"How have things been going with you and Enji?" Ichigo asked. "I've still got-" A pillow hit him in the face, cutting him off.
"I'm in a good mood. Don't ruin it," The woman growled.
"Aw… come on," He whined, "just one detail?"
"I will get a knife," she threatened.
"And what? You wouldn't hurt me," he retorted smugly.
"And I'll chop your precious hair off." He loved his hair. It was styled in the popular, longer style that you kept swept up to the side.
"Or mine…" she muttered darkly.
"You wouldn't!" He was horrified. "We worked hard to get your hair like that. And mine is too perfect!"
"I would. So shut up." She smiled at him.
"Fine," he huffed.
"What are you even doing here right now?" It was almost eleven in the morning. "I, unlike you, should be asleep at this time."
"I'm here because I want to spend time with you. You've been spending so much time with Enji lately," he whined.
"Quit whining." She yawned and stretched. "You do the same thing with Ren."
"And Pake, and Mishi, and Matt! You hardly spend any time with me!" He ignored her comment.
"We're spending time right now. And I try to make time for you." The blunette fought to keep her eyes open. "But, balancing a special needs brother, three jobs, and friends is hard. I barely spend time-" she yawned again, "-with any of them. Trust me, I hate it too.
"And, I'm giving up sleep I need for you right now." She looked at her friend tiredly, her eyes half-open. "I… am a really busy person. And I'm sorry."
"Are you ok?" Ichigo asked, finally realizing why she looked so bad. "Oh, goodness! You really are trying aren't you?" The answer was a weary nod.
"And here I am, whining at you. You've been sleeping less to spend time with people and work three jobs. Why am I such an idiot?"
"You are not an idiot!" Luciana glared and sat up. "I am for balancing too much. You just want to spend time with me. It's not your fault."
"I should let you get some sleep," he muttered guiltily. At least he knew better than to argue with her about who was the idiot. She always won.
"If you wouldn't mind. Also, have you found a day job for me yet?"
"No, honey. I'm sorry. None of them pay well enough."
"I can keep the job at Lucky Tabs. I'll only have to work on the weekend. That way the pay range can be lower."
"I'll see what I can do."
There was no response. Luciana had fallen asleep.
"You really are tired." Ichigo smiled at her as he covered her with a blanket.
Luciana woke later than usual. The apartment was silent. "Matt?" she called. Her brother should be at home. The living room was empty aside from her.
"Matt, where are you?" She rose from the couch, leaving the blanket on the cushion. She looked in the kitchen. No one was there.
"Where are you?" Her voice was getting softer. She tried to yell, but it was silent. Panicking, she ran to his room and threw open the door.
"Matt!" She tried to yell, but barely a whisper passed her lips. He wasn't in there. She checked her room and the bathroom. They were both empty. She screamed his name silently and ran into the living room again. He was gone! She ran out, searching and screaming for him. Every scream came out silent. Every room she checked came out empty. Matt was gone!
Luciana woke to someone shaking her violently. "Lucy! I right here!" It was Matt.
"Oh, Matt!" She cried and hugged him. "Thank goodness." Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she clutched him tightly.
"Lucy, I ok. Not left you. You ok too," he soothed, rubbing her back. She continued to sob, hugging him with an iron grip. Calmly, he continued to speak to her and rub her back.
When she calmed down, she asked, "How long have you been home?" Her voice was raw and cracked from screaming silently.
"Just got home. I fine. I cook dinner!" He proudly pointed to the table. He had set it and made food.
"Good job." She winced slightly. His last solo cooking attempt had resulted in them moving from their old apartment to here.
"Ren teach me. I not burn anything this time," he told her seriously. "Food good, promise." Hiding a grimace, the woman stood and moved to the table. The food looked perfect, but would it taste good? They said thanks and began eating.
Luciana took a bite, prepared for whatever he had managed. To her surprise, it was good. "Matt! This is cooked perfectly! You did a great job!" She congratulated him, proud. Sure, it was a simple dish, but he had done a wonderful job on it.
"Thanks and loves!" he told her when he paused in eating. He was eating with more gusto than normal.
"Thanks and loves." She smiled at him as she began to eat at a more sedate pace.
"You work 'night?" Matt asked once he had finished eating. His sister nodded, her mouth still full.
"Bar, club, or run?"
She held up two fingers.
"Club?"
She nodded. Before long, she had finished eating.
"I'm sorry, bud. Do you want to help me clean up?"
"Yes!" He jumped up and rushed to clean. Cleaning was one of his favorite things to do. The transformation from mess to neatness appealed to him in a special way.
Two hours later, Luciana jammed a beanie on her head as she walked out the door. Matt was asleep and she was heading out for work. She had an hour to kill, so she could walk and enjoy the fresh air.
The calming sounds of the city echoed around Luciana as she leisurely walked down the cracked sidewalk.
The aged building surrounding her watched silently as always, their tired facades slowly crumbling. The dark alleys served to highlight the light beauty of the streets.
In the dark sky, the stars twinkled dimly, faintly watching the city. The tiny sliver of moon peeked from behind a cloud, almost as if it was too shy to be seen so small and dark. The warm, honeyed night seemed perfect. Almost as if nothing bad was going on in the city.
The blue-haired villain strolled along, conscious of the beauty surrounding her as well as the shadows that followed her, lurking underneath.
She hummed softly, acting oblivious. Her shoulders were relaxed and her stride lazy and at ease, belying her tension and readiness to fight.
Her gilded stare tracked the movements of all who were near her. Nothing escaped her notice as she passed.
A streetlight ahead of her was out. In the darkness, there were several vague figures hiding in the alley. Her fists clenched inside her pockets and fire sparked in her eyes. Before she got too close, she discreetly texted Ichigo and Enji.
"Trouble." She knew they wouldn't see it until tomorrow, but she had a bad feeling in her gut. There was no way to avoid this confrontation, and there were no heroes who could help her. Not that they would help her. She continued walking, pretending to be oblivious.
Once she was right by the alley, a distinctly male voice called out to her. "Hey, pretty bird. Wanna come quietly?" They knew she had been watching them.
"I'd rather not. If you know what I mean." Her voice was falsely cheerful. "I've got work soon, so why don't we do this later?"
"No, I don't think you understand, birdy." She tensed when he called her that again. "You're coming with us now. The easy way or the hard way."
Gritting her teeth, the woman punched the man trying to sneak up on her.
"I think we should do this later." Something red sparked around her hands.
"One more chance lady. We do it the easy way: You give us your phone and let us pat you down before taking you away. Or we do it the hard way. Your choice."
She stared at him silently, her eyes flashing. The sounds had all disappeared, replaced by a tense silence.
"The hard way it is. Get her," the mystery man commanded. Instantly, Luciana was surrounded. She dropped into a fighting stance, legs widened and arms held out.
"This night is sooo not my night," she grimaced.
