Chapter 14

With a sigh of relief Eri smiled and then chuckled, her face still blushing red.

"W-well good... cause I have no interest in you whatsoever."

"I said I understand, Eri-san." Minako assured again. She clenched her chest and sighed again.

"Okay." she gasped. "G-good, you understand. C'mon, I'll walk you home."

###

Eri escorted Minako all the way to her apartment building. At the gate she petted her younger sister's head.

"Well, this is where I say later, so later!"

"Later." Minako replied plainly, staring at Eri as she skipped hurriedly away, finally turning in when she couldn't see her anymore.

###

Eri hurried to the hospital where her older sister had to stay in. The two of them shared almost the exact features except the other being a year older, a centimeter taller and a different way of wearing their hair. Also, unlike her, her sister Eiko was born an ill baby. Her skin was always pale, eyes sensitive to sunlight, and she could never run or play or she'd faint. Eiko was confined to a hospital bed once she graduated junior high.

The two managed to keep in touch however. Eri had been informing her about everything that had happened so far in Raijin; her main topic seemed to be always about the Minako person that she never met. The two girls were munching on snacks as they sat in the hospital room. Eri sat at the edge of her bed and began telling her about her day.

"You should've been there! I took out those guys so easy, even the third year Shishizaki." she told triumphantly in a haughty tone. She boisterously continued. "Oh my god it's been so long since I've been able to go all out against someone. Hey, you think if I managed to beat up Shishizaki that I can take down Shizuo?"

"You're still holding on to that ridiculous dream?" Eiko laughed. "You know Shishizaki might have just let you win the fight because you're a girl." she said, as she chewed a bar of chocolate that she got from the vending machine in the hallways.

"Can't you let me have my moments?" Eri whined. Eiko chuckled and then asked.

"So you went through all that just to get your friend's wallet back?"

"Yeah of course! Especially since she carried so much money in that little wallet. She had nearly two hundred thousand yen in there!"

"That is quite a lot. Is she rich or something?"

"Beats me; I don't really know much about her. She's always acting so damn mysterious it pisses me off, but I have to live with it since I've taken the burden of being her older sister." Eri said sounding annoyed as she stuffed her mouth full of chips.

"You guys have a weird relationship." Eiko commented.

"Oh! You haven't told me what happened when that Orihara guy visited you a few days ago! Is he still your boyfriend or something?" Eri asked. Eiko sipped and her smile shrunk.

"Well, we've only known each other since the second year of junior high, and now that I'm here it's kinda strained. Besides, like Minako, Izaya-kun's kinda weird too. He always looks like he's plotting something. I'm kind of over him too. He's not exactly a model boyfriend like in shoujo manga and dramas; but that romance shit is cheesy anyway."

"Ah. Well, I wish I could've met the guy at least, wonder if he's as cute as you say." Eri said teasingly.

"Believe me he's drop dead gorgeous." Eiko retorted. The two laugh.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Eiko requested.

"Sure, shoot."

"What's with you and Minako?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is there something going on between you two?" Eiko asked. Eri turned bright red again and nearly spat out her soda.

"Eh?!"

"Cause it's perfectly alright if you do love this girl."

"I DON'T!" Eri yelled loudly.

"But you even told me and I quote; 'Also today I said the most cliché thing ever. So you know how I beat her up every day? Well she started to question it and I told her if I was in her place I would still love her no matter what.' Isn't that what you said?"

"Y-yeah, but I didn't mean love like that! I mean, yeah, she's alright even if she pisses me off and she's really pretty..." Eri covered up her quivering lip as her mien was flushed pink.

"Oh my, Eri-chan is in love, and with a girl!"

"Shut it." Eri quietly protested and then tried to calmly drink her soda.