Chapter 21 Arguments
"Is there anything else that I'm not being told? Cause I don't know how many more surprises I can take." I demanded.
"None that I am aware of." He responded.
"Good because I'm done with surprises for a while. It's good to know family and all but one surprise after another like this is really starting to get to me and I don't like surprises anyways." I responded rubbing my eyes.
"Are you okay?" He asked while lighting a cigarette.
"What do you mean? I'm fine." I responded.
"I may not, in your partners' words, be allergic to bullshit, but I can certainly recognize it and unlike you I don't automatically hit someone for it." He responded.
"You ask if I'm okay but you aren't being specific." I countered.
"Kid told me what Giriko did to you." He stated flatly, in a tone that told me that Kid told him everything.
"Yeah? So? I'm fine." I said in a dismissing tone, which of course he ignored.
"Keeping up that act is not going to serve you for long. I've known people, male and female, who have gone through this, no matter how hard you try to act as if you're okay I know that you do not feel okay. You should talk to Marie, she can help you better than I can." He responded.
"I said I'm fine okay? Are we done? Can I go home now?" I snapped.
"Yes. Go on home." He responded.
I stood up and left the room and his house. Instead of going home I went straight to Kid's house and was lucky. He was on his way home as well but noticed my angry look as I strode up to him.
"Why the hell did you tell Stein? I asked you not to tell anyone!" I demanded.
"You need to let your friends be there for you." He responded calmly.
"I'm fine okay? I don't want anyone to worry about me. Yes he did something really bad to me but I can't move on with people worry about me. It's no different from us insisting that we're okay and to move on from getting kidnapped by some greedy magical dude. Besides it's not your story to tell." I replied.
"I apologize for that alright? But there is a difference. I don't know what it is but you feel differently if you have bad dreams or think back on before he did that verses how you feel after. You need to let us worry sometimes. It's part of having friends, letting everyone worry and be concerned for each other because we care about each other." He replied.
"I did, while I was stuck in the nurses' office for a week. I don't want anyone to worry anymore than asking how my leg is doing." I answered.
"Damn Kaori you're one of the most stubborn people I've ever known." He argued.
"Yeah I am, I'm a very stubborn person, glad it took you this long to realize that. But you know what? you're stubborn too." I countered.
"Only with you." He replied.
"Glad to know I'm a special case. If you'll excuse me I'll be going home now." I answered spinning around on my heels and striding off.
Once at home I accidentally slammed the door causing Rai and Nikki to jump.
"Um, are you alright?" Nikki asked.
"I'm fine!" I almost shouted.
"Okay, okay chill out. I was just asking because you seem pretty mad." He said holding his hands up in a calming down motion.
"I need a shower." I muttered and went to my room closing my door and went to my bathroom.
I suppose the reason I was so angry is because Kid and Stein are both right. I shove all of my feelings deep inside so they can't be seen. I was okay last night and the night I spent at Kid's house, but most of last week I kept having nightmares. First they were reliving the most recent events, then once I started to become comfortable with being home and safe they changed to the feelings and memories I had been trying to suppress.
Even now, almost fully recovered I felt gross and dirty. Each time I have bathed since I took extra time, trying desperately to wash it away and each time it didn't work. This is the first time back at home. I feel more comfortable in my own shower but it didn't make the feelings go away.
"Kaori's been in the shower for a long time." Rai noted.
"Wonder if she's okay. Hope she didn't fall or anything." Nikki replied.
"She'd more likely get lost than fall. But we should go check on her anyways." Rai responded and got up when there was a knock at the door.
"Oh, hey Kid, what's up?" He asked after opening the door.
"Is Kaori home?" Death the Kid asked.
"Yeah but she's in the shower. Guess she's feeling a little stressed or something because when she got home she was like Godzilla attacking Tokyo and had been in the shower for almost an hour now." Nikki called.
"That's not normal for her is it?" Kid asked.
"Only when she's stressed or doesn't feel good. Like when she's sick but won't show it, just takes a long shower, but this is a little longer even by those standards." Rai explained.
"Shouldn't we check on her?" Kid asked.
"We were just about to." Nikki answered walking right into Kaori's room with Kid following and Rai trailing behind and hanging out at the door.
Nikki knocked on the bathroom door, "Kaori? You okay?"
"Yeah why?" She called back.
"You've been in the shower for a long time, even by your usual long shower standards." He called back.
"I just want to take a long shower." She responded in a 'what's wrong with that?' tone of voice.
They could hear her muttering but could not make out what she was saying. Nikki poked his head through the door and asked, "What was that?"
"Nothing! Go away!" She snapped.
"Okay, okay." He said. Nikki didn't catch the tone in her voice, but Rai caught it. It was a sound from her that he only heard once before but distress.
"Kaori what's wrong?" He demanded.
"Nothing now go away!" She snapped throwing something at the door.
"If nothing is wrong then why is your skin all red and raw?" Kid questioned.
"Go home Kid." She responded throwing something else at the door. Nikki closed it and gave Kid a questioning look.
"What do you know that we don't?" He asked.
"What makes you think I know something that you don't?" Kid responded.
"An educated guess." He replied.
"It's not my story to tell. I already made Kaori angry once by doing that." He answered calmly.
"We're her partners and you know her well too. You know just as well as we do that if it's left alone then she'll never tell us." Rai answered.
I forced myself to get out of the shower and changed clothes, the second I stepped out of the bathroom I was bombarded by Rai and Nikki.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Rai demanded.
"We're a team aren't we? We tell each other everything!" Nikki added.
"Kid!" I snapped at Death the Kid.
"They need to know!" Kid argued.
"Kid shouldn't have to be the one to tell us you should!" Rai rounded on me again.
"I was going to when I was ready to! People don't announce things like that in case you didn't know!" I shouted right in his face.
"Don't try and get through this by telling your friends that you're okay. Let us help!" Nikki said, being serious for once in his life.
"Then everyone is going to keep asking me if I'm okay and telling me how much they worry about me. I can't move on that way and I damn well will not allow anyone to feel sorry for me and try to do stuff to help me. I just want everything to keep moving on the way it should and that won't happen if people are being sullen and worrying. What do you three not understand about that? I can't get over it like that!" I snapped at him.
"We at least have a right to know. We're family aren't we?" Rai asked.
"Of course we are but you two also ignore me every time I ask you not to worry. I knew that with something like this it would only make that worse. I was going to tell you when everything calmed down and returned to a more normal routine." I answered.
"And how long would that have been hm? A week? A month? More than that?" Nikki asked.
"You expect me to actually put a time on that? I don't know!" I argued.
"I can't believe you've been keeping it from us this long." Rai said.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about! I don't want to talk about it but everyone keeps bringing it up! Yes while in the nurses office last week I did have a hard time at times but the past few days I've been feeling better, being back at home and having fun with my friends. Tomorrow I'll be back in school and training again. That is what helps me, getting back to being busy and whatever we as weapons and meisters can call normal. So can we please just move on?" I asked.
"Fine." The three agreed.
"Which means no talking about it, at all. Kid no more telling people behind my back or without my consent. No worrying. so if we're done with this I have other news, nothing bad." I replied.
"What?" Nikki asked as we walked out of my room and to the kitchen.
"I have a half-brother." I answered.
"Seriously? Who?" He asked.
"Professor Stein. Same mom. Seems the flexible soul thing often indicates a relation to my mom or her family." I replied.
"No freaking way! That is so weird! I cannot see you two being related at all!" Nikki said laughing.
"Yeah, Stein is pretty calm, well when he's not wanting to dissect anything or being scary, okay the scary part I can see the resemblance. But otherwise he's pretty chill and you're...well you're you." Rai added.
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not scary? What do you mean I'm me?" I demanded.
"You're exceedingly blunt, sarcastic, headstrong and you hit people when they say something bullshit related." He answered.
"I don't tolerate bullshit okay? I can't help reflexes and I simply tell the truth, it's not my fault that people have a perception problem." I answered.
"You have an attitude problem." All three of them said in unison.
"Then all three of you have perception problems." I replied.
"Not that it matters to Kid, he still likes you." Nikki teased.
Rai gave him a smack on the back of the head and said, "Can it Nikki. Don't embarrass them." Nikki rubbed the back of his head responding, "Too late."
Kid and I both avoided looking at each other. I munched on some carrots and focused on that intently while Kid seemed to have found something asymmetrical to fix.
"So what is the plan for the rest of the day? You've made up so go on a date or something." Nikki said, further trying to embarrass us.
"I was going to go grocery shopping and finish cleaning up." I answered.
"And Liz, Patty and I are going on a short mission for father." Kid added.
"Then it looks like we will just have to have another day of sports and bets." Rai said simply.
"I will not be a captain again. I am not getting put into a maze again." I declared.
"And No one is messing up my house again." Kid agreed.
"I have a better idea." Nikki answered.
"What?" We asked suspiciously, the look on Nikki's face made me nervous.
"Rai can be a captain. His punishment will be to spend ten minutes in a crowded area, like concert hall crowded." Nikki started.
"What?" Rai asked, a dead serious tone that had a 'I am about to punch you in your throat' tone as well.
"And the other captain will be kept secret." Nikki added, ignoring his brother.
"You, Black Star, Soul and Patty really like to torment others don't you?" Kid asked. It was more of a statement than a question.
"This way is fun." Nikki answered.
"You guys are more sadistic than Stein." Rai said flatly.
"No kidding." I agreed.
"Well you two said you had things to do so off you go!" Nikki announced while pushing us out the door and handing me what I needed for the market.
"Wait one of you needs to come with me! I'm still having problems with finding my way there!" I argued.
"You can find your way back right?" He asked.
"Yes but-
"The retrace your steps that way! We'll clean, have fun!" He said and closed the door behind us. I let out a groan saying, "He just loves watching me get lost."
"Like you said, he can be sadistic." Kid answered.
"Well I'll see you later." I said with a wave.
"Come on I'll help you find the way there. You said you know your way back right?" He asked.
"Yes." I replied.
"Then let's go." He answered.
"Thank you!" I said giving him a hug and quickly let go feeling sheepish.
"Sorry." I answered.
"It's okay." He replied.
Me: I am sooo sorry! I got all the way to the middle of page three on my word document (average is 4) and then the rest of what I had in mind for the chapter just flew out the window and I never got it back so I forced myself to keep trying until something came to me. I will try to get new chapters out sooner than this crazy long time.
Kaori: You keep saying that, you did in the Invader Zim story too.
Me: I'm trying I swear! :(