"Luna? Are you over here?" Yumi asked as she entered the hallway. It was dimly lit and void of any other people. All except for a small curled up figure sitting against the wall. Yumi heard crying and smelt something funny as she approached. "Luna?" she asked, moving closer. The girl jumped at her words and scurried a few inches away. "Don't come close to me." she said. "Luna, what happened?" "Don't!" Luna yelled. "Stay away!" Yumi didn't listen and moved closer to her. "I'm not leaving you, tell me what happened." She reached down but her hand was swatted away. "Go away! Please." Luna sobbed and curled back up. Yumi stepped in a puddle and knew instantly what it was from the smell of it. Yumi's look was one of helplessness as Luna avoided her gaze and sobbed into her arms.
"I just want to help." Yumi said. "Then go away." Luna replied. "Tell Jin to take you home and go away. I just want to be alone." Yumi had no words to say or any idea of what to do. Luna didn't want help and was pushing her away, just like she had feared would happen. I'm not wanted. It's always the same with everyone that meets me. "Fine." Tears soaked her cheeks as she stepped away from Luna. "Fine, if that's what you want." "It is. Leave me alone." Yumi was doing her best to not break down but she couldn't hold everything in. "So you're just going to throw me away?" she asked. Luna squirmed at those words but did little else. "You can still live with me but I need to be alone." "I can't believe it. After everything you said to me, after all that you did for me, you… You're just going to abandon me too. I can't believe you, I refuse to believe you."
"Then don't and just go back home. I'm useless and I'm going to be dead soon anyways. Better to forget about me now and save yourself the trouble." "Dead? What are you talking about?" "Dead! Do I need to spell it out for you? I will be dead! Do you want to join me? Go away and forget about me! Please. I can't handle another loss like that." "I…" Yumi whimpered. "Look at me! Really look at me, Yumi. What am I to you? Strong? Dependable? Happy? Loving? Smart? What is it that you see? I see a scared little girl who is sitting in her own piss. I see someone consumed by anger and sadness and is mentally fucked. Do you see anything different? Tell me honestly." Luna demanded, her pale yellow eyes scowling at her.
"Luna, I see…" What do I tell her? I see everything she says but I also see more. I see comfort and relief and someone to love me for who I am, or at least that's what I thought. Right now I see a girl with ruffled hair and an angry gleam to her eyes. Eyes that shined so beautiful just minutes before. I see a… "A monster." When Yumi said those words she quickly put her hand over her mouth. Luna smiled. "I told you what I am, Yumi. You just hid the truth from yourself. I think Clair did the same before she died. She fooled herself into thinking I'm better than I am. Go home and leave me alone. I'll walk back once I can stand." Yumi reached her hand down again but hesitated. "What? Disgusted? Afraid?" Luna scowled and then yelled. Yumi jumped and backed away. "This isn't you." Yumi said, shaking her head. "Then who am I? I look like me, I sound like me. If I'm not me then who am I, Yumi?" Luna's face was twisted in fear and anger as she spoke.
"You're scaring me, Luna. Cut it out and I'll help you get clean and then we'll go home together." Luna didn't respond, she just turned her head to look away. "I…" Yumi stopped herself from speaking and then turned to leave. The one person to treat me like a human since my father and even she's turning against me. I refuse to believe you Luna. You're just hurt and you need help. You don't really mean those things. Right? She was rushing around the room looking for Luna's parents or brother so they could help. "Jin! Jin!" she yelled over the crowd as soon as she saw his slicked back brown hair. "Yumi? Where's Luna? I haven't seen her since you got out of the car." "She's uh, not okay, Jin. She's really hurt. Come on." "Hurt? Hurt how?" he asked as he followed. "I don't know. She's not acting normal. She's talking about dying and she's yelling and crying. She's not moving and won't let me get close."
"Where is she?" he asked. "The hallway at the end of the room." Jin nodded and sprinted ahead of her. He shoved people out of his way and forced himself across the room. By the time Yumi caught up, Luna was on top of Jin, hitting him repeatedly. "Luna, cut it out." he said, while guarding against her wild swings. "Leave me alone! Take Yumi home and leave me alone!" she yelled as she swung down at him. Yumi saw blood dripping from Jin's mouth as Luna hit over and over. "Cut it out!" Yumi yelled, tackling her off of him. Luna yelled at her. "He was only trying to help you! What is wrong with you?!" Yumi screamed. "Everything!" Luna yelled back. Yumi raised her hand but JIn stopped her before she swung.
"Don't." he said. Blood was dripping from his nose as well and he had a bruise already forming on his cheek. "Come on, I'll take you home and then I'll come back to get her when she's calmed down a bit." "You're just gonna leave her?" Yumi snarled. "I don't have a choice. She wants you to go home. If I do that then she might listen. Let's just go." Yumi looked at Luna who was scurrying back up against the wall, clutching onto the ring hanging from the chain around her wrist. What happened to you in that short of time? Yumi felt a tug on her arm and turned to follow Jin. He met with his parents and explained the situation before leading Yumi outside. "She was so much better today." Yumi said on the ride home. "Something's wrong. I've never seen her like this, not even when she got back from SAO.
Don't worry about it too much, Yumi, I'll figure it out soon and then we'll have our normal sarcastic girl back." Yumi saw Jin smiling but she didn't believe it for a second. Just like Luna, he's trying to be strong around me. He doesn't want me to worry. A little too late for that. "Are you okay?" she asked, breaking the encroaching silence. "I'll be fine." After another minute he sighed. "Thanks for asking, Yumi." he said. "Of course. You're like an older brother to me. She hit you pretty hard huh?" Jin laughed. "I've been hit harder. I had my nose broken a few years ago from taking a soccer ball to the face. If you compare this to that then this is nothing. I hardly even feel it. The fact that it was her is what hurts the most. We are so close and to think she would hit me like that." "Are you sure it was okay to leave her there alone?" Yumi questioned.
"No, but what else could I do? She won't look at me and instead of talking, she punched me in the face. You got more words out of her than I did." "I didn't like those words though." Yumi said. "Then maybe I got lucky." Jin tried to smile again and Yumi saw his red stained teeth and the gash in his lip. "What if she doesn't get better?" Yumi didn't want to ask that but the words seemed to leap out on their own. "I would rather not think about that. I'm afraid I already know the answer." "You think she'll k…" "Please don't say it. Please." Jin pleaded. Yumi nodded and gazed out the window, watching the rain roll down the glass. She thought about the park that Luna had dragged her to a few days prior. I didn't like it at first and she got me soaked and muddy but I can't help but smile thinking back on it. Then the image of the Luna she had just left alone in a dark hallway creeped back into her mind.
How did you become that so quickly? You weren't always that person were you? "Here we are." Jin said, parking in the lot outside their apartment. "Do you need any help with anything?" he asked. "I didn't bring anything with me so I'm good. Just go help Luna okay? Make sure she's better." Jin smiled. "I'll do my best. Can you do me a quick favor and get on Somerant. Zin and the others should know about this as soon as possible and my phone is with my jacket at the party. They all live together so they will all know about it if you tell any one of them." "I know she likes them but why do they need to know so soon?" "Because as much as I hate to admit it, they can help her more than I can. If it's related to SAO in any way then Zin will be the one to pull her from this. He did last time too. That place gave them a bond that I will never be able to share with her. Just tell them for me okay? Oh and before I forget, here." He handed Luna's jacket to her. "I will, Jin." she said before watching him drive off into the darkness.
She smelled the sweet scent of lavender clinging to the fabric of Luna's jacket. Yumi headed inside and noticed her dress had a small wet spot that smelled like urine. It must have happened when I tackled her. She pulled it off of her and threw it in a purple clothes basket in the bathroom and stood there naked in front of the mirror, staring at her silver ring with purple glass jewels in it. After her bath, she pulled Luna's jacket on and zipped it up to her stomach the same way Luna liked to do when it was just the two of them. Yumi smiled at the familiar smell of her and then went to the kitchen. When she clicked her tongue, Shu came running from the hallway where he was laying in front of Luna's door. "Here, buddy, some food for you." she said, bending down and scratching his ears.
He barked and began to eat. She then headed for her room and fed Miu. "Now you guys are taken care of." she said, running her knuckles down the kitten's back. It purred and curled up on her lap as she pulled the AmuSphere over her head and laid down. "Link Start." she said quietly. When she next awoke she was lying in the dusty old cabin they used as a spawn point in Somerant. Strands of purple hair draped loosely in front of her face and she was wearing a white cotton tunic with a pair of black leather pants. Her tail flicked around behind her as she hopped from the bed and stretched. Yumi left the room and turned left and then right to exit the hallway into the living room.
"Yumi, how have you been?" asked a voice from the sofa. "Karst?" The boy was thin and tall and he was in his early twenties. His hair was short and dark brown and he had a slight stubble on his chin. "The one and only." he replied, smiling and closing his brown eyes. "Is Zin around?" she asked. "Heh, all of the girls always ask for old Zin but never want to pay me any mind. I understand, he is handsome, I'll give him that but I have…" "Karst, it's important." Yumi said, interrupting him. He sighed and threw his journal onto the table where it vanished soon after landing. "Last time we had a girl tell us that, we lost a sister. What happened this time? Did we lose another one?" Yumi shook her head. "Luna's alive and safe, she's just not right at the moment. Jin wanted me to tell Zin right away." "Alright, give me a few minutes and he'll be on." Karst logged out and Yumi sat on the sofa to wait. Just as Karst had stated, Zin was running from the hallway in a matter of minutes.
"What happened? Is she hurt? She's not hurt right? I can't take it if she is." "Zin, calm down please." Yumi said. "She's physically fine." He sighed and nearly fell onto the couch as he took a seat. Yumi explained the situation the best she could and let Zin sit and think for a while. "Was anyone else there besides her?" "No, I told you that she was alone when I found her." "I can guarantee she wasn't before that though. She was afraid and something worse than her dreams scared her." Zin said. "Worse how? What was it?" "I don't know, a ghost maybe." Yumi scoffed. "This isn't the time for games." "I mean ghost as in a thing from her past. Not an actual ghost. I've never seen her when she was actually afraid. I've never fought with her in a life threatening battle and I've never been with her when she had a breakdown but I can tell that this was worse than those." "What makes you so certain? She could have just had another episode." "And it scared her to the point of pissing herself and yelling at you and attacking Jin, I don't think so." Zin thought for a while and then sighed.
"It won't do any good thinking about it tonight. I'll talk to Jin tomorrow and maybe I'll go see her as well. Maybe I can get through to her. Thanks for letting me know. You should try to get some rest, Yumi." "I will. Have a goodnight." Zin nodded and signed off. Yumi did the same and woke back up to Shu and Miu curled up together at her side. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. Luna had said that their pets resembled themselves and Yumi had to agree. Except now the dog is sick and the cat is all alone. I hope you come to your senses, Luna, I don't like this pain. Yumi clutched her chest as she saw the sad angry girl in the hallway again. "It's like losing Dad all over again." she muttered. She remembered the pain all too well. When her father had passed she didn't sleep or eat for two days until her mother forced her to eat some food with sleep aids hidden in it.
Her heart felt like it was always burning and she felt sick every time she thought about her father. Whenever she closed her eyes he would be there and the two of them were talking or playing. Her favorite memories of him were always their fishing trips. He had always wanted a son but got Yumi instead although he never seemed upset by it. Yumi decided that she liked all of the boyish things he wanted to do like fishing or working on their car or playing catch at the park with a baseball. They played soccer and stuff together all the time as well. She cherished every moment but after he had passed away she felt like she didn't appreciate them enough. "I should have told him I loved him more or thanked him more for always being there for me." she had told herself the night he died as she cried herself to sleep.
That hurt was creeping its way back into her heart. The heart that had finally known love again for the first time since he passed, a feeling that she had long forgotten after being with her mother for so long. "And now even that's dying on me." Yumi tucked her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she laid on her side. It wasn't long before she drifted off into a slumber with the smell of lavender rocking her to sleep. Goodnight, Luna. She was awoken later by a door clicking shut and she jumped to her feet. Yumi's door was left open so she could hear the footsteps tapping against the laminate floors of their apartment. "Luna?" she whispered as she crept to her doorway. She heard the bathroom door close and then the water running.
When Yumi looked at the clock it was just past midnight. Yumi fixed the jacket as it had fallen off one of her shoulders and trotted to the bathroom door. When she reached down to the doorknob she heard crying on the other side and hesitated. Then she heard banging and then more crying. Yumi's eyes saddened and she leaned against the door. I should go comfort her. Yumi took a deep breath and reached for the knob again before stopping once more. The image of the angry girl in the hallway was back and her hand trembled. Why am I scared to go in? It's just Luna, nobody else. She's not a monster, I shouldn't have said that. I have to apologize to her. Despite her thoughts, Yumi couldn't open the door. She heard Luna yell and then heard another bang causing her to jump back. Yumi took a breath and steeled herself before turning the knob. "Luna?" she asked sheepishly. "It's all my fault. It's always my fault." she heard Luna say as she approached the bath. Yumi saw a figure through the steam that had engulfed the room. Luna was sitting in the water with only her head staying above the surface.
"Why is it always because of my choices? I killed all of them, the guy, Trail, Clair, the red eyed man, every one of them were because of me." "Luna." Yumi said, inching closer. "If I would have just stayed alone then Trail never would have wound up like that and I never would have ran across those guys in the woods. That means I never would have met Clair which means no Piper or Fi and then there would have been no boss fight. Clair would be back home with her mom. I never would have fought Red Eyes and there would have been no need for my family to be put in danger or for him to die in the end. No Fox either. Especially him, meeting him was my biggest mistake back then and now that is the reason for everything. Can't you see, Yumi? It's all because of me. A stupid little girl who thinks she so capable and smart.
That ignorance cost everyone so much. It's all because I talked to Trail that day in Aincrad. Had I just went alone then nobody would have needed to be hurt and I would have been either fine or dead by the end of it with only my family being affected." "Don't think like that, Luna. It's not fair." "Fair? Nothing is fair. I should have died that day, Yumi. Everyone deserves better than me. You and Clair most of all. You deserve a person who will kiss you and hug you and be there when you need her." "I do have a person like that." "I mean a genuine person like that. I'm just a pretender acting like a person long gone from this world. I'm not nice or caring, I'm cold and angry and cowardly. I killed him because I was afraid of him. That's why I killed all of them. I was afraid of everything.
I think Clair wanted to get away from me but she felt bad about it so that's why she jumped in front of that attack. If she died then she wouldn't have had to break my heart with her own words." Yumi involuntarily smacked Luna across the face. She didn't think about it but her hand moved on its own in a split second. Luna's cheek was now a glistening red as the impact still echoed in the room. "How could you say that? You should never ever think that way! She loved you and you want to spit on her memory!" Luna stayed silent, holding her swelling cheek and smiling meekly. Yumi shook her head. "I can't believe you. You act like nobody loves or cares about you. You sit there and act like your life is so meaningless but it isn't! You've helped so many people and every one of them supports you!"
Yumi couldn't keep her voice down as it had raised on its own. "Like who?" Luna muttered. "Me! I respect you and look up to you and rely on you. I love you and I need you. Your life is so precious to me as I can guarantee it was to Clair. I can be certain it means more to your family than it does to you apparently. Snap out of it, Luna, go back to normal and smile again. Make sarcastic jokes about the guys and me again. I'll let you tug on my tail next time we go to Somerant because I know you like seeing me jump when you do it. Just go back to normal so we can be together again." Luna stood up and grabbed Yumi's shoulders. "I… I love you so much, Yumi, but that's why you need to leave me alone. I can't handle another person getting hurt because of me."
"I'm fine, nothing is going to hurt me." Yumi stated. "You have no clue about anything and I can't tell you any of it. You need to leave me alone, even if I need to make you hate me to accomplish that." "Luna, I could never hate you." "You can. You're afraid as well, right? I know I scared you at the party. I can keep doing that if that's what it takes." "Just let me help you, Luna." Luna kissed Yumi's lips and then smiled at her. "Not this time, Yumi. I can't be helped anymore. I need to face my consequences alone." "Wha…" Before Yumi could finish speaking Luna held a finger up to Yumi's mouth. Luna walked past her and left her standing alone in the steamy room. After a week had passed and April was drawing to a close Yumi was curled up on the couch in Somerant with Jin sitting next to her.
"How has she been?" he asked. "She hasn't left the room all week except to use the bathroom. I leave food by her door but she never touches it. I think she eats after I've gone to bed but it's not a noticeable amount. The leftovers in the fridge are hardly touched when I get up the next morning. I hear her crying sometimes during the day and I hear her wake up throughout the night cursing and then crying again. What am I supposed to do?" Yumi asked. "I don't really know." Jin replied. "Look, I know this isn't a solution but I can let you stay with me and Tami for a few days. It will let you get some rest because you really need it. You need to take care of yourself as well." "If I leave then who's gonna feed her?" "Luna will take care of herself and the dog. She's determined for something so she'll eat when she can't avoid it any longer. I also don't believe she'll let Shu go hungry.
If you leave for a little then she'll be forced to take care of herself again and maybe a little space is what she needs. You can take Miu with you as well. I can hide a cat for a few days from the landlord." Yumi hesitantly nodded her head. "Maybe. I'll take you up on that then." Jin smiled. "Good, pack some clothes and text me when you're ready so I can come get you. It's not a big place but you can share the bed with Tami if you like." "I can stay on the couch. My mom used to make me sleep outside on days I upset her so the couch is pleasant enough. I'll let you know later." "Good. I got to go visit home for a bit so I'll be getting off for now. Let Luna know you're leaving and get ready." Yumi nodded her head and after Jin was gone she stood up and stretched.
Yumi didn't have any jobs for the day but the weather was nice for the first time in two weeks so she wanted to walk around. She left the cabin with her thoughts consumed by Luna and her situation. "I also have Giza to deal with. I didn't even tell her about him. Looking back, that was probably for the best." she thought aloud. Soon Yumi found herself at the capital heading for Megaris's shop. "Hey, Megaris." she said after stepping into the store. "Yumi, I didn't expect to see you. Need anything fixed or are you here to shop?" "Some repairs, my bow has been taking a beating this week." Yumi removed the bow from her shoulder and laid it on the counter. "Probably be time to upgrade in a few more levels. If you want I can make you a new one." Yumi smiled at his offer. "I would be thankful. Can you make it purple this time?" "Hmm, maybe. I could always paint it but there is a purple wood in the elvish forests I could use for it if you want."
"Is it better?" Megaris nodded. "Not by much but the other wood increases its durability as well." "Hmm, I don't really have the time to get it. You can just stain it, I should have some berries to make the paint if you need them." "Don't worry about it, I still got some from a previous job." "If you're just gonna make another one then go ahead and break that one down for materials. Let me know when the bow's done." Yumi smiled and turned to leave. "Hey, Yumi, what's going on with Luna?" "Huh? What do you mean?" Yumi turned back, curious. "Has she been on lately?" Yumi questioned. "Yeah, I saw her yesterday and she seemed pretty upset. She took her gear back and bolted without even thanking me."
"Something happened to her last week, I wish I could tell you more but I don't really know what's going on." "Alright, just let her know that I'm worried about her." "Will do." Yumi said before leaving the shop behind her. What is she doing in the game? I thought she would have been avoiding it. As she was lost in thought a hand suddenly grabbed hers. She jumped and looked over to see a man with slicked black hair. "Ms. Kisama." he said courteously. "Giza?" "I'm Fox here. I would rather not be known if possible." "What do you want?" she growled. "Temper, Kisama, keep it in check. I have full control over your life at the moment so I recommend you quiet yourself and listen. Your debt will be cleared soon. How does that sound to you?" "Cleared? How, I haven't done anything?" "Not yet but I will have something for you very soon.
I have another person that's going to be working for your sake as well and your life depends on them." "And what is this person's job?" Yumi inquired. "To survive until the end of my little game. It hasn't started yet but trust me, you will know when it does. There's a convenience store a couple of minutes from your home, I want you to meet me there tonight. I'll text you the time. I'll give you the first task then." "Text, how do you have my number?" "I know everything about you, Yumi. I know you got up at four this morning and ate breakfast before your bath. After that, you went shopping for some groceries and brought back two bags full of stuff. Some meat and fruits if I recall." Yumi's face turned pale. "How?" "I have my ways, it's been my job to know everything for as long as I can remember and I rather enjoy it. Don't fail to meet me, Yumi, or you and the Lightning Dancer will be dead before morning."
He squeezed her arm tighter so that it was hurting her. Yumi winced from the pain. "Do I have your understanding?" Yumi nodded. "Yes, I'll be there." "Fantastic, my dear. Have a good night and I'll see you later." He released her and continued forward as she stood stopped in place, rubbing her forearm. "Who the hell is he? How does he know all of that?" Yumi felt sick to her stomach as she watched him walk away. Her legs were shaking and she stumbled as she took a step forward. He has people watching us, that has to be it if he knows all of that. She sat down for a moment as the shakes left her and she was able to walk again. After returning to the cabin she logged out and awoke back in her bed. Luna's door was her next destination and she began knocking on it. "Luna, we need to talk. Can you open up?"
"It's unlocked." she heard Luna say from the other side. When Yumi walked in she saw drawings pinned all over her walls. They were of Aincrad, a place Yumi was becoming quite familiar with through Luna's artwork. Shu was nestled up on her bed and Luna was sitting at her desk with one leg pressed to her chest and the other swinging above the ground as she sat in her computer chair. Her hair was messier than usual as if she had just woken up and she had earbuds in. She was wearing a pair of grey boxers and the black jacket Yumi had given back to her. The room had crumbled up papers and bottles of water tossed around on the floor. "What do we need to talk about?" she asked, pulling an earbud out. Luna continued drawing in the book in front of her on the desk while Yumi moved closer.
"We're uh, being watched by people." Yumi said. She knew it sounded like crazy paranoia but Giza had practically confirmed the suspicion. "Are we? If so then I hadn't noticed." Luna's voice was colder than Yumi was used to hearing. "I know it sounds like paranoia but I figured I should warn you." "So you have. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon so I think I'll be fine. Is there anything else you needed or was that all?" "Uhh… I heard you were on Somerant yesterday. We should have done something together." "I was only on for a moment. I grabbed my gear and logged out. I wasn't even able to hold my dagger so I came back." Luna continued on her drawing as Yumi stood there silently. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" Yumi asked, timidly. "My answer hasn't changed since the last time you asked. Leave me be and you'll be doing me a great favor." Luna answered.
Yumi just nodded. "If you say so, Luna." "I do. Close the door on your way out." Yumi did as Luna said and left. She stayed by the door and heard a loud bang against the desk from inside the room. Then she heard Luna cursing as more loud bangs rang out. Yumi wanted to go back in there and hold Luna but decided against it. She has a reason for this, I just have to be patient. She'll come back to me soon. I hope. She returned to her room with a defeated look and jumped onto her bed. Miu went in the air a bit from the impact and landed next to Yumi. "Sorry." Yumi said, scratching Miu's chin with her finger. "You're getting so big already." Miu purred and pawed at Yumi's fingers. "We need to get ready, we're leaving for a few days. I've never been there but you should like it enough." Miu meowed and curled up next to Yumi.
Yumi must have fallen asleep at some point because the next she knew her eyes were opening to the sound of a notification on her phone. It was a text from an unknown number saying "It's time." The clock read "20:00" on the screen. "That late already?" She rubbed her eyes and pulled a jacket on before heading out of her room. It was a quick walk to the convenience store and when she walked up to it a black car drove up next to her. When the window rolled down she saw Giza sitting in the back seat. "I would be honored if you joined me Ms. Kisama." She sighed and climbed in next to him. "What did you need?" she asked. "I need you to wear this for me." He handed her a black watch. It was bulky and metallic. The face didn't have hands and it didn't even seem to be a screen. "Tap it." he said. She did so and a hologram appeared. It was a radial menu with different symbols around it.
There was a heart, a map, something that resembled a gear, and a few others. "Simply put I want to test how it works with vitals and how well a person reacts to it." "Reacts?" A sudden prick stabbed into her wrist and receded back into the watch. The watch heated and she felt a little burn where the prick was. "Ah." she gasped from the surprised pain. "Click the heart." he instructed. She did and the menu changed to a screen. It had her name and a box under it. Next to that was a heart beating with hers. Words appeared in the box that read "No diseases detected." She then felt an electrical pulse run through her and then more words appeared. "No internal damages detected." "It can tell all of that from a little shock and some blood?"
"It puts little machines into your body which the electrical shock transmits to. It can read any diseases or internal injuries including broken bones as well. It's my hope that the final product will be able to hasten the body's natural repairs as well. Bones repair in days instead of weeks, blood loss stopping much faster than normal even on deeper wounds. I have a special purpose for these things so I needed to see how they work on younger people. Any weird feelings?" "No." Yumi answered nervously. He took the watch back and stuffed it back into his pocket. "Fantastic. You may go." "That was it?" "Did you want something more? I'm not my brother, I don't care much for sexual activities and you have no other worth besides that. Be grateful it's me you're dealing with. Now get out and go home. Speak nothing of this to anyone." "Yes, sir." Yumi climbed out of the car and watched it drive off.
She was back home within ten minutes and back in her bed a minute later. She looked at the small pink dot where the watch had burned her. Before she knew it her eyes were closed and she was once again fast asleep. She woke up the next morning to an alarm she had set for seven. Yumi reached over and dismissed the alarm before brushing the hair from her eyes. As she did she noticed something that caused her to stare at her arm. "It's gone." She rubbed her left index finger over the spot where the burn had been the night before but it wasn't there any longer. When she looked at her phone again she had a text message from Jin but saw no signs of Giza's message. "It was as if last night never happened." she muttered, looking back to her unburned wrist. Yumi opened Jin's text message which was from about eight thirty last night. "Changed your mind then? You could have let me know, I needed to be in bed an hour ago but it's no big deal.
The offer still stands so text me tomorrow if you still want to stay over here." "If it was at that time then I should have seen it. I was with Giza in the car then and I had my phone on me. I would have at least heard it go off." Yumi looked back to the wrist, more confused than anything. She shook the thoughts from her mind and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. She spent the rest of the day in her room preparing to stay with Jin for the next few days. "She needs the space. If I'm what's bugging her then maybe a couple of days will be good for her. Maybe when I come back she will be normal again." Miu meowed and sat on the desk next to her bed. "Might be a bit too hopeful right?" Yumi asked Miu. The cat yawned and curled to fall asleep. "Talking to cats now, wonderful." Yumi finished packing her clothes into a backpack and grabbed Miu in her arms.
"Hey, Luna." she said after tapping on the door. "What?" she asked. "I'm leaving for a few days so make sure you eat and take care of Shu. I'll be back soon." Luna remained silent and Yumi turned to leave. She stopped for a moment, hoping to hear a goodbye or something but she was met with nothing of the sort. Yumi sighed and continued before leaving. Jin was waiting down in the lot and the two went back to his small apartment. It was smaller than theirs she had noted when they entered the room. "Luna likes to have her space. She had the bigger room back home as well. Smaller places freak her out so she likes to have more open space than she knows what to do with. With me, I only need a room to sleep in and a bathroom and I'm set. Tami isn't so approving but she puts up with it."
Yumi looked around and noticed it was spotless. The place was clean and looked like a top class hotel room minus the space that came with them. Even the furniture looked like it belonged in a showroom instead of a cheap apartment. They had a large T.V. on an entertainment stand in the living room sitting across from the couch that was in the center of it. Down the hall was two doors, one leading to Jin's and Tami's room, and the other was for the bathroom. Yumi didn't really like the grey color the walls were painted but she couldn't complain as it would have been rude to do so.
"Make yourself at home, Yumi. Are you sure you want the couch?" "I'm your guest so the couch will be more than enough. I would hate to take your bed from you. I don't think Tami would prefer my company over yours anyways." "I don't know, she has a thing for my sister, just like you, I think you two would have a lot in common." Jin said, smiling. "I have work to go to so you'll be alone for a bit. Tami might be back before me but she won't bite too much. If she does, spray her with some water or something and she might let go." "Does she really bite?" "They're more like nibbles. Sometimes she gets a bit aggressive though." Yumi blushed and Jin laughed. "Sorry. I forgot you're a little shy about that stuff. I was joking about the water as well, if you did that then she might actually bite you." As Jin turned to leave back out the door Yumi stopped him with another word of thanks.
Jin nodded and closed the door as he left. Yumi set the litter box in the corner of the living room and put Miu down next to her on the couch. "What now?" she asked, looking at the cat. It remained silent and purred as Yumi rubbed her finger against its chin. The next thing she knew, her eyes opened to the sound of the door opening. I fell asleep again. I must have been more tired than I thought. She heard whistling and footsteps and then a black haired girl bent over the couch and stared with dim purple eyes. "You must be Yumi. It's a pleasure to meet ya." Tami reached her hand down and Yumi shook it. "You too." Yumi said. Tami shrieked and dove over the sofa before grabbing hold of Miu who was trying to squirm from her grip. "Who is this adorable thing?" Tami asked, petting the fighting cat. "Miu. Luna and Jin got her for me as a gift." "That's a pretty name." "I thought so." Yumi said, taking the cat from Tami.
"She doesn't seem to like me very much." "You moved too quickly. She's used to me going slow and being quiet. You just spooked her is all. Here." Yumi held the cat out towards her and Tami took her in her arms. Miu was much more calm now and licked Tami's finger as she waggled it in front of her. "She's a quiet little thing." Yumi said. "They say pets take after their owners." Tami said. "You give off the same atmosphere. Quiet and gentle that is." she added. Yumi smiled. "I suppose so." "Here, I need a quick shower and I'll start dinner." Tami handed Miu back to Yumi. "Do you need any help with it?" Yumi asked. "Sure, if you wouldn't mind. I could always use a hand in the kitchen." Tami smiled and skipped down the hall.
Yumi grinned and looked back at Miu. "A little too much energy." The cat meowed in what Yumi imagined to be agreement. Jin was home soon after and Yumi assisted with cooking dinner. Afterwards, she took a shower and crawled onto the sofa with Miu resting on her chest. Sleep didn't come easy for Yumi, some of her thoughts were devoted to Giza and whatever his scheme was and the rest was saved for Luna. Leaving still didn't feel right to her but it was what's best, or she hoped it was at least. I hope she'll be okay. Yumi ran her hand down Miu's back as her eyes closed wearily.