shuush shuush, thats me driving over the snow, fearful for my life
Sunday, November 9
Mai found herself walking a few paces behind a black clad individual down a long hallway. The slightly tense posture hinted the person to be Naru. Framed faces and portraits hung on the walls of the hallway, the kind where the eyes follow you no matter where you move. She found herself lingering in front of one specific picture – a seated woman in a formal dress and a man standing at her side with his hand on her shoulder. The picture looked worn, it was obvious that it was not new. Mai noticed something about her smile seemed off, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was.
"Mai, keep up," Naru called to her. His voice sounded faded, fuzzy, as if she were slowly falling away from him. His command seemed to endlessly echo off the walls. It felt like the entire room was beginning to spin. She turned her head to the side and found herself with a shooting pain up the back of her neck and into her head. She crouched to the floor and held her head, the only thing not moving around her were the eyes of the paintings, which held their gaze no matter what. Her head was throbbing. She clenched her eyes shut.
"Mai… Mai… Mai… Look at me… Mai," she lifted her head and opened her eyes. She was no longer in the hallway with the creepy pictures. She discovered herself to be in a fully white room with the exception of pink curtains covering what Mai assumed to be windows. A baby was crying. She noticed her headache was gone.
A mother in a purple dress rocked and cooed the sobbing child. Something about her seemed to have urgency, like she was running out of time. The woman reached for a bottle on a low table but missed and accidentally knocked it to the ground. She attempted to lean over and grab it, but had trouble balancing herself.
"Oh, I'll get it," Mai moved over to pick it up but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked behind her
"Kazuo?" Mai questioned if she was seeing things.
"Watch," he motioned to the scene playing out in front of her. A bang resounded from behind the door. Someone yelled, a rough, low yell. The baby began to cry more and the mothers rocking became more and more rapid, her pleas more desperate. She watched the door, her eyes brimming with fear.
Her attempts were in vain.
The door swung open with an immense amount of force, it reverbed as it slammed against the wall. A large man stood in the door, his eyes glassy and crazed. It was evident that he hadn't shaved in days, or so much so as even shower. Mai could practically smell the residual alcohol stuck on his clothes. He opened his mouth and yelled something.
"Why can't I hear him?" Mai covered her ears and uncovered them, as if something were blocking. The woman started tearing up, yelling something back and turning her body and the baby in her arms away from him. The man stomped over, his nose twitching.
"Don't forget this, Mai," Kazuo placed his hand on the top of her head and patted it.
"What am I, a dog?" Mai looked up without moving her head, questioning the gesture.
"No, but maybe a cat."
Mai shot up in her bed, her blankets had been pushed to the ground. Her breathing was rapid. She pressed her hand to her chest and felt her heart pounding. She couldn't understand why she was having this reaction. Did she have a nightmare?
She couldn't remember.
She let herself fall back onto her bed and relax her breathing, going through mental affirmations that everything was alright and there was nothing to worry about. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was supposed to remember something, but she couldn't figure out what. She groaned as she felt an incoming headache. She rolled to her side to peak at her clock. 8:25.
"Why can't I ever sleep in on the weekends?" she complained while running her fingers through her hair. She sat up again and moved her legs over the side of her bed, the floor felt cold on the soles of her feet. She pushed herself up and walked out into the living room, stretching her back as she moved. She flicked on the TV for background noise and then dug through her cabinets to find some painkillers.
"Slight possibility of snow today in the Shibuya area…" the news caster on the screen reported.
"Snow already?" Mai mumbled as she looked out the window. The sky looked too bright for snow, there was not a single cloud. She shrugged and went into the bathroom to freshen up for the day. She didn't have work at either the café or SPR, so she found herself unsure of how to spend this valuable time.
It was only 8:40 and the young brunette found herself incredibly bored. She eventually ended up flicking through the countless amounts of channels on the television and pulled out her phone when she could not find anything of interest. With no notifications, nothing on her calendar, and the unceasing desire to do, well, anything, she came up with a plan. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the one she was looking for.
[8:43 AM] Mai: yo gene
[8:44 AM] Gene: yo mai
[8:44 AM] Mai: can I come over today?
[8:44 AM] Gene: yeah sure, is there a reason why?
[8:44 AM] Mai: how would you like a cooked meal today instead of takeout for once
[8:45 AM] Gene: whaaaaat
[8:45 AM] Mai: I know you and naru eat takeout every night don't act like you don't know
[8:46 AM] Gene: ok you got me
[8:46 AM] Mai: is it ok if I use your kitchen ;;
[8:46 AM] Gene: youre welcome to but we don't have any ingredients here
[8:47 AM] Mai: that's okay, I walk by a store on the way there
[8:47 AM] Gene: want me to come to help you carry everything?
[8:48 AM] Mai: oh no no I only need a few things :)
[8:48 AM] Gene: hmmm if you say so
[8:48 AM] Mai: ohno
[8:49 AM] Gene: ?
[8:50 AM] Mai: you only use hmmmm if you're plotting something
[8:50 AM] Gene: I'm so shocked you would think I would do such a trivial thing as plot!
[8:51 AM] Mai: mhhhmm
[8:52 AM] Gene: :(
[8:52 AM] Mai: is it okay if I come over soon?
[8:52 AM] Gene: how soon is soon
[8:53 AM] Mai: if I get to the store at 9:30, I should be out be out by 9:50 and be at your place at 10:10ish?
[8:54 AM] Gene: sounds good to me :)
[8:54 AM] Mai: gr8 I'll see you then
Mai turned off the TV and stood up to grab a jacket. She chose a green parka with fake fur around the hood. It was a little big on her, so it looked a bit funny. She put her wallet, keys, and phone in her pocket and headed out the door, making sure to lock it. As she was turning the key, she heard her neighbors gossiping a few doors down.
"I heard his wife left him and that's why he did that," said one of them.
"He always had a weird vibe around him, I'm not surprised," the other said while flicking her hair over her shoulder.
"How strange it is, to not leave a note or anything. I wonder what his children think," the third one said while covering her mouth.
"Are they talking about Yamata?" Mai moved a bit slower than normal to hear what they were saying.
"Image one day just having your father go insane, rob his own apartment building, and for what? To kill himself in the end?" the second one said.
"It's almost cowardly," the third said with scorn.
"Was anything ever found missing? The first asked. The second shook her head.
"That's the strangest part, nothing was gone. Everything was just rummaged through, moved around a bit."
Mai kept her head down as she walked passed the group of chattering middle aged women. She hoped they wouldn't say anything to her, or ask her about anything she knew that they might not have already.
"Please don't notice me, don't notice me, don't notice-"
"Oh, Mai," the first said with a smile.
"Damn." Mai smiled lightly back.
"Have you noticed anything… strange happening?" The third question, placing her hand on her hip.
"Strange?" Mai tilted her head.
"Yeah, you know, out of the ordinary? Weird occurrences, unexplainable happenings?"
"Uh, no," Mai shook her head and started inching away from the group.
"Huh, alright," She brushed her off and turned back into her group. Mai was relieved she wasn't asked anymore questions, and she made her way quickly away from them and down the steps. As she walked, she couldn't help but wonder what she meant.
"Weird occurrences?" A chill went down Mai's spine as a cold gust of wind blew.
"Something else that was strange, apparently he left his cat too. Didn't even try to give it to someone before he went about what he did, just left it in his apartment to fend for itself," Mai could still here them talking even a floor below.
"That is weird, considering how much he loved that cat."
Something clicked in Mai's mind.
"Maybe a cat," she could hear vividly in her mind, but she couldn't remember where from, or who said it. She thought about it so hard, her head almost began to hurt.
"Mai!"
Mai perked her head up from her thoughts and looked around after hearing her name being called. Someone on the opposite side of the street stood waving widely over to her.
"Taki?" Mai called back. Her eyes lit up at the familiar face and she waved back. He smiled and lowered his arm. As soon as the light turned green, Mai crossed the street and walked over to him, smiling as radiant as ever.
Nearing the sidewalk, she tripped after her shoe hit a small bump in the uneven concrete. She let out a small yelp, but was thankfully caught by a pair of arms. She looked up and met eye contact with Taki, who's cheeks were slightly pink, which Mai blamed on the chilly air. They stayed like that for a moment before the two both broke out into laughter.
"As agile as ever, I see!" He let out with a laugh. She steadied herself, thanking him for not letting her face plant onto the ground.
"How have you been?" he asked, still holding onto her arm as they walked.
"Busy, as usual," she said with a puff of her cheeks, "What about you? Have you found any new work?" She tried to subtly move her arm out of his grasp, but he didn't seem to get the hint.
"Ah, nothing yet. I'm thinking about going to school, actually," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"That's never a bad idea," she stretched her arms above her head, prying free from his hold on her arm.
"What are you doing out today?" He asked her as he looked up at the sky.
"I'm headed to the grocery store right now," she laced her fingers together behind her back and bounced back and forth with each step.
"Oh! I'm headed right passed there. I'll walk you there," he said with a smile. Normally any other day Mai wouldn't have minded the additional company. But right now, she wanted nothing more than to be alone with her thoughts.
"Alright, thanks!" she said, bowing her head slightly. She tried her best to seem friendly, while on the inside she was dying to get away.
"Want to hear something funny?" she asked him.
"Hmm?" he raised a brow to her.
"I actually got a second job, well not by choice, but it's in the same place your job was!" as it came out of her mouth, she realized it actually was not very funny.
"You don't say," he said sort of indifferently, "why did you get a second job?"
"Another funny story," she laughed as she wrung her hands. She explained the story of how she accidentally injured the assistant, so now she had to work in his place until he was better and could return.
"Are you sure that's, well, legal?" he questioned, furrowing his brows.
"I mean, probably. I don't think Naru would do something like that," she then began to internally question his morality.
"Would he do something like that? For free labor or something? Well, it can't be free because he is paying me, but easy labor? Nah, that's probably not true."
"Naru? You're working for that kid?" Takiyota seemed shocked, and maybe, slightly bitter as well.
"Er, well, yeah," she laughed awkwardly. Thankfully, however, they were rounding the corner to the store.
"Thanks for walking with me!" Mai looked up and smiled at him, but his face didn't smile back. He looked dead ahead and narrowed his eyes with frown.
"Taki?" She asked, confused as to if she had said something wrong.
"You should have told me you already had an escort," he looked down and smiled at her, but his eyes were not smiling.
"What are you…" she followed his eye slight and found a black clad, narcissistic teenager leaning against the wall near the store. His arms were crossed as he looked up towards the sky.
"Oh, I'm going to kill Gene," she mumbled before making a beeline over to him.
"What are you doing here? Did Gene put you up to this?" She questioned him, crossing her arms.
"As if I wanted to spend my time waiting here in the cold for you to show up," he replied while rolling his eyes. Mai puffed out her cheeks.
"Well then go home," she said, walking passed him with her head held high and into the store.
"Don't you think I would have done that already if I could?" he followed behind her, but not too closely. She grabbed a basket from pile and continued on her way into an aisle.
"Keep following me and I'll scream bloody murder," she turned around and threatened. He stood unfazed by her threat.
"Fine, then you can follow me," he walked to her side, grabbed the basket from her hand, and walked in front of her. She stood shocked for a moment before running to catch up with him.
"You can carry it, that's fine by me. It's gonna get pretty heavy," she said with a smug smile. She scanned the aisle, looking for the ingredients she required.
"Your brother must have some really good dirt on you for getting you to do this," she teased as she bent over to get a closer look at the labels on the cans.
"As if I would ever be so careless to let my own brother get dirt on me," he said with a smirk, following behind her.
"Oh please, it has to be that. There's no way you are doing this out of the goodness of your heart," Mai rolled her eyes.
"You're the biggest danger magnet I've ever met, who knows maybe you'll be kidnapped. My brother probably just thinks you need a bodyguard," he replied dryly, watching her as she placed the first item into the basket.
"Well send Gene next time then," she stuck her tongue out at him and then returned to scouring the aisles. There was a pause between the two.
"I saw you had a reunion with that boy earlier," Mai looked back at him, confused.
"What boy- oh, my god I never said goodbye to Taki," she put her hands on the top of her head, eye's opened wide.
"This is all your fault!" she pointed at Naru, "You made me all flustered and I totally forgot about him!"
"I've been told I have that effect on women," he said with a smirk. Mai's face turned red.
"You're a jerk!" Mai complained louder than she intended. A couple near them turned and looked at the pair, then started to snicker to one another. However, their eye's both widened and they abruptly stopped and turned back around. Mai turned around to see Naru death glaring the pair.
"Don't do that, you'll make a bigger scene" she muttered to him and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him quickly into the next aisle.
The rest of their shopping adventure was quite calm, neither talked too much. While nearing the end of the last aisle, a phone began to buzz. Mai dug around in her pocket and pulled out her phone.
"Must be yours," she said, shaking the silent cellphone in front of him. He reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out his vibrating phone. He read the caller ID and hesitated for a moment, before slipping it back inside of the pocket.
"You're not going to answer it?" Mai asked, tilting her head to the side.
"No."
"Oh," she turned around, minding her own business. But something inside her seemed to bother her. It wasn't like Naru to decline a call, considering most of them came from clients.
However, she pushed her curiosity to the side and made her way to the checkout counters. A phone began to buzz again.
"Ok, you have to answer it this time," Mai looked back at him and crossed his arms. He rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone once again. Mai peaked over to see the caller ID.
"Naru! You are ignoring your mother's calls?" Mai gasped and whacked his arm. He scoffed.
"I have my reasons," he said blandly.
"Go answer it," Mai grabbed the full basket away from him and pointed outside. She wavered slightly, not expecting how heavy the basket to be. He seemed to ignore her.
"You know," she started softly, "some people don't get the luxury of having phone calls from their parents. You shouldn't treat it so lightly." He looked at her. Something changed in his eyes. Was it confusion? Understanding? Denial? Consideration? Reluctance?
Whatever it was caused him to flip open his phone and make his way outside. Mai stood feeling accomplished at convincing Naru to actually do something human for once. Mai made her way over to a counter and plopped the heavy basket onto it. She greeted the cashier and reached in her pocket to grab her wallet.
"Miss?"
She looked up and over to her side where the couple from before had been standing.
"I'm sorry about before, we just wanted to say we weren't making fun of you or your boyfriend at all in the aisle," the man started.
"Oh no, we aren't a- "
"It just reminded me so much of how we were back in the days! Always bickering," the woman looked over and smiled at the man. Mai couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, I'll just play along."
"I should be the one apologizing! I'm sorry for his rude behavior," Mai bowed her head in apology.
"I wish the best for you two," the woman said before the pair turned and walked away, seemingly as happy as could be. Something about this scene warmed her heart. She smiled, slightly envious, and hoped that one day she could be that happy too.
She checked all of her items out and grabbed the two bags, then made her way outside. The air had become noticeably chiller from before, especially after having been in the warm store. Without warning, one of the bags was lifted from her grasp. She looked over to see Naru standing at her side.
"Everything alright?" She questioned. He nodded.
"Good," she said softly.
The walked in silence for a while, Mai noticed white clouds rolling in.
"What's your mom like?" Mai broke the silence with a question Naru wasn't expecting. He looked down at her as she looked thoughtfully off into the distance.
"All this time I've know you and Gene, neither of you talk about your parents," she seemed almost doleful in her tone.
"She's full of worry," he replied.
Mai rolled her eyes and shook her head, "What a wonderful way to describe the woman who gave birth to -"
"However," he interrupted, "she's willing to support anyone whole heartedly if they believe in themselves and what they are doing."
His almost poetic response slightly shocked Mai, who wasn't fully expecting a response to begin with.
"She's always been closer to Gene than me, but I supposed most wouldn't find that shocking considering our personalities."
"Is that why you don't answer her calls?" He shook his head no.
"I never said I minded it that way."
Mai felt something wet hit her head. She looked up and found white flurries falling slowly to the ground.
"Look, look!" she said as she pointed up. Her eyes lit up so brightly. She stopped in her tracks and watched as the snow began fluttering gently around.
"It's the first snow fall," she spoke gently, matching the tone of the snow around. Naru watched as she smiled as if she had never seen snow before.
"It's like they are all dancing in perfect harmony. Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, not expecting a direct response. It began to come down faster.
"Is it true no two snowflakes are alike?" Mai stretched out her hands and let it fall and melt on her skin.
"I'm not interested with precipitation," he responded dryly.
"But you don't think this is pretty?" Mai looked over at him, her eyes were gently yet questioning. The snow stuck in her hair and on the fur of her jacket. She looked innocent yet beautiful. Her almost child like views made her seem, perhaps, vulnerable.
"It's simply frozen rain," he said with a shrug, then looked away and began to adjust the button on his shirt.
"You know," she started, "you're like snow. Beautiful and unique in the moment, but annoying after you get to see it all the time."
He laughed.
Mai looked up wide-eyed, mystified at what was happening. Naru was laughing. Actually laughing. He looked over to her and smiled a true smile, where his eyes smiled and everything. Mai's cheeks turned a crimson red.
"Come on," he said as he began to walk, "I don't want to get sick because of you again."
Mai stood still for a moment, before having to will her legs to move to catch up with him.
"Don't forget this, Mai."
Thank you for reading!
I told you I would update soon!
Today was the first snow fall of the season at my house, which partially inspired this chapter. In all honesty, I highly dislike the snow but I feel like it's a very beautiful and romantic sight, so I wanted Naru and Mai to share it together. I was originally having Gene and Mai witnessing the first snowfall where Mai could really open up to Gene, but I liked this version better.
I also don't know if I will actually write a chapter on Mai cooking for the twins, it really just doesn't interest me and I think it seems very hard to write Naru and Gene eating for some reason. Sorry!
I'm trying to like rush write these next few chapters so I can get back on the same time that the story follows, so hopefully there will be many more updates this and next week. I also would like to apologize in advance if these next few chapters are not to the quality that they normally are :(
I hope everyone has been doing well, having good health, and eating lots of sweets!
Please review!
Thank you again for reading and have a beautiful night/day!
