Saki sat in the back of the chugging, struggling bus as it wound along the ocean road toward Kasumi’s house. She stared dumbly at the phone clutched in her hand, running her thumb along its smooth, rounded edge and worried. Kasumi had not answered her call. Instead it had been some angry man named Ichiro who yelled at her for several minutes about how he wasn’t going to buy anything she was selling and that if she called again, he would take “severe measures”. She wasn’t sure what measures the man could take, but not wishing to be on the receiving end of them, she’d not tried to call back. While it was good being back home after being locked away for so long in Korea, she was anxious and scared.

It wasn’t just that Kasumi hadn’t answered the call. She had, seemingly, vanished. Emi also had gone missing and even Kasumi’s little sister, Mio, was no longer around. Everything she’d been a part of before being forced to leave had suddenly been yanked away from her. She had no idea where to start. No clue what to do, and no real plan other than a panicky trip to Kasumi’s house. Still, she felt she had to do something. Anything. Even if it was wrong, she needed to start somewhere, and Kasumi’s house seemed to be the only option worth exploring.

What had happened? Saki wondered miserably, fiddling with her phone as the Sea of Japan under the glowering Autumn sky slipped past outside the cigarette-stained windows of the bus. She had been gone a long time, yes. But her whole group of friends, especially Kasumi, being just gone when she got back was something she couldn’t wrap her head around.

She had felt lonely in Korea, cut off from the rest of the world with only a few people to spend time with. Now that she was back the loneliness had only increased. What good was being back in the world when those who had made up her world were gone? She’d never understood the phrase “lonely in a crowd” before, but she certainly did now. The sense of isolation had grown to the point of being suffocating and she felt as if she were drowning in it.

What would she say to Kasumi’s parents? They didn’t know her. What could she say? She couldn’t very well demand to see her. Her leg began to bounce up and down nervously in time to the knocking, wheezing engine to the point Saki had to place one hand on her knee to still it. She didn’t do well with confrontation, she sighed. Regardless of what had happened, this certainly felt like just that sort of thing.

Saki lay her head back against the mysteriously and rather disgustingly damp seat back and tried to clear her mind. Unfortunately, the very thing she used to clear her thoughts, Kasumi’s smiling, kind face, was the problem. By the time she staggered down the aisle between the seats and out of the bus her nerves were shot. She tried to think of any other way to get the answers she needed but came up with nothing.

Kasumi’s old boss, Komari, was not at the shop. The girl working behind the counter thought she was most likely in Tokyo but wasn’t sure. She’d tried to call Mizuki, but she hadn’t answered. She’d even tried calling Aria, but her number was no longer in service. So, with no other option Saki walked uneasily down the dirt road toward the neighborhood Kasumi’s house was in. The backpack she wore bounced against her back and she briefly considered grabbing the thing and hugging it to her chest for support but discarded the idea as childish. She was 16, now, and shouldn’t need things like that, she reasoned.

Still, as she glanced down at her phone and the GPS guided her closer and closer to the end of the road, she dearly wanted something, anything, to draw comfort from. Unfortunately nothing presented itself as her steps took her closer to the red mark on her phone screen. Finally she found herself standing in front of the house at the end of the street. It’s white walls with deep brown accents looked inviting, the purple curtains visible through the windows had intricate flower patterns emblazoned on them. Saki glanced down at the GPS and chewed her lip nervously. This was the place.

Steeling her faltering nerves Saki stepped forward through the gate and into the yard, glancing about nervously for any dog which may be standing guard. When none emerged, she followed the winding concrete path through the yard to the stairs. She once more had to steel her resolve before stepping up and standing on the small landing atop the stairs. The door in front of her had two panes of glass with intricately carved flowers streaming from the knob up to the glass where they curved around the windows, blooming into faded red roses.

Saki’s heart was pounding as she raised her hand and knocked timidly at first, then again louder before stepping back toward the stairs. She held her hands entwined and clenched tightly at her belly as she waited. The phone was a strangely comforting bulk in her fingers, and she shifted slightly from foot to foot.

What would she do if no one was home? She was torn between which was worse, disappointment if no one was home or nervous and frightened that someone was. Her fear had nearly gotten the better of her and she’d turned to leave when she heard someone approaching the door from the other side. She was caught now, Saki thought. Taking a deep breath she drew herself upright and waited nervously. A moment later the door swung open.

“Saki-chan?” The girl asked curiously, tilting her head to the side slightly, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder.

“A-Aria senpai?” Saki’s voice quavered in nervousness and surprise.

“Wow! It really is you!” Aria enthused with a chuckle. “Everyone thought you’d run off with a K Pop star or something! When did you get back?”

“Uh…yesterday,” Saki replied after a moment. What was Aria doing here? Maybe something had happened to Kasumi-senpai’s phone, and she was here, too! Hope swelled in Saki’s heart, and she smiled.

“Welcome back, Saki-chan! It’s been so long!” Aria stepped out of the house and hugged her tight for a moment before stepping back and looking at her. “You look good, girl! You’ve been working out!”

“O-Oh, uh, yes,” Saki nodded. “There wasn’t much to do so I exercised a bit. Thank you.”

“So, you’re coming back to finish school here, then?” Aria chuckled.

“Y-Yes,” Saki nodded again.

“I’m glad,” Aria smiled slightly sadly. “I bet it’s good to be back.”

“I suppose so, yes,” Saki replied, trying to find an exit from the highway Aria’s conversation had put her on.

“What brings you here?” Aria asked. Saki gaped at the taller girl slightly. The answer should be rather self-evident, she thought.

“I-I came to see if K-Kasumi senpai was here,” Saki stuttered. A look crossed Aria’s face Saki couldn’t quite place.

“Ah, that’s right,” Aria sighed and ran her hand through her hair with a mirthless chuckle. “You wouldn’t know, would you?”

“Kn-Know what?” Saki felt the color drain from her face and her heart drop in fear.

“Kasumi doesn’t live here anymore, actually,” Aria said with a pained voice.

“What?” Saki stared at the girl uncomprehendingly.

“There were some…issues,” Aria shook her head. “Kasumi left Tottori.”

“What?” Saki repeated woodenly. What was Aria saying? What issues?

“She…left. Back in February,” Aria replied with no small amount of hesitation.

“Where did she go?” Saki stared at the girl.

“Well, that’s the thing, I guess,” Aria answered. “No one really knows.”

“Huh?” Saki cocked her head to the side. “How can her parents not know where she is?”

“It’s…kind of a long story.”

“I don’t understand,” Saki shook her head. None of this was making any sense. Kasumi was only 17, wasn’t she? Shouldn’t her parents know where she went? There was a shrill cry from inside the house and Aria turned around quickly before turning back to Saki with a sigh.

“Ah, I guess it’s her feeding time,” Aria said with a dreary sigh. Feeding time? Saki frowned. What the hell was going on? “I’ll be right back.” The taller blonde girl vanished back into the house while Saki stood shell-shocked on the front porch. Feeding time? Nothing made any sense. A few moments later Aria emerged from the house, holding a wriggling bundle of cloth in her arms. Saki stared at the bundle for a second in confusion.

“This is Kana,” Aria said, turning slightly and raising one arm. A tiny face appeared in the blankets, the dark blue eyes opened blearily and stared at Saki curiously.

“Uh…” Saki trailed off almost immediately, trying to figure out what she was looking at. Plainly it was a baby, but what it was doing there escaped her. “I’m not sure what I’m looking at right now, senpai.”

“This is…” Aria paused, as if searching for the right words. “This is Kasumi’s niece.”

“What did you do?” Saki blinked at the baby, then at Aria, her eyes narrowing.

“I…” tears welled in Aria’s blue eyes. “I messed up, Saki-chan.”