A/N: I've had this idea in my head for well over a year now, maybe even longer. It started as the title, inspired by the legendary Wallace and Gromit movie, 'A Grand Day Out'. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do with it, but as I sat down and planned it out I couldn't help but grin like an idiot at the ideas popping into my head. This was perhaps the most fun I've ever had writing anything - which I put down to Tae being just a whole lot of fun to write as a character!
Also I wrote this before episode 6, so if episode 6 has any earth shattering revelations about Tae that aren't mentioned here, that's why xD
Tae's Grand Day Out
Tae knew she had it good.
"Tae-chan, catch!"
She woke up every day to headpats and hugs, always had a stomach full of squid, and on really sunny days, days where the sky was even more blue than the ocean, more blue than Lily's fluffy hair, she got to laze about in the yard and play with her friends till the stars came out.
"Holy shit, I didn't know she could jump that high!"
Tae clamped her sharp teeth over the skybound frisbee and crash-landed into the spiky grass. Romero, the zombie dog of the household, half-watched the action from his favourite snooze spot on the front porch.
Lily waved her hand in the air, "Tae-chan, me next, me next!"
Tae dutifully handed the now-slimy frisbee to Lily. After a short pause she gently tossed it towards the fence. Immediately Tae chased after it, catching it long before it hit the ground. The girls clapped.
"Good job Tae-chan!"
She span around. Saki was grinning.
"Let me have a try."
Tae ran over with the frisbee. Saki took it in hand and squinted her eyes.
Sakura's voice, "Saki-chan?"
"I'm just thinking. Okay, I've got it."
"Don't do anything crazy."
"That's like telling me not to breathe."
Lily glared at her, "Tae-chan has to catch it, remember?"
"Exactly. I wanna see how high she can jump."
Tae could feel Sakura's anxiety, "Saki-chan-"
"It'll be fine."
Now Lily, "Saki-chan seriously-"
She drew her arm back, "Three, two-"
"Wait!"
"Catch!"
Tae didn't really understand what they were saying. What she did understand was that she wanted to catch that frisbee. She was determined to catch it. With hungry eyes she watched it arc through the air, over the fence-
Lily's voice, "You threw it too hard, you idiot!"
-down the road. Tae didn't wait. She leapt out of the yard after it as it sailed past the houses and ducked beneath the power lines criss-crossing the sky.
Far behind her, "Shit! Fuck! Shit!"
The sound of traffic grew louder. The main road, the road she always saw from inside the minivan, stretched out on either side of her. The right side went to mountains. The left, white buildings as far as the eye could see. A bus pulled up in front of her, heading towards the town.
"Agh?"
The frisbee was a dark circle against the smooth blue sky. It approached the bus. One of the windows was open. Effortlessly it glided in.
"Ragh!"
The bus pulled away.
"RAGH!"
The rules of frisbee were simple. Even Tae understood them. Throw the frisbee, catch the frisbee. The frisbee had already been thrown. Now she had to catch it.
"GRARGHRRGHHHHH!"
She sprinted after the bus on all fours. Sunlight stabbed her eyes as she clawed her away across the scorching tarmac. The car behind her started honking. It didn't matter. Tae saw only the white rectangle of the bus's backside, the green stripes cutting across its center. As they crossed a bridge spanning a narrow river she picked up the pace. Now she was gaining ground. Soon she'd be able to sink her teeth into the bus's rear bumper…
The bus accelerated. Through a red traffic light. Through an intersection, narrowly missing a taxi cab. Tae leapt clean over the cab, mouth frothing. She could hear the screams of the passengers as the bus dodged out of the way of a black van. She was losing it. Losing sight of it.
"RIHHHSHHBRRRHEEEEE!"
Even Tae's legs could only run so far. As she hit yet another intersection the bus was already in the distance, a white blob on the horizon. Then from the side she saw a car. A red one. Big. Fast. It was trying to join the main road.
Tae took her opportunity. Lowering her speed just enough to fall alongside the car, she flung herself at its side, claws and teeth bared. The driver's eyes grew wide in horror as she dug her fingers into the roof, but he kept driving. The wind filled her cheeks as they coursed down the road, getting closer and closer to the bus, until finally.
"AAAAAAGGHH!"
The bus stopped to let a bunch of schoolchildren cross the road. The car Tae was surfing slammed on the brakes. She flew forward, grinning, seeing the frisbee in the shadowy interior of the bus, just through the window. On instinct her jaw opened, her arms stretched forward, spittle flying in the breeze.
The window was closed, but that didn't stop Tae. She went in head first, shattering the glass with her forehead and tumbling into the lap of an unsuspecting granny cradling a bag of what smelled like vegetables. Tae's arm disconnected as she bounced onto the floor. She didn't bother looking for it as it rolled under a seat and out of view. She'd already found what she wanted.
"FRIIIHHHBEEE!"
Held in the hand of a small child, beautiful and round and now between Tae's teeth. With a scream the child released the prize and Tae fell once more, growling and slobbering, to the bus's floor.
Success.
Her arm squirmed out from between someone's legs, wriggling towards the smashed window. Her hair flared back and forth across her eyes, obscuring her vision, but the scent of the outdoors was crystal clear. Tae knew what she had to do. She grabbed her arm and thrust herself onto her feet.
With a wave and a toothy smile she cheerily exclaimed, "GAHBAAH!"
Then she leapt backwards out of the window. The first thing she hit was the windscreen of a red land rover. The second thing was the concrete pavement.
"Uhg…"
Tae dropped the frisbee onto her chest and, looking up at the sun through closed eyelids, breathed a satisfied sigh. Her ears were filled with the sound of rippling water, grumbling car engines, and the distant voice of someone yelling:
"Young lady! Excuse me, young lady!"
She opened her eyes. Above her stood a white sign: 'Notice: this area is used to store pleasure boats. It's dangerous, so please do not enter', though she couldn't read a word it said. Climbing to her feet once again, she began wandering down the road, frisbee in hand.
"Young lady!"
Tae turned around. A police officer pushing a bicycle smiled at her. His smile died when he saw that the hand holding the frisbee wasn't attached to her body.
"Y-your arm…it's-"
Tae looked down at her detached arm. She hadn't even noticed that it was still dislocated. With a sniff and a grunt she jammed it back into place. Then she shoved the frisbee back between her teeth.
The police officer promptly fainted on the spot. For a moment Tae thought she recognised him. Then the memory was replaced by images of the girls' smiling faces, and the warm fuzzy feeling of well-earned headpats.
"Franchouchou…"
It was a long road. A long road lined with boats and trees and little white buildings with grey kanji painted onto them. There was also a 7-Eleven, a name Tae knew how to pronounce thanks to Lily's frequent visits to it for ice cream and grape soda. She wandered over the road to the almost twenty-four-hour convenience store, narrowly avoiding a swarm of motorbikes, and pressed her face against the window.
"Sebun…"
She thought of Lily. Remembered her smile, remembered the cold feeling of popsicles in her bare hands, the sweet taste as they sat together in the sun. But Lily wasn't here now. She was back at the house, wherever the house was, and Tae was alone.
"Uuu…"
The 7-Eleven was empty. Empty apart from a small, brown dog.
"Out! Get out of here! Go!"
A man in a red and black shirt was chasing the dog towards the door with a broom. The door slid open and the dog hurried out with a bag of potato chips between its teeth. The man held the broom in both hands like a spear and tried to jab the bag out of the dog's mouth, but the dog was too quick. Every strike fell short. Eventually the man gave up.
"Screw it."
The door closed. Tae stared at the dog. The dog stared at Tae. A bus pulled up into the parking lot, temporarily obscuring the sun. The dog moved closer. Tae got on all fours.
"Wrrf!" the dog said, still holding the potato chips.
"Wrrf!" Tae replied, keeping the frisbee firmly between her teeth.
The dog came over and politely sniffed Tae's butt. Tae was too confused to return the gesture. Before she could process what had just happened the dog was out in front of her, trotting towards the bus. Then it paused and looked back.
Tae waited. Neither of them moved. A group of elderly tourists got off the bus and filed into the shop one by one.
"Irasshaimase!" came the voice of the store clerk. He said this every time a new customer walked through the door. After the tenth 'irasshaimase' the dog finally began walking away. Tae followed. Together they strolled down the road, eventually settling in a shaded alley between an Eneos gas station and a deep blue vending machine.
The dog dropped its potato chip bag onto the floor and started gnawing at it. Tae watched patiently. She'd seen such bags before. She knew they couldn't be opened with teeth alone. Even so the dog did its best, growling and pulling at the seams, trying to tear it open. When the dog fell on its butt after yet another failed attempt, Tae picked the bag up off the ground. The dog watched her, wary. She grabbed one side of the bag with each hand, just like she'd seen Ai do countless times, then she pulled. The bag exploded open, sending potato chips raining onto the floor. The dog barked in joy.
"Woof woof!"
It immediately started eating up the chips. One fell down Tae's top. She reached in and plucked it out.
"Hrrng."
She was hungry. Temporarily relieving her mouth of its frisbee-protecting duty, she chomped down the potato chip. It was salty, and tasted vaguely of meat. That made Tae really hungry. She took another one off the floor, then another. She managed to eat five before the dog finished up what was left. It looked up at her apologetically. Something in its eyes told Tae that the creature was still hungry. Maybe it understood that she was, too, because it poked its head out of the alley, looked both ways, then barked at her.
Time to go exploring again.
The dog seemed to know where it was going. On their journey to the alley it was just strolling along aimlessly, but now it was sprinting down the pavement, darting between pedestrians as it led Tae deeper into town, towards the promise of food. Tae had a hard time keeping up, not least because people kept getting in the way. She wasn't as small as the dog, after all. Luckily for her they reached their destination in no time at all. She smelled it before she saw it. And oh, the smell! Her chin was a river of drool as the dog halted in front of an old-fashioned building and barked at its unexpectedly modern glass entrance.
Food. Specifically, fried chicken. Tae knew that smell anywhere.
"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!"
She didn't know that it wasn't Drive-In Tori. But she did know that whatever was inside was bound to be delicious. The dog barked at the entrance again. Tae could see it had handles. She knew how to deal with those. Handles were easy. Getting back on two feet, she walked up to the double-doors and wrenched them open. One of the doors cracked clean in half as it whacked into the exterior wall. Tae barely noticed. Her mind was in a better place, a tastier place. The dog wormed its way through her legs and scurried inside. The restaurant was a cluster of little tables and booths, warm wood, dimly lit by ceiling lanterns. A bar/kitchen ran the full length of the building, looking out onto the seating area, and behind the bar was the chef.
"Irasshaimase," said a lady behind a wooden counter hidden off to the side. On the counter was a gray box. The box smelled of metal and coins. Not tasty.
"Rghagh," Tae explained through a mouthful of frisbee.
"Uh, excuse me?"
"Rghagh!" she tried again, more insistently. She knew this was the way to do it, it was what Saki did every time she ordered from Drive-In Tori.
"I'm sorry, I don't-"
Tae tried enunciating it more slowly, "Rg…"
The lady watched Tae's hands, which were gesturing in what (Tae hoped) was the shape of food.
"…hagh."
The lady nodded, though she still look confused, "One moment…"
But the dog had grown impatient. Out of the corner of her eye Tae saw it hop onto a stool. So did the chef.
"Uh, lady? The sign says no pets."
The dog sniffed at the chopped meat lined up over the grill.
"Lady? Hello?"
The woman Tae had been speaking to whispered something to the chef. He narrowed his eyes. Then the woman went into a back room. The dog took its chance and grabbed a chunk of chicken off the grill.
"Hey!"
Not wanting to be left out, Tae ran up to the bar and grabbed as much chicken as her hands could hold. Then she dashed out the door. The chef really didn't like that.
"HEY! THAT'S STEALING! COME BACK HERE! OI!"
Immediately he was on her tail. Tae could hear his flat shoes ferociously clapping against the pavement. He was fast. Faster than Sakura and much faster than Junko. Tae still had the frisbee in her mouth. The dog was in front of her. It turned a corner, scooting past an old man on rollerskates. He gave Tae a wave as she ran by.
"Peace on Earth, and good will to all-"
"STOP THAT WOMAN! SHE STOLE MY FRIED CHICKEN!"
Sunlight glared off the window of a white and blue city bus. To her left, boxes of fresh fruit, three vending machines. A sign saying 'FRESH GREEN PRODUCE' flapped in the breeze. Up ahead the dog dipped between a pedestrian's legs. Tae followed.
"Whoa, what the hell are you-"
Shade. Cars. Lots of cars. She lost sight of her four-legged friend. She really, really wanted to eat the fried chicken, but she couldn't let go of the frisbee. The frisbee came before everything else. Still running, she tried lifting a cut of chicken to her frisbee'd mouth.
"THERE SHE IS!"
The shock of the chef's voice almost made Tae drop her ill-gotten prize, but she somehow managed to keep it in her hand as she ran as fast as she could into the nearest building.
The buzz of the outside world immediately fell away. Everything about the place she'd ended up in was muted. From the pale walls to the people sitting quietly in rows of neatly-arranged seats. Tae stood and watched as women carrying clipboards milled about from person to person, whispering and taking notes. The air was full of a strange smell, a definitely-not-delicious smell. Panic returned, rising up through her chest like a cloud of acid. She needed a place to hide. After a quick look around she found it: a narrow hallway next to a windowed kiosk where two lines of people stood queueing. She snuck by and stomped down the passage till she happened upon an empty single-stall bathroom.
"Ghuhgg."
The chicken was worth the effort. With a satisfied sigh she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and opened the bathroom door. The frisbee was now safely stowed down her top, clamped against her body by her many bandages. She shambled out into the hall.
"Doctor! There you are!"
Tae turned to the voice. It belonged to a woman in white uniform.
"Agh?"
She motioned for Tae to come closer, "We moved the patient to theater three as you asked, but his condition is deteriorating rapidly. Doctor, if we don't operate right now-"
"Grhgahhffd-"
"I'm sorry, I know you only just started your lunch break. Here, I brought you a mask."
A flimsy piece of cloth was placed in Tae's hands. She gave it a sniff, then swallowed the entire thing whole.
"Doctor, please!"
"Yrflanzpf!"
"Just follow me."
The woman grabbed Tae's hand and dragged her back through the place where people were queuing. Then they went down another hall, into an elevator, then-
"You found her! Thank god!"
A man was waiting for them outside the elevator doors on floor 3F. He wiped his brow and pointed to a pair of open doors down the hall, "This way."
Tae was shuttled into a small room full of people in blue overalls. In the middle of the room was a table. On the table was a man. A half-naked man.
The nurse explained, "We need to remove his appendix immediately."
"Hrrn?"
She looked at Tae, "His appendix."
Tae nodded, though she didn't understand what the nurse wanted from her. The man on the table was out cold. Somewhere in the room a machine beeped over and over.
"Doctor?"
Tae poked the man's chest, looking to the nurse for approval.
"…that's…"
She kept poking, moving down his torso till she reached his belly button.
"You want a scalpel?"
"Scagglpfll."
The nurse picked up a shiny little knife. Tae took it and turned her eyes once more to the man on the table.
"Rgh…"
The machine started beeping more insistently.
"Doctor, we have to hurry."
Tae had no idea what she was supposed to do. Then she smelled it. That familiar aroma. That delicious, head-spinning smell of rot.
"AAAGH!" she cheered. Everyone took a step back.
"Doctor!?"
Tae threw the knife to the ground and traced along the man's abdomen with her tongue till she found the spot. Once she had her mark she rested her index finger just above the skin, letting the nail press against it ever so slightly, then-
"HYAGH!"
With a single motion she made the incision. All the trapped aroma burst out into the room. Tae breathed it in, grinning from ear to ear. Steadying herself with her hands she thrust her head down and with supernatural precision bit the appendix clean off.
It tasted even better than it smelled. It was only after she'd enjoyed her meal that she noticed that everyone around her was screaming in horror.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?"
The machine was beeping really aggressively now. The hole where she'd made the cut was bleeding profusely. It needed fixing, like Kotaro's guitar did that one time.
"Yaghhl!"
Tae plunged her hand into the wound and found the spot where she'd removed the appendix. Then she built up a pool of spit in her mouth. She'd learned the hard way how caustic her spit could be when she drooled against one of the doors back home. She'd been so upset that night, that terrible night when Sakura refused to speak to any of them. She had no idea her spit had that power. It hadn't happened since. No one had even mentioned it, apart from Kotaro. But she knew she had it in her. Somewhere…
Now her cheeks were bursting with pent up saliva. She refused to release even a single drop till she could be sure it'd work. The nurses were panicking. Someone tried to pull her away. She resisted, but her shoulder started coming loose from its socket. Her solution couldn't wait any longer.
"Blegh!"
She spat into her free hand and clamped it down over the hole where the appendix used to be. The skin on her palm began to smart, then burn.
"Yraaagghh!"
It was working! It was really working! Tae felt tremendously proud of herself in that moment. So proud that she screamed at the ceiling in joy. That was also the exact moment her shoulder decided enough was enough, and popped out of its socket. The nurse pulling her wasn't ready for the sudden release of tension. Tae felt herself get yanked back.
"AAAAGH!"
Tae, nurse, wall. That's the order the sandwich of chaos went in as they rocketed backwards, slamming against the wall with a deep thud. Tae's arm released its hold on the patient's innards and fell limp to the floor. The machine began beeping more calmly. Medical staff swarmed the man and began patching up the hole in his abdomen. Tae had done her job. What that job was, she'd never know, but she knew she'd done it. She looked around the room, hoping for headpats. When none came she let her mind drift away and imagined Lily's hand gently stroking her head. Suddenly she remembered.
"Frigdgbeeeeeee…"
The frisbee was still safely strapped to her chest. Sighing in relief, she stood up and collected her loose arm. The nurse she'd squished against the wall groaned behind her. She needed to get home, and to get home, she needed to find another bus. To her left was a window. The sun was still burning bright in the sky. Tae stared at it till her eyes hurt. Then she moved closer.
"Grhgrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
The window refused to budge. Whether she pulled or pushed, nothing would make it move.
"Yes, that's her. She removed his appendix with her teeth…!"
"You thought she was Doctor Funami? Seriously?"
"Well I've never seen Doctor Funami in person before…"
"Wait, isn't she one of those idol girls? You know, the Saga ones."
"Uh, Franchouchou?"
"That's it! She's-"
Tae rammed her fist through the glass, slicing her arm into ribbons, but she felt no pain.
"FRIZZBEEEE!" she roared, then she dove head first out the window. She didn't fall far.
"Oh my god!"
"Is she dead?"
"Hey, that's my car! That's my CAR!"
Tae pulled herself out of the small vehicle's windscreen. There was glass everywhere, including under her clothes. She stood up and shook it off as best she could, but she could still feel little fragments hiding amongst her bandages.
"Urgh…"
She staggered off the car and onto the little back road beside the hospital, and walked away. The road was lined with neat square buildings and compact parking lots filled with box-nosed cars. The sun was in her eyes now, and there it stayed until finally she found herself on a narrow street, dense with houses. Every building, whether modern brick or old-fashioned wood, had layers and layers of overhanging roofing, such that not a single ray of light reached the street below. The smells were as eclectic as the architecture. Vegetable udon. Tonkotsu ramen. The metallic smell of oil, the stink of the open drains running alongside the road, mixed with the fresh scent of the plants hanging from the cluster of balconies. And in the background, twinkling like a distant star, the faint, salty smell of the sea.
"Mmmmmm…"
Tae liked the sea. Tae liked sea food even more. As she followed the sea's scent the houses thinned and the foliage thickened. Soon she didn't need her nose to guide her. Through a thicket of trees she saw it. The ocean. A blue infinity under the deep blue sky. She crunched through the trees and onto the soft sand. The hiss of the waves breaking onto the beach washed over her as her mind drifted onto the delicious possibility of fresh fish.
She wandered over to the water and dipped her hands in, grinning as it slipped over her fingers. She remembered this place. She'd played frisbee here too once. Her and the girls, running back and forth on the beach while Kotaro snorkelled in the ocean. Suddenly Tae found herself feeling homesick.
"Aargh…"
A gentle voice called out to her, "Miyuki…?"
The voice belonged to a woman dressed entirely in black. Her eyes were painted with dark makeup, as were her lips, and she carried a bag over her shoulder that was shaped like a skull.
"Rgh?"
"It's me, Naoko. From KokoroConnect? You look just like your photo."
Tae stared at Naoko.
"I almost thought you weren't gonna show," she said, looking down at her feet, "I was about to head home when I saw you here. Did something hold you up?"
"Hrrgh."
Naoko nodded, "I thought so. It was tough for me to get past my family too. They kept asking, 'Are you meeting a boy?' and well, you know how it is."
"Ugh!"
"Exactly," she smiled, "So, wanna go get something to eat? I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
Tae heard the word 'eat', and that was all she needed to hear. She let Naoko take her hand and together they strolled along the beach, back through the trees, up the street towards…
The restaurant. That restaurant, the yakiniku restaurant Tae had stolen from earlier in the day.
"Gah!"
"What is it?"
Then Tae noticed: it was empty. There was no cashier, no chef. Only a couple of tables were occupied, old couples quietly eating, minding their own business. As she looked around she spotted one table in particular, right in the back, in the corner, far away from the cashier's desk, and even further from the chef. She pointed at it.
"Nngrh!"
"Oooh you're right, that is a good spot. Nice and dark."
Tae strode off towards the table.
"Hang on! Don't you have to wait to be seated here?"
Tae dropped into one of the booth chairs and ducked her head down low. Naoko joined her.
"Hopefully they don't get annoyed at us. Anyway, now we're here we might as well look at the menu…"
Conversation from a few tables over drifted across the room, "Heard on the radio that one of them Franchowchoo girls is missing."
"You mean Franchoochoo, the one with that handsome man?"
"What handsome man?"
"Oh shush honey, you know the one."
"I don't, though clearly you do."
"Here we go again…"
Naoko showed Tae the menu, "What do you think about this?"
Tae didn't bother reading what the menu said. She saw the meat and immediately replied, "Yraaggh!"
"Great. I'll call over the waiter, whenever they show up…"
The restaurant was still devoid of staff. Then the cashier from earlier came out from the back, followed by the chef. Tae covered her face with her hands.
"What are you doing?"
Footsteps clacked on hard wood. A familiar voice, "How can I help you?"
"Two Chicken Teriyaki, please."
"Certainly. And to drink?"
Tae tried her best to stay perfectly still.
"I'll have a Mega Golden Malt highball."
A pause. Tae thought about peeking through her long sleeves, but resisted the temptation.
"Miyuki?"
"Gh…" she replied, as quietly as she could.
The cashier/waitress, "Is… she alright?"
"She's just shy. Get her the same as me."
"No problem. I'll get your drinks. The chef will bring your food when it's ready."
"Thank you."
Tae heard the footsteps trail away and slowly lowered her hands from in front of her face. Naoko was giving her a weird look.
"You're even quirkier than I expected."
Tae began chewing on a chopstick.
"I didn't mean that in a bad way. I'm pretty weird too. Not that you're weird. Unless you like that?"
"Sfplah!" Tae exclaimed as a bit of chopstick got stuck between her teeth.
"Right, of course."
Tae put the gnawed chopstick down on the table and wiped her salivating mouth.
"Do you do this kinda thing often?"
"Hrn?"
"Dating, I mean. Sorry, that's an awkward question…"
"Nrn."
"Really? You must get lots of people hitting on you though."
Tae yawned, "Nraagh."
"You're kidding! Even though you're in a band?"
Tae scratched her chin.
"Well they're missing out. Though to be fair I kind of understand. Before I realised I was gay I used to be so quiet. I would never have done something like this, gone on a date with a stranger. It's not like anything's really changed about me, but just realising who I am, like, gave me such a sense of freedom. Has anyone ever told you you're a good listener?"
"Gffhpgglrhdrnnnnn…" Tae mumbled as she explored the taste of her own index finger.
"Listen to me, sitting talking about myself all day! Tell me more about you. Do you have any favourite bands? I know you guys mostly play rock music."
"Franchouchou…"
"Franchouchou? Who are they?"
"Franchouchou!"
"Are they a niche group or something?"
Suddenly the waitress was at their table, "Here are your dr-"
She stopped mid-sentence as she locked eyes with Tae. Her mouth dropped open.
"You!"
Naoko was totally perplexed, "Huh?"
"You're not running away this time, you thief!"
"Excuse me!?"
"Your friend here stole some of our chicken. Must've thought it was a real hoot," she dropped the drinks onto the table unceremoniously, "Well now it's time to face justice."
Tae was so taken aback that all she could do was stare wide-eyed in fear as the waitress reached over and grabbed her hand.
"You're coming with me."
Naoko immediately slapped the waitress's hand away, "I don't think so!"
The waitress glowered at Tae's unexpected saviour, "This woman's a criminal."
"She's my date!"
"Rrraaaghh!" Tae added, baring her teeth at the waitress.
But she wasn't backing down. She grabbed Tae's hand once more and started dragging her across the table, spilling beer everywhere, "You can't just steal people's chicken."
Tae felt Naoko yank on her other hand, "You have no proof."
They pulled her back and forth…
…towards the waitress, "Our chef will corroborate my story."
…towards Naoko, "Then bring him out here."
"Gladly."
"I'm waiting."
"You can't trick me. She ran off once, I'm not letting it happen again."
"Let go."
"You first."
All the pulling was making Tae dizzy. She'd been heave-ho'd so much that she was just about ready to heave herself. All she wanted was some fried chicken. She couldn't understand why everyone was so annoyed.
Naoko let go of her hand and got right up in the face of the waitress-come-cashier, "Let. Go."
She did.
"Listen here, punk. You aren't special. I deal with idiots like you every day. Your friend wasn't even the first troublemaker we had this morning. She stole the chicken, and she's gonna pay the price. Simple as that. If you've got any complaints, you can take them to the police."
Then from the other side of the restaurant a gruff voice barked, "What's going on?"
The waitress looked over her shoulder, "Chef, I've found our chicken thief."
"Good. I've already called the authorities. They'll be here any minute."
Tae was in a tough spot. She knew that. She could see it in their eyes, hear it in the venom in their voices, smell it in their sweat. Anger, fear. The woman from the beach especially was full of fear. These kind of situations were not Tae's strong point. Thankfully she had a friend who knew exactly what to do in a pinch.
You gotta get your fingers nice and tight, that's it, Saki said in Tae's mind. It had been a very dark, rainy day, during a break from dance practice.
Make sure your thumb's on top of your fingers, or else you'll fuck your hand up. Right, now show me your stance. Okay, that's… that's gonna need some work.
As the memory played before her eyes, Tae stood tall and faced the chef.
Alright, time to practice. On me. Don't be shy, I can take it. Remember to twist your hips like I showed you. That's it. Okay, now aim, and-
Tae thrust her fist forwards, arm straight, cracking the chef right between the eyes. He went down instantly.
Fuck, that hurt! Damn girl, you have a PUNCH on you.
The waitress held her hands up to her face and screamed. Naoko just stared dumbstruck at the chef, who was laid out on the floor in front of her. It was time for Tae to go. She grabbed Naoko by the shoulders.
"Rragh. Grah fghfhg rhhh. Ahhgg."
She nodded, "I don't know what you just said, but I understand."
Her message conveyed, Tae climbed over the chef. The waitress was still screaming. Tae looked back and did her best to smile without bearing all of her teeth. Naoko gave her a feeble wave in response. Then she was gone, out the door, onto the street as police sirens filled the air.
The only thing filling the road was the glare of the midday sun. Tae ran straight down the middle, eyes locked firmly on the horizon. The frisbee was still strapped to her chest. Now more than ever she had to get home, but she had no idea where she was. She ran and ran, past two parks and countless intersections till finally, there in the distance, she saw something she did recognise. Karatsu Castle.
She halted on the spot in sheer shock. From where she was standing it was just a tiny white hut on a hill full of trees, but in that moment it was everything, all the photos they took for their website, eating under the cherry blossoms, running across the bridge that spans the river.
Tae staggered forwards, then, regaining her composure, dropped to all fours and began sprinting as fast as she could towards the castle. She barely registered the whining police sirens, far behind her now. She saw only the smiling faces of her friends, heard their voices laughing.
"Franchouchou…" she huffed, starting to break a sweat.
She was so close now. So close that the trees obscured the castle. She passed a red post box, a pottery shop, a store selling sake and 'ICE COLD COCA-COLA'. She took the side path, shrouded by the branches of overhanging trees, panting furiously, imagining her friends standing in the castle's courtyard waiting for her. She rounded a corner and climbed a hill and then-
"RAAAGH!"
-she was there, in the grounds just outside the castle. The castle itself stood proud against the azure sky, its rooftops sparkling in the sun. She looked around, scanning the area for any sign of her friends, but though there were plenty of people nearby, none of them were anyone she recognised.
"Franchouchou…"
Tae slumped onto the floor. All she wanted was to catch the frisbee, and now she was stuck on her own with no idea what to do next. She closed her eyes and held her head in her hands. Then she heard something…
"Woof!"
Tae looked to where the sound had come from and saw a small, brown dog. It was the dog from before, the dog she'd eaten potato chips with.
"Rrf!" she replied.
"Woof!"
It ran towards the castle, then stopped and looked back.
"Woof woof!"
Tae took one careful step towards it. It darted forward again, then stopped. Tae took another step, then another. Still the dog waited. It waited until she caught up completely, then finally it began moving once more, leading her on a winding trail through some bushes and round an old outbuilding to a quiet spot hidden behind a particularly gnarled old tree. Standing there at the base of its trunk was none other than Romero the zombie dog himself.
He ran up and licked her on the cheek
"Yrarlgh!" she groaned happily.
He turned to the other dog and barked a series of woofs. The dog barked in return. They were talking about getting her home. Getting them all home.
"Rrarf!" Tae added, and the other two agreed.
With Romero leading the way they trotted back the way they came, all the way through the courtyard, down the tree-shrouded path and past the little red post box till they hit the main road. Tae didn't understand why he'd taken them there, until-
"Tae-chaaan! Tae-chan where are you?"
Sakura's voice. Sakura was calling her. Calling her from across the road. When the traffic finally let up Romero and the brown dog dashed across. Tae followed as fast as her legs would take her.
"Shakurargh?"
The voice was still distant, "Tae-chaaaan!"
She ran towards it, towards the edge of the parking lot, where the concrete met the Matsuura River. She could see the bridge they ran across when they visited the castle together. She could see the minivan Kotaro always ferried them around in. Then she saw her.
"SAKURAAAAAGGHHHH!"
Sakura's eyes lit up with joy, relief, then perhaps just a little fear as Tae dove, teeth bared, into her open arms. Sakura stumbled backwards, clattering against the side of the minivan.
"Where have you been?"
"Rragh, flgthtamngrggrg, rruffffrrr COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! Gngar-"
Sakura stroked her head, "We looked everywhere for you."
Tae heard the minivan's rear door open.
"Damn, Shades, when you said Romero could find her-"
"Fufu~ You should know better than to doubt my powers, Saki."
Ai's voice, "Don't take credit for Romero's hard work."
Now Lily, "Yeah! Good job Romero."
"I'm the one who trained him."
Sakura pulled Tae close, "We don't need to fight, guys! All that matters is that we found her. Right?"
Yuugiri came over and joined in the hug, "Sakura-han is right. It doesn't matter how we found her."
Kotaro sulked, "But, it was my idea-"
Saki tutted, "Can it, Shades. Come join the hug like the rest of us."
As he reluctantly moved in to become one with the glom pile, from across the parking lot they heard, "Jeff!? Is that you? Oh thank heavens!"
The familiar 'woof woof' told Tae all she needed to know. She turned around, Sakura's arm still wrapped round her, and saw the little brown dog run into the arms of an equally little old lady.
"Are you the ones that found him?" she asked.
Kotaro cleared his throat, "Well-"
"We didn't," Saki interrupted, pointing to Tae, "she did."
"Aghrrgh."
The old lady came over and gave Tae a deep bow, "Thank you so much young lady."
"Yrlrrh!"
Upon hearing Tae's reply, she gave Sakura a look, "What language is that?"
"W-What language…? Uh it's… uh…"
Saki answered for her, "French."
Even Tae could hear the disbelief in Lily's voice, "French? Seriously?"
Saki crossed her arms, "Yeah, you know, hasta el martes and stuff. French. Not my fault you guys aren't as cultured as me."
The old lady was convinced, "Such a beautiful language. They say it's the language of love," she smiled, "Thanks again for finding my Jeff. I'll never forget your kindness."
As she walked away Tae called out, "Franchouchou!"
The old lady waved, "Franchouchou to you too!"
Tae watched as the yakiniku restaurant she stole from rolled by the van's tinted window. On her lap was Romero. Beside her, Junko and Ai. It'd been an exciting day, maybe the most exciting she'd ever experienced - apart from that time her head came off during a concert. That was a very good day. Now she was back where she belonged. She even had her-
"FRIDGEBREEEEEEE!"
Junko practically leapt out of her skin as Tae tore her top in half and wrenched the frisbee out from under her bandages.
Clinging to Ai, she asked, "Tae-san?"
Tae proffered the frisbee towards her, "Frisbee… fridgjd…bree?"
Junko took it.
"Oh," Saki commented, looking over the back of her seat, "you found it."
Lily poked Saki's arm, "I think you owe Tae-chan an apology."
Saki scratched the back of her head and sheepishly said, "Sorry Tae. I shouldn't have thrown it so hard."
"Rgghhar."
"Do you think she accepts my apology?"
Ai smirked, "I dunno, you're the one that speaks French."
"Ha ha, very funny."
As the girls began to chatter amongst themselves, Junko reached over and patted Tae on the head.
"Thank you for the frisbee."
It'd been an exciting day. But one thing was for certain: Tae had it good, and boy did she know it.