Afternoon,
Thank you for your reviews. In return, a present!
I thought about it and decided to chop this into two chapters and release the second a little later in the evening if time allows.
A few notes:
1. The wolf is a very blink-or-you-miss-it thing at first. It'll be back with its own story to tell soon enough.
2. Speaking of explanations... Things will be explained in due time. Natsuki does not seem the type to launch into thrilling monologues in the middle of beating up a thug, however amusing that may be.
3. To my enigmatic reviewer known as "V": Telling the driver basically to gun it and risk crashing might have been a little too reckless, but Shigeru is a very reckless man in nature and that's as far as I go for now without too much revealing, lol :D
Interlocked
The alarm beeped at precisely 4:45 in the morning. She yawned and stretched as she took in the blinking numbers on her clock. She hopped out of bed and walked over to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for another long day at the local cafe. The café and apartment above had taken nearly all of her savings but after toiling day in and day out for nearly half a year the cafe was beginning to pay for itself. It was a close call, but now Mai woke up to her job with a feeling of accomplishment.
It was nearly five in the morning when Mai clapped her hands over her cheeks and walked downstairs to check up on the rolls she had set out to rise during the night. The small squad of loyal workers began to walk in and take up their aprons as Mai fired up the stoves and coffee machines for the morning rush. At 6:00 the stoves were ablaze and the sign in front of the Edelweiss café was turned from "Closed" to "Open." The doors opened with a crisp jangle of bells and the breakfast crowd stumbled in, mumbling their greetings amidst the cheerful calls of the waitresses who sat them down. The regulars were given their preferred drinks and newcomers were treated to a menu and smile. Mai watched the proceedings from behind the kitchen counter. She smiled and went back to whisking up eggs for an omelet.
Several hours passed before the breakfast crowd thinned and was replaced by a scant amount of customers, giving Mai some time off to designate duties for her staff. She took a cup of coffee and observed her customers chomping away at her food with such zeal that she couldn't help but smile. Business was doing phenomenally well. Last week she was able to hire another cook to help keep up with demand. Said cook lumbered in at 8:30 with a cheerful wave and his sleeves already rolled up to dive into the kitchen. She returned his wave and sat down at a stool with her coffee in hand.
The doors opened once more with their friendly jingle and she turned. This time her lips split into a wide grin as she hopped off the chair.
"Yukino-san, Suzushiro-san! What a surprise!"
The bespectacled young woman gave a short bow and shy smile while the older and more boisterous woman gave a curt nod.
"We decided we would stop by since we were in the area," Haruka said airily.
"Haruka-chan, I thought you said you were hungry?" Yukino asked as she waited for her glasses to stop fogging up.
"Well… that too. But this is only a short break!"
Mai witnessed the exchange and frowned.
"Are the two of you busy? If so I can box your orders for you."
Haruka began to nod but was cut off by Yukino.
"Thank you, but we can eat here."
"Yukino!"
Yukino sighed and looked at Mai apologetically. "Haruka-chan is just a little on edge right now. If she has some coffee she'll calm down."
Mai nodded and procured another cup while a waitress showed the two their booth. She set down the steaming mug of black coffee, a small bowl filled with sugar cubes and a small pitcher of milk. Haruka eyed the display and took the sugar tongs supplied with the bowl. After plopping in two sugars and a drop of milk she stirred it all together and took a sip before heaving a great sigh.
"… Thank you," she muttered as she set the cup down.
Mai took the seat beside Yukino and clasped her hands together.
"Is there anything I can get you?"
"… I'll take a western omelet," Haruka said.
"Some pancakes would be nice," Yukino added. "And some tea, please."
After calling out the orders and getting a cup of breakfast tea, Mai settled into the booth once more.
"So! What brings the two of you here?"
Yukino shot an uncertain look towards Haruka, who merely frowned and looked down at her coffee. The tea cup was set in front of Yukino and she gave it a liberal splash of milk to busy her hands. Mai watched the silent exchange and leaned back against the plush seats of the booth.
"… Fujino is coming back from Kyoto this weekend," Haruka announced.
The announcement was met with a stunned silence from the café owner. She shook herself out of it and stared at the woman sitting across the table.
"Are you sure?" she asked finally.
Haruka barely suppressed her impatient snort. "Of course I am! I received the announcement myself when I had stopped by my house to pick up a few things."
"We didn't believe it at first either," Yukino added with a small frown.
Mai nodded.
"I'd say…" She paused. "Is she… alright?"
"I don't know," Haruka replied stiffly. "That is… the e-mail said she's alright. But I doubt it."
"Maybe she really is alright?" Yukino asked more to herself. "It's been some time."
"I doubt it," Haruka repeated. Finality seeped deep within her words.
The conversation drifted off at that abrupt note to more harmless topics which were awarded occasional grunts of acknowledgement by Haruka before the meals arrived. After that only the sounds of food being chewed and swallowed came from her end of the table until the omelet was neatly devoured. Another mug of coffee was set in front of her and this she polished off as Yukino and Mai discussed some banal aspect of their current lives over the pancakes and cups of tea and coffee respectively.
"I'll be back," Haruka said, and she stood and walked out of the café before any response was made.
Mai watched her go with a sense of concern. She felt a hand on her arm and realized that she was about to get up when Yukino shook her head.
"She's very high-strung right now," Yukino said quietly.
"You mean she's not normally like this?" Mai asked in response.
Yukino shook her head with a small smile.
"It's more frustrating to sit and wait than it is to do something rash… at least, in her opinion that holds true."
"Really?" Mai leaned back and frowned. "I wouldn't have expected that from Suzushiro-san. It always seemed like they were in a fight whenever I saw the two together."
"You must understand, Mai-san." Yukino pushed the bridge of her glasses up before resting her chin on her hand. "Despite their rivalry, Haruka-chan and Fujino-san are still rather close. After graduation from Fuuka they kept in contact with one another even when Fujino-san went to Tokyo and Kuga-san followed."
"Seems nice," Mai commented with a small grin before sobering. "… I wish Natsuki would've paid the same common courtesy to me aside from those odd visits. Honestly, we did room together when we went to school you know."
The shy brunette waved her hands in an attempt to diffuse the annoyed mood.
"Friends are still friends regardless of distance right?" she added with a small smile. Mai more or less nodded and Yukino adjusted her glasses. "… The news that Fujino-san is coming back to Fuuka came as a huge surprise to Haruka-chan… considering… well, you know."
Yukino waved her hand lamely, but Mai nodded just the same.
The accident had nearly rendered Fujino Shizuru permanently catatonic. There was no clear depiction of what exactly had happened. The only eye witness was one Kuga Natsuki who was in the hospital for what seemed to be an unrelated incident in the same area. Apparently she had lost control of her motorcycle and ended up crashing her head against the pavement after being flipped over by an oncoming car. True to her nature Natsuki was up and walking around after the preliminary operations albeit with a patch over her left eye.
When Mai had received the call about the former Kaichou she had to restrain Natsuki from doing something violent to whoever was responsible for landing her in the hospital. It took several hours and the help of several retainers to keep the girl from barging into Shizuru's room. However, one look at the barely-alive woman on the hospital bed when she finally calmed down was enough to send Natsuki into a rage so deep that no earthly force could stop her. The wolf had broken clean from their holds and was out for blood.
That was the last they had seen of her.
The silence weighed heavily on them as Yukino finished her tea and set the cup down on its saucer. Mai absently tapped a pattern on the tabletop.
"… What do you think of it?" Mai asked quietly.
"I'm not sure," Yukino confessed. "But I agree with Haruka-chan. The very nature of the accident is suspicious in itself. The only credible witness to it is Kuga-san, and we haven't been in contact with her since she left the hospital."
"I don't know where she is, either," Mai admitted. "I had expected her to come back after she had cooled her head, but that was a year ago. Who knows where she is now?"
"… Maybe she was on the same track as Haruka-chan," Yukino muttered.
Mai blinked.
"I'm sorry?"
Yukino, to Mai's curiosity, did not stammer or do anything to defuse her own statement. She merely breathed in and sighed.
"Fujino-san has been allowed back to Fuuka but with a 'retainer.' Haruka-chan is convinced that this is to make sure nothing slips up about what happened. She says that the severe lack of police involvement and nature of the Fujino family may have something to do with it."
"Wait… So you're saying… you're saying that this may have not been an accident?" Mai asked in a low voice.
Yukino looked over around the diner.
"It might not amount to anything. Maybe it was just an accident. But she wants to be absolutely certain."
"Would the Fujino family be able to cover up something like that, though?" Mai asked contemplatively.
"I have been trying for the past few months under Haruka-chan's request to run a search on several databases for Fujino-san's whereabouts and condition."
Yukino seemed especially agitated when she paused to take a sip of tea. Today was a day of new expressions, Mai thought to herself.
"I found nothing. Not one hit. The family is notorious for keeping its affairs away from the general public."
After another sigh she looked up. "Can we ask you a favor, Mai-san?"
"I'm listening."
"If… If anything strange occurs, especially if you think it might be pertinent to this case, please let either me or Haruka-chan know."
She nodded in response. Yukino fidgeted with her napkin and set it down. Mai got up and let Yukino slide out of the booth. The door opened with a jarring clatter of noise. Haruka breathed out an impressive cloud of steam from the frigid air outside but she waited patiently as Yukino gathered her things together. Mai walked her over to the open door and stood still as Haruka's violet eyes centered on her. Despite being out of school for two years she still quaked in her shoes when subjected to the "Suzushiro-glare." Haruka pinned her with her eyes for another second before looking away and frowning.
"If you manage to get into contact with that delinquent Kuga… Tell her that Fujino is awake."
With that the two left with the jangle of bells against the door. Mai watched them go with an unreadable expression on her face. She noticed the purple flowers in Haruka's arms—Wisteria. Despite the cold weather the flower shop across the street still sold lively blossoms.
"Fujino-san always liked those flowers," she murmured to herself as she walked back to clear the table.
As she stacked the two dishes and cups she noticed that the cloth napkin Yukino had folded crinkled when she picked it up. With a curious frown she opened the napkin and discovered the meal paid in full. A small note accompanied the bills and this she picked up and unfolded.
Don't mind about us paying for breakfast. Please keep what we said to yourself only.
Mai folded the note and pocketed it. The note had been neatly written in Yukino's handwriting. The assorted pieces clicked and Mai knew then that the entire meeting had been planned from the get-go, right down to the impromptu entrance. With that thought in mind she stared back at the bills before shrugging and placing them into the cash register for the time being. The table was cleared and prepped for another set of customers clamoring for a late breakfast and early lunch. This was crunch time for Mai, who busily prepared herself for the steady influx of customers.
As the hustle of customers began to thin well into the evening hours, Mai thanked her workers and waved them off after clean-up. The sign switched to "Closed" at precisely 8:00 PM and she went upstairs to her apartment. She took her apron off and picked up the note from her pocket before settling down on her couch.
If the entire thing was so under wraps, she reasoned, then that would mean something was already discovered about the accident in question. They would not be running blindly through this. While she could chalk up such behavior to the overzealous former Executive Director and even her best friend, she knew that Yukino would have restrained Haruka from taking such action unless she agreed with it. Mai frowned. Something definitely was up. For a fleeting moment she stared at the phone in front of her.
If she knew the correct number she would have jumped up and dialed it months ago. Who knew how many times she tried the old number only to hear a computerized voice tell her it was unavailable. She would have yelled at her friend's idiocy and beg her to give up this vendetta and just come home already. Deep down she knew she could scarcely blame her friend for flying off into that rage. What had frightened her more was the intensity of the action. Natsuki reportedly had a famous temper but the lack of incidents tied to this temper led to the belief that it was merely hearsay. This time, the so-called Ice Princess had exploded into a fury so blindingly hot that she had viciously broken free from Mai's hold and never once looked back.
If this really was some sort of conspiracy, Mai figured that Natsuki would be the first one there to unravel it to the core. It was wishful thinking but such thoughts had never failed to keep Mai afloat in her own sea of anxiety. She turned and regarded the small framed photo on the coffee table in front of her.
It was the only photo she had in her possession that contained most of her friends from high school after her first year. It had been taken the day of the impressive Student Council trio's graduation, a time of much celebration and a good amount of sorrow. The former had been attributed to the end of the Suzushiro Executive Regime and the latter was caused by the realization that the power duo of Fujino and Kanzaki was leaving as well. While the fan girls and boys wept for their departure—and countless students expressed their undying joy of freedom from the Regime—there had been nothing but happiness within her own group as far as Mai could recall.
So many good things had been going for them. Tate Yuichi, vice-captain of the kendo club, had asked her out at the end of the year and she had accepted. Reito was recovering from his wounds from an unfortunate incident from a kendo match but the prognosis was good and his smiles reflected that. Even Suzushiro Haruka was in on the joyous occasion and even managed to "let loose," so to speak. Mai recalled with a giggle that said actions had led to raucous drinking—provided free of charge by their teacher, of all people. The night went on in a snowball-effect of increasingly crazy events which concluded with Haruka crooning the karaoke table by the end of the night. What had stood out most of all were the quiet smiles of the so-called Ice Princess and the Kaichou. She hadn't known then, of course, but she put the pieces together when, two years later, Natsuki packed her bags after their own graduation and announced that she was off to Tokyo.
"Oh, so you're going to school there?"
"Ah, that too."
"Huh? Then…"
A smile. "There's someone I have to be with right now."
They had been so happy together. Mai could see that much through the sporadic visits to Fuuka during breaks. Natsuki laughed more freely and even the mask that Shizuru had taken to wearing for so long was fading in favor of genuine emotion. The two had been inseparable, Mai learned, ever since Natsuki had arrived to Fuuka with bitterness in her eyes and a grudge towards people in general. It took several long years but eventually Shizuru had patiently chipped away from the stone around the young girl's heart, and Natsuki was all the more thankful for it. They weathered their trials and came through as unbreakable. It was, in short, something beautiful.
This caused a bitter laugh to fall from Mai's lips.
Beauty? Where had that gone?
The accident took away Natsuki's depth perception and seemingly her sense of humanity. Shizuru was almost killed—almost, but Mai wasn't sure if anything great had happened to her during this time. The months after the accident grew exceedingly bitter. The restaurant almost went under and the relationship with Yuichi burst from the pressures of life and incompatibility. That was the last she heard of him when she refused to return his pleas for a second chance. Most of her friends had left Fuuka for loftier goals, and the messages were sporadic at best. Only Mikoto was a frequent visitor and even she was beginning to branch off from common interests. A shadow had been cast over them all, but maybe this turn of events would do them well. With that in mind, Mai stood and picked up the picture. She ran a hand across the frame before setting it back down.
"Come home soon, Natsuki," she said softly. "We'll be helping, this time."
The lyrics of "Miss Murder" by A.F.I. might give you a few clues overall. I was listening to it randomly and it surprised me how apt it was.
