She was immersed in warmth, and the sun beat down on her face. Eyes closed, she basked in the light, and the divinity of her peace. The comfort of her position. All was well and right until she attempted a breath of fresh air, only to find the barrier at her nose to resist. Water. Everything was water, and she was completely enveloped in it. Kinu's eyes fluttered open, and she found her own hair floating in the edges of her vision. Ripples of light stretched before her, and she slowly pulled her leg in, suspended in mid air.
Panic hit her like a brick wall at the restraint on her ankle, and when she attempted leaning up, her arms resisted. Every sense in Kinu's body flooded back to her, and she glanced at her arm to find a thick rope that stretched off to a metal hook. Weighed her down. She was suspended in her inevitable demise. Waiting to drown, and well aware of her distant life. Maybe this would be it. She would lay here, in the water, and allow it to claim her.
Her body pulsed on its own. She spasmed, and started to thrash. Bubbles roared past her and tickled her eardrums and skin as she twisted and turned against the restraints, and wisps of hair clawed into her view as her hands grasped at nothingness.
Then she fell. Crashed onto the hardwood beside her bed, grasping at her body and the sheet around her torso. A long pause took her while she sucked in a breath, still on the floor, dripping with sweat.
A dream.
It was just the dream again.
"Tell that girl to shut up! Ain't right for her to take our sleep too!"
"Kinu?" Gentle rapping at the door interrupted her father's slurred yelling down the hallway. Kinu's mother's soft voice was carried into the room, and the girl sat up. Tried to recollect herself as she carefully pried the door open to peek at the woman with a single eye.
"Honey, are you alright?" The woman's forehead creased in worry. She placed a hand on the door, but it didn't budge. Kinu nodded once. A soft yellow robe had been haphazardly draped around her mother's shoulders, and her dull brown hair had been pulled back in a messy bun that only drew more attention to her mousy face.
"Ai, god damn it, don't baby her!" Another gruff shout came from her parent's room, and Kinu stared straight at her mother as the woman turned for a second then rolled her eyes.
"Are you sure? This is the second time this week, and it's only Wednesday..."
Kinu hummed once then murmured an apology. Eased the door shut, so not to offend her mother unit, and return to privacy. She needed to smoke, but that guy had her shipment. If she knew where he was, she'd be able to take it, but didn't want to bother with other people. Instead, she opted for the emergency bowl, packed in her winter jacket. Scrolled through her phone, and let herself out of her room when the house was silent and dark again. Nobody cared. They never tried to stop her from coming and going, and weren't going to start now.
As Kinu stepped out onto the dark street, the night air greeted her. She'd only done the basics to straighten herself up. Washed her face, brushed her hair once, then her teeth. The night was warmer than she'd anticipated, but with no choice left, Kinu forced herself to the end of the street to get as far from her anxiety as possible. People littered the pathway, mostly hovering in the dark walkways and keeping to themselves, but she could feel their eyes on her as she approached and passed. Tobacco hung in the air, paired with something Kinu couldn't put her finger on. A hint of spice, maybe. Ambergris, cutting through the gutters and fermenting urine from the paths to the casino on the adjacent street. As she walked, an all too familiar form appeared over the curve of the street.
She tried not to look, after noticing who it was. The straight hair and wrapped eye was enough to give it away. Paired with the sword, and purple kimono, Kinu had no question in her mind whether it was him. Walking towards her, with the street lights sprinkling the path behind him and a shallow cup curled in his fingers. She wondered if she was obligated to speak. Then thought better of it.
Why would she? He was practically blackmailing her, she thought.
Her mind quickly jumped to her overly causal clothes. A single black yukata, with no frills or embellishment. White belt. As they neared one another, their eyes connected, and the man at his side came as an afterthought. Taller and donning a navy blue trench coat. They passed, and Kinu had no intention of stopping, but was compelled to when the man turned.
The moment the girl had come into view, Takasugi's stomach had dropped and twisted into a knot. A shiver went down his spine, connecting with the dead blue eyes, and everything about the situation screamed poltergeist. But Takasugi couldn't help but stop. It was a quarter past two and the girl was roaming the streets, which was suspicious in itself.
When he glanced back, the girl had halted as well, but hadn't looked back at him.
"It's improper for a lady to be out at this time."
"Hm." Just under her breath, Takasugi could have sworn the girl said "you're here". His discomfort left him at once, and he faced her. The sight alone was creepy, but the moment she spoke, all tension seemed to break. The girl peeked back, curiosity written all over her face. There was a moment of silence, that even the breeze didn't break. They did nothing but peer at one another, and Takasugi felt pressed to speak again. At his side, Kawakami angled himself towards the girl.
"This is... the tea shop girl?"
Nodding, the one eyed man kept his gaze on the ghost.
"Inoue?"
"Kinu." She stated. Inappropriate as it was to address her by her given name, the notion bubbled in Takasugi's stomach in the form of a small chuckle. The sound was warm, if not a bit unsettling, and Kinu's eyes scraped over him again with a clear question.
"Kawakami Bansai" The deaf man stated, barely tipping his glasses in greeting. He motioned to his friend, neither smiling or frowning, "And Shinsuke- Takasugi."
The girl nodded. Didn't make any attempt at speaking.
"Would you care to join us?"
The offer tilted the girl's head, and she glanced over the back road at the shadows perched in the alleyway. The men looked at her the way she thought they would a pawn, or an accepted acquaintance that was unobtrusive.
In the moments of quiet that ensued, the girl checked her phone again, and sighed. She stepped towards the men, back the way she had come. Following strangers wasn't really a danger, right? That was mostly a myth parents told their children to keep them within sight and keep them from hidden stashes of candy. She started along with the men, and they resumed walking as though she had been there with them all along.
"What are you doing out at a time like this?"
Kinu didn't speak. Didn't even look at them, but sank between the two; safely nestled away from the prying eyes of drunks and beggers alike. She found it difficult to meet the man's gaze, from under his straw hat, but was barely short enough to make it work.
"You stole my tea." She stated, and Takasugi narrowed his eye. As if. Stealing was a harsh word in the name of justice, and tea was below his priorities.
"With that logic, you stole my guns. The price on that is far more steep than renting out your shop." Pipe to his lips, Takasugi puffed on the ember to return a steady burn to his tobacco. Beside them, Kawakami snickered under his breath, and if tension had been building, it quickly dissipated. A trail of smoke escaped the man's lips as he eyed the girl. Waiting for her to avert her gaze. She didn't. When she halted, he did the same.
"Hm." The girl took a step forward, her overly intense gaze lingering. "It'd be a shame if something happened to them." The same eerie feeling from before charged the air around Takasugi, but he held fierce and didn't flinch. The girl was barely as tall as his shoulders, what was she gonna do to him? Nothing.
"Don't make threats you can't keep." He murmured, and the girl glided forth another step.
"Hm."
Takasugi's gaze snapped to the solid form behind the girl as he closed the rest of the distance between himself and her, leaving barely a few inches. Was this what she did in her free time? Tried to intimidate grown men that passed her on the street? It might have worked against other men, in that get up, but Takasugi wasn't afraid to cut a ghost. He swallowed a laugh at the sight of the girl's dreary expression, and as he expected, she didn't move.
Just stared up at him with what he could only explain to be disinterest. Maybe she could be a threat to somebody, but not him. And she knew it.
"Don't start with me." The man's voice was low. He turned on his heel and continued the way he had been going. It took a moment, but the man behind Kinu gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and she peered at him over said hand. He motioned along behind Takasugi, and she caught his drift. Just on the street beside them, Kinu could hear a cacophony of voices and cheers. Drunks, and gamblers at the casino, most likely. She watched for other people, that apparently felt more threatening than the men.
The first sight of home prompted the girl to ease closer to Takasugi's direction, and when he was in front of her again, he offered only one motion to the entrance. Kinu studied the dark doorway, then him again, and the tight line of his lips. The ridiculing narrow of his eye.
She felt silly for approaching him and his company as she did, just to complain, and even hinting at a threat, knowing full well that he wouldn't fall for it. So she dropped her gaze and murmured her thanks under her breath. It was a good natured gesture, right? As the girl eased by Takasugi and started the short journey back to her house, he turned with her, silently at her side.
Two forms stumbled into the alley in front of them. A man and woman, holding onto one another to stabilize themselves. The woman was enveloped in her company's arm and they openly laughed. Made no attempt to lower their pitch, or mask their presence. Though she tried not to stare, Kinu couldn't help it when the man stooped forward in front of the woman, and they stumbled to the right together.
Two idiots in la la land, kissing in the streets. Didn't look so dangerous to Kinu. Still, the older man accompanied her back to her shop, and when she sat in the small opening at the side of the building, took a seat on the pavement beside her.
His company followed, but he showed his palm and shook his head.
"Leave us."
Kawakami stood in the mouth of the alley, and nodded once. Started to turn back the way they had come, but gave a line under his breath that earned a glare.
"Play nice." He left without another word, and Takasugi's attention stayed on the empty entrance to their hiding spot as if he expected company.
Kinu wondered if they couldn't sleep either. He didn't seem like the type to be in the cheeriest of places by default, nor did he have the blissful look about himself. But he didn't speak again. She'd lit her bowl, keeping with the silent theme, with her gaze down the walkway to intentionally avoid glancing towards the man.
"Why?"
As Kinu spoke, Takasugi leaned back against the wall of the building. He spared a glance on the black wall of hair between him and the girl, wondering if she would move or make eye contact. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them with a red lighter clutched in the hand closest to him.
"It's too late to be out alone. Dying would be inconvenient until after tomorrow night."
Kinu's head turned and she pushed the draping hair from her eyes as she squinted at the man. That wasn't very flattering. A single olive eye dug into her, until she realized, all too late, that her hair had been the only thing between her pride and his scrutinization. Blinking the sight away, Kinu turned her head again, this time taking care to pull her bangs back forward.
"You look like hell."
"Thank you." The response came before she thought better of it, but the man only released a short hum that could have rivaled her own. "I fell."
"Of course." He murmured back, and Kinu tried not to look again. She tried to think of another topic. The book she'd loaned him, or living as a criminal. Anything other than her fading purple cheek. Just a few more days and it would be good as new, but it was still a waiting game, and she was on the wrong side of it.
"I'm clumsy." She blurted the words out, and was positive that they sounded as wrong as they felt.
"Your relationship is none of my business." Even as ever, Takasugi peered towards the mouth of the alley. The weight of his sword pressed into his shoulder, as he propped his elbow on his knee.
Kinu leaned up, and the sudden movement prompted the man to turn back. Her head tilted, but she didn't make a sound.
"You should watch where you're going next time." The man watched an assortment of expressions wash over Kinu. Her usual absent stare turned to a more focused, even challenged frown. Then with a steady exhale, her face settled on nothing again, and she nodded. As if she found humor in the situation the girl snickered into her sleeve as if Takasugi was a professional comedian.
For a split second, Kinu wished Shinpachi would say something like that. Be comfortable sitting down next to her, alone, in a dark alley. Not care if she smoked, or blatantly lied. But maybe that was what made him cute. The innocence, or the fragment of hope that still guided him forward. Takasugi seemed to have none of that. Just sitting beside him felt dangerous, even if it had started with a questionably honorable attempt at securing her well being. He kept his eye trained on Kinu and she peered back up at him, then the haze of the street lights behind him as she inhaled another lungful of smoke, and laid her head on her knees.
"When I sit out here, it nice. Everybody looks like they're living perfect lives."
"They're not." Takasugi's voice was equally low as he watched the couple in question fumble through their line of view. The woman at the lead was dragging her associate behind her, grinning and nearly tripping when she turned to tease him. Takasugi knew that was a prostitute. It did look like Kinu said from the outside, but the girl was possibly too young to understand that every moment would never be like that. Even that moment was likely plagued with the semi-sick lurching of their stomachs, and real problems lingering just behind their actions and focus. The louder and more needy they acted, the more demanding the issues. "They're only competing with their actual lives for attention right now."
"How do you know?" The girl hummed the words, and Takasugi didn't bother to turn back to her.
"We all are." His words hung in the air, and Takasugi watched another set of people pass the alley, barely studying the small crowd. The casino must have been closing to clean for a few hours.
"Maybe." Kinu's answer was late, but her tone convinced Takasugi that she had been turning the statement over in her mind the entire time. Pausing, Kinu met the man's singular gaze. He still looked intimidating. Exactly like the kind of person you wouldn't want to be alone in an alley with. His presence was grim at best, but he wasn't unpleasant.
Kinu leaned back against the wall, and her eyes slipped shut. The first easy breath since she'd awoken came to her, and Takasugi watched her for a moment before turning back to the mouth of the alley. He didn't speak. The girl was an idiot. Couldn't she tell that she was playing with fire? Everything about the situation; the guns, the men trying to break into her shop, none of it was safe, or healthy. Takasugi thought about it longer than he meant to, but by the time he turned back to the girl, she was softly breathing, eyes still closed. At some point, she'd turned towards him and laid against the wall, bending her legs to prop herself up, and checked out.
Idiot.
Sunlight streamed through the windows and pooled over Kinu's eye. The irritation of having light directly over her face was enough to lull her awake, and the girl slowly sat up, confused and racking her mind for any explanation of her location. She was in the shop, laid across a booth. Her bowl and lighter sat on the floor under the table, and she quickly grabbed them to shove into her pocket and assume normalcy.