Roommate Wanted. No Betrayers.

Chapter 16

Kronii had lost sight of Fauna almost immediately. Caught off guard, she lagged behind her, only just able to catch a glimpse of her leaving through the front door. With no sign of her once she was out onto the street, not even an inclination as to the direction she had taken. She pulled her phone out and called Fauna, only to hear the girl's phone ringing from inside the house.

Standing in that most auspicious of doorways, Kronii's heart felt like a rock in her chest.

The Torii gate beckoned to Fauna, and with no other landmarks by which to traverse, she was all too willing to walk its cracked stone path, overgrown with all manner of weeds and roots. If anything it was a nice break for her from the bustle of the streets and rows of cookie cutter suburban houses.

The path curved and ascended, which, along with the overgrowth, perfectly hid its final destination: a shrine, just as overgrown, old and abandoned as the path. Well, it would have seemed that way, were it not for the presence of the girl kneeling down in it's centre weeding the main path.

Before Fauna could call out to the girl, she turned to look at her, a smile across her lips. "Hey Fauna."

Fauna blinked. She didn't immediately recognise the girl who stood before her, who seemed to almost sparkle in the afternoon sun. "Um, I'm sorry I don't think we've met."

A brief flash of sadness crossed the enigmatic stranger's face. "Right, yeah. I guess you wouldn't remember either." The girl laughed, her sadness immediately dispelled and replaced with her prior serene smile. "Sorry, it's nice to properly meet you. I'm Irys."

A call from Kronii was a rare thing indeed, even for Mumei. Her girlfriend had regularly espoused the merits of text, email and IM as the proper ways to get into contact with people in most cases. The one exception she allowed for was emergencies.

So it was with trepidation that Mumei picked up her phone.

"Hey, Kronii, everything okay?" She asked.

"Mumei." Kronii's voice was weak and breathy. "Fauna's gone."

"Huh? She's gone?"

"She ran out of the house and I don't know where she's gone and I don't know if she's coming back and oh god, I really fucked up I think Mumei." Kronii said at a lightning speed, her anxiety palpable in her voice.

"Hey, hey. Take some deep breaths." Mumei instructed. "Count them in and out. I'm on my way back."

"Okay."

"Bae." Mumei called out. "I need to get home now, can I get a ride?"

"Important?" Bae asked.

Mumei nodded, grabbing her bag.

"Gotcha." Bae nodded, grabbing the two nearest metal objects and bashing them together. "OI! GET OUT YOU LOT, WE'RE CLOSED."

One of the customers approached the counter. "Uh, I just got this coffee to stay in."

"Then take it out."

"It's in one of your cups."

"Fine, well then I guess it's your cup now, Goz." Bae shrugged. "Consider it a gift for all your loyal custom."

"Oh, thanks Bae."

"NOW, GET OUT!"

With the regulars evacuated, Bae flipped the sign on the door from open to closed and the two girls hurried to Bae's car.

"How are you feeling Kronii?" Mumei asked, taking herself off mute and buckling her seatbelt with one hand.

"Less like my heart is going to smash it's way out of my ribs."