11. "Do you have siblings?"
"One." He answers through a cigarette. "A brother called Kasuka. What about you."
"Only child." She shifts her hold on her umbrella, twirling the canopy a little as she waits for the walk sign to turn. "Do you talk to Kasuka much?"
Shizuo admits no, and Mai argues he should. "We're not that close, Taniyama. And even if we were, he's always busy, so we wouldn't have time to meet anyway."
She bows her head. "All the same. He's your brother; you should talk more."
It's odd how she talks as if she's known him for years. Although she's about three years younger than him, every so often he hears a certain depth in her voice that suggests someone far older than either of them. It's in her eyes, too, and then he realizes that throughout this entire conversation, standing before the crosswalk, she hasn't once looked at him.
"Everything all right?"
"Sorry if I seem meddlesome." She apologizes. "I just think family's important, especially the one you were born into. See….I don't have any surviving family. Both my parents were gone by the time I turned thirteen."
Her words shock him because there's no way he would've ever guessed that. She always seems so cheerful and full of life. Who would've thought she'd been orphaned as such a young age. He asks if she has her grandparents yet, aunts or uncles, maybe a distant cousin. No, no, and no.
"I don't have a single living relative." She takes a breath. "That's why I'm out today. I'm going to visit my parents' graves."
He's silent as the walk sign flashes and they move across the intersection. Upon reaching the sidewalk on the other side, he asks if she want him to go with her, but she declines, saying this is something she needs to do herself. As they part ways, he turns to watch her go and wonders about everything else she's done all on her own.
-0-0-0-
Author's Notes: I've always been impressed by the independence and fortitude Mai displays regarding her parents.
Ghost Hunt is owned by Fuyumi Ono and Shiho Inada.
Durarara! is owned by Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Akiyo Satorigi.