Case Forty-Nine

Trust

"Huh?"

"Yeah," she said, not surprised by my shock. "Like certifiable psycho."

"I knew she was eccentric, but I didn't get a strong crazy vibe from her," I muttered, confused.

It was her turn to be shocked. "You've met her?"

Putting my finger to my mouth, I hissed, "Don't be loud. It was by chance. I was lost and she was running away."

"She ran away," she shouted, ignoring my plea.

"Quiet," I whispered.

"Shit! We have to do something."

"I'm sure her family will track her down. She has no money."

"Huh?"

"She's looking for him without any money to her name. She was lucky to meet me. I bet she would have been starving."

Whipping out her phone from inside her kimono, she dialed a number. "What are you doing," I snapped.

"Warning people, of course."

"Onii-sama? Hey-," she said into the cell phone before I grabbed it from her.

"Hey," she snapped, "That's mine."

"Why are you getting yourself involved," I shut the phone off and took out the battery.

"Why are you involving yourself," she threw back. "Just because you have feelings for the guy, it doesn't mean you have a golden ticket to intervene in paranormal matters."

Pause.

Instinctively, I chucked the phone to one end of the room and I threw the battery outside. This act awarded me the ire of Natori. Launching herself at me, I had to run away for my life.

Shinohara-sensei entered the scene while I was leaping over chairs and trying to not disturb the snuggling couples. Remembering Natori's strong dislike of him, I quickly hid behind him. "Save me, Sensei," I cowered.

With one hand, he halted her. Holding her face back, he gently pushed her backwards. The force was enough to push the Chihuahua-like girl to the ground.

"Shinohara!"

Did she just-

"It's Sensei, Tomoyo," he corrected. Pulling me from behind, he asked, "Now, what is the problem?"

Pointing a finger at me, she accused, "The bitch threw away my phone."

"Well…I didn't exactly throw it away. More like temporarily put it at a distance."

"There are witnesses!

Already getting a headache, Shinohara-sensei sighed, "Yamada-san, get her phone back. Tomoyo, go to bed."

"But-,"

"No 'buts'. Tomoyo. .Bed."

Becoming infuriated more with him than me; she restrained herself from chocking him and stomped out.

"Uh, aren't you going to punish her for being disrespectful?"

He chuckled as if I said the most perplexing thing ever heard. "Why would I? She is my cousin."

"What?"

"I'm surprised she didn't tell you. I know she told Higa." Smirking, he suppressed the urge to laugh. "She probably forbade her from talking. She's so ashamed. That's cute."

Cute? How was this fact cute? If anything, it was disturbing.

Looking back at me, he pointed at the window. "Phone. Bed." He turned to the other students, who were horrified to be caught. "Bed."

Apparently, this was a day for family revelations. First, the Sumiwaras. Now, Natori and Shinohara-sensei. What was the world coming to? Maybe I had a secret relative somewhere.

The next day, I was stuck in the inn just as Goto-sensei warned. It was not too bad. It was not like I was confined to one room. I was able to walk around the place and check out the garden. The garden turned out to be larger than the inn itself.

I had so much fun looking for Natori's phone battery. Last night, I could not find it so I was forced to resume the search later.

I scoured through the bushes, grass and even in the Koi pond. I was still coming up short.

After lunch, I lucked out. The piece of shit was hiding in between some stones. If I had not tripped on the stone path, I would not have noticed.

In my room, I looked at the re-assembled phone. Thanks to a rising career in variety shows, Natori could afford a newer model. It was sleek compared to mine, but with its recent tumble, it appeared abused.

I had to smirk at this small victory. This is what you get for making false accusations, Tomoyo-chan.

Suddenly, the phone started to ring which startled me. Seeing the number was Taiki, I let out a sigh of relief.

As of this moment, he was my favorite Natori. Minus his exorcism skills, he was a decent guy. It was a shame he did not go to my school.

Realizing the rare opportunity before me, I picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Natori-san. It's Yamada Asuka."

"Where's Tomoyo?"

"Out at the moment."

"Ok…I'll call later."

"Wait! I have a question."

"Yes?"

"How do you know Yuki?"

Silence. Not out of awkwardness, but because he sounded confused. "Why are you asking me? Why not him?"

"I would," I laughed nervously, "But apparently, he decided to not tell me about his psycho sister."

"Psycho sister? Was Tomoyo the one who told you?"

"Yes…"

He groaned, "She doesn't know anything. The girl is fine. He probably was removed out of the house because he'd bring attention to his sister's 'friend'."

"Friend?"

"Yeah, her imaginary friend is the problem."

Besides her chaining Antonio, I knew the Sensei was a problem.

He continued on, "I think when Yuki was little, he accidently saw the family guardian."

"What?!"

"Don't worry. He's alive, isn't he?"

"Well…Thanks. You helped out a lot."

"No problem. If you have any questions, I'm happy to help."

After hanging up, I sprawled myself on the futon. His answers should have explained a lot but I was left more confused. His sister said one thing and he said something else.

How could he accidently see his family guardian? If this was the reason why he lived in Tokyo, why would he even be here?

All I knew was that the Sensei was troublesome. The problem was I did not know how troublesome she really was.

I stared at my arm. She did not to possess a body or practice to get to me. It was easy for her to touch me. Even though it was brief, a part of me was shocked. This spirit had the ability to be physical, which was unheard of to me.

She could go through things and touch.

No, she wasn't the first. Back at Yuki's place, there was a spirit who had me in a chokehold. How could I ever forget about that?

My hands slid down my face. If only I had this ability earlier, I would know things. I could help Antonio. I could figure out what was Yuki's family story.

XXX

"We're back," Amamiya sang, sliding the door open.

I was still on the futon, wondering about Yuki. Kyoto presented a new story about him. He was involved longer in the supernatural world. There was no coincidence to him and Chiaki having abilities. Sumiwara Yukiko was testament to that.

"I've never met another girl like me before."

How happy would she be to know about Chiaki? The Sensei's enraged eyes came to mind. Before they left, she shot me a look. From one look, she showed the intent to kill.

Was this what Yuki once faced?

Deep in my thoughts, I had not noticed my name being called. Frustrated, Natori kicked me in the back.

"Where's my phone!"

Jolted up, I wasted no time in rubbing the sore spot. The kick was unnecessary. "On the nightstand," I groaned.

The girl's strength boggled me. Why did Kami-sama decide to give her freakish levels of brutality?

Retrieving her phone, she left. I was noticing a trend with her. Storming off was becoming quite consistent when it came to Natori.

"Why is she always in a bad mood," one of my roommates asked.

Amamiya pointed out, "This genius over here broke her phone."

"Oh," they let out in unison.

Quick to defend my case, I gave reason to see otherwise, "Her phone isn't broken. I fixed it."

Still, they saw reason behind Natori's anger. "You did throw it," Amamiya said. "Against a wall."

Weakly, I laughed it off. "She embellished the story."

"I'm pretty sure I saw Shinohara-sensei laughing about it-,"

"That's beside the point. The phone is not broken!"

My pleas fell on deaf ears.

The girls were hungry and nothing was going to stop them from dinner. "You guys," I whined, "The phone is fine."

"Obviously," Endo acknowledge me, feeling obligated to put me out my misery. "If it was destroyed, you would be burned alive."

Amamiya too turned around as we headed towards the dining hall, "Honestly, I thought you can handle teasing."

"I can," I pouted.

She pulled me into a headlock and ruffled my hair. "Has your brain softened that much," she chide, continuing to dishevel my ponytail into a mess.

The girls rushed to my aide. "Yumiko," Mabuchi cried, "She has possible brain damage."

In the midst of this awkward tuck of war-they tried to pry her off, but her resistance started to suffocate me-, Amamiya loosened her hold.

Right in front of us was a disgruntled Sakurako. Instantly, I was released.

"What are you doing," she came over, with each step causing Amamiya to cower. A part of me was happy that Sakurako was my protector. With one glare, she could reduce my tormentor into this state.

Like a mother, she pulled me away from danger. But, it was not so easy to shake Amamiya off. Rubbing her hands together, she sought forgiveness.

"It's honest rough housing," she explained. "I didn't hurt her."

From behind, none of the girls vouched for her. Instead, they piped in. "We tried our best to save her."

Throughout dinner, Amamiya spent her time to get into Sakurako's good graces. At first, I was happy about her humiliation. I saw it as payback for the bus ride and yesterday's fallout. However, I gradually felt for her.

Repeatedly, she bowed. Whenever Sakurako was running out of water, Amamiya was quick to refill. Everyone in the hall, besides me and the waiter she was robbing his job, were laughing at the spectacle.

"Sakurako," I said, trying to ease the tension from her, "Let it go. I'm not hurt."

She snapped to glare at me. "Do you think she's the only one I'm mad at?"

Quickly, I shoved some rice into my mouth and looked away from her hate-filled eyes. Mabuchi was kind enough to let me in on the secret. She whispered, "She threw a volcanic-like fit because of your disappearance. Matsuhita-san already got an earful today."

She nodded to his direction. He appeared to be his usual uncaring self, but then he noticed Sakurako glaring at him and he turned back from where he came.

Seeing the once-feared psychopath bolting, Sakurako must have been a force to be reckoned with. Being in a hurry, he bumped shoulders with Yuki who was just entering the hall. By chance, he looked my way and he bolted too.

As quick as he disappeared, I noticed his reddening face.

So, he was not ready to completely forget.

Suddenly, it was my turn to run away. "YOU," Natori bust through the doors and threw a pointing finger my way. "WHO ALLOWED YOU TO TALK TO MY BROTHER?"

To escape her wrath, I had to evade her at all costs. Just as Harade was swooping into protect the object of his affections; I pushed him towards Natori with all my might.

Of course, it did not work. He staggered a bit, but he did not get to block her. Like Amamiya, I had to beg for forgiveness…while I made a break for the door.

"Sorry!"

XXX

I did not go out of my way to find him. Okay, maybe I did.

We were getting into the groove of being friends. The awkwardness that had developed between us was turning into a distant memory. We could comfortably talk in school, I could visit his place and we could work on figuring out the Hitonoseri. Everything seemed set for a better friendship in the future.

Who knows we could even get a show?

But, this? This was troublesome.

The kiss brought a new perspective for me. Yuki was not the jerk I met on my first day at Odaiba. He was boy. He was just another teenage boy, going through life's confusing moments. Before the kiss, I saw no inkling of any romantic feeling from him.

He was just Yuki.

He let out another long, dejected sigh and looked up at the sky. "You should see the stars in Hokkaido," I said, careful not to sit too close to him. "It puts this sky to shame."

Startled by my appearance, he quickly scooted further away. Being reminded of a cautious cat, I smiled.

He already had the cat-like eyes.

I was glad to see him not running away again. At least, we could get a chance to talk.

"Over there, they were like scatter fireflies. Being an idiot, I tried to catch them and I'd always crash off the veranda. I had to settle on looking at them from a distance. I grew to be content that way."

Looking over to him, I saw his eyes were fixated elsewhere. He was glaring to the distance. It took me a little while to realize he was thinking deeply. The angry face morphed into a sad one.

That was the look I came to dread.

Jabbing a finger to his shoulder, I tore him from his thoughts. "What," he snapped.

"I'm telling you a personal story, you asswipe."

"So what? I did not ask you to."

"You're the one who kissed me. It's the least you can do."

Stupid Asuka.

Motioning up, I had to be quick to stop him. I reached out enough to grab a hold on his kimono's hem. "I don't know anything about," I blurted out. "You know more about me. You've met my parents, my brothers, my friends. You know all of my secrets. You know about Honda-senpai, the ghosts, the demons. But, I only know of a few things about you. I have to ask others about you."

Looking up, he was staring down. Slowly, the hard demeanor was crumbling. "I have to tell you a childhood story so you can tell me one. I told my bit, it's your turn."

Sitting back down, he came closer. I pinned my hand back to my side. "My grandfather used to build dollhouses a lot. Each was made for a different occasion. Christmas, birthdays, Chinese New Year. There was even one made for Valentine's day. At first, I thought it was for me. I was the only one small enough to fit in. Turned out, it was the cat."

Embittered by the memory, it was hard for him to hide his disgust.

Sad as the tale was, I could not stop the snickering. When he turned my way, I swallowed back the stifled laughter and I tried to avoid his leering gaze.

"Are the cat houses still being made?"

He shook his head, "Izo told me the cat died years ago."

This was the first time I ever heard him call Ishiragi by his first name.

Quickly, he added, "Plus the old bastard is old."

"He can't be that bad."

He shrugged, "That's up for debate."

I peered down at the space in between us. I never noticed his habit of tapping his pinky before. The silent rhythm was well-paced. Was this from nerves or to calm the bitterness he felt towards his grandfather?

"Yuki?"

"Yeah?"

If I moved just a little bit, our hands would be pressed against each other. A friend would not feel bothered by it, but a boy with a crush would react.

Leaving my hand as it was, I said. "I want to use one of my three questions." Without giving him the chance to answer, I abruptly asked, "Why is it hard for us to be friends?"

"I don't know," he replied, honestly. "Why can't you like me," he asked in turn.

I should have expected this question, but it genuinely took me by surprise. Was his intentions really like that?

Not risking to accidently to touch me, I placed my hand on my lap. I sighed before smiling bitterly, "I don't know."

I gave into word vomit. "I'd rather have you as a friend because that's what I know about you. You are loyal and you are helpful. It's great to know that you have faith in me. You trust me enough to know about Chiaki. I trust you enough to about my Sight's return. Isn't friendship about trust?"

"But, so is love."

In typical Yuki fashion, he balked, "Which I don't feel for you. I like you. I don't love you."

"Thanks for the clarification," I muttered, getting annoyed at how he killed the mood.