Apologies for lateness, but the chapter turned out longer than expected. Just be glad that I didn't break it up into two parts.
Ah yes, you know the preview I gave you last chapter? Disregard it because I didn't quite follow that formula.
Dear Yoji, romance is like cotton candy, mostly air and sugar, and overbearing when consumed in massive amounts. Ironically, before writing this story, I always considered MaiNao as strange and impossible. However after a great deal of work, it has become apparent to me that they work extremely well together if we were to follow the canon's existing outline. NatNao, on the other hand, seemingly can only work as a temporary pairing, since the character personalities are so similar that they clash.
--
I kept silent through the entire ride. My mind twisted with confusion and horror. How could I be in love with Mai? It was impossible. She was my friend. Friends enjoyed each other's company. They paid attention to each other. They did not fall in love.
I knew I hated men, but that didn't make me like women. It just meant that I would never get married. I wasn't attracted to women, was I? My mind reeled at the thought. It was a possibility that I had never considered.
As soon as we reached the station, I took off and left them on the platform. I walked into a liquor store and flipped through one of the magazines. The ads were filled with models. They were beautiful women too. I had to see if I felt anything for them.
Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath. My eyes looked down at the first page I opened. It was an ad for some perfume. A pretty, young Japanese idol sat on the page. She wore a stylish one piece dress that seemed to draw attention to her face. I stared at it. What did I feel? My eyes roamed her body. The only thought that passed through my mind was how great it would be to buy Mai the perfume. I grew frustrated. The girl in the picture didn't even pass as an afterthought.
Maybe this wasn't the type of picture that I enjoyed. This magazine was aimed at women; it didn't want to turn them on, but make them jealous. I looked over at the other magazines. A motorcycle magazine caught my attention. Maybe that one would have something interesting. I flipped through the pages to find another advertisement.
There was one page with a sexy European standing next to a very nice looking bike. I scanned the page up and down. Her biker suit clung closely to her body, while she purposely left the top portion of the suit unzipped to show off cleavage. Her boobs were smaller than Mai's. She was taller than Mai, too tall. I made a million other comparisons before realizing that all of them related to Mai. Crap, what was I doing?
I screamed in frustration and ripped the magazine. The store clerk turned his head towards me, and ordered me to pay for it. I kicked the stand before leaving the money on the counter and storming out of the store. It took a little while for me to calm down.
Before I knew it, I was in the park. Seizing a bench, I crashed down and willed myself to look at the magazine once more.
"Just look at the women." I said to myself. "Don't think about Mai. Just look at the girls."
Flipping it open I found another pretty Japanese girl sitting next to a domestic motorcycle. I studied her closely. How did it make me feel? I held the page far away, then up close and far away again.
"Fuck, that bike's expensive." Shit, I was distracted. There was nothing. I didn't care about the model at all. What was there to look at? She had a flat chest, black hair and wore a skimpy bikini. I concluded that I wasn't into girls. Wait; there was always the sex thing. Maybe I enjoyed naked women. I mean, Mai and I bathed together once in a while; maybe I just liked her naked body.
I immediately found a fetish store near the park. The place was run down and sort of hidden behind other things, but I knew where it was. More than once, I had come out here to pick up men. Inside I grabbed a pornographic magazine.
I thumbed through the pages. It was more disgusting than interesting. It was hard to believe that women actually found pleasure in sex. I wondered if Mai enjoyed it with Tate. My hands crumpled the edges of the paper; I felt jealous.
Damn it, my mind was wandering to her again. It was driving me insane. Finally, I found a page featuring lesbians. Alright, did I enjoy this? I stared closely at their naked bodies. One woman's hand was inside the other woman. The other was fondling her breasts. Their tongues were visibly wrapping around each other. A chill ran down my spine. I tossed the magazine into the trashcan. Such sex didn't interest me. It was vulgar, revolting and demeaning. Mai was nothing like those women in the magazine. She wasn't some animal mindlessly fucking in front of a camera.
I grabbed my hair in frustration. What the hell was wrong with me? I needed to clear my head. Why did I even bother to look at those idiotic magazines? I punched a nearby wall. Someone screamed in the distance.
"You look pissed," a voice sounded to my right. Raven hair followed by a trademark smirk, it was my occasional friend and employer, Kuga Natsuki.
I looked at her, and then looked at the carnage behind her. Slowly evaluating the scene, I raised my eyebrow to question her.
She smirked and said, "Family reunion." Without glancing behind her, she grabbed my arm and led me away. We ended up in a café on the third floor of some second rate shopping center. "So, what happened to the picnic?"
I choked on my drink. "How did you know that we went on a picnic?"
"Mai invited me too, but I had work." She casually draped her arm on the back rest of the booth.
"Why'd she invite you too?" I muttered to myself.
"What? Jealous?" Natsuki laughed.
Heat rose up to my face. Natsuki was joking, but it didn't stop me from reacting. "I'm not jealous." I huffed. My arms crossed, and I looked away from Natsuki.
She paused in her amusement. "You really are jealous." Her voice was laced with shock.
Crap, she caught me. Well, I wasn't doing a very good job at hiding my feelings. It's not my fault. I never felt this way before. I had no idea how to react.
"Oi, Nao? What the hell are you thinking?" She poked me to get my attention. "Don't zone out now."
"Shut up Kuga! I'm trying to think." Maybe I should tell her about my feelings. She was good at keeping secrets, and she had experience. When it came down to it; Natsuki was the only one I could talk to about this.
"Think about what? What the hell is wrong with you?" She gritted her teeth in anger and held her hands in fists. It looked like she was about to get into a fight. While it seemed like a good distraction, I really did need to talk.
"I think," I began. My mind sorted the words I wanted to say. Natsuki was smart, but the subject was one that was easily misinterpreted. I had to be direct and clear. "I think I'm in love with Mai."
For a moment everything froze. We stared directly at each other trying to read the other's mind. She frowned. "Don't fuck with me Yuuki." The woman looked like she was going to jump over the table, and beat me into the ground.
"I'm serious." I stated. Her glare was challenging me to make a move. Our eyes battled for dominance. It was getting on my nerves, but I understood her feelings. She was only looking out for Mai. I gave in first. My head collapsed onto the table. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
Suddenly, Natsuki's pose relaxed. She seemed to understand the situation. "You're really not joking are you?" Her voice sounded anxious.
"Of course not," I yelled and slammed my fists on the table. "Why would I joke about something like that?" My body slumped forward in defeat.
She drew her lips together, deep in thought. After a minute, she finally spoke. "Maybe, you're not in love with her."
Hope sparked within me. "Really? What am I feeling then?"
"Well, you lost your mom recently, and Mai is the mothering type. I mean, it just fits. You do have a mother-complex. Maybe you're just drawn to Mai, because she's kind of like your mom." She took a sip of her coffee. Her logic made sense.
I wasn't in love with Mai; I was just using her to replace the mother I lost. I should have been overjoyed, but it only weighed down my heart. Somehow I was happier when I thought I was in love with Mai. Looking at Natsuki, I did my best to smile gratefully. "Umm, thanks." I felt guilty. Has Mai just been a replacement for Mama all along?
I left my friend in the booth, and headed home. I was tempted to stray from my path and take out a few guys here and there. Unfortunately, it was too early in the evening to get a proper catch. The only people roaming about now were the harmless otakus who preferred their life size dolls to real women. I had to admit, there was a certain appeal. They didn't have feelings, couldn't cause harm and would never leave.
No doubt Mai was angry at me for leaving them at the station. What was there to do now? I couldn't exactly start calling Mai "mama". There was also Mikoto to consider. My jealousy was a result of sibling rivalry; it was pathetic. I truly had sunk to a new low.
Mai yelled at me as soon as I walked through the door. I quickly apologized, and said I had an errand to run. She didn't believe me. "You didn't go after perverts again did you?"
"Of course not," I yelled. "How could you think that of me?" A wave of guilt and sadness passed through me. It bothered me that she would so easily think the worst of me. It was enough that I felt that way about myself. I didn't need it from her. "I had to talk to Natsuki about something important."
She raised her brow skeptically, but accepted my answer. "You know Asahara-san ran home crying today."
"That's too bad." I didn't actually care. What happened to that girl was none of my business. I was still trying to grasp my newly discovered feelings for Mai. Mother figure was it?
She was sitting next to Mikoto watching television. The two of them were eating some light snacks while intently listening to a drama. I clenched my fist when Mikoto suddenly plopped her head onto Mai's shoulder out of boredom. "Mai I want more snacks." Sibling rivalry seemed dangerous.
Resisting the urge to shove Mikoto to sit between them, I took off to the bathroom. I had to control myself for the both of them. It didn't feel right. I wanted to be in the next room with Mai watching television, and listening intently to the protagonist give his monologue. I wanted to cuddle up next to her, lean into her shoulder, feel the warmth of her body and maybe get a whiff of her fruity shampoo. Was it so bad that I wanted to be close to Mai? Maybe I could share with Mikoto? I could simply take the other side.
No, what was I thinking? Mai would be uncomfortable if I did something like that. Mikoto already made everything awkward enough; she didn't need me hanging on to her every minute of every day. Most importantly, she wasn't Mama, and could never replace her. I was being selfish and unfair. What I wouldn't give to go back to being the punk who tied up perverts. At least, that way I didn't give a shit about anyone or anything, least of all myself.
Someone knocked on the bathroom door. "Nao you're taking too long," Mai called from the other side.
"Almost finished," I replied, and quickly scrubbed down. There was no going back now. I was not the same Yuuki Nao who tied up men with Juliet. I wasn't a Hime anymore. Mama wasn't with me anymore.
Without announcement, the door swung open. Mai walked in and began to strip.
"M..Mai, what are you doing?" I panicked. She didn't even bother to ask me if she could enter. I didn't want her to see me, and I really shouldn't look at her. Her shirt dropped to the ground. I flipped around in a pathetic attempt to hide my rising blush.
"I need to bathe too." More rustling noises came from behind me followed by a thud of what I assume were her pants dropping to the ground.
"Mai I'm not really comfortable with this." Water splashed as she entered the tub. I turned my head to face the wall. The heat in my cheeks rose to an unbearable temperature.
"Why not? You're almost done anyway." She started scrubbing herself with soap. The foam started to float to my side of the tub.
What was I nervous about anyway? If she was like Mama, this should be normal. I regained composure. There was no reason for me to act embarrassed. I turned my head towards her to talk. It didn't work. My head exploded with a rush of blood. An unusual feeling stirred in the pit of my stomach. Something must have been in the air, because she suddenly appeared immensely attractive.
I could only mutter "I'm going now," before leaving the bathroom while carefully avoiding seeing her body. This was not the feeling one had for a mother. Natsuki was wrong; I didn't see her like Mama at all. My immediate frustration returned.
I really was in love with Mai.
Was it such a bad thing? Mai was a wonderful person. She cared about everyone, and helped people in need. No one in the world could compare to Mai. After all, she dealt with me on a daily basis. Yet there was one thing that I forgot to take into account. I was not worthy of Mai. She was great, but I was not.
I walked out the door to see a half-naked Mikoto zoom past me. A pang of jealously struck me in the chest. Unlike me, the cat girl didn't have a problem with bathing with Mai. She said something about a promise for ice cream before jumping into the water. Shortly after, screaming ensued as typical of a bath involving Mikoto. I wondered how she kept herself clean when Mai wasn't around to cater to her needs.
My body crashed into the bed. The burden of today's revelation weighed heavily on my mind. The water was running in the bathroom. I wondered what exactly they were doing in there. A few disturbing thoughts flashed through my head. God damn it; I need something to distract me.
The television screen revealed an angry red head glaring at me. My own reflection stared accusingly at me. "Piss off," I mentally screamed. It just kept looking. I could swear that it was laughing at me. I wanted to bash in the screen. Immediately, I stood up and turned it on. It was forced to disappear into moving pictures of light.
Yuuki Nao - 1
Reflection - 0
A cop drama was playing. It didn't seem that interesting. The show was the formulaic everyday production that had been done hundreds of times. Someone was murdered, and then the cops show up. The characters looked generic. I bet I could produce those female actresses on assembly lines. None of them were as good looking as Mai.
Son of a bitch, there I was thinking about Mai again. I shouldn't think about her anymore. Maybe if I ignored my feelings completely, it would go away. It wasn't as if I could simply confess to her and hope it'll end happily ever after. It was moronic to believe that life would simply change at one point to become eternal paradise forever. Everyone called it life, because it was miserable. I knew I was alive, because I was absolutely miserable.
If I could avoid Mai for long enough; my feelings would go away. There would be no need to worry anymore, and I could continue living without caring about anything or anyone. Who was I kidding though? These feelings would drive me insane before they went away. The only option I had was to drive Mai away first. I would be overwhelmed with guilt, but at least I would be free of her. She didn't have to worry about me anymore either. In a way, I was lifting both our burdens. My head crashed into the pillow. Separation from Mai seemed too extreme. There had to be a better way.
--
I left early the next morning, and began wandering around the streets. It was Sunday, we had no school. I probably could have gone to make up classes or some other event, but opted to make a little money instead. Natsuki gave me a file on someone she wanted me to find. I thought it was a good opportunity to distract myself.
I walked down a suburban neighborhood and waited across the street from the subject's house. Natsuki didn't specify why she wanted to know where he was, but I didn't really care. For all I knew, he was her next hit. A middle-aged woman exited the house in a hurry. Her long skirt flapped as she half ran towards the south. I followed her. Maybe she was his mother, maybe she was his wife. I looked at the picture of my target; she was probably his mother.
The guy didn't look much older than me, but he definitely was a wannabe punk. His tousled long black hair covered half of a studded dog collar. He wore the generic leather vest, and a few chains hanged from his pants. A bunch of tattoos lined his arms. I wondered what kind of trouble he managed to get himself into. These types usually stayed within the boundaries of music. Maybe they had a few minor violent scuffles here and there, but they hardly ever got involved in anything really nasty.
The mother quickly got onto a boat. Wonderful, I had to leave our little part of Japan to follow some desperate woman. I didn't even know if she was meeting with my target. For a moment she disappeared from my sight. Damn it; the boat was over crowded. Too many people liked to go on trips on the weekend. Why couldn't they be satisfied within the city?
I found her again, but was careful to keep my distance. It wasn't that much of a problem. I wore a small generic cap and sunglasses to hide my identity. Natsuki always warned me to be careful on these jobs. Some of the targets were just too fucking paranoid.
She faced the sea, yet she was talking. I leaned a little over the rail to see a man hiding his face with a scarf. His hair was short now, but I could tell it was the guy I was looking for. He must have been in real trouble to go to such lengths to hide his identity. It didn't make a difference though; he was really crappy at blending in. The clothing gave him away. The man was covered from head to toe, while trying to remain inconspicuous. I suppose that was the price to pay for having so many tattoos. They were, after all, permanent identifying marks that could be seen from ten meters away.
At the harbor he got off the boat, and headed for a rundown motel. I made sure he was actually staying there before fishing out my cell phone to call Natsuki. She sounded a little depressed when she heard, but asked me to wait and watch for him. Apparently, losing him was a bad idea.
A couple hours later, she showed up at the entrance of the building. I was about to call out to her, but she just looked at me. Something in her expression stopped me from making any noise. A few more minutes passed. She quickly walked out of the building, grabbed me by the arm and led me away in a hurry.
"What the hell?" I yelped as we walked toward the harbor.
"Just come on." She growled, and pulled harder.
I took another glance back at the building. It was decrepit and old. The guy was desperately trying to hide. Natsuki literally ran away after entering the building for a few minutes.
"Shit," I screamed. "That guy was one of your hits." I whispered after. She nodded to confirm my suspicion.
We ended up in her office. I was drinking a soda, while she finished up a cup of ramen topped with mayo. "Why'd anyone kill him?" I asked. He was only a kid, maybe twenty.
"Not really sure," she replied, "probably screwed with the wrong people."
I shrugged my shoulders. Maybe I was supposed to feel bad for him. He didn't look like he deserved death. It didn't have anything to do with me, so I didn't think to care. I changed the subject. "So, what's your codename?"
A look of caution briefly passed through her features. "Aika," she gruffly stated.
I slumped in my seat. "That's so lame," I cried. "Why don't you use something cool like Blue Wolf or Diablo? At least use Duran."
"You read too much manga. Generic names are harder to trace." Well, she had a point. There were far more Aikas in Japan than there were Diablos.
"It's still lame." I grumbled. A minute of silence passed. I stared up at the ceiling looking for something to count. I didn't want to go home, and I didn't have anything else to do. Pervert hunting seemed tempting, but Mai wouldn't approve. Even if I wanted to distance myself, I didn't want to make her upset.
"Why aren't you going home?" Clearly she was annoyed at my presence. It wasn't like I was stopping her from working. She was being her usual cross self. Frankly, I found it pathetic that she wallowed in self pity. Then again, I wasn't one to talk.
"I feel like staying here." Home was empty right now. Mai was working to make up for yesterday. I wanted to see her, yet didn't at the same time.
"Bullshit, what's up with you?" Fucking detective asked too many questions. I wondered if she'd ever learn to butt out.
"None of your business," I snapped. Perhaps I could have gone somewhere else, but I didn't have to keep up my guard here. The outside world was dangerous. I had to beware of my former victims and of new predators.
"It is while you're in my office." Damn, she used the property card against me. I saw it coming, but hoped she was too distracted to care.
"Fine," I screamed. Glaring at her I said, "You know how I told you I was in love with Mai."
"Yeah," she replied. "She's like your mom right?"
"Fuck no!" My hands slammed onto the table. "She's nothing like my mother!"
Natsuki held up her hands to calm me down. "What did you get into a fight or something?"
I didn't comply. Instead, I jumped out of my seat and began pacing in the room. "Nothing like that," I said. I grabbed my hair in frustration while circling her office. "I'm still in love with her."
She gulped. Naturally, this was the worst possible outcome that we could possibly expect. I knew I didn't deserve Mai. If she ended up with me, who knows what hell she'd have to go through. Who knew crap she dealt with for my sake?
"I see." The woman grabbed my arm. "What do you plan to do?"
"What else is there to do?" I snapped my arm back. "I'm going to ignore my feelings, and they'll go away."
"It's not that easy to fall out of love." She stated. What was she now, the break up expert? Last time I checked, she was still going at it with her high school sweetheart.
"Sure it is. I'll just have to put some effort into it." The plan was easy enough. I only had to avoid telling Mai how I felt. We could still be friends, right?
Natsuki sighed. "Don't be naïve."
"What choice do I have? It's not like she'd ever like me. Even if she did, we can't date. I'm not exactly relationship material." I ranted some more, but I doubt my friend was listening.
"Listen, I've been thinking. Maybe you should go for it?" Her words froze me to the ground. What the hell was wrong with her? Natsuki Kuga didn't mind that I, the walking billboard of troubled children, had a crush on our mutual friend, that kind, tolerant, patient woman who basically threw away her adolescent years to pay for her brother's heart surgery.
I slowly turned to face her. "Are you serious?"
She nodded. "Yeah, sure, why not?" she replied. Maybe she started taking drugs. One thing was for sure, she had lost her mind.
I tilted my head to examine her in a new light, held my hand up to her forehead, and checked her pupils. She didn't appear to be high. "You're insane." I told her.
She waved away my hand in annoyance, and leaned back. "No, I'm serious. It won't be so bad." A smug smile appeared on her face. It made me want to punch her. "Think about it. Mai already knows your bad side, and she's got you whipped."
"I'm not whipped." Listening to Mai about one thing did not make me whipped.
"Sure you are. When was the last time you threw your clothes on the floor?" Crap.
When did I start picking up after myself? It didn't matter; my cleanliness meant nothing. Natsuki was drawing wild conclusions. "Doesn't matter anyway," I said. "I can't go out with Mai."
"What's stopping you?" She crossed her arms, daring me to tell her she was wrong.
"Me." I replied.
"That's stupid." She grumbled.
I thought of a way to explain myself. "Isn't it selfish of you?"
"Selfish," she said, "how?"
"To keep your job a secret from Fujino," I finished.
Her face contorted into a mix of displeasure and shame. "I don't want her to know that side of me."
"Why?" Now I was getting through to her.
"Because it means that she'd know I'm a murderer." She sighed. "Because she'd forgive me even though I can't forgive myself." Some moisture built up in her eyes, and she wiped them away quickly.
I nodded my head when it looked like she understood. The two of us were less innocent than most of the other himes. We hurt a lot of people. Until Mai, I didn't think anything of it, but now, I knew it would come back to haunt me.
"Still, I don't think you should give up," she told me.
I slapped my forehead in frustration. All this talk basically led nowhere. Damn Natsuki was so fucking stubborn. Screw it. I stood up, waved a quick goodbye, and left the office. The door closed behind me. On the other side, Natsuki called Fujino.
--
Asahara was waiting for me outside the building. She knew I worked here on my free time, so I guess it was smart of her to come. It was annoying that she still chose to follow me around, but for the time being, she was not my largest problem. I took her to an empty warehouse, and told her that we were learning new ways to fight. I wasn't going to beat her up too badly, but really needed to expend my built up frustrations. She happily accepted my offer.
I didn't go easy. Every time she got into position, I managed to flip her back onto the ground. It was lucky that I didn't throw too many punches. The bruises would have raised too many questions. Maybe this way the girl would learn to stay away from me.
"Senpai, you're being too hard." She whined while rubbing her hurt butt. It was her own fault for following me around like some lost puppy. She should've learned to break free from her troubled family life.
"You want to learn or what?" I growled back. We paused in the one-sided sparring match.
"But Senpai," she said, "you're not teaching anything."
"I'm teaching you how to fall."
"But Senpai," she complained.
"If you can't take it, go home!" I yelled at her.
She began to cry. "What happened? Why are you so mean today? I want you to be nice again."
Her words hit like a ton of bricks. Sad, sardonic laughter escaped my mouth. I laughed so hard that I was crying. The cold grip of despair seized my heart.
She looked at me quizzically. "Senpai?"
"What universe have you been living in? When have I ever been nice?" I grabbed her tightly to see her wince in pain. "You know nothing about me. The Yuuki Nao you think you love doesn't exist. She will never exist."
Tears began to fall from her eyes. "Please stop. You're hurting me."
"Why stop? You never hated it before." I feel the corners of my mouth lift into a sadistic smile. "Didn't you want this? You wanted me to take you." I forced her against the wall. My body was against hers. Our noses were touching. "To be as close as this," I finished. Her panicked hot breath was spreading over my chin. I could hear it, her heart beat.
"Senpai," she whimpered.
Asahara Makino, a lost little girl in a world full of wolves. This was her fault. If it weren't for her, I would never have gone on that damned picnic. I would never have realized my true feelings for Mai. I would never be trapped in this corner of hell trying to avoid every drop of temptation that flowed off of Mai like an uncontrollable fountain. I wanted to kill her.
A trickle of blood rolled from her lips. I closed in to take them. My hands wandered down her arms to her sides, then to the hem of her skirt. I pulled at it. She screamed and slapped me away. Shock ran through my system. I was about to do the same thing all those guys wanted to do. All this time I at least prided myself better than them, but I was nothing more than a hypocrite walking around in sheep's clothing.
Her eyes glared at me with defiance, fear and betrayal. For a moment, I felt proud that she could even get the courage to retaliate. She took off before I could apologize. Guess there was little point; I had done something inexcusable. A part of me wanted to hurt her in the worst possible way, and that was unforgivable. I had never felt so filthy. At least, it seemed like this would solve my stalker problem, even if it was far from the way I wanted.
--
Peace at last, or so it seemed. Asahara didn't come near me after that. Once in a while, I'd catch her hanging around Fuuka Academy, only to watch her run away before I got near. It bothered me that we parted on such bad terms, but it wasn't as if I was going to get on my knees, and beg for her to return. She didn't mean that much to me.
I did miss her presence a little. She was like the annoying little sister I never had, the one that would follow her Onee-chan everywhere. Trips downtown were less interesting now. Stakeouts were almost unbearably boring. At least the girl would try to chat with me during the long stretch of waiting. It had never occurred to me how patient she was to silently wait by my side.
It was frustrating. I took on more jobs from Natsuki to avoid seeing Mai, but the jobs were boring, which is probably why the woman so easily dumped them on me. It was surprising to see how well her business went; it made me wonder why she even had a side job. Maybe she was trying to earn money for Fujino.
Now I was around often enough to notice that not everything was perfect between the lovers. Something had gone awry in their fairy tale, and it wasn't that Natsuki told her the truth about her job. Something on Fujino's end did not happen the way they wanted. Now I knew why she told me life sucked.
I sulked in the little street corner by the trash heap. Mai hadn't noticed my absence at all. It had been nearly a month since the picnic. I hadn't really spoken to her since, and she made no effort to communicate with me either. I couldn't expect her to exert the effort, but I wished she would. It hurt a lot to think about it. Only in a fantasy would she miss my presence, even just a little.
The temptation to drop by La Madeline's was unbearable. Did she think about me at all? In all reality, probably not, but it didn't hurt to dream. I had to think of all the things I hated about her. Mai was annoying, controlling, emotional and stubborn. We would drive each other insane. It would never work. I needed to give up.
My new subject walked out of her suburban home in a pretty sundress and yellow hat. It was very stereotypical of innocent housewives going out to shop. Unfortunately, if Natsuki's client was right, she was walking to meet up with another man.
I began to follow her. She joined up with a few other housewives, and an ever rare house husband. It certainly threw the cheating housewife theory out the window. Perhaps her husband was naturally the jealous type. Luckily, our discretion was to his advantage. If I did my job right, she would never know I was tailing her.
The group walked around the block, and entered a typical looking suburban house. While I did not know why so many people opted to enter the home; I knew that even with its normal décor, the house was a little too shady, literally. Despite the nice sunny day with a cool breeze, the curtains were drawn. Unlike its neighbors who had light-colored, lacy curtains, they were heavy and dark.
I easily hopped into the yard, and looked around. The curtains were pretty thick. I couldn't get a glimpse into the bottom floor. Somehow I had to climb up to the second floor, and get a peak in from there. Sure it counted as trespassing, but it mattered only if I got caught.
My body was light enough for me to crawl up some vine racks to reach the second floor balcony. No one was inside the room. From observation, it belonged to some teenage child, probably a girl, or a really gay boy. Either way it didn't matter too much. I sneaked around the top floor, making sure to inspect every room before entering.
I finally reached the stairs down. My eyes glanced to the living room, only to be met with one of the most shocking things that I'd probably ever see. Everyone in the comely little group I had followed was having wild sex on the floor, sort of. A couple of women were tied up and fastened to the ceiling via rope.
To think, until now I though all the strange noises were simply meowing cats. To justify myself, no one would conclude that a massive orgy was taking place downstairs. Suburbanites were really into kinky things.
The sound of a riding crop snap was followed by a short scream of pain. Regaining composure, I spotted my housewife for today, and snapped a few photos. Perhaps it would bode well for her marriage. After all, how many housewives out there were willing to participate in group sex? It was voyeuristic, but they did say dirty sex kept the marriage happy.
Carefully, I silently left the building. My work for today was done, and I had a little bit of spare time. My head slumped; I didn't want to go home. Everything there would make me think of Mai, so I opted to walk around the city.
I wondered if there were any perverts tonight. There was little point to my mental question. Perverts existed everywhere and anywhere. They were active at all times of the day; the only question I should have asked was if there were any potential victims wandering around the streets. One look down an alleyway answered my question.
"Hey, what are you kids doing back there?" I yelled with my toughest voice. I found the method less satisfying than actually tying men up naked, but it was a suitable substitution to please my newfound important person. The couple quickly scrambled out of the backstreet into the public area where inappropriate actions were strongly discouraged by the general public.
"Nao what are you doing?" Crap it was Mai. What was Mai doing in a place like this? She should be at work.
I quickly scrambled to position myself into a more innocent stance. Wait, I wasn't doing anything wrong. "Mai, what are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for you. Asahara-san burst into La Madeline's screaming about how I turned you into someone evil." She crossed her arms.
Ah great, that came to bite me in the ass. "Well, you see…" I trailed off. There wasn't anything to say. It was kind of true, but not. My agitation that day was due to Mai, but I was never a good person. Evil suited me much better than the shiny white armor of Asahara's fantasy knight.
"What did you do to her?" She demanded.
I couldn't really tell her the truth, or maybe I could choose to leave out certain details. The event had troubled me every day since. My mouth began moving on its own. "I did something unforgivable, because I was frustrated, but it's too late to take it back now."
"What did you do?" she calmly asked. Her voice softened just a little bit during the sentence. The effect just made me want to confess more.
"I-" A scream interrupted our conversation.
"You killed my son!" I turned around to see a woman with a gun.
I instinctively put myself between her and Mai. The middle-aged woman's hands were shaking; she had obviously never held one of those things before. It was a mystery how she even got it. A man appeared beside her. He was wearing one of the most disgusting grey sweaters I've ever seen. A flat, but annoying smile graced his wrinkling face.
"She's the one I saw lurking outside your house Hanai-san." He gestured to me. "I told you she liked to come here."
"Nao, do you know what's going on?" Mai quietly asked me.
"Not a clue, but don't move okay?" I glanced at her to see her troubled face.
"Shut up! How dare you?" Hanai-san screamed. "You murdered my son, and now you just forgot?"
Our arms were raised in surrender. "Look, I have no idea what you're talking about." I probably could have taken her out, but Mai would've been unhappy. Plus, even if I managed to get near enough, she could still hurt Mai, or the guy next to her could help.
"Liar!" She shot at the brick behind us. It was loud; maybe someone would come and help.
"Nao, maybe she's talking about that guy who shot you." Mai whispered to me again.
"But she's way too young to be his mom. He was like forty-five." She couldn't have been more than fifty.
"You followed me onto the boat a month ago. I remember your hat. It had Youji's favorite baseball team on it." I shoplifted that hat from a local store. I mentally noted to never steal things with sports logos again.
She was talking about Natsuki's hit. I'd forgotten about it. At the time, a kid's death was the least of my worries. "I really don't know what you're talking about. A month ago I was visiting my cousin."
"Don't listen to her Hanai-san. She's a liar and a criminal." The really annoying man stated.
"That's right," the woman confirmed to herself. "You even robbed Uoya-san. I can't trust a word you say."
I arched my eyebrow, and examined the man more closely. It couldn't be.
Mai spoke from behind me. "He's the one you can't trust. My friend only robs men who target young girls for sex."
"Too much info," I said to her.
Hanai-san looked a little confused for a moment. She cautiously glanced at her partner. If he was one of my targets, then the signs were all there; it was only a matter of noticing them. The gears of her mind were working. It was obvious she slowly realized his true nature.
"Why did you kill my little boy then? He never hurt anyone." She said. Disbelief laced in her voice.
"I never touched your kid." I yelled at her. "Last month I went to visit my cousin."
Mai tried her best to calm the woman down. "Come on now, you can't possibly believe that Nao could hurt your son."
"Don't believe them Hanai-san." He moved to steady her weakening arms.
"Shut up old man!" I yelled. "You're just telling her things to get revenge on me for tying you up naked. Fucking pervert!"
"Liar, I would never hurt a child." He growled. "Pull the trigger and avenge your son Hanai-san."
"That's not what your emails said." I retorted.
"Is it true?" She turned to Uoya. Expectedly, she didn't trust her own instincts about him, and relied on their personal connection as neighbors.
"Of course not, she's just trying to confuse you." His face literally changed demeanors once he turned back to me. That sweet smile he showed her transformed into one of sick pleasure.
I was worried. Mai was here; I couldn't protect her properly. This was my fault. The both of them wanted me. "Look, please just let Mai walk away. She's got nothing to do with this."
"We can't." The man spoke. "She'd just go get help. I'm afraid both of you have to die."
The woman frowned. "Wait, Uoya-san. I only want revenge for Youji. If she's got nothing-"
"Nonsense, you don't want to spend time in jail right? After all, you have Chiza-chan to care for." He was playing to her maternal instinct now. Bastard didn't bother to talk her out of getting a gun to take revenge, but managed to talk her out of letting Mai go. What I wouldn't give to feel his blood gushing own beneath my blade.
The woman carefully nodded, and slowly raised her weapon. Her hands were shaking badly, and her hesitation was driving the man nuts.
"For God's sake," he grumbled before taking the gun. Aiming directly at me, he pulled the trigger.
Something pushed me to the side. A loud explosion echoed in the small alleyway. I seized the opportunity, and ran up to bury my knife into his neck before he could get off another shot. The blade cleanly went in and out, severing a major artery. He gurgled his last breaths. Hanai-san ran off screaming. We were safe for the time being.
I turned around to see Mai slumped over on the ground. "Mai," I said.
She held her stomach tightly, and winced in pain. Still, she looked up and smiled at me before falling over into my chest.
"Shit." I called for emergency services on my cell phone. "You can't die on me Mai."
She looked up at me, and forced a laugh. "Why not? No one needs me anymore."
"What are you talking about Mai? Everyone needs you." I could feel tears rolling down my face.
"No, Takumi has Akira now. Yuuichi's moved on. You've been avoiding me. Even Mikoto's grown up." She coughed, and then groaned in pain.
Damn it all. She noticed, just like I wished. I regretted everything. "No," I cried. "No Mai, you have it wrong. Everyone still needs you. You're important. I still need you."
"Then why did you disappear after the picnic? Why couldn't I reach you all month?" Her breathing grew shallow.
"Mai, don't give up please." I begged for her to live. "Mai please, I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you."
Slowly her eyes began to droop. Where the hell were the paramedics? I did my best to keep pressure on the wound.
"Mai, I have a confession." I whispered softly. A hum escaped her mouth. "I've been avoiding you, because I've totally and completely fallen in love with you."
Her eyes widened a little. The cloth in my hand was soaked with blood. Sirens were blaring in the background.
I could only smile weakly. "I don't know what I would do without you, so please live. Give me a second chance. I'll do everything right. I promise."
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