A/N: Finished early! Enjoy! See you next update!

Edit 7/17/20

8 / Rain in a Bucket

Sunday morning was break time, or so, Kotaro had told them.

"Seeing as we don't have any events planned until next month, you corpses are allowed to take Sundays off! And just Sundays! JUST SUNDAY! Sunday is break time! Break time, get it!?"

And they did get it, especially after Saki punched him in the gut as thanks for letting them know.

It wasn't like they weren't already taking breaks, considering the whole thing with Kotaro and those rumors he had been hearing about them lately.

(the rumors hadn't really been bad, all things considered; it was just some fans worried about their idols...and maybe give or take a few creeps)

Sure, they didn't really take breaks every day, maybe twice a week and even then, they had been restricted by their meager allowances every time they went out. Not that the girls needed money to have a good time but it helped having some around anyway.

For now, the girls had all decided to spend their Sunday in the house and laze around; they could hear some tunes on the radio, maybe even catch a few radio dramas from a channel Junko had found a few days ago (mainly reruns from popular series from the 90s to early 2000s), read a book or just take a few catnaps.

Lily and Sakura still lamented not buying that board game they had seen on their last outgoing and Saki had just grumbled that she wouldn't mind having a tv in the room or better yet, go to the arcade and have some fun like the good ol' days. But for today, their break time Sunday was spent at home.

The first order of the day was breakfast. Everyone was in the kitchen watching Sakura fix up their meal with some help from Lily and Yugiri. Ai and Junko were sitting near the counter, as far away from the stove and Sakura while Saki kept Tae busy, making sure the older woman wouldn't jump on the cook and her helpers before the meal was ready.

To pass time while they waited for the food to be ready, Saki had begun asking the her friends if they had any embarrassing stories to tell.

In order to get the conversation going, the ex-biker told them about the time she crashed into a stop sign.

"Couldn't really figure out how to get it working, at first...it was a hand-me down piece of shit," Saki recalls, grinning fondly at an old memory. Sitting next to her, Ai let out a small laugh with Saki joining her seconds later. Junko only smiled, while nearby Lily let out a few giggles, becoming so distracted from the cooking that she had decided to sit down and recover. Sakura had just shaken her head once, smiling while Yugiri let out a small chuckle; the tamagoyaki was almost done.

"We had gotten the pair of them cheap, too," Saki went on, once the laughter died down. "Bought the bikes from an old junkyard on the outskirts of Karatsu. They still worked, surprisingly enough." Ai grinned at her.

"So, I'm guessing the headache happened after you bought them?"

Saki nodded at Ai. "Darn thing wouldn't start up. Reiko's started just fine. Mine, well, it took more than a few turns of the key. Finally, the thing starts. But as soon as we take them for a ride, it stops." Saki shook her head. "I'm busy getting annoyed at it and Reiko's stopping behind me...and then, it starts up and me, being an idiot, was holding the clutch...and well, zoom...crash!" Saki mimicked the sound of a crash, slapping both hands together producing a loud clap. "...straight into a stop sign!" she finished with a grin. "On the plus side, bike worked pretty well after that. Give or take a few crashes along the way."

(and then Saki blew it and herself to pieces)

"Maybe it needed a good crash to get going!" Lily offered, giggling.

Saki just let out another laugh. "We never knew what had happened that first time...man…" The ex-biker shook her head. "Reiko almost crashed into me, laughing all the way." The group let out a few more laughs and groans, courtesy of Tae. "So, what about you guys? Any stories about crashing into stop signs you'll like to share?"

Yugiri spoke up first, putting plates nearby so Sakura could begin placing the finished tamagoyaki. "Hmm...I am afraid that I have not much of a story to tell...about crashing, I mean." She winked at the girls sitting at the counter, earning a good laugh from Saki and a smile from all the others, except Tae. "I do, however, recall a particular event...perhaps not embarrassing for me, but for a patron."

"Sounds like juicy gossip, Sis," Saki remarked, glancing at Lily and a blushing Junko. "You sure the kids are ready to hear this story of yours?" Lily pouted at Saki while Junko looked even more embarrassed, while next to her, Ai gave her hand a small squeeze, smiling softly, a blush beginning to form on her bandaged cheeks.

Yugiri smiled with gentle amusement. "It is alright...we rarely engaged in intercourse so early in the day." Sakura let out a groan next to her, offering the courtesan an exasperated look.

"Yugiri! Phrasing!"

The courtesan laughed along with their leader while Lily raised an eyebrow and Junko blushed harder next to her. Ai just sighed. Tae groaned again, eyeing the meal that Sakura was preparing with anticipation.

"It happened in the afternoon, if I remember correctly...this particular patron was a regular. He would ask for the services of any girl that caught his fancy, and that day, it was my turn to serve him…" Sakura glanced at Yugiri once, before placing the finished meal in the plates . "...however, something very curious happened. Apparently, someone else had requested my services earlier in the day. I had not been informed until this patron arrived." Yugiri shrugged. "It was a rare thing, really. I was allowed to refuse clients, at the manager's suggestion of course, but for this to happen...well, it was a rare thing. I would have been informed either way."

"Now, this has happened," the courtesan went on; Sakura moved towards the rice, checking to see if it was done, a strange look on her face. "The patron is distressed...hmm, perhaps distressed is probably the wrong word to describe his behavior at his finding out I wouldn't serve him."

"He was pissed, huh?" Saki asked, whistling slightly. Yugiri answered her with a nod. Sakura's gaze hardened as she began serving the rice but the only one that noticed was Tae, who cocked her head to the side.

Meanwhile, Yugiri continued her story, oblivious to Sakura's changing expressions.

"Oh, certainly...but alas, his anger did not last him long for as soon as he began yelling, demanding my services, the mysterious patron appeared from the manager's room. She didn't seem too happy to see the man." Sakura suddenly blinked next to her while the others offered her inquisitive looks.

"Wait…" Ai began, eyes wide. "Your new client was a woman!?"

"That could happen?" Lily asked, mystified while Junko just buried her blushing face with her hands, shaking her head slightly.

"Very rarely, Lady Lily." Yugiri explained to the younger girl. "It was mostly the men that sought other men...but it did happen. The manager didn't care for gender so long as they paid and kept quiet about it." Yugiri shrugged. "As for the story, well...as soon as my new client stepped into the light, so to speak, the man stopped screaming, his red face turned blue with shock. It appeared to all of us that the two knew each other quite well...and how could they not? They were husband and wife, after all."

"WHAT!?"

Sakura almost slipped when cutting some dried squid to put at the side of the tamagoyaki, while everyone else, minus Tae, stared at the courtesan in shock.

Yugiri hummed. "Oh, but the woman was truly a sight to behold. She was livid."

"I'll say…" Ai murmured, as Junko removed her hands from her face, looking a little less red on the cheeks.

"We later learned that the woman had disguised herself as a man and requested my services to make sure her husband could not. She had revealed herself before her husband could cause any damage with his temper, and before he could defend himself or offer excuses, the woman was unto him, holding tight unto his ear and angrily saying that he had abandoned his children to be with whores." Sakura's gaze hardened again, and again, only Tae noticed. "She then proceeded to drag the man out of the brothel while the rest of us watched...it was quite a scene; a small woman wearing a fine men's kimono, dragging a man begging for forgiveness by the ear."

(people hadn't stopped talking about that incident for days to come; had they talked about Yugiri's murder with such fascination days later?)

"The next day, the woman returned. No disguises, no blubbering husband. She had returned to apologize to the owner for the scene she and her husband had created. She also offered to pay the manager so long as he kept her husband out of the brothel." Yugiri smiled. "In reality, the manager had just decided to prohibit the husband from ever stepping into the brothel...impressed by the woman's strength…" Although, Yugiri knew that wasn't true. Apparently the woman was related to a government official that could bring trouble to the brothel if the manager didn't keep the husband away. The woman paying out of her pocket was just a farce, and all the girls knew it. Not that they were complaining. It had always been this way. "It was always a good story to laugh at with some tea," the courtesan finished, smiling.

"Damn! Hahaha! Talk about getting caught with your pants down!" Saki laughed. Lily giggled, shaking her head while Ai just shook her head with a smile. Junko was smiling too, not looking as red as before. Tae groaned. Sakura had a strange expression on her face but she hid it quickly with a small smile as she began serving the girls.

"So, who's next?" Saki asked, turning her eyes towards Junko, who blushed and shook her head.

"I...I...can't really think of one, right now…" she offered, shyly. Ai sent Saki a look. Don't push it, the look seemed to be saying. Saki raised her hands in defeat.

"Alright, girl...I'll believe you."

Junko couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her lips, much to the others amusement.

"Hey, Ai! What about you?"

Ai shrugged. "Can't really remember, if I'm honest." Saki raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin on her face.

"Really? How convenient…" Ai chuckled.

"Fine. I guess...I guess losing my limbs during practice for Saga Rock was rather embarrassing." Saki laughed. "No. Really. I think that might actually trump me slipping during practice that one time…" Ai just wasn't going to tell them about the banana peel. Junko had laughed for hours when she told her that particular embarrassing story. She wasn't going to repeat that one again.

(Ai's mother had laughed too when she told her about it...stupid Nina and her midday snacks...she missed them both)

"Fair enough, I guess…" Saki turned towards Lily, who was already pouting and shaking her head.

"I'm not telling!"

"Geh!? Why not?"

"Because...!"

(she died because of facial hair...wasn't that embarrassment enough?)

Saki grumbled. It almost seemed a bit unfair, really. But, hey, she had had her laughs. Maybe the Egghead had something to share?

"Yo! Sakura! And you?"

Sakura blinked at Saki; the plates were finished, tamagoyaki with a side of rice and some dried squid. Tae was already salivating behind her, as the pink haired zombie and Yugiri moved the plates to the nearby table.

"What?"

"A story, Egghead," Saki said, rolling her eyes. "Weren't you paying attention? Junko and Shrimpy are out. Big Sis already told hers and I guess, so did Ai...unless..." she turned to Tae, who was already at her seat in the table, wolfing down the food with gusto only a zombie hungry for brains could exhibit. "Eh...nevermind."

"Heh...I bet Tae has a lot of stories to tell," Sakura said, gesturing for the others to come and sit down. "Well...let me think….hmm…"

(her bad luck was everywhere, so what to choose?)

"How about I tell you about the time I lost my umbrella?"

Saki was already grinning. She had a pretty good idea where this story was heading. "Sure. Knock it out of the park, girl!"

Sakura smiled a bit, before sighing. "Well...I was about nine years old...and well, before leaving for school...we-I...I noticed some dark clouds overhead." Yugiri took quick notice of the odd phrasing, while the others seemed to have ignored it as Sakura went on with her story. "So, I'm thinking...I better bring my umbrella with me...in case...uh, in case it starts to rain. Except, I worried for nothing. You see, the clouds had brought a lot of wind their way so…"

"...they were gone once you got out of school?" Ai offered, getting a small nod in return.

"It was clear. Windy, but clear. And w-uh...and it was rather warm, too." There it was again. Perhaps nervousness, Yugiri thought as she took her seat next to Lily. "It's already after school and it was hot that day despite all the wind. Uh...and well, Ge-I mean, I decided to get the umbrella opened…" There! That odd break in her words; Sakura was a pretty fast speaker when she wanted to. The only reason Yugiri had even noticed her fumbling words was because she was good at noticing things, it came with the job. If you didn't notice the slurred way a client spoke, noticed their predatory gaze until it was too late, you were done for.

But Sakura didn't seem to be in any danger. She was fine. Maybe embarrassed by the story she was telling. Maybe that was it.

Sakura shook her head once before she took a seat next to Saki, grabbing her chopsticks and playing a bit with her food as she went on with her story. "Next thing I know, this big gust of wind blows it out of my hands...so, there I am...chasing after the umbrella...and when I finally caught it...I...I get wet."

The ex-biker let out an unladylike snort, taking a bite out of the tamagoyaki. "Fell into a canal, did ya?" Sakura just pouted at that.

"If that had happened, it would have been less embarrassing."

"Eh? Whatcha mean?"

Sakura suddenly took a deep breath, as if preparing herself to tell a dark secret. Yugiri took note. That was a strange reaction. How curious.

"The umbrella landed...in the back lot of a local flower shop...they grew their own merchandise on the back...it was usually opened to the public so they could browse around, pick flowers, vegetables, you name it...so, it lands there, right in the middle of it all...and then, the sprinklers suddenly turn on as soon as I get hold of it…" For a moment, everyone just stares at her, dumbfounded by what they just heard, well, almost everyone. Tae is busy licking her plate clean.

And then, Saki was laughing. Hard and loud, spitting a bit of egg into her plate. Ai chuckled while Junko let out a small giggle and Lily joined Saki with a loud laugh of her own. Yugiri just looked confused, unsure of what had just happened. Eventually, Lily recovered long enough to explain what a sprinkler was to Yugiri before Sakura went on with her story.

"The sprinklers were on a timer," Sakura recalled, letting out a loud sigh. "So, the moment I reach for the umbrella they turned on and soaked me from head to toe...I ended up getting a cold a few days later."

(she was fine before, she was fine before, she didn't want to miss the play but she was cold)

"Oh man! Egghead…" Saki began, wiping a small tear that had formed in her eye. "What the heck!" And she laughed again.

"Yeah, laugh it up," Sakura muttered sourly. "...and that wasn't even the first time it would happen…" Saki laughed even louder again, accompanied by a grinning Ai and Lily, Junko and Yugiri offering little smiles of amusement. Tae just stared at them as if they were crazy, plate empty and stomach full. Sakura just glanced at Saki with an annoyed look before sighing, eyes turning towards her plate, suddenly unfocused before she shook her head and started with her food, trying to smile but failing.

Everyone else confused it for embarrassment, as Saki patted her shoulder, grinning from ear to ear, assuring her that it wasn't so bad.

But Yugiri had noticed the difference. Noticed how that smile seemed forced, noticed how her fingers quivered as she held unto the chopsticks, noticed how she was trying so hard not to cry.

(had there been something more to the story?)

The story seemed to have upset Sakura somehow, and Yugiri was now regretting that smile, the silent laughter she had echoed in her head after Lily explained to her what had happened to Sakura and those sprinklers.

There was more to the story, it seemed, more than what Sakura was willing to share.

The girls, herself included and perhaps Tae too, rarely talked about their families, rarely talked about their past without sugarcoating a few details here and there. If a story did end up getting out, it was usually due to recent events that were out of their control; Ai's fear, Junko's concerns, Saki and her old gang, Lily and her father, Sakura and her terrible luck.

It was rare for any of the girls to talk about their past, about their families without all the problems they could bring. Yugiri understands why they do it. She understands why Saki doesn't talk about the real and terrifying aspects of gang life, why Ai doesn't talk about her old friends and family, why Lily didn't want to talk about her father, why Junko doesn't talk about the past she left behind, why Yugiri doesn't talk about the brothels and about her death.

(it was better this way)

Yugiri gently places a delicate finger near her stitches, making sure to not catch attention as a conversation breaks out around the table. Her head is still in place. The courtesan sighs, as low as possible to not bring attention to herself before looking at Sakura and smiles. Sakura is giving Saki that unimpressed look again, the ex-biker making faces at her before laughing.

It's then she decides to talk to Sakura.

A slap just won't do it this time...perhaps, but Yugiri decides not to risk it. Sakura needs to talk and Yugiri will be here to listen; she had always been a good listener.

Eleven years later and the neighborhood was still the same.

Same houses, probably same neighbors, too. Some of those houses were probably empty. Owners were dead, had moved on. Whatever.

The house was still there, as if it hadn't even aged. That stupid tree was still there in the front, blocking half of the damn house behind branches and leaves. The car parked by the side was different, compact, two seats. The curtains on the window were different, too. And there's been some remodeling going on in the upper floor, an extra room for a studio, he guesses.

He still remembers where his old room used to be. Remembers hers, too. He can still remember running to her room during a particular loud storm; it was the thunder and the lightning, he recalls and she was there, holding unto him until it all went away. She had been scared too, silly girl.

He blinks back the tears, wishing for a cigarette.

It's too many memories at once.

(and he's out of smokes)

He turns away from the familiar house but then, he's facing the street now. It's a small little piece, common on these kinds of neighborhoods. It's almost familiar to a few streets back in Florida. Big, gray, wet. They look almost identical, he decides.

But then again, this street is a hell street.

It kills all that dare cross it.

(a lie)

But it's true. It killed a young girl on 2008, he remembers well.

(an accident, stupid girl was stupid)

He remembers the nightmares after it all happened. He had been upset, seeing ghosts that weren't there. Hearing screams that no one else could hear.

A car. A girl. Glass. Blood. Screams. Glass, glass, glassー

Screw you, hell street.

And he shudders. He's being stupid, he knows. He needs to smoke, needs to wash it all away with tobacco to sour the pain away.

He tries not to think of the past. Tries not to think of the tiny little pieces of glass that still lay there on hell street, forgotten by time, painted red.

The young man turns to the old house.

It had been sold just two years after the accident. The old man didn't live here anymore. And she...she didn't live here, either. She couldn't then, couldn't now. She was never coming back.

So he turns and walks away, fingers snatching the flyer from his pocket, blue eyes staring at the girl with the frozen smile. Blue stares back at blue, competing on who blinks first.

(she would always let him win)

Frozen smile. Ashes, ashes. That's what she slept on now. That's where she lived in. Ashes. That's where the girl that didn't live in that old house lived now, in the ashes that remained.

"...let's go," he whispers to no one, pocketing the flyer and not looking back.