Sukeban (Discontinued)

Chapter 39: Panic

“Tomomi…”

“No, Mami. Am I or am I not? Look at where I am… Look at where we are. I’ve done things I had never done before. I do feel like I’ve entered an entirely new world. If it’s not your world I’ve entered then what is it?” Tomomi ended her sentence abruptly, not wanting to say anything more in case she had already stepped over a line with Mami.

The blonde didn’t react straight away like Tomomi thought she might. Instead, she sat still and silent, simply staring at Tomomi until a small smile began to work itself across her face. She gave a soft chuckle, shaking her head back and forth. Tomomi thought the soft reaction of Mami’s would calm her beating heart but it seemed to only make it worse. Why did Mami laugh? She thought she’d be scared of an angry Mami but she was just as scared of a calm one at the moment.

“You’re a smart girl,” Mami answered finally. Tomomi gulped, her hands flying up to hold themselves against her chest.

“Mami… Do you like me? Or do you….” Tomomi didn’t finish her sentence. She couldn’t finish her sentence, she didn’t want to admit the possibility that Mami might really not feel for her like she did for Mami.

Mami wanted to answer but she found herself unable to. Of course she liked Tomomi, but could she tell Tomomi that? If she told Tomomi that, it would be dragging the brunette even further into this life and this world. A world Tomomi didn’t belong to and didn’t belong in. Mami couldn’t deny that she wanted her in this life though; she couldn’t deny that she wanted Tomomi by her wide.

“Tomomi, I li--” Mami’s sentence was abruptly cut short when she heard the telltale signs of someone coming down the hallway. She knew it had to be Rina and there was no way she was allowing Rina to hear her say this. At least not yet; not until she had things figured out.

The blonde turned around just in time to see Rina stumble back into the living room, a cellphone clutched tightly in her hand and held to her ear. Mami instantly pushed herself off the floor when she noticed the tear stains streaking down Rina’s cheeks. She was crying and she was on the phone; this certainly wasn’t good. It didn’t take Mami long to figure that out.

“Rina, what’s wrong? Who is on the phone?” Mami began her first set of question. Rina sniffled softly and for the first time, Mami could see the way her hand holding the phone shook. The younger brunette in question though didn’t address Mami; she simply turned to face Tomomi instead.

“Tomomi… W-what’s your a-address?” Rina barely managed to get out through her stuttering. Tomomi furrowed her eyebrows together as she slowly pushed herself off the floor. She took a few steps closer to Rina but found herself stopped when Mami stepped in between the two of them, giving Tomomi a look that told the brunette clearly to stay quiet.

“Answer my questions,” Mami asserted to the crying brunette. Rina sniffled softly, taking a step back. She could hear Omar from the other end of the receiver, a concerned tone to his voice as he asked if she was okay and who was speaking in the background.

“She needs to tell me her address so Omar can come get me.”

“Who the hell is Omar?” Mami asked, her tone getting rougher. She didn’t mean to speak so harshly to Rina but she was getting frustrated. It was obvious that something was wrong and Rina was being stubborn about telling Mami what it was.

“Mami, p-please, I don’t have time for this. W-we have to help Haruna…” As soon as the words left Rina’s mouth, Mami’s eyes widened. Her mind was slowly putting together the pieces. After what she had seen at Haruna’s house, Mami expected Rina to be a blubbering mess about it but… That didn’t explain who she was on the phone with.