Sukeban (Discontinued)

Chapter 61

Haruna laid still on the couch, one arm dangling off the side of the soft material while the other tightly gripped the cellphone laid against her stomach. A small sigh left her lips, her eyes trained up at the blank ceiling she stared at. The brunette knew that calling the number she knew by heart would be in vain but she had tried anyway. Perhaps the teenager had only been looking for some sort of solace yet she had only caused herself more strife in the end when she heard nothing but a dead tone on the other end of the line.

Why had she even bothered? Haruna knew the phone had been shut off. Madoka had made it perfectly clear to the teenager that the service would be shut off for "misplacing" it. There was part of Haruna that had merely wanted to attempt it though. She couldn't deny to herself that she felt a hint of desperation. She had only wanted to know how Rina was doing but there was no other way for Haruna to see Rina besides the phone she had left in the younger girl's possession... Everything was useless now though. The only means of communication had been taken from her and Haruna was left in the dark again.

The brunette's thoughts were quickly interrupted when she heard the sound of the front door creaking open in the silent house. Her body nearly bolted forward, a small growl leaving her lips. Haruna had absolutely no way of knowing if that was Mami returning home or Mami's mother. The blonde had reassured Haruna that her mother would probably not be returning home for the evening... But "probably not" was certainly not a solid response. If it was Mami's mother, Haruna didn't exactly have an idea on how to her explain her way out of this one.

"I hope you didn't cause any trouble around the house while I was gone."

Haruna could hear the familiar voice speak in a soft tone, giving her some type of relief. She knew it was the blonde from the sound of the voice and she could be thankful it would be one less problem to deal with. The brunette sighed softly, shaking her head lightly as she watched Mami make her way into the room. Mami brushed a few strands of light locks out of her face, refusing to make eye contact with Haruna as she took a seat in the chair nearby the couch where Haruna had previously been laying.

"I'm already beginning to feel like I should be the one saying that, Mami," Haruna responded in a quick tone. After all the years that Haruna had known the blonde, she had learned most of Mami's quirks. It had become quickly clear to Haruna that something had occurred between Tomomi and Mami.... And it was enough to leave the blonde thinking heavily at any rate.

"I'm sure you think you're being so clever right now," Mami snapped back in a harsh tone. Even after the bite, Mami continued to refuse to look at the brunette. Haruna had taken note of the way Mami attempted to look everywhere but at the leader who sat only to the side of her. It had peaked the boss' interest and she wasn't prepared to let Mami just waltz out of this one.

"Actually yes, I do feel like I'm being quite clever," Haruna responded in a sharp and sarcastic tone. The blonde in front of her faked a laugh before rolling her eyes and scoffing softly at the leader's display of sarcasm. Haruna chuckled lowly and shook her head. Clearly, Mami was going to insist on being difficult about this. "Are you planning on letting me know what happened?"

"What are you even talking about?" Mami barked in the same tone she had previously used. Haruna's eyes narrowed into a small glare as a warning for the blonde to watch her tone but kept her composure, refusing to show anger with the blonde. Mami was going to give her a challenge but it was a challenge that Haruna would gladly accept.

"You're an open book to me, Mami. Something happened with Tomomi and you will tell me what happened." Haruna's tone carried an authoritative force as she spoke, giving a clear and concise warning to the blonde in front of her. Even if Haruna would play Mami's game, she wasn't interested in beating around the bush or being lied to. She had enough of it. Right now, it was the last thing that the brunette even wanted to consider handling more of.