Slim: Book 6

Crash and Room

Being the orphan that I was, I didn't have any family camping trips or could afford school outings to give me an excuse to visit the woods. Naru, being the workaholic that he was, organizing a work camping trip would have been like expecting John to organize a sorority frat party. All our cases had to do with homes or other buildings, so no mother nature there. The closest we got to anywhere 'wild' was on visits to particular shrines during investigations. With Naru out of the picture, there was Yasu, who was busy with school, Ayako and Takigawa had been particularly offline since they had hitched up about the same time Naru and I had, and Masako and Lin...yeah.

Which was why I rolled down the window and stuck my head out like a happy dog the moment the city vanished and trees swallowed us whole. My veil was safe inside, but my perfectly curled hair went ballistic. An hour of careful preening gone within seconds.

"This smells amazing!" I crowed.

Naru tugged me back down by the big white bow on my rump. "You're going to get your head swiped off."

I pouted at him. "No I won't. They just tell kids that so they won't do it."

"Gee, I wonder why."

So I compromised and stuck out my hand instead and had fun experimenting with the slip stream of air by sticking my fingers out flat like a duck bill or spread out like a parachute. Occasionally I'd make airplane noises and quiet 'ahhhs!' as though little people were being blown out my nails just so I could see Naru's cheek bunch up with a smile.

My fun came to an end when the autumn evening air started making my fingers go numb. Naru flicked on the heater as soon as I had the window up as well as some classical music I remembered him playing on occasion in the office. I didn't mind. I liked it. He had good taste. Though I was basically cool with any music as long as it wasn't American Country gone Christmas.

I always liked the smoothing effect night had on road trips. Colors dulled and angles softened till it was just the glow of the car console and the oncoming stars of other cars and streetlights. I slipped off my shoes and propped them up on the dashboard as I enjoyed my own contentment. Occasionally I'd strike up an idle conversation with Naru, but mostly I kept my eye on the signs. We had picked out an out of the way, small hot spring hotel for our honeymoon. On normal occasions we wouldn't be able to afford it, as one of its selling points was having limited number of rooms. But, yay, Naru's parents were loaded.

I also couldn't remember the last time I'd been to a hot spring.

When our trip finally started to take us onto side roads and the starlight of cars all but vanished, I put my feet down and hopped in place with little poofs of skirt. Some of it went flying onto Naru's lap.

"Calm down," he said, though he didn't sound that committed to his command.

"But I'm so excited!"

"What for? It's just a hot spring. And it can't be your excited for—"

Something flashed up in the headlights, tall, tall—a man, hunched and long.

Naru swerved. The tires squealed. I clung to the seat belt. Trees flash and spun and the force shoved me into the back of my seat—

And then it all stopped. Dirt clouded up the view in the headlights and Naru's fingers had gone impossibly white on the steering wheel.

"Mai? You alright?"

"Are they okay?"

"Mai—"

"Of course I'm fine—damn it, where are my shoes? Oooh, please, please let us not have killed someone!"