CHAPTER 10
YOMI, PART II
"SUSPENDED FOR A WHOLE WEEK…! I never would have expected this from you, Koyomi Mizuhara…!"
Yomi was locked in her own world as her mother's tirade continued to echo throughout the house. She sat on the couch and while her angry mother shouted, Yomi couldn't hear her. The events of earlier today were earthshattering for Yomi. She had never received either a failing grade or a punishment from any school but to achieve both accolades in the same day set a new precedent for the Mizuhara household.
"…I'm just glad your father isn't around to see this mess! Is this the way you want to honor his memory…?! By failing exams, getting in fights, and getting suspended from school…?!"
Many thoughts swarmed inside Yomi's head, none of which were connected to school. School was now irrelevant in her mind. Even when her punishment would be up, she had no plans of going back to school. Yomi's new mission revolved around perceived survival. The death of Tomo Takino consumed every aspect of Yomi's life and she could not and would not accept that her best friend killed herself for no reason. There had to be a reason and come hell or high water, Yomi was going to find it or die trying.
"…Koyomi…? Koyomi…? HEY KOYOMI, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME…?!"
Yomi blinked rapidly and she was sucked back to reality where her mother stood close to her face. A vein bulged in her forehead and her eyebrow twitched. Yomi could feel the hot breath jetting out her mother's nostrils like an angry bull. She only caught bits and pieces of her mother's rant but got the general idea and placated her.
"Yes, mom, I'm listening and I'm sorry I got suspended." Yomi replied deadpan.
"Sorry is not going to cut it this time, missy!" She replied. "These are the kinds of things that go on your permanent record and can affect everything! College, career, everything you've been working so hard for!"
"I'm sorry, mom. I'm sorry."
She was becoming more infuriated with her daughter. Her words said one thing, yet her face and tone spoke a different story. She had exhausted herself and decided to keep Yomi confined to her room for the rest of the day. Yomi's energy returned when she was ordered to go to her room and stay there the rest of the night. The distraught student quickly retreated to her quarters while her mother rested her voice, knowing it would be utilized in the same manner later.
Yomi closed and locked the door behind her. She braced herself against the wooden barrier and slowly slid down until she sat and pulled her legs close. In a ball of misery, she sat and let the cosmic thoughts consume her. Yomi painstakingly replayed every conceivable memory she had with Tomo. From the very first day they met, to their first day of middle school, high school entrance ceremony, and everything else in between. Every memory Yomi could conjure, none of them produced a single red flag that would lead her to think her childhood friend was on the edge.
With it being over a month since Tomo's casket was lowered into the ground, Yomi could not get off this train of thought. All her other interests were swept away and replaced with chasing this perceived conspiracy that led to Tomo's death. Yomi was unable to accept any other answer than her best friend was murdered or driven to commit suicide. Outside forces had to be responsible. There was no other explanation.
Pulling herself up, Yomi dashed to her closet and opened it. Being the organized young woman she was, she was able to retrieve one of her old bulletin boards she used for studying. She also retrieved a box of pens and markers, a pair of scissors, a yarn ball, and a photo album. Yomi attached the board above her desk and opened the album. Thumbing through the pages, she found the large selfie Tomo took at Chiyo's beach house last summer. She tacked it to the center of the board. Flipping across more pages, Yomi made quick surgical work of the album and the bulletin board was layered with pictures of her former friends. When she was done, Tomo's pixelated face was orbited by the other pictures and Yomi began her work.
Opening a blank composition notebook, she started jotting a profile on Chiyo Mihama. Yomi wrote everything she knew about the child from her genius IQ, stellar school record, as well as any negative trait she could associate with her. The latter proved a more formidable category as the only thing Yomi could conjure was that she cried more than any of the girls when Tomo died. While an outsider would see that as a normal response to a child's first experience with death, Yomi's deteriorating brain interpreted something more sinister. Chiyo wept tears not of anguish, but of guilt in Yomi's mind.
"What is she hiding…?" Yomi asked herself as she connected a taped piece of yarn from her picture to Tomo's. "Someone as intelligent as her absolutely knows more than she's letting on. Maybe failing that test is another clue. Guilt is eating away at her. She knew something was wrong with Tomo but would not tell anyone."
Yomi disregarded her bedroom wall and began to write these thoughts with marker around the board. The bulletin board began to resemble a prop from a police or detective movie. The sun fell upon Japan and Yomi turned her desk lamp to the board, making it the only source of life in the room. The zombified inhabitant of the room could hardly count as being alive. By the time dinnertime rolled in, the entire wall was graffitied with Yomi's dark obsession. All of Yomi's former friends' pictures were tacked on the board, yet papers, post-it notes, and other parchments checkered the wall all linking to each girl. Their content drew an image of a young woman teetering off the cliff to the depths of insanity as she laughed manically at her notes.
"Okay…it has to be Sakaki and Osaka." Yomi panted as she sweat and drooled with psychotic eyes at the pictures. "I ruled out Chiyo and that fat bitch Kagura, so that only leaves those two. Osaka and Sakaki were always the silent ones and Tomo being the girl she was, that had to have angered them to wanting to kill her. Those cunts…they murdered my Tomo…"
Knocking on the bedroom door nearly made Yomi shriek. Her mother's voice followed: "Koyomi, it's time for dinner."
Yomi remained quiet, her pinpricked pupils burning the bulletin board.
The doorknob jerked against the locked mechanisms and Yomi's mother knocked again. "Koyomi, open this door right now."
Yomi turned the lamp off and shuffled to the door. She unlocked the door and slowly opened it to allow a sliver of her face to be revealed in the hallway light. Her eyes were sunk in discolored sockets and red lines mapped across her sclerae. Yomi looked the epitome of teenage tragedy.
The distraught look on her daughter's face allowed Saya Mizuhara to sigh and gently state, "Let's have a nice dinner and after that, I want us to talk about today."
Yomi nodded, though just to get her mother away. She left Yomi and the teenager composed herself as she shuffled back to the board. Eyeing the two pictures of Sakaki and Osaka, Yomi unsheathed a red permanent marker and with malicious drool leaking from her mouth's corners, drew a large X across both girls.
"You're the reason Tomo is dead…" she whispered to the pictures.
Yomi joined her mother in the quiet dining room for dinner. Soft music was playing in the background as was their custom, but this time it was different. Saya Mizuhara looked at her daughter as she pushed around the vegetables on her plate with a blank stare. When Yomi's father died of cancer when she was five, Saya Mizuhara started playing her child's favorite music every night at dinner to comfort her who was still reeling from losing her father. The music started with annoying kids' music, but Yomi's intellect developed sooner and when she turned ten, she demanded more classics at the dinner table.
Now that Tomo was gone, it seemed nothing could cheer Yomi up. Yomi's mother sighed and gently placed her chopsticks down. Clearing her throat, she said, "Koyomi, I'm sorry for yelling at you like I did earlier. I know you miss Tomo but I stand by what I said earlier about your father. Failing a test and getting suspended from school is no way to honor him and I know that's not what Tomo would want for you, either."
Yomi still stared at her food lifelessly and remained silent. Saya felt her heart tighten for her daughter's dismay when she noticed the darkened circles under her eyes. They looked like two crushed slugs beneath the eyes that had drowned buckets ever since she found her friend's body in the bathroom.
"I know I've mentioned this before, but I believe that seeing a therapist regularly will help you." Saya Mizuhara added. "After today, I really want to reiterate that point. I can make a few calls for you tomorrow and I'll make sure I find someone who knows a lot about this."
As true and sincere as her words were, they still did little to persuade Yomi to open again. She slowly shifted her dead eyes upward and could see into the kitchen. She spotted the knife block holding all the kitchen cutlery and Yomi's mind wandered again as Saya continued talking. Yomi could see it now. She could see herself easing into her bath later tonight with one of the knives in her possession. The blade would sprint across her wrist and open a bloody geyser. Only a few seconds would have to pass and then Yomi would be with Tomo again. These were her thoughts and Yomi wondered if Tomo was truly deeply depressed despite her wildcat reputation. She wondered if she felt as hopeless as Yomi did now before she swallowed all the pills in the house. Yomi wondered what Tomo's final thoughts were before she left this world.
"Yomi? Are you listening?"
Yomi blinked again. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I said tomorrow I'm going to start calling some therapists and I want you to go. I will even take time off work and go with you." Saya said, nearly done with her meal. "I'm getting very concerned about how Tomo's passing has been affecting you and today was the final straw."
Her mother's words suddenly registered in her deteriorating mind and what they entailed for her. Going to therapy would mean being forced to open up about what was torturing her and that could hinder her plans. For a split second, Yomi considered going just to humor her mother, but what if the therapist would be able to read her better than Saya? What if she recommended hospitalization for Yomi? Yomi was convinced she was the last sane human on Earth for not seeing this "obvious" conspiracy that resulted in Tomo's death. Being thrown in an insane asylum would silence her.
Narrowing her eyebrows at her mother, Yomi huffed. "I don't want to go."
Saya finished her dinner and was about to take her plate to the sink. She didn't know that in a few seconds she would end up cleaning her own wounds instead. Looking up, she saw her daughter's eyes had changed. During dinner, they were two portholes into a world fit for Edgar Allen Poe. Now, her eyes had artificial focus, as if she were a soldier on a mission. Little did Saya Mizuhara know that that was exactly what Yomi was at this point.
"Koyomi, this isn't up for debate. You're going to go." Saya said sternly and collected her plate.
Yomi watched with calculating eyes as her mother walked to the sink and began cleaning her plate. Saya added, "I know that you don't want to open up about everything that has been going on, but I think it would be beneficial to you if—"
Saya was cutoff when something shattered behind her. She zipped around and saw Yomi standing above the shattered plate on the ground. The defiant teenager stormed off towards her room, triggering her mother to follow.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Saya yelled. "That was completely uncalled for! Get back here and clean this up right now!"
"I'm not going to therapy!" Yomi replied and stormed up the stairs with her mother in tow.
"I said get back here!" Saya yelled.
Yomi ascended the stairs and rounded the door to her bedroom just as her mother palmed her shoulder. The simple gesture rewound Yomi's mind to only a few hours ago at school. Her brief skirmish with Sakaki boiled Yomi's blood again. So much anger and hatred coursed through her and she realized how badly she wanted a rematch with Sakaki. Yomi's blind fury at Sakaki, her former friends, the world, and even Tomo was enough to shut her mind off and the distraught student quickly turned. With Sakaki's face still projecting in her mind, Yomi whipped her right arm around and her open palm struck her mother with vile vigor across her face. The whip knocked Saya off balance and the horrifying recognition that her own child assaulted her followed.
Saya Mizuhara was a physically and mentally strong woman much like her daughter pre-Tomo. She had to be after her husband died and she became a single parent. A switch in her mind flipped as well and it was now fight of flight. Both women chose fight.
"STOP IT…! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Saya yelled as she gripped her daughter's arms and the two began to wrestle in the doorway.
"NO…! I HAVE TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH…!"
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT…?!"
After a few seconds of struggle and an imprint of Yomi's hand displaying itself on Saya's cheek, the former gained the upper hand. Yomi pushed her mother off and jumped back into her room. She gripped the door and began to swing it shut. Saya made one last effort to control her daughter by pushing herself in but made the mistake of gripping the doorframe. The door met her hand and crushed it between itself and the frame.
The pain made Saya scream like an animal as Yomi continued to crush her mother's hand. She didn't stop, even when she heard a few snaps and her mother's scream intensified. Saya made a self-preservation decision and ripped her hand back, peeling the skin like a potato and leaving crimson streaks on the wood. Saya's focus was now off her daughter as she held her bleeding, swelling hand and dashed to the downstairs phone. She screamed and cried the whole way down.
Yomi knew she had to escape. Mimicking her new archenemy's tactic, Yomi went for the open window and jumped out. A brief memory of Tomo popping through her window for the final time over a month ago taunted her and Yomi's tears came again as she ran down the dark street.
Yomi ran for several blocks until her lungs begged for a rest. Her long sprint degraded to a mild jog, to a walk, and she finally stopped. She bent over, still feeling the adrenaline cooking her insides. Sucking fresh air into her lungs was harder than she thought as sweat dripped from her forehead and fogged her glasses. It took a few minutes and Yomi didn't know how she was able to keep her trembling knees from failing her but somehow, she stayed standing.
When she refilled her lungs and her body began to calm down, she started walking again. Her clothes were patched with sweat and despite the warm evening, she began to shiver. The full reality of what she did to her mother was beginning to set in, yet Yomi felt no remorse. This just meant that her mission to find out the truth behind Tomo Takino's "suicide" had to be accelerated.
She still didn't have a plan though. All she had were theories but, in her mind, they might as well already be convictions. Sakaki and Osaka were her prime suspects. Both were the quiet type and somehow, Yomi's paranoia interpreted that as a motivation to kill Tomo. Yomi's psyche continued to decay as her pupils narrowed to pinpricks and a trail of drool ran down her lips.
Walking aimlessly through the streets, she conjured different plans on how to confront and get a confession out of Sakaki and Osaka. Could she beat a confession out of them? Osaka wasn't much of a fighter and extracting information from her could be easy. Sakaki on the other hand was a different story. She was much tougher than she looked and had the size and strength to back everything up. Plus, this day's earlier scrimmage proved that Sakaki had a lot fight in her. The fact that they were in school earlier made Yomi realize that Sakaki was holding back. On the streets would probably produce a different, bloodier fight.
Yomi continued to walk as the hours drove on, her mind a swarming vortex of pained paranoia and bitter resentment. She rounded a corner and started walking down a new block where more restaurants and bars were. One block away stood a bar where Minamo Kurosawa was downing another drink with a gentleman caller.
In a cruel and borderline test of fate, Yomi lifted her eyes from the ground and the adrenaline surged again when she saw Sakaki approach her. The two girls' eyes met at the same time and the world around them froze. Yomi saw she was with three other males, who seemed to be following her. She paid them no mind as Yomi narrowed her eyebrows to a hateful scowl and Sakaki mirrored the gesture. They stood frozen only feet from each other until they began walking forward at a slow but assured pace. Sakaki held her hand up to keep the boys from following her. Knowing what was about to happen, they took a few steps back.
The two girls finally stood within grabbing distance of each other and stared each other down. Their eyes burned with unbridled anger and they both knew what was coming next. None of them broke eye contact, letting them know blood was about to fly. They cracked their knuckles for a bit until Yomi spoke.
"Round two, bitch?"
Sakaki finished cracking her knuckles and cracked her neck by leaning it to her left and right. She nodded once and said, "Ding…ding, cunt."
At the sound of the bell, Yomi charged. Sakaki expected this and dodged Yomi's first blow with ease but didn't expect her opponent to circle around with another punch. It landed across Sakaki's jaw just as Sakaki grabbed Yomi's hair. The force knocked both girls to the ground and the battle for dominance commenced. Sakaki rolled on top of Yomi and landed a punch to the face, momentarily stunning her.
"Why are you being like this?! Why did you hurt Chiyo-chan like that?!" Sakaki demanded and slapped Yomi again.
Yomi grabbed a handful of stones and threw them into Sakaki's face. The small pebbles and dust caught her left eye, making her cuss and loosen her grip. Yomi pushed her off and rolled on top of her, latching her hair and slammed her head against the ground. She ignored the boys yelling and cheering for Sakaki to kick her ass.
"WHY DID YOU MURDER TOMO?!" Yomi's hysterical voice was nearly inaudible.
"I DIDN'T…!" Sakaki yelled and spat in her face.
Yomi reeled from the wad striking just below her right eye, allowing Sakaki to punch Yomi in the face again. The force knocked her off and the two girls continued to roll on the ground struggling for the upper hand.
"YOU'RE SUCH A FUCKING PSYCHO!" Sakaki screamed as she finally pushed herself up and the two girls found their feet, returning to their battle stances.
"YOU'RE THE PSYCHOTIC ONE…!" Yomi roared and the boxing and slapping match continued.
Sakaki was quicker with her dodges, but slower in delivering the blows. Yomi was fueled by pure hatred, enabling her to land quite a few blows to Sakaki's torso. The two girls continued to fight, shifting across the empty street as Sakaki's followers continued to chant. Moving closer to a closed gift shop, Sakaki grabbed Yomi's shirt and pushed her back against the large display window. The force shattered the glass and Yomi was able to escape the raining shards. The action unfortunately set off a burglary alarm.
The ringing was heard across the entire block and the boys began to panic. The two girls seemed indifferent of the compromised situation and continued fighting while the alarm screamed. Sakaki was able to throw Yomi to the ground again, but Yomi's feet were able to trip Sakaki and the two girls were on the ground. Yomi grabbed a large shard of broken glass and rolled on top of Sakaki. The glass sliced through Yomi's fingers, but she fought through the pain and drove the glass spike downward. Sakaki caught Yomi's weaponized hand and the horrifying balance of life and death continued.
"Sakaki-senpai, here!" One of the boys yelled.
Struggling against Yomi's strength, Sakaki glanced to her right and saw a switchblade knife slide within reach, just as a police car siren came into range. Keeping Yomi's weaponized hand blocked but feeling her strength in her left arm diminish, Sakaki reached out and grabbed the knife. She sprung the blade and had a perfect opportunity to stab Yomi anywhere she wanted. Sakaki thought about driving the knife into her opponent's neck, but something stopped her.
For a brief moment, Sakaki remembered the good times. She remembered when they were all friends and none of this was happening. Chiyo appeared in her mind, the child prodigy's anguished tears and stolen innocence beginning to tug at her icy heart.
"Please…don't make me do it…" Sakaki whispered.
Yomi was not on the same level and tried to drive the glass wedge home. Sakaki made the decision. Using all the strength she could divert to her right arm, she drove the bladed weapon to its target. The blade pierced Yomi's left leg, making her scream and roll off Sakaki. Sakaki got up and her posse helped her stand. They started running away as the store alarm continued to scream. As they ran, Sakaki glanced over her shoulder and saw Yomi struggle to her feet and rip out the knife.
"Here, clean yourself, senpai!" One of the boys proclaimed and handed her a handkerchief.
She began wiping her hands just as a police car rounded the corner, making them stop. The policemen disembarked the car. One blew a whistle while the other pulled his nightstick. The small gang changed direction and began sprinting down the street where a series of bars and restaurants resided. With Sakaki leading them, they zipped past a bar where a man was helping a woman to a taxicab. Sakaki thought she looked like Minamo Kurosawa but did not stop to confirm this as she kept sprinting and wiping the blood off her hands. The gang circled around another corner as the police followed.
Yomi struggled to walk as the pain in her leg radiated and pulsated. She held her hand against the wound as it continued to bleed, and a thought came to her. Where does she go from here? Does she go home? That was hardly a legitimate option given the post dinner exchange she had with her mother. She could go to a friend's house…if she had any left. She could also go to a hospital for her leg.
The adrenaline was beginning to wear off again and reality came back with a vengeance. Yomi felt an icy bubble of emotion rise within her chest and she felt weak. Her best friend was dead and everything she loved was following suit. All she wanted was her old life back. Whether it was the bleeding leg or the emptiness she was feeling, Yomi began to feel lightheaded and needed to sit down after wandering away from the crime scene.
She slid into an alleyway between two buildings and slowly sat down. Still holding her leg, Yomi felt hot tears burn her eyes and race down her cheeks. After such an exhausting day, she allowed herself to cry. It was the only thing left she could do.
"Well…that was quite a show."
A new but familiar voice stated. The voice rang in Yomi's head and her heart suddenly went into overdrive. She knew that voice. It belonged to someone she once knew. Yomi slowly turned her head to her left and saw a girl standing before her, her identity veiled by the darkness. Yomi struggled to muster a sentence, so the girl said more.
"I know you're upset, but this is no way to go about it." She said and offered a hand.
Yomi hesitated at first but eventually reached out and grabbed the stranger's hand. She was hoisted to her feet and the stranger let go. Yomi was able to make out some features of this girl, but the voice continued to make her heart race.
It couldn't be.
"Ha-ha-who are you?" Yomi asked.
The stranger sounded a placated giggle and took a few steps back into the streetlamp's grace. Yomi's eyes widened in horror and she felt nauseas when Tomo Takino stood before her wearing her school uniform. Tomo shelved her hands on her hips and still wore that infamous mischievous grin. For a few seconds, the two girls just stared at each other, one of them still unable to comprehend what was going on.
Yomi's mouth unhinged in a silent scream as more tears rolled her cheeks. "Wh-wh-what is hu-hap-happening…?"
Tomo gave a small but confident chuckle. She sighed and reached her arm out. Yomi felt the physical presence when Tomo patted her shoulder. Needing to confirm that she wasn't crazy, Yomi grabbed Tomo's arm. It was real. She was real.
"I think it's time we had a talk." Tomo said.