Updated May 18, 2005
Changed the "God" scene. I didn't like the first one.
chapter eight: in the mix
I woke to the sounds of soft footsteps heading in my direction. Sitting up, I spied a girl about my age stopping in her tracks, smiling as she did so. Her soft face reminded me of a person I knew so long ago, but could not bring myself to remember her name. Her white wife-beater was torn in several areas, and her faded blue jeans were worn thin at the knees. Her emerald eyes shined in the dim light of the lamp at my side. Her Brown hair was worn in a ponytail, held by a rubber band.
I scanned my surroundings, realizing that I was no longer in old home. My entire body ached. It felt as though I swam an entire ocean twice. Surprisingly, something was pinching my left arm…
"Wha!" I looked down to my left side and spotted a sight for sore eyes. My Left arm was back. I raised it into my view and balled my fingers into a fist. I cracked a few knuckles making sure I could feel every little bit of pain, pleasure or whatnot from it.
"What's wrong?" The girl broke the silence. She moved in closer, sitting at my bedside.
"Eh?" I looked at her as she smiled to me. For some reason, I felt extremely nostalgic every time I looked into her eyes. It was almost as if I was looking at a female version of myself. "Nothing." I said.
"You look like you had a nice dream." She said, stroking my hair.
Just then, something inside of me snapped. I could no longer control my body; it was if I was watching a movie, and the screen was my own eyes.
"Shut up!" I yelled at the girl, slapping her hand away from my head. "Why'd you wake me up?"
"It's… four…" She withdrew from my bed and stood before me, looking at the floor in shame. I wanted to stop myself from screaming at her but everything I tried ended in failure.
"Goddammit…. Stay here, I'll be back." I sat up, sitting on the bed, opposite from the girl.
"You'll get into trouble if you... why do you have to…" She whispered loudly.
"Because he owes Robert money! He owes ME money!" I stood up and went to a pile of clothes in the corner of the room. I gasped to myself as I saw the ever so familiar sight of a brown-plaid dress-shirt, black jeans and a black belt. Putting on the clothes gave me the same feeling I had when I first put them on in Glie. I then walked to a chair near the bed and took a coat from of the backrest. Putting the coat on, I peered out the window, spying that local scenery.
Obviously, this was the innards of some modern city. Outside, the lights of tall skyscrapers could be seen in the distance, while the dark and dank colored buildings surrounded the rest of the view. The sound of a jetliner above rattled the tables in the room, giving it the feeling that this building could collapse at any given moment.
"But he's… our father." She sat on the bed, still looking at the floor.
"No" I said as I fixed my collar. "He's YOUR father, not mine. Rob's my father, now. He's always been there for me. Not like that fat, whore fuckin' pig your daddy is." From the drawer next to the bed, I retrieved a revolver. Upon closer inspection, the revolver matched the one I had in Glie.
"God… this is… it can't be…" I thought to myself.
The girl stood at her feet, glaring at me; piercing through my skin with her emerald green eyes. I stood there, not knowing what to say, surprised that she was standing up to me.
"Robert is dead! Why do you have to do this? Why is that hit-list so important to you?" She said in an angry tone. Tears began flowing down her cheeks. I desperately tried to stop myself from marching over to her, but to no avail. My left arm reached back, and quickly struck the girl in the face with the handle of the gun. She fell to the floor, holding the side of her head, trying to rub the pain away.
"Don't you ever talk to me that way… I saved you from the streets. I gave you a place to live. I gave you a normal life, and this is the thanks I get?" I cocked the revolver's hammer with my thumb, pointing it directly at the girl's forehead. "I owe everything to Rob. It's my duty to complete his unfinished business. I saved this bastard for last because of you!"
"You call this a normal life?" she whimpered. She leered into my eyes, desperately begging for me to stop, yet at the same time, I felt her hatred for me well inside her. She had reached her boiling point, but the gun in my hand kept her from doing anything else. She stood up, tearfully facing me eye to eye.
"FUCK!" I yelled, firing a shot next to her ear. "Stay here!" I screamed as I returned the gun to my coat pocket. I then stormed out of the room, leaving the girl alone to wallow alone in the dank room.
I woke to the sound of soft knocking on the door. Sitting up on my bed, I rubbed my eyes free of caked tears, clearing my vision and enabling me to see my room filled with the early morning sunlight.
"Another dream…" I thought to myself.
"Roku?" Nemu called from the other side of the door.
"Huh?" I answered back, getting out of bed.
"We're all going to the Thrift store to get some warm clothes for the winter. You want to come?"
"Yeah, go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later." I walked into the bathroom to do my morning "business".
"Ok. There are omelets in the dining table. Please clean up when you're done. The house mother is taking care of the Young Feathers, so don't worry about them."
"Yeah."
"We'll see you later then." I then heard the sound of her footsteps fading away into the distance.
Alone in the bathroom, I hung my head over the sink, analyzing the dream that I had last night. Was it a premonition of things to come? Was it a metaphor for me to take action for something?I splashed cold water on my face, forcing myself to stop thinking such thoughts.
After I changed my clothes, I walked over to the dining room, finding a plate of ham and cheese omelet and toast set in my place. I ate as fast as I could, not wanting to keep the girls waiting. After I cleared the table and washed the dishes, I went outside and sat on the edge of the old water fountain in the center of the courtyard. I couldn't help myself to think and analyze my dreams a bit more.
As I placed a cigarette into my mouth, I spotted a woman reading the bulletin board near the gate. She wore an unbuttoned faded jean jacket with a black T-shirt underneath. Her skirt matched the color of dark mud, and her brown boots appeared to be heavily used. Oddly though, her black hair shined in the sun; each strand reflecting the light into my eyes. She turned to face me, smiling as she did so. Her black eyes pierced my soul, as if she were a being from another world. I felt a chill run down my spine; I wasn't able to tell weather if it was the woman's glare or the gust of autumn wind that made me shiver.
"Can I help you?" I asked, walking over to her. I noticed a soft expression written on her face.
"No." She said. "I'm just visiting."
"Visiting who?" I asked.
"Everything." She said without any emotion.
"Uh…" I was confused.
"Where's Nemu and the others?" She asked, leaning against the wall, opposite of the bulletin board.
"Hmm? They went into town. They'll be back before lunch, I guess…"
She reached into her jacket pocket and retrieved a pack of cigarettes. She tapped the bottom and, like magic, a single cigarette slid up and out into the open. She plucked it and placed it into her mouth, replacing the pack into her pocket. She then felt her other pocket, feeling for some object.
"Got a light?" She asked, smiling a bit sheepishly.
"Uhh, yeah." I took out my lighter and lit it the way I usually do by holding it upside down between my thumb and middle finger, and snapping.. After her cigarette was lit, I did the same to mine, returning my lighter into my pocket.
"That's a fancy way to light that thing." She said, taking a deep breath from the cigarette.
"Hah, thanks." I exhaled a puff of smoke through my nostrils.
"So how are they? The girls, I mean."
"Uh, they're fine." I flicked the ash of my cigarette onto the ground. "Hikari seems to be having boy troubles, but I'm confident that she'll get over it…"
"What about Nemu?"
"Nemu's been taking charge. Supposedly she's acting like a girl named 'Reki', but I have no idea who she is, so I can't say…" I don't know why I was telling everything to this strange woman, but somehow it felt natural for me to do so. It was as if she put an aura of calmness around me, making me feel comfortable around her. It felt like she was a close friend.
"And Kana?"
"Well, Kana and I have been hanging around each other a lot more now. But it's nothing serious…" I blushed. "We just have lots of things in common."
"What about Rakka?" She flicked the ash of her cigarette onto the ground.
"Rakka?" I paused for a moment. "When I first came here, Rakka was a little down. I figured something was bothering her, so I talked to her. Found out that she wished that nobody would have their 'Day of Flight' like these girls named 'Kuu' and 'Reki'… She's over it now. Been fine and dandy ever since."
"That's good to know… I'm glad that they're getting along easily." She crushed her cigarette butt under her boot. "Please don't tell them I was here…" She began walking away from me.
"Wait! Who are you anyways? I didn't even get you're name."
"A friend…. I'll see you soon." Within a blink of an eye, she disappeared from my view, as if she was never there.
Dazed and confused, I slapped myself several times, making sure I was awake. Recoiling from the pain, I confirmed that I was awake, and that girl was there talking to me…
"Weird…" I thought to myself. "I swear that she was here a second ago…" Shrugging it off as a mirage, I hopped onto my scooter and headed for town to catch up with the girls.
The town of Glie was one again at peace. After all the commotion yesterday about the arrival of the Tooga and the Summer Harvest Festival, everyone was exhausted and just wanted to rest.
"Must be why there's three days off before autumn starts..." Roku thought to himself.
As he rode his way past buildings and weaving in and out of traffic, Roku noticed that everyone seemed to be looking at him. Not one to receive too much attention so warmly, Roku sped up, trying to get to the Thrift store as fast as possible.
at the thrift shop
Roku parked his scooter next to the entrance of the Thrift store. Peeking through the window on the door, he spotted the girls chatting away as they searched through piles of clothing. Taking a deep breath, he entered the shop, instantly causing all the girls to stop talking. They stood there, leering at him, making him feel more and more uncomfortable with every passing second.
"Man, not you guys too…" Roku said.
"Hey!" Horton entered from the backdoor. "It's the town celebrity! Come on in! What can I get'cha?" He motioned for Roku to come closer.
"And what exactly do you mean by 'not you guys too'?" Kana asked, punching Roku on his shoulder. She playfully tossed a black trench coat on his shoulders, trying it out for size. "That looks nice on you."
"You mean you aren't going stare at me like the rest of the town?" Roku rubbed his shoulder. He straightened out the coat, making it fit perfectly on himself. "This is nice." He said to Kana.
"What are you talking about?" Horton said.
"When I came into town, everyone that I passed looked like they had a staring problem." Roku took off his coat and placed it on the counter.
"Really?" Nemu said. "Did you do anything to them?"
"No, they just stared at me until I passed them by." He turned to face Horton. "What's up with them anyways?"
"Hmmm… I haven't heard anything about that, but the people that I talked to think that you're some kind of God. Hell, they've even started to build a statue in your honor. Of course, not everyone thinks that way… take me for example. I really don't think you're all that special."
"Thanks…?" Roku sat on the floor. "So they really think I'm a god?"
"Yeah, man. Only the Communicator gets to talk to the Tooga. Seeing one of our own talk to the Tooga just means that we're this closer to them, whatever they might be."
"So… the town is just misunderstood on what Roku is to the Tooga." Hikari said, still rummaging through a box of clothes. "We simply just tell them the truth."
"It seems that way." Roku sighed. "But maybe I can use my godliness to my advantage…" He smiled widely to the girls.
"That's not very nice." Rakka said. "You shouldn't abuse you supposed 'authority' on ill informed people."
"I was just joking!." Roku said. "Oh! That reminds me. A visitor stopped by Old Home earlier this morning."
"Visitor? For whom?" Nemu asked.
"She said she was visiting everyone."
"Who was she?" Hikari asked.
"I don't know, she didn't give me her name."
"Then what did she look like? Maybe we can figure out who it is then." Rakka asked.
"Well…" Roku though for a moment. "She had long black hair, black eyes. Um… a faded blue jean jacket… brown long-sleeve shirt underneath… a long brown skirt… she wore some mud brown boots… kinda soft, fair skin tone… kind cute, if you don't mind me saying so... and... she smokes."
The girls rushed Roku, pushing him against the counter.
"Whoa! What the hell?" Roku tried to fight back, trying to put himself upright.
"You saw her!" The girls shouted at the same time.
"Saw who?" Roku pushed against the girls with all his strength, making them take a few steps back.
"Reki!" they shouted in unison.
(PC)...
later
Sitting at our usual table at Café Kartie, the girls told me everything about Reki. About how she took care of everyone in Old Home. About her past with Hyouko and Abandoned Factory. And most importantly, how they felt about her.
"I see…" I said to them after they were done talking. "So you all love her a lot, eh?"
"Like our own sister." Nemu said.
"I'm sorry I didn't stop her, but she just disappeared before my eyes." I said.
"It's okay." Rakka said, wiping tears from her eyes. "At the very least, we know that she's doing fine."
The girls sat there in silence, trying to figure out why Reki had returned to Glie. As the minutes passed, a crowd began forming outside of the Café. Everyone from the elderly to toddlers all tried to take a peek inside, climbing on top of one another.
"Hey! What's going on out there?" The Café owned asked.
Immediately, the small crowd started to chant my name, demanding that I appear before them.
"Damn…" I sighed to myself, "must be the people who think I'm a God."
"You should try to clear things up with them." Kana suggested. "If they really think you are a God, then they'll listen to your every word."
"Good idea…" I said, getting up to approach the roaring crowd. "I'll just tell'em to buzz off."
The chanting of my name grew with every step I took toward the entrance. Taking a deep breath, I opened the swivel doors, appearing in front of what seemed to be a crowd of about a hundred cheering people. Each had smiles pasted onto their faces, yelling in ecstasy for me to give a speech.
"Damn…" I thought to myself.
Taking yet another deep breath, I held my hand in the air, signaling for everyone to quiet down. As soon as no sound could be heard, I spoke.
"Um… I don't really know how to break the news to you all… but, I'm not a God. I'm just… me. A normal Haibane. Basically, what I'm trying to say is… you're all crazy…"
After a few seconds of thinking it over, the crowd burst into laughter.
"Surely he jests!" a man yelled out loud.
"Our God is so modest!" A woman shouted.
Several others yelled out similar phrases at me, making me angrier with every one.
"Stop!" I shouted over the crowd. Almost instantly they quieted down and paid attention. "You people are CRAZY! Go away! Leave me alone!"
To my suprise, the crowd fled the scene, leaving me behind standing by myself. As the last person scuttled away, I realized what I had done; sort of a wrath of god.
"heh...," I thought to myself, "not to shabby..."
I returned inside and sat back at my place.
"What did you do?" Nemu asked sternly.
"I told them to buzz off." I said, sipping on a glass of water.
"You think it'll work?" Asked Rakka.
"I hope so." I said.
"So where should we go next?" Hikari asked, changing the subject. "I hear there's a sale at the grocery store."
"Yeah, we need to stock up for winter." Nemu said. "But first we'll stop by the bakery and get some bread for tonight."
"Oh…" Hikari said.
"I thought that it was supposed to be a three day holiday?" I said. "How come a lot of stores are still open?"
"Well…" Nemu started. "I suppose some people are workaholics. Or maybe it's because their stores are important, and that the town wouldn't operate correctly with them out for a few days. Also, Horton never closes the Thrift store for anything. Not even bad weather or any kind of Holiday."
"I guess you're right…" I said. "but, why doesn't Horton close the store?"
"Maybe he can't afford to." Kana said. "Mostly us Haibane shop there, so he probably doesn't make much money."
later
As our little group entered the bakery an overexcited Dante, fully dressed in his baker's uniform, greeted us.
"Welcome! Welcome!" He said, walking past me and straight over to Hikari. "You're supposed to be off today!"
"Uh… we just needed to pick up a few things…" She said.
"Oh! Well then, what can I get you!" He showed her several types of breads and pastries. Hikari looked a little uncomfortable, so I decided to step in and give her a few inches of breathing room.
"What's up man?" I said to him. "No 'hi' for me?"
He spun around quickly in my direction. "Oh, I didn't notice you come in here." He ignored me and went back to Hikari. "So what do you need?" Hikari was clearly uncomfortable with Dante so close to her, invading her personal space.
"Dante!" I called out. "She works here. Don't you think she would know what she was doing?"
"You kidding me?" He said back. "She a girl. And girls need a little help now and then because they forget easily due to their smaller brains and such…" The others growled as he spoke, offended at his sexist remarks.
"You know what?" Nemu said calmly, trying to suppress her rage. "I think we'll take our business elsewhere." She grabbed Hikari's wrist and dragged her outside. "Come on! Let's go."
Rakka and Kana obeyed her orders and followed her out the door, growling amongst themselves. I on the other hand couldn't help but laugh out loud, earning glares from the girls.
Starting to follow them out the door, I saw Dante standing behind the counter looking down at the ground.
"You okay, man?" I asked him.
"Dammit…" He whispered.
"Look, if you want to impress Hikari, you should, you know, treat her how she would want to be treated."
"Didn't you see me try to help her out?"
"Uh, yeah. But you shouldn't insult her at the same time." I scratched my nose. "I suppose that girls like attention, but not to much. Maybe you were making her feel a little, you know… helpless… or like she didn't know what she was doing. You should try to make girls feel… I dunno… wanted? Or maybe special?"
"Then what am I supposed to do?" He looked at me, almost begging me to give him some relationship advice. I myself don't know much anything about dating or the opposite sex, but I tried my best to give him obvious advice.
"I'm not supposed to be doing this, 'cuz it's forbidden and all. But since you're a friend…" I sighed loudly. "Hikari likes flowers. Brightly colored ones. Especially white ones with the yellow stuff in the middle."
"R-really?" he said, wiping his eyes.
"Well… I don't really know for sure, but she's always picking flowers for the dinner table… and sometimes she tucks a flower behind her ear…"
"Thank you!" He jumped toward me and bear hugged me, wrapping his arms around my torso and squeezing with all his might. Not being able to breathe, I slapped him on the back, trying to get him off.
"Oh!" he released his grip. "Sorry, man. Hey man, you are like the best friend a guy could ever have!" He then grabbed my hand a shook it furiously, causing me to lose my balance. I struggled to stay upright.
"Uh… sure…" I gasped for air.
"Oooh damn, can't wait for Sunday…"
"Sunday?" I choked. "What for?"
"That's when she comes back to work, man!" He said gleefully.
"Uh… maybe you should give her a bit more time… after what you did and all, I think she'll be a little freaked out. You're relationship with her before was a close one wasn't it? Right now it's probably going down the drain…"
"You think so?" He held his chin in thought. "I got it! I'll wait 'till the end of the year to confess my love for her! Goddammit Roku, you're a freaking genius!"
"What?"
"Dude! The end of the year is like THE most romantic time for couples! And I'm sure that by then she'll have today's little incident erased from her memory! It's perfect!"
"I dunno…" I said softly. "It might be a little too perfect…"
(PC)...
After his little talk with Dante, Roku rejoined the girls, heading for the grocery store that Hikari had suggested. Inside the gigantic building, the group found that nearly everything was on sale. People everywhere were dashing here and there, trying to acquire everything and anything that they thought they needed. A huge man holding several baskets and wearing a sign on his front and back approached the group, greeting them with his mighty voice.
"Welcome!" he bellowed. "The North District Supermarket is having an 'End of the summer' sale! Everything in the store is seventy-five percent off!"
The girls all gasped loudly, shocked at the giant man's announcement. They all took a basket from the man and went their separate ways, but not before Nemu shouted orders like a Sergeant on a battle field.
"Rakka! Go and get dry foods! Hikari! You get the dairy products! Kana! Get the canned goods! I'll go and get all the good meat! And Roku…"
"I'll uh… go and help Kana." Roku said instinctively.
"Yeah! Help her get some canned foods! Ready! GO!"
As soon as the word "go" was shouted from Nemu's lips, the girls ran to their respective areas to hunt down the best possible products available. Kana took Roku by his arm and dragged him straight to the canned goods aisle, weaving to and fro past a feverish crowd of storming shoppers.
Screeching to a halt in the canned goods section, Kana let go of Roku's arm, bending over to gasp for air.
"What the hell?" Roku gasped. "What's with all the commotion?"
"Well…" Kana spit out. "Since the Tooga… were here yesterday… that means new stuff… is coming in. And to get rid of all the old stuff… the store is having a sale…"
"So?" Roku said, finally able to catch his breath. "Why'd you have to drag me?"
"Didn't you hear?" Kana shouted. "seventy-five percent off everything in the store! It's a bargain! You of all people should know that we can't possibly pass up an opportunity like this!"
"Whatever… let's just get all the good stuff before we get killed…"
As Kana squeezed between people to reach the shelves, Roku couldn't help but smile to himself. Somehow, being with Kana has lifted everything off his shoulders. Weather it be his nightmares, his issues with the townsfolk, or the mystery of the Tooga, nothing mattered to him at that very moment. Standing in the middle of the aisle made him a target for the oncoming traffic of rushing shoppers, so he decided to step out of the way, bumping into someone in the process.
"Watch it you!" The unfamiliar voice shouted. Roku turned to face an angry looking Haibane girl. She wore a jean-jacket with a lavender sweater underneath and a short, tight fitting skirt. Her hair was tied back in an odd way, giving a look of a modern teenager.
Roku was taken aback, he recognized the clothes styles. He realized that it matched the styles in his dreams. As he took a closer look at the clothes, the girl growled louder, pushing Roku away.
"What's you're problem? Apologize this instant!" She shouted.
"Eh?" Roku snapped out of his inspection, noticing that the girl had an angry look pasted on her tomato red face. "Oh! Uh… sorry, but you're clothes… they look…"
"What!" The girl shouted. "Are you trying to make fun of me!" She pulled her fist back, cocking her arm for a mighty punch aimed at Roku's face.
"N-no!" Roku said, shielding himself with the basket. "I wasn't insulting you! It's just that, you're clothes look so familiar…"
"You…PERVERT!" She took a swing at Roku's face, missing by mere centimeters.
"Whoa! Hey! Stop!" Roku shouted. He dodged every punch that the girl threw, but he didn't know how much long he could last. The punching of the girl and the dodging of Roku continued while shoppers continued to rage on in the background. Obviously nobody thought that fighting was a problem during a hectic sale.
"Hey Roku! Look at this!" Kana said as she dug her way out of a pile of people. "Chocolate, caramel, and vanilla sy…rup… what the?" She looked to her left finding nothing but an endless sea of moving bodies. To her right, on the other hand, was Roku, frantically dodging an attacking girl who seemed to be about her own age. "Roku!"
Kana tackled the girl, pinning her shoulders to the ground.
"What do you think you're doing?" She yelled into the girl's ear.
"He's the one who started it!" The girl yelled back, trying to wiggle free from Kana's grip. "He was leering at me like a dog!"
"What?" Kana shouted. "Why would Roku do that?"
"I was just looking at her clothes!" Roku admitted.
"He's a pervert!" The girl shouted. "PERVER- OW!"
"What's going on here?" Roku heard a familiar voice ask.
From the wall of hoarding people, came Hyouko. He calmly walked over to a dumbfounded Kana, picking her off of the girl and standing both of them up. Roku laughed to himself after seeing both girls go from loud cat-fighters to quiet, obedient puppies in the presence of Hyouko.
"There… now what's going on, Midori?" He asked the girl.
"That boy was leering at me!" She shouted, pointing at Roku.
"No way!" Kana countered. "Roku would never do that!"
"I was just looking at her clothes!" Roku admitted once again.
"SHUT UP!" Hyouko shouted. "Now Midori… this is Roku. He's the newborn friend of mine. He still hasn't met all of us Haibane so he's bound to get a little curious."
"I am not a pet…" Roku said, insulted by Hyouko's words.
"And Roku." Hyouko rubbed his sinuses. "This is Midori. Obviously she's one of us: a Haibane."
Roku nodded toward the girl, earning a glare in return.
"And Kana." Hyouko turned toward her. "Why did you pin Midori down?"
"She was attacking Roku!" Kana yelled. "He only has one arm! How can he defend himself from this bully with only one arm?"
"I could protect myself fine, thank you…" Roku whispered to himself. He was clearly the target of indirect insults.
"Look… this is just a misunderstanding, Midori." Hyouko said. "Now apologize to the newbie!"
"… newbie…?" Roku whispered.
"Dammit…" Midori said, extending her arm out to Roku. "I'm sorry for attacking you…" Roku received her hand and they both shook.
"And what about me?" Kana said, expecting an apology as well.
"You apologize to Midori for attacking her." Hyouko said sternly.
"What?" Kana said. "Why do I have to apologize?"
Hyouko eyed her angrily, as if he was forcing her to do as he says telepathically.
"FINE!" Kana shouted. She first dropped the cans of syrup into the basket that Roku held. She then extended her hand to Midori, who accepted it. Both squeezed as hard as possible, trying to psyche each other out. "I'm sorry." Kana said through her teeth.
"Good." Hyouko said, putting his arms on both of the girls' shoulders. "We're having a little get together tonight to celebrate Sakura's Day of Flight. You guys over at Old Home should come by later on."
"We'll be there." Nemu said out of nowhere. She approached the group, surprising both Kana and Roku. "We'd love to come by."
(PC)...
on the path toward Old Home
I couldn't help but feel a little confused as we all walked back to Old Home. Confused about the way Kana had obeyed Hyouko's demands, albeit hesitant and angry; The way that girl Midori was so offended about the way I was looking at her clothes; the way that Nemu quickly accepted Hyouko's invitation to a small "get-together" at Abandoned Factory. The latter was more bewildering than the rest because of all of the negativities that I had heard about the relationship between Nemu and the Haibane at Abandoned Factory. I wanted to ask her personally, but didn't want to offend anyone, so I kept to myself, dragging along as many bags of groceries as I was able to. I stuck up a conversation, trying to end our day of shopping in a more positive note.
"Hey." I started, shifting the two bags of groceries in my arm. "Why do I have to carry two bags?"
"Haven't you ever heard of courtesy?" Hikari chuckled. "You're the man of the house; you have to work harder than the rest of us."
"Well, I understand that part… but why do the two bags have to be full of cans?"
"You expect us girls to carry the heaviest things?" Kana said.
"I thought you said you were as strong as an ox…" I muttered to myself, shifting the bags once again. To gain more stability, I held the bags steady with my chin.
"What'd you say?" Kana asked, poking my sides. "Stop complaining and be a man. Ever heard of the saying 'Ladies first'?"
"Yeah…" I sighed. "Well, since I'm handicapped… doesn't that automatically rule me out?"
"No." The girls said together, smiling as they did so.
back at Old Home
As we finished storing all of the groceries, Nemu told us to be ready for the party at Abandoned Factory by seven o'clock. Seeing that it was only four, I decided to head for the southern edge of Glie where I met the Communicator, and use my gun as the Tooga had advised. Since it was the farthest from town, it would be the perfect spot to fire off a few rounds for target practice.
"I'll be back." I told the girls. "I need to do something."
"Okay." Nemu said. "Be back by six."
"Yeah." I answered.
"Let me come with you." Kana said, running to my side.
"Uh… sure." I said, surprised by Kana instantaneous decision. "I'm not doing much though, so…"
"It's okay." She said, putting on a pair of leather gloves. Shrugging my shoulders, I followed her outside to the courtyard. I decided not to argue with her.
"Wait here, I need to get something." I said, running back to my room and retrieving the bag of ammunition that the Tooga had given me. I only took about twelve bullets and pocketed them, not wanting to shoot too many and disturb the town. As I headed downstairs I ran into Rakka, who was carrying a bundle of freshly washed sheets. The bullets in my pocket found its way out as I fell to the floor, scattering all over the place.
"Oops!" I said, helping Rakka up. "Sorry about that. Kana's waiting for me." I began to pick up the sheets, not wanting them to be too dirty.
"It's okay." She said, picking up the sheets near her. "I should have taken it easy and carry a little bit at a time. Uh… what's this for?" She picked up one of the bullets and examined it closely.
"Uh… nothing…" I snatched the bullet away from her, doing the same with the rest of the bullets on the floor.
"Oh… ok."
After all the bed sheets were picked up from the floor, I helped her store it away in the linen closet down the hall. Afterwards, I apologized once again, and headed downstairs, and outside. In the courtyard, I spied Kana sitting patiently on the well, staring off in the sky.
"What'cha lookin' at?" I asked, standing next to her.
"The birds…" She said, still looking at the sky.
"You like birds?"
"No." She said smugly, "I'm jealous of them."
"Why?"
"They're the only things allowed in and out of Glie." She stood up and followed me to our nametags.
"Why would you be jealous of that?"
"Idiot." She turned both of our nametags over. "Haven't you ever wondered what's beyond the walls?"
"No." I said as we exited Old Home and walked southward.
"Really?" She asked, "You never even thought about it once?"
"Nope." I said proudly. "Not even a little bit."
"No way…" She sounded amazed. "You gotta be pulling my leg. Aren't you even a little curious?"
"Well, yeah I'm a little curious about the other side. But I believe that dwelling upon the unknown is a bad habit." I took out a cigarette from my pocket and placed it in my mouth.
"Like smoking?" She said, snatching the cigarette from my mouth.
"Hey!" I tried to take it back, but she ran away. "Come back here! Those are expensive!"
"Not to mention a gross habit as well!" She was now about ten yards away from me and getting farther. I wondered why I was so slow; normally I could easily run faster than Kana. Then it hit me: my missing arm helped me balance, and without it, my legs would have to compensate for the missing weight.
"Damn…" I cursed myself, "Gimmie a break!"
As soon as I slowed to a brisk walk, Kana suddenly stopped. I wondered what had gathered her attention.
"What's wrong?" I asked, finally catching up to her.
"The wall… I've never been this close to it before." She said to me.
I looked in the direction she was staring and saw that we were indeed a few feet from the wall. I thought it strange that I never noticed it as I chased her.
"Must have been the adrenaline and stuff…" I thought to myself, catching my breath.
"So." Kana said, changing the subject.. "What's that thing you need to do?"
"Uh…" I hesitated for a little bit before drawing my gun from underneath my shirt.
"Are you really going to use that?"
"I dunno…" I said. "I know the Tooga said I have to practice using it… but… if I do fire it… what if I get better and better with my aim?"
"Uh… hello?" Kana said, knocking on my forehead. "Isn't that the point? To get better with that thing?"
"Yeah…" I agreed. "But what If I get bored with shooting at inanimate objects… what then?"
"Why would you think that way? Are you a bad person?" She asked, with a sarcastic tone in her voice.
"No, I'm not." I said. "But what about how I was... before I came here?"
"Do you remember anything about before?" She motioned for me to sit down on the grass with her.
"Not very clearly." I said, sitting down on the grass. "I remember everything exceptnames of people, their faces...and what I did… but everything else like how to talk…"
"Or how to act around certain people… how to do the things that you're good at…" She continued for me.
"Like shooting a gun…" I interrupted.
"... So, you know how to shoot?"
"Yeah… I mean... I think so… but … I've had these dreams… more like nightmares, where I used a gun… on people."
Not knowing what else to say, we sat there together in silence, the gun still in my hand. I thought about the dreams that I was having recently. Every night, something different happens, but it seems as if they were advancing in time, rather than random events, and each time I, or whoever's eyes I was looking through, would have a shorter and shorter temper, angered by the slightest provocation.
Replacing the gun into my holster, I sighed to myself, deciding to go against the Tooga's wishes. I decided not to use my gun under any circumstance, lest I become that horrible monster in my dreams.
(PC)...
later that evening
Roku checked his hair in his bath room, making sure every strand was where it needed to be, and reinforcing the style with hair gel. Satisfied with his spiked hair. Dressed in his evening clothes consisting of his white sneakers,black jeans, and a white dress shirt which was unbuttoned, showing a plain white tanktop underneath. Instead of buckling his holster around his chest, he looped the holster onto his belt, dropping the empty gun in place and shifting the belt around so that the gun lay on his right hip.A while earlier, he decided that he would wear the gun as the Tooga had wished, but refused to fire it.
"Maybe they'll understand…" He thought as he checked himself in the mirror.
He headed downstairs to meet the girls, who were already dressed in more casual clothing. He noted to himself that this was the first time that he'd seen the girls wear pants, not including of course, Kana.
"Hey." He said, jumping off the final few steps of the staircase. "You all ready?"
"Yeah." Nemu said. "Let's go." The girls then filed out of the room and out into the courtyard, with me exiting last.
"Hey." Roku said as he closed the door behind me. "What's with the clothes?"
"What do you mean?" Hikari asked, turning over all of our nametags.
"Well, except for Kana, I've never seen any of you wear pants before… usually you're all wearing skirts and dresses."
"You expect us to wear dresses in cold weather like this?" Rakka said.
"Hm? Cold weather?" I "felt" the air around me with my hand, noticing for the first time that the air was crisper and had a slight snap to it, it really was cold out. "Huh… I never noticed before. Wasn't it warmer just a few days ago?"
"The weather here changes fast." Nemu said. "In just a few weeks it'll be snowing, and before you know it, it'll be warm again."
"Maybe time just flows faster here?" Roku suggested.
"It feels that way, doesn't it?"
Nemu stared off into the sky, in deep thought. She remembered the time that she had spent with Reki and Kuramori. The way she had been friends with the Haibane of Abandoned Factory. And that this would be the first time she would be setting foot over there in a long time.
"Way too long…" She thought to herself.
At Abandoned Factory
As the group approached Abandoned Factory, it was clear to them that this was no ordinary get-together. Lights were strung up in every possible place, illuminating the entire area. Loud, pulsating music could be heard all around, vibrating the ground, and rattling the gates with every beat. Past the sounds of the music, Roku heard the chatter of people. He couldn't tell how many, but he estimated it to be at least one hundred.
"Uh… maybe we came on the wrong night?" Hikari said. She looked a little worried.
"Eh?" Roku said. "You scared?"
"What?" Hikari sounded offended. "Scared of what?"
"Nothing." Roku said, opening the gates.
"Hey…" Rakka said. "Those gates are usually locked."
"Why would they lock it if they're having a party?" Roku asked.
"True…, but normally we would have to enter through there." She pointed to a portion of the fence that was cut open.
Shrugging it off, Roku opened the gates, allowing the girls to enter first. As he followed them inside, they were greeted by several Haibane, all of whom Roku did not know.
"Welcome!" A Haibane said to them. "Come on in! Help yourself to all the food you want!"
As Roku and the girls were inside the north most building. Inside, they took a good look around, noticing that not only were all the Haibane here, but also people from town. A closer inspection noted that everyone was about the same age as Roku, hinting that this was indeed a house party, and not a get together.
Dozens of people were dancing on a makeshift dance floor in the center of the room, going along with the quick, deep beats that a DJ was playing in the back. A thin layer of tobacco smoke filled the room, allowing beams of lights wave to and fro across the room, controlled by hyperactive girls near the dance floor. To the far left side was a table filled to the edge with various kinds of bite sized pieces of meats, breads and cheeses, as well as a gigantic bowl of fruit. Next to the table were several barrels with taps on the front, giving away the fact that it was filled with an unknown type of drink. To the far right of the girls were dozens, maybe even hundreds of people, chatting away as they cradled glasses and plates on their hands.
"What is this?" Nemu demanded an answer from the Haibane that led them to the table.
"What's it look like?" The boy said. "It's a party, man!"
"Damn…" Nemu said under her breath. "I knew Hyouko understated that this was going to be 'little'…"
"So?" Roku said. "What's wrong with a big party now and then?"
"You shouldn't be one to talk." Nemu said, pointing a finger in his face. "Damn… we might as well stay and mingle a little bit. We're going to have to sooner or later, and we might as well make it now…"
"Heh…" Roku chuckled nervously.
As they reached the table, the girls filled their plates with whatever looked good to eat. Standing near the exit, the girls quietly ate their food, leaving Roku lost and bewildered, staring at them like a traffic accident.
"What?" Nemu asked him.
"This is not what you do at a party…" Roku said, scratching his head. "Come on… loosen up a little. Dance. Go talk to people."
"I prefer to stick to my own methods, thank you very much."
"Aw, come on Nemu. Don't be that way." A familiar voice interrupted them.
Hyouko approached the girls, greeting each of them warmly.
"I'm glad you could make it. How's everything so far? Need anything?"
"Um.. no, we're fine." Hikari pointed out.
""Yeah, we're good for now." Nemu added.
Satisfied that his guests were pleased, Hyouko turn to Roku.
"Hey, man, there's some guys that want to meet you." He said.
"Yeah?" Roku said, surprised that he actually gained some attention from strangers. "Who?"
"They're the Haibane that live here with me. Ever since I told them about you, they always wanted to meet with you, and what a better time that now, right?"
"Yeah, let's go then." Roku said enthusiastically.
"Come on, I'll lead you to them."
"I'm going too." Kana said, holding on to Roku's arm just as he and Hyouko began to walk away.
"Sure." Hyouko said. "I doubt that you know them, but hey, we're all friends, right?"
Nemu stood there with Rakka and Hikari, watching Kana and Roku disappear into the crowd. She muttered several choice words under her breath, cursing herself for coming here in the first place.
"Nemu?" Rakka asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Nemu said.
"Come on, Nemu." Hikari said to her. "Let's go walk around a bit. We rarely have a chance to be around lots of people anyways."
"Yeah… you're right…" Nemu took in a deep breath. "The past is the past, after all…"
(PC)...
Hyouko lead us past dozens of people until we finally reached a place in the corner of the room. There stood eight male Haibane, each had a wide grin pasted on their unshaven faces.
"Guys, this is the dude I've been telling you about. His name's Roku." Hyouko said as he shoved me into their direction. "Roku, these are the guys. Guys, this is Roku."
"I think we get it." One of the young Haibane men said. "Hey, it's nice to finally put a face on this 'dude' that Hyouko's been telling us about." He extended his hand out toward mine, which I received and shook firmly.
"Huh… Hyouko's never mentioned about you guys before." I said. "What's up with that, man?" We stared at him as he blushed.
"Well… uh… OH! Hey, here comes Midori!" Hyouko changed the subject.
Midori walked over to where we were standing. She was dressed casually in a sort of black nylon windbreaker, and tight fitting blue jeans. As she drew closer, the warm expression on her face slowly morphed into a bitter one. I noticed that Kana had the same look on her face as well. Midori then stopped a few feet away, not wanting to come any closer.
"What's up with those two?" Another Haibane asked me.
"They were fighting earlier…" I said. I took hold of Kana's shoulder. "It's not good to dwell on the past, Kana. You should be the big woman and admit your faults, as well as hers."
I felt Kana grinding her teeth together, almost as if she were trying everything to stop herself from talking back. I sighed in relief as her shoulders went limp. She turned to face me, forcing a smile on herself.
"I really hate it when you're right…" She sighed loudly. "Fine…"
She turned around and walked over to where Midori stood. I started to follow, but was held back by Hyouko.
"Let them figure things out." Hyouko said.
We all stood there as we watched the drama unfold. Kana was the first to speak. I couldn't tell what she was saying, since the music in the background was loud enough to drown out her voice, but I could tell from Midori's reaction that things were going well. After a few more moments of the two girls talking back and forth, Kana went to me and punched my shoulder.
"Uh… what was that for?" I said, rubbing the pain away.
"Nothing." She smiled. "Midori's going to introduce me to the rest of the girls. I'll see you in a little bit."
"Uh… ok…"
As I watched the two girls disappear into the crowd, I couldn't help but feel that I did a job well done.
"Damn… I wanted to see a cat fight." One of the guys said to me. "Is Kana you're girlfriend or something?"
My face turned red.
"What? Wh-what do you mean by that?"
"Man, I could tell…" The Haibane said. "She's totally into you, man."
"Really?"
"Yeah, man." They all chimed in.
I scratched the back of my head, as I didn't know how else to respond.
"Um… did you lose you're arm or something?" A Haibane asked out of the blue.
I shook my head, surprised at the sudden..., and rather stupid question. I thought of a witty remark.
"No, I'm hiding it…" I said. I felt welcomed as the group laughed at my little joke.
(PC)...
later
Nemu, Rakka and Hikari walked around Abandoned Factory. Nemu wanted to see what had or hadn't changed since the last time she was there. On the other hand, this was Hikari's first time to see the inside of Abandoned Factory, so Nemu was also acting a guide.
As they walked, several people overheard Nemu describing how the way things were before and became interested. They followed her along, forming a small tour group, walking in and out of several buildings, listening closely as Nemu described what she used to do here and there, and how it used to look like.
As was well until Hikari felt a strong foreboding feeling. A chill went up her spine, yet she didn't know what was causing it.
Nemu noticed that Hikari was not looking well, so she confronted her.
"What's wrong?" Nemu asked.
"I dunno…" Hikari looked around. "there's something…-"
"HIKARI!" A familiar voice shouted, interrupting her. "I didn't even know you were invited!"
Dante came rushing from out of nowhere and into Hikari's face.
"Did you eat? Did you drink? You want me to get you something?" Dante pummeled her with question left and right.
"Dante!" Hikari shouted. "Did you read my letter?"
"Oh!" Dante said. "I was so excited that you wrote to me, that I didn't even bother reading it!"
Hikari's eye grew wide.
"Nemu…" she started. "Let's go."
"What? Now?" Nemu asked.
"Yeah! The party just started!" Dante agreed.
"I… don't feel too good." Hikari said. "I need to go home and rest."
"Well you could rest here!" Dante suggested.
"No." Hikari said sternly, grabbing Nemu and Rakka by their arms. "I need to go home."
She started to run, dragging Nemu and Rakka along, and disappearing into the crowd.
(PC)...
back to Roku
"… And then she was all like 'Wow! A Haibane!'" I was telling the group of guys a story. "And then I got pissed and all that, so I stared her directly into her eyes…" I paused to take a sip from his mug full of frothy beer.
"And then?" A Haibane who was standing next to Hyouko asked.
"Well, after a few seconds of that I started drooling and barking like mad!" The group burst into laughter. "She literally jumped up and ran away!"
"Man, that's classic!" another Haibane commented. "Heheheh, too bad you were born over at Old Home. Had you been born over here, we could have done so many fun things…"
"Yeah man." Another Haibane chimed in. "You're like, the only dude that we know of that was born over there."
"What?" I asked.
"Not to mention that you dress differently that the girls." Another Haibane said.
"What do you mean?" I asked. "You mean I look funny, or something?"
"No, man. What I'm saying is that the girls dress funny… wearing old people's clothes and stuff. You, on the other hand, are up with the times, man, while they're still back in the old shitty days."
"You makin' fun of the girls?" I said as I dropped my beer and stepped up to him, grabbing his shirt collar; pulling him closer to me.
"Uh… no man, I was just pointing it out." He took a step back.
"Hey hey hey…" Hyouko butted in, "Let's not start a fight here, eh? Come on, the party's just started; let's not end it early, alright?" He offered another mug of beer to me.
I couldn't help but stare down at the Haibane that insulted the girls. Not once during our stare down did I ever blink; I wanted to see if I could analyze him. Not feeling anything negative, I finally backed down, letting go of his shirt collar.
Taking the mug from Hyouko, I gulped the entire contents.
"See?" Hyouko said. "Now lets just be friends again."
The Haibane that insulted the girls took a deep breath and extended his hand toward me.
"Uh… listen man, I uh…. Didn't mean anything by what I said… I was just pointing something out, that's all…" He chuckled nervously.
"Heh…" I snorted. "Yeah… that's okay… sorry about the shirt thing…" I received his hand and shook. Unexpectedly, the group began laughing.
"Awww… that's so cuuute!" A Haibane said.
I smiled, feeling accepted into their little circle of friends. Feeling a bit anxious, I took a cigarette from my pocket and lit it, impressing the guys with my lighting technique.
"Man, I still don't know how you do that." Hyouko grumbled.
"Heh." I puffed on my cigarette. "Here lemmie show you…" I started to hand him my lighter when a familiar voice called out for me.
"Roku!" It was Hikari.
"Hmm?" I turned and spotted her, along with Rakka, Nemu and Kana. "What's wrong?"
"Let's go home!" Hikari yelled at me.
"Woah… calm down!" I said.
"No! We have to go now!"
"What's the matter with you?" I asked, still not understanding her problem.
"It's Dante!" She gasped.
"What? He's here? Where?" I asked looking around. "Did you invite him, man?" I asked Hyouko.
"No, man. I tried to contact him these past few days, but I couldn't find him." He answered.
"Huh… what's he doing? Did he hurt you or anything?" I asked Hikari.
"No, I'm fine, but we have to go now!" She yanked at my shirt.
"Ok ok ok!" I said, regaining my balance. "Uh… I'll see you guys later then?"
"Uh, yeah…" Hyouko said.
With that, Hikari quickly lead Rakka, Nemu, Kana and I to the exit, weaving through the partying crowd as we did so.
Later, on the dirt path toward Old Home
The white glow of the full moon above lit our path as we trudged back home. I felt a little disappointed that I couldn't stay at Hyouko's party long enough to get to know my new friends a more, but Hikari's somewhat desperate plea to leave was unavoidable. She walked in between Nemu and Rakka, while Kana and I trailed behind a few steps.
"Hey, Hikari?" I asked, breaking the mid-night silence that had surrounded us. "What is it with you and Dante, anyways?"
"That's none of you're business." She answered bluntly. I was taken aback buy her straightforwardness; she had never used that tone of voice before.
"What if it is?" I snapped back. "Just tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help a little."
"Look… This has nothing to do with you!" She growled.
"Bullshit…" I responded, spitting to the ground. "This is my business. Now tell me, goddammit!"
"Oh?" She stopped and turned to face me. "And how exactly is this YOUR problem? You think that just because you're a guy, you can just start demanding thins from me?"
"Stop it you two…" Nemu tried to intervene.
"Stay out of this." I pointed out to Nemu. "Every time anyone mentions Dante, you get all weird, and whenever Dante's' around you, he starts actin' all ga-ga. And a few days ago, you asked me to give him a letter… what is this, some sort of secret relationship between you two?"
As the last words exited my mouth, Hikari responded with her palm planted square on my face. The unexpected force of her slap made my head turn a full ninety degrees. As I sighed to myself, trying not to make any sudden movements, I turned to face her once again.
"There's no way in hell that he and I are together." She whispered. "Not in a million years. Not when hell freezes over. I'd rather die than fall for him…"
"Then tell me what it is." I said calmly. "I can help."
The other girls around us held their jaws from falling to the ground. From the corner of my eyes, I could tell that they were all shocked at the violence that Hikari had just demonstrated, and I wouldn't blame them. We had never seen her act this way before.
"Okay…", She finally spoke; her head hung low in shame. Her posture was that of a sad puppy, ashamed of itself; making it's master feel sorry for it.
"Okay…" Roku whispered as he helped her up, "okay…"
end chapter eight
disclaimer: with the exception of Roku, Gordon, Magdalene, Naota and the names "Horton" for the old clothes dealer, and "Dante" for the assistant baker, I do not own any characters that have made an appearance in the story. I did this for fun, not for money. If you own these characters, please don't sue me. Please don't ruin my fun. Also, if you wish to paste this onto your site, please ask permission first and give credit where credit's due.