I hope everyone had a nice Singles' Awareness Day. Just FYI, I'm still not satisfied with the title as it is, so it may change if I can think of a better one.
Martial Horror: Just wait until later in the story.
Nightwing: The Waterboy scene just fit for some reason here. As for Natsuki, well...all shall be revealed in due time.
Hashkorns: Well, I sort of consider this as the improved version of Dawn. That one I found I did far too little planning and pre-writing (I'm used to being able to bang out essays for school from a cold start. Probably explains why my grades were either decent or just crap.)
Once again, My-HiME is property of Sunrise.
2/17/09
"...All right. 8:30." I hung up the phone and looked around my apartment. Spartan, yeah, but I couldn't afford such frivolous pursuits at the moment. Not until I could feel comfortable getting off this DEFCON 2 mode that I was on. I glanced out the window to the parking lot, and my Ducati which I had swapped for the car after I woke up from my nap. I didn't need the car anymore once I moved all my stuff inside here, so I managed to find a place to ditch it nearby the Academy and walked to my bike.
I made a quiet sigh. My bike. As of now, my last remaining string to my normal life (I'm not returning Mai's messages or Shizuru's calls because I'm not confident anymore that my phone hasn't been bugged). Even if it did jeopardize the secret of my position, I couldn't give it up. I wasn't going to give it up. My old world was going to have to drag me back into it kicking and screaming…you know, if there wasn't this prospect of dragging everyone else down with me. This life isn't as glorious as Hollywood says it is. I mean, sure, I still watch those spy action movies sometimes even if they do push the envelope of plausibility too much. They can be enjoyable. But I don't have to worry about being duped by an illusion over what it was all about. Knowing the real thing will do that. Movies show the five minutes of action, suspense, and tension, which admittedly isn't too far from the truth sometimes. They don't show the days (sometimes weeks) of preparation, the sleepless nights, the constant looking over your own shoulder to make sure you're not being followed. I know what it's like. The others…they shouldn't have to go through it.
I idly opened my wallet and took out a picture of Shizuru and me taking a couple years ago just before she left Fuuka. It was in the student council classroom, with me in the chair and Shizuru being her usually close self with her head just above my right shoulder. I made the photo wave back and forth with my fingers. Like I needed another reason to get out of here and get back to normalcy.
Truth be told, I wasn't eager to address my relationship with Shizuru in itself. We sort of had an agreement after the Carnival that she wouldn't press the issue until I was ready. At the time, it was the best way we could think of to deal with it. But what was supposed to be a couple weeks' wait turned into a couple months', and had now become a couple years'. No one would have blamed her if she brought it up again (I wouldn't, at least), yet she hasn't. This was all on me. I mean, I couldn't come to a conclusion. She has been my friend the longest, the one who first began pulling me away from feeding off of vengeance and towards living on something less fleeting and more substantial. But when the Carnival came around and everything came out…I don't know if I can reciprocate her feelings. She was my Most Important One, that was for sure, but the mere fact that she was doesn't mean I love her like she loves me: look at Nao or Midori. I do care for her a lot, but does that mean I love her like that? Really…I can't answer that.
I looked at my watch. Close to 6:00. I had to go soon; there were some things in town that needed to be taken care of before my meeting. I tossed the photo on to the coffee table; no sense in risking her if I get caught. I slipped on my riding outfit, snagged my helmet off from the couch, and walked out.
Not for the last time, I hoped. I had unfinished business in my normal life.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, kaichou-san." Shizuru turned from her just-finished slice of pie to see Mai approaching her booth from the kitchen entry point, her Lindenbaum uniform slung over in her arm. "The manager wanted to tie up some loose ends."
"What sort of loose ends, Mai-san?"
Mai reached the booth and waited for a distracted-by-cell-phone Aoi to slide over so that she could sit down. "Employment stuff, mostly. Taxes and all that. Anything new?"
"No," Aoi replied, closing her phone and taking a sip of her float. She had spent the majority of her time checking her extensive gossip network, since with her graduation she will soon move away and she had to decide which of her contacts would be useful to keep in touch with. Not that the others were less worthy to her, but she and Chie will be making new friends in college. No one gets more than 24 hours in a day, after all.
"Chie's not coming, then?" Mai asked.
"Afraid not. She's still packing her stuff up."
"Harada-san still those puts things off, I see," Shizuru commented.
"Well, she's gotten better at staying on top of her to-do list since you graduated, kaichou-san." Aoi took a glance at the time before putting her phone away. "So…" Aoi leaned the slightest bit closer to limit the chances of someone overhearing their discussion without making it comically obvious. "…what's the plan?"
"One of us will have to keep a look out for police or firemen," Mai said. "I'm really not eager to get into any legal trouble."
"I don't think any of us are, Mai-san," Shizuru replied.
"So, how do we do that?" Mai asked. "One of us stands in the hallway?"
"Not unless you're trying to be conspicuous," Aoi replied. "Judging from how bad the fire got, the lobby and second floor are going to be watched closely. If someone sees one of us in the hallway, it's game over."
"What do you suggest then, Senou-san?"
"There's a café across the street from the apartment. One of us can sit there and watch out for the other two."
"That sounds good," Mai said. She glanced at Shizuru's face before looking back at Aoi. "Do you want to do that? I know it'll probably be boring, but you can just walk away if we get caught up there by police. Besides, we're the ones willing to break the law to find out what's up with Natsuki; there's no reason to jeopardize you."
Aoi thought it over for a moment. "You have a point there, Mai. All right. Guess I can try to text you discreetly if they come."
"Great."
"And what will we do once we enter Natsuki's apartment, Mai-san?" Shizuru asked.
"Well, we'd first have to make sure we can move around without punching a hole in the floor; no telling how bad the fire might have burned it. If it's too dangerous, we'll have to back out. As for-"
"For she's a jolly good fellow, for she's a jolly good fellow, for she's a jolly good fellow….which nobody can deny!" The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a chorus coming from behind Mai. Mai noticed Shizuru's eyes brighten with amusement and turned around to see her soon-to-be-ex-coworkers and soon-to-be-ex-boss all lined up, with Akane holding a scrumptious strawberry cake that read "Thank you, Mai!" on it in frosting. The group then all applauded as Akane cheerfully slid the cake onto their table. Several customers in Lindenbaum also joined in the applause.
"Aw, you guys!" Mai said with a smile, completely hiding her seriousness of three seconds prior over what they were planning to do at Natsuki's apartment. "When did you make this?"
"Just now," Akane replied, "while you were in the manager's office."
Mai turned to the manager. "You did this?"
"I just organized it," her manager replied. "They did the work. We just wanted to say thank you for all the work you've done for us all these years."
"Oh…" Mai couldn't help but genuinely smile. When everyone was being this kind, it wasn't hard to hide her worry about Natsuki.
"Try it, Tokiha-san!" Kazuya urged.
"Yeah, Mai, please?" Akane practically begged. "I want to see how well I did."
"All right, all right!" Mai took a fork and cut off a corner to taste it. "Mmm! This is delicious! Thank you guys so much!"
The group dispersed soon after, though Akane took a break and remained with Mai and company. She still had another week before her last day. "No word from Natsuki?" she asked.
Aoi shook her head as she reached for another bite of the cake. "I'm sure she's fine, though. You know how she is. It'd take more than a fire to get her."
"Yeah, that's true. Still…"
"Don't worry, Akane," Mai assured her. "We'll find out what's going on."
"All right, all right." Akane released her tension and slumped a bit in her seat. "Is there anything I can do to help, though?"
"Perhaps get us out of trouble if we fall into it, Higurashi-san," Shizuru suggested half-jokingly.
"W-Well, something like that…hopefully that won't be necessary." Everyone chuckled, though it was a quiet one, partly out of wanting to not draw attention, partly because, much as they wanted to play it off as a fun excursion, none of them were naïve enough to not consider Natsuki's history. It wasn't the first time Natsuki had gone MIA by any means, nor was this a long time for Natsuki disappearances (the record in the two years since the end of the Carnival was about two weeks), but it was the occurrence of the fire at her apartment so soon after she disappeared that caused Mai and Shizuru to be concerned enough to share them with Aoi and Akane.
Shizuru took a glance of her watch. "Is it time to go soon, kaichou-san?" Akane asked.
Shizuru nodded. "We will need time to reach Natsuki's apartment."
The four of them got up. "Akane, can you pack up the rest of this cake for me?" Mai asked. "I bet Mikoto will want some later."
"Sure thing, Mai."
The other two had put their jackets on and were waiting on Mai. "Anyone need to use the bathroom?" Aoi asked. Mai and Shizuru shook their heads.
There was a brief pause after everyone had dressed to go. "Well," Akane said finally. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Mai replied. Aoi and Shizuru nodded in appreciation. "I'll call you when we're done. If we don't get back before you get off work, please get the cake to Mikoto."
"OK, Mai."
"Yes, Mom, everything's packed away and in storage. I'll call a taxi in the morning."
"All right, then. Do you know where your room will be next year?"
"Not yet. The administration mails our new assignments in a couple days or so, though, so I think I'll know pretty soon."
"But you will remain in the girls' dorm?"
"Well, considering that the only other dorm here is all boys…"
"Oh, right, right, I forgot. Will your roommate stay with you as well?"
"Aoi's graduating, Mom."
"Agh. I've missed out on more than I thought." A chuckle came over the phone.
Nao just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I told you that last week."
"Right, right. Well, my shift starts soon. I'll probably be sleeping when you get home. You have a key, right?"
Nao briefly searched her pocket. "Yeah, I got it."
"OK, then, Nao. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Mom." Nao hung up and tossed her phone onto her bed, the only thing still untouched from the end-of-year packing. The phone landed next to a note from Aoi that said she was out with Mai.
Things had changed for Nao since the Carnival. The biggest, of course, was her mother emerging from her coma about nine months ago. The purple-haired pseudo-cripple's Big Reset brought her mother back to life; time brought her back to the world. Nao was actually there for it on one of her near-daily hospital visits at Fuuka Medical Center; once her childlike reaction of joy was known, anyone outside of the ex-HiME who didn't know what Nao was really like might have asked who she was and what they've done with Nao. Within the ex-HiME group, people had varying reactions to the news. Mai and a quick-forgiving Takumi were openly happy for her, as had the Sister. Natsuki had simply smiled and said "That's great", apparently taking the Takumi approach and being content that another one of them didn't have to be motherless. Fujino and Akira were…more complicated.
Nao was still Nao, but her life had started to meander its own way back towards some semblance of normalcy. A life touched (perhaps "jolted" might be a better word) by the Carnival would never return to what it once was, but even scars have their angle of beauty. She was still pretty blunt and sarcastic, but rarely now did her demeanor make others truly despise her (whether this was a result of others being more tolerant of Nao or vice versa is uncertain). Nao was never going to be a socialite by anyone's standards, but Aoi had noted that Nao gradually began to make small talk more frequently whenever the two happened to be in their room. While Nao still went on the occasional pedo-hunt, they had become less and less frequent, partly out of her mother's presence, partly out of the need to maintain good grades as part of the scholarship deal offered by the Director, partly out of lack of access to her Claws of Doom and Julia.
"Julia…" Nao thought as she went to her closet and began flipping through the few remaining clothes hanging there. She did miss her Child occasionally. The feeling of power that she had knowing that the disgusting thing she was out on a date with had no chance of getting out was empowering, even intoxicating. But the Carnival had its effects. A series of private talks with Sister Yukariko, Natsuki, Mai, and Aoi had narrowed her from a categorical hate of all men to a focused disdain on pedophiles. She knew Aoi out of habit would almost always break her promise of not telling anyone, but she never got more than a little miffed so long as the receiving end was one of the other three.
Nao eventually found out her old junior high uniform and began putting it on. The change in her object of hatred didn't stop her prowls, but it did change her hunting habits; on a few occasions she had discerned that her prey wasn't a true pedophile and was going out with her for different reasons ranging from confusion to desperation, at which point she would either let him go with a warning or they simply parted ways with a "Thanks for the evening" and she would move on. Natsuki once quipped that she had gotten soft, at which point Nao threw her bento lunch at her, but she had to admit to herself that the wolf had a point. Granted, part of the reason was her being forced to widen her search because she no longer had her ace in the hole, but she still found herself more capable of empathy, perish the thought.
Nao took a look of herself in the mirror. Save for the uniform being a little too small for her, Nao looked pretty much as she did two years ago. With a final straightening of her hair, Nao walked out the door and to her next target. She may have her scholarship, but who couldn't use some extra cash?
Shizuru turned the doorknob through the police tape and sent the door open. All in all, Natsuki's apartment didn't look as bad as the two had feared it would be. It certainly wouldn't be considered livable except by the desperate, but, at least at first glance, it at least looked like a salvageable situation. Still, Shizuru wasn't taking chances. She slipped underneath the plastic tape crisscrossing the doorway and made her way into the room, taking one cautious step at a time. Her hand held a flashlight which was covered in red cellophane in order to minimize the chances of the light drawing attention from the street (a suggestion by Aoi as a much cheaper alternative to night-vision goggles which would probably set them back at least 30,000 yen, not to mention that they didn't have time to shop for one). Mai followed Shizuru into the room with a penlight of her own. The pair took a few tentative steps to establish that they weren't about to fall through to the first floor. Once they felt safe enough, they looked around the apartment in greater detail.
Natsuki's apartment consisted of two rooms: a combined kitchen/living area and a separate bedroom. Mai searched the former, Shizuru the latter, both of them trying to figure out how the fire could have cleaned out Natsuki's place so thoroughly, yet was not strong enough to (so far) jeopardize the structural integrity of the whole building.
"Very strange," Shizuru said loud enough for Mai to hear. "Where is Natsuki's lingerie?"
Mai turned her attention to the apartment door. "Nee, kaichou-san?" Mai called out. "I think someone was here when the fire broke out."
"What makes you think that, Mai-san?"
"This." Shizuru walked out of the bedroom and towards Mai, who was pointing her light at the base of the door. "You see that?" she asked when Shizuru came close.
Shizuru looked where Mai was pointing. "It looks like a towel. Or, what remains of it."
"All folded up and positioned right around where the bottom of the door would be," Mai added.
"Perhaps Natsuki was here when the fire broke out," Shizuru said. "That is one thing you are supposed to do when there is a fire, is it not?"
Mai furrowed her brow. "Only if the fire is outside your room. A wet towel stuffed under the door like is supposed to absorb the smoke and heat. It'd be useless if the fire's already inside."
Shizuru thought for a moment. "Yes, that would make sense."
Mai looked up and looked into the distance. "What did you say before about lingerie?"
Shizuru looked up. "I can find no remains of Natsuki's collection."
"I'm guessing you know what to look for."
"Yes," Shizuru said simply.
"And there's nothing?"
Shizuru shook her head. "Not even charred remains of just one of them. It's like Natsuki moved them out before the fire."
Mai looked back at Shizuru. "You think she knew this was coming?"
The conversation was interrupted by what sounded like shattering glass, followed by a rising commotion from outside. "What was that?" Mai asked.
"An accident?" Shizuru suggested. The two hurried to the window.
Nao emerged from a back alley, thumbing through her latest booty (poor bastard thought he was going to be getting some instead of giving it). Twenty-one thousand yen was not that bad for a night's work. It was especially nice since she didn't have tests to worry about until April, so she could just spend the rest of the night on the town as she pleased. Perhaps she should cap off her studies with a round of beer, especially without that crazy teacher around to ruin the fun. Or blow it off at the arcades. Maybe she should save it for a nice dinner with Mother, assuming she doesn't get called by the hospital for emergency duty again.
While Nao was debating her options on her next move, she caught sight of Natsuki leaving a bar on the far side of the street and walking out, trying to act all nonchalant but clearly to the trained eye of Nao was on business. "Interesting…" she said to herself as she saw Natsuki begin to walk away. Her hand hovered above her pocket and she had a brief thought about sending a text message to Aoi or Mai about the sighting, but it stopped when all her attention was drawn to what came next: a pair of men who had up to this point been loitering around the entrance to the bar had begun to walk off in the same direction as Natsuki. Nao raised an eyebrow, the thought of letting someone know had left her mind, and she became curious as to where this would lead. Nao knew how she would handle that sort of thing, but wanted to know how Natsuki would.
Nao quietly trailed the two men, who in turn were indeed following Natsuki as she had suspected. Natsuki herself did not give any indication that she knew she was being followed, only continuing on with her walk. This procession continued for one block, then two blocks, then three. Nao had begun to grow bored and her hand again reached for her cell phone, but then Natsuki turned into a side alley. Soon after, the two men followed her in, and a white van pulled up near the entrance to the alley. That brought Nao's curiosity back, and she gradually approached the scene, trying her best to blend into the crowd. While en route, the driver of the van exited the vehicle and leaned against the door, apparently waiting for something.
Nao's eyes shifted from the van to the alley. "Hmm…" she thought to herself. "Kuga's going to be in some trouble soon. Maybe I should stick around in case her ass needs bailing." Her eyes scanned the scene in front her as she made a pass at the entrance: a moderately busy Saturday evening with people walking back and forth, checking out the shops and such. The two men following Natsuki had their backs to the street, while on the far side Nao could make out one or two more approaching. "Bad move," Nao scolded to Natsuki in her mind. "You ought to know better than to walk where there's only one exit." The white van that had pulled up kind of stood out mainly because of its conspicuousness despite its inconspicuous-intent of a paint job. The man leaning against the van-
Nao suddenly doubled over upon getting her first good look at the driver, a brief but sharp pain racing through her head. Utterly confused as to why, she looked at the driver again. Then the memories came flooding back…
"Mama!"
"Out of the way, kid."
"No! Let me go!"
"No chance in hell."
"Nao! Run!"
"Mama!"
"What about the kid?"
"We'll do the brat after the bitch. C'mon, let's get the fun going."
"Run! Aah!"
"Quiet!"
"Run!"
"I said shut up!"
"Ugh…Nao…go…"
Nao's lungs could barely register and tell her brain that she was hyperventilating. Her eyes could barely register and tell her brain that her vision was beginning to tunnel. Her fingers could barely register and tell her brain of the cool touch of the metal streetlamp that her hand was resting on for support. Her ears could barely register and tell her brain about the voice of a bystander: "Hey, Miss, are you all right?" For her brain was focused on one image and one image only: the image of the man who led the assault that sent her mother into a coma all those years ago. The image of the man who had stolen her childhood innocence. The image of the man that had seared itself into Nao's memory for eternity.
The image of the man that matched the very one leaning against the van at that moment.
For Nao, there was only one response for that. A response that could deliver five years' worth of rage and anger.
Again, I appreciate reviews.