"Marin! What happened?" Amane sounded positively horrified at all the police cars around her house, drawing the attention of the neighborhood.
"It's ok, Amane, I wasn't hurt but someone threw a brick breaking my window."
"Who would do such a thing?" She held a hand to her mouth while the other linked her husband's arm. "We'll help with the repairs and anything else you need." Kagaya muffles through his mask. She forced a smile on her face, thank you, I appreciate it."
She spoke to them until a screeching car arrived and stopped. Rune and Daia couldn't get out faster if they tried. They were hugging her and asking rapid-fire questions. She replied she was fine and pointed behind them to Nowa. She walked up wringing her hands nervously, but they wrapped their arms around her too, taking her in a bear hug by surprise, which earned an apology from her mouth.
"Forget about that. It's water under the bridge! We missed you," Rune coaxes. Jim interjects by clearing his throat.
He wasn't wearing his police uniform, instead wearing a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt with his badge in his pocket
Of course, Daia had to say something. "What the hell are you doing here? This isn't even your district." He wasn't wearing his police uniform, instead wearing a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt with his badge in his pocket. Marin hadn't considered why he was here until Daia asked.
He ignores Daia and curls his finger at Marin, beckoning her to follow him to talk in private. Once far enough, he starts, "Listen, the police will be out of your hair soon enough. There's limited evidence and no witnesses. Marin, I know you're not gonna like what I have to say, but you don't think your neighbors might know something?
As angry as it made her, she was prepared, like everyone else, he hated the Shabanas, but unlike everyone she could not understand why. They never even interacted!
"By 'know something' you mean you're accusing them without evidence?" her eyes furrowed angrily,
"Your house has seen many people leave because of them. So logically speaking, yes, they are on the radar."
"They didn't do it, I know that much. I get along with them just fine, ask anyone." but he keeps pressing her, "Marin are you fucking dumb? His sister fucking beat you!" He hisses condescendingly, "Plus, Nowa tells me you've been struggling with the brother... what does he do for a living again? I've gathered that numerous individuals left that house SPECIFICALLY due to him. "
She threw her hands up profoundly offended saying the entire thing was preposterous. "I'm not answering anymore of your stupid questions about them. So buzz off."
She leaves muttering inappropriately to herself, now directing her attention to Nowa "You know I don't say much when you don't show, but can you please not tell Jim every detail about my neighbors?"
Marin hadn't considered why he was here until Daia asked. she accepted his claim that he got a call from the station but she saw Nowa had far more to do with him being here than she thought initially
"Marin, what's gotten into you?" Nowa was taken aback by her hostility, "You're the one always talking about them in the chat, so why can't I?"
"I didn't say you couldn't, but can you not share every single detail? Jim suspects them! You know how he twists things!"
"He's my boyfriend!" she shouts in frustration.
"And you were my–!" she al,ost screamed but hushed her escalating voice after seeing so many eyes at her property, "and you are my friend, Nowa. "
"They are criminals, mar! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"They deserve a chance just like everyone else!" she says with a deep inhale. Nowa doesn't buy that and just like Jim she goes straight for the button that should not be pushed.
"Are you on drugs again?!" Marin almost couldn't believe Nowa said with half the neighborhood watching and police swarming the place, her other 2 friends gasp too, "I see you really are Jim's clone now." She clenched her fists so tight she stabbed her palms with her nails. she accepted Jim's initial claim that he got a call from the station but now she realized that Nowa had far more to do with him being here than she thought initially.
"Get the fuck out of here. I regret you even being here."
"Marin don't!" Rune says holding her by the shoulders, "Calm down, you've been best friends since forever!"
"I haven't forgotten that! She did though! The moment she replaced us with him!" she was livid at this point.
"I'm sorry, Mar, I know you're upset about the urn breaking, but I can't defend you this time." Nowa says, "Jim is right, the most obvious culprits are your new best friend's next door, so I don't know why you're attacking me for!"
"Because you're not sorry for what you did! You-!" Marin pushed Rune to let her pass, but she wouldn't budge, "See! You're even more aggressive because of them!"
"Nowa, stop talking!" Daia warns menacingly. Marin was fed up at this point. She stormed off to ask an officer if she could go inside. Nowa stormed off to Jim's truck and stayed there the entire duration. She didn't even say bye to the others after the police pulled out.
"Jesus, Daia, what're you doing? Marin's gonna flip if she sees you," the tall brunette Rune remarks quickly shutting the bathroom door.
"Oh hush, it's just weed this time. It's been a very stressful day." Daia says frommher perch on the toilet.
"Where's Mar?" she asks.
"Still in the back, upset. But Dai, do you know what Daki meant when she told us she'll ask around?"
Daia smokes her blunt by the window.
The younger shabana sibling heard the ruckus and stopped by to check. After leaving them with a cryptic "I'll ask" Daia came straight to the bathroom to piece together the events of the day. She knew Jim had something to do with it, she could feel it in her bones.
"Not a clue. But Jim is still the problem. I mean, you saw, didn't you? He came all the way out here ... for what? In fact, how'd he get here so damn quick? And why don't the stories make sense? It's so freaking sus. Even I'm positive the siblings are innocent this time. Remember when he was here last time? Nowa clearly wanted to stay After Marin's beating but He forced her into his truck and declared us unworthy as her friends. And today she was defending that douchebag, like a puppet!" She shakes her head in admonishment. Whenever Jim gets brought up, it was like throwing gasoline on a fire. The guy was an absolute mystery.
Rune leaned against the sink as Daia smoked by the window, "Maybe he sees all women as possessions?"
She blows smoke out. "More like tools. Even back when I liked him he acted weird around Marin, almost like he knew her. Obviously, she was still grieving over Gojo, so she wouldn't go for him."
Looking back, Daia supposed isnt wasn't so embarrassing that she initially fell for that slime.
He was extremely attractive, with a muscled physique, young and single, the perfect trap...
Daia realized almost immediately after meeting him, he was a snake though. Beginning with him pining for Marin the instant he locked eyes with her. While technically Daia and him weren't official it was still disrespectful to pine for her best friend grieving over the loss of her boyfriend like a predator. He acted like he didn't even know Daia, making her feel like the 3rd wheel. And from then on, she tirelessly dug into his past.
Not only is his real name not Jim, but his entire background was ... generic, is the word. All of his answers about his parents were generic, and where he grew up, she didn't have a better word to describe it. He had no social media, and the few things she learned about him were bland. He might as well have been a bot.
"Was it love at first sight, maybe? Marin does have that effect on guys, been that way since forever."
"I don't know... my gut tells me it isn't as Disney as all that. I searched his browser history and you know... he's a guy so I expected to find porn or something on his private tabs,"
"Why?" Rune cringed trying to force a smile.
"Oh, come on, to see what he was into, bitch. I was interested at the time and he is an attractive guy, even though today I'd sooner light myself on fire today than be with him."
"So what'd you find?"
"Tabs about the accident...you know which one," she pointed outside the bathroom door, "And it was a lot, tabs upon tabs. It was borderline obsessive."
"Then what're your thoughts?" That's the thing, there are too many thoughts. She didn't want to come off as a conspiracy theorist, but her gut was telling her that Jim had something to do with the window being broken. After all he's petty, and obsessive and he HATES the demon siblings with a passion, almost as much as he hated Daia. It was unreasonable.
"I've always thought he was sketchy since Mar dumped him."
"Yeah, he was. Marin got so angry she kicked him out and then he dated Nowa to get back in with us too. You think it's jealousy?" Rune whispered pointing outside in the direction of the Shabana's home.
"Of Gyutaro? Hell no, that dude has a better chance of getting with me than with Mar. No, I think it's fear. I think he's afraid of the Shabanas, though I'd have to see it to confirm. No matter how he boasts, he is a coward at heart. He won't let Nowa hang with us because he's afraid she'll leave him once we show her enough evidence he's garbage." She shakes her head, "But I'll have to dig around for proof that he's responsible for the window," Rune almost protested but then a banging captured the girls attention. They exchange cursory glances like 'did you hear that too?' Before racing out of the bathroom dashing up the stairs where the sounds came from. They throw Marin's bedroom door open.
"Mar?!" The entire room was ransacked; flipped upside down.
"Marin what're you... doing?" Daia was scared, her best friend's hands and mouth were grey. Which implied one thing. "Marin, what did you do?" Rune found the words Daia was too afraid to ask,
"Most of him had to be vacuumed up. So I..." her voice broke as her tears fell. "I just didn't wanna lose him a second time, guys. Sorry..." she cried from her place on her knees. She looked physically ill, her face was devoid of color.
They hugged her tightly. "Mar, Gojo is always gonna be inside here, ok?" she placed a hand gently where her heart should be as soothing as possible. "Eating him won't do anything but make you sick, all right? So I'm gonna take the ashes downstairs for you, ok?" Her eyes were empty, but she answered 'ok' brokenly before crying again.
They stayed most of the week until Marin forced them to go home (their long commutes made her feel bad). Besides Daki visited frequently now to check on her (although she disguised it as wanting to just eat her food and watch movies) So she wasn't lonely.
However, one day, after exiting her vehicle she kicked something she didn't see on her step.
It sounded... empty. Sturdy too, but hollow.. was it a box? She picked up a decent-sized gift bag with tissue paper and pulled it out. "What is this?" She opened her door and turned on the light for a clearer view. It was a box. But the wood's beauty struck her. It was mahogany with a high gloss finish and meticulously placed gold, black, and brown square inlays on top. It was medium-sized and opened at the bottom where 2 screws held it shut.
She realized what it was, and it was beautiful, instilling a sense of healing and comfort in what it represents - a celebration of life. It was a new urn!
She checked the bag for any notes, but found nothing.
She wondered if it was the Ubuyashikis... but something told her they would've left a note. The bag it came in was too nice for Gyutaro, who seldom bothered with presentation. Daki did though, but she usually leaves notes to take credit for it ... who could it have come from... she wondered briefly... her friends maybe?
She gasps.
"Nowa...?"