Chapter 21 – Shards

The chill became a sickly-warm feeling. “Took care of how?”

Hitomi staggered and braced herself against the wall. “With some difficulty.”

Countless possibilities burned through my thoughts. I leaned towards Hitomi.

“Did you kill anyone?”

She widened her darkened eyes at me in horror. “How could you think such a thing?! Of course not!”

At least she didn’t kill anyone. But there were far worse things than death.

I thought of Ami.

“Then what did you do?”

She stretched her fingers. “Something that was a lot harder than I expected.”

I was tiring of this. “Tell me… exactly what you did.”

She looked me in the eye, sighed, and said, “I dealt with three conflicting elements. A librarian, a barber, and a so-called ‘demon’.”

I dashed near and pressed my arms around her on the hallway wall. “They have names! Shioriko. Carolyn. And Nina. And what do you mean you ‘dealt’ with them?”

Her eyes fluttered back in what looked like surprise. “As I said… they’re not dead. I got up early to make sure they wouldn’t be a hindrance to what I have planned.”

She leaned close. “Don’t worry, sis. This ends tonight. Then, you’ll understand everything I did and why.”

I shook my head. I had thoughts of violence against Hitomi, but I expected it to be futile.

Instead, I used words.

“Don’t call me ‘sis’. You are toying with my friends and those I care about. If you did something serious to those three, then…” I thought back to yesterday. “…you will never see me again.”

Hitomi watched my eyes. She shifted. “You wouldn’t…” Unlike her other statements of ‘patience’ or ‘my plan’, her words projected no confidence. They sounded small and frail, like the words of a scared little girl.

I felt a pang of guilt but I pushed it out of my head as I continued, “I’d do whatever you force me to do…”

She drifted from the wall and watched me. “I didn’t hurt them…”

“Prove it.”

She lowered her head, took a breath, and said, “Okay, follow me.”

I slipped in front of her. “Where?”

“Just a little trip. Same as I took. You and I.”

I shook my head. “No. Jamie and Keiko come with me at least.”

She frowned but said, “They can come with us.”

I nodded.

Hitomi led me around Katsumi’s half-open door and down the steps. The normal chestnut smell seemed muted today.

She stopped halfway to the second floor and turned. Her purple eyes looked grayish with the shading around them and dim light through the window.

“I have a question I can’t hold back any longer. How did you do it?”

I picked over all the things she could mean before asking, “Do what?”

“The impossible… I tried not to be too bewildered until I could be sure.”

She was back in mysterious territory. “What?”

The window rattled from a sudden gust.

Hitomi said, “That thing you named Akiko. It’s impossible to turn one of those into anything resembling a… I mean especially when it’s not even physical! You… I can’t even imagine what you did.”

I shrugged. “I guess it’s not impossible then…”

The wind surged again, and she shook her head. A tree outside creaked. “NO! It is impossible. Not even Toki can do it.”

“But it happened…” At least so far as I could tell. One moment a dark horror, the next a black-haired, red-eyed girl.

I wondered where she was right now.

I had my thought answered as Ms. Ishida made her way up the steps with Akiko clinging behind her and a roll of thick tape in her hands. She offered me a faint ghost of her typical smile.

“I’m glad you’re awake. I’m sorry I didn’t wake you. I only have a few windows left. Mami took care of a bunch on the other side.”

She explained that breakfast had been a hustled, disorganized affair, especially after news of the typhoon arrived. Akiko pressed her nose into Ms. Ishida's clothes. Both were dressed in rugged-looking outfits. Akiko’s clothes had flourishes of red-and-black flowers and circles which complimented her appearance. Ms. Ishida’s clothes were adorned with spirals which looked like seashells with long tails.

I took a step away from Hitomi and towards Akiko. Hitomi responded by taking two steps closer to me. I turned away from her and focused my attention on Akiko. She peered at me but stuck close to Ms. Ishida.

The hallway soon grew crowded as Jamie and Tara came from the second floor. Tara held Jamie’s hand. Jamie’s face was lightly-shaded with pink. They looked like quite the pair.

Tara giggled. Any shadow of melancholy had cleared from her presence. “Jamie-kun is happiness!” She pressed her head on Jamie’s shoulder.

Jamie coughed, watched Tara’s head carefully, and said, “I uh… didn’t do anything… really.”

Tara nodded. “I know! But your presence just makes me feel so much better. Thank you for everything, Jamie-kun!” She gave Jamie’s hand a half-spin and darted free and up the steps with bounding energy. As she passed me, she gave Hitomi the quickest of glances. Hitomi passed the glance to me.

Jamie sighed and cracked his neck. He looked us over and saved his sour look for Hitomi.

Hitomi was asked to help Katsumi with boxing breakables. We followed her up. Tara was already working with Katsumi.

If Katsumi or Tara noticed anything amiss with Hitomi, their body language definitely didn’t show it. Katsumi just slunk from one set of boxes to the next. Tara bounded happily to the point she risked breaking something. Hitomi soon settled in beside them.

After leaving the three of them, Ms. Ishida asked if we’d like something to eat. Jamie gave a few shrugs. I gave him a nudge and told Ms. Ishida, “We’d love a little something, if you don’t mind.”

Naturally, she didn’t mind a bit. She hustled from the fridge to the counter, and we soon had a set of nice little meals sitting before us. As I hoped, she took her roll of tape and Akiko, and went off to deal with a set of windows in the first-floor storage room.

Jamie had just picked up his chopsticks when I mentioned, “Hitomi said she did something to Carolyn, Shioriko, and Nina.”

He paused and turned to me, a lock of still-feisty, pale-blond hair slipping over his right eye. “More secret-keeping…” He made a rift in the rice, fixed his hair, and began to eat.

He had a point. But, after last night, I doubted many would listen to what I said anyways. I noted as much to him.

He cracked his narrow wrists and rubbed his back. “Wouldn’t you rather take the risk… just to have someone other than us to stand against Hitomi?”

I ate with steady bites and offered my recent strategy. “She’s vulnerable against the idea of loneliness. It seems to be a soft point for her.”

Jamie patted back his hair. “You alluded to that.”

“But I tested it and she caved. She’s going to lead us to Carolyn, Shioriko, and Nina and prove she didn’t hurt them.”

Jamie pressed his palm to his forehead. “And what part of that plan doesn’t sound like a trap? Here’s my plan. We tie her up alone in a dark room and check on those three ourselves.”

Sumi picked just that moment to enter from the hall. She had an overflowing box in her arms. She grinned and asked, “What’s this I hear about tying people up? Why Kimi, you naughty girl…”

Jamie loudly scooted his chair so as to put as much distance between himself and Sumi, who gave a satisfied “hmm” before setting her box down on the counter. Reiko joined us a moment later with her own box of stuff. She set it right beside Sumi’s box.

We ate quickly ‘till Ms. Ishida came back. She urged us not to rush, lest we get stomach aches. She lingered near Jamie and asked if he’d like help with his hair. Akiko watched Ms. Ishida.

He paused. “Wha… is there something wrong with it?”

She brought him a small, round mirror. He winced a bit at his feminine face, poked his cheek, and took in the flowing crags and slopes of his locks. He gave a few facial expressions which shifted from curiosity to chagrin and finally defeat. Akiko grabbed the mirror when Jamie passed it back to Ms. Ishida. She leaned her face into it and looked at the other side. Eventually, she tried to press her face into the mirror, but wound up only smudging it.

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He looked to Ms. Ishida. “It’s really too much hair to manage. I should try to get it cut again.” He gave an unconscious glare upwards, likely meant for Hitomi, though it stirred a response glare from Reiko, who asked Ms. Ishida what else she could do.

Ms. Ishida rested a hand against her cheek, sighed, and said, “I suppose you can start putting the boxes all together in storage rooms which are nearest to the center of the house. The living room could also take a few more. Did you and Sumi both call home?” Akiko mimed the cheek touch with the mirror.

Reiko bowed her head. “I received no response, as expected. I always considered here my true home. Here I will stay.”

[https://i.imgur.com/CCFXvXq.png]

[Reiko]

Sumi said, “My brothers answered. If it gets bad, they said to go to a local shelter with a friend.“ She glanced at Reiko.

Ms. Ishida gave a quick smile. “My mother made sure Mecchen was sturdy and built to last. I trust her plans. I just want to be certain everyone is safe.”

Sumi tapped the wall and smiled. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Akiko wrapped the mirror up in her arms like a treasured possession. Ms. Ishida made no effort to take it from her.

I asked and was told everyone had already called home. Mami and Katsumi were loath to return to their houses, for obvious reasons. Those at Tara’s home told her to stay where she was, or so she’d said to Ms. Ishida. And Miki was told to leave, but she refused because she wanted to help here.

Akiko pulled the mirror away from her chest. It looked glossy. Her grasp slipped. She made things worse by flailing for it with a sharp cry. It hit hard and shattered on the kitchen floor.

Ms. Ishida rushed to her side and urged, “Don’t touch it! I’ll sweep it up.”

Despite her words, Akiko reached down to touch the shards of glass. Her hand dashed away with little bands of red. She looked at the shards and back at her hand. Sumi went to get a broom and dustpan while Ms. Ishida tended to Akiko’s cuts.

I set my chopsticks aside and crouched beside them. Akiko watched me. She gave a little grunt. Ms. Ishida used a damp towel to brush the fresh blood and bits of glass from her skin. Sumi cleaned up the area with astonishing speed.

I caught Akiko sucking at one of her slow-oozing wounds. She kept her eyes on me. I wasn’t sure what she expected.

Ms. Ishida wrapped her hand with something soft. It didn’t take long for Akiko to pick and pull at the wrap.

I scooted closer and set my hand beside her. She looked at it and at her own, covered hand. I took a deep breath and held her uninjured hand.

I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do. I didn’t know if she even understood the gesture. Thoughts of Ami alone in a dark place poked at my consciousness. Memories of Akiko holding onto Ms. Ishida last night returned.

And yet, I held Akiko’s hand.

She didn’t dash it away from me. She just looked at it, as though I’d offered her a peculiar specimen. She glanced at the empty spot on the floor where the broken shards had been. She pressed her wrapped hand to the ground a few times and then leaned back towards me.

Jamie sighed through a mouthful of food and asked, “So, you think you could actually do something with it?”

Ms. Ishida stood and gave a strange, almost-ethereal smile. “I’m sure I can do something with it. Just give me a few minutes…” She held out her hand to Jamie, as if to beckon him.

Jamie took another bite. His meal was almost finished. He watched her hand and sighed. “Alright, if you can do it quickly.” Before Ms. Ishida led him upstairs, she checked Akiko’s wrap, gave her a pat on the elbow, and said, “Be good, Akiko-chan.”

Akiko watched her as she left with Jamie, returning her gaze to me when she was gone. The quiet didn’t last long as Miki, Mami, and Keiko came in from the door at the end of the hall.

Each had a vibrant greeting for me. Miki looked dabbed with sweat, as did Keiko. Mami carried a roll of tape like the one with Ms. Ishida. I felt a hint of the sensations from yesterday around Mami.

Mami dusted off her pants and cracked her feet a few times. “I’m all for a day off from classes, but I don’t want it this way.”

She soon asked, noticing my blank look. “You heard about the typhoon, right?” I told her that I knew about the shift towards Ogawa.

Mami bent her arms around behind herself. “Yeah. Azako and pretty much all the schools in the area cancelled classes due to the chance of severe winds.”

Miki backed her up with a nod. “It’s a shame. But at least the air feels nice. There’s a touch of moisture in it.”

Keiko rubbed her elbows and soon noticed the wrap on Akiko’s hand. She darted over. “Is everything okay?”

I explained what happened. Miki winced, Mami frowned, and Keiko put a hand to her mouth. Akiko looked at me after surveying their reactions.

I was still holding her other hand without a complaint. I encouraged her to stand and she soon wobbled to her feet. She pressed her head against my hand.

Touching her cheek just made her cling closer. I sat her in a nearby chair and managed to free myself from her grasp. Her eyes stayed on me.

I rubbed my head and looked around. I noticed a clear, plastic saucer in the back of the counter. I picked it up and held it out to Akiko. It wasn’t quite as reflective as the mirror, but I could still see her image reflected in it.

She dashed over to grab it and clutched the item close to her, as she’d done with the mirror. I noticed Reiko was gone, but Sumi was still on the other side of the counter. She leaned on her drooping fingers, watching us with rapt attention.

I gave Keiko a little rub on the shoulder. She gave me a smile in return and said, “So long as everyone is okay. I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

I assured her it was fine. She asked, “Where is Jamie? Is… he okay?”

Her answer came a moment later as Ms. Ishida returned with Jamie lurking behind her. Jamie pressed his legs together.

Ms. Ishida did lovely work in a short time. Jamie’s hair was framed around his face and rose like a shimmering hill above his forehead. Ms. Ishida had him turn.

A pair of pink hair claws held his locks into a tight, flowing shape around his head. Peaks and valleys formed out of the dimly-lit hair like sand dunes. A single, narrow ponytail slipped out. His hair only looked a little longer than Tara’s now.

Jamie leaned his head and nodded to Ms. Ishida. She smiled and said, “I hope that’s fine for you. There’s really not that much I can do with so much hair.”

He tested the grip of the claws. “It’s fine. I hope to have less of it eventually… one way or another.” He glanced at me, then noticed Keiko. He gave a little wave, sighed, and sat in front of his food.

Sumi edged her way around the table counter behind Jamie and glanced at Jamie’s nearly-empty bento. She asked, with a calm voice, “I see you ate well. Is there anything else I could… offer you?”

Akiko held up the saucer, then let it fall to the floor. It made a loud sound but didn’t break. Both Akiko and Kimi jumped back.

Unfortunately, Kimi jumped right into Sumi’s waiting arms. I was ready with a glare, but she was also ready with a gentle smile.

She whispered around Jamie’s head. “I said I am patient. But don’t worry your pretty head. I just want to give your muscles a little squeeze.”

Jamie breathed a harsh beginning to an objection, but Sumi’s fingers soon moved over his neck. Akiko bent over the saucer and picked it up once it had settled. Jamie tried to object, but it seemed Sumi found a pleasant spot in his back.

She rocked Jamie, clutched his shoulders, and said, “Just stand here and I’ll be done in a moment…” Jamie shut his eyes.

Ms. Ishida folded her hands and seemed unsure how to intercede, if at all. Mami glared at Sumi a little. Miki stretched her own back and looked briefly jealous of the rubdown Jamie was getting. Keiko had her hand out cautiously. And Akiko was focused only on her saucer.

I felt a spark within.