Part III

Chapter 65

"Good night, sensei!"

"G'night Minamo! We love you!"

Minamo let out a broken laugh as her own form of goodbye, waving with glee at the girls in the living room as Eiko carefully walked her to her own room. The woman's legs were wobbly, so she supported her with great care as she gently slipped her under the covers. "I'll get you some water, too, and put it on the nightstand."

"...mmm, water..."

Her friend's words came out slightly slurred. She hadn't drank much at all at the restaurant, but it had still been enough to send her sense of focus packing. "That's right. 'Mmm, water'." After making sure her guest was comfortable, Eiko dimmed the lights and made her way back to the living room, where the rest of her guests had planted themselves in front of her giant television. "Are you girls doing alright? Feel free to help yourselves to anything."

Kagura looked over her shoulder from the couch. "I think we're good! And still full. How's Minamo?"

Eiko was in the kitchen now, filling up a cool glass of water. "She's doing fine. Be right back."

She stepped back into the bedroom, placing the drink upon the nightstand. "Here you go. How are you feeling, dear?"

"...great...!"

There was some palpable happiness in Minamo's response, a silly smile on her face, her eyes half closed as she lay. Eiko smiled back at her. "You sound so much better now."

"...I'm glad I did this. I'm glad I talked to them."

"See? You don't have to be afraid. There's so many people on your side, Minamo, that want to always support you."

"...I wish I had realized that a long time ago."

Eiko sighed. "Don't worry about the past. All that matters right now is the future for you." She looked towards the door. "By the way, your students will be here for a little while. I'll drive them home when they're ready to leave. Do you want to sleep now?"

A yawn was the answer.

She chuckled. "All right, then." She playfully rapped her friend's forehead with a knuckle. "Good night, you drunk!"

"...Eiko. Wait."

"Yes?"

Minamo slowly sat up, and then slid out of bed, Eiko helping her stand on her feet.

"Ah, what are you doing?"

Her friend didn't speak, just simply looking at her.

...I always forget what lovely eyes she has.

"...are you proud of me?"

Eiko gave her a quizzical glance. "Proud of you?"

"For telling them..."

She laughed. "Of course I am. That was incredibly brave of you. I'm even more proud in knowing that it was your idea, not mine."

Minamo gave a giant, sweet grin, one that took even Eiko aback. Her friend always had an amazing smile, but this one was well beyond her regular showing. There was something so incredibly touching about this one, something so genuine, that it filled Eiko with a type of warmth that she couldn't ever really recall feeling before.

...does she look relieved?

"Thank you...thank you for everything..."

It was a sloppy sort of hug as Minamo fell into her arms, Eiko chuckling as she held her. She patted her back reassuringly. "Oh, you're welcome, you're welcome, dear. But this is really all about you. Ok? You did all the work here."

Minamo didn't answer, just simply enjoying the hug as she rubbed her head against hers.

Eiko gave a pleasant sigh, continuing to pat her back. This isn't like you at all. But, then again, you're not exactly sober...

"...I know we don't spend as much time together as we used to, but, I really love you...I just wanted to tell you that..."

She pulled her out of the hug, holding her as she saw her face, some bare tears on her smiling, drunken face. "...hey, now, don't start getting worked up." She chuckled, giving her another hug. "Your students will get worried if they hear you crying."

Minamo laughed and nodded, drying her eyes with a finger.

"...but, I'm happy to hear you say that. You know I love you too, and I'll always be here for you." She gave her another few reassuring pats, and then helped her back into bed. "Ok, now you need to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

"...ok...g'night..."

"Good night."

She turned off the lights and then left the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. Her hand remained on the knob for a few seconds.

...what was that?

That warm feeling was inside of her again, the existence of it somewhat puzzling her. Of course, there was some natural happiness attained from being hugged and seeing Minamo so content, but that was born apart from this particular sense of pleasure, something on a different plane.

Ah, whatever. I don't really hug that many people, especially like we just did. I'm just not used to it. And it's not often that I play 'big sister' to her anymore, I suppose...

Eiko walked back into her living room then, grinning at her four other guests as they made themselves at home with her gadgets and cats. "Would you girls like anything to drink?"

Kagura, who was now splayed across one of the couches, her feet dangling off of the edge, spoke first. "Sure! Hey, so...how's Minamo...? She's going to sleep?"

"Yes. And, like I said, she's fine. She should fall asleep pretty quickly."

"...that's good to hear. Thanks for everything again. You really made her day."

She gave the athlete a curious look. "Because I bought her dinner?"

Kagura chuckled. "No, I mean...you know, because you made her feel good about being gay and stuff."

"Well, we all did." Eiko smiled at the group. "I was relieved that you all were happy with her. She needs all the support she can get right now."

The tall girl, Sakaki, who currently had both cats on her lap, smiled. "Of course."

Chihiro, who was sitting right next to her, chimed in as well. "Yeah, of course! We'd never think bad of sensei."

"I'm glad to hear that." Eiko headed into the kitchen. "Fruit drinks sound good?"

"Sure."

"Yeah! Thanks."

"Would any of you girls like some wine with it? I can make some nice little cocktails."

"Sure, definitely."

The other girls looked over at Yomi.

"What?"

"...but we can't drink, right?"

"What do you mean? I have before."

Kagura's eyes opened widely. "You have? When?"

Yomi shrugged. "At my relative's places. Lots of kids here drink underage. No one cares."

Eiko chuckled. "That's the spirit, Yomi. How about you other girls? I'll add in something very light."

The rest of the guests, outside of Yomi, looked at each other with curious glances before answering. "...um, ok, sure. But, just a little..."

In a few minutes, Eiko brought them an assortment of mixed drinks. She had poured some wine for herself as well, and, after handing out the glasses, sat down with them as they watched a sitcom. All the while, she chatted with them about their choices in colleges, their career aspirations, their plans for the summer. It was a genuinely fun experience for her, as it wasn't exactly every day that she got to casually hang out with the younger generation like this.

The night was quickly growing older, though. After another half hour, Eiko made note of the time. "It's getting a bit late. I don't mind you all staying longer, but if you need to get back to your homes, then I can give you a ride."

Chihiro yawned. "...well...I am getting sleepy..."

"...um, actually..." Kagura stretched out her arms as she sat next to Eiko. "We were going to ask you...well..."

"Yes?"

Yomi finished Kaguara's thought. "We were wondering if it would be ok to spend the night here. We would just feel better if we stayed with sensei and then saw her first thing in the morning. We thought it would be a good thing for her. You know, like we sort of stuck it out with her..."

Sakaki nodded in agreement. "If we aren't imposing upon you."

"You girls just want to watch some movies on my big screen all night, right?"

Kagura chuckled. "Well...that'd be nice too...but we're serious! Can we, please?"

Chihiro yawned again, but tried to downplay it this time by attempting to hold it in. "Pleaaaase...? We know you're super busy, but...it would be so awesome of you!"

Eiko shrugged. "Well, I don't mind. But, what about your parents?"

"We all already texted them! We actually came up with the idea while you were in Minamo's room talking to her." Kagura grinned. "We're all cleared!"

She smiled, impressed. "Well, it's fine with me, since you've already cleared up all the legal details. And I do like the idea of Minamo knowing you girls wanted to stay with her. She was worried that you wouldn't want to be around her much if she told you that she was gay."

"We'd never do that. We all love her."

She smiled at Sakaki. "I know. You're all good students to your sensei." Eiko put her glass down and then stood up. "Well, let me go and get you girls some pillows and things. If any of you want to take a shower, then please feel free to." She chuckled. "Well, I never thought that I'd be having a slumber party in my life again. I'm sure the press would love to hear about this."

All of the girls laughed in return.

There she was, one of the top executives in one of the biggest companies in the world, sitting on the floor with a bunch of college students as they drank and snacked in front of her big screen.

"I can't remember the last time I watched a romantic comedy." Eiko took a sip of her wine as she sat back against the bottom of her couch, a blanket over her knees. "Actually, I can't remember the last time I watched any movie..."

Kagura chuckled as she sat next to her. It was deep into the night now, and the rest of the girls had already fallen asleep. Yomi lay peacefully upon one of the couches, while Sakaki's tall frame found plenty of room on the carpet to relax upon. Next to her was Chihiro, who had the honor of having both of Eiko's cats sleep right beside her. "Well, I don't think I've ever watched a romantic flick before. They're not my thing, but...it's not bad, it's just...meh..."

"Yes, it's a bit too sappy for me, too. But I figured after watching an action movie, well, why not try something new?"

"Yeah, I guess. Well, at least I can tell people that I've tried to watch one..."

"It's much easier when you've been drinking."

Kagura laughed quietly, not wanting to wake the others. They had all had a few extra wine cocktails during the night, none of which had phased Kagura in the slightest. "If I had known that it's not such a big deal for us to drink here, then, well, maybe I'd have tried it more before."

"Well, they sell beer in vending machines here, so that should have been your first clue." She laughed. "Most other places in the world don't do things like that, though. They're usually more strict about things."

"You've been to a few countries, right?"

"Yes, I have."

"Which one is your favorite?"

"...hmm..." Eiko thought over the question for a second. "I can't say I have a favorite. Well, maybe Scotland? I love rainy weather."

"...man, that's so cool. I want to travel like you one day..."

"Just keep working hard and you'll be able to. You can definitely do it. It's a life experience that you don't want to miss out on."

The flickering of the television screen continued to wash over them in the dim lighting, the lighthearted banter of the movie filling in a few moments of silence. "...are all business people like you?"

She glanced over at her guest. "Why? Should I be acting differently?"

"No, I just..." Kagura chuckled. "I mean, like, you're really cool and laid back and stuff...I mean, you're hanging out with us. I just thought business people were all...stuffy..."

Eiko laughed. "Well, thank you for the compliment."

"Well, you know what I mean." Kaguara sighed. "I guess it just feels weird. I've never met someone famous like you before, and now, we're like, watchin' bad movies together..."

"And what's wrong with that?"

Kagura frowned. "...well, nothing. I just mean, like...well, like I said: you're rich and famous, and we're just kids...I just never imagined that I'd be kickin' back with someone like you in my life."

Eiko shrugged. "I like to have fun, Kagura. That's all that matters to me. And, I've been enjoying my time with you girls. It's definitely a nice break from all the suits I see every day. And, you know..." She chuckled. "...I do have to admit that it's nice having a full house here once in awhile."

"What's that mean?"

"Well, I've never been married or have any children, so it's usually just myself in here. And Nyx'ie and Meddie', of course. Now, I like having a place to myself, don't get me wrong, but I do sometimes wish I had some more company in here, you know?"

Kagura nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Um, so are you tryna' get married...?"

"No, and I'm not interested. I'm not the marrying type. I'm not interested in having children, either." She chuckled at something on screen for a second. "...I'm not against either, if you're thinking that. It's just not for me."

"No, that's cool. I was just curious. I remember you telling me you just like to work."

"That would be me!"

"...I think I can identify with that, too. I've never been interested in dating and stuff. I just like to play sports..." Kagura put on a playful grin. "A lot of the other kids don't get that when I tell them, but, yeah, I get you..."

Eiko smiled. "Do what makes you happy. That's all that matters."

"Yeah...that's what Minamo told me once, too. That's what I'm doing now."

"You know what makes me happy, Kagura?"

"What?"

"Wine." She laughed, and then put the glass to her lips, finishing the contents.

Kagura chuckled. "Yeah, I could tell that."

"...Kagura, would you like to try something a bit heavier?"

"Heavier?"

"A drink, I mean."

"...heavier drink...?"

She smiled at the young woman's naivety. "Something with more alcohol in it. It'll give you a nice kick."

"Oh!" Kagura looked to her with hesitation on her face. "I dunno'...I already drank some wine..."

"And you soaked it all right up. You're a tough kid, so you need a tougher drink." She smiled. "I can pour you some nice brandy. It's very sweet, and you'll feel quite wonderful, too."

"...eh..."

"You're an adult now. Live a little."

"...ah, ok, what the hell. Let's try it!"

"There we go." Eiko stood up and headed to her bar. "Let's sit over here so we don't disturb the others. Come on over and pull up a stool."

Kagura got up and followed her host. She sat down in front of the bar while Eiko went behind it, who then quickly and expertly poured half a glass of brandy.

She placed it in front of her guest. "Here you go. Drink it slowly, now." She then began to pour herself more wine.

Her guest examined the dark liquid that stirred inside the glass. "...what is this again?"

"It's a Spanish brandy. You'll like it. It's very sweet." Eiko smiled as she drank more wine, feeling quite good now.

Kagura eyed the glass for a few more seconds, shrugged, and then starting to sip on it. "...wow, yeah! It is sweet! And really warm going down..."

"That's the magic right there." She tipped her own glass toward her guest. Kagura didn't immediately understand the gesture, but did eventually pick up her drink in order to clink it against her host's. "Cheers."

"Cheer!" The young woman smiled, and then took a larger sampling of her drink.

"Careful, there! Like I said, it's a little heavy..."

"But it's tasty!"

Eiko smiled, and then slipped onto a stool next to Kagura. "I know. But, savor it slowly. It's not a soda."

The two sat at the bar in silence for a bit then, letting the liquids do their work, the movie still playing on behind them.

...didn't think they'd all stay over, but, that's fine. Still going as planned...

"Hey...do you always drink?"

Eiko glanced over at her drinking companion. "What do you mean by 'always'?"

"Like...every day?"

"I usually have something when I get home, yes. Why do you ask?"

Kagura gave a slight shrug. "I was just wonderin'. I don't know how much real adults drink. I mean, 'real' by, like, not on T.V., you know? I don't know much about adult life, really. I just know sports and that's it..."

Eiko chuckled. "Sports are part of an adult life as well."

"I mean like...mature stuff. Like, drinking."

"Oh, so are you feeling more adult now?"

The girl smiled, her drink to her lips again. "...maybe. I guess after yesterday...I guess I feel different."

"When you took care of Minamo, you mean?"

"Yeah. She's like...the most adult-adult I know. And yesterday it was like, damn, I'm the adult now...? Not being mean, just like, I felt like, older all of a sudden..."

Eiko noticed that Kagura's words were coming out a bit more easily now, greased with alcohol. "We all have our weak moments. Minamo has hers too, obviously. But, I understand what you mean. You feel different when you're watching over someone that you look up to."

"...yeah." Kagura laughed. "And now, on top of that, I'm drinking! Again! So, am I an adult now?"

Eiko smirked, twirling her wine glass around as she watched the remaining contents swish about. "I think that's up to you to decide."

"I guess. Well, for right now, I'll consider myself one." She finished her glass. "I do feel pretty good."

"Want a little more?"

"...would that be too much?"

"No, not for you. You can definitely hold your liquor. But, just a bit more. I don't want you having a major hangover in the morning." She chuckled. "Minamo would kill me if she saw you with one."

Kagura laughed. "Yeah...she's always watchin' out for us..."

She got up and poured half as much than before for her guest, and then sat back down. "She's great, isn't she?"

"Yeah..." Kagura quaffed most of it with little effort. "She's the best teacher ever. That's why we gotta' make sure that everything works out for her..." She elicited a sudden chuckle. "Man, do I feel great!"

Eiko smiled, taking in another sip of wine.

It's just a little innocent fun, Minamo. Just a little bit...

For the next minute, five minutes, ten minutes, Eiko's young guest held up her end of the conversation with the greatest of ease. Kagaru was constantly chuckling now, smiling wildly, fairly inebriated. "...I'd compete in every Olympic sport I could. Why not? Right? Odds are I'll win one of them at least..."

Eiko, in comparison, was only a little buzzed, far more in control of herself. Her cats had decided to come join her as well, laying up on the bar table. "I think that might stress the limits of even you, Kagura."

"I'd be fine, I'd be fine! I already play tons of sports, so..."

The decision to leave the television on had been a deliberate one by Eiko. The sounds of it provided an ample buffer of noise between themselves and the guests who were sleeping in her living room, drowning down Kagura's raised voice.

"Hey..." Kagura turned to her with a wide, inquisitive smile. "Do you play any sports?"

"No, not really. I've never been much of an athlete."

"But you could be really good for all we know! You got to at least try, lady..."

Eiko chuckled. "I'll leave all of the athletics to Minamo. She's the all-star here, not me."

Kagura nodded sagely. "I hear she was super good at a ton of sports back in the day! And she still is! I've seen her play!"

"I believe it."

Her guest laughed for no reason, wobbling just slightly on her stool, the back of it keeping her steady.

Eiko looked over her shoulder towards the living room. With the furniture in the way, she couldn't see the other girls, and they couldn't see her if they were awake. "I'm sure you're on par with her though, Kagura. You look like a pretty strong young woman."

"Really?"

"That's right!" She smirked, and then slowly put a hand on Kagura's shoulder, rubbing it, feeling the muscle. "I mean, how many other women have a physique like yours?"

"...not a lot...?"

"Very good answer." Her hand continued to feel her shoulder, and then, she let it softly drift down the length of the arm, Eiko rubbing Kagura's had now. "That means you're a rare sort of person, you know that?"

Kagura chuckled, in that sort of way where one doesn't quite understand why they're laughing, and didn't seem at all to mind her skin being rubbed.

...I measured right.

"Dude, your hands are really nice. You're like a model, lady."

"You don't say?" Her other hand brought her wine glass to her lips. "That's very kind of you to say, dear."

"Ye-ah! It's true. I thought you were one when I first...first saw you." Her speech's rhythm continued to falter. "You musta' been one before, right...? Before the cars...?"

"I'm flattered that you think that. I actually get that quite often. They can't imagine someone like myself designing engines." Her hand traveled up the length of Kagura's arm, feeling its physique, before it reached up to her hair and began to playfully twirl it.

Kagura appeared oblivious to the act. "Man, I feel them though, lady. I feel them. 'cause I can't either. You're like, too hot for that, right...?"

Eiko brandished her killer grin.

...not too much, Minamo. I promise.

She slowly got off the stool, and then stood behind Kagura as she remained seated. "I don't believe anyone can be too 'hot'." With a measured grace, she leaned against Kagura's back, her hands now softly rubbing her arms up and down. "You wouldn't want to settle for less, right?"

Kagura laughed. "Damn, you're right...you're right..."

Eiko boded her time for a bit, just slowing massaging the young woman's arms, feeling the warmth of her back. She had planned to be in this favorable position from the very moment that she had first laid eyes on this strong, vibrant young woman. She had wanted to feel and hold her, control her for awhile, and had quickly realized that getting her here to her apartment would be a fairly easy endeavour, especially since she was taking care of Minamo.

She'll always want to be around her coach. And, of course, nice, fancy cars...

She brought her head down next to Kagura's. She waited for just the right moment, and then gently caressed her cheek against the girl's, doing it slowly, methodically. She was watching for any negative reaction, but got none from her. Right now, Kagura was just going with the flow, having fun and enjoying the night, enjoying the touch of another human being.

Eiko smiled. She wouldn't go too far with her, not with a woman of this age. There were no plans to devour, only to nibble. "You know, you're quite an attractive woman yourself, Kagura."

"...really? Am I hot, too?"

"You certainly are." She wrapped her arms around her guest then, continuing to softly rub her cheek with her own, watching as Kagura began to enjoy her smell, her sultry voice hitting her ears. "You're a very hot young lady." Her lips briefly went against her neck. "Very, very hot..."

Kagura was giggling now. "...t-tickles..."

Eiko kissed her cheek. "Do you like that, Kagura?"

A laugh was the response.

"Good..." She nuzzled the girl's neck, kissing it lightly when she felt the urge to, making the most out of this brief high. She then gently brushed Kagura's lips with a finger, every so slowly. All the while, Kagura seemed almost oblivious to the actions, just continuing to chuckle. "You know, I owe you some pleasure, Kagura."

"...huh...? Pleasure...for what...?"

"Well..." Her silky, purring voice was directly in Kagura's ear now. "For taking care of my little sister, of cours-"

Abruptly, and quite loudly, Kagura broke the moment with a strong, hearty laugh.

Huh?

Eiko was caught off guard by the sudden outburst, pulling her head back from hers. "...what's so funny, dear?"

"You mean Minamo? Coachy-coach? Minamo the Kurosawa?"

"...yes. I do. Why?"

"Well, it's just so damn funny!" Kagura slapped a hand down on the bar table. "I mean...how the hell can she be your sister, when you're her mother...?"

"...excuse me?"

Kagura was still getting some chuckles out of her system. "You-are-her-mommy! Didn't ya' know that, lady?"

Eiko would have chocked up the last few comments as simple drunk talk, but there was a concreteness about them that forced her to take the words seriously. "...no, I didn't."

"Well, that's what she told me."

"Who? Minamo?"

"Minamo! Yeah! She was tellin' me..." Kagura thought hard for a moment, as she appeared to have had a brief blackout of her memories. "Oh, now I remember. She was tellin' me how her real mom doesn't like her. Which is stupid, 'cause Minamo's amazing. But, she said she's always been ok anyway, because she had you instead."

"...instead...?"

"Yeah. She was tellin' me a lot of stuff about herself. She was tellin' me about you, and then she was feelin' silly, 'cause she was all like:, 'Oh, Kagura, you're gonna' think this is weird, ok?' Then she starts tellin' me stuff. She said she thinks of you as her real mom. That's cool with you, right?"

"...what?"

"Yeah! It's kinda' weird, but kinda' cool too, right...? She was like, 'Yeah, without her I'd be in misery', and like you're her real mom and stuff. She was really gettin' into it. Like, she was sayin' how much she loves you and looks up to you and stuff. Oh, she also told me not to tell anyone too, so keep this all a schecret'..." Kagura wobbled for a moment. "...keep it in the vault..."

Eiko had slowly backed up off her guest completely, just standing idly behind her now. "...this all really happened?"

Kagura turned around on her stool, shaking her head up and down vigorously. "Yeah. For reals-deals. I thought it was all kooky at first, but she was really serious about it so I was like, 'ok', ya' know...? I guess it can happen. But, you guys are like the same age so it's kinda' weird still..." She peered strangely at her host for a moment. "Hey, lady, you ok?"

"...I'm fine."

"You look pissed."

"I'm fine. It's the wine. I've had too much."

Kagura looked behind her, noticing that both of the cats had suddenly disappeared, and then yawned. "Yeah, you're probably drunk. Alcohol ishn't good for you. You should avoid it like I do."

"...come, dear." She helped Kagura get off the stool, and then led her to one of the couches. "It's getting late. You should get some sleep now."

Her guest looked confused. "...really? But, I'm just gettin' scharted'..."

She quickly helped her lay down, and then turned the television off. "You'll be very tired soon. Anyways, I had fun. I hope you did too. Good night."

Before Kagura could respond, Eiko darted from the living room. She went to the hallway, now standing in front of her bedroom door.

She stared it at for minutes, staying completely still, her hand frozen upon the knob, a million thoughts quickly screeching through her mind the entire time.

Then, she suddenly turned around and went into the guest bedroom instead. She stood over Minamo now as the woman slept, a peaceful, serene look on her face.

...drunk talk. That's all it was. You didn't say anything ridiculous like that, did you, Minamo...?

Eiko gazed down at the dozing woman, watching her silently, standing perfectly still as she did.

A minute passed, and then another, and another...

No, you didn't, right?

Her hands had balled into fists by her sides, both of them quaking with fury.

Right, Minamo...?

A dagger, long held in her heart, had finally twisted itself after many years, carving deeply into the flesh. And as it did, old, buried pains began to overtake Eiko, the fiery heat of them now flowing throughout her entire body.

...don't you dare do this to me now. After all I've done for you...I've made you happy. You're finally happy! I...I did my part...

Her teeth ground together, a fury now enveloping her.

...don't make...me feel like this. Don't ruin everything now...you damn, little...

Eiko's hands had gripped the sheets next to Minamo's resting head, almost tearing them apart.

...I'll...

Her knuckles were bare white, her finger nails digging hard into her own palms.

...I'll...

'...love you...'

She quickly let go of the sheets, standing up and stumbling backwards after letting out an exasperated, broken breath.

...oh my god.

Eiko had seen her eyes again, those wonderful gray blue eyes of her old friend, flashing sharply in her mind.

All this time...that's how you really saw me? It...I can't...I can't believe I never realized that...

She fled the room.

...is this it? Is this...how it feels...?

I...

...I'm sorry, Minamo.

I never...I didn't...I didn't see that...

Only her cats saw her enter her own bedroom in a frenzy. Only her cats saw her wipe the corner of an eye before she shut the door.