LOVING MACHINE ‣ d. osamu

O2.

   "HOW'D YOU KNOW?" HE said with a hint of surprise. it was fairly obvious, his accent didn't indicate native japanese.

   "for starters, you're wearing an ushanka, and a white one at that, while in the slums. that gets easily dirty. no japanese citizen would... well, probably wouldn't make that choice. secondly, your eye color isn't really common around here. the only other pair of rare eyes i've seen are magenta, but that's not what your eye colors are. also, you're wearing that circular necklace with words engraved on it. that's from russia, isn't it?"

   the boy paused at her obscene observation. "you have potential."

   "that's funny to hear," she said, turning to see if the coast was clear. considering i ran away from my organization.

no sight of a brunette. "what's your name?"

the russian boy hesitated. "names can be dangerous."

   "do i look like i can harm you?" the girl replied, gazing at him suspiciously.

"looks can be deceiving."

   "i don't even have a—well, an ability." she sighed with frustration at the shame. potential? her? yeah, right. for a detective, maybe, and that was it.

   there are no detective organizations. the police station just won't do, she thought, shaking her head. "i'll go first, then. [nickname]."

   naturally, she wasn't going to tell him her actual name. 'looks can be deceiving,' he had said. the boy could be deceiving as well.

   he paused. "fedya." she looks scary, he thought. she might try to get information off me.

the boy's name was fyodor dostoevsky.

   "i have to go," she whispered urgently. before he could call her to return, she rushed out of the alley and down the hill toward a deep forest at a nature center. the scent of foresty wood and pinecone enwrapped her surroundings, and [name] found herself slowly becoming relaxed, her heartbeat slowing to its normal pace.

   "...wow," she marveled. a few cardinals chirped here and there, and she stopped when she reached a pond with deep turquoise water, surrounded by stones and the occasional water lilies here and there. a few frogs lept across lily pads and crashed into a lotus, which drew her amusement. her attention diverted toward a strange [hair shade] rose with deep brown accents. "what a gorgeous rose." with curiosity, she picked it up and tucked it in her hair.

this place is beautiful.

   her stomach rumbled a little. she had not eaten or drank anything since the iced tea from a few hours earlier. dipping the rose into the water, it started to swirl wildly. she gasped.

   a roaring wave of water rushed toward the surface and exploded towards the sky like a floating waterfall, except that there was a strange creature with nine tails floating above the water in relaxation. [name] shrieked and nearly fell over when she glanced at its face.

"miss me?" said the alluring voice of dazai osamu.

except... that it wasn't dazai osamu.

"you're not dazai, are you?" she noticed, tilting her head in wonder.

   "you got me," said the kitsune, nearly falling over in the water. she worked to suppress a giggle. "i can impersonate humans. that's how strong i am!" he barely looked over his shoulder. "you chose this place to hide? you know this place was abandoned years ago, right?"

"it was?"

   "yup. it was raised as a zoo for mythical creatures before some dude with a strange ambition arrived and struck all of us down. probably an exorcist or something! anyway, he had this glowing, blue aura around him. this forest was made with blood and tears of the dead kitsunes," said the dazai-imitator.

"...kitsune blood and tears have magical properties, then?"

   "now, you're a smart one!" he exclaimed, sitting up. "yup, yup. they can be used for many properties, though i can't really tell you. too risky."

   "it's not like i'm going to spread secrets around. that won't help me," [name] shrugged. the handsome kitsune considered the thought for a few seconds.

   "still can't tell you," he replied sassily. she nodded and sat down on a stray rock underneath an oak tree. "if you want information, we'll have to do a 50/50 exchange. you know, like what you mortals call a contract. did i get that term right?"

"yeah," she replied, a little irritable. "what if someone cheats?"

   "they die," he shrugged. "you can't break the deal of a kitsune seal. you sign the contract with a mixture of my blood and yours."

"i see," said [name], trembling a little. can't die now, can i? after all, i ran away and everything just for sanctuary... "if someone is searching for you, would you be safe in this city?"

   the kitsune paused, as the floating waterfall excelled in height and huge water splashes wet her face and hair a little. "have you been nearly sighted by them, at least once?"

"yes," she said, anticipating her answer.

    "nope! this city isn't safe at all, then," said the kitsune in a menacing tone. "you're bound to be seen."

    "r-really?!" the girl yelled, becoming so startled she stood up. "anywhere in this city?"

"that's right."

   "...so you could kill me at the drop of a hat," she said cautiously, backing away slowly. the mythical creature, still in the form of dazai, cast her a smug look lightly and started inching towards her.

   "you know, you're really... too observant. it could be a hassle." it raised a sharp nail and held it before her face. she gasped and jumped off the rock, making a run for it.

   this place isn't safe. nowhere is safe in this city. i need plan b, she thought with determination, fighting to keep her cool as she stumbled through little pebbles on her way out. surprisingly enough, the kitsune didn't follow her. as he watched her run through the forest, a look of disappointment was cast upon his face.

"a shame she left me," he whispered, glaring. "i was starting to grow fond of her."

i'll find her.

why didn't i chase that girl?

   there are going to be two people tracking me now, dazai and his kitsune double stunt. those thoughts ran through her mind in a rushed state, as she headed for the yokohama train station.

i'm... out of... breath. she stopped at last and tried to breathe slowly, her heart racing like crazy. crazy was what dazai was. insane was what that kitsune was. sliding her card for a ticket, the [hair color]-nette scanned the boards for the time to kawasaki city.

   eight thirty, it said. she checked the huge clock on the wall, and it was around seven fifty-five. this will take a while, she thought, sitting down on a bench to rest her legs. she'd been outside all day, on the run from insane people, and it was wearing her out. mindlessly kicking her feet, she bit into a soft chocolate pastry while doodling on her phone.

   "the train to kawasaki will be arriving now," the speakers announced, and she jumped up and slipped her phone back into her pack. now that i think about it, what do my parents think? my dad may have understood, but... what about everyone else?

   getting on the train, she took a seat and watched the scenery blur into a rush of new city lights and trees. the feeling was unsettling her, like the skeleton had separated from her muscles and slid out to creep through the nerves of anxiety.

   i'm officially out of yokohama city itself, she realized.