Please refer to the first chapter for my disclaimer, as I am lazy and do not want to type it again.
Author's Notes: I'm sorry I didn't have any of these in my second chapter, it's not because I don't care about you guys, I was just really excited to get my story up, and I've been pretty busy otherwise. Thank you so much to all of my reviewers, you're all so really awesome and I love you! You're the reason I continued this story, so I hope you guys like it. If there's anything you don't like (poor wording, things that don't seem to fit), don't hesitate to tell me! Now, without further hesitation here is chapter three! HURRAY!
Chapter Three:
Cat Found
The car ride home was awkward, to say the least. Tomo sat in the passenger's seat, fidgeting nervously and throwing curious glances to the girl sitting next to her, who hadn't spoken a word since she had received her friend's phone call.
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What do you think, Takino, can you go through with it? Face your fears and call her? Or are you gonna hide your tail between your legs and run? You don't have the resolve for it, do you?
"Shut up, you. I can do this… I have to. Yomi's all I have left, anyway".
Fine, fine. Just remember, this isn't some fairy tale. Apologizing doesn't guarantee you a happy ending.
"Why do you ha-"
Tomo was pulled from her thoughts by a hand gently shaking her, the voice of the officer who had brought her in accompanying it. "Ma'am, are you alright? You seem… distracted".
"N… no, I'm fine. Just zoning out's all" Tomo replied, smiling weakly. It was a habit she'd picked up after the train ride. She'd close her eyes, and in the darkness she could see herself, her darker self, pale, ethereal even, staring back at her with wicked eyes, laced with madness and malice. She'd debate with this side of her, sometimes for hours on end on various topics: what should I do now? Where should I go? Am I really so horrible a person? Her dark side would usually win these debates, digging Tomo deeper into poverty and self-loathing. "Today'll be different" she promised herself, "Today I'll put that all behind me, I'll never have to talk to her again".
She picked up the phone, trembling nervously, fighting the overwhelming urge to slam down the phone and remain as she was, to shut out her former girlfriend from her life forever. "She wouldn't want me like this, anyway. I'm just a shell of who I used to be, a broken, wretched homeless girl. She wouldn't take me back…". She battled these thoughts as she dialed Yomi's number, shaking with fear…
A yawn was the first thing heard on the other end of the line, followed by the sounds of some annoyed cursing. Never-the-less, the woman on the other end of the line attempted to sound sincere. "Mizhuara residence… who's calling…?"
"Y… Yomi…? I… it's me… Tomo…"
The silence was deafening. Tomo's eyes began to tear up, and she began to lower the phone back its perch. Yomi's voice cam over the line again, only heard as a murmur at first.
"Tomo…? Is it really…?" another long silence before she continued, her voice quivering. "Tomo, where are you…? Where have you been…? Why…?" she trailed off.
"I'm at the Tokyo police station… I… I need you to come pick me up, alright? I'll answer anything you ask then…" in her voice was a mixture of joy, fear, and sorrow.
"Please say okay… I know I don't deserve it, but please…"
"The police?! How…? A… alright, I'll be there in about twenty minutes… I expect a lot of explanation when I get there…" The phone clicked, and Tomo slowly lowered the receiver back to its base, nearly bursting with joy.
"She's on her way. About twenty minutes" she beamed at the officer, who smiled back, seemingly uplifted by her drastic change in mood. "Good. I'll escort you to the waiting room, then".
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Finally, the bespectacled spoke, her voice calm, soothing even, perhaps to hide her other feelings. "Tomo, why did you leave? Or maybe… why didn't you come back? For two years… what was it that kept you away…? Were you serious that night…? Did you really plan on leaving me behind…?" her voice remained calm, though small wisps of spite began to lace it.
"N… no! That wasn't it at all… after I left, as soon as I left, I regretted it… I regretted everything that night, but… I didn't think you'd have me back… I thought you'd hate me for what I did…" she responded, shying away from the eerily calm girl.
Yomi remained silent, seeming to consider what Tomo had said. Minutes passed before she replied.
"People make mistakes, I know that. I know that you were drunk, and angry, and I've already forgiven you for that. But… to just leave me like that… that I'll have trouble forgiving you for…" her tone had changed from strangely calm to sorrowful, and she sighed heavily before finally locking eyes with her long-lost friend. Tomo noticed something, something subtle about the way Yomi looked at her. Something was missing, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "I'll figure it out later, I guess. For now I need to focus on making up with her".
"I… I guess we should head up, then. You're probably tired, and I know I am. We'll talk more tomorrow, okay?" Tomo hadn't noticed that they had parked, and was somewhat surprised to see that her friend still lived in the same apartment. "Well, she did say something about it being close to work…" The pair finally reached their home, Yomi opening the door slowly, as though she didn't want to make a lot of noise.
"I'll get the guest room set up for you tomorrow, alright? Do you remember where the spare blanket is?" she whispered. Tomo nodded in response. "Good, good. I'm going to bed then, okay? Good night…" she said, patting Tomo's shoulder gently and heading off to her room. Tomo stood and watched her a moment or two longer before taking the spare blanket from the hall cabinet and head to the couch. "It's good to be home…" she thought as she drifted to sleep. Tomorrow had a lot in store for her.