Lurve,
Kri-chan
Krianne Greenleaf *haha! I wish...*
Chapter III
I scrubbed the table roughly, as it gleamed like it was brand-new. I threw the rag into Sari Henson's hands. "They're all yours, sister," I joked, tossing my hair backwards. It was the end of my shift, and Sari was to take over for me. I waved casually to Irv and stepped out of the Tiger's Eye. It certainly had been quite an evening.
Tokiya's friends had left a few minutes ago, walking crookedly. I smirked in the direction of Dennis, who leaned on the shoulder of his friend, Johnny, singing his rendition of "YMCA" into the cold New York air as they stepped out. Irv had given a small grunt of disgust.
I wrapped the black leather jacket around me and ran my hand through my hair, keeping it away from my face. I walked in the direction of my apartment, fumbling for a cigarette in my pocket as I moved. I had finally located one and was about to flick open my lighter.
"That's bad for you, you know."
I whipped around and came face to face with Tokiya Mikagami.
"You!" I gasped, surprised, "I mean, Tokiya! What the hell were you thinking, scaring me like that?!" I hurriedly tucked the cigarette into my pocket again and glared at him fiercely. Of all the bastards roaming on the streets of New York, I had to run into one I couldn't beat into a bloody pulp.
He smiled good-naturedly at me. "Would you like to go get coffee or something? I'd like to talk to you."
It was the first time I've seen him smile a smile that wasn't either forced or vindictive. He looked nice and friendly, in a strange, odd kind of way. He didn't look like he wanted to kill anyone. At least, I hope he didn't.
I narrowed my eyes, "Are you asking me for a date, Mikagami?" I asked him testily. I was in no mood for one of his jokes. Silly grins or no, I'm not what you call a pushover. It took more than a few pickup lines to get into my pants, as I had previously taught several drunkards who had failed in the past.
He chuckled softly, that annoying grin plastered on his face. He looked so smug in a way that I wanted to slap him. "Would you have allowed me to? Of course not. A friendly chat with a former comrade is all I ask for."
Ha. My ass.
I rolled my eyes, "You're still the arrogant jerk you used to be, Tokiya Mikagami." I flipped my hair back with a little toss of my head. "By the way. I never got to thank you for bailing on us three years ago. It was very very smart of you to do that. You should consider putting up an advice column. When in doubt, run away." I said all this with a look of pure innocence on my face. I somehow had the unnerving ability to do this sort of thing and it annoyed him terribly. Which were quirks in some ways but dangerous in others.
He sighed, "I'll explain if you let me, Fuuko. Starbuck's good for you?" Without waiting for my answer, he hailed a cab and ushered me inside. "I haven't said yes, you know," I commented, while leaning against the soft cushions of the cab.
"Oh really?" he murmured absentmindedly, "Right here, mister, thanks."
I fumed silently, though enjoying the fruity scent of the Apple air freshener that cabs always seem to have. I haven't been in a cab since I drove from the airport three years ago. Oh it seemed so long ago. I felt my eyes closing as the heady Apple scent made me drowsy.
*****
I watched her all the way to Starbucks. She looked so thin and pale and scared, even when she was asleep... it scared me too. I couldn't imagine why this is how she had become. She had the talent, she had the wits, the beauty... I felt like cursing Fate again for letting her go down the drain. Wasted.
Damn, was destiny a bitch or what?
As the taxi pulled aside Starbuck's, she jolted awake. "Wha-? Oh, we're here..." She climbed out after me and waited for me by the entrance. I held out my hand jokingly, and she sneered and pushed it away. I laughed.
As we entered the café, I smelled the caffeine and the cream and nearly melted with happiness. This was my heaven. Laugh all you want, but we lawyers have an affinity for coffee, and Starbuck's had the best blends I could ever want. This is where I often work. I enjoyed the quiet chatter of the folks here. It was a mutual desire to intoxicate our systems with caffeine. I stay in one table, with my laptop and briefcase, clattering away, and I see several individuals do the same. Workaholic's Heaven, that's what my officemates call this place. Chih. They should know. They've all been here at least once.
Pushing her ahead of me, we sauntered towards the counter. "Two café lattes, please."
She said nothing, only staring at our surroundings. Hadn't she been here before? That was nearly impossible, since everyone used to say that if you hadn't been to Starbuck's at least once a week, you weren't a New Yorker. I had laughed at that joke, but now I didn't even feel the urge to chuckle.
She wasn't meant to stay here. She had to be home, in Tokyo, studying and researching the different signs of impending storms and tornados and other such calamities. She should have graduated at the top of her class, beaming proudly as everyone clapped for her achievements. She should have had a stable job, a nice warm home and dear friends to laugh with.
She deserved that.
God knows she does.
"Two café lattes for Mr. Mikagami!" the girl at the opposite counter called out. She gave me a grin, "Here you go sir. Enjoy!" I tipped my head and smiled as a gesture of thanks. I loved it here. Every morning I would wake up and greet the day with a smile. Damn I sounded like a cheesy tourist. But I wasn't. I belonged here. I had finally felt exorcised of my demons. I had everything I had ever hoped to achieve.
So why do I want to see them again? Just seeing Fuuko... makes me want to see my hometown again. I pushed away my thoughts, brushing them away for another time. I was supposed to talk to Fuuko about her condition, not about myself and my flares of homesickness.
People who I deemed regulars of the coffee establishment looked warily at my companion. I knew what they were thinking. I would rather not say what it was, but if they would ever voice out their opinions about who I was with, they would have found themselves on the wrong side of my Ensui.
Brash and bold, those statements were, but I could not help it. The annoyance I had once felt for Fuuko had now transcended into a feeling of brotherly protectiveness. I did not want her to be harmed anymore. I did not want her to be emotionally battered by such ignorant people who thought they knew everything. Because they didn't.
Fuuko stood by me through a period in my past where we had faced death in the eye and survived. No one could ever feel the same kind of emotional bond that Team Hokage had felt during the finals of the Ura Butosatsoujin. Not even Yanagi.
We sat down at a table near the window. People bustled by in the New York slush. I smiled. Even at ten o'clock at night, the Big City is still alive with action. I sipped my latte gently, the heat warming my insides.
She held the cup gingerly and lifted it to her mouth, tasting the richness. Tilting it back all the way, she downed half of the hot liquid in one gulp. I stared at her, amazed. That would have burned her tongue! She took the napkin and wiped her mouth gingerly. She caught me staring at her and she frowned. "What is it?"
"Didn't that feel... scorching?"
She reddened, either in embarrassment or anger; it was hard to tell which. "I was cold."
I blinked at
her reply, and then threw my head back and laughed.