Ayumu's story was long, disjointed and confusing; she often backtracked, changed the subject without warning and made oblique leaps of logic that her audience just had to accept. By the time they emerged on street-level, though, they'd understood enough to see that her picture of events, though incredible, was at least internally consistent.
"So… recap time," Sandra said. "You're telling me that you died and were reborn from the powderized remains of a monster called Gathra, which is your child the same way that we're sisters, and those guys were smoking that same powder?"
"Yup." No wonder her complexion was a little green.
"Then this Gathra appeared in some kind of astral form at least twice to help you, but the second time, a pair of tiny women and another creature called Mothra made you forget that Gathra was your son even though you remembered almost everything else. Thus, you were stripped of your only assurance that you were really Ayumu Kasuga and not another girl manufactured on the spot to take her place."
"Well… that wasn't my only assurance…" Ayumu fingered the green scarf for a second, then shook herself. "Yup."
"Must have been pretty strange to have a huge bug for a kid."
"Well, I think it was a pretty sweet deal. All the happy, gushy parts of havin' a kid without any o' the hard parts, y'know? No dirty diapers, no tantrums, and ah didn't even have to pass him through my… um…" Ayumu coughed. "The, uh… egg was nice."
"Anyway, you're saying that our memories of your connection with him have also been removed, and that's why none of us knew already?"
"Yup."
"Wow… I'd probably find my way into an asylum, too."
"Well, that's all there is ta that. You guys can tie me up an' drag me back any time."
"Stop it," Chiyo cut in, breaking a long silence. "Don't talk like that."
"Well, I can tell you don't believe me," she replied, turning her mellow brown gaze on the taller girl, who looked away uncomfortably.
"You have to admit that it's pretty difficult."
"Yeah, I gotta." Ayumu closed her eyes, thinking back. "Okay, remember this one, Chiyo-chan? Hotel-room just before we got ta Sendai, an' you were talkin' to me when nobody else was around, remember?"
"Yes, I think so." She remembered the doughnuts of that morning and seeing something upsetting on the news… and yes, a short conversation with Ayumu while Kagura was singing in the shower.
"You remember how I was feelin' just then?"
"You were…" Chiyo blinked. That couldn't be right. "Happy?"
"Yes! An' how would I be happy marching to mah death if it was just some ugly little greebly gettin' born? I musta known somethin' that was keepin' my spirits up, an' I musta told you about it. C'mon, you remember?"
"I…" Chiyo squeezed her eyes shut. "Can't. I can't remember what we said."
"I know what ah said… I told you that it was my baby in that egg. An' what's more, I know he's still out there, an' he don't know it but he's missin' his mama."
Chiyo looked at her sideways. The thought of Ayumu raising something with more complicated needs than a Chia-pet was just a little bit disturbing, but… then she laughed out loud. She remembered having that exact thought way back then, worried about how Ayumu would take to motherhood. "It's true," she said wonderingly, "Darn it all, I remember! It's true!"
"You know, now that you mention it…" Sandra was in the midst of her own flashback. "I'd forgotten how I knew that we were sisters… yeah! I remember the little women now, and Mothra!"
"Thank goodness! It's happily ever after!" Ayumu sighed.
Both of her friends winced, just waiting for a giant monster's foot to come down on them or a gunfight to break out or any of the other awful events that Ayumu's statement invited to happen… but it seemed that the universe wasn't feeling very ironic that day. None of them noticed the silent figure that skulked after them and gave lie to her words.
Pa-king, king, king! It was the same dorky little bell that rung over the door of every small shop on Earth, and it didn't fit in with the rest of the scenery very well at all. The store Kaori and Sandra minded was built in a wide circle, the outer walls lined with a ring of bookshelves full of dusty old grimores that must have been added for atmosphere, because ranks of more lightweight shelves stocked with nice shiny modern paperbacks occupied most of the floor.
The counter was actually a heavy old wooden desk carved with mythological creatures, creating a ridiculous contrast with the cash register and little plastic tray of mints. Kaori lounged with her feet propped up on it, a half-rotten grimore resting heavily across her lap. Her face had hardly changed at all since High School and her hair was still in the same style, but even just sitting there she seemed much more confident and easygoing. Of course, Chiyo had to admit that she'd rarely seen Kaori while Sakaki wasn't around, so her reading of the older girl's bearing probably wasn't worth much.
"We're back! And guess who I found," Sandra called, taking Chiyo's elbow and dragging her before the desk. "It's like one of those 'only-in-fiction' things!"
"Sometimes it seems like our whole lives are fictitious, doesn't it?" Kaori asked, setting the book aside and standing. She wore a red kimono such as their great-grandparents might have worn, which made her seem older, dignified, eccentric and mysterious all at once. "It's for the customers," she explained when she caught Chiyo staring. "I'm Kaori Aida, by the way. Pleased to meet you."
Chiyo chuckled and wondered how many times she'd end up going through this scene. "Chiyo Mihama."
Kaori's jaw dropped. "You're joking. You're… no, way!"
"But the real guest of honor is…" Chiyo glanced over her shoulder. "Er, Ms. Ayumu?"
Ayumu had quietly wandered over to one of the shelves and pulled a book out at random, and whatever she saw on it had her completely engrossed. She didn't respond at all until Sandra sneaked up behind her and lightly jabbed her side with a finger. With a loud chirrup of surprise (must be the scarf), Ayumu snapped out of her concentration and recovered herself to say, "Uh, hey."
"Well, you guys came at a good time," Kaori said, "I was just about to close up for the night. Sandra, could you go flip the sign?"
"You're a slave-driver," Sandra said on her way to the door.
"This is a very nice place," Chiyo commented, looking around. "Such ambiance!"
Kaori made a graceful gesture that encompassed the room. "Olhos Do Ceu," she intoned in a deep, mysterious voice, "For those with the courage and insight to explore the world beyond." Then she dropped out of character, shoulders rounding and arms falling to her side, with a decidedly un-mysterious giggle. "Of course, not everybody buys it. Their loss."
"So…" Now for the awkward part. "You, uh… masterminded Ayumu's escape, then?"
"Yes," Kaori sat on the counter and kicked her sandaled feet out. "Yes, and I know that you're probably doubting if we did the right thing. Trust me on this one, I know my stuff. In the concrete world…" she smiled softly. "…and beyond."
Chiyo stared for a few seconds. "Um, I'm sorry… but beyond? Do you have to italicize it?"
"Yeah, yeah I do. Sandra probably told you I was an expert, but I'm not really… I just have a few hard experiences behind me."
"I… I see."
"Look, we weren't ever really close, but I'm asking you to trust me here." Kaori leaned forward and spoke softly, emphatically. "You have to understand that I would never, ever do anything I thought would hurt her. Ayumu's going to be fine."
"That's good ta hear," Ayumu said, right at her elbow.
"Yeep!" Kaori twisted to face her in shock. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry. Hey, ya think you could explain this t'me?"
Ayumu held one of the massive books out to the proprietress, who accepted it and turned it in her hands. The much-abused pages showed quite a lively scene; a golden cord was being pulled in opposite directions by a purple figure with green eyes and a black figure with purple eyes. Kaori could see that the cord had once been glittery, as were the lightning bolts that leapt from it in every direction and filled the page, but that aspect of the ink had faded. Hovering above them were three pairs of eyes, fading from white on the purple figure's side to dark green on the black figure's side.
"Aah…" Kaori shrugged. "These sorts of things only make sense long after they've stopped having any relevance. For example… um… we found this prediction made in the 18th century that three kings do battle in Sendai, and of the three, the demon would be defeated, though he would some day return."
"Wait, in Sendai?" Chiyo asked.
"What happened in…?" Ayumu snapped her fingers. "Oh, right. The three-headed guy and those freaky blue people."
"Hey!" Sandra snapped from across the store.
Kaori regained their attention. "Well, get this: Kazuki's family guardian monster was named King Caesar, then we had the 'space demon' King Ghidora, then we had Godzilla, which many people call the King of the Monsters. Bam." She crossed her arms. "How do you like that one? I think Ms. Sakaki was even mentioned in it, though there were about four ways to take that sentence."
"Wait a second, so according to that…?" Chiyo started uneasily.
"Well, it's best to take these things as they come. Actually, I just recently came across another that I found really interesting. Is it in this one?" She took the book she'd been flipping through before they entered. "Yeah, that's it. Here, I stuck it between two pages."
"Is that ballpoint pen?"
"Yes. This prophecy is three days old."
"Ooh, hot off the press!" Ayumu said happily.
"What?" Chiyo protested. "You can't just make something like that up!"
"Why not? The chopstick breakin' worked, didn' it?"
"Well…"
"All prophecies were new at one time or another," Kaori sounded as though she'd had this argument a few too many times. "This one was made by a guy who lives under a bridge in Roppongi. Here we go… 'In a fortnight or so, the purple goddess will return to the land of her birth to save the demon from himself. Perfect blackness will descend, but she will fling it back to the stars and the world be safe in the dragon's claws. Either that or we're all pretty much screwed.' He always seems to peter out near the end, I've noticed."
"That's very, uh…" Actually, Chiyo found it extremely unsettling. And for some reason, a feeling of vague frustration was rising in her… she felt as though she were watching a movie that kept foreshadowing and foreshadowing but nothing would ever just happen…
Three loud raps came at the door.
Sandra opened it a crack. "Sorry but we're close—oh, crap!"
"What's the—ohhh… crap!" Kaori sprang from the desk.
"Where? Did somebody track it in?" Ayumu asked, ignored.
The Xian girl was shoved aside to make way for their visitor, who was about her height but much more imposing. This was a person that everybody in Japan would recognize, but most counted themselves lucky never to have actually met. She wore the standard Gaijin fashion of black, shiny, flowing, "I got passed up for a role in The Matrix"-type clothes, and after years of being exposed to the stereotypical image of Goths, her dusky complexion seemed odd. Her darkened violet eyes roved over the stores occupants, pinning each of them in turn.
"Er, excuse me…?" Chiyo ventured in a small voice. "But who are you?
Ayumu's reaction was a little less diplomatic: "What the hell is that?" In truth, though, she wasn't concerned with the woman that stood before them; her eyes were focused on the air over her head.
"Yukia." Kaori hissed. "What are you doing here?"
"That's no way to greet an old colleague," Yukia replied calmly.
"We were never colleagues or anything else. Your mere existence is an insult to our art." Kaori stepped forward belligerently. "Why don't you leave before I call the police?"
"Oh, you're going to call the police on me?" Yukia smiled coldly. "Yes, that would do you a world of good. It would be best for us all if you cooperated—after all, I'm not sure I could hold him back if you raised a hand against me."
"Wh-who's him?" Chiyo asked, wondering about all the italics going around. It would be really be nice if people would stop using commonplace words to refer to fantastic things, really. Italicizing or adding a capital letter just doesn't cut it sometimes.
"It's moving…" Ayumu edged sideways and took her arm, still staring at the air above their visitor's head.
Yukia glanced towards them questioningly. "You can see-?"
And then, with a shockingly loud hiss, Sandra's dragon attacked her face. Now, the little beastie was painful enough when he was just happy to see you, what with the buffeting wings, lashing tail, barbed claws and needle-like teeth, but when he was actually trying to take your face off it was another game altogether. Needless to say, Yukia lost her smug, superior composure pretty darn quick.
But while she yelled and flailed, something was happening above her. Three points of silvery light formed at uneven intervals, crackling and flashing menacingly. There was just time for Sandra to suggest, "Down-?" before…
Chiyo found herself lying on her back, staring at the ceiling through a snowstorm of whirling cinders. Ah, that was the remains of the merchandise that had been blasted apart by those… what, were they lightning bolts? It was a sign of her dazedness that she was proud to have figured out that much. She tried to rise, but her muscles wouldn't cooperate sufficiently.
Yukia brushed the flopping, twitching dragon aside with her foot and walked through the scattered debris, pausing over Ayumu for a few seconds but then turning towards Chiyo in surprise. She took hold of the prodigy's collar and hauled her into the air with improbable strength, and Chiyo was frustrated to note that her legs still weren't capable of putting her feet reliably beneath her.
"So it will fall to you, then?" Yukia said contemplatively as their eyes met. "Tch! I could hardly be so lucky."
"Whh…?" was about the best Chiyo could manage in reply.
"Shhh," Yukia set her down gently. "It's not time for me to kill you yet. Stay out of traffic until then, 'kay?"
"K-kill…?"
Yukia turned on her heel and started out the door, pausing by Sandra to say, "You didn't even know what I wanted. Turning a wild beast loose on me, honestly."
"You should talk," Sandra replied, who had just managed to make it up to her hands and knees. "You have lousy taste in pets, by the way."
"Well, you kept this one for a while, didn't you?" Yukia asked, reaching up to stroke the air. "To each their own." And with that, she made her exit.
For a time, there was quiet.
"She didn't have it together," Ayumu finally commented, sitting up painfully. "S'like what'd happen if I tried to be a supervillain. Did anybody else notice the…?" Her question dissolved in a fit of coughing.
Kaori was the first to make it to her feet. She moved quickly to lock the door, then turned and surveyed the carnage Yukia's single attack had made of her store. "Damn… this is the third time I've had to totally restock."
"The third? Does she come here often?" Chiyo asked from the ground.
"Never. The other two times were because I'd done something stupid." Kaori knelt next to the dragon. "Are you gonna be okay, little g- ow!" She shook her hand, but its teeth were firmly embedded. "Yep."
"What was that, a lightning strike?" Sandra sat against the wall and started concentrating on getting her legs to move. She seriously hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. "Messed us up pretty good."
Chiyo hauled herself up and put a hand on Ayumu's back, who was still coughing. "How did she do it, anyway? Is that something to do with your art, Ms. Kaori?"
"Huh? No! No, we're not wizards or anything like that."
"She didn't do nothin'…" Ayumu said. "It was… somethin' around her. Like, you know when Gathra came to help me, how he would fly all around us an' dice things up?"
"Uh… sure?"
"Same deal."
"Okay… it's late, and I don't want to deal with this right now." Kaori seemed fully recovered, though the dragon still hung off of her hand. "Chiyo, we can put you up for the night, if you like. I'm not sure how safe it is for you to be out and about, especially at this hour."
"I should head back. Ms. Sakaki will worry."
"Oh, you're staying with her?" Kaori asked. "Huh. Well, I can give you a ride back as soon feeling returns to my hands, okay?" As if he understood her, the dragon let go, flopping unceremoniously to the ground instead of landing with his usual catlike grace, and made his drunken way back to his master.
"Thank you." She needed time to think. There were certain undeniable advantages to staying with somebody as quiet and unintrusive as Sakaki.
"And Ayumu, if you wouldn't mind staying with us for a while?"
"I dunno, if I say yes am I gonna get blown up again?"
Chiyo shuffled into the living-room, unsurprised to see that her hostess had tried to stay up for her and equally unsurprised that she hadn't quite managed it. Sakaki dozed at the end of the couch, a news magazine resting at her feet where it had fallen. Chiyo made an attempt to wake her gently, but as soon as her hand came close, a static shock leapt between them with an audible pow!
"I'm so sorry!" Chiyo jumped back.
"What…?" Sakaki started, rubbing her arm, but she looked up in concern before her anxious guest could try to answer, "Are- are you all right?"
"Do I look bad?" When her friend hesitated, Chiyo added, "Be honest."
"Chiyo-chan…" she drew a deep breath, "You look like you were hit by a cement truck."
The younger girl sat down and leaned against her, laying her head on Sakaki's shoulder. "Well. I'm glad I look at least that good."
Sakaki put an arm around her and drew her closer. "You're trembling."
"Leftover charge… you got the worst of it just then." She giggled tiredly, and her voice started to take on a thick, drowsy quality. "You ever think back to our lives before the whole astral-visitation, giant-monster, alien-invasion thing? I really miss those days."
"Me, too."
"It's all so twisted and wrong… someone needs to… needs to…" she yawned. "Set things right. God, I'm so tired…" She slumped further into Sakaki, and her hip gave a solid crack in protest. "Stupid body… sometimes I feel like I'm just gonna fall apart. If you came home and found a… pile of Chiyo-parts on the floor, you'd put me back together, right?"
"You really need some sleep."
"Not making any sense, am I?"
"Sorry, no."
"Is it okay if I sleep here? You're really soft…" Now there was something she'd never say if she were fully in command of herself. Riding a swell of pity, Sakaki could only answer, "Of course."
"Thanks." Chiyo squirmed a little to get comfortable, then her breathing evened out and she was gone. After a minute or two, Maya emerged from Sakaki's room and pawed at her leg jealously. Hey! his recriminating eyes said, Only I'm allowed to do that! But instead of taking issue with the guest, he contented himself with jumping up and sprawling possessively over Sakaki's legs.
And so she dozed off again, buried to her ears in cuteness.
