Character: Anako Senmatsu
Summary: The three times Anako got the short end of the stick, and the one time she didn't.
Anako
Feeling her aura for the first time was certainly an experience. I can't quite describe it, but it's like having sparks of electricity tingle your skin, followed by a sharp, cold sensation. She gets roped into a duel with another psychic, and she's allowed to make the first move. She attacks first and gives the guy a nasty gash on his arm. I try to catch her as she surrenders the duel, but she runs away too quickly.
Her aura was special. The next day, I walk into the Daimon Area and I can't help but feel her aura. Aside from Raiden, her aura must be one of the most powerful ones that I've ever felt. All this coming from a scrawny teenage girl. I find her sitting against a wall beside an alleyway, watching a duel. I know that alleyway well, I tried recruiting that Saitama kid that hangs out there, but I've gotten nowhere. I think the Jackals snatched him up before we did.
"Mind if I sit?" Her head whips around to look at me. She looks very panicked, like she didn't expect anyone to talk to her, but she nods. "Aw, thank you." I sit down on the ground. I notice that her face looks a bit flushed, and she's trying to avoid looking at me. Is she queer or just shy? That is the question. Probably both, my instinct tells me. I start playing with my ponytail, out of habit. I hate trying to recruit people, yet Raiden still insists on making me do this. "I saw you dueling yesterday."
"My duel?" She gets flustered all of a sudden. She folds her arms in a panic. She moves so quickly that her hood pulled up over her head falls down. "I-I-"
"Don't worry, I'm a psychic too." I smile at her to make her calm down. Her shoulders slump slightly like it's working. "I'm not here to do anything bad."
"Oh okay," the girl sighs in relief. "I've never met another psychic before."
"Really?" How unusual. "You must have recently discovered that you're a psychic then."
"Yeah," she speaks very slowly as if she's scared of telling me. Her head turns around to look at me more. Her magenta eyes are practically glowing compared to her very pale skin and short, washed out sandy-blonde hair. Then, she turns just enough that I see the small criminal marker under her right eye. My eyes widen. This poor girl, being marked and a psychic. She has to be younger than me, no older than fifteen.
"And you're marked too? Your poor thing." I point it out rather than saying nothing. She nods slowly. She unfolds her arm and rests them on her knees, which she's curled up in front of her. I notice how thin she is, it can hardly be healthy. I spot some redness at the creases in her wrist. She pulls down her sleeves when she notices me staring. It must be scars then. "You must have nobody then."
"I guess so," she shrugs. She says nothing more.
"I'll tell you a secret," I lean into her. Her head turns very slowly. There's a small glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Have you heard of duel gangs?" I give her my classic opening line in recruiting people.
"Back in the Satellite, yes." Satellite? I squint a little. How is she here if she's from the Satellite? Unless she smuggled herself in on the black-market boats. It would explain why she's on her own. "I didn't know there were any here."
"Well, I'm part of one." I flick my ponytail over my shoulder in a dramatic fashion. "It's called Black Flag. It's full of people just like you and me, psychics. You don't have to be alone anymore. We'll be your new family if your family doesn't accept you. Black Flag is already one huge family, and I want you to be a part of us."
Her eyes glaze over a little. There's a pause, like she's suddenly been reminded of something. I go to say something, but she beats me to it. "That sounds great," is all she says. There's another pause. "Why me?"
"Well," I inhale deeply, trying to get my thoughts together. "I saw your duel up until you surrendered and ran off. You have a lot of potential as a psychic. If you got the right training, who knows what you'd be capable of." I move my hand to my mouth and focus on her aura. For someone who just became a psychic, her aura is almost too strong. She's had no training at all, and this is the level she's at now. I have to resist the urge to shiver at the thought of what she could become. The girl's face flushes a little more, it's made obvious by her very pale face. "I could take you to meet our leader, if you'd like." I think I might be able to get her to join, she seems interested enough. "You don't have to, but I think it would be-"
"I'll go," she cuts me off. She's agreeing already? How bad of a situation is this girl in that she'd throw herself into a gang without a second thought?
"Oh, that's good." I nod and stand up. I offer the girl my hand and she takes it. "That's great, actually." And then she smiles. I swear that I haven't seen a more beautiful smile before. Her eyes practically glow as her face lights up. "Hold on," my brain suddenly reboots. I start to chuckle nervously. "I don't even know your name!" I can't believe that I've let myself have a full conversation with a pretty girl without learning her name.
"It's Yuuka." She mutters.
"Is there a last name that goes with that, Yuuka?" I ask. Her eyes widen a little bit, before she pauses.
"Sasaki," she finally answers. Yuuka Sasaki."
"Anako Senmatsu, it's nice to meet you." I smile at her, in an attempt to keep her smiling. It doesn't work, her smile has already faded away. "Come on, let me bring you to our base." I almost put my hand out for her to hold, but I stop myself. I've known this girl for maybe five minutes, and I'm already pulling this shit.
I walk the familiar path out of the Daimon Area. Yuuka seems very quiet. She's merely just looking around as we walk. "So Yuuka, tell me about yourself." I try to make some light conversation.
"I'm from the Satellite, if you haven't noticed." She sighs. I want to tell her that not every marked person in the Daimon Area is from the Satellite. They're normally people who have committed petty crimes, bigger crimes get you set to the Satellite. "Yeah, I got arrested for insisting that I'm a human being. I got sent to the City once they found out that I had living family here."
"Yikes," I say, not knowing what else to say. I would say she's lucky to leave the Satellite and find her family, but something tells me that she wouldn't appreciate that much. "So, I'm guessing that your new family didn't take too kindly to your mark and your new powers?"
"Yep," she sighs with her shoulders slumping, "so now I'm just doing my own thing." Wait, she's homeless too? She doesn't look like she is, despite how deathly pale and skinny she is. She looks clean and like she's eaten something in the last week at least. But maybe that's just the Satellite in her. I want to ask, but I feel like she wouldn't like that question very much. Hopefully Raiden will have the sense to ask her.
"That's fair," I nod slowly. I don't know how to respond to that. I see Yuuka looking across the Sound wistfully as we reach the dock. Poor thing, she's been through so much. Imagine having such a rough time in this City that you'd want to go back to the Satellite of all places. "Black Flag controls from the docklands to the Daimon Area." I start explaining in an attempt to distract her from her thoughts. "Our whole territory is from the Daimon Area to the Downtown District. That's actually a problem area for us. Onyx Slicers are trying to sneak into the area over the last few weeks." My eyebrows furrow slightly thinking about that. Someone put a hit on their leader, so hopefully that should calm down at least. I know that sounds bad, but a lot of people got hurt in our last fight with them.
"So, that must be a big territory, right?" Yuuka asks. "I'm new to this City, so I'm not exactly sure. But, if Black Flag is a target, that means your territory must cover a lot of ground."
"You're right," I slow down and turn to look at her. "You're familiar with gangs, then?"
"Oh yeah, I was part of one before." She says coolly like it's not a big deal. "Back in the Satellite, I was part of the biggest duel gang there. It was pretty cool."
"Why did you leave?" My eyes narrow slightly.
"Got arrested, they don't know where I am."
"Oh yeah, of course." I shake my head. My thoughts instantly went to betrayal, but that's just my mind being so used to this City. "We're getting closer to the base. Admittedly, I'm taking you the long way. But I'm guessing that you don't know this side of town well, so I'm showing you the easiest way to remember. Go from the Daimon Area, down to the docks, turn left, keep going until you see Tenjoin Road." I point at the street sign for her. "Turn onto it." We leave the dock area and turn into the small industrial estate. "Count three buildings. Turn right." I point to the familiar building up ahead. You can't miss it, since it's covered in black spray paint. I remember Shinji spending the entire day just covering the base in graffiti. He has a knack for it, I must admit. "There's the Black Flag base. Come on, let's go."
I push the heavy door open like I have hundreds of times. Everyone looks over at us, probably curious about the new aura with me, but they look away quickly.
"Hey Anako!" I hear Shinji calling out to me from the other side of the room. He's waving at us to come over.
"Come on." I grab Yuuka's arm. She seems a bit out of it, so I have to practically drag her over. "Let's make you some friends."
"New recruit?" Shinji asks as we reach him. He puts out his hand for Yuuka to shake. "The name's Shinji."
"Uh, Yuuka." She says, shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you." Shinji smiles, which seems to put her at ease. He was probably the best person to introduce Yuuka to first. People tend to radiate to Shinji just because he's almost like a little ray of sunshine. "This is Reika."
"Hey," Reika finally joins in. Yuuka actually jumps a little, I don't think she noticed her at all. That's fair, Reika isn't exactly the friendliest or loudest person. At least, until you get to know her. She's my best friend, and if anything happened to her, I'd have someone's head on a plate.
"Raiden's in his office before you ask." Shinji turns his attention to me.
"Raiden?" Yuuka asks.
"Our leader here," Shinji answers for me. "He's also my cousin, even though we look nothing alike." It's true. Shinji and Raiden really are like day and night. I sometimes forget that the two are even related, which is saying something considering the amount of time that I spend around both of them.
"Ah cool," Yuuka responds a little awkwardly.
"Right, I'll go introduce her to Raiden." I clap my hands together. I look at Yuuka, she looks a little overwhelmed. "You ready?" I ask, to which she nods.
"See you later, Yuuka." Shinji puts up his hand in a half-hearted wave.
"Yeah, I will." Yuuka says as she begins to follow me up the stairs. I stand in front of Raiden's office.
"This is Raiden's office." I explain. "Don't go in without knocking, he hates it when people do that." My brain almost adds because you'll see something that you don't want to see at the end of that. Yuuka doesn't need to know about Raiden and I at this exact moment, or the deep inner workings of this gang. I knock on the door and I hear Raiden tell me to come in. I open the door and peek inside. I feel Yuuka hovering just behind me, looking over my shoulder.
"A new recruit?" Raiden asks.
"She's the one that I told you about." I let Yuuka into the room. I point to the spot just in front of Raiden's desk, and she walks up to it, while I just lean on the wall. I'll let him do all of the work from here.
There's a silence. Raiden's eyes study Yuuka very carefully. I try reading his aura to see what he's thinking, but it's unreadable as usual. My aura reading powers have never been the best, so that could explain it. But for some reason, I doubt it.
"Ah yes," he says after the long pause. "So, you're interested in joining Black Flag, umm…"
"Yuuka." She practically bursts out with. "Yuuka Sasaki."
"Raiden Kimura." He leans forward in his chair and shakes hands with her. "It's nice to meet you, Yuuka. I'm glad you've decided to join us. Our gang can never have enough psychics. This is a safe haven for psychics after all."
"You know that I'm a psychic?" I see her back tremble slightly.
"Of course, I know." Raiden's eyes widen slightly as he realises that she's only a fledgling psychic. Raiden can't read auras, but he must still be able to sense how strong it is. "All psychics can tell each other apart. It's a natural instinct, after all. Are you saying that, when you look at Anako and I, you don't feel anything different about us?" I feel Yuuka's aura shift, like she's concentrating.
"I think I get it," she says very softly. Raiden nods at me. She might be able to read auras, that's what he's saying. I'd be the one training her then, probably. He keeps staring. What does he want? His eyes slowly move from me to the door. He wants me to leave? I sigh and leave, slamming the door closed a little louder than necessary.
I lean on the wall outside of the office. The walls are thin enough that they don't fully block out the sound, something Raiden knows about but doesn't care enough to change.
While Raiden and I are technically friends-with-benefits, we've been thinking about actually dating. We're free to see whoever we want, but that hasn't happened in a while. So, we're thinking about just calling it official.
We're so close to being official, but for some reason, I'm hesitating. There's nothing wrong with Raiden, at least right now that is. But I saw something in his eyes just now, something that I didn't like. Not to say that I'm jealous of Yuuka, even if Raiden does end up pursuing her. There was a devious look in his eyes. I can teach you, I hear him say through the wall. He's got a plan. He felt how strong her aura was. He's planning to use that to his advantage. Well, we have been having problems with the Onyx Slicers recently.
Am I just going along with this whole relationship thing because I feel like I owe it to Raiden? The thought crosses my mind. Do I even want this?
The door opens again, and I jump. Yuuka comes out, looking surprised that I'm waiting just outside the door. She goes to say something, but it comes out as a squeak, so she just heads downstairs. I must have my resting bitch face again.
I don't even knock on Raiden's door. I just walk straight in. He doesn't seem that surprised.
"What was that?" I ask. "Why did you ask me to leave? From the sounds of it, there was nothing that important."
"Really? That's what you're upset about?" He chuckles. "I know Yuuka's type. They like to feel special. By having it as just me and her, I'm increasing the chances of her joining and staying."
"I suppose," I scoff and sit on the desk. "Very strong aura, did you feel it?"
"Yes," he leans back in his chair. "An aura that strong and gang experience in the Satellite? She could be a powerful weapon. From what I've heard, gang warfare is very different there. If we train her right, we could use her knowledge to our advantage. We could take over every gang in the City much quicker than planned."
I stay silent. I want to say that Yuuka's just a child, but she's not that much younger than me by the looks of it. She's lived through the Satellite, and a different gang. I want to say that she wouldn't be able for it, but I can't bring myself to say it. I saw a harshness in her eyes. I don't know what this girl is capable of.
"I don't know," I respond.
"Really?" Raiden raises his eyebrows at me. "I thought you would have agreed with me."
"I just think that it's too soon to say anything," I sigh. "We should let her settle in here, before we do anything too rash."
"Time's not on our side, Anako." Raiden rubs the space between his eyebrows. "You know how close we came to losing to the Onyx Slicers last time."
"Throwing Yuuka at our problems isn't going to make them any better." I place both of my hands on the desk. "I'm telling you this now, before you start making stupid decisions."
"I need to make a phone call," Raiden says abruptly. That's his code for get out. He always hates it when someone questions him. He takes it like they're attacking him. A mere conversation turns into an argument too quickly.
I push myself off the desk and walk out of the room without saying anything. Recently, I've noticed a change in Raiden. He seems somehow colder. I think that fight with the Onyx Slicers pushed him over the edge. I want to help, but he doesn't seem to like my suggestions much.
I don't push him. The whole reason that I'm alive is because of Raiden. I had just joined Black Flag when my parents found out that I was a psychic, and promptly kicked me out. On the drop of a hat, Raiden got me an apartment just outside of the Daimon Area and a job in his mother's boutique. He stopped me from living on the streets. I'm endlessly grateful to him.
But still, I can't let him use this poor girl as a pawn.
Raiden gives Yuuka his jacket after her initiation. He starts teaching her how to control her powers. I see them becoming closer over such a short space of time. I have to do something, I think to myself.
I change the patrol schedule so that I end up with Yuuka most of the time. Reika's angry at me, but I just tell her to trust me. She glares at Yuuka every time that she sees her now. I think Yuuka's terrified of her now. Still, I don't tell anyone about why I'm doing all of this.
I learn a lot about Yuuka on our patrols. Her birth mother gave up when she was born and was adopted by her aunt. Yuuka and her aunt, who she refers to as her mother, got stuck in the Satellite after the Zero Reverse. Her mother died when she was seven. She is sixteen, not too far from my original guess. She turned sixteen not that long ago, but she won't tell me when her birthday is. She never made a big deal out of it. If I can't find it out, I'll pick a random day to throw a party for her. After that, she got taken in by another woman named Martha. She also took in other orphans. Her friends formed a gang called Team Satisfaction. She doesn't tell much about the gang, despite how much I ask. I give up eventually. It might be too painful to talk about. She got arrested for insisting that she's a human being. Through a series of coincidences, she found out that she had family in the City. She went to Duel Academy. Must be a rich family, I reckon. She has an older brother. Her powers first activated when dueling him. She broke his arm. After that, she ran away and started living with her dad, where she still is now. That makes me feel relieved. Good to know that the poor girl isn't homeless.
"That's quite a story." I say as she finishes. Yuuka's told me bits and pieces over many patrols. She's become more comfortable in herself, I think. She opened up to me that much, that must count for something.
"You think so?" She asks. "There's always people with worse stories."
I can't help but feel drawn to her. It sounds strange, but it's true. I would say she's broken, but it doesn't feel right. She doesn't need to be fixed, she just needs to be loved.
I realise that, and I think that I want to be the one who gives it to her. I'm a bit taken aback by that. Yuuka's just my friend, that's all. I merely trying to protect her from whatever Raiden's plan is. I'm becoming friends with her, so that I can sway her decision when Raiden puts it in front of her. That's all, I reassure myself. That's all.
That doesn't last very long.
"So, I'm sitting there. In this slimy-ass bucket." Yuuka spreads out her hands in a very dramatic fashion that I've come to associate with her storytelling.
"Slimy-ass bucket," I repeat. I burst out laughing, and she does too.
"It's true." She nods furiously. "It was nasty."
"Continue," I nod along with her. She's telling me about the time that she got kidnapped by a rival gang.
"So, I hear footsteps outside of the closet door." My brain stops paying attention to the words coming out of her mouth. It sounds bad, but my brain just wants to stare at her face. Her eyes are so bright right now. I can never help but notice her eyes. The vivid magenta of her eyes stands out too well from her pale skin and hair, and I just can't stop staring at them.
I think of the way that her eyes lit up when she smiles. The way her face crinkles when she laughs. The fact that we laugh so much when we're together. It's then that I know that I'm in too deep.
"Are you okay?" She asks, having just realised that I've stopped listening.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I lie because I've just come to the realisation that I might be falling for the person that I'm trying to protect.
"I've never been to a house party before." Yuuka says as she walks into the party with me. I don't even who's place this is. I just got told by Shinji that someone in the gang was having a house party tonight.
"Have you drank before?" I ask out of curiosity.
"A little bit," she says it so coolly that I wonder if she's lying. Someone practically a beer can into her hand. She jumps slightly, nearly dropping the can.
It turns out that she was lying. She didn't even finish the first can before she tripped and landed on me. Her face goes red, and apologies come out of her mouth so fast that I don't understand them. She then tells me that she's never drank before. I get her a cup of water. She's so embarrassed that she takes it without question.
"Next time don't drink so fast." Shinji tries to suppress a laugh as Yuuka looks like a small child that's being scolded, right down to her glossy eyes.
"Okay," she mutters. "I won't have beer next time anyway." Yuuka tells us the story of how her group of friends back in the Satellite found a bottle of cheap vodka but drank from it straight. They never knew you were supposed to mix it with something. I don't tell her that Shinji and I have both drank vodka straight.
We get roped into a game of truth and dare. It's a standard game. People tell their dirty secrets, embarrass themselves in dares. Shinji gets dared to mix every drink at the party in a cup and chug it. Surprisingly, he doesn't puke there and then.
Then, it's his turn. He looks at me with this grin. I freeze in my spot. I probably look terrified. I know this grin. He's up to no good.
"Now, who to choose…" He looks to Yuuka, and then back to me. "Anako!" My heart starts racing, more than it already was. "Truth or-" Shinji gets interrupted by Yuuka suddenly jumping up and running out of the room. I hear the mutterings of everyone else in the room, so I jump up and follow her. I find her in the kitchen, looking very red in the face and quite sickly.
"You gonna be sick?" She's leaning on the kitchen counter, right beside the sink. She doesn't meet my eye, or even look at me. "Are you okay?"
"Do you know what Shinji was going to dare you to do?" She asks suddenly. She grips the counter harder, and her knuckles turn pure white.
"I had an idea, but I wasn't sure." He was probably going to dare me to make out with Yuuka. He knows that I'm pining. But does Yuuka know?
"And you were okay with that?" I nod slowly. "It was Shinji's idea. He asked if I wanted him to dare you to…"
"To what?" I take small steps towards her.
"Kiss me," she whispers.
"And what did you say?"
"I didn't say anything." She inhales deeply. "You came back from the bathroom, so I couldn't say anything." I thought Shinji was just teasing her, but no. I came back and immediately got roped into the game. Shinji knows that I like her, but he asked her. Does that mean she…? I walk slowly towards her until I'm standing right in front of her. She refuses to meet my eyes.
"What were you going to say?" Our faces are so close that I can practically see my own reflection in her eyes. She looks up at me and licks her lips.
"What would you have done if I hadn't run away?" She shivers slightly as she looks at me expectantly. Is she asking me to kiss her? Her face moves ever so slightly forward. So, I meet her halfway. I feel her jaw clench underneath my hand. She hesitates, almost pulling back, but then, she only pushes harder.
I pull back slowly. Her neck extends very slightly, in an attempt to kiss me again. Yuuka's eyes open slowly, they're glossed over completely. The pink of her eyes somehow stands out against the blush dusting her face.
This time, she kisses me. She puts her hands around my waist and pulls me closer. It very quickly turns into a make out session, with Yuuka sitting on top of a kitchen counter. We only pull away when we hear cheering. Our heads turn very slowly to look at Shinji standing in the doorway, clapping.
"Finally," is all he says. I suddenly become aware of the eyes peeking around the corner. What is it about two girls making out that makes guys go insane? I glare hard enough that everyone, except Shinji, gets the message and leaves. "Do you want me to leave too?"
Neither of us answer. Yuuka's not looking at either of us. Her complexion very much resembles a tomato. I feel the sheer power of her aura. She's very nervous, and has been, this entire time. I consider for a second that it was her first kiss. I toss that idea away just as quickly since she seemed a little too good for that to be the case.
Shinji takes the hint and sneaks away. I don't even notice him leave. Yuuka hops down off the counter. My eyes follow her as she moves towards the fridge. She takes a can of beer from one of the boxes that fill up the entirety of the fridge. She cracks it open and takes a long swig out of it. I imagine she drank like a third of it in one go.
Is she going to say anything? How can you make out with someone, and just pretend that it didn't happen? Oh gods, is she regretting it now? Quick, I need to do something. Yuuka takes another sip from the can. Judging by how far she's tilting the can, I'd guess that it's nearly empty.
She walks back over to me. The smell of cheap beer is starting to overpower her natural scent. Our eyes meet again, as she says nothing. She leans forward and presses her lips to mine ever so gently. Before I can even react, she's running away again. I hear her feet running up the stairs. Then, since the toilet is directly above the kitchen, I can hear her puking. But there is only thought running through my head. Did she down that can of beer just to have the courage to kiss me again?
I never got the chance to ask her. Shinji and I tried to take her home after she was done puking. Only to realise that it was two in the morning, and that we had no idea where she lived. Yuuka was trying her best to stand, so she was no help. My place was out of the question. It only had one room with one bed and bathroom. So, we decided to bring to Shinji's place and let her sleep on the couch, with a bucket beside her. Ms Yamazaki was surprisingly understanding of the situation, but then again, Shinji's mother was, and still is, a party girl.
She didn't have that much of a hangover the next morning, which surprised both of us. I've heard that some psychics don't get hangovers at all, so maybe she's just lucky. So once the alcohol from the party was out of her system, Shinji suggested that we bring her to Psycho, the nightclub for psychics. Yuuka only asked if she has to drink beer again.
Well, that's the only thing she asked us.
Yuuka says nothing as we get ready together. I loan one of my dresses since she didn't really have anything appropriate for a club. I was hoping that she'd bring up the kiss that we had. Turns out that she got so drunk that she forgot it. Well, y'know, something could happen tonight. It wasn't just a fluke. I could feel that in the kiss.
So, the three of us are in the queue to get into Psycho and guess who shows up. Raiden Kimura. Ever since Yuuka joined, things have gone sour between Raiden and me. He's starting to go down a dark road, and I won't follow. I thought, by getting closer to Yuuka, I could save her from doing the same. Turns out, I was wrong since she was the one who invited him here. Shinji gives me a worried look as the two walk in together, laughing.
Raiden offers to buy the first round of drinks. I follow him to the bar. I glance back at Shinji and Yuuka to see both of them staring at me. Just before Raiden reaches the bar, I tap his shoulder.
"What am I getting Yuuka?" is all he asks.
"You're not getting her anything!" I spit back. "I told you to leave her alone."
"All I'm doing is being nice, Anako." He raises an eyebrow at me, seeming confused at my anger. "She's the one who invited me. I don't know why you're getting angry. I'm just teaching her to restrain her powers, that's all."
"So, she can be your pawn." His eyes narrow at me. For a second, I can see him considering dragging me out into the beer garden, so this conversation isn't in front of a lot of people.
"Now don't-"
"What?" I interrupt him. "That's exactly what you said. I see you getting close to her. You're making her laugh, you're making her feel special. Don't think that I don't notice you making her putty in your hands."
"You're just jealous." He scoffs before turning his back to me.
"At least I've kissed her." I feel myself losing control. I don't know why I say that. Bragging rights, I suppose. I doubt he even likes her in that way. It would be weird if he did. Yuuka's too pure for someone like Raiden, he'd only taint her.
"Oh, I've heard." He smirks at me. "That actually gave me an idea-"
"Say another word and I'll break your jaw." Raiden really is a straight male through and through.
"Now, now." He blinks at me in surprise, not taking my threat seriously. "That's a bit extreme, isn't it?" I say nothing. I'm getting nowhere. "What drink am I getting Yuuka? Now that she's gone off beer."
"Vodka soda," I say in defeat. He doesn't respond to me and orders from the bar. He hands me the drinks for Shinji and me, carrying his and Yuuka's drink himself. I tempted to throw the drinks at him, but I'd probably get thrown out of here.
I can't bring myself to enjoy everything that's going on around me, which sounds silly. It's true. The mere presence of Raiden Kimura is making my skin crawl.
Shinji's caught onto this. He's dragging Yuuka further and further into the crowd to dance, leaving Raiden and I alone. Talk it out, that's the message he's sending to us.
"Beer garden?" Raiden asks, not really looking at me. I merely nod, as I start to walk. He lights up a cigarette as soon as we step into the open air. He offers me one, but I don't take it. I'm not in the mood to smoke right now. The beer garden is empty at the minute, it's a random Wednesday in the middle of March. The nightclub itself isn't even that busy.
"Are you going to say anything?" He says after a long drag. He paces around me as I sit on a bench.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Wh-"
"Answer the question." I hear him scoff.
"So, we can take over the City." He flicks his cigarette ash, it barely misses my knee. "We came too close to being taken out during the last battle with the Onyx Slicers. I knew something had to change. In walks Yuuka. Do you not see her potential, Anako? I haven't felt an aura like that before, such untamed power. Can you imagine what we could do if we controlled that? I'm going to train her. Put that power to good use. Combine that with her knowledge of Satellite gang warfare, and we have a literal firecracker in our hands. Nothing could ever stand in our way."
"At what cost, Raiden?" I exhale through my nose. "Yuuka is just a child. Last week, she drank for the first time. Is that really the kind of person you want to turn into a weapon?"
"That doesn't matter." Raiden takes another drag. "If the situation calls for it, I will not hesitate to sacrifice anything for our family."
"Even if that thing is family?" He turns to look at me. "You call Black Flag family, and Yuuka is Black Flag. You can't escape that truth."
"We need her, Anako." He sighs. "I refuse to let Black Flag fall. I don't know why you're obsessing over this girl so much. She's nothing special if you take her powers away."
"You're wrong," I answer. "You will never succeed until you understand that."
"You're just foolish." He crushes the cigarette underneath his shoe. "She's a weapon, as you called her, and that's all that matters."
Raiden leaves the beer garden as a large group of people come up here. Two drunk girls come over to me and start to braid my straightened hair.
"Dump him." One of them says.
"He looks like a right asshole, he does." The other says while braiding my hair surprisingly quickly.
Once they finish braiding, they give me a leaf from one of the potted plants and tell me to feel better. I manage to smile for them and get them to leave me alone.
I feel like I'm not getting through to Raiden at all. Did I not try hard enough? I think I've already lost this battle. Yuuka is doomed to be Raiden's lapdog and weapon, and there's nothing I can do about it.
If the situation calls for it, I will not hesitate to sacrifice anything for our family.
That's what he said, very clearly. It keeps spinning around in my head. He spoke like he's already made a sacrifice. What could he have sacrificed?
My mind goes back to the sudden death of that Onyx Slicers' leader. Another one has died since. I can't help but think it's a coincidence. Their leader gets taken out after they nearly took over our territory. Is the sacrifice blood on Raiden's hands?
So, when Raiden calls me at one in the morning, I figure it's my chance to find out. I go over to his apartment in the dark of the night.
"Why did you call me?" I ask as soon as he closes the door behind me.
"Why do you think?" He slowly unzips my hoodie, and then his hand moves to my shirt.
"I have one question to ask." My hand flies up to restrain his wrist.
"Go ahead," he scowls.
"Did you, or did you not, put a hit in on that Onyx Slicers' leader after we nearly lost to them?"
His eyes widen, and mine do too. My hands start to shake. I'm touching a murderer.
"Now, Anako, we've all had to do things out of necessity-"
"But murder?"
He's silent. He forces his wrist out of my grasp and paces the room.
"I don't think you understand, Anako." He lets out a shaky exhale. "How close we were to being taken out. We were only saved by the Cardinal Dragons, who just happen to hate the Onyx Slicers more than they hate us."
"No gang is more important than a human life."
"If it weren't for this gang, you'd be homeless just like so many of our brothers and sisters!" Raiden starts shouting. I press my back to the door out of fear. "Do you want to end up like that? If I didn't do what needed to be done, you'd be out on your ass! You should be thankful."
"I refuse." I clench my fist. "I refuse to be thankful for this, when you've murdered for it. I refuse to let you use Yuuka as a weapon. I refuse to let you go down this path anymore."
Raiden starts to move slowly towards me. That's when I begin to fear for my life.
"You clearly don't want Black Flag to survive, and to reach our goal. You're abandoning our brethren. You don't care for us. You're putting some stupid crush before the gang. You're a traitor."
My hand scrambles for the door handle. His eyes are glowing with the intensity of his words. He's silent for a few moments. I pray to every god that I can remember the name of, so that I might survive this moment.
"Black Flag has no place for traitors," is all he says.
"So, what happens now?" I whisper.
"You will leave Black Flag. You will leave this City. You will move out of that apartment. You will leave and not come back. Do you understand me?" The glow of his eyes flare, just so I get the message.
He reaches for the door handle and opens the door, forcing me to move. I nod, slipping out the door and into the night.
I run all the way home with tears in my eyes. I slam my apartment door shut behind me. My back slips down it until I'm a puddle on the floor. I start to sob.
I've fucked up.
I've fucked up.
I've fucked up.
How could I do this to myself? First, I tell my parents that I'm a psychic, and then I told Raiden that I refuse to be a part of his plan. I'm out on my own again. Who knows if someone will be kind enough to open another door for me?
I force myself up off the ground. I start shoving clothes and underwear into a backpack. I take my wad of money out from underneath the mattress. I saved what I could for this exact purpose. I'm used to being thrown out at this point, I might as well prepare for it. I throw my phone charger in the bag, I can't believe that I nearly missed it. I zip up the backpack and look around at that room. I'm leaving so much stuff behind, but there's nothing I can do. I make sure that I've packed all the essentials, including toiletries.
I walk out the door and leave the keys under the mat. It's only when I leave the apartment complex that I start to cry again.
I struggle to take a deep breath. I must press on. I start walking to the train station. I suppose I'll have to wait on the first train at this point. I'll go anywhere. Anywhere that's not this City. I manage to take a deep breath this time. I'll get by, I always have before.
I close my eyes in the hopes of sleep. The rattling of the train keeps me from achieving that. The jacket I've thrown over myself isn't keeping me warm in the empty train cabin at six in the morning.
I take my red choker out of my backpack, and I run my thumb over the red velvet. Normally, I'd wear it everywhere. It's something of a friendship necklace, and Reika has the matching one. I'm currently wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, so I'm not in the mood to wear a choker right now. Not that it's ever stopped Reika.
I manage to book a train that goes as far from Neo Domino as possible. My passport's been out of date for a year, since I got kicked out by my parents, so leaving the country altogether is not an option. At least right now, I think I can afford to go out to one of the islands off the coast. Anywhere that's not Neo Domino.
My second train pulls up into the biggest town on one of the islands. I look at my remaining money. I think it will be better if I save my money and try to get myself a bedsit somewhere. I was living in one before, so it can't be a downgrade as long as I have a roof over my head.
I sit in a cafe to charge my phone. I buy the cheapest thing on the menu, so I sit there for longer. Thirty missed calls between Reika and Shinji. None from Yuuka. I'm a little disappointed. No doubt Raiden's already spun some lie that I'm a traitor who sold out the gang, and Yuuka will never want to talk to me again.
Another call from Reika comes in. I slide the green circle across the screen.
"Start explaining." No hello or anything, straight down to business. I sigh, Reika will never change. "Don't you dare hang up."
"Well-"
"Raiden says you're a traitor, and you left of your own accord. I refuse to believe you. I always told you he was up to no good. Did he force you to leave? Are you okay? Where are you? Are you-"
"Reika, don't worry about me." I sigh again, putting my head in my free hand. "I'm already out of the City. I got the first train out this morning. I'm on the other side of the country. I don't want to come back, so just leave me alone, okay?"
There's silence. For a second, I think she's hung up, but then I hear her exhale.
"I can't believe you thought that I would leave you alone." I roll my eyes. Once Reika starts, it's hard to get her to shut up. Her pace just quickens until you can't understand her anymore. "Just because you're on the other side of the country doesn't mean I will abandon you. Raiden says we're not supposed to contact you at all, but when have I ever listened to Raiden?"
"Never-"
"I won't ask you why now." She slows down, like she's considering her word choice. "No doubt Raiden forced you out. You two have been fighting a lot lately. I suspected something like this might happen after that night in Psycho. Shinji told me about it, since you refuse to give me the details. He's gone power hungry, hasn't he?"
"Yeah," is all I say.
"Have you heard about the thing with the Cardinal Dragons last night?" My head lifts up slowly. She takes my silence as a no. "Raiden said you left before this happened. But apparently, late last night, Yuudai and Kakeru were murdered on Cardinal Dragons' territory. Raiden refuses to go to war with them. People are going crazy. We're lost a third of our members already."
"Reika, do me a favour." I hear her hum. "Watch out for the Onyx Slicers. If their leader is taken out in the next while, they were the real culprit. I can't tell you the reason why now but believe me. I think there's a deal with the Cardinal Dragons, I'm not sure."
"I'll keep my eye out."
"Actually, that's not my real favour to ask."
"It's about Yuuka, isn't it?" She sighs. I know she doesn't like her that much, which is an understatement. Shinji called her out on being jealous that I was spending more time with Yuuka than with her. She got very red in the face, which means he was right on the mark.
"It is." I take a deep breath. I don't know how to word this, without giving away everything that's happened. I don't want to say all that in a public place. "Just make sure she doesn't go down the path that I went down."
"I will," she says rather reluctantly.
"I need to go find accommodation." I squint as the dusk's last light burns my eyes. "It's getting pretty late."
"That's a good idea." There's a pause. "Don't forgot that I'm here for you, okay? You may be on the other side of the country, but I'm still your best friend."
"I won't." I manage a chuckle. "But thank you. I don't know what I did to deserve you, honestly."
"You were yourself." I can hear the smile in her voice. "Text me when you get accommodation. Don't be afraid to sleep in a hostel, it's better than streets."
"Okay mom." She laughs. "Goodbye." I say.
"Night," she says back before hanging up the phone.
Luckily, I find a bedsit within the hour. I notice that the building is mostly occupied by single women, some with small children. I don't think it's a coincidence. It's the city furthest away from Neo Domino in the country. I think we're all escaping something.
The bedsit isn't too different from what I'm used to. The landlord let me pay a portion of the deposit. He said that I can pay the rest when I get my first paycheck. Some actual decency. As odd as it sounds, that gesture made me feel like I was on the other side of the world from Neo Domino.
The next day, I return to the coffee shop with the resume I printed off in the local library. Someone had quit the previous night and they had no one to cover their shift, so I get hired that day. I get paid in two weeks, which my landlord is okay with. The job's only part-time, so I get another job in the convenience store down the street from the coffee shop.
I keep in touch with Reika. Like she'd let me do anything other than that. She hasn't told anyone about me, aside from the fact that I'm okay. Yuuka didn't find out about me until after I asked.
Surprisingly, Reika actually making an effort to be nice to her. She realised what I meant by the path I went down. She's trying her best, but Raiden seems to be spinning lies as usual. She doesn't believe that I'm a traitor. That made me relieved more than anything else. If I ever go back to the City, I know I have more than one ally.
If.
Life is nice out here. While it's still a city, it's so much smaller than Neo Domino. The people are friendlier, everything is just so much more relaxing. A part of me misses the excitement that was Black Flag.
My life is lonely. Sure, Reika calls as much as she can. But that doesn't erase the fact that I'm still on my own out here.
A pretty girl started flirting with me in the coffee shop. She came in every morning at ten past eight. She had these big brown eyes, they were beautiful. They were the most striking thing about her. I looked forward to seeing them every day. Then, one day, I was feeling a bit risky, so I wrote my number on her cup. We texted for a bit. We went on a date. We hooked up afterwards and I never saw her again.
That made me feel even lonelier.
It made me realise something. One, I am very touch starved. Two, I miss affection. I miss warm smiles and a hand on the arm.
So maybe that's why I continue in this cycle. I meet queer women. We talk, we flirt. Go on a date, maybe the cinema, maybe some dinner. We hook up. Then, I never see them again. At this point I'm convinced that I've slept with every single queer woman in this city. And not a single man.
Reika says that I'm not over Yuuka, and maybe she's right. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't constantly think about her. There are times that I think that no one will ever understand me the way she did.
There's another reason I can't stop thinking about her.
Within a month of me leaving, Yuuka's become the figurehead leader. Not only that, but Raiden's moved her into my old apartment and my old job, working for his mother in her boutique.
Reika blames herself, naturally. I tell her not to. What I don't say is the blame should be put on me. If only I had pushed a little harder. I wonder what would have happened if I had asked her out after we kissed. Not gonna lie, but that thought did cross my head that night.
After six months of me leaving, Reika tells me that Shinji thinks Raiden and Yuuka are dating. She knows better, she says. Yuuka couldn't leave if she tried. Those words echo in my mind. This was the situation that I wanted to avoid. She's trapped and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Raiden won.
Reika's starting to grow fond of Yuuka. I can hear it in her voice. Her maternal instinct is kicking in.
After a year, Reika tells me that Yuuka has a suspicious bruise on her face. She claimed that she was attacked while on patrol. Reika thinks she's lying. The bruise covers too wide an area. Due to her accelerated healing, it's going away quickly but it's still visible. Reika thinks she's covering up for Raiden. She's been talking about how she misses the Satellite a lot recently. Yuuka really is trapped, I say to Reika who says nothing in return. For a second, I think about going back, but I throw it away just as quickly. I tried to stop this and failed. It's not my place to try again.
It's been over a year and a half.
Neo Domino feels like a distant dream. I've adjusted to the more laid-back pace here. I have people that I occasionally talk to, mostly just people from the coffee shop. But I still have no real friends. I had good friends, best friends, in Neo Domino. I think I'm not making friends because I don't want to replace the old ones, and I know that the new ones won't be as good. Maybe it's because, one day, I know I'll go back. I tell myself I won't, but I feel like I'm lying to myself.
Maybe that's because I am.
Reika calls me again. I assume it's just our regular call every Thursday night. It's a bit later than normal, but I think nothing of it. She doesn't even say hello, she just sobs.
"Reika? Reika! What's wrong?" My mind starts thinking of every possible thing that's gone wrong. Someone's dead. Her mother, Shinji, Yuuka. She's been kicked out of her house. Anything. A combination.
"It's- It's Yuuka." A name she hasn't brought up in three months. "Something terrible happened."
"What happened, Reika?" I hear snuffles over the phone. "Please."
"I can't tell you." She exhales sharply. "It's not my place to tell you. I want to tell you, but I can't."
"What happened before all this?" I start pacing in my very small room, I'm grateful that I just cleaned in here. "You haven't mentioned anything about Yuuka in a while."
"She disappeared a few months ago, after Yusei Fudo became King." She sighs. Yusei? Isn't he Yuuka's friend from the Satellite? It didn't click in my mind when I saw the headline. "There was some misunderstanding, she went to the Satellite to find him. Since she came back, she hasn't been the same since. I wanted to help her, but Shinji said that she can barely handle having him around and that I might make her worse." Yuuka not able to deal with Shinji? Something's definitely wrong. By the sounds of it, they became best friends after I left, and now this. "And now-" She starts sobbing again. I stop pacing.
I realise what's wrong now. I remember the first time I met Yuuka, and the scars on her wrist. She must have…
"Is she still alive?" I ask hesitantly.
"Yes," her voice shakes. "Barely. She wasn't breathing when Shinji found her. He's with her right now."
"At least she's alive."
I never should have left. That thought has been floating to the front of my mind every now and again. Maybe I could have done something to stop this. What if I just stood up to Raiden instead of running away like a coward?
"Please come back," Reika's voice is hoarse, probably from all the crying. "I'm scared for Yuuka. You're the only one who get through to her, I know it."
I stay silent.
Do I want to go back? Do I want to face everything that will be waiting there for me? Going back not only means helping Yuuka, but dealing with Raiden too.
"I'll think about it." I hear Reika sigh in response. "I don't know if I'm ready to come back."
"Please think about it." I hear shuffling in the background. "Shinji just texted me. He's bringing Yuuka over to his place tonight, so he can keep an eye on her. His mom's on holiday with her friends, so it's the best place right now. I'm going to head over now." I hear the distinct sound of zip. "Did I tell you that I'm making her a D-Wheel?" I feel like Reika's changing the topic to keep herself from crying. "She's been having a rough time recently. I was aiming to have it done by her birthday, but that didn't quite work out."
"She finally told you her birthday?" I remember Yuuka insisting on not telling anyone but tells Reika of all people.
"By accident. Turns out that it's two days after Shinji's." She explains. "We did his birthday party on Halloween. When it turned midnight and Yuuka was drunk, she started singing happy birthday to herself. So, it's November first."
"Sounds like Yuuka," I chuckle a little. There are two things that Yuuka does when she gets drunk, sing and laugh a lot. Maybe kissing me should be in there. I start to remember the kiss in vivid detail, but it starts to distract me, so I put it away for later. "I'll let you go, you have more important things to do."
"You're right," she says softly. "Please just… think about it, okay? Do it for her."
"Okay, I will." I sigh. "Goodnight."
"Night." She hangs up, saying no more.
I stare at my phone in the silence. I look around my tiny bedsit. Should I leave? Maybe I can go visit and come back. Going back to Neo Domino doesn't have to mean leaving here. Who am I kidding? Once I make that decision, I'm not going back on it.
I start to pace again. Yuuka tried to kill herself. Reika didn't have to say it, but I knew. Yuuka has that same darkness that I have. I've been there, but I dragged myself back out of it. That's what she needs to do. She doesn't need me. I don't need to go.
But what if she does?
My hands knot themselves in my hair. I can't not go back and risk something like this happening again. Her life is too precious to risk like that.
I can't decide right now. I'll sleep on it. I stare at my bed. I can't just go asleep like this. I don't have work tomorrow. I can just go have a few drinks, maybe that will help me sleep better.
So naturally, I go to the gay club and have more than a few drinks.
I wake up the next morning in an unfamiliar bed, not an unusual occurrence. I move out of the bed very slowly, as to not wake the girl next to me. I try to remember her name, but I'm drawing a blank. There was a k sound somewhere in it, I think. I throw on my entirely black outfit on, with the help of the sunlight coming into the room from the edges of the curtains. I sneak out of the bedroom and close the door behind me gently. I hold my shoes in my hand as I walk through the living space. I spot a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter. I put my black boots on before grabbing an apple. Yukari. I think that was her name. That name's pretty close to Yuuka's, now that I think about it. I'm about to reach for the handle on the front door when I hear another door open.
"Going so soon?" My partner from last night walks into the living space. She's thrown on an oversized nightdress for modesty. I instantly freeze. I could have sworn that I was looking at Yuuka herself. Of course, she doesn't look exactly like her, but enough that I do a double take. The sandy blonde hair is the same. She's pale, but not alarmingly so like Yuuka. The eyes are the one thing that stop me from going crazy. They're brown, not magenta.
"Yeah, I have to go." My hand reaches for the handle, and I open the door. "You have my number. Goodbye have a nice day."
"But wait-" I slam the door behind me and exhale deeply. I just focus on getting out of the apartment building. When I'm on the bus back home, it hits me.
The girl must have looked just like Yuuka under the lights of the gay club. I was so drunk by the time I meet her that I barely remember it. What does that say about me? Reika was right. I'm not over Yuuka, and I doubt I will ever be.
It's then that I decide.
I'm going back to Neo Domino. Maybe I am going for myself, but I'm going for Yuuka too. I've been where she is now. I can help her.
I call my job. While they're very understanding of the situation, my last shift is tomorrow. It gives me time to pack, I suppose. The landlord just asks that I leave the key under the mat on the way out.
It's probably the adrenaline rushing through my veins, but I'm excited. At least until I remember that it's very likely that I will have to face Raiden at some point. I continue regardless.
I get the first train back. It's very early in the morning, so I manage to sleep for a while. Once again, I run my thumb over my red velvet choker for comfort. This time, I have a smile on my face. I put the choker back on once I get into Neo Domino City Central.
Reika's waiting just outside the ticket barriers for me. She runs towards me as soon as I get through them. She practically jumps at me, knocking over my suitcase. She starts crying, which makes it harder to hold back my tears. I tell her that I'm wearing a shit ton of makeup and I don't need to cry right now. This makes her laugh but doesn't stop the tears.
It's already dark outside. Reika pays for our taxi. She sighs and makes the taxi driver drop me off in front of my old apartment block.
"She was out today, but she should be home by now," is all she says. I understand immediately and get out of the taxi. I suppose I'll just walk to Reika's house later. Her mother's kind enough to let me stay there until I find a place of my own again.
Luckily, someone's walking into the apartment complex just as I walk up to it. They hold the gate open for me. I walk the familiar path up to apartment number five. I see light coming from underneath the door.
"In order to leave Black Flag, I have to get Raiden to agree. And that's the problem." I hear Yuuka's voice from the other side of the door, and I freeze. She's so close, I can't freeze up now. Maybe she needs my help more than I think. I could help her leave, I've done it before. Maybe we could run to a different city together this time. It would be easy.
All I have to do is knock, and I do it. All chatter in the room disappears in an instant. The door slowly opens.
"Oh great, you're still living here!" I burst out with even though I knew it with certainty. Yuuka stares at me, wide eyed and confused. I give her a subtle look up and down. She's changed since I left. She's grown taller so we're the same height. She's no longer scrawny, she's looking very thick and it's not just her muscular arms. "Damn, you've matured like a fine wine." I say while leaning on the doorway. I want to slap myself in the face. I've been here maybe ten seconds and I already look like a creep. Yuuka moved in here after I left. I shouldn't know that she's here from her point of view. Dear gods, I did not think this through. Yuuka looks back to Shinji, as if she's pleading for help. In that exact moment, I regret my entire existence up until now.
"So Anako..." Yuuka speaks for the first time. Her voice is exactly as I remembered it. "What?"
"Well, I'm back in town so I thought I'd drop into to see my favourite girl." To continue this train wreck of a moment, I fucking wink at her. It's then I notice the bags under her eyes. Actually, I think the bags have bags underneath them. "Oh, I see you have company. Hi Shinji!" I make my eyes as wide as possible, giving Shinji the cue to help me as I wave. He looks very surprised to me, which means Reika hasn't told him that I was coming back. Did he even know that Reika has been talking to me consistently for the last year and a half?
"Would you like to come in?" Her face becomes unreadable, just like her aura. She shivers, just as there's a draft. I nod as move quickly so she can close the door. Just as she closes the door, I notice someone on the bed beside Shinji. Yuuka was blocking my view of him. The resemblance between this guy and Yuuka is uncanny. This must be her brother. What was his name again? I scan my brain quickly. Kaoru, that was it.
"Oh, is this your brother? You both have some gene pool." I chuckle. Though I must admit, Kaoru isn't nearly as attractive as his sister. Especially now that she's grown up a bit more, the lean muscular look suits her very well.
"What are you doing here?" Yuuka asks tentatively as we both sit on the ground. I end up sitting between Yuuka and Kaoru.
"Well, I thought it was time I came back to the City. It's just been so long, y'know?" I come up with a lie. I don't want to burst out with you just tried to kill yourself the other day so now I'm here. "How's Raiden?" She flinches. Reika mentioned that she does that a lot now.
"Oh, you haven't seen him yet?" She replies.
"Oh, of course, I mean, he was kind of the reason I left in the first place. I mean, how awkward would that be? Oh hey, I know we broke it off suddenly when I left because I couldn't deal with your bull anymore, but how are you doing?" I look at everyone. It's then I realise that no one really knows why I left. "Why, is there something going on now?"
"Oh no." Yuuka's eyes shift between Shinji and I, which tells me she's lying. Well actually, I know she's lying. She's thinking of leaving Black Flag, and Raiden's not going to like that. "It's just that he's been in a bit of a mood lately. So, you should probably leave it a few days, if you want to go see him I mean."
"Oh okay." I respond, I don't press any further. "Just one question, why is your brother here? I thought you two weren't talking."
"Oh, we weren't. But, Kaoru's a psychic now, so I'm helping him control his powers."
"Aw, you're one of us now! Congratulations!" I notice myself sitting up a little straighter. I give him a big grin. It must be a very scary time for him, given what happened to his sister. I hope a smile makes him feel even a little bit better.
"Oh, thank you." He tries to meet my eyes, but they dart away at the last second.
"By the way, am I interrupting anything? You know, I just have this feeling and I wouldn't want to do that." I want Yuuka to include me in this, but I don't want to come out and say it. She'll think I was eavesdropping or something. If she's going to ask me, she'll do it now.
"No, you're not. We were just talking about helping Kaoru train to control his powers." She gives a fake smile to Shinji and Kaoru, getting them to play along. "Like today, I was trying to teach Kaoru how to meditate. That didn't go well at all."
Oh.
"Would you know anything about that?" Kaoru asks me.
"Well, actually I do! I was the one who told Yuuka to meditate in the first place. So, I could help you out if you want." I would never have called Yuuka the teaching type. It would give me an excuse to get closer to Yuuka again. I didn't train her, maybe I could train her brother.
"That would be great, thank you." He manages to meet my eyes this time. It's strange, he reminds me of Yuuka when I first met her. He'll probably take a while to warm up to me, just like she did.
"Actually," I raise my hand to my face, "do you want to start tomorrow? Cause you're getting ready to graduate Duel Academy soon, aren't you? You'll need to be able to control your powers before final exams roll around."
"How did you figure that out?" He looks at me with wide eyes.
"I remember Yuuka said something about you starting school late, so you and her were in the same year when she went to Duel Academy." I see Yuuka turning to look at me rather sharply.
"Yeah, you're right." Kaoru turns and squints at Yuuka. There's a beat of silence as Yuuka and Kaoru stare at each other, as if they're silently communicating. I wonder if they're telepaths. It's then I notice how similar their auras are. They're practically identical. The only difference is that Yuuka's aura is stronger, which isn't surprising.
"So Anako, what have you been up to for the last year and a half?" Shinji speaks up for the first time since I've arrived. I notice that his eyebrows a little furrowed. I suspect Reika's in for a serious discussion once this is over.
"Well, I moved up north. I've been working two jobs and living in a bedsit, just like this one." I start to explain. I start telling him about this crazy woman who came into the convenience store last week. I know he relates to this story cause he's working in one. This woman went crazy when she thought the price that came up on the till was wrong. Turns out Shinji has a very similar story to tell. I get a few laughs out of Yuuka, which makes me happy. Kaoru just looks very confused, which seems to be a constant thing for him. Don't blame him, honestly.
Then, a phone on the kitchen counter begins to ring. Shinji glances at the name coming up as he hands it to Yuuka.
"Oh, it's getting late, we should get going." He says very suddenly as he stands up. He gives me and Kaoru a look, like he's telling me to leave too. I just got here, and he's making me leave? Could it be Raiden calling? It's definitely Raiden calling. I get up, and I'm the first one out the door. Shinji thanks Yuuka for the food and he walks out of the apartment with a lunch box full of the stir fry they were just eating.
"What was that for?" Kaoru says as we make our way out of the apartment complex. "Who was so important that we had to leave?"
"Who'd you think?"
"Yusei?" "Raiden?" Kaoru and I ask in unison. We stare at each other. He's a lot more like Yuuka than I thought. They make the same facial expressions. They're also both very hard to read, at least right now.
"It was Yusei," Shinji answers. "Oh yeah, Yusei and Yuuka went through a bit of a rough time recently. They're trying to patch things up, so I figured it was best to let them do that in peace."
"I suppose that's fair," I sigh. Our eyes meet, and Shinji's face falls slowly. Did he just realise that I'm still into Yuuka?
"Do you know how to get home from here?" Shinji turns his attention to Kaoru instead.
"Yeah," he answers. "The train's not far from here, isn't it?"
"Ten minutes, that way." Shinji points at the next turn right, which would take him straight to the Daimon Area. "We're going right here, so."
"Hey Anako, can we swap numbers?" Kaoru suddenly gets very flustered since he's realised what he just said. "You know, since we're training tomorrow. We're still doing that, right?"
"Yeah, yeah." I chuckle. I take my phone out of my jacket pocket, only to realise that it's dead. "Here, give me your phone. Mine's dead. Got the first train this morning and haven't charged it since before I left." He fumbles to get his phone out and hands it to me. I accidently go into his messages, only to see that he's texted four people in the last few weeks. Two of them he's related to, Yuuka and his mother, one of them is Shinji, and the last is a girl that I don't know. Geez, this kid is lonely. I enter in my number and put training in brackets after my name, so he doesn't forget who I am. Not that I doubt he will. "There you go."
"Thank you for this," he says with earnest.
"Don't worry about it." I put a hand on his arm. He flinches for a second before relaxing. "Stay safe in these parts, okay? Text me when you get home."
"Yeah, stay safe buddy." Shinji waves, in typical bro fashion. Kaoru leaves without much more than a mumbled goodbye and a nod. "You're heading to Reika's, I assume?" Shinji's facial expression is uncharacteristically cold, he almost looks like Raiden.
"Yeah, did she tell you?"
"No," he says bluntly as we start to walk for the bus.
"I asked her not to tell you." I sigh. "Be angry with me, and not with her."
"Why did you leave then?"
"Raiden."
"Care to explain?"
"He went down a dark path, and I couldn't follow. He kicked me out and told me to leave the City, so I did." I turn to look at him. His face has softened. I can see the sympathy appearing on his face. "I didn't tell you because I was worried that Raiden would somehow get it out of you, and he would find me. I feared for my life the night I ran away. I knew if I was in contact with you, I'd be fearing for your life too. The only reason I was in contact with Reika was because… she's Reika. I think she would have tracked me down and beaten my ass if I didn't stay in contact."
"You're right about that," he laughs. "I just wished you have told me you were okay or given me some warning that you were leaving."
"I should have, but I didn't, and I'm sorry."
"It's okay, just don't leave again."
"I think I'm staying, buddy, for better or for worse." We both laugh, and it clouds the air in front of us as we walk. The laughter fades away, until there's nothing but silence.
"Why did you really come back?" Our eyes meet, and I can't bear to look away. "You gave the fakest reason I've ever heard. If you disappeared because you were forced out, you wouldn't have come back for nothing."
"Reika told me what happened with Yuuka the other day, and everything before that." I bite my lip. I see Shinji's eyes glaze over slightly. "I just had to come back."
"Do you still…?"
"Yeah," I sigh. "I never really got over her."
"Oh," is all he says. I think Yuuka is at the same point with Raiden as I was all that time ago. Not quite dating, but too close to claim it's nothing. I only hope she gets to leave okay. I'd run away with her, happily.
The bus pulls up to the stop, and we get on. We sit in silence all the way to Reika's house. The bus stop is only a few minutes from her house, which is handy. It also means there's less awkward silence.
Reika opens the door with a guilty face. She lets us in and closes the door gently behind us. I imagine it's quite late, and that her mother's gone to bed already.
"I'll let you two talk." I say, taking my suitcase from where it is beside the door. List of possible topics include me, Kaoru, Yuuka leaving Black Flag, Raiden, and Yuuka in general. "Spare room?" I ask Reika, I'm familiar enough with her house at this point to know.
"Yeah, I'll talk to you in the morning." I navigate to the smallest room in the upstairs of the house. I leave the suitcase at the end of the bed and throw my jacket beside the bedside locker. I change into pyjamas quickly and slip inside the bed. As much as I'd like to overthink my interaction with Yuuka, I can't help but instantly succumb to sleep.
A/N: The oneshot is so long, it's getting split into three parts. Stay tuned for more!