When we came back from lunch, the chief was waiting for us. Tapping his foot with hsi arms crossed he looked down at his watch. When we came throught the door and headed for the elevator, he hollered for me.
"Suzuya." I stopped just short of the doors. Chi on the other hand didn't
"Chi." I said tugging on her leash to get her attention as my hand shot out and held the door. When she realized I wasn't in the elevator with her she quickly stepped out.
"Suzuya. Take this, you have the rest of the day off." He said handing me an envelope. "There is a thousand dollars in there. Go get her some decent clothes." He said pointing to the white haired girl standing next to me. I looked over at her trying to figure out what was wrong with her outfit. It covered everything. She liked it. What was the problem?
"From where?" I ask as we are both still looking at her.
"I don't care. Just don't come in tomorrow if she don't have real clothes." He said walking away from us.
"Let's go Chi." I said watching the chief disappear into the elevator.
"Go home now?" She asks looking up at me.
"Nope. Shopping." I tell her as I tug on her leash again. "Let's go."
Chi followed close behind me into the first store that I saw selling woman's clothes. I looked at everything around me covered in lace and ribbons. What kind of store is this?
"Juuzou! Look! Kitty ears!" Chi said placing something on her head that looked like two rounded ears.
"Chi..." I began, only to get cut off by her straping one to my head.
"Juuzou kitty kitty." She smiled and ran off deeper into the store pulling me with her. This lace jungle was a lot bigger then what it looked it would from the outside. "Ah!" She exclaimed holding up some stringy thing to me. "What is this?" She asked. I took it and held it out, trying to figure it out for myself.
"It's..." I spun it around in my hands then looked around the store for a sign that would tell me. "It's..." I tried still searching as Chi stared up at me waiting for an answer. Just then a young lady that worked there walked up to me. Apparently she over hear our conversation. She took the stringy thing from me and straightened it out then held it up to Chi's hips.
"This is a g-string from Victoria's Secret's Summer collection." She said. "And this." She continued pulling the kitty ears off my head. "Is a bra from the Spring collection." She explained holding it up against Chi's shoulders so it hung over her breasts.
"Hmm." I hummed taking the bra from the lady, hooking the straps around my finger. I looked from the bra in my hand to Chi's chest. Does it fit her? I guess there's only one way to find out. I begin unbuttoning Chi's shirt so I could strap the thing on her.
"Is time for bath game?" She asks as I continue to unbotton the top.
"Sir! You can't do that here!" The lady says turning around just as the make-shift dress falls from Chi's body. Both Chi and I look at the lady confused.
"How will I know if it fits? I can't buy it if it doesn't." I tell her. She should know this.
"Sir, I understand your her boyfriend and you're very much in love, yes, I've heard it all before. But, I cannot allow you to do such a thing in a place like this."
"Uhh, that's..."
"Boyfriend? Juuzou is Chi's boyfriend?" Chi asks confused but smiling. "What's a Bofriend?" She finally asks.
"No." I say firmly and push the bra and leash into the shop lady's hands. "Then you do it." I say before walking to the front of the store.
"Juuzou! Juuzou leave Chi?" The girl asks sadly as she tries to follow after me.
"Chi." I say stopping her in her tracks. "Stay." I tell her before exiting the store. The lady looks from Chi to me in bewilderment.
"Let's get you some clothes." She says with a smile, apprehensivly looking down at the curtain rope leash. The lady reaches to remove it from Chi's neck but the girl grabs it protectively.
"Chi has to keep this." She tell's the lady. "Juuzou saved Chi and gave Chi leash so Chi don't get hurt." She said pulling the pictures she drew out of the shirt pocket and showing them to the lady. "See? Juuzou not bad. Juuzou was helping Chi when he opened Chi's dress." The lady looked down at the pictures and smiled. "Because of Chi, Juuzou can't go to work. Juuzou's boss said don't come back until Chi has real clothes." Chi tells the lady with a frown. The lady continues to listen to the girl as she traces the stripes on the tie again. "Juuzou made this dress for Chi. This is Juuzou's tie. And this is Juuzou clip." Chi says pointing to the clip in her hair. "Last night, the sky cried and the clouds roared. It scared Chi. But not Juuzou. He let Chi sleep in his bed and he protected Chi the whole night."
"You really like Juuzou, don't you?" The lady asks handing Chi her drawings back.
"Yesterday, Chi didn't have a name, or clothes, or home. Chi was dirty and..." Chi fell silent and lifted up her hair and pulled off one of the giant gauze pads covering her upper back showing the lady all of the sores and cuts on her back. "Juuzou gave Chi a name and clothes. And a home with a bed. Juuzou even gave Chi a bath and made them better." Chi finishes and sticks the tape back to her skin. "Now Juuzou is mad at Chi."
The woman looked down at the girl before her, now understanding that the man is the girls caretaker. "Let's get you some pretty clothes. Then Juuzou can go back to work and he will be happy again."
"You'll help Chi?" The lady nodded at the girls words and slipped to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were.
What's taking so long? Did it not fit? Are they having trouble finding another one? Should I go back inside? I hope Chi didn't bite the lady. My last thought catches me off guard. I remember how Chi almost bit my fingers when I tried to take her mask off. I quickly turn around to ruch back into the store when Chi comes out with a few backs in her hands and a new outfit on. The lady hands me the leash, envelope and four bags.
"She has nine outfits in there. Your change is in the envelope." She says looking at Chi then turning her attention to the ground. "If you ever need any help with things like this again, here is my phone number. Call me if you need help." She says handing me a small business card. I look down at it and see her name. Fujiwari Yura. "Good bye Chi." She says waving to the girl and walking back into the store. I tuck the card into my shirt pocket and tug on Chi's leash to get her attention.
"Juuzou can go back to work now. Juuzou not mad at Chi any more?" She asks finally urning to me.
"I wasn't mad. I just couldn't help you." I tell her, looking down into her red eyes.