Chapter 19 – The Black and White of Mecchen (cont.)

It was enough to make me want to come up with a persona of my own.

I watched the empty chairs and joined the others in saying “I receive this meal” before picking at a breaded ball.

It was as salty as I’d been warned.

I kept my glass of water nearby as I picked through the variety of seafood items Sumi made.

The crab and scallops were nice. I complimented Sumi on them.

Bad idea. It drew her attention to me.

She leaned on one arm, smiled, and crushed a crab leg with her hand.

“Thank you,“ she said, picking the meat out. “I’m glad you enjoy it.”

I gave my thanks to Reiko as well.

She slipped some hair behind her ear, looked at me, and pointed out, “I did very little.”

“I still give my thanks.”

She yanked the hair from behind her ear. “You devalue it by giving it for nothing.”

Reiko hunched over her meal, signaling she was finished with talking.

Sumi still watched me, chopsticks near her mouth. Even she had to go to her water every so often.

I watched the strange girl.

After some prompting from Ms. Ishida, she ate from her plates. Her efforts were tentative at first. She looked around quickly, suspiciously. Then she tore at her food, swallowing ravenously.

Ms. Ishida gave a sweat-drop look with her hand pressed to her neck. She brushed the girl’s hair out of her muddy-blood eyes. She stopped at the touch, seemingly-perplexed by the gesture. She soon got back to eating.

She was worse with the chopsticks than we ever were and took to scooping with her mouth and hands. She had seconds with plenty of rice.

Ms. Ishida scooted closer and set the chopsticks in the girl’s hands (which were now slick with soy sauce). The girl stabbed the food several times instead of picking it up. A spoon worked better, though she seemed frustrated it didn’t get the food to her mouth faster.

With just a few small items left on her plate, the girl paused and felt her stomach.

She looked down at the food. She nudged it with a spoon. She sniffed it a little and felt her stomach again.

She looked to Ms. Ishida with a confused expression.

Ms. Ishida inquired, “Are you full?”

She placed a scallop in her mouth and held it there. She didn’t seem to have the will to chew. She put it back down and gave another look.

She made a sound. “Fuhhl?”

Ms. Ishida smiled. “Yes, when you’re full, you feel something in your stomach…” She put a hand to the strange girl’s stomach. “And you don’t feel like eating anymore.”

Katsumi sipped from her soup. “What’s the deal with her? Has she never eaten before?”

She looked to me.

I offered the truth. “...She just suddenly showed up.”

Katsumi made a little *tsk* sound. “Well, at least you brought a girl here instead of another boy.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t really have much choice in the matter.”

Katsumi lapped up her soup slowly and watched the new girl.

Tara held out a fried ball. “Does she have a name, Kelly-kun? She didn’t say anything to us.”

The strange girl crouched to look under the table. Katsumi crossed her legs and glared. She tried to hide herself. Ms. Ishida slipped her out and rubbed her shoulder. The girl hid her face.

I was going to answer after a sip, but Katsumi said, “Speaking of names, you two and your friend need to shape up with your proper names. You’re not boys anymore and you’ll never be boys again, so it’s about time your names better reflected it. Kimi and Arisu. The names I picked out for you both. And Keiko better acknowledge her name too.”

Ms. Ishida said, “Keiko seemed to accept that name, although she wanted to be respectful.”

Katsumi huffed and said, “The true respect is to accept it.”

I cleared my throat. “Never mind that Nana gave you those names in the first place.”

Katsumi shrugged. “I chose them, despite their origin.”

I added, “And we can choose or reject them.”

Katsumi curled her chopsticks tight. “And I have tons of things I can do to both of you, quite soon…” She relished a smile.

Tara broke the tightening mood by saying, energetically, “We should name her!”

Mami turned and rubbed at her cheek. “Umm… she’s not the same as a stray animal we happened to find.”

Tara gave a guilty giggle but said, “I think she’d be a lot happier if she had a name we could call her instead of just ‘girl’ or ‘she’ or something.”

‘Meanie-chan?’, I considered but didn’t say.

What could you name something that may not even have a name? I had an inkling of a name during that second encounter, but that may have just been a word for “nasty thing”.

But, if I knew a name, where had I met it before? Where had I learned that?

Tara inquired around for suggestions. She started with Katsumi, who inspected the girl and said back, “Kuro.”

Mami looked at her for a moment too and offered, “Nodoka?”

I wasn’t entirely sure why these names occurred to them.

Reiko seemed to be next. She didn’t look up. She just proposed, “Nanashi?”

Sumi grinned. “Why not...Mumei?”

Reiko shook her head. “Mumei is more often used on swords. Nanashi is for anonymous people.”

Ms. Ishida blushed. “I worry those names may be confusing.”

It was a possibility. I was confused, and Jamie didn’t look much better.

The girl didn’t seem to know she was the center of attention. She was rubbing her face against the chair with her eyes shut.

Sumi and Reiko didn’t have anything further to offer. Reiko just glared at Sumi as Sumi wore an unwavering grin.

Miki scratched her head and offered, “Kioshi?”

Ms. Ishida smiled. “You and Mami are on the same track. She is a quiet little one.” She ran a hand through the young girl’s black hair. The girl peered out carefully from her place against the chair.

Tara, who’d started it, took a turn. “Shi!…”

Everyone looked at her for a moment before she laughed it off and said, “Shina, I mean!”

Jamie passed on offering a name.

I stayed silent for my turn. I looked at the girl. Her eyes met mine. I didn’t know what to think about her. I felt the urge to scream out my suspicions to everyone. I could just say, “She’s the monster from Ami’s room and Ami is the pink dress she was wearing!” Then no one would worry about what to name her.

But I thought of the sliver of her right eye peering out from the back of the chair and the calm I felt emanating from the dress.

I just said, “Mariko.”

It was a name I’d heard once. No one said much about it, and it was Ms. Ishida’s turn.

She took a moment to look over the girl before announcing, “I say… Akki.”

There were little gasps, particularly from Katsumi, who nearly fell out of her seat. Katsumi steadied herself and asked, haltingly, “Umm… do you even… realize what that… MEANS?”

Ms. Ishida bowed her head. “I thought it was cute.”

Katsumi grimaced. “Calling her ‘little devil’ is cute?”

Ms. Ishida rubbed the girl’s shoulder. “It’s not meant seriously.”

Although, I thought, it may be close to the truth.

With light prodding, Ms. Ishida settled for a name with a different meaning but a similar sound.

“I think we should call her ‘Akiko’.”

There were no complaints to that name. Tara was quick to accept it and announce, while waving to the girl, “Hi, Akiko!”

‘Akiko’ turned away cautiously.

Ms. Ishida smiled, stroked her hair, and said, “I know it’s not the perfect name to suit her nature or appearance, but I believe all names have meaning. What I want is not that she has a name which fits her, but a name which inspires her. At least that’s my hope.”

I blinked. If that was so, then what was she trying to do with that ‘little devil’ name?

She bowed and smiled. “Of course, she probably has her own, real name, but I hope that the ‘bright light’ of Akiko will guide her for now.”

I found it ironic for a name, considering the darkness she’d caused. It had caused. I still looked at her with a warm, tense feeling. The feeling wove into the feeling which Mami’s presence gave me. I took a breath.

Katsumi finished her rice and gave a look around.

“Where’s Ami? Don’t tell me she’s so mad over that silly stuff from earlier that she won’t even eat down here. And I haven’t seen Nana since just after class either.”

It sure took a while for her to notice.

I took a breath. This was surely the moment. Dinner was basically done. I’d had time to reflect. But I still wasn’t ready to put my ponderings into words. I knew if I said it then it would somehow solidify Ami’s fate.

At that moment, the phone rang. Tara sprang up to answer it.

“Hello, hello! You’ve reached Mecchen House!”

Unintelligible traces of transmitted words found their way to my ears.

Tara gasped, clutching the cordless, and all murmuring from the table ceased.

She gave another little gasp and said, “Is she okay? …Yes, please put her on!”

Tara’s eyes darted to me and Jamie.

“Are you okay?” Tara asked. She listened and said, “I don’t think you should walk the whole way. Can they order a cab? I can pay them back tomorrow. Yeah, give the phone back.”

Tara’s eyes looked so serious. She nodded. “Yes, order her a cab. I don’t want something bad to happen if she’s feeling weak. I’ll cover all costs. I’ll be by tomorrow, but you have my word… Uh-huh. Keiko is a good friend.”

I sat up. “Keiko! What happened to her?!”

Tara put her hand to the receiver and explained, “Keiko was at the store down the road, and she suddenly passed out.”

I’d seen this sort of thing happen twice today, once to me. I felt a fluttering prickle down my neck. I had to get to Keiko. I had to talk to her right this moment, as all the details were fresh in her memory. I couldn’t wait.

I told Tara, “Cancel the cab. I’ll go get Keiko. Or, just delay the cab ‘till I get there. Tell her to wait until I arrive.”

The murmuring started up again. Miki chimed in, “I can get there faster. I’ll do it. No problem.”

I shook my head. “You’ve had a long day of running. Don’t worry about it.”

She noted, “You’ve had a long day too.”

“I need to do this. I’m sorry. I just have to.” I felt that all throughout my body. I had to get to Keiko! Something vitally-important might slip through my fingers if I didn’t. A bit of air seemed to push me to my feet.

Jamie didn’t seem convinced. “I don’t get why you just can’t order a cab and be done with it.”

I bowed to the table and just said, “I have to be there for Keiko. I’ll be right back. Thank you, Reiko and Sumi, for a lovely meal.” ‘Akiko’ watched me as I left the table. I could feel a sour look pressing out from Jamie’s face.

Tara gave me directions and an address.

The wind was at my back.

-----

I sprinted most of the way. The shoes I’d picked before our earlier trek were not perfect for running, but I managed. The sun had fallen past the shoreline, but the world was still light. I could take a side route straight down the road and avoid the forested path and all the shadows of evening.

All the forces of nature compelled me forward. With a pace that would’ve impressed Miki, I arrived at the address Tara had given me. I wouldn't be far from Carolyn’s shop if I took the cross street.

When I stopped, all the pain and exertion arrived soon after. I held the wall and panted, sweaty from my new bra to the roots of my short, dripping red hair and down to my shaky, slender ankles.

My breathing soon slowed, and I entered the grocery store. A female voice at the back yelled, “Welcome to our store!”

The grocery was small with narrow aisles filled with colorful boxes, a thin strip of a refrigerated area, and a seafood and meat section in the back. Keiko was seated at a wooden chair with her hands folded in her lap.

She looked stunned to see me. She seemed fine on her feet, but I still gently held her by the shoulder as a precaution. A young girl with braided, tan hair leaned over the seafood counter. She raised her tiny spectacles up on her face. She wore a loose-fitting, red uniform and a concerned frown.

She pressed a phone to the side of her head and spoke, “She just arrived… I’ll ask…” She looked to me and asked, “Do you two still want the cab?”

Keiko shook her head. “I’m okay to walk. Spare the cost, please.” She faced me with a blush. “I feel bad you ran all this way just on account of me.”

I gave Keiko as soft a hug as she gave me before. “Don’t feel bad. Do you have any idea what happened?”

Keiko’s eyes lingered on an empty seafood tank near the back of the store. Above the tank, on its side, lay the figure of a blue serpent. The ridges of the figure were precisely-detailed. It looked quite beautiful.

Keiko moved towards the figure and turned over the same words in her mouth. “Well… umm… uh… well…”

The girl in the uniform explained, “Your friend took an interest in that sculpture there. But, as soon as she picked it up, she passed out. Lucky it didn’t break.”

That sure sounded familiar. A purplish bird. A brown turtle. And now a blue snake. It didn’t seem like coincidence.

I asked the girl in the uniform, “Is this thing yours?” I was careful to point and not touch, just in case.

She started a nod, but it wavered.

“It was a gift”, she explained. “A nice girl gave it to my mother a few days ago.”

My eyes widened.

“Did you happen to see the girl?”

She nodded back.

“Did she give a name?”

She nodded again and added, “She was a friend of Tara’s, I think. I hadn’t met her before personally, but she seemed very polite. And quiet. Her name was Nana.”

That didn’t leave me too surprised.

“Have you seen her since then?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t.”

I bowed to her. “Thank you very much. And I think we’ll take that cab, if you don’t mind.”

Keiko turned to me.

I told her, “I’m pretty tired out from all that walking…and…uh…suddenly running. I can cover my side of things.”

The uniformed girl pressed the phone closer and announced, “Tara said she will pay for everything or mercilessly tickle you both when you return. And she says Miki sends her regards and congratulations to you for getting here so quickly.”

I gave a small laugh and bowed. Keiko couldn’t fight that either.

I said, “Tell her we accept.”

The girl exchanged a few more quick words before hanging up the phone and calling again.

She hung up one last time and said, “It’ll just be a few minutes. Did you two want to check out yet?”

Keiko gasped. “Oh no! I passed out. I didn’t finish the list that Ms. Ishida gave me.”

I consoled Keiko, “Let’s get it done now. Come on.”

We worked quickly around the small store, moving down the rest of the list with a shopping basket each.

We were halfway done before I asked the obvious question of Keiko.

“So, did you have a vision when you passed out?”

Keiko bowed her head and admitted, “Yes. I’m afraid it’s fading quickly, but I remember most of the important details.”

I leaned close. “Go on, please...”

She took a deep breath and picked up several cans from a shelf and a large bag of rice.

“It was like I took the same trip I did to get here. Only, I did it as my male self. All my muscles were back. It was like you said, I couldn’t respond to anything. I could only observe. I saw and helped Ms. Ishida’s mom. Her father was busy moving furniture.”

I looked over a bag of squid jerky.

“Were they still building Mecchen House?”

Keiko rubbed her neck gently. “From what I saw, they were dressing the rooms and I was helping. Ms. Ishida’s mother asked me to pick up a few items at the store with… her words… ‘Arisu and Hitomi’. She gave me a nice hug and sent me off.”

Keiko kept one can in her hand and turned it over a few times. “As you described in your vision, the world looked so vivid. It was all so beautiful. But I didn’t linger. I walked briskly. I came to where Carolyn’s shop should’ve been. Instead, there was a row of houses. There were tall telephone poles, a little carport area, and grass of the brightest green. I pulled open the front door and went through a hall with green walls. It felt almost unreal. There were so many details everywhere…”

I shook a bag of noodles and encouraged Keiko, “What happened next?”

She adjusted her basket. “I was focusing on the details when I suddenly felt like someone else was with me. And there was a smell too. It swelled around and traveled past me. It reminded me of the smell on the stairs of Mecchen House. I felt at peace. It was a nice presence. It was comforting.

“In the back of the house, I found male you and a young girl with snowy-white hair. You were showing her how to dispose of trash properly. She looked bored and asked, ‘Why don’t you just burn it?’. You explained the trash laws wouldn’t allow it. The girl riffled through some papers. I noticed receipts, a sheet of music, a wrinkled theater magazine, and some other random papers. We looked through them. I told you about what Toki wanted us to get. Hitomi picked up the assorted papers and hugged them to herself. She asked if she could keep those. You gave a chuckle and shook your head but agreed.”

Keiko sure could remember more details than Jamie. My mind roamed through her descriptions for some fragment of meaning.

“How did Hitomi seem?”

Keiko took a few bags off a shelf. “She had a simple, white dress on with quite a few bows. She seemed to cling to you. She put the papers away and ran to give you a gift before we left for the store. It was a pink dress...”