(AN: Umi is hard to write)

CHAPTER 19

UMI

Redheads had a special power, Umi decided, to get underneath her skin. They must have done something bad in a past life, to be marked with such an attention-gathering color; Honoka's shimmering copper tone, "Mary Farell's" auburn twists that ranged from the darkest reds to bright crimson curls- witches, they were. Damned witches.

A redheaded witch in black business casual stood at the foot of Umi's hospital bed, eating her jello off the mint-green tray, "Well, what did your superior say?"

Did this mean Umi had failed; this alliance with a strange American woman forged in getting her ass completely kicked, losing all of the research of two years and counting? Or was it better this way, to finally have someone she could talk to about the secrets Umi had collected in her heart? "They said yes. We'll be sharing information. Mimori said it's okay if you…" Umi sighed, "If you wanted to be assigned to the case as well. She said it was already approved by our people and yours."

Mary licked the plastic spoon with maddening slowness before speaking. Was she doing this just to be annoying? "PSIA usually plays nice with us. You will too, won't you Umi-chan? I'm hoping we'll work well together."

Umi's sides hurt, hands hurt, head hurt.

"Any help is appreciated in such circumstances."

"Get better quickly. We have a lot of ground to cover and a lot of scientists to wrangle."

With Kotori and Mary's occasional visits and the flow of doctors and nurses and people in suits asking her questions, Umi was never alone except when she slept. Kotori did not question Mary's presence, although she understood she could not know anything beyond "government work." To Umi's annoyance, they got along as they watched TV or pestered the doctors on Umi's behalf. Kotori asked would ask about something- what kind of heels are those, what product do you use with your hair, how do you get such nice eyelashes- and suddenly Mary would light up with a knowledge that rivaled Kotori's on the intricacies of feminine decoration. Umi had kicked them out a few times. It was hard to see Kotori laugh, at times, when Kotori hadn't laughed so long with Umi. Was it worse to be surrounded by people or alone? Umi did not know.

Painkillers were a haze. In the hours between sleep and waking, obsessive thoughts chased each other. It was a delirium. Failed: betrayal, betrayer, betrayed. Minutes would leap back and forth on the TV channel that listed the programs; light blue blocks falling into place and reverted from English to Japanese to English. Yebat' menya, yebat' menya, yebat' menya in alto cries. Umi reached for a hand and felt nothing. True rest did not come until the sun came up and she had to put the blankets over her face.

"She was your friend, wasn't she?"

Umi didn't look at Mary as she flipped the channel from The L Word to Ultimate Warrior, "Don't you have actual assignments to be working on?"

Mary rolled her flawlessly cat-eyed blue eyes. Why was she so damned nosey? "You can't carry it around forever. These things happen. It comes in the line of business. Sometimes you'll be on different sides," There was an expression close to pity on Mary's face. A cold fire burned in Umi's heart. What did some American special agent know about what she was going through?

"It's a personal matter."

"Personal matters can get you killed if you're not careful. It seems like you already got close. I've seen the reports. She didn't take it easy on you."

"Whatever."

"Okay kiddo… I'm going to get Italian with Kotori-chan and some friends in Brooklyn, you want me to bring you back some garlic bread or something?"

Bread. That's all Umi needed right now. And who the hell was Kotori hanging out with now? "I'll be quite fine without."