[Chapter 11] A peculiar girl (Part I)
Wait, what?
There´s someone who wants to meet you.
I heard that. I meant, what do you mean by "little girl"?
Exactly that.
The innocence in the young man´s face wasn´t match for the doubtful look on hers.
The orange sunset bathed everyone around the street with different shades of orange. In the background a couple of kids were heading home from school just like her, only that they didn´t bump into this clear brown-haired man like she did. Lucky bastards.
Eri was starting to regret making a shortcut and even more, stopping by a vending machine to buy a can of juice. That´s when her miserable luck strike. Just before her, the ring on his left ear sparkled as a reflection of the sun light. She should have run from there the moment she noticed it; it could have saved her from being in this troublesome situation.
Oh, you´re drinking black coffee? That´s unexpected. I thought you like sweet. He curiously pointed out the drink on her hand.
I pressed the wrong button when you mentioned someone wants to meet me. She put a scowl on her face directly at him.
I see. Do you want me to buy you another thing? He smiled at her.
No. I won´t let this go to waste.
Tatara laughed at her cute stubbornness. Why don´t you try this one? It´s super sweet, I´m sure you´ll like it. He offered her one of the cans he had in hand.
They were four in total, so that only meant there were more of them. It gave her a headache to think about it.
I said I´m fine. Anyway, did you talk to a little girl about me? She was lost about what to say about this.
Yep. She´s been wanting to meet you all this time Arisawa-san. As always, Tatara ignored her concern and grimace with a cheerful face. She´s a couple of blocks away, by the main street, near the bar. Let´s go.
In any other situation, she´d never think twice before ditch him and walk away from him, but with the mention of a little girl involved with THIS guy, she thought it would be best to go and check it with her own eyes.
Not too far from where they met, the two of them could spot the other half of the group he left behind.
When he saw him, Yata turned his body, visibly tired of waiting for him. Ah, finally Totsuka-san. Where did you go buy those drinks-?
Ah! What´ is SHE doing here!? A judgmental finger pointed at her, while the girl in question stared at him already done with this idea.
Eri wasn´t impressed of finding the loudmouth there; she was resigned for the worst. But she was at the sight of the tall, red-headed man smoking while resting his body on the street railing. As always, he didn´t react to her at all. He kept smoking and looking at the sky. Of course, he did take a look at his cheerful clan member when he arrived and therefore at her as well.
Now, nothing prepared her to see what was next. Trailing the menacing, tall man´s free arm, her eyes slowed down until they met the final member of the group of four and the reason she was there.
It was the little girl, poking her head from behind him. But not just any girl, a real-life doll.
Someone so short and tiny holding the hand of the beast next to her was a big picture to witness. They certainly didn´t matched at all.
Here you go, Anna. Tatara handed her drink, ignoring the huge gap between their looks and hers.
Arisawa-san, this is Kushina Anna. She´s been wanting to meet since the first day you got into the bar.
God, it was such a coincidence. Just when you send me to buy you guys a drink, I bumped into her, Anna. Once he said it aloud, he noticed the implications and this "coincidence" made much more sense.
On the other hand, it was a tale har to believe for the teen; why would SHE be interested in her if they never met before. And you spoke about me to this girl because…
She was curious. I told her that you were a strain with healing abilities and that rose her interest in you even more.
If only she could kill with her glare, but sadly not even her most unfriendly look had effect on this man anymore. He was immune.
Her spiteful exterior relaxed under a big sigh and turned to look at the person behind this meeting. She was a little girl indeed. And what a way to dress up. She has seen that kind of exaggerated fashion before, only with girls in her teens or even older. It was very over the top in her opinion. Why would they wanted to wear a Victorian inspired look for their everyday life? She bet that was anything but comfortable. Or maybe it was her overly comfortable clothes and her fear of excel in a crowd that were speaking.
In any way, she stood out a lot not only for her outfit but also her impeccable white mane. Not to mention her big, red eyes that stare at her like they were two black holes absorbing her. They were like hers; she had to admit it was a pleasant surprise due to the lack of people she met with the same characteristic. Maybe that was why she was so fixed staring at them.
The teen felt a little weird for this summit; she didn´t want to be there in first place, but there was a greater force that forced her to stay.
It was painfully obvious. Not only the little individual didn´t resemble any of them remotely, but she also had a different last name than the rest of the group she´s met. Her suspicions rose a little, but it was too soon to jump into conclusions; there might be a logical explanation.
So, she´s a relative of one of you, right?
No.
Adopted?
Nope.
So, she´s a child with no legal relation to any of you.
Yes.
It happened in an instant. Unlike her usual self, Eri hugged the child to herself while giving them the shadiest murderous look she´s ever given them.
Just a small sight at that obscure face of hers was enough to comprehend the misunderstanding. Wait, it´s not what it looks like. Totsuka calmly defended.
Say that to the police, sick bastard. Her poisonous tongue declared.
A couple of doubts were cleared when the teen gave them the chance. But her arms didn´t loose from her body, holding her close and protectively from them. It was evident she wasn´t fully convinced, despite their efforts.
So, little girl. She referred to the one on her arms while giving them the stink eye. Have they ever touched you-?
Do you really think we´re that kind of people?! The young guy snapped at her absolutely offended.
Do you really want me to answer that?
It´s fine Arisawa-san. You can trust us. Anna is our little princess and-
He had to stop talking the moment her grimace turned darker at the mention of the word princess. Maybe because she misunderstood again. This was going to tougher than it looks.
Look at her left eye closely.
Eri did as she was told, a little reluctant about what they wanted her to see, but once she spotted it, a wave of confusion reached her.
That´s the insignia of our clan. Tatara explained. All of us members have it.
So, you´re saying…
Yeah.
You forced a child to join in? Now her irritation became visible as well as her judgmental glance. Is there no limit to your stubbornness Totsuka-san?
Yet again, she got it wrong. Both Yata and him exhalated tired of her obliviousness while their king drank a can of black coffee. Why did she decided to be so blind today?
The young man smacked his hands against his face, defeated. *Sigh* well, we don´t have any other. Anna, could you mind?
Before Eri could grasp what he meant by that, the child´s hands reached out for her face.
…
…
…
Red eyes stared off into space, blinking rapidly trying to adjust to the dim light of sunset. Once her mind came back where it belongs, she made a brief inspection of her whereabouts. Undeniably, she was still in the open street of the city, as well as the rest of the inopportune members of the red clan.
Wait, what was that? She swiftly turned to Totsuka for answers, remaining calm for her own good.
She was extremely uncertain of what she saw when the girl touched her. A glimpse of many events flashed in her mind. All of them, of course, weren´t hers, but the little albino next to her. Eri stared at her lost in thought about what just happened.
Those where her memories. Right, Anna?
The small one nodded in silence.
Anna showed you a little bit of her memories from our time together.
It was insane. Thousands of micro-clips showed on her mind in first person, as if she was seeing the world through the child´s eyes. Happiness, goofiness, fights between their gang and the blue clan, fights with the guys of their own clan, meals, movies, arcade games, even a horse ride on what it looked like Pegasus was captured on the little girl´s memories. And Eri saw it in what it felt like a second.
We´ve been in the same clan since she was 8. Now she´s 9, going to 10.
And we didn´t do anything indecent to her like you accused us of! Yata added, cleaning the name of his pure clan.
Now that she had a peek of her life with them in what it seemed like the last year, Eri started putting all the evidence together. She looked like a well-fed child; when she hugged her, she felt normal, not too skinny, or out of shape. Her clothes were clean, and she smelled okay, so she also had access to a decent human hygiene. With a finger resting on her chin, pensive, she reached a conclusion.
I still don´t believe you.
You wicked woman! The skater snapped at her utter disbelief.
I can give you my word that Anna is taken care with extreme protection.
Then why is this kid not in school?
Now she´s corned him. His eyes avoided hers now that he was lost on words for this touchy subject. E-Eh, that´s cause…
Erina. A quiet voice interrupted them.
The eyes of the teen jolted when the little girl called her. What was that? She´s never mentioned that name before, and it wasn´t like she was calling her new name, but her original one. How did she know?
Eh? So, your full name is Erina? Rising his curiosity Totsuka wondered.
She did not waste any time. No. My real name is Eri. She corrected him assertively, leaving out any suspicions; something she was used to do thanks to her job.
Out of nowhere, the small individual displayed a weird presence she couldn´t ignore. And her unknown method of guessing rose many doubts about how she did that. Until an idea popped on her mind. So, munchkin is a strain too?
Yep, that´s right. Totsuka happily confirmed. Anna has many powers, including Clairvoyance, Mind-Reading, Psychic Navigation and Lie Detection. But it´s weird she didn´t guess your name correctly. The man showed his concern curiously since she´s never been wrong before.
You don´t say. An obscure look clouded her eyes as they narrowed.
Her displease came unnoticed by everyone, except the small girl who subtly received her chilly stare.
Now this was something she couldn´t overlook. As bothering as it sounded, Eri had to force herself to stay and clear any suspicion from the child before she left.
Totsuka-san. Her soothing, cold voice called him.
I´d like to spend some time with you, if that´s possible.
Eyes went wide and almost lose track of reality for a moment. He blinked a couple of times baffled since there was no way that girl could said those words deliberately. REALLY!?
His overly excited reaction didn´t take her aback due to her anticipation.
Awesome! There´s a park near here if you want a change of scenery, Arisawa-san. Oh, but it´s a little bit quiet, people don´t come often.
A dark aura surrounded her, but only the most perceptive could have noticed it, so in other words, only the child noticed it. That´s fine. The fewer, the merrier.
That´s not how it goes-
I don´t care. Let´s go just the four of us.
Four? The young boy wondered doing a head count, just to snap at her when he noticed. Are you ditching me?!
The loud one was on point this time. You´ll most likely won´t like it if I go. She briefly explained.
She figured you out, Yata. Tatara laughed at him.
But despite the truth being told, he still went against it. Who said I´m not going?! I´ll endure the horrible sight of your face and go!
Totsuka looked pleased with this perfect outcome. Haha, that´s the spirit, Yata.
On the other hand, the straight-face girl felt cornered now that her plan was ruined. She didn´t want to be around them at all. Her plan was to have a one on one conversation with the brat and leave everything clear.
But it wasn´t going to be easy. She has to be alone with her, something quite difficult with so many people around.
Oh. Suddenly a vibration followed by a ringtone came out of the young boy´s pocket. He grabbed his PDA and answered the call, moving away from the group to have a better hearing. Not too long after that, he turned towards them again. It was Kamamoto. He needs backup. He briefly explained.
For once the luck was on her side. Just go, you won´t be missed. Eri indifferently hurried him to go with her hand.
The audacity this girl had to shoo him like a dog almost made him popped a vein. If it wasn´t for the emergency, he´ll give her a piece of his mind. Giving her the stink eye before leaving, he jumped on his skateboard and left the crew.
When the group of four reached the famous park, it was depopulated as Totsuka mentioned. Something Eri was satisfied with. They founded a bench under a big tree where both girls sat down first. The teenager´s eyes casually noticed how close the king and the child were from each other. He wasn´t seated but remained nearby in front of her. She´ll do something about it next, but first the easy one.
Totsuka Tatara. She called him calmly yet serious provoking a small jump of his shoulders. Maybe she still has a little control over him after all.
I´m thirsty; go buy me that drink you offered me before.
Eh? But you just bought one not too long ago-
Obey. Without room for complaints, her voice turned stricter and that´s the last thing the young man perceived before rushing to that bending machine.
Now that she got rid of two pesters, that only leaves the most difficult one.
To be perfectly frank, she disliked the idea of the King, who looked like a protective figure to the kid, to be with them. That man was far too cryptical and always menacing looking. If he got what she was trying to do, then she could end awfully bad.
Thus, how to dispose of the biggest obstacle?
Lost in thought, she missed the part when the man stared at the child and changed a look with her in silence. The little one perceived what he was trying to convey and gave him a small bow to ease his worries. Then the tall, red-haired man started walking away from them.
The sound of footsteps moving farther and farther woke her up. When her head rose, she saw the red king, leaving behind the child she only met a few minutes ago on her care.
'Could it be?'
Despite the convenient solution, she didn´t forget who she was dealing with. Yes, it was a nuisance, but also a kid. She felt guilty for not letting a way out if the situation was too much for her, after all she saw how tensed her shoulders were even though her unruffled act. Are you sure you don´t want him to stay with you?
A simple nod was her answer.
The schoolgirl took a breath, clearing her mind now that she had no obstructions left and probably little time before Totsuka return.
Is it true you can read minds?
Her little white-haired head nodded lightly.
I see. Then allow me to recognize your braveness for sticking with me without your guardian´s... assistance. Indeed, it was impressive how, knowing what was happening and possibly the thoughts on her head, she still decided to be alone with her.
In spite of the "compliment", the small one noticed how wicked she sounds now. It was a little worrisome how the teen who was protecting her from her own misunderstanding not too long ago, now was acting completely different towards her, under a more hostile tone.
The child looked like she knew what was happening. It surprised the older girl how calm and collected she behaves. She was no normal kid; it reminded her of herself. But now that they seemed to be in the same page, Eri cut to the chase. So, does anyone else in the clan know? Well, besides Kusanagi-san.
The little girl shook her head and added with her quiet voice. Izumo is very smart and has many contacts. She´s never heard of that, but knowing him, it was normal to assume he already know.
That piece of information didn´t make her feel any better. Just how much that man will know about her?
But he´ll never share it with the others unless is absolutely necessary. And neither will I. Anna added sounding more cautious.
It´s a good thing you´re a smart girl, munchkin.
Now Eri felt a bit calmer, although she surely had the worst luck in the world. It was irritating that the blue clan investigated about her beforehand, it was an unwelcomed surprise how the cunning bartender of the red clan could figure her out with little to no proof at all, but having an elementary schooler finding out was a kick to her pride. Who would have thought a seemingly normal girl would be so problematic.
But I can´t ignore the fact that you spied on my memories without permission and almost got me caught.
The way Eri was phrasing that was rash and daunting. The ex-assassin wasn´t going to be nice just because she was dealing with a child. Her new life was hanging by a thread and this kid had total control over it. But mostly her frustration came from an offended sensation, after all, her deepest secrets were uncovered by this stranger, putting her in the spot. it was normal to feel so upset with her.
The small child of course, felt those red, scary-looking eyes on her. By the sound of the teen´s voice, she was outraged with her. The little Anna could see why. It was a shame that those gorgeous, red eyes of hers were scolding her in silence. She loved that color after all. Thanks to her colorblindness, that was the color she could see the most and easily got attached to it.
Everyone has the right to a private life, even people like me. Of course, regular people don´t have what you possess, therefore they can´t see the same amount of information that you can get. But no one can be subjected to arbitrary interference in their privacy, or attacks on their honor and reputation. I hope you understand what I´m trying to say.
Quickly, her own red eyes casted down watching her hands on her lap, as she couldn´t handle her stare any longer. She was a child, and it was expected to feel ashamed by her previous actions if they hurt the girl she just met. But that wasn´t her intention. She was just being precautious in order to protect her dear clanmates. She did this previously before with the other members when they were new too. No one told her to do so; it was her own idea.
So, when Totsuka started talking about this shady, mysterious girl who punched various of his clanmates (justifiably), she started feeling curiosity towards her. It was when she was brought abruptly inside the bar last time when she felt her presence. Quickly, she went downstairs but stood behind the wall separating the bar from the limits off the establishment. She spied from the crack of the door and saw her. She was wearing the same school uniform she is right now. She punched Yo on the stomach after he crossed the line, naturally. Then she punched Saburota when he stopped her from behind, but she also healed Misaki. She was certainly an odd girl. She could see why Totsuka took a liking to her, and so she did but hers were mixed with uncertainty.
She sensed a strong haunting air from her that day, but she surely wasn´t expecting to see THAT.
Anna wanted to say she only had a small glimpse of her life, but it wasn´t true. Once she spied a little and found out that kind of background, she couldn´t stop and her own power went ahead of herself, having a very detail and exhaustive look of her past.
It was maddening, horrible, but most of all it made her feel sad.
It remained her of… herself.
It was then that Anna decided what to do.
The oldest was facing the mute child when suddenly her hands held each side of her face.
AAAnd I´m going to cut it on half. Once again it turned out quite long.
I recently read the reviews and let me tell you that they made me smile like a dork, so that´s a good thing XD.
Thank you for reading and I´ll upload the second part right away.