Chapter 20 - Hitomi & Akiko (cont.)

I had to concede a nod, though Jamie folded his arms in protest while holding his blanket. Keiko leaned forward.

Mami cleared her throat, stood in the center of the room, and said, “It’s not that I’m implying you’re wrong. I’m just saying all three of you have gone through some major stuff. Stuff which leaves me curious…” Mami moving around still gave me strange sensations.

She looked to the gathered girls and moved a hand to usher Miki to stand. Miki coughed roughly a few times. “It’s a lot to think about. I feel honored you three would share what you’ve discovered with us. But think about it from our perspective. If I said that where you’ve always lived is just an altered version of another place, your roommate has become a dress, and one of your other roommates is actually responsible… with no objective proof… well, you gotta admit it’s gonna be tough for anyone.”

Jamie relaxed his arms but still draped the blanket across his body. Keiko looked to ‘Hitomi’ and then the girls. “Please don’t be worried. I promise I’ll do everything I can to help wherever possible.”

‘Hitomi’s’ eyes traced Keiko and she blew softly on a finger.

I took a step towards her. She dropped the finger into her lap.

Miki walked over, gave Keiko a great big hug, and said, “You are the coolest. Thanks. I gotta tell ya, you have the most amazing body a girl can have for sports.”

The words crested through Keiko. She blushed and said softly, “That’s alright. Are you sure? You don’t have to think of me as a girl. I mean… a lot of stuff has happened.”

Miki held Keiko’s hand and posed, “Does it feel alright for you to be considered a girl?”

Keiko fidgeted in place. “…I guess it’s accurate.”

Miki smiled faintly. “Does it make you happy to hear it?”

Keiko’s face flowed with bright embarrassment. She bowed and gave a single, subtle nod.

Miki gave Keiko’s hand a little shake. “Then, it is an honor to consider you a girl.”

‘Hitomi’ betrayed a smile.

I watched Keiko’s hand. It glimmered from the overhead lamp. I blinked. For a moment, the back of her hand appeared as though she had just dipped it in water. With another blink, the ‘illusion’ was gone.

Miki gave Keiko a gentle embrace and said, “I’m sorry we haven’t spent more fun time together. It’s a rough part of the school year. Say… how about, since I don’t have any homework left this evening, we hang out in my room for a while?”

Miki sought my eyes with a smile and asked, “That cool with your friends?”

Jamie gave a half-hearted shrug. I said to Miki, “If you’re okay…”

She grinned and said, “The way I figure, life is too short to worry about this and that. What will be… is what will be. I’ll deal with it when I have the chance. But I will keep watch.” Her eye roamed to ‘Hitomi’, for just a moment. “And I will take care of the typhoon stuff before bed, Ms. Ishida.”

She led Keiko to her room.

Her words seemed to inspire the others. Ms. Ishida switched the TV over to a silly game show which had everyone laughing before long. Tara brought down some plush animals to share with Jamie. Ms. Ishida still gave me the occasional, inquiring glance.

Tara seemed to share the same attitude as Miki about the whole thing. Mami shared Jamie-time with Tara to ask him further questions about his gender-changing experiences. ‘Hitomi’ had her legs crossed, her mouth shut, and her head back.

And I lost sight of Sumi. A bad slip.

I’d gotten so used to ‘Akiko’s’ silent presence on my backside, that I didn’t notice the arms slipped around me until it was too late.

“See? I’m quite patient.” Sumi drifted her arms over my shoulders. “I hope you don’t mind a friendly hug. I promise my hands won’t wander. Much.”

Before, I’d still been bigger than her. This time, I felt like a kid in her embrace. But I’d given her an ultimatum. I said, firmly but calmly, “Let me go now.”

Her arms drifted down my stomach but quickly released me.

Sumi held her empty hands up. “Just a friendly hug…” She looked down. ‘Akiko’ stood away, but she bolted back to my side at the presence of two sets of eyes upon her.

Sumi slid her fingers through a clutching palm. “So, you claim this cutie is actually a fiendish monster which ate Ami and spat out a pink dress?”

I gave her a little nod.

She crouched and smiled at ‘Akiko’, who covered her eyes with my clothes.

Sumi laid a hand on the floor and said, “Hello there, sweetie. I saw you enjoyed my dinner. I’m glad. What did you like the most?”

‘Akiko’ leaned her head out cautiously and spoke, “Mooooosss?”

Sumi nodded and encouraged her. She mentioned all the dishes, describing them briefly with quick words and quicker hand gestures. ‘Hitomi’ crossed her legs the other way with her gaze fixed on ‘Akiko’.

Despite my misgivings about ‘Akiko’, she seemed quite important. I wasn’t about to just toss her out like ‘Hitomi’ demanded.

This tussle of gazes didn’t seem to affect Sumi a bit. She drew with her finger in the air. ‘Akiko’ seemed quite perplexed. She drew in the air too. Sumi seemed amused and remarked, “She’s so precious. I could just hug her all day.”

‘Akiko’ said, “Hurr!”

Sumi held ‘Akiko’s hand gently and pointed her own finger to ‘Akiko’s chest. “You. You are a girl. A lovely little girl, I must say.”

Her red eyes widened. She pressed her hands against her chest and asked, “Gurl?”

Sumi nodded. “A girl. Like me.” Sumi gestured to herself in turn. She smiled a mysterious, gentle smile.

‘Akiko’ asked, “Gurl… mee?”

Sumi grinned. “That’s right.”

Ms. Ishida came over with a few books in her hands and asked, “Is everything alright?”

‘Akiko’ drifted halfway between me and Ms. Ishida. Her eyes would linger every so often on the depths of Sumi’s gaze.

Sumi rose. “Yup. I’m just getting to know the little, quiet one here… And I’m being very nice. Even with temptation lurking so near.” She looked to Jamie, who, despite looking away, seemed to give an involuntary shudder. He made a few hand gestures to both Tara and Mami. Tara rocked with her legs. Mami wrote furiously.

Ms. Ishida turned the books over. “Good to hear. And Kelly…?”

Despite everything, I gave her a little smile.

She clutched the books to herself. “I’m not sure what to make of all you said. You’ve given me bits and pieces here and there. I trust you too… it’s just… Mami put it well. I thank you for what you’ve said. It’s just hard to comprehend it all. But I promise to be watchful as well. But for now…”

She held the books out to me. “These are a few of my mother’s old books. I don’t know how helpful they’ll be but… I offer them to you.”

I took them and turned them over in my hands. Most were short. The font inside was small. Their covers looked both regal and simple at the same time. I tucked them under my arm and thanked her.

She asked if I needed anything else.

I shook my head.

I heard ‘Akiko’ whimper.

She rocked back and forth in place.

Ms. Ishida responded quickly. “Come with me.”

She hustled ‘Akiko’ to the nearest bathroom.

Sumi curled her lip with a finger and looked to me. “You and your friends intrigue me. I don’t know for sure what or who is responsible for these lovely results, but I approve.”

She drifted towards the hall. “The little one intrigues me as well. She has a lot of potential and, as I said, I’m patient. I promise I’ll be back later.” She blew me a little kiss with her hand and smirked.

I put on my best face, but I felt better when Sumi was gone.

‘Hitomi’ encouraged me over with her hand stirring the air. She held a hand over my arm. I watched.

She sighed. “Like trying to enjoy a stew half-cooked.”

I scooted over. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing… I remember those books. I’ve read them several times. I even memorized them.”

“Where?” I looked over the titles. The Works of Carl Jung. I-Ching. A Historie of the World. The Writings of Heraclitus. The Tale of Genji. The Avesta.

I’d never read any of them before and only vaguely heard of a few. Hitomi shifted her feet. “In Mecchen House. Toki gave them to me. You read them as well. You just don’t remember.”

I looked closer at them. I felt them a bit and shrugged. “You’re right. I don’t remember them. I mean, I recall the name ‘Jung’. I’ve heard of I-Ching in passing. And maybe a video game with ‘Genji’. Nothing more.”

Jamie let out a long breath. He gestured with his hands to his chest and I caught the end of a bit of quiet conversation. “…so is a bra always supposed to feel like that?”

Tara and Mami both nodded at the same time. He sighed and responded, “Terrific…”

I set the books at my feet and asked ‘Hitomi’, “I assume these ‘visions’ we’ve had are in some way significant?”

‘Hitomi’ clenched her hands and said, “I made fragments which I knew would find their way to each of you, with a little help.”

“You had Nana leave those artifacts.” I enunciated her name a little louder than the rest of my sentence. Mami glanced over for a second.

“Again, many of my memories are scattered. But yes, Nana placed them for me. Each placement was significant, especially yours. I made sure yours would work.”

“Explain…”

She shook her head. “I would just be telling it to a human shell. You wouldn’t understand it to the extent you will when the recipe is done, the shell is gone, and my sister is revealed in all her true splendor.”

“Try me…”

She was firm. “There are things I will tell you for now because they further my plans. But the rest is mine to keep until the right time.”

Jamie’s gaze seemed to waver towards us. He traced his hair and then ruffled the material around his legs. Tara gave him a big hug. Mami bowed her head and set her notepad aside.

I had to ask, “What else can you tell me for right now?”

‘Hitomi’ took a moment and answered, “One of those left in this house knows about my plan. She agreed to my conditions. She may not be as helpful as I expected, but she’s not hindering me.”

I looked around. I stared at Mami and Tara in turn. Could it be one of them? I thought of Katsumi, Reiko, and Sumi nearby. They were possibilities as well. Though I expected Katsumi would make a bigger, more obvious deal of her involvement if that were so. Ms. Ishida and Miki were long-shots but I decided not to fully dismiss the possibility, just in case.

I had to try, “Who?”

‘Hitomi’ chuckled. “Nice try. I can’t tell you yet. But you’ll find out eventually.”

It was frustrating. I hit my knees with my hands.  

‘Hitomi’ touched my shoulder. “Patience, big sister. You’ll know soon enough.”

“What else can you tell me?”

‘Hitomi’ slipped her hand off my shoulder. “I reiterate my desire that ‘Akiko’ has to go. And my disappointment at what happened to Ami. Fortunately, my original plans are still workable.”

My feelings smoldered and I said, resolutely, “Akiko stays. No argument.” It felt strange to speak her name, considering I barely recognized it. It was hard to see her as anything but the monster responsible for what happened to Ami, and yet…

I pursed my lips and blazed my eyes at ‘Hitomi’. She stared back but finally bowed her head and said, without much enthusiasm, “Fine. I’ll let this one go, for now. As I said, my original plans are fine.”

Ms. Ishida returned a moment later with Akiko clinging behind her. She bowed. Akiko looked and mimicked her.

“She made it in time. I’m a bit bewildered at how inexperienced she seems. Fortunately, she caught on quickly.” Ms. Ishida brushed Akiko’s hair with a glimmer of pride and said, “Poor girl, I can only imagine what you’ve been through to leave you in such a state.”

Akiko hesitantly looked up before burying her face in Ms. Ishida’s clothes.   

I watched for any trace of duplicity in Ms. Ishida’s gaze as she looked to ‘Hitomi’ sitting beside me. Her eyes wavered. She looked again. It wasn’t a worried glance so much as a confused one. Her eyes seemed to pry into ‘Hitomi’ like a visual puzzle. She sighed after a moment but seemed satisfied with some unspoken conclusion.

I was ready to dismiss any suspicion from Ms. Ishida when she asked, “Could you help me with something for a little while, Hitomi?”

‘Hitomi’ looked to me. I was prepared to glare but her gaze stopped me. She looked vulnerable. She said softly, “Will you be here when I return?”

“Why?”

“Please… I promise I won’t be long.” I could see a quiet fear and anxiety in her expressive, violet eyes. But I reminded myself they weren’t her eyes, they were Nana’s.

I answered, my lips curled tautly, “I won’t leave the house. But I will be around asking questions.”

A bit of her tension drifted off. She nodded. “I can accept that. Thank you, sis.” She said the last word as a half-escaped whisper.