Deep

Chapter 46 Hitomi's support.

Alone with nothing to do, I eventually drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to the sensation of someone touching my face. I knew the owner of those fingers.

'Hitomi.' I breathe and open my eyes. 

'Hi,' she said and kissed me on the lips. It was one of Hitomi's butterfly kisses, soft, light yet urgent at the same time. Sadly, they are also brief kisses. She reached around and touched behind my left ear where the implant was. This brought her close, and she enveloped me in her cucumber lilac smell.

'Baby, what did you do to yourself?' Her eyes filled with concern and sadness.

'I did something I thought was clever and nearly lobotomized myself.' She gave me a long look and then bit me on the shoulder, hard.

'Ouch. What was that for?'

'That's for being stupid.' Her eyes filled with angered concern.

Oh, no. Her inner fox demon is loose. Her eyes flared, and she bit me again.

'That's for calling me a fox demon.'

'Biting people is not normal adult behaviour.'

'You knew I wasn't normal since we first met.'

'You got that right,' I said, grinning. She dove on me, buried her face in my chest and held on tight. 

'It's not your time yet.' Her face still planted in my chest. Her long hair covered my torso like a silken sheet.

'How do you know maybe it is my time to go?'

'No,' she said, her voice adamant.

'How do you know that?' 

'I just know,' she said, and lifted her head to look at me. 'Your story isn't finished yet. There is still much for you to do.'

I know those eyes. It was the eyes Hitomi gets when she has made her mind up. There is no arguing with her when she is in this mood. However, I like to argue with her in particular. A force of habit.

'I'm nobody special.' She bit me again. 

'I am not allowing you to go down that road.' she hissed. Her eyes blazed with the certainty of her conviction. 

'Ouch,' I moaned. She tucked her long hair behind her right ear. 'You,' poke. 'Are,' poke. 'A gifted person. Focused, you have no equal. When you crap up, it's the same.'

'Ow, ow, I get it. I get it. Stop with the poking. You made your point!' 

'They need you right now. And they can't afford you crapping up.' Her voice softened.

'But...', I started. Hitomi wagged a warning finger at me. 

'Don't,' she said and gave me a long warning stare. Then her eyes went moist. 

'Baby, I know you're hurting. I know that the mistake you made has you in an uncontrolled tumble. You don't have time for this. Drew, you are the only person who can get them through this. I know it.'

She touched her forehead to mine. 'I've always believed in you. Always.' Then she kissed me. It was one of her deep kisses that always leads to something else. This time was no different, and we made love in this fever dream of mine. It was over too soon, and we lay there panting, covered in sweat, in a cloud of our musk.

'I have to go soon,' she said. 'I want you to do me two favours. First, don't give up no matter what. Second, make peace with the thing in your head.'

'What thing in my head? Do you mean Bob?' She raised her head up and looked at me. 'You gave it a name?'

'I did, a few days ago. Wait. You knew?' 

'Of course I did. Psychic, remember?' She gave me a "doh face". I narrowed my eyes. 

'Actually, Hitomi dear. I wasn't aware of the psychic ability until recently'

'Oh, yeah.' She had the look of someone caught out. 

'Yeah, when was I going to find out about that exactly?' 

'Well, it never came up.' 

I levelled my eyes at her. 'Really, that's your excuse?'

She smiled at me like a cat that ate the canary. She always did that when she got caught. Kinda cute, actually.

'Yes, that is my story, and I'm sticking to it.' She gave me the biggest, broadest Hitomi smile.

Her smiles are my kryptonite, so there is no winning this one. 

'It looks like you've got company,' she said. 

'I do?' 

'Yeah, tell her I said hi.' 

I started to speak, but she touched her finger to my lips. 'Baby, I've got to go now, and I don't know when I will be able to come back.' She kissed me one last time, stood and pulled on the simple white shift that she had arrived in. She turned, her eyes full of tears. 'Bye, baby.' and I woke up. 

Just like she said, Seki was there.

'Hitomi said Hi.'