It always seemed to happen that the pager would go off right after I'd get home and was just winding down, but that was how it went. Still, that didn't stop me from grumbling to myself all the way to Sylia's building, but now I had more reason to grumble. I had someone to look after now, and I couldn't help her find her home if I was too busy fighting Boomers or going out on missions. I hoped that after this night, this particular mission would be done with and I could concentrate on helping her. But that would've been a naïve thought if I'd actually thought this night would be the end of it. Would've been nice, though, in any case.
I'd just entered the building when I caught Mom and the others heading down to the hardsuit bay. "What, we're not gonna discuss this in your place?" I asked Sylia.
"Nene will go over what she's found in the van," she said.
Suiting up only took a few minutes, and once that was done, we all piled into the van and headed towards our unknown, at least to me, destination. While Nene talked quietly with Sylia at the computer terminal, I turned and caught a glance of Mom. She seemed as calm as ever, while Linna kept looking at Nene every few seconds, waiting to hear what she had to say about who was involved in the OMS heist. I was curious too, but I wasn't jittery about it. My mind kept going to Emi, wondering if she was ok, even if all she had was a stomachache. Maybe it was that half-cooked burger after all, I thought.
"All right, Nene," Sylia suddenly said so the rest of us could hear. "Tell them what you found out about our culprit."
Nene started typing on the computer. What she was looking for, I couldn't see from where I was. "There wasn't any unusual chatter among most of the Genom-related companies that Mackie and I looked at. But one, ASI, had quite a bit of activity, starting on Saturday and continuing through Sunday. But on Monday all of that ceased, and outward appearances suggest it's just been business as usual since then."
"ASI? What's that?" Linna asked.
"Adachi Synthetic Industries. They construct the fibers that are used to make Boomers, their muscles specifically. Genom's main subsidiary for Combat Boomers, particularly the C-class ones."
"I find it hard to believe it's business as usual if they do have the OMS," Mom cut in.
I turned my head just in time to see Nene bring up some surveillance footage on the monitor screen. "Well, take a look at this tape then," she said. "It's from the van that the OMS was taken from."
All of us gathered around the terminal behind Nene and watched as she played the footage. Inside the van were three people, all men. A metal box sitting on a long bench to the left was evident; it was safe to assume that was what the OMS was in. Five minutes passed, and nothing strange went on in the van, just the men chatting. There was no audio, so of course none of us knew what they were discussing, but that became a moot point when suddenly, everyone's bodies jerked forward; the van had stopped. The back doors were busted open, and four masked figures came running in, pointing assault rifles at the occupants of the van. One of them took the box and ran out, while two others continued to point their guns at the others. The last one looked up, straight at the camera, and without hesitation fired his gun, apparently shooting out the camera, as the footage ended there.
"That last one, he just looked up at the camera for no reason," I observed. "Like he just knew it was there."
"A Boomer?" Mom mused.
"But why would a Boomer help steal the OMS?"
She smirked and shrugged. "Wants its freedom, maybe? Don't ask me."
"If it's an inside job," Sylia said, "whether that last person was a Boomer and why it helped with the heist doesn't matter. What matters is that we get the OMS back intact, if at all possible."
I frowned as I thought about the footage. It had been hard to judge from the angle of the footage, but the last person, the one who'd shot out the camera, seemed a lot smaller than the others. A kid? No way. Even I knew that Genom would never send a kid out on a mission like that. I shook my head. I was overthinking this. Just because one was smaller than the others meant nothing. After all, it wasn't like women couldn't be master thieves, too. But still…there was nothing masterful about how this was pulled off at all. Sure, the thieves came in with weapons and threatened the people in the van, but that could have been entirely for show if it really was an inside job.
"If it was a setup, it would help explain why those guys didn't just shoot the people in the van outright," I said.
"Waste not, want not," Linna replied. "Even if these are low-level people that Genom is using."
"If it's business as usual like you said," Mom suddenly said, "then maybe the OMS isn't at the ASI facility. They probably transported it somewhere else."
"It's a possibility," Sylia allowed, "but for now, we're going to take a look at the ASI building and see what we can find. And remember, just because it seems like normal operations there doesn't mean it is. The people at the facility may not know how to work the OMS, and it's probable that they don't. But if someone there does, then we could be in for a major fight."
"We're ready for it," I assured her, thrusting my fist against my chest. "We can handle anything they throw at us! We took on the San Fran Genom Tower, after all!"
"But that was me and Sylia who handled most of those Boomers, remember," Mom said glibly, nudging me in the shoulder. "You, Nene, and Linna had it easy compared to us."
"And you came out of it no worse for wear."
"So let's make sure we have a repeat performance."
"Right!"
As Mackie informed us we had ten minutes until we arrived at the ASI facility, everyone pulled on their helmets and ran the usual system checks. Mom inquired as to whether our Motoslaves would be needed, to which Sylia replied not yet, only if the situation ended up warranting their use. I hadn't used mine very often lately; the battles were usually over quick enough. And still at my sides, eleven months after he'd given them to me, were the two bombs that Bert had given me in the other world. Aside from the fact I hadn't been in a situation where I'd have to use something like those, another reason I hadn't used them yet was that they were sort of like souvenirs to me. Reminders, in battle, of where I'd been. And the situation now seemed somewhat similar to when Bert, Craig, and I had raided DYNETECH.
I could only shake my head. Even little things reminded me of what I'd done with them, the only guys that I had found to be decent. And despite the uncertainty of the situation in front of us as we got closer to our destination, I felt certain of one thing: at least we wouldn't have to worry about facing a HeadHunter-like Boomer, or another Largo.
Well, mostly certain.
"Would you believe it?!" Mackie grumbled out loud. "We're stuck in traffic!"
"This late?" Linna asked, sounding somewhere between disbelief and resignation.
"That's ok," Sylia said, standing up. "It's about time for us to make our move, anyhow. I'm going to send two of you out there to make your way to the ASI building as scouts. Priss, Yumeko, you're the two. I want each of you to take one side of this street and make your way to the ASI building. Nene will radio you the directions as you go. When you get there, let me know of what's going on so we can go from there."
"Roger," Mom said, opening the roof hatch. "Let's get to it, Yume."
"I hear ya," I replied.
"Be careful," Nene said.
"We will. You know us."
"I know. That's why I said it."
I just grinned behind my visor as I followed Mom up through the hatch and onto the roof of the van. I was still crouched on my knees and about to get to my feet when I peered at the sight ahead of me. A long line of red taillights as far as the eye could see, just like Mackie said, and the air rang with honking horns and people yelling profanities out their car windows. "Damn, I wonder what the holdup is," I mused aloud as I got to my feet.
"It's Tokyo, what other excuse do you need?" Mom quipped, pointing to the right side of the street. "I'll take this side. You take the other."
"Gotcha."
"Both of you," Nene radioed, "head down the street for three blocks. When you get to 105th St., head west."
"Hear you loud and clear," Mom said. "Go."
Mom jetted up to her side of the street, while I opened up my wings and flew up to the roof of the nearest building, folding them shut as I landed. After waiting a second, I charged, right for the edge of the building. Jumping, I pushed off with one foot off the ledge, landing hard on the roof of the next building but not stopping, instead charging again and repeating as needed, until I reached the first block. I looked both ways, mentally slapping myself as I realized that I wasn't really crossing the street…just flying over it. Still, it was crossing it in a way. Using my jets, I quickly cleared the street and was on the run again.
A few minutes later I reached 105th, and just as I made a left and headed west, I could make out a figure across the street clearing buildings as well. I signaled to Mom, and she did likewise and pointed ahead. I nodded before clearing another building.
I looked down. We seemed to be following the traffic jam. For a brief moment I thought it was strange, but Mom was right; this WAS Tokyo, infamous for having gridlock at any time for no reason whatsoever.
"Almost there," Nene said over the comm. "Make a right and head north again in two blocks."
"Roger," I replied, using my jets to clear another street in order to make that right turn and head north once I reached the designated street.
"Yume!" Mom hollered over the comm. "Get over here!"
"Where are you?"
"A few buildings ahead of you. Come look at this!"
I grimaced and jumped from roof to roof for about five more buildings before I saw an ominous glow in the distance, behind the building directly in front of me. I cursed under my breath, Mom motioning for me to follow her once I reached her. I nodded and did so.
I winced as the brightness from the glow I'd seen hit my eyes, holding up my hand to block it. Even in my suit, I could almost feel the heat. Judging from Mom's stance, she wasn't too thrilled at all. But still, she managed a chuckle.
"Nope. Sylia's not going to like this at all," she remarked with a snort.
"What the hell?" I gasped.
In front of us was a large building, about eight or ten stories tall, every floor engulfed in flames. Fire engines and police cars surrounded the gates of the building, firefighters – probably firefighter Boomers – spraying water on the building with a single hose in a feeble attempt to get the flames under control. The sign next to the main gate of the building said:
Adachi
Synthetic
Industries
A Genom-operated company
"Hey Sylia?" Mom yelled over the comm. "I think your plan just went up in smoke."
"Lots of smoke," I mumbled.
"Stay there," Sylia said, though I could hear an audible sigh. "Linna, Nene and I will be there shortly."
"Roger that," Mom said, disconnecting. "I wonder what this is about?"
"Maybe they knew we were coming," I suggested, despite the fact I knew that was a lame suggestion. "Or the OMS blew up?"
"Yeah, yeah, right. I don't think Genom would have something as important as that just be able to malfunction and go boom. But this…" She pointed at the ASI building. "Something's just wrong here."
My scanner picked up something below us, and I looked down and peered into the alleyway below, one between the building we were standing on and the adjacent one. Several figures, bearing all the hallmarks of 55C Boomers. "Now THAT'S wrong," I said wryly. "We've got some stragglers hanging around!"
"I'm picking up more in this one too," Mom concurred, looking at the one on the other side of the building. "How many you got? I'm picking up three so far."
"Three here too. I can take 'em."
"Good. I got these ones."
It just figured that it was 55C Boomers; not only were they the type we usually fought, in addition to 33B Boomers, but the ASI place was where their muscles were made. No surprise that this was the type we ran into at all. I squeezed one eye shut and crouched down, taking aim with my MDD. Once I had a lock on the Boomer in front, I didn't hesitate. I fired, sending a disc clean through its throat, decapitating it. As it dropped to its knees, the other two looked up, by which point I was already on my way down to the alleyway, having jumped as soon as I'd fired the disc at the first Boomer.
I'd barely touched down before both of them were in my face, one with mouth open, ready to fire its mouth cannon. I ducked just in time, as the beam went sailing over and past my head. Seeing my opportunity, I readied my Knuckle Bomber and slammed my fist into the Boomer's gut. It let out a howl and reached to grab me, but I pulled away before it could do so. My scanners bleeped out a warning about the other Boomer having made its way behind me, and I had to duck again as that one, too, tried to take a piece out of me. Both arms outstretched, I fired one disc at each of them, sending them cutting through the Boomers' torsos. Both stumbled back, and I turned my attention to the more severely-injured one, popping out my right lasersword.
It didn't stand much of a chance at all. Try as it might, it just wasn't able to land a single hit on me before I cut one arm off at the elbow, then stabbed it through the chest, making it spew orange fluids as it collapsed to the ground, dead. Instinctively, I whirled around and swiped again with my sword, and my instincts were correct, as I found myself cutting off the left arm of the last Boomer.
"Heh. Not supposed to attack from behind, y'know," I said, blocking when it thrust its remaining fist at me, arm trembling from the impact. "No one ever taught you guys battle etiquette!" I ducked and darted between its legs, spinning at the last moment to catch it right in the crotch with one of my Leg Bombers. Another two discs through the back, and it dropped dead as well, joining its two comrades.
"But," I added with a sniff, "when it comes to fighting you guys, that doesn't apply."
"You done?" Mom asked over the comm.
"Yeah. You?"
"Same."
"I guess the OMS is intact after all, if these guys were fighting us."
"Probably means it wasn't in the ASI building after all," she sighed. "I knew that would've been too obvious."
"What do you suppose happened then?"
"Hell if I know." She paused. "Yume, you've got company."
"Hmm?"
My scanners lit up like an overdecorated Christmas tree as it warned me I had more than just company. I spun around and found myself looking into six pairs of glowing red eyes. I didn't even think; I automatically opened up my wings and took to the sky, getting back up to the roof as quickly as I could, popping out my lasersword again as I heard them coming up right behind me. With a holler, I swung down with my sword as hard as I could, putting all the extra power from my suit into it, and sure enough, the first Boomer I saw ended up going headfirst right into the blade, splicing in half as it couldn't stop jetting up. I backed up several steps as the other five Boomers took its place, and landed on the roof, surrounding me. I gulped and brought my other sword to bear.
"I guess you guys didn't hear my little lecture," I said before they all lunged at me.
I activated my jets, and with both swords out, rammed head-on into the Boomer directly in front of me, stabbing and cutting as I went. It went down, and I rolled forward over its corpse as I heard the others coming up right behind me. I barely had time to turn around before I found one right in my face, and I let out a yelp as it slapped me aside, sending me rolling several feet. I gave a shake of my head and took aim with my discs again.
"Son of a bitch!" I heard a voice yell out, followed by a blue hardsuit slamming into one of the Boomers, firing several needles through its torso, followed by an uppercut Knuckle Bomber to the head. It fell back dead, and while two of the remaining Boomers turned their attention to Mom, the last one charged at me. I still had my arm out, aiming at it, so I wasted no time in firing off a disc, which made it jerk back as a disc penetrated its chest and burst out the other side. It growled and charged again, and for a moment I was surprised that it was still going, but I just shook my head and returned the charge, slamming a Knuckle Bomber into its stomach. It started to grab at my left shoulder, but then went limp, and I took a step back as it fell forward, dead.
Mom had just finished off the last Boomer, and was getting to her feet. "Tch, stubborn bastards," she muttered.
"They're stubborn dead bastards now," I joked, then turned around as I noticed the other three Sabers choosing this moment to show up. "You just missed the party."
"Looks like you partied pretty hard," Linna said, looking around at the dead Boomers littering the roof.
"Any sign of what caused this?" Sylia asked, nodding towards the still-flaming building nearby.
"No clue," Mom said. "And the Boomers appeared out of nowhere. I'm not about to assume they were fleeing the fire."
"It's possible they caused it," Nene suggested. "But if they were in collusion, then…why?"
"Why indeed," Sylia said; I could almost see her frowning behind her visor. "Well, we can't examine the building like this, and it's a given the OMS is still intact, judging from the Boomers' actions."
"That's what Yume said," Mom cut in.
"What do we do now?" I asked. "Head back?"
"Yes," Sylia said, "after we deal with the group that's coming up on us right now."
"More?!" I ran my scanner, and besides the dead Boomers surrounding us, I was picking up ten more that were surrounding the building, and ready to come up to our level. "Where the hell are they coming from?!"
"Let's not think about that right now. Let's take them down."
A few moments passed, and the Boomers I'd discovered around the perimeter of the building were coming up to meet us, three at a time, followed by the last one. The growls they let out as they surrounded us five made it sound like we were about to get pounced on by a pack of wolves. I wasn't too worried, though; that made it two Boomers to each Saber, assuming Nene would be able to take hers down on her own. But if not, the rest of us were there to help her. We'd done it for each other many times, and I had to admit Bert put it perfectly when he said no one keeps score on how many times who saved who, or how many times who was saved. Damn him, having to act so omniscient around me, a kid, but still a Knight Saber in my own right.
Ducking blows from the Boomers on the move against me, it did occur to me that I'd been doing this for almost three years. Years that had seemed like a lifetime, and indeed, I had practically lived an entire lifetime in those three years. I probably wouldn't even recognize my old self, my sixteen-year-old self, nor would she know me.
"I want to join you guys and help you put these bastards down," I had said back then.
"Time to put YOU down," I growled, taking a swipe with my sword, which the Boomer jumped back to avoid. My other opponent fired off a blast from its arm, which I jumped back to avoid, only to have the first one run up to me and grab me by the shoulders. I winced as it started to push them inwards, trying to crush me. I tried to pull away, but it held fast, and pushed in harder. I groaned and winced again, and shifted my feet, getting ready to give it a kick with my Leg Bomber.
It was then that the glowing in its eyes stopped. They went dead.
"What the hell?!" Mom snapped.
"Huh?!" Linna gasped. "They stopped?"
"Ack!" The Boomer's weight, still largely on my shoulders, came bearing down, and the thing's body toppled forward on top of me. All I could do was yelp as I fell down and got squashed. After getting my arms free I was able to push the dead weight off of me and stand up, rotating one arm to get the soreness out of my shoulders. "What just happened? My Boomer just decided to shut down."
"So did the others," Nene said, looking around. I could hear her scanner going. "All of them shut down completely."
I looked around. The other Boomers had frozen in position, just like the one I'd been fighting, stock still like statues. "This is just creepy," I remarked, shuddering.
"Is this someone's idea of a joke?!" Mom growled, snapping her head around. "'Cause I ain't laughing! Whoever's got the damn OMS is toying with us!"
"Even if that's the case, I don't suppose you want to chance them restarting, do you, Priss?" Sylia asked coyly. "If someone is playing with us, then let's not let them have another turn. Let's take them out before they come back online."
"I hear that!" I said enthusiastically, cutting the Boomer nearest me in half through the torso with one of my swords, while Mom Knuckle-Bombed some of the other Boomers' heads, Linna cut through a few with her ribbons, and Sylia cut up the remaining ones with her own swords. I looked down at the one that had had me by the shoulders just before shutting down, and slammed my Knuckle Bomber into the back of its head, ensuring it wouldn't decide to wake up on me again.
Sylia looked around, looking satisfied that the Boomers were dead and that no others would be sneaking up on us. "Let's get out of here."
I leaned back on the couch and yawned as Nene came up to everyone with a tray with a kettle and several cups. "Anybody need coffee?" she asked.
"Thanks," I said, and in seconds all of us had a cup of coffee in our hands. I gulped mine down eagerly, worn out from the night's events, strange as they had been. I had never had Boomers just shut down on me in battle before, and judging from the others' reactions, they hadn't seen anything like it either. "This is just weird. Them shutting down like that?"
"Weird doesn't begin to cut it," Mom said flatly, chugging her cup as well.
Sylia sat down between Mom and Linna, and filled up her own cup of coffee. Taking a sip, she sat back and crossed her legs, letting out a small sigh. "All signs," she said, "are pointing to this being an inside job gone wrong. There are no signs of Genom having recovered the OMS, but apparently someone has access to it."
"I wonder if someone could've hacked into it?" Nene mused. "Maybe Genom can access it, even though they can't physically touch it, and someone else made it so those Boomers shut down."
"It's possible," Sylia said with a nod. "But for the ASI building to go up in flames…"
"Well, y'know," Mom added, "if I was given a toy like that, I know I wouldn't want to give it back, no matter what you offered me for it."
Mom must've hit something on the head, for Sylia suddenly looked like she had an idea. She stood up. "I am going to get in contact with Fargo and see what else he can find out for us about ASI. In the meantime, you four get some rest. We all need it."
"I should check on Emi," I said. "She wasn't feeling good when I left her."
Sylia looked at me. "Who's Emi?" she asked curiously.
"Just a girl I took in. I've been trying to have Nene find out stuff about her, since she lost her memory before I found her, but…"
"That's going to have to wait. You know that. We have more important things to worry about at the moment."
"I know…"
I was so tired that I found myself nodding off on the way home several times, but the dull aches in my shoulders helped me to keep me awake somewhat. I tried rotating my arms again during red lights, which helped a little, but I did make a mental note to take something before I headed off to bed.
ASI went up in flames…but Genom doesn't have the OMS back. Apparently it's missing, I thought. Maybe Genom got pissed that it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Maybe ASI's got it in an extra-special hiding place. Ha, maybe ASI wants to be Genom! But they're owned by Genom!! Hell, I was a Knight Saber, but by no means did that mean I wanted to become the leader of the Knight Sabers! I knew Sylia could handle that job better than anyone. I was probably the least qualified for that position, but at least I knew it.
I sauntered up to the entrance to my apartment, almost dropping my helmet as I put the key in the lock and turned it. Walking in, I tossed the helmet to the ground near the door and shut it, pulling off my jacket. The TV was still on, turned to the news. Emi was still on the couch, stretched out. She was asleep. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I guess she felt better then, I thought. Good.
It was that state between consciousness and sleep, that state where you're not really sure if what you're feeling is real. The jabbing sensation in my shoulder, I thought, was just part of a dream I thought I was in. But somehow, I doubt people feel pain in their dreams, as the jabbing really started to get on my nerves.
I turned over in bed and looked up bleary-eyed at an orange-haired girl. "What?" I asked.
"You didn't wake me up when you came back!" Emi scolded. "I was worried, especially when I saw the Boomers on the TV!"
"Heh. Boomers…" I muttered, feeling myself drifting back to sleep again. I looked up at her again. "I didn't go through that part of town. That's nowhere near where I went."
"Where did you go, then?"
"District 3. It's where Sylia lives. She's another of my mom's friends, another 'aunt.' She called us all over because she wants to throw Nene a surprise party for her birthday next month, and she wanted to ask our opinions about what we should do."
"Her birthday is next month?" She lit up. "How old is she going to be?"
"It's not polite to ask," I chuckled, sitting up, running a hand through my hair, "but between you and me, she'll be forty-three."
"Wow. She looks young. I wouldn't have guessed she was that old."
I laughed out loud, slapping my knees. "Ha ha!! Don't say that to her face! In her mind she's still nineteen. When I turned nineteen last month she went on and on about how 'Oh, that's the best age ever. I wish I could've stayed nineteen, and be able to roll out of bed looking ready for work like you do, Yumeko.' She's too much."
"How old is your mom?"
"She's a year older, she's forty-four."
"So she had you when she was twenty-five?"
"Uh-huh, less than two weeks after her birthday."
"What about your dad? Am I going to meet him today too?"
I grunted. "Sperm donor. I'm not going to get into that with you. Mom wouldn't like it. It's something she doesn't like talking about."
Emi just blinked, then smiled and nodded. "Oh. Okay."
I crawled out of bed. "I'm gonna have you meet Mom and Linna, and Sylia if we have time. I also want to take you to a few other places too."
"What about Nene? We're not going to go see her?"
"She's busy with work-related crap, so she hasn't been able to look anything up about you."
"Oh. And what kinds of places were we going to go to?"
"Just…places. Places that're special to me. Did you need a shower?" She nodded. "Go take one. I'll make breakfast."
While Emi took her shower, I prepared some bagels, toasting them before spreading a generous layer of cream cheese over them. After that, I cut up some apples and poured two glasses of orange juice. I'd just sat down to eat mine when I heard the shower turn off; Emi was already done. By the time I finished half of my bagel and most of my cut-up apple, she was already dressed and bouncing into the kitchen, sitting down to take a big bite out of her own bagel.
"This is good!" she squealed.
"It's easy enough to make," I said, sipping my juice. "And it's filling. Think you can handle the dishes while I take my shower?"
"I can do that," she said.
"Good."
I finished my breakfast and took my turn in the shower, letting the hot water beat down on my shoulders and work out the last of the kinks that remained in them from last night's fight. Definitely unusual, the Boomers suddenly quitting in the middle of battle like that. But at least it saved us from tiring ourselves out and kept any of us from getting hurt. For that, I was thankful. But still…who had the OMS, anyway? Did ASI still have it? If so, were they on our side? Did the people there shut them down on purpose? Or did someone else have it, and they were just shut down as part of a trial run?
I frowned in thought as I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair and replaced it with conditioner, scrubbing it into my scalp. This whole thing made no sense. If Genom and ASI were in cahoots, then how did the ASI building go up in flames? Was it really an inside job gone wrong, like Sylia had suggested at our post-battle meeting? Was the whole thing a setup? I hated putting together puzzles when I only had half the pieces. It was damn frustrating.
"Let Sylia handle it," I could hear Craig say; I could imagine him standing behind me and putting his hands on my shoulders as I wrapped the towel around me and stepped out of the shower. "She's the leader. She knows how to handle situations like this."
Yeah yeah, I thought, but that doesn't diffuse MY confusion. Sure glad I'm not the leader, sure glad I wasn't put into that position like Bert was.
Still towel-clad, I laid down on my bed and spread my arms so that they were laying spread out at my sides. It had been a while…and as much as I'd hated the situation for most of the time I was there, I did enjoy fighting alongside Bert and Craig, even if they were guys. They were Knight Sabers, too, after all, and they had more experience than I did, as much as I hated to admit it at the time.
Bert and I had had our disagreements, but by the end we'd gained a mutual respect for each other. But it was Craig who'd helped me through everything. He'd even stayed by my side after I'd stabbed myself, a desperate move that I'd regretted almost as soon as I'd done it, and he was there for me even when he saw me black out during the incident at the bar. He was always there.
Maybe it was a form of Stockholm Syndrome, although I was loath to admit it, especially to myself – we hadn't been kidnapped and held hostage, after all – but for some reason I did start to have feelings for him, and when I confessed them to him, he returned them in kind. And that last night, after our final confrontation with Largo and his goons, that last night before we were to return to our own worlds…I'd straddled his lap, kissed him, asked him to make love to me. I wanted to show him that I did…love him…even if I never did get the chance to say that word to him. And his response…
"I'm not a one-night-stand kind of guy."
I'd been so hurt by his remark. I'd recoiled and said that that wasn't what I'd meant at all. All I'd wanted to do was show that I was willing to give him my virginity, even if I knew we'd never see each other again. If I was going to be hurt by somebody, then let me be hurt by him. It didn't matter to me.
Looking back, I understood why he'd said it, why he'd refused to sleep with me. He wanted to spare himself, as well as spare me, because of that very reason, that we'd never meet again. I still wanted to believe it, though, believe that somehow, someway, we WOULD meet again. I swore it in my heart. I swore to myself that I would wait for him.
I was sure he'd laugh if he knew, but I didn't care.
Oh, what I would do if I saw you again, Craig, I thought. My heart would probably burst with happiness, to use a damned overused cliché. I wished I could fight alongside him again; I was certain he would've had a similar expression to the one I'd worn last night if he were there to see the Boomers spontaneously shut down. I wished I could curl up in his bed with him, like he'd let me do after I'd checked in on him after a particularly strenuous battle, one where I'd almost gotten him killed, despite his insistence it was his fault, not mine. I wished I could hold him and never let go. I wished he were right here, to open up my towel and feel my bare skin underneath his large, strong hands. I would let him. I would kiss him, hold him close…
…let him inside…
My eyes flew open at the last thought. I could feel my skin burn hot and red with embarrassment. I let out a breath and stared up at the ceiling. Why would I feel embarrassed about having thoughts like that? If that was what people did when they loved each other…then why would I feel that way? It wasn't shameful… Just because I was a virgin and wanted to be touched that way…no. It wasn't shameful at all, to feel that way.
"Yumeko!"
I jumped and sat up quickly. I hadn't heard Emi come in. "What?" I said, my voice a full octave higher than normal. "What is it?"
"Are you ok?" she asked, stifling a snicker. "Your whole body looks like it's blushing."
"I'm fine!" I insisted. "I just ran the water a little hotter than I intended."
"I did the dishes."
"Good, good. Just sit and watch TV or something while I get dressed. I'll be out in a minute. How's your stomach, by the way? I didn't ask."
"Oh, it's better. It hurt for a long time, but it feels good now."
"That's good. Now go, I gotta find something to wear."
Emi just giggled to herself as she left, closing the door behind her. I sat there and gaped for a second, then let out an exasperated sigh and flopped back onto the bed. It hadn't been that obvious what I was thinking about, was it?! How long had she been standing there?!
"Damn!"
I only lived about two kilometers from the apartment that Mom and I used to share, so it wasn't that long of a ride. Still, I'd debated on whether to have Emi meet her or Linna first; I wasn't sure how she'd react to Mom, or how Mom would treat her since she was a girl I'd almost literally pulled off the street. But she was closer, so I figured I'd get it out of the way.
"This is it?" Emi asked, pulling off my helmet, which I'd lent her.
"Yup. Fourth floor. I lived here with her until January, then I got my own place. It's about the same size as my apartment, but you're staying with me so you can imagine what it's like to share a small space like that."
We went inside and headed up the three flights of stairs to get to the fourth floor. Several doors down on the right was a door that I had gone back and forth through about a million times. It used to be home. In fact, I had only been here a handful of times since I'd gotten out of rehab and moved out. When we did talk it was usually over the phone, and in person it was usually her who came over to my place, or to my work. I rarely did likewise, but I figured if Emi was going to be staying with me for the foreseeable future, then she and my aunts ought to at least meet her.
But life has a funny way of throwing you curveballs.
"Oh! Yume," Mom said, looking startled to see me when she answered the door. She turned to Emi. "Oh, hi."
"Hello," Emi said cheerfully, bowing. "It's nice to meet you in person!"
I blinked. "Huh?"
Mom grinned. "Oh, I called your place last night, but I guess you hadn't gotten home from work yet. Your friend answered the phone."
"You forgot to mention this," I said darkly, turning to Emi.
"I got my stomachache after that," she replied matter-of-factly. "I forgot about it. I didn't know she was your mom though. She just said she was wondering if you'd gotten home yet."
"Don't think I introduced myself either," Mom said. "I'm Priss."
"I'm Emi."
"I know. Yume's told me about you."
We entered the apartment, me and Emi sitting down on the couch. "What did you wanna talk with me about?" I asked.
"I was gonna remind you to come over to Sylia's place, but you weren't there, so she paged you."
"About Nene's birthday party, right?" Emi chimed in.
Mom blinked, then gave me a look. I nodded. "Ohhh, oh, yeah," she grunted. "She loves a party, I'll tell ya. To hell with hiring strippers, she IS one."
I coughed and made a gesture to Emi not to inquire. "Today's my day off," I explained, "so I thought I'd show Emi around."
"How long you been staying with Yume?" Mom asked.
Emi had to think for a moment. "Since Sunday night. And why do you call Yumeko Yume?"
"Nickname. Reserved for me," she added with a smirk.
I didn't mind Craig calling me that, though, I thought.
"It's cute," Emi gushed. "I think Yumeko suits her better though."
"…Cute?" I repeated.
"I should've known you were her mother! The eyes are the exact same! And the voice has the same huskiness."
"…Husky?"
"You mean you didn't?" Mom chuckled. "She's more than a chip off the ol' block."
"But everything's darker. Her hair, her eyes. Was her father pretty dark?"
"Emi!" I hissed. She cringed, remembering what I'd told her.
Mom grunted. "Her father," she said, spitting the word like it was a profanity, "is only a father in the sense he was there at the conception. He contributed nothing else, except maybe my darling daughter's addictive personality. Did she tell you about that?"
Emi shook her head. "Tell me about what?"
"She's a druggie. She went to rehab for a couple months—"
"I am NOT…" I seethed, getting to my feet, "a druggie. I don't like you throwing that in my face every time we're alone. I'm past it now!"
"Are you?" she queried, unabashed. "In your line of work you can't afford to be in pain."
"In my line of work there's other options besides shooting up."
"You sure you don't wish you had that little white bottle every time it rains? Every time you're limping down the street because it's snowing? Yume, you KNOW I've met a lot of people, in MY line of work, who've used. Even if they're sober, clean, they're still addicts. You're always one, no matter how long it's been since you last got high. There's always that temptation every time you get stressed out, every time you just wanna escape for a while."
"And that's why you hit the bottle when you got pregnant with me, right?" I snapped, in such a calm voice I hardly believed it was me who said it.
Mom started to raise her hand, and I instinctively took a step back, starting to raise my own hands in a defensive gesture. But she stopped and pressed her lips together, fuming for several seconds before answering. "That was before I knew I was pregnant," she said slowly, face red with anger but her voice giving away none of it. "But you didn't stop once your leg was healed."
"It'll never be healed," I refuted. "It'll never be the same. I've just had to learn to live with it."
"You have a guitar?!" Emi squealed out of nowhere. It was then I realized she'd disappeared from her spot on the couch next to me, and had made her way to a corner near the front door, where Mom kept her guitar. She picked it up and gave me a weak smile; it was like she felt she had to do something to break up me and Mom's fight.
"Of course I do, I have a band," Mom said, giving me a 'what the hell?' look as she stood up and took the guitar from Emi.
"Could you play something? I'd like to hear it."
"Like what?"
"I was listening to the radio while Yumeko was at work, and this one song on this one station…the music was like…it went like…do do dooo, do do, do dooo…"
"Stairway to Heaven," Mom and I chorused.
"Yeah, I can play that," Mom said, sitting down and tightening the strings on the guitar.
"You found the oldies station?!" I remarked.
"It was old?" she asked, making me slap myself upside the head. "But it was so pretty!"
"Doesn't stay that way."
"The whole thing is nice."
Emi sat back down next to me, while Mom finished tuning up her guitar. She strummed her fingers along the strings before settling into a classic tune. I closed my eyes and could hear her humming where the lyrics would have been as she played.
"There's a feeling I get…when I look to the west…" I mumbled, "and my spirit is crying for leaving. In my thoughts…I have seen…rings of smoke through the trees, and the voices of those who stand looking…"
Early September. Several days after I'd returned home from the other world, and several days since I had admitted to Mom my drug problem. We were standing out on Sylia's patio, while she was inside making a call to a friend she thought could help me. It was dusk. There was a light breeze.
"I wish you'd told me earlier," she grumbled.
"I thought I could handle it," I said weakly, looking away. I felt so small at that moment. "It was fine at first."
"Well, it wasn't, was it! You're an addict! We all tried to tell you not to overdo it on that crap, and look at you now!"
"I was hurting! I'm always hurting!"
"You got through the summer just fine! You just couldn't wait till you got home, huh? No more random drug tests. Free to indulge as much as you want…"
"Shut up! It wasn't like that!!"
"Then how WAS it, Yume?!" she screamed. "Tell me how it was! You led me on to think you were doing ok in Sacramento, and I actually believed it. I was supposed to take care of you after you got shot, so tell me where the fuck I went wrong!"
"You didn't do anything wrong," I cried. "It was all me. It was everything. I couldn't…I couldn't handle it. Everything's just messed up."
"I know I couldn't do much for you when you were in the States, being an ocean apart. But damn it!!" My head snapped to the side, a sharp pain on my cheek as I felt her hand make contact with the side of my face I could actually feel. "I raised you better than that!!"
She had slapped me. But at the same time, the move didn't shock me at all.
I held my cheek and turned away again, tears running down my face. "I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment, then."
Emi and I didn't stick around much longer after Mom's demonstration of her guitar skills. About the only thing we did after that was show Emi the bedroom, since she was curious if we had shared a bedroom. She shook her head and said she didn't see how two people could've shared, but all Mom and I could say was that there wasn't really any other option.
Instead of my bed on the right-hand side of the room, there were Mom's other guitars and her amplifiers, a combination bedroom/jam room, with sheet music and rough drafts of lyrics scattered on the floor. From what Linna and Nene had told me, this was how it was set up before I was born. And apparently she'd wasted no time in reclaiming that space as soon as I had my own place. If she displayed any signs of so-called empty nest syndrome, it wasn't in front of me.
Emi didn't say anything after we left until we were at the first red light we encountered. I heard her lift up the visor and ask, "Do you not get along with your mom?"
"We used to get along great," I replied. "Once I told her I was addicted to morphine that all changed. I guess I let her down."
"How did you get addicted?"
"After I got shot I was in a lot of pain. I took it to help with that, but even after my leg got better, I just…didn't want to stop, I guess. Things got worse and worse, even though I kept telling myself I could handle it. But finally…Craig and Bert…they got me to see I needed help. And so I told Mom."
"And she's mad at you for asking for help?" She sounded puzzled.
"It's a little more complicated than that," I said with a heavy sigh. "I don't really want to get into it. She still hasn't…forgiven me for getting addicted, for 'letting' myself. I understand she's pissed at me, but I wish she wouldn't be."
"But you did get help, right? You asked for it, and you got it. Why would she still be mad? She should be happy you're better now."
"You'd think that…"
The light turned green, and Emi pulled the visor down before we were on our way again. We didn't exchange many more words the rest of the way to Linna's apartment. I was too focused anyway, too distracted by her few words. Emi hadn't been judgmental at all, even after hearing my glossed-over version of the story. Maybe even at her age, she knew to reserve judgment until she heard the whole story. Or maybe she really was just that naïve. I didn't really care either way. That just put one more person on my side. My aunts had all supported me; they'd been disappointed too, at first, but I had their support throughout the recovery process. But Mom…she just couldn't let go. I couldn't blame her. Part of me was still mad at myself too, even if the other part was ready with a laundry list of excuses for why I'd taken morphine.
Just gotta give her time, I thought as I turned the corner onto Linna's street. But damn it, I've given her so much time already. Even if she IS my mom, why does she gotta be so stubborn?! I wish she'd just drop it already! Ah, the downside of having Asagiri blood running in your veins.
The smell of asphalt greeted my nostrils as I pulled into the parking lot of Linna's apartment complex; it looked to have been recently repaved. After finding a spot to park, Emi and I climbed off, with her taking off the helmet again. I walked towards a ground-floor door, telling Emi this was her apartment, and knocked on the door.
"Yumeko!" Linna exclaimed, opening the door. "Not at the gym today?"
"It's her day off," Emi chirped. "She's showing me around."
I chuckled. "She means that I'm usually at the gym on my days off anyway, working out." I motioned to Emi. "Linna, this is Emi. Emi, this is Aunt Linna."
"Hello," Emi said, bowing.
"Nice to meet you," Linna said, returning the bow. "I hope you're not driving Yumeko up the wall."
"I don't think I am. And she's been more than kind to me."
"That's nice to hear." She stepped aside. "Gonna come in?"
"Yeah. Busy?"
"I've got a lunch date set with this guy, but that's not for another two hours."
"Oh boy," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Did you two already eat? I can whip up something if you want."
"No, that's ok. We had breakfast before we left."
"Ok." We all sat down on the living room couch, Linna crossing one leg over the other, adjusting her headband. "So what are you doing, just making the rounds, introducing her to everyone?"
"Pretty much. As long as she's staying with me, I figured everyone should meet her."
"Have you done anything in terms of looking for her parents?"
"I've tried, but Nene's busy and I don't have the skills or equipment she does. And obviously I can't bring her to work, so I've just left her at home."
"Entertained by the TV? That doesn't really make for a good education, or good entertainment, for that matter. She's not a pet."
"I didn't say she was!" I protested. "Anyway, that's what I'm doing today, just showing her around. Who knows, maybe she'll recognize something. I wasn't about to let her out by herself to wander around. Someone would be liable to snatch her up like she IS a lost pet."
"You know…" she said, leaning back, "I wouldn't mind if you brought her along to the gym. It'd give her something to do, in any case. Sitting around isn't good for you."
"See?!" Emi exclaimed. "I TOLD you I wouldn't mind doing Spinning classes all day!!"
I slapped myself upside the forehead. It seemed like she was making me do that a lot. "Seriously? You'd wanna do eight hours of almost non-stop exercise and dripping sweat? It's not as fun as it sounds. By the end of the day you'll be dying to get out of there."
"Give her a chance, Yumeko," Linna said. "She'll probably find something she likes."
"Maybe, but that wasn't a place I was planning on stopping by today. Don't feel like going by the Beehive today."
"Beehive?" Emi repeated.
"Yeah. Linna's gym."
She thought about it, then started to giggle. "Beehive. Hee! There's so many puns in that name I don't know where to start!"
Linna grinned proudly. "See why I call it that? Isn't it a great name?"
"Oh yes, it is!"
I rolled my eyes again. "Yeah, everyone thinks it's REAL cute. Same with Phoebe's, Linna's old gym. Hear the pun in that?"
Emi thought again. "Oh, I do. But Beehive is more creative. The pun in Phoebe's is sort of obvious."
"Why don't you stop by tomorrow?" Linna suggested. "I'll give you a martial arts lesson if you like, free of charge, on me."
"I was thinking about getting her signed up anyway," I cut in. "I told her she'd make an easy target."
"Anyone's an easy target if their guard is down."
"Or if they get a roofie slipped in their drink."
"That's not even remotely funny."
"Just saying, she's acting like I set out to get addicted, but that's the same as saying she was looking to get attacked. It's just not true."
"It's not, and they're two completely different sets of circumstances too. You need to talk it over with her."
"I'm trying, but she just throws it in my face. And I don't want to talk about it right now anyway. We already had a fight over it before me and Emi came over and Emi had to ask Mom to play a song on her guitar to get us to stop fighting."
"They looked like they were about to start hitting each other," Emi said quietly.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," I sighed. "Like I said, things between us are a little tense. Don't worry about it, it's not your place."
"But you're my friend. Somebody has to worry about you."
"I'LL worry about me," I said.
Linna stood up. "Well, I got to start getting ready for my date now, or I'll be late."
"Okay," I said, standing up, Emi doing likewise behind me. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Sure, unless something comes up before then. Nice to meet you, Emi."
"You too," Emi said with a bright smile. "I'll see you tomorrow too!"
"I'm looking forward to it!"
At my bike, as she was pulling on her helmet, Emi said, "I'm sorry if you didn't want me to butt in on your argument with your mom. But I didn't want to just sit there and do nothing."
"It's ok," I said. "What you saw is part of the reason I don't go over there much. I got into fights a lot at school, but getting into them with my mom is completely different territory to me. I can't just beat her to a pulp like I would any ol' SOB; I have to try to settle things the old-fashioned way, and to be honest…that's not usually how I do it. So it's taking some time."
She nodded and bit her lip. "So…where to now?" she asked.
"Now? We're gonna see a friend of mine."
After leaving Linna's house, I made sure to stop by the flower shop and buy a bouquet of daisies; I always had to make sure to have one with me whenever I went to this particular destination. I could hear the plastic crinkle as Emi held it close to her chest as I drove; I'd told her to make sure not to lose them, but to make sure not to crush them, either. Would she think I was morbid for taking her to a cemetery? I hoped not, but at the same time I didn't give a damn. I hadn't been here in a month, and it was about time to pay a visit.
Emi shuffled behind me as I led her down one of the main walkways towards a grouping of cherry trees, looking around morosely. I sighed and looked at the trees, remembering how beautiful they had been in March, when the petals were all pink and the slightest breeze made them fly off the trees, carpeting the ground in a soft haze of pink. Now that it was July, whatever leaves were left on the trees were dark, somewhat sad-looking.
I got down on my knees and placed the daisies in front of Michiko's headstone, brushing the kanji inscription on the stone with my fingertips.
"Michiko Ishiodori…" Emi read aloud. "5 March 2038…18 August 2055… Beloved daughter and friend…" She looked at me. "She was seventeen."
"Yes," I said quietly.
"What happened?"
"A guy was stalking me. Michiko found out, but he didn't want anyone getting in his way, so…he stabbed her. And then he stabbed me."
"That's how…you got those scars on your stomach." I nodded. "I'm so sorry."
"It's ok. It's not like…you could've done anything. For a long time, I…I blamed myself. I thought I should've known that something was wrong when I suddenly couldn't get ahold of her. I felt like I should've protected her. It took me a long time to accept that I couldn't. Shit happens."
"But it shouldn't. And not to someone so young. It's not fair." Emi dropped to her knees next to me. "You must've been hurting so much when you found out."
"…Yeah. I thought I was the one who was supposed to die, not her. She had a lot going for her. I like to think that if she were still alive, she'd probably be going to college to be a nurse or something. She really loved helping people out. She was there with me for a lot of my therapy sessions for my leg. After she died, I swore I'd get to the Olympics, just for her. But once those were over, everything just…went to hell."
"I noticed you have some pictures tucked in the mirror frame on your dresser," she said, voice choking up. "The girl with the blond streaks in her hair… Is that her?"
"Yes. That's her. And the girl with the tail and shades is Xania."
"The one you were talking with when I burnt the egg?"
"Yeah."
Emi wiped a tear from her eye, which startled me. Why was she getting so emotional? She hadn't known Michiko. "I know you would've done everything in your power to help her if you could, Yumeko," she said tearfully. "And I know you're helping me out the best you can right now, too. I'm so sorry for everything you've gone through. It must be so lonely, having to come here to visit Michiko, and to only be able to talk with Xania on the phone. Don't you have any other friends?"
"No."
"If I weren't here, is this what you would be doing anyway?"
"Probably. I usually practice at the Beehive on my days off, then every once in a while I come and give Michiko flowers, and sometimes I go to my special spot. It's a place I like to go to to be alone, to get away from everything. Being alone in my apartment isn't quite the same. It's not…tranquil like my special spot is."
"Where is this special spot?"
"That's where we're going to next." I looked at her. "Why are you crying? I don't think you knew her."
"I don't think I did," she admitted, "but…it's just not fair, that some people die so young. They're not supposed to. And it's obvious you were so close to her. I'm just so sorry. Part of me wishes I could have done something, but I know it's a silly thought. But you're not supposed to lose the ones you love. You're supposed to grow up together, grow old together. And she…went away, she left you behind."
"I don't blame her," I said softly. "It wasn't her fault, and it wasn't her choice. Lots of people were hurt when she died." I put a hand on her shoulder. "Emi, promise me something, ok? Promise me that when we find your family, when we find your home, that you'll live well. I love it that you're such a happy person. I want you to stay that way. Don't let life drag you down like it's dragged me down. Ok?"
Emi gave me a strange look, like she was confused by what I was asking, like she wasn't sure if she could live up to what I was asking her. But nonetheless, she smiled.
"Okay. I promise."
"Good. Michiko would have loved you, and you're more like her than you know."
"She's not here to take care of you anymore, so I'll do that for her. Someone has to look out for you, even if you say you can take of yourself."
I gave a weak smile. "Yeah…"
At a cemetery, it's only natural that you start looking around at other headstones, looking at how old or young other people were when they died. Emi had started to do that, after sitting with me at Michiko's grave. But since I'd wanted to show her my special spot, I had to drag her away, and after a few minutes driving down the street, we merged onto the on-ramp and got onto the highway, heading southwest.
"Wanna see a trick?" I asked.
"Sure!"
I grinned and sped up, kicking it up to 100 kilometers an hour as I weaved through traffic, several cars honking at me along the way but the sound quickly dying away as I left them in the dust. Emi squealed and laughed, and as we came to a bend, I leaned the bike down, so that we were only inches from the asphalt. She squealed again and squeezed me tight.
"Hey, watch where you're grabbing!" I scolded, laughing.
"Oops!"
Righting ourselves once the highway turned straight again, I weaved between a few more cars before I came to a clearing and was able to stay in one lane. Emi was still giggling, which made me smile. It didn't take much to make her laugh. At the same time, however, it caused a strange feeling to stir up inside me. I hadn't been able to laugh with anyone in a long time, not since I'd gotten out of rehab, not since my return from the other world, whereupon when Craig had finally made me laugh, he'd made a comment that I needed to laugh more. But I'd had nothing to laugh at, laugh for. But now, I had something of a friend, whose constant laughter was bordering on contagious. And at that moment, I'd realized something else, that I'd never taken anyone else to my special spot, let alone told anybody except for Linna. Wouldn't be special if everyone knew about it, right?
Traffic got lighter as we got to the outskirts of Tokyo, and it was then that I felt safe upping the speed to 140. The wind was starting to dry out my eyes somewhat, as Emi was the one wearing my helmet, but I didn't care. As I'd told her, this was my one oasis, my escape from it all where I knew no one could find me. It was here I didn't have to worry about arguing with Mom, or being a Knight Saber, or doing anything. I could just empty my mind of all that and just relax for a little bit. If it wasn't for the fact that I was a city girl and had my job – well, jobs, both of them – in the heart of the city, I might have just run away out here and never returned.
"Yumeko."
"Hmm?"
"There's a police car behind us."
I looked in the rear-view mirror, and sure enough, there was a cop car, lights flashing. "Ah shit. I was hoping they'd look the other way for once," I mumbled.
I slowed down gradually, and once I found a spot to pull over at, I did so, and a minute later, a woman officer stepped out of the car, small laptop tucked under her arm, and walked up to us.
She adjusted her sunglasses. "Oh geez. We meet again, Miss Asagiri."
"Hi, Officer Mikimoto," I groaned.
"We just run into each other all over Tokyo, don't we? You know the drill. Gimme your license."
"Yeah yeah." I whipped out my wallet and pulled out my license, handing it to the petite woman, who couldn't have been any bigger than Nene but whom I dreaded to see whenever I got pulled over.
"You know each other?" Emi asked.
"We sure do," Mikimoto chirped as she fed my license into the laptop. "I swear, I've probably pulled her over about ten times. This is the first time I've done so this far south though. Where are you two girls running off to?"
"She's showing me a spot she likes to go to to relax."
"An onsen?"
"No," I said. "Nothing stereotypical like that. Just a spot."
"Well, as long as you don't get pulled over again on the way back, it's fine by me," she said, printing out my ticket. She handed it to me, along with my license. "Because if you get one more ticket, your license is gonna get suspended. And you don't seem like the type who's keen on public transportation."
"I've used it."
"Yeah, but I'd miss seeing your little Ninja around," she joked, patting the front of my bike. "I'm surprised you haven't needed a new one yet, with the way you drive."
"I know how to take care of my things."
"Well, as long as someone in your family does!" She clicked her laptop shut. "Hopefully I won't see you around, but if I do…you know what's coming!"
"Yeah," I groaned again as she strode back to her car. A moment later, she drove by us, with Mikimoto waving cheerfully as she did so. "Damn it, she irritates me."
"Why?" Emi inquired. "She seemed nice."
I grimaced. "Because Nene used to work with her back when she was a cop! She talks with Nene, and then I don't hear the end of it from Nene for the next week! Dammit!!" I angrily started up the bike again.
Emi just laughed again, which made me let out a small chuckle in return as we got back on the road.
Another fifteen minutes later and we had just passed through Minobu, a suburb southwest of Tokyo. I nodded at an approaching hill, and felt Emi nod acknowledgment as I sped up the hill. Growing up in Tokyo, you'd think that I thought trees only grew by themselves, but once you got to the top of the hill, you'd quickly learn that wasn't true at all. The hill flattened out on the top, spreading out into a large forest, branches weighed down by the weight of the lush, green leaves that sprouted from them. There wasn't even a paved road, only a dirt one that cut through the trees, making a path. Once I stopped and turned off the bike, I could even hear birds singing.
"This is it?" Emi asked, pulling off the helmet and climbing off.
"Yup. And take a look behind you."
We both turned around. We were both at the edge of the forest, in a small clearing, and from up here, not only could we see almost the entire town of Minobu, but in the far distance, we could even see MegaTokyo. We really were away from it all.
"Woooow," she breathed. "This is a fantastic view."
"Isn't it? Too bad it's an hour's drive away from home, but that's what I get for living in the city."
She laid back on the grass, and I decided to join her. "How did you find this place?" she asked, looking up at the sky.
I smiled and stretched my arms out. "It was after I got out of rehab, but before I got my own place. Me and Mom had gotten into a major fight, and I decided I had to leave before I blew my top, so I left and just started driving, not caring where I went. And somehow I found my way here. It was December, so the trees were all bald, but…somehow, it just struck me as a beautiful spot. I stayed here, went through a few rounds of my tai chi, and I felt a lot better. Ever since then, I've tried to come out here when I feel stressed out. It just…offers something that Tokyo doesn't."
"Peaceful solitude?" she suggested.
"Yeah. You could say that. Yeah…peaceful solitude…" I closed my eyes and felt the breeze play against my face, sweeping my bangs back ever so slightly. Three years ago I wouldn't have really cared about this spot. But having been in Sacramento and having used the park there to escape to when I needed to be alone…maybe I was just craving something similar. I didn't know. It certainly offered something a morphine high hadn't.
As simple as it was, I'd known from the beginning that this was my own little slice of heaven. Here, I was just a normal girl dreaming normal dreams. That was all I could have ever wanted.
It was the middle of the afternoon by the time we got back into Tokyo, and we were both hungry, so I took Emi to a little place I knew that served soumen noodles. It was what I had been craving several days ago but felt like it didn't have enough substance to it. Emi almost choked when she first slurped up some of the noodles, which made me laugh, but even she had to admit with as hot as it was, something so damn cold was a welcome reprieve.
"A lot of the time during the summer you'll see me loading up on soumen and udon, anything with noodles," I chuckled. "It gives me a carb load before my workouts."
"But they're healthy," Emi pointed out, pointing her chopsticks at me. "And that's good too."
"Yeah, but they'll also make you gain weight if you don't work them off. I guess that's why there was that huge no-carb diet craze at the beginning of the century. I'm surprised it took as long as it did for those idiots to realize that wasn't gonna work, especially if you work out a lot like me. Protein bars only go so far as far as giving you energy goes."
"And these are so delicious too! How could you cut these out?"
"Now you see my point."
After we finished our noodles, we headed back outside into the dreaded summer heat. Emi winced and put up a hand to block the sunlight streaming down between two high-rises. I reached into my jacket and was about to pull out my biking gloves when, in the midst of the crowd, I saw a familiar face. One I didn't want to see.
"We're going this way," I said hurriedly, taking Emi by the hand. I started us walking the other direction, my feet urging us on faster when the voice belonging to that person called out.
"Hey! Babe!"
"Don't look back," I grunted to Emi, who of course turned to look over her shoulder.
"Who is that?" she asked.
"A not-so-secret admirer."
"C'mon!" Masahiro called out, running past us and stopping in front of us, blocking our path. "Is that any way to treat someone who's yelling for you?"
"Sure it is, if it's you," I retorted.
"Who's your friend here?"
"None of your business."
"Really?" He stepped up to her. "She's cute. A little young for my taste, but tastes can change."
To my surprise, Emi didn't try to hide behind me, or even step back. She stood her ground, her expression not changing. "You like Yumeko?"
"I've liked her for the past three and a half years. But she won't give me the time of day. She won't even let me touch her. She acts like I have cooties."
"Syphilis," I corrected.
"Oh, come on."
"Trust me, whatever you've got, I don't want, including your trouser snake. I'm sure I've made this perfectly clear by now."
"You're just afraid 'cause you're a virgin."
"I'm a virgin," Emi added.
"Emi," I groaned.
"Then you can both come to my place. I'll show you a fun time."
"But Yumeko just said she's never wanted to go to your place. So I'm sure whatever fun time you're offering isn't all that fun," she said. "And she's in love with someone who's not you. She told me that guys are jerks, and you seem like you're a pretty big jerk to not listen to her when she says no. From the way she's talked about Craig, he seems like a nice guy. You don't."
"Look at the little girl talk!" Masahiro laughed, leaning in. He patted her on the head. "She thinks she's so big!"
For the first time, I saw a frown cross Emi's face. "Go away."
"Hahaha! She's still talking big!" I cringed when I felt his other hand on my shoulder, patting. "Are you raising her to be a smartass like you? You're doing a good job."
What happened next went by so fast, I wasn't sure if I was seeing things, but the end result was certainly no illusion. In any case, when Emi saw Masahiro put his other hand on my shoulder, she wrinkled her nose in disgust. She reached up and grabbed the bastard's head, quickly spinning around, throwing his entire weight over her shoulder, and slammed him down into the sidewalk, actually making him bounce as he hit. I jumped back and yelped in surprise; everyone else that had been walking by us stopped and gaped in shock, jaws halfway to the ground.
Masahiro looked just as shocked. His mouth was half-open, his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets, and a strange sound was coming out of his throat as he tried to get his breath back. "Ga…ga…"
Emi pressed her sandaled foot against Masahiro's forehead. "Yumeko told you not to touch her. When someone tells you not to do something, don't do it. Do you understand me?"
He paused, then nodded.
Emi removed her foot from his head and turned to look at me. "Are we going now?"
I had to take a moment to get myself composed, but I was still in shock. This little girl had just tossed that bastard, who probably was twice my weight, over her shoulder like he was nothing. What the hell was she made of?! "H…how did you do that?" I stammered. "Even I can't do that!"
"You can't?"
"Hell no!!"
"He was annoying you."
"I asked how, not why! I didn't know you could do that!"
"I didn't either," she said with a shrug. "It just came to me."
"And you say that so casually…" I gave my head a shake, trying to clear it. Had she really done that?! I know I didn't do it, and he certainly didn't end up on the ground with a potentially broken back by himself. But…this didn't make sense!
"You, uh, you sure you didn't pull anything?"
"Nope. I feel fine." She motioned towards the still-fallen Masahiro. "He might need a doctor, though. But I don't know any."
"Me either…uh…" I scratched my head and laughed nervously.
"Are you ok?" Emi asked.
"I just can't believe you did that!"
"Was I wrong?"
"No, no, but…a kick in the crotch would've worked too. But that…wow, he didn't see that coming! I didn't either!"
"So are we going home now?"
I let out another small nervous laugh and led her to my bike. "Y'know what? I wasn't sure if I should take you to Sylia's place, 'cause she's always busy and she's not as easygoing as my other aunts, but now that I saw that…I think she might really want to meet you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. She'll really be intrigued…"
After lending her my helmet again, I pulled on my biking gloves, we climbed on, and in moments we were heading down the street, with several people still gawking at Emi in surprise. Emi doing that… It wasn't normal. I didn't even think Linna would've been capable of that, outside of her hardsuit, at least. Of course, I hadn't seen her in combat with a guy Masahiro's size, but still… This unnerved me, to say the least. Who the hell had I decided to take in?! This girl was something else.