PART XI. "This Is What Makes Us Girls."

"The prettiest in-crowd that you had ever seen. Ribbons in our hair and our eyes gleamed mean.
A freshman generation of degenerate beauty queens. And you know something?
They were the only friends I ever had."

— Elizabeth Woolridge Grant.

Aiko.

"Haven't seen you with Natsume lately," I noted, plopping down on her queen-sized bed. "Why's she mad at you this time?"

"Being here over break," she replied, walking into the room as she tied up her long hair.

"God forbid she spends her winter break anywhere but the Okinawa shores," I snorted. I leaned back on the plush down comforter.

She sat at her desk and pulled her legs up to her chest. She swiveled the office chair around to face me as she shrugged. She meant it to be dismissive but she was clearly agreeing with me as her brown eyes widened with a nod.

"So what does that have to do with you?" I eyed her spacious room, figuring it was about the size of my room (that I shared with Minoru) and my parent's combined.

Her closet was walk-in. Aside from her desk and bed there was nothing else in her wood-floored, pink-walled room aside from a TV set. It look so empty, so spacious.

I flinched as I noticed an object move in my peripheral. I turned to find a small textbook land face-down next to me, crinkling the pages. A pen landed on the paperback not even a second later.

"Oh." I remembered Hayashi's words as I picked up the practice exam booklet. "Let me guess. Your parent's are the ones that decided to keep you home to study. The other parent's decided that they should follow that example."

"Pretty much," she said. "They want us studying for the National Center Test for University Admissions. It's about a week or so after break."

"Surprised you can't just buy your way into college like you guys did Meiou," I replied to which she snapped a response.

"I'll have you know I got in on my own, thank you very fucking much." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know why you're talking, it's almost like you're their tax break. Had to fill low-income quota somehow."

"Hate to break it to you but this isn't America."

She rolled her eyes as she reached behind her. She grabbed the TV's remote from her desk and the screen flickered to life. "So she's throwing a party?"

She set the remote on the arm of the chair after turning the volume up.

"Hell if I know." I shrugged. "I can only assume she's doing something huge since she didn't get her beach vacation."

Her eyes darted to the clock that hung above her TV set, and her features softened with each fast tick of the large, thin hand. Soon, after she noticed I was watching her with interest, she let her eyes fall to the screen and she shrugged. "I guess I can be happy I'm not there."

"You know..." I moved towards the headrest and lay out on my stomach, facing the TV screen. "I know why she hates me, but I don't know why she hates you with such a passion lately."

"It's always been like that." She shrugged again. "I usually do something to set her off."

"Why still be friends with her, then?" I pretended to be much more interested in the program than this conversation, and it seemed she did as well.

There was no reply from her as the program cut to commercial. The woman's signature announcement "Saburomaru! The Great Detective! Will be back shortly!" chimed before the first commercial came on.

"It's better to be her friend, hating life, than not be in her life at all."

I waited for her to continue but she left it at that. She didn't even care about my rough draft of Eikichi running over her practice exam in pen.

"That's pretty fucking dramatic," I noted minutes later as she sat in silence on the other end of the room.

"Akane is the dramatic one," Fukui responded without missing a beat.

"Oh, do tell." I began lighting running over the left side of Eikichi's face, shading him.

Her lips broke into a disgusted scowl as she eyed me, as if I thought she was stupid.

I shrugged with a sly grin. "I had to try."

She rolled her eyes and set her gaze back on the screen. "Even if I did tell you the bare minimums, an outsider wouldn't understand."

My pen continued moving lightly, shading in Eikichi's stomach.

"I guess that's why even I don't understand sometimes," she mumbled to herself.

Sparking my interest, my eyes lingered on her as she held her knees to her chest. "I don't think you're an outsider to them."

"Ami and Akane have been friends since they were in preschool," Fukui replied. "I didn't join their group until grade school."

"Over six years of friendship," I scoffed. "God damn, you are totally an outsider."

Her features tensed and she about snapped at me as she opened her mouth, but composed herself at the last minute. She drew in a deep breath. "It's different. Way more than you'd think."

"Don't see the difference. Each one of you was born with a silver spoon in your mouth."

She glared at me. "And each of our families views money differently." She paused and grimaced. "Well, my family does…in a way."

"Natsume's going to college so she can look the part when her father hands his company to her, huh?"

"You're forgetting about Isao."

"Who?"

She giggled. "Isao. Her older brother."

"Literally nobody cares about her family."

"Even she doesn't."

"I can see it now." I rolled on my back and stared up at the ceiling. "His father's giving him the title, about to shake his hand. Then she barges on the stage. She rams into him with her hips, effectively throwing him off stage, and shakes her father's hand as she grabs the title."

"Pretty much."

"If they make you so unhappy, stop being friends with them."

My simple advice wouldn't cut it. "It's not that easy."

I laughed. "What, are you under some fucking blood oath to be best friends forever?!"

She broke a genuine smile and even a heartfelt chuckle, but it disappeared. She turned on me. "Is there a reason you keep antagonizing our friendship?"

Anxiety sparked and the moment seemed longer as time all but slowed. "I'm not antagonizing anyone."

I definitely was. It was what I came to do. Throwing me out a fucking moving vehicle was enough reason for me to give her a hard time… even if it wasn't her fault. Guilty by association, I told myself.

"You came just to talk shit about Akane."

I lost my chance at buttering her up. This might be a good way to get her to talk—people say things, let things fly, when they're heated. "No, I came here because I had nowhere else to go and it seemed fun to find out why you're on her shit list."

"I'm not—"

I sat up and threw my hands in the air childishly. "Fukui, Hitomi! Number one on Natsume, Akane's, Shit List!"

She bristled and gripped the arm rests on her chair. "Fuck you!"

"Don't be mad at me." I shrugged. "She's the one treating you like shit. Been treating you like shit for a while, I noticed. Remember when we were running from the cops and you went off? Didn't even try to tell you where we were going."

"She doesn't treat—"

"And I remember that super nice day we ditched class and went shopping. She bit your head off because you weren't quite up to date on that season's fashion."

"That's just how she is when I set her off—"

"You know, that's how abusive relationships work," I tutted, wagging my finger at her. "It's your fault they got mad. Their anger is totally justified because you did something to provoke them. That's just how they are."

"I don't have to justify anything to you."

"Yeah, you justify it to yourself so you can sleep at night."

Something inside her snapped. She grabbed the little pencil mug she had on her desk and chucked it at me, aiming for my face. I ducked, narrowly avoiding the hard clay smashing against my face. It crashed into the wall behind me as she got up from her seat and charged towards me. I couldn't scramble away fast enough, and her hands were on my collar before I could plant my hand on her face.

"You don't fucking know me!" She screamed, yanking me off her bed.

She tried throwing me, but I caught myself in time and let my legs push me upright. Her grip tightened, and my hands found their way into her hair, gripping and pulling with no remorse. I pushed her head back and let my free hand pull behind me, ready to swing into her face. It wasn't until I heard her soft sobs that I realized she wasn't shaking me anymore, she wasn't trying to hurt me.

I paused, balled fist behind me frozen in air. I couldn't stop staring as she cried, letting a more than pained expression grace her face in my presence. Her hands released my collar and she slunk away from me. I released her hair, letting her walk backwards to her bed.

Her legs hit the mattress and she let herself sit on the bed.

A knock came from her door, and an old woman's voice sounded from behind it—raspy and tired. "Miss Hitomi?"

I was too shocked at her outburst to look to the door, but I never heard it open.

"Go away!" She cried. "I'm fine! Go away!"

There was a long pause behind the door, no footsteps to signal departure. Finally, the woman replied. "Alright, Miss Hitomi."

I'd never seen her like this—never thought it could be possible. What nerve had I hit to make stick-up-her-ass-Fukui have a mental break down? What did Akane do to her? Was she that horrible to her? Had I neglected the possibility that Fukui was always striving for Natsume to treat her nicely and wasn't just a mean girl?

I stepped towards her cautiously and knelt in front of her where she sat on her bed. She covered her face with her hands to hide the snot dribbling down from her nose.

"Hey, look…" I cocked my head, trying to see any part of her face—though no avail. "Fukui."

She didn't remove her hands. She didn't stop crying.

"Fukui," I spoke softly, hoping she was paying attention. "You're never obligated to forgive your abuser."

Her entire body stopped trembling, freezing as the last word left my mouth. Her hands never left her face, though I could hear her breathing spiking, hitching, and her body began trembling again. This time violently.

Her voice cracked as she cried. "Please go home."

My throat tightened as guilt washed over me. I said something that set her off… triggered her.

"Look, I'm—"

Her voice sounded worse by the minute, pitching higher with each syllable. "Please go home."

I paused, knowing I would have wanted someone to listen to me if I was her.

"Alright." I nodded and stood up.

"Find Miss Sendai," she whispered, trying to control her voice. "She'll take you home."

I gathered my things and headed towards the door. As I opened it, I turned back to see Fukui curled into an upright fetal position, hiding her face.

I turned to leave, finding an older woman in my way. She was short and heavy with grey hair that tucked up neatly in a high bun. She stood in front of me in her night-gown. I assumed the crash woke her up. She adjusted her glasses as she eyed me over, letting the glare from the room's lighting hide her eyes.

"Are you leaving now?" She sounded like a stereotypical old woman, the same raspy and tired voice that knocked earlier.

"Yes."

"I'll fetch Shindo to take you home then." She turned and walked down the long hall that was the second floor. "You can wait out in the foyer."

One last glance over my shoulder to take a look at the now convulsing Fukui, I inhaled sharply. I had no words of encouragement for her. I never had words of encouragement for myself. Though I'd already triggered her and could do nothing to pull her out of it, I didn't want to leave her in silence.

I hesitated before speaking. "Good luck on your exams."

She didn't respond. It was as if she didn't hear me. I closed the door behind me as I exited and waited in the foyer for the chauffeur. I felt guilty, heavy. I knew I was coming with the intention of stirring things up but I didn't intend to…

The foyer's lighting changed subtly, and I became confused. I couldn't pinpoint why the lighting flickered briefly. I looked up at the ceiling lights but found no signs of faulty lighting.

The lighting changed again, and I looked behind me towards the front door. The glass panels on frosted glass windows next to the door shone again. A car.

I opened the front door and looked behind me, finding the old woman walking down the staircase.

"I'll lock it behind you," she said.

I nodded and closed it behind me as I stepped into the freezing cold. I stepped into the silver Honda parked in the driveway and buckled my seat belt.

"Where to?" The chauffeur asked in a calm voice—as if he wasn't just woken up in the middle of the night.

I wasn't able to see any distinguishing features of him in the dark. I told him the address, and there was no further conversation. The car ride was silent, with nothing but the engine humming in the background. Even that blurred into the back of my mind as I soon paid no attention to it.

After the short drive, I quietly entered my apartment and took off my shoes. Heaving a sigh, I stepped into the small walkway that lead to the living room. I found my father standing in the kitchen with a can of beer in hand.

"Hey," I said, stopping in front of the island counter that separated us.

"Hey." He took a swig of beer before setting the can down.

We stood in silence, feeling the pressure grow between us in the dim lighting from the living room. He stared me down with tired eyes, unnerving me.

"Where've you been?"

"Kitajima's."

Well, it wasn't a lie...

He grunted and didn't reply, instead he stared me down.

"Did Minoru ever calm down?" I asked moments later.

"After I gave in."

"So no funny remarks at the breakfast table about how he can't sit right?"

"No, your big mouth is what got him in such a tizzy to begin with."

"Sorry. It slipped."

"Yeah, like you're about to slip something now."

"Huh?" My face scrunched in confusion as he walked up to the counter and leaned against it.

He gestured to me and pointed to the bar stool that stood in front of me. Cautiously, I pulled it out, letting the wood on wood scraping echo down the hallway towards the bedrooms, and sat down. Clutching my purse in front of me, I waited for him to speak.

He stared me down and I took in the hard eyes and strong jaw line Minoru would soon grow into. His hair, which was usually pulled into a low ponytail, was loose and draped down his neck. Taking in my father's physical appearance in the dim lighting, I felt as if I hadn't seen him in years for some reason. The feeling didn't last long. He spoke, voice commanding and harsh as he shook his head in disbelief.

"What the fuck have you gotten yourself into?"

Instantly, with a sharp pain in my stomach to add insult, I straightened up with tensed features. My mind darted from Ku to Natsume to Fukui to Yu to the Reikai and my mind began swirling, pushing thoughts together in a hurry. How could he have possibly found out about any of that?

"What do you mean?" I choked out.

"Some girl came by earlier tonight." His eyes squinted in scrutiny as he leaned further across the counter towards me. "Saying you know where someone is. Someone who's been missing for months."

Someone who's been missing for months?

"Yu?" My brows pushed together as I thought of who else could have been missing.

"So you know." My eyes drifted to the pantry behind my father,and I continued to think if there was anyone else I overlooked. His hand slammed on the counter, jolting my eyes back to him and my body almost out of the stool. "Answer me. If you're helping hide runaways, Aiko, I swear—"

"I'm not hiding anyone!" I replied with haste. "I'm not hiding anyone, I swear."

"Then what did she mean you knew where they were? Do you know where they are?"

"Yes... and no..." I didn't know where the old lady lived but I knew he was there...

"Aiko." My father's growl sent chills down my spine, and I spilled.

"Look, he's off with his spiritual mentor. I know. That sounds so stupid but it's true."

"Spiritual mentor?" He repeated with skepticism.

"I know, it's weird. But it's true. He left a few weeks back and said he'd be back by the end of winter break. I didn't know he didn't tell her!"

"I want you to go find that girl and tell her where he is."

"Dad, look—" I pushed my hands in the air, palms facing him to calm him down. "Look, there must be a reason he told me and not her..."

"What about his parents?"

With all the shit he'd gotten into and how little his mother seemed to care I doubt she started to care now. "Hell, was there an older woman there with brown hair?"

"Yes."

Oh. "Okay, uh..." I paused. "Well, what did you tell them?"

"I didn't know where you were, so I asked your mother. She was busy dealing with Minoru's tantrum and was too flustered to give me a name, but said you were with a blue girl."

I was with Kitajima... how did she get blue from... Kitajima's uniform. But Keiko thought... Botan.

I began laughing, tension dispersing. "They know where he is then."

"Don't lie to me." His skeptical eyes never left me.

I calmed, chuckling now. "No, I'm not. If she said blue girl, and it was Keiko at the door, then they definitely went to find the blue girl. And that blue girl knows exactly where he is. She always does."

"Who's the blue girl?" His eyes darted about my face, scanning for lies.

I told him the truth, figuring it wouldn't hurt. "Botan. She's a friend of his."

"And if they found her, they found him?" He asked, tongue in cheek.

I nodded.

"Have we met Botan?"

"No, no." I shook my head. "See, it was a big misunderstanding. Mom was talking about Kitajima—you know? Maya? Kitajima's uniform is blue. And Keiko, the girl, thought of Botan, because Botan... dyes her hair blue."

He kept his eyes on me, darting them around my features as he contemplated whether I was telling the truth or not. I could only hope he believed me. The only lies he caught me in were my meals, so there shouldn't be a reason to doubt me now.

He heaved a sigh. "Don't lie to me about something this serious."

"I'm not." I bristled. "I'm not. I promise."

He stared me down, waiting for me to crack. When I didn't falter, he nodded. "Next time you see or talk to his mother, I want you to apologize."

"For what?"

"She had to deal with me dealing with Minoru."

I shrugged, not willing to argue. "Okay."

He heaved a sigh and hung his head. I waited for him to say something else, but he remained quiet. Finally, he lifted his head and nodded over his shoulder, towards the hallway. "Go to bed."

I nodded in return and hopped off the stool and made my way down the hallway. As I almost stepped foot in my room, he spoke once more, voice carrying down the hall.

"Stop getting into stupid shit."

Minamino.

Since the end of our first match, Roto's knowledge about my mother concerned me. I could only assume it was due to my excursion in the Makai, traveling to defeat the Saint Beasts. It was the only time anyone could have spread my name throughout the land again, the confirmation that Youko Kurama was alive.

It worried me. I would have to take better precautions once back in the mainland. If she was his target she could become others as well, which was why I felt no remorse in using him as an example in the ring. He had nothing to him other than his short-lived power trip.

With how lucky I was to have one of the easier opponents for our first match, I was able to take a leisure walk down to the lobby of the hotel. I had the short opportunities when we arrived last night and the time we exited the hotel to reach the stadium to observe the tenants.

Though it seemed there was nothing much to see but the few glances I sneaked upon arriving. Emotionally numbed elites of human society surrounded us. Their cushioned upbringing didn't let them find pleasure in anything other than the brutality of how far the desperate and psychotic would go to live or win.

There was no need for me to even bother attempting to understand them further in hopes of being able to understand the legalities or tricks the tournament committee may have up their sleeves.

There was no need. They were as shallow as their tournament.

I wondered how far they would go to keep us from winning. Surely the news of a human team brought in a larger crowd this year. Many youkai were here to see acts done to humans that weren't legal outside the ring. The committee would likely cater to their target audience regardless. A human team winning the tournament may cause an outrage among youkai.

To think I had just stepped out of the elevator only seconds ago and now I was turning around to press the call button.

The light shone on the floor number as the elevator doors opened revealing Botan, and the older Kuwabara. They were both slightly intoxicated. I was far from surprised to see Botan here, as she always seemed to come with Yusuke on his endeavors. Noticing Shizuru's presence, though, worried me greatly.

I stepped inside hastily and strode up to Botan. She backed herself in the corner wall of the elevator. With a slow slide of her pink eyes, she eyed the door as an escape route.

The doors closed, sealing her fate, as Shizuru stood by and watched with interest.

"Hello, Kurama!" Botan almost sang in her tipsy state. "We saw your fight this morning! We're so glad you made it."

"Thank you," I replied with little interest. "Who else accompanied you here?"

She began to relax. "Oh, you don't need to worry at all! Just Keiko!"

"Because she is not here." It wasn't a matter of observation from her reply, it was almost a threat.

I would never harm Botan. It was more to remind her that Kuwabara and, I assumed Yusuke, as Keiko was here as well, would not be the only ones upset.

"That's right, that's right!" She nodded feverishly. "She's not here."

"Don't worry," Shizuru said, standing next to me. "We never were able to find her."

I heaved a sigh of relief. "And there's no way for her to find us, or even get here."

"That's right!" Botan nodded once more, holding her index finger up. "Keiko and Shizuru never even spoke to her! She shouldn't even know about this tournament!"

"We did speak to her parents." Shizuru's words almost crushed my relief, until I realized that even if she knew something was amiss there was no way she could find us. "But we didn't find out about this until after we spoke to them."

There was no way she could find out about this place. Even if through some god forsaken incidents she did, there was no way she could find out how to get here.

"Don't you think that's a bit unfair, though?"

Shizuru's words took me by surprise. As if it was somehow unfair of me to want to spare not only myself but everyone else from dealing with whatever shenanigans Aiko would get herself into here.

"No, I'm afriad," I replied with ease. "I don't. In all due respect, and I mean this with no offense, but I do find it dangerous for you and Keiko to be here. I'm sure there was a reason Yusuke and Kuwabara didn't tell you about this tournament."

Botan could feel my tension. She inched out from behind me and moved herself behind Shizuru so she could be closer to the doors. The bell chimed and the doors began to open. Before Botan could make her way out of the elevator, Shizuru reached over and slapped the "close door" option. She blindly tapped another floor.

It wasn't hard to take the hint.

"I can understand." Shizuru nodded as the doors closed. "I do. It's dangerous for humans to be wandering around an island full of youkai."

She paused and waited for me to speak. I said nothing, though, since I knew she was more than just spiritually aware. Her presence was noticeable. In almost any other situation I wouldn't doubt she could care for herself. Even Botan could hold her own, just as she did during the Makai insect incident. But this island was not a place we wanted to see their strength falter.

When I didn't respond, she continued. "It's also tough to fight out there and know your loved ones are watching you get maimed. Then, if you lose, they're left out there as prey. Though have you considered it from our end?"

Without hesitation, I replied. "You're worried for your brother's safety, which is understandable."

"Exactly," she replied coolly, her voice calmer than her words. "I'll be damned if I sit back and let Kazuma take a beating without any emotional support."

Though technically his teammates were emotional support, I still understood her meaning. We did not glance to each other, and instead kept our eyes on the elevator doors, looking past Botan.

"I can agree." I nodded, though she did not understand just how troublesome Aiko would be here. "It's only human nature to want to be there for your loved ones in trying times."

"And I feel it's the same for her."

"To be honest, I think her reason for coming isn't as emotionally inclined as you would like to think."

Botan inched closer to the doors, debating whether she should press another button to get off faster. Her hand hovered over the buttons briefly but soon returned to her side. She knew Shizuru would only close the doors again if she wasn't finished.

Shizuru shrugged, taking another sip from the small bottle. "If that's what helps you sleep at night."

I bristled.

She placed a hand on her hip. "All I know is that if she was involved with all the shit you and Kazuma's friends got into, then I know she'd want to know about this."

"Even if it was because she cared, she also got herself involved in our affairs because she's nosy."

At this point I noticed Botan facing the doors, staring at them intently with her nose pressed against the crack. She knew it wasn't going to sit well with Kuwabara or Yusuke that she had allowed the girls to find out.

Shizuru glanced down at me, confused. "Nobody is stupid enough to put themselves in danger again and again unless they feel there's a good reason. Unless they felt the danger's worth it."

Though I knew there was always some backwards, justified reason for Aiko to be in our business, I didn't always consider it a "good" reason. Even if she felt she should be here for emotional support, she would only be a burden in the back of my mind.

"I did not tell her for the similar reason Yusuke and Kuwabara did not tell you or Keiko."

Despite their strengths, this place was dangerous. It was a place not meant for them. Humans had no real protection on the island during the tournament the way they did outside of it... unless they had money.

The doors opened once more, and Shizuru hit the "close" option once more. She then held Botan with her free hand after tapping the number to their floor. She was not going to take my bait and avoid her point.

"You think if she knew about this and wasn't able to come she'd be more upset about you not telling her than the danger this tournament puts you and your team in?"

Aiko wasn't shallow but it was much more of a grey area than she was portraying it.

"She would come because she cared but it would still be a burden. Like I've said, this place is dangerous, you all could get into situations where our hands are tied or we're unable to help."

"Yeah, I get it," she said seconds later. "I don't think Kazuma wants me here. Yusuke doesn't want Keiko here but I'm not going to let their hardheadedness keep us from being there for them."

I glanced to her, noticing she didn't disagree. "Have you had any issues since you've been here?"

"Nothing I couldn't take care of." She shrugged. "I guess that proves your point in a way, though."

"It's best to keep a low profile around here," I said. "It would also be wise to not identify yourselves as our supporters. We didn't receive good feedback from our audience during the first match."

"No can do. Keiko's not really able to suppress it, and I can't make any promises."

I sighed as she continued.

"Neither of us want to be a distraction. We didn't intend on finding you guys or meeting up. At least not right away. We came because we weren't going to let them through this alone. We're not going to let those nasty jeers be the only voice, even if they can't always hear us."

I didn't reply.

Another swig before she shook the little flask, finding it empty. "I guess that's what makes us girls."

The door opened, spilling in brighter artificial lighting. Shizuru leaned forward and patted Botan's shoulder. The blue haired girl jumped at the touch. Guiding Botan out of the elevator, Shizuru stopped between the doors and turned around to speak to me.

"We'll stay out of sight... and trouble for now," she said. "I expect you won't mention we're here."

"I won't if you don't want me to."

"I don't want to be a distraction and I know Keiko doesn't want to, either. We're here to see them come home safe after all."

I nodded and she turned on her heel, guiding Botan down the hall.

Without turning back to me, she waved to me with the empty bottle. "Good luck on your next match. We're rooting for you."

Botan turned her head over her shoulders as the doors began closing.

Pumping her fist in the air, she gave her encouragement. "That's right! Show'em what team to not mess with, Kurama!"

I found myself smiling at their parting words despite the stiff atmosphere still lingering around me. Though as I reached for the button of my floor, I found myself still unswayed in my original stance. It was better she wasn't here.