It was ten thirty-four by the time Mina got home, and she was exhausted. Luci had dropped her off, wishing she could stay but complaining she had to get home and get some planning done. She found her grandparents out back in the gazebo, chatting away over tea and rice cakes, and she sat down at the table, slipping off her shoes for a moment while she rubbed her sore feet.
"Tahahahaaaaa....They work you good, did they Minakin?" Her grandmother's taunting laugh earned a grumble from her. Aruhama cast Mariha a sharp look as he poured a cup of tea for his worn-out granddaughter and pushed the plate of cakes closer to her.
"How was your day, Mina?" He sat back down and looked to her, taking a bite from one of the rice cakes.
"Well, awful is the first word that comes to mind, but it really wasn't. Luci took me shopping, I left my bags in the front hall. We had lunch in the park, and then we went to the parade preparations. I get to play the sun this year." She'd conveniently left out the part of stopping by the asylum and meeting up with Jak, and she lifted a cake of her own and raised a brow to her grandfather as if inquiring whether or not it was safe.
He gave a nod of assurance which he disguised as one of acknowledgment so as not to invoke the wrath of his wife, and Minako took a bite.
"Really? That's wonderful news Mina, congratulations! How is old Shiri Nikawa doing anyway?" Aruhama had known the parade coordinator since his own school days, and so did Mariha, but Mina's grandmother had much less of an opinion of the woman.
"Wha? Crazy old blind bat? She not dead yet?" She looked somewhat disappointed, and both Mina and her grandfather looked appalled.
"Mimi! No, she's not! But she did say hello. She's looking worse for the wear these days, but she refuses to let her daughters take over and run the parades." She drew her cup of tea close and inhaled the steam deeply before taking a sip.
It wasn't long after, that Minako could barely keep her eyes open, and so she said her goodnights and took her bags back into her bedroom. She silently dressed down for bed and shut her light off, curling up in bed and closing her eyes.
The next two days flew by quickly. It was already evening of the second day when Mina and her grandparents returned from the grocery store to find that their home was surrounded by police cruisers.
Their lights flashed all over the area, filling the broken family with a sense of dread as they rushed out of the car and around the back, where everyone seemed to be. Everything was moving in slow motion for Mina, the edges of objects blurred, and sounds were distant and faded in her ears.
Hazard tape was everywhere, and she forced her way through several officers to find the body of a man laying face down just outside their back door. It didn't take her long to recognize the immobile man, and she gasped as two larger men in white slowly rolled him over onto a stretcher.
They strapped him down immediately, securing each strap to make sure he would not be able to move at all. The paramedics fussed over the small wound above his eye, and hardly noticed the scratch just beneath his jaw, which lay parallel to an old scar that looked like it came from an identical cause.
There was a small pink feathered dart sticking out the side of Rinfudo's thigh, which eased Mina's fear that he may have been dead. She watched as they wheeled the stretcher past her, reaching out as if trying to take her cousin's hand, and then following them out to the ambulance in the front.
"You'll have to stay back, miss. He's a dangerous patient." Mina was stopped by one of the cops that stepped in front of her, blocking her path to the ambulance. She could see out the corner of her eye that her grandparents were arguing with another policeman.
"He's my cousin! I have every right to know what's going on!" The point would have been made without her yelling, but she wasn't thinking. All she wanted to do was go to Rinfudo and make sure he was alright.
Both Mariha and Aruhama turned from their heated bickering and looked to Mina with shock on their faces. She would have had to come up with one hefty cover story for how she'd found out if Dr. Suiwudo hadn't walked around to the front and crossed the lawn just then.
He took Minako's hands and started rambling apologies left and right, looking furious and worried sick all at the same time. He had butterfly strips over a shallow, but wide cut across his forehead, a black eye, and large bruises on his throat as though someone had been chewing but could not break the skin.
"Jak.....w-what happened? Will you please tell me what's going on?!"
"Mina, thank God you're all right. The two workers that were doing the cell transfer, didn't pay close enough attention...They took him to my office and one of them left to come get me...They set him a little too close to my desk and he managed to get hold of my letter opener. Needless to say, he sawed through his straight jacket. The attendant that stayed in the room....well I'm writing a formal letter of consolation to them to be delivered tomorrow morning. I came running back to the office with the other attendant, and well as you can see he was waiting for me." He pointed up at his forehead.
"This is from the letter opener. The other attendant wrestled it out of his hand before Rinfudo snapped his neck....he punched me, and bit me, several times. I had tranquilizers in the top drawer of my desk, but I couldn't get to them. He took off, screaming that the Sun Princess that belongs to his master is in danger. Since you were playing the Sun in the parade tomorrow night, I got the hunch he'd come after you. I was right, we staked out your backyard for at least an hour but we couldn't find him anywhere. We only just apprehended him about ten minutes ago."
"Jak, do you think I could go talk to him? I won't get in the way, I promise."
"I can't let you right now Mina. As much as it means to you, I'm afraid you can't. Not right now. If you like, you can come by tomorrow morning, but please don't bring Luci. I can't have her around babying me, I have quite a lot of work to do now." He put his hands to his head, avoiding the cut and sighed deeply.
"You've been so helpful Jak. Thank you for everything. Is there nothing I can do to repay you?"
"Don't talk nonsense, Mina. As if I'd accept so much as hug as payment!"
"That's why you're broke you know Jak. You can't live off hugs for the rest of your life." She managed a small laugh and he smiled, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
"Well I'm out of here. You take care now Mina, and don't tell anyone anything. If they want to ask questions, they can ask them of me." He made a motion to tip his hat, but then remembered that he didn't have one anymore and shrugged, walking over to Minako's grandparents and consulting them for a few moments.
After another few minutes, many of the policemen had left by now. Only one cruiser was left now, along with the ambulance and finally wrapping up his discussion with Mariha and Aruhama, Jak waved goodbye to all of them before climbing into the back of the ambulance with Rinfudo and pulling the door shut.
They rolled away until they were out of sight and Minako looked over at her elderly caretakers, who seemed almost hesitant to approach her. She sighed and turned, walking into the house and locking herself in her room for the rest of the night.