Author's Note: Now we come to Anri's halo. I finally have her meeting some of Mikado's women. There are sparks of ideas that I have been sitting on for quite some time. Especially the ending part. We have two more weeks until the season finale. As of right now, I just have bits and pieces. I have the beginning part and maybe the ending. On the other hand, I have next week's halo planned. Oh, and I have this year's omake planned as well. For now, enjoy this week's halo.
Halo Twenty-Six: Anri:
-Anri-
He looks conflicted in bed. Mikado doesn't look he wants to do this. But he still calls me up almost every night. I keep suggesting that we don't have to have sex when I come over. I see a little flash of relief before it fades away. I caressed his cheek.
"You are going to be okay," I whispered. "I won't let them hurt you." Mikado always looks at me in desperation. Almost like he wants to believe me.
This isn't the only thing weighting on my mind lately.
Mikado has several women around him. He never wants to talk about them with me. They still show up without warning. I've already met three of them.
I woke up to my phone buzz next to me. I felt around for it as I mumbled to myself. A new text on my screen. It wasn't from Mikado. I sat up as I stared at the screen. I think I recognize this number.
"Are you free today?" the text read. I had a feeling who was this.
"Who is this again?" I wrote back. A text bubble with three dots popped up.
"It's me, silly!" the reply read.
"I still don't know who this is," I wrote back. Another text bubble popped up.
"Look out your window," the next reply said. I hurried out of my bed and looked out the window. Fuyuko outside waving up at me. My phone rang. I about jumped at the sound.
"H-Hello?" I asked.
"Good morning!" Fuyuko shouted over the phone. I had to hold it away from my ear.
"How did you find where I lived?" I asked.
"One of my little dragonflies followed you home," she said. "Are you coming out with me today or not?" I stared at her out the window with the phone slipping from my hand. I could tell from her tone that she was grinning up at me. Somehow, I couldn't say no.
"Sure, I will be down in a minute," I said.
"Great, I'll be waiting," Fuyuko-san said before hanging up. I stared at my phone. This was starting to get awkward.
-Fuyuko and Anri-
I met her outside of the apartment. She smiled and clapped her hands.
"So good to see you!" she said. I struggled to say something. Fuyuko-san put her arms around my shoulders.
"Let's get going, shall we?" she asked.
"Um…" I said.
"Great! Let's go!" she said. Fuyuko pulled me along. I didn't get a chance to argue.
Fuyuko-san is a bit handsy at times. She's always trying to be friends with me. I don't know how to handle it. In a way, she reminds me of Erika-san. I can almost see the two of them getting along so well. It almost freaks me out.
"So how are you doing today?" Fuyuko-san asked. She leaned over me as she asked.
"Fine…" I said. Her cheek rubbed against mine.
"Could you… get off me?" I asked. "You're squishing me."
"Oh, sorry about that," Fuyuko-san said. She loosened her grip. I gave her an odd look.
"Where are we going today?" I asked. She shrugged and smiled at me.
"Just around," she said.
I don't know what she wants with me. Ever since I met her on the streets with Mikado, Fuyuko-san had latched onto me. She's been trying to cling to me ever since. I have no idea why she does this. We come from different worlds. She's a glamourous sex worker and I am just… me. I don't know why she would want to hang around me. Oh and there's another thing you have to know about Fuyuko-san said.
"Hey Anri!" I heard someone say. I turned to see Seiji and Mika walking towards me. So they've gotten back together? Mika did tell me that Seiji wasn't talking to her he got possessed by a demon. I heard that he was mad at her for lying about his sister.
"Hello," I said. Mika and Seiji walked up to me.
"You out for the day?" Mika asked.
"Uh… yeah, yeah, yeah," I said. "Just felt like it." When I glanced beside me, Fuyuko-san was gone. Where did she go that fast? I turned my glance by Mika. She didn't look so convinced. Yet, Mika didn't say anything.
"How are you guys?" I asked. Mika cuddled up close to Seiji.
"Great!" she said. "Seiji and I are so in love. Even more after his possession." He didn't say a word. He didn't have any emotion on his face. Something wasn't right but I couldn't put my finger on it.
I could feel someone nudging in the ribcage. I quickly turned my head to see air.
"Something wrong?" Seiji asked. I quickly shook my head.
"Well, we won't hold you up anymore," Mika said. "We better get going."
"Right," I said.
"Bye-bye," she said.
"Bye," I said. We all parted ways.
"She's in such denial," Fuyuko-san in my ear. I whipped my head around. She started to lean on me again. I tried to push her back.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"She's so desperate to keep him," she said. "He doesn't trust her after the whole possession debacle." I didn't think that debacle would be the right word.
"Where did you go?" I asked.
"Nowhere," she said. "I was standing right next to you." I had a confused look on my face. I was about to ask when she held up two fingers. She started to shush me. I stood wide-eyed. Fuyuko-san lowered her fingers.
"I can make myself be seen when I want to," she said. I tilted my head.
"Why did you hide yourself from Mika?" I asked.
"She's not ready to see me yet," Fuyuko-san said.
"What do you mean?" I asked. Her grip loosened around me.
"Things haven't gotten bad yet," was all that she would say. Something told me not to press the issue. Then she asked me a question that caught me off-guard.
"How much do you love Mikado-kun?" Fuyuko-san asked. I stopped in my tracks.
"What?" I asked.
"How much do you love Mikado-kun?" she asked again. "Your answer matters in this situation." I stood straighter.
"Very much," I said with my fist to my chest. "I don't want to see him in pain like this. I want to help him, but I don't know what to do." Fuyuko-san took me by the hands. She stared deep into my eyes.
"Then let us help you," she said in a low voice. Her tone sent chills up my spine. Then she added something else that held my attention.
"If you are going to stay by his side, you have to take all of nightmares coming to swallow him. Are you strong enough to do that?" Fuyuko-san told me. I nodded once with a serious look on my face.
"Yes," I said.
"Very good," Fuyuko-san said. She let go of my hands. Suddenly, she perked up.
"Let's keep going!" she said. Fuyuko-san pulled me along before I could say another word. Now where were we going?
-Cheri and Anri-
Around noon, Fuyuko-san and I ended up at a maid café. I turned to look at her.
"Why are we here?" I asked. Fuyuko-san looked at me with a small smile on her face.
"I'm taking you to meet up with Mama," she said.
"Mama?" I asked.
"Uh-huh," she said. Fuyuko-san took me by the hand and led me inside. There was only one woman sitting towards the back. She took a sip of her tea. She looks familiar. Fuyuko-san and I got closer to her table. The woman with long light purple hair looked up and noticed us. I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Cheri… -san?" I asked.
"Hello dear," she said. Fuyuko-san backed away from me.
"I will leave you to it, Mama," she said.
"Thank you, dear," Cheri-san said. Fuyuko-san bowed and disappeared. When I turned around, she was gone.
"Come on, sit," Cheri-san said. "Sit." She motioned over to the chair. I dropped my shoulders and sat down. She took a sip of her tea.
"So nice to meet you," she said. I shifted in place.
"You wanted to see me?" I asked.
"Yes," Cheri-san said. I had a feeling of what she was going to ask. I noticed her eyes on me as if she could tell what I was thinking.
"I know your resolve," she said. "But you have to know the situation you are in."
"What do you mean?" I asked. Cheri-san set down her cup.
"He's desperately trying to cling onto anything normal," she said. "You happen to be one of them."
"I'm not following," I said.
"You see," she added. "He's being forced to change against his will. It's not going to stop until he reaches their idea of perfect."
"Do you mean the Tandeki Group?" I asked. Cheri-san raised her eyebrow at me.
"How much do you know about them?" she asked.
"I don't really know," I said. "They do work in Rampo Biotech."
"Basic Google research, huh?" Cheri-san asked. "That will have to do for now. Anyway, back to Mikado-kun." She looked over at the window.
"He's losing everything around him," Cheri-san added. "The Blue Squares and Aoba are gone. He's already seen three of his tadpole siblings die. Okay, his little friend did kill one of them to save him. But the other two chose to die in front of him."
"Wait! Masaomi killed somebody?!" I asked. I tried not to pay attention to the eyes on us.
"Please keep your voice down," Cheri-san whispered. I closed my mouth. She lowered her hand.
"They didn't tell you?" she asked. I shook my head.
"Wow," she said. She must have noticed the desperate look in my eyes.
"I'm sure they did to keep you safe," Cheri-san said. "Anyway, Mikado is clinging onto what he has left. But sadly, that's going to be stripped away from him too."
"What do you mean?" I asked. My hand trembled under my chin. Cheri-san took out a cigarette and lit up. She took a drag before turning her attention back to me.
"Let me ask you something, Anri-chan," Cheri-san said. "Do you think you can keep a stable relationship with Mikado-kun?"
"Huh?" I asked. She flicked out her cigarette.
"By all means, stay with him," she said. "But just know, it won't last. A normal and a tadpole can't stay together. He might stay young forever and not die. You, on the other hand, will get old and eventually die." I didn't know what to say to that.
"Now tell me," Cheri-san said. "Are you still willing to stay with him after knowing all of that?" I lifted my chin and gulped.
"Yes," I said. My voice might have been trembling, but I didn't care. Cheri-san held her cigarette between her fingers as she picked up her cup for a drink.
"Very well then," she said. "I wish you luck." She sat there and finished her tea. Something about her words filled me with uneasiness.
-Lorelei and Anri-
I felt better when I stepped out of the café. But that didn't last long when I noticed a woman standing across from me. Her pale skin glistened in the sun. Her long dark hair made her look even paler. Her dress resembled a peacock with the gold trim. A chill ran down my spine when our eyes met. Her lips curved into a catlike smile.
"Well, hello dear," she said. I slowly put my hand up in a wave.
"Hi…" I said. She turned with her eyes locked on me. I had a feeling of where this conversation could be heading.
"Yes, I know," I said. "Fuyuko-san and Cheri-san told me everything." The woman seemed to dance as she moved closer to me. I could smell her jasmine perfume on her body.
"Is that right?" she asked. Her glaze made me want to shrink into the ground. The woman drew back from me.
"I'm Lorelei," she said. "And you must be Anri-chan. Nice to meet you." She bowed before me.
"Uh… yeah. Nice to meet you," I said. I had a feeling of where this was going. At this point, I didn't try to argue. Lorelei-san held out her hand. Another walk with her to talk. I just took her hand. This time, it didn't take her long to start.
"Don't let them get to you," Lorelei-san said. "They mean well, you know?"
"Yeah…" I muttered.
"Just stay with him," she said. "He really needs you." I slowly nodded. Everyone keeps telling me that.
"Why does he need me?" I asked. "I don't understand what you mean by that." Lorelei-san looked over her shoulder at me.
"He sees you as something normal to hang onto," she said in a serious tone. I've heard this one before. Lorelei-san broke into a little smile.
"But don't worry," she said. "We will be happy to help you." I had a puzzled look on my face.
"We?" I asked.
"Why yes," Lorelei-san said. "We all love Mikado-kun." She took me by the hands and grinned. I tried to think of something to say but nothing came to my mouth. Lorelei-san grinned. Out of all the women in Mikado's circle, she makes me feel uneasy. She laughed in my face.
"Let's go," she said. "I have so much to tell you. We're going to help you please him in bed."
"What?!" I shouted. She dragged me further down the street. Would anyone see her dragging me along? I hated to think of them staring at me like that. Usually, I don't mind. But this was different somehow.
"You okay back there?" Lorelei-san asked. I quickly lifted my head.
"Uh… yeah, yeah!" I was quick to say. "I'm fine. Really." She didn't say anything as we kept walking down to Sunshine City. (I just had a hunch that's where we were going.)
-Charlotte and Anri-
I made it back to Mikado's apartment by sundown. He left me a copy of a key. I just wanted to be alone with him for just a few minutes. When I unlocked the door, I was met with disappointment. A woman with long blonde hair greeted me at the door.
"Anri-chan! So good to see you!" she said. She leaped forward and hugged me. Only one name came to mind.
"Charlotte-san?" I asked. She looked up at me with a catlike smile.
"Welcome back, Anri-chan," Charlotte-san said.
"Where is Mikado-kun?" I asked.
"He's doing testing at Kishitani-sensei's apartment," she said.
"Oh…" I said. "Well then, I guess I would go home." I started to leave but Charlotte-san grabbed onto my wrists.
"No, come in," she insisted. Charlotte-san pulled me into Mikado-kun's apartment before I could say a word. She closed and locked the door behind me.
Charlotte-san and I sat on the floor. Memories about her came back to my mind.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. She laid back onto the floor.
"The same as you," Charlotte-san said. "Waiting for Mikado-kun." I couldn't hold back the question anymore.
"How many of you are there?" I asked. "Women, I mean." Charlotte-san shrugged and shook her head.
"Who's to say?" she asked. "He's had both men and women." My mouth slightly hung open. Charlotte-san gave me a look of sympathy.
"Aw, Anri-chan," she said. "Why do you act so surprised? Monogamy is overrated. This is part of Japan's problem. They are too uptight with sex. Loosen it up, baby." She rolled over onto her stomach. I stared at her with big eyes. Charlotte-chan put her hand on mine.
"He's free to have as many lovers as he wants," she said. "That doesn't mean he loves you any less. You are going to always be his number one. He loves you that much." She's said this before. I'm sure why but everything Charlotte-san says seems to make sense. Her lips curve into a catlike smile.
"You are free to take as many lovers as you want too," she said. That sentence sent me back to a strange memory.
I came back to Mikado-kun's apartment one night. When I made it to his room, I find Mikado-kun with Charlotte-san. He had his shirt off while she sat in his lap. They are passionately kissing. Her tongue was shoved into his mouth. I wanted to turn around and leave but I couldn't move. Suddenly, they broke off the kiss and turned to me. Charlotte-san held out her hand to me. As if in a daze, I slowly walked up to them.
