“Do they know who did it yet? How did the police know it was a murder?”
“The police didn’t find out. My boss did. She found Megumi’s phone and apparently there was a video on it still. But we still don’t know exactly who it is.”
“But why? I mean she wasn’t that much older than you.” Tammy says it with such earnest, as though being a certain age makes you immune to murder. Her skepticism isn’t surprising, most Showguns-ordered hits that turn up on the news are people who are thirties and up: usually politicians who are already well into their careers. Other murders (unsuccessful ones that is) tend to be more about insurance policies, family, or couple issues, you know something that so easy that even the most challenged of dumbasses can figure it out.
“No one knows why. Megumi doesn’t have any enemies.”
“Enemies that you know of, kitty-cat. What about when she’s not with you? You don’t know who she’s been around at that job.”
I rub my temple with my hand. “Tammy, it wasn’t someone who worked there. It was someone who just happened to be there.”
“Hmph. And you want to be up there at that job?”
“They wouldn’t pick on me. I’m…” I catch myself from saying an assassin.
“You’re what?”
“I’m a Pua Moana. People usually avoid me anyways.”
“Oh no you don’t. Not with how much people are mad about Devil’s Disease and everything.” Tammy huffs. Then her voice softens. “I know I can’t say Thanks-A-Latte is any better. But you stay safe, kitty-cat. I don’t want anything happening to you with all this crazy stuff going on.”
“I’ll be okay. I’ve made it this far, haven’t I?” My voice is nowhere near as reassuring as I thought it would sound.
“True, but you’re all that’s left of my family besides Jin.”
“What about Kyo?”
“I meant in Tokaido. Besides, I know Kyo avoids this house like the plague.”
I chuckle a little at that.
“Has Mai been okay too?” Tammy asks. “I tried to talk to her as soon as I got a hold of my phone, but I couldn’t for some reason.”
“Her phone’s not working. It’s been like that since we went to the party. She’s having issues with everything.”
“Everything? No wonder—” A man speaking Chinese cuts her off. Tammy says something back that I can’t understand. Then to me, she says, “I’m sorry, kitty-cat, but I need to get back to my hotel. I’ll try to call more often. See you later.”
“See you…” As she hangs up, I find myself wishing I could have more time with her. That any moment I might not see her again, like Megumi.
I didn’t tell her that Regi and I were getting married. But after what happened downstairs, I’m glad I didn’t. If Tammy even got a sniff of Regi and me arguing, I’m sure she’d be telling me to dump Regi faster than yesterday’s coffee grounds.
Remembering that I’m still on Jin’s phone, I get up and go down the hall. The door is already open, but I still knock on the jamb. “Hey, Jin. I’m all done.”
He turns around in his computer chair, and takes it from me. “Did you tell her about the Showguns thing?”
“I didn’t call it that, but I did tell her about Red Dragon Academy,” I say, leaning in the doorway. “Don’t worry. You’re not in any huge trouble or anything. But from now on, please don’t do weird requests for people. In fact, if Genji asks you to do it, you probably don’t want to do it.”
Jin holds his phone in his lap, lips pursed as he watches King stretch out on the floor like a red and white puppy rug. “I really didn’t think it would cause a huge mess. But it’s okay if I just don’t go? They won’t do anything to me?”
“You mean Showguns? No. They don’t punish anyone until after you violate rules after you’ve been accepted. It’s more likely that they’ll just delete your ID and all your access to Showguns stuff. I’ve heard sometimes they keep tabs on you, just to make sure you won’t talk.”
Those words make Jin’s eyes go wide. “R-really? They’ll watch me?”
“Showguns isn’t some play club, Jin. With them, everything is business. And if someone’s got no business being in our business, they get rid of them. If you don’t know what you’re getting into, it’s better to not be involved at all,” I say.
“Then why did you join?” Jin asks.
I hold up my hand. “The color of my skin. You may have only seen and heard stuff on the news, but people like me get harassed just for looking this way. We can’t get the jobs we want, we can’t get into the colleges here…” I pinch my fingers together. “But if I was just a little bit lighter, no one would even bat an eye. Showguns didn’t care what I looked like. They only cared if I was good at my job. And…”
My voice trails to a stop as Regi’s heavy footsteps thud in the stairwell. The top of his ginger quiff pokes up over the edge of the carpet. He regards me with a wary look. “Curry and rice is done if you’re both ready to eat.”
“Did you eat already?” I ask Jin.
He gets up, shaking his head. “No. I’ll eat. It smells really good.” He walks past me and hurries down the stairs, nearly bumping into Regi on the way down.
“Hey be careful, kiddo.” Regi calls after him.
I move to the stairs to follow. Regi bars my path with his body, gazing up at me from one stair lower.
I rest my elbow on the railing. “What now? You’re not going to let me eat dinner?”
“No, I just want us to be on the same page,” Regi says. “Remember what I said about being a team?”
“I do, which is why I want to know why you’re in such a hurry to have every knot tied at once. We don’t even have a wedding date set and you’re already talking about chores and bills for a home we don’t even own yet.”
“Jun, I just want everything to go well. And my parents have been getting on my case about it. I didn’t mean to seem like I’m trying to force all this stuff down your throat, but I feel like every time I try to bring it up, there’s always something that gets in the way.”
“Regi, there’s a lot going on right now that nobody even saw coming. I can’t predict when I get busy or not.”
“I know, but…” He reaches for both of my hands. “With how busy you’re getting, I’m starting to wonder if there’s even time for us anymore. I feel like I don’t even know where I am in your life.”
“I can’t help being busy.” With how much I’ve learned about CRISIS-D between Mai, Genji, and Heaven, busy might as well be my middle name for the rest of my life. “Things are just hard right now.”
Regi squeezes my hands. “I know. Just…don’t forget about us. There’s no Regi in team.”
I squeeze back. “I won’t.”
Regi lets go of me. “Also, I think the rain let up, so you can finally see your gift, if you want.”
“We should go right now then, before it starts raining again,” I say.
Regi hurries downstairs, while I go back to my room to get my shoes and a light jacket for the cold. Outside, Regi is already hoisting something covered in tarp off his dad’s truck. He sets it down on the pavement, then gestures for me to come over. “Alright. Are you ready?”
Gaze on the sheet, I walk around the covered mass. It’s about waist-high with the front a few inches taller than the rear. I can’t see the bottom, but I have a funny feeling that I don’t need to. “I think I know what it is.”
“Well let’s find out if you’re correct,” Regi says. He yanks off the cover.
A sleek, white bodied motorcycle awaits me on the pavement. The porchlight illuminates the tribal panda logo and the GX series calligraphy on the front fairings, a logo identical to the one that had been on my car. I can’t help but run a finger over the chrome bar handle, railing down to the seat all the way down the body and stop at the seat. It’s like my car’s been reincarnated into a motorcycle. “You guys got me a Panda?”
Regi rubs the back of my neck. “Yeah, the big Pandas were super expensive, b
ut we still wanted you to have one. I figured you probably wouldn’t like having to drive around a cheap old clunker.”
“But even these are expensive, too,” I say.
“It’s fine… It’s more important that you like it,” Regi says.
I wrap my arms around him. “I love it. I wish it wasn’t raining so much lately. Otherwise, I’d ride it.”
“No worries, babe. Besides, you kinda can’t.”
“Can’t?” I pull back. “Why not?”
“Remember when I said I forgot the curry powder and I had to go back to the store and by more for Mom?”
“Don’t tell me you—”
“I left the key at home.”
I smack him on the shoulder. “Regi!”
“I’m sorry!” He dodges a second smack. “I promise I’ll bring it tomorrow! I’ll bring it tomorrow or you get to smack me all you want.”
4-9 'Ah'
The dream is different tonight.
I’m in the living room, the way it always starts, but there’s no dark snake spirit. There’s no scream for help. There’s no sound at all.
There’s only me, the silence, and a torrent in my stomach telling me that something has gone horribly wrong.
I come to and find that I’m already sitting up. Instinctively, I check to see if the window is open. Shut. I rub the back of my neck to find it covered in sweat. I thought those dreams were gone. I did as Mai suggested. No one’s come here. No suspicious people have been around the house. Nothing strange has happened around the house. So why? Why are my dreams still like this? I should check around the house. I climb out of bed.
Behind me, the blankets rustle. “Babe?” His voice is a gravelly mumble. “Is it time to get up?”
I look over my shoulder. In Hound vision, Regi is a bright greenish yellow. I can barely make out the details of his face. “No. Just forgot something downstairs to check on something. I’ll be back in a second.”
My response is Regi turning over in bed and mumbling something incoherent. I take that as my cue to leave. As soon as get in the hall, I close my door behind me and cut on the light. King’s squeaky yellow bone rests on top of the stair, but King isn’t in his bed. He must be downstairs. I pick up the bone and toss it into the bed, then continue down.
Halfway down the stairs, soft puppy whimpers fill the air. I poke my head over the banister. King is lying on his side atop the couch, legs twitching and jerking.
Poor thing must be having a nightmare. I wonder if he’s having the same dream I had. I want to wake him, but waking up a terrified dog sounds like a bitten finger waiting to happen. Giving him a last look, I check the patio door, the kitchen window. All shut.
I put my hands on my hips. What’s different then?
King yelps and scrabbles to get up. He starts looking around the room, then he looks at me and jumps down the couch to curl up next to me. I kneel down to give a few soothing pats.
His body shakes under my touch and he's pressing so hard into my legs that it's hard to keep my balance.
"Rough night for both of us, isn't it?" I murmur, stroking his back.
But King only stares at me with the same forlornness of a child that’s just realized that they’ve been separated from their loved ones. He tries to wriggle into my lap. I stay with him, holding his warm body close to mine.
Footsteps fill my ears. King’s ears flick against my chin at the noise. I tilt my head back to look at who it is. It’s Jin.
“What happened?” He asks. “I heard King barking.”
“King was just having a nightmare,” I say. “He’ll be fine.”
With a yawn, Jin pulls back to stretch. “He’s not the only one.”
“You had one too?” I ask.
“Yeah. Been having them quite a bit lately,” Jin says.
“So have I.” Now I want to go back and ask Regi if he’s had a nightmare too. What are the odds of that? All of us having a nightmare on the same day. “Maybe we’ve been eating all the wrong stuff before bed or something.”
“King’s been eating the same food though.”
“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence,” I say, then usher King out of my lap, so I can get up.
King keeps close to me, looking around the living room with a stiff tail, and the whites of his eyes showing. He only takes a step when I do, as if being unsynchronized could result in a horrible doom for him.
I let him come into my room and I crawl back into bed. King curls up in front of me, watching me as I watch him.
The night melts away slowly, and I finally sink back into sleep. But when morning arrives I feel like I’m on half a tank of energy, so I sneak some of Chandra’s prescribed mana when Regi isn’t looking. When I get to the Review Room, I’m glad to find that today is another critique day and also that Vampire isn’t at work. But much of the passes with still no word from the Geisha. At the end of it, I go into the bathroom and dial his number.
It rings once. Twice. Come on, Geisha. You can’t just ask me to steal research to help Shig and then flake out on me.
“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Aren’t you supposed to be at work, Hound?” Genji asks.
“I am at work. Aren’t you supposed to be getting some info for me?”
“I am, but it’s taking longer than expected. The security in the lab is a bit more complex than I thought. Cracking the chi-guard won’t give you access to the room you need to be in. My IT friend is having issues trying to bypass the request for authorization. He was close the other day, but it seems like the security did a whole reboot and he’s back at square one.”
“Huh. Was he the one trying to get into the simulator then?”
“Get into the simulator? No, why would we waste our time with that?”
“Just saying, we were told yesterday and the today that the simulator is closed because of some security holes,” I say, pacing across the mint bathroom rug. “If it’s not you, don’t worry about it, but if that was, then be careful. That’s probably why they did the reboot.”
“I see. But either way, we should have it done soon. And you ought to have your authorization key.”
“Good.” I hold my arm at the elbow. “I want to get this over with.”
“I’m afraid I can’t provide you with a weapon, so I hope that you’ve got one handy to use, Hound.”
“I have to pick it up. PoleControl has been nagging me to return it.” Looks like I’ve got no choice to go to Ise Shrine now. “Are your employers giving me a deadline for this?”
“They haven’t said much since I give you their proposition. One of them did express interest in seeing you in person.”
My nails dig into my skin. So he can kill me too? “Can’t imagine why.”
“I don’t know how much they know about you. I’ve only mentioned you to them as being one of my colleagues, but I wouldn't put it past them to have tried some kind of discreet investigation on you. As for the deadline itself, I’d imagine that you’d only hear about it once we crack this authorization issue. They know the problems that we’re facing.”
“Hmm. If that’s the case then—”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Jun, you still in there?”
Damn. It’s Tempest. “Hold on.”
“Very well,” the Geisha says.
I open the bathroom door. “Yes?”
“Heaven’s assistant came down here,” Tempest says. “He said something about cancelling a session and that you’d know what it means.”
Must be our magic session. Good that means that I can drive straight to Ise from here. I should still be able to make it home by eight. “Alright. I think I know what she means.”
Tempest points over her shoulder. “Also I’m going to head out, so close the girl’s room when you’re done.”
"Have a nice night then, Tempest," I say.
Once she leaves, I put the phone to my ear again. "I'm going to leave work in a minute, so I'll talk to you later."
"If I don't call you again, good ni
ght."
I hang up and leave the bathroom. Ken is still lounging around in the Review Room. He waves at me. "Hey Jun, you got a minute?"
I sit down on the couch next to him. "Sure, what's up?"
“How your tattoo is doing?" He asks. "And also, how do you feel with it? It's not irritating you or peeling, is it?"
"No, I feel fine with it. It was hurting the first few sessions, but the pain hasn’t bothered me.” I say.
Ken nods. "Yeah, that's probably your Akuma genes absorbing alot of the usual pain and irritation." Then he sits up and glances behind the couch. "I think Blunts is still around, if you don't want anyone else to see it."
"Want anyone else to see what?" Blunts asks, walking into the Review Room from the back.
"I'm in the middle of getting a tattoo," I say. "It's on my back."
Blunts’s eyes widen. "A tattoo? How in the world do you have one of those? I thought that there's no tattoo parlors out here."
"There aren't," Ken says. "You gotta find an artist and go to them personally. I can do them. And I know a few buddies who can too."
"Well, I've wishing for a crow on my back for a while now, but I haven't seen anywhere to get a tattoo," Blunts says. "How much do you charge?"
"Eh…" Ken glances at me briefly. "We'll have to talk about that. Price depends on a lot of different stuff, like style, how much skin that you want me to cover, if you want color or not, and the number of sessions.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” Blunts says. “I need to get home.”
Once Blunts is out of earshot, Ken turns back to me. “Is it okay if I check the tattoo? I want to see how much work I have left.”
“Sure.” I shift over so Ken can pull up my sweat shirt.
Ken’s finger pokes my back. “Hmm. There’s actually not as much left as I thought there would be.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“If you want, I could leave the tattoo as is with no color,” Ken lowers my shirt back down. “But color takes a long time to put in.”
“That’s too much for me,” I say, sitting up. “Especially with my fiancé getting on my case lately.”
Ken frowns. “About a tattoo?”
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