larger street. Through landmarks, it was a matter of time to get to the condo.
Nagisa pointed to a window. "That's where I live. Everything is dark... I think Mami hasn't returned from school yet, she must have made a stop at a market."
"You live on a very high floor," Aki commented.
"You think?" Nagisa pointed to other direction. "The station isn't far, just go here, very easy."
He became more serious. "I guess... I'm not going to school tomorrow..."
"We can think of something, we have time," she said, "maybe your family can help."
Aki lowered his head and remained silent until his hand was held again.
"It's been a rough day, go rest," Nagisa whispered to him. "Someone once told me to never lose hope. Tomorrow can always be better than today."
With that, he nodded and left.
Nagisa exclaimed, "Bye, boyfriend!"
He turned and his tired countenance still smiled. "Bye, girlfriend..."
With him becoming distant, Nagisa brought the hand that had held his to her face. The pungent smell of Roquefort cheese invaded her nostrils. Her mouth salivated and her heart pounded as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips together.
I'll find a way.
Next chapter: Wall of glass
