Ch. 33
Our first day in New York City was a peaceful enough one. Call it the eye of the storm that was to come.
~
The pattering of rain was the first sound Rin registered as sleep started to fall away. The half-demon rubbed at her eyes as she sat up on the hotel bed. Without a lamp's light, the room was gloomy and a only a sliver of gray managed to poke through a crack in the curtains. Rin twitched her ears as the steady sound of rain hitting the roof of the hotel continued in a steady rhythm; judging by the sound, the dismal weather wouldn't be clearing any time soon.
Oh well, that was probably for the best. Rin stretched and then flopped back against the cushions on her bed. Though she had awakened naturally, she still felt tired; the rain would just ensure that whatever energy she had spent the past few days would be slow in returning. A dangerous position to be in, true, but this time Rin knew she had the advantage.
The half-demon closed her eyes as she listened to the sounds of the hotel. She could hear low voices and footsteps coming from farther down the hall, but she had expected most of her kin to rise before her. Otherwise, the floor her and her family's suite was located on was quiet and the elevators all seemed to stop at least two floor down from the top. Kenta and Souske were probably still sleeping; the rustling of wings and the low growls were nothing out of her cousins' ordinary sleep sounds. Good; that meant everyone was keeping their distance from her family and Rin just hoped the New York humans would have enough of a brain between them to stay away.
Doubt it.
Well, not forever. But maybe for today, the humans would think twice before deciding to confront two full demons and their half-demon cousin. The fate of Officer Hanson would have been a great reminder about why the Kurosakis had few challengers and if the police force wanted to complain?
Let them. We could use the entertainment!
Well, Rin could. She doubted Mr. Grasshopper or Mrs. Ladybug would consider dealing with upstart humans "entertainment," but they didn't have to worry about a few insignificant complainers. But when it come to other obstacles in the family's way...
Let Takashi oji-san worry about that.
Obviously. And Rin had warned her family about what would happen when her uncle arrived to deal with the situation. But they had all seemed pretty shocked at the way Kenta and Souske had dealt with Officer Hanson the night before even though the idiot deserved what he got.
Didn't he?
Of course he did!
Well, he was an officer of the law. If Officer Hanson had seen fit to dismiss a warning about a demon's arrival, what else would he have been willing to neglect?
Exactly. What if someone called him regarding a kidnapping or a plan to cause someone harm and he thought it was a joke and failed to report it?
Like how...
Like how no one bothered to ask questions about you and James? Or, perhaps, they did... and the police back in England were just as incompetent as they are here.
Rin sat up on the bed, her mind racing. Had she misjudged her neighbors? Had the friends of her mother and stepfather actually tried to be helpful and check in on her and James? Had the police simply dismissed her old neighbors' claims because there was no way two old women could possibly be cruel to their niece and nephew?
And yet, your neighbors didn't bother taking matters into their own hands, did they?
Rin scowled, leaning back against the cushions. No, no they hadn't. If her old neighbors like Mary and Richard Williams had wanted to make sure she and James were alright, why hadn't they simply come to visit? And... wait a minute, had her old neighbors heard about the peach? Rin tapped her claws against her arms in thought. Spiker and Sponge had taken every opportunity to advertise the peach and had utterly reveled in the attention they had gotten for being such good gardeners. Wouldn't such news have intrigued her old neighbors somewhat? Wouldn't they have at least been curious about the peach, if not about her and James's welfare? Why hadn't they come?
They didn't care.
No. No they didn't care. And Rin doubted New York would be any different in that regard. Oh well, she wasn't looking to make friends anyway.
That's not living, Rin. That's shutting yourself off.
Rin stiffened as her late mother's words echoed in her ears. The half-demon felt a bitter chuckle rise up in her throat; even with everything that had happened, Rin knew that Okaa-san would still encourage her to play nice with the humans.
So would Father.
Well... sort of. Father had worked with humans and he probably knew what they whispered behind his back. The people who Mother and Henry keifu-san called friends had bothered keeping those same words to themselves once Outu-san had died. And like Rin had told Centipede, Okaa-san had dealt with far too many cruel letters and rocks through the window to think everyone would tolerate their presence. Even after her mother and stepfather had married, the whispering went on. Well, from the adults, anyway; their kids hadn't been shy about their distain for her.
But not here.
The half-demon sighed, running her claws through her hair. Fair enough; the children last night had been the most vocal about standing up for her and James. Perhaps... perhaps life here really would be different.
Wait and see.
Yes, yes, that would be wise. And anyway, if the children wanted to be friends with James, then as far as Rin was concerned, that was already a point in their favor.
Perhaps, but what about James's old friends?
Rin frowned as she stretched and stood up from her bed. Hmmm maybe she should talk to James about that. Her little brother had been very lonely living with Spiker and Sponge, but he had mainly talked about missing their parents rather than his old friends. Not that Rin was surprised about that, but aside from a few conversations, she couldn't really recall James mentioning the boys and girls he'd played with back home.
Ah, well, first things first. Rin was hungry and now that she had the opportunity, she was going to take advantage of a full and more varied meal.
Pausing only at one of the washrooms to splash some water on her face, Rin made her way down the hall toward the main room. The hallway was dark, but there was a warm and cozy glow coming from the room, along with a few more voices. The sound of rain was heavy and sharp, pounding like bullets against the glass of the windows and Rin could hear the frazzled beeping of horns from the street below. The smell of cooked food wafted down the hall and the half-demon felt herself perk up a bit at the rich warm scent.
"Ah, Rin, you're awake." Mrs. Ladybug's normally cheery voice seemed a bit more subdued today. The kindly insect was seated in one of the plush armchairs, sipping at a cup of piping hot tea. On the couch next to her, Miss Spider sat curled up on one end of the couch with James nestled against her. Mr. Grasshopper sat next to the little boy, steam from his own cup of tea rising to wreath his face. Centipede was stretched out in a reclining armchair, several hands behind his head and an expression of pure delight on his face while Earthworm lay coiled in a heap on the plush carpet. Glowworm, meanwhile, had claimed another smaller armchair for herself and was dozing away, her soft breathing adding to the ambience of the rain. Rin groaned a bit as the muted lamp light washed over her.
"Ohayou," the half-demon muttered, scrubbing a clawed hand over her face.
"Rin, it's noon," James piped up, giving his sister a tired, but happy smile.
"Meh, the point stands."
"I hear that, Rin-girl." Centipede waved a hand in Rin's direction, not bothering to open his eyes.
"Morning or noon, it does not matter," Miss Spider said. "We are here, together, and safe. Now we can rest to our heart's content." Next to her, James smiled as Miss Spider reached out to run a gentle hand over his cheek.
"Indeed." Mr. Grasshopper smiled and ran his own fingers through James's hair. "And lucky us, we beat this summer storm."
"Humph, is anyone but me at all worried about the fact that we're not only high up, but stuck in a building full of people who seem terrified of us?"
"Nope." Centipede continued to grin.
"You're not at all concerned about the way everyone last night looked at us?" Earthworm asked with a scowl. "I could hear the fear in their voices when they spoke, I could hear the whispers of the employees, I could-"
"Earthworm, the only reason people are even remotely afraid of you is because they think you're a demon."
"They... they think... what?"
"They think we're..." Mrs. Ladybug stared at Rin with wide eyes.
"Hai."
"Hahahahaha!" Centipede clutched his middle as laugher burst forth from his mouth. "They think we're... they think Earthworm's a demon? Hah, that's rich!"
"Hey!"
"It does make sense," Mr. Grasshopper said as Centipede's laughter tapered off. "Rin already made herself known as a half-demon and we arrived in the company of her kin, two full-blooded demons."
"Speaking of which, where are Kenta and Souske? Are they alright?" Mrs. Ladybug asked.
"They're fine. Still sleeping, anyway."
"You can tell?"
"Easily." Rin twitched her ears a few times. "I take it the food delivery has been the only time anyone has tried to approach our floor?"
"Yes. I called down to the kitchen when I woke because I knew everyone would be hungry." Mrs. Ladybug gestured toward the kitchen. "I was just warming everything up, but it should be ready now. I can't speak for our laundry, though, but at least everyone's comfortable enough."
"Jinbe are good for that."
"And it's not like we're goin' anywhere," Centipede glanced out at the window, where rain still continued to fall.
"Just hope no one bothers us," Earthworm groused.
"Well, if they do-"
"That's enough of that," Mrs. Ladybug insisted at the sight of Rin flexing her claws. "Come and eat, everyone."
"So, did you send down for breakfast or lunch?" Rin asked as the family gathered to serve themselves in the kitchen.
"Both, actually. Call it brunch. I must say, though, that this hotel has quite the variety."
Rin glanced down at the platters and bowls Mrs. Ladybug was setting out. Eggs scrambled with cheese, bacon, fried potatoes, cold ham, turkey, and roast beef sliced cheese and tomatoes, lettuce leaves and cucumber slices, fresh rolls, fruit salad and two dessert baskets. One held freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and the other contained a variety of muffins studded with fruit. The hotel had also provided a jug of lemonade and next to the kettle were waiting mugs with either tea or coffee available.
The family took full advantage of the spread. Indeed, for many of them, such a variety of human food was a new experience, as was a kitchen. Thankfully, Mrs. Ladybug seemed to have mastered boiling a kettle full of water in no time and she was happy to refill cups of tea while Miss Spider and Centipede investigated the coffee maker on the counter. Rin stuffed a roll full different meats, adding a squirt of brown mustard to her sandwich from a tray of condiments the hotel had sent along. The half-demon also loaded her plate with eggs and fried potatoes and poured glasses of lemonade for her and James, who had made his own sandwich alongside his sister. The two of them retreated back to the couch while the adults watched Centipede add what was probably more than coffee than necessary to the machine.
"Are you okay, Rin?"
"Hmm?" Rin glanced over at her little brother. "Hai, James-chan, I'm fine. And anyway," Rin added with a grin as she wrapped an arm around James's shoulders. "I should be asking you that."
"I know; you always do. But... I want to make sure you're okay too."
Rin chuckled a bit, lightly squeezing her brother's shoulder before turning to her food. "Don't worry about me, James. We're going to be alright now. We finally have the help we need. For all of us," Rin added, glancing back toward the kitchen. James followed his sister's gaze and smiled at the sight of the rest of their family, who were now offering suggestions to Centipede as to why the coffee had not yet started to drip from the machine into the waiting pot. Centipede glared at the empty coffee part, ready to start a rant at the machine when a steady stream of rich brown liquid suddenly began to pour into the pot, a cloud of steam rising from the top of the coffee maker as it did.
"Guess they're not going to be entirely hopeless in the kitchen," Rin muttered under her breath. Next to her, James grinned around a bite of his sandwich.
"Turkey, swiss and lettuce, huh?" Rin asked him.
"Mm-hmm. My favorite."
"I remember. It's been a long time since you got to have that."
James nodded. "Not since our first day with..." The little boy's voice trailed off as he looked up at his sister.
"Hai. Almost a year." The half-demon gave James a wry smile. "Same with chocolate chip biscuits, right? You've got a lot to make up for."
"We both do."
"Hai. I guess we do." Rin picked up her sandwich and took a bite. The fresh bread, tender meat, and tangy mustard flooded her taste buds and the half-demon had to stop herself from gulping the whole thing down in one bite. "And I guess I'm hungrier than I thought. I might have to have another sandwich after this."
James laughed and went back to his own sandwich. Rin was pleased to see that her brother had also helped himself to some eggs, potatoes, and fruit as well; good, it had been a long time since James had been able to eat like this and Rin was glad to see that he clearly wasn't going to let memories of Spiker and Sponge prevent him from eating.
Not that they could prevent us from doing much anymore.
"Rin?"
"Hai, James?"
"When do you think your uncle will get here?"
"Tomorrow, maybe. Or the day after at the latest."
"Is he going to be very mad at everyone?"
"He's certainly not going to be happy."
"Oh." James looked down at his plate. "Will he... will he hurt everyone here?"
"No, not everyone." Rin gulped down a mouthful of lemonade and sighed. "Most of the crowd last night... they just got swept up in the moment. That happens a lot, James; when people are part of a huge crowd, they tend to panic more easily and they don't think clearly. It was stupid of them, of course, but Takashi oji-san knows the difference between people being dumb and people being cruel. He'll probably just yell at them is all."
"Even the kids?"
"Nah. If anything, once my cousins and I give him the full story, he'll yell at the crowd for not listening to their kids when they were talking sense."
"Oh, okay." James perked up a bit at this news. "I want to make friends with the kids here and I don't want them getting blamed for something they didn't do."
"Not gonna happen, James-chan, trust me. Blame will be cast, but only where it's due. And right now, that idiot police chief and his minions are going to get the worst of it."
"What will happen to them?"
"That's up to my uncle. But... I did promise the police chief I'd speak to Takashi oji-san about the situation and convince him to spare their lives. Not that they deserve it, but a promise is a promise."
"You would have done that anyway."
"Hmmm?" Rin glanced down at James in surprise.
"You would have," the little boy repeated with a nod. "Mum said your dad used to work with the police back in England and he had to help people he didn't really want to. But he always did because it was the right thing. You do that too."
"You... think so?"
"Yes. You're good."
Rin smiled and shook her head. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, James-chan. Probably gonna need it in the days to come."
"Why? No one's going to be mean to you, right, Rin?"
"After last night... I'm not sure."
"You were only trying to protect me, though."
"I know. I'm just... I'm just not sure if people will see it that way."
"I think they will. Miss Spider was saying a lot of the adults last night looked embarrassed when your cousins were scolding the police officers and Mr. Grasshopper thinks that now that they've had time to think about, they know how wrong they were."
"Let's hope." Rin finished her sandwich and sipped the last of her lemonade. "Say, James?"
"Yes?"
"Did you... did you ever hear anything from our old neighbors?"
James tilted his head in though. "No... I don't think so. Auntie Spiker and Auntie Sponge never asked me about them. Why?"
"Just wondering, I guess. I know how lonely you were living up on the hill; did you ever hope one of your friends would try to come and see you?"
"Yes," James said softly. "I used to think that I would see them coming up the hill one day and maybe they'd be able to help us. But..."
"They never did."
"Do you think they forgot about us, Rin?"
"I don't know. But... I think it was easier for them to pretend with us gone."
"Pretend?"
"Hai. When everything happened, one of our neighbors promised to help me become your guardian once I turned seventeen, but I never heard from her or any of Mother's friends again. No doubt they convinced themselves that we were fine and didn't need them, but if they had actually tried to come and see us, they would have seen how wrong they were."
"Do you think they knew about the way Auntie Sponge and Auntie Spiker were treating us?"
"I doubt it. I know Spiker and Sponge made sure to keep us on the hill so we couldn't try and run for it, but I'm sure they also wanted to make sure no one from our old life saw us again. If our neighbors knew what was going on, they would have had to do something if they wanted to keep thinking of themselves as good people. But so long as they didn't see us or hear from us, they could just go on pretending that you and I were okay."
"And then they wouldn't have to do anything."
"Hai."
"Why wouldn't they want to do anything? I thought they liked us."
"I'd like to ask them that myself, James-chan, particularly to Mary Williams. But I'm not going to bother to seek her or any others out anytime soon."
"Do you think we'll ever see them again?"
"Who knows? They'll probably hear about what happened sooner or later. After that?" The half-demon shrugged. "Who cares? The kids you played with? They'll probably remember you from time to time and obviously they can't be held responsible for anything. But the people who dared called themselves our mother's friends will have to ask themselves a lot of questions that I don't think they're going to want to answer."
James thought about this for a moment. "Will your uncle be mad at them too?"
"He might be. The British government won't want to start a war with the Kurosaki family so they'll probably do whatever they can to stay on his good side. If New York City has any brains, they'll do the same."
James was silent for a moment. "Rin?"
"Hmmm?"
"Could... could I talk to your uncle?"
"Talk to... well, of course you can, James-chan." Rin gave her brother what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "You may not be related by blood, but I know Takashi oji-san sees you as family. He'd be happy to hear your side of everything."
"That's good." James smiled and picked up his half-eaten sandwich. "I know he's going to be angry, but I want to let him know we're okay now so he doesn't have to stay angry. Mum said your uncle was like her brother, so he'll probably just be glad we're okay now, right?"
"We'll see, James-chan. But either way, I know my uncle will welcome your input. And he'll be happy to hear from you. Want anything else while I make a second sandwich?"
"No thanks. I'm good."
"Alright. Back in a minute."
"All good, Rin-girl?" Centipede looked up as Rin returned to the kitchen.
"Fine. Just needed a second sandwich." The half-demon was already filling a second roll with cold cuts. "I see you won your battle with the coffee machine."
"And a fierce battle it was," Miss Spider added, aiming a sardonic grin in Centipede's direction.
"Ha-ha. Whoever made that thing clearly never tested it."
"To be fair, it was a first-time experience," Mrs. Ladybug assured him. "And it'll get easier with practice."
"Most things do," Mr. Grasshopper agreed. "And we are quite lucky that we have the opportunity to practice living in a human household."
"Ugh, don't remind me." Earthworm slid further away to the kitchen table, a plate filled with an assortment of food already waiting for him. "And another meal without dirt. Is that something we'll have to get used to as well?"
"One thing at a time, Earthworm."
"Humph."
"Hey, whatcha got there?" Centipede ignored Earthworm's grumblings in favor of the sandwich Rin was making. "That gonna be enough for you?"
"Hai, I still have plenty. I just wanted a second helping of these meats is all. Guess I'm hungrier than I thought."
"After everything you have been through, I am nor surprised." Miss Spider selected some of the rarest slices of roast beef she could find. "As we said, neither you nor James are going hungry again so do not worry about that."
"Hai, I know."
"Oh yeah, this is the life for us!" Centipede carried two plates, one of meat, eggs, cheese, and rolls and the other filled with muffins and cookies, out of the kitchen. He flipped a cookie into his mouth as he did so. "Oh wow. I can see why people get addicted to this stuff."
"And thus begins a battle for proper nutrition," Mr. Grasshopper said with a sigh as he watched Centipede begin chewing on a chocolate chip muffin. The tall insect glanced down at the half-demon. "Hmmm, don't you want any of the biscuits or muffins, Rin? Before Centipede gives himself a stomach ache, that is?"
"No thanks. Never was one for sweets."
"Oh really?" Mrs. Ladybug asked. "Not even a cake or a pastry?"
"Eh, not really. A biscuit or ice cream from time to time is alright, but if I want something sweet, I'll stick with fruit or even jam on toast."
"Duly noted, dear. Any particular flavor you like?"
"Blackberry."
"Is that right?" Mr. Grasshopper gave Rin a kind smile. "I'm rather partial to blackberry as well. We'll have to make sure to keep a supply of that jam on hand to share at breakfast, won't we?"
"H-hai. I'd like that." Rin returned Mr. Grasshopper's smile as she watched Centipede flop down next to James. He reached for another handful of biscuits only to miss as Miss Spider took half of the treats off his plate and placed them on James's dish. Centipede scowled, but his expression quickly turned into a smile at the sight of James's delighted expression. True to form, however, the little boy insisted on finishing his meal before turning to dessert and Centipede seemed just as content to bite into a roll stuffed with ham and cheese as he was to gobble down biscuits and muffins.
"Rin?" Mrs. Ladybug laid a hand on Rin's arm. "Come, dear; best finish your food before it gets cold."
"Hai, of course." The half-demon returned to the main room and sat back down on the couch. Outside, the rain fell and the summer winds blew. Inside, Rin Kurosaki and James Henry Trotter sat warm and happy, surrounded by their family and all the love they offered.
~
The summer rain ended by the evening and the eye of the storm passed. The winds of vengeance were on the horizon.