Post Case 8- Weekend
Friday, Day 5, After Case, 8:13 P.M.
"So you basically kidnapped an elderly woman to solve your investigation?" Genji asked as the group wandered around the festival. Christmas lights and tents decorated the park as vendors sold their goods and music played from small bands on every corner.
"Funny, that's exactly how she described it when we got to the greenhouse," Mai answered with a smirk. She had dropped off her bag in Genji's car and was glad to not have the extra weight weighing her down. "But hey, she needed closure and so did Masaru, so everything worked out."
"That still doesn't make what you did any better," Keiko argued, giving the girl a wink.
Mai rolled her eyes. "You guys are incorrigible, you know that?"
"Hey, Mai used a big word!" Michiru cheered, snacking on dango. "You get a gold star, girlie!"
"Well, don't look now, actually do, because there goes Kuroda with her boyfriend that you keep insisting is Yasuhara," Mai said, pointing to the pastry tent where said girl and boyfriend were purchasing the same dumplings Michiru was eating.
"I told you guys we didn't know the whole story," Taiki laughed with relief. "And Mai might be right, you could use glasses if you really thought that was Yasuhara."
"That's not who I saw with her," Michiru replied adamantly. "Right, Kei?"
"Yeah, that's not who we saw with her a few nights ago." The girl furrowed her brow. "You don't think she cheating on this guy, do you?"
"Wait, there's Yasuhara!" Michiru pointed further down the walkway. "And that girl is definitely not the same girl he brought to the party."
Mai looked down the way and saw what was definitely her coworker. He was holding the hand of a girl with glasses very similar to their classmate. She squinted to see better. The lighting made it hard to really see color of the girl's hair, and she didn't appear to be quite as tall as Kuroda, but that was also hard to tell without the two standing next to each other. The girl turned a little more toward Mai, but was too far to notice she was being watched.
"That is Kiko!" she exclaimed giving a jump of excitement.
"What? Kiko doesn't wear glasses," Michiru argued furrowing her brow.
"She normally wears contacts. But she wore her glasses on our last case," Mai said grinning ear to ear.
"Well, why don't we go say 'hi' to them?" Taiki offered, earning looks from two of the girls. "Make up for your screw up earlier."
Keiko jabbed him with her elbow. "Make us feel even more awkward you mean."
Mai continued to watch the couple from afar as the boy leaned down to give the girl a peck on the lips. She couldn't keep her smile off of her face as she took one of her friends' hand and led them in the opposite direction of the couple. "Trust me, I think we should let them have their moment in peace," she said sniffing the air. "I'm starving and I think I smell okonomiyaki!"
I'm glad that you two are finally happy together, you deserve it!
***
Hara Masako wasn't quite as high maintenance as the priestess of their group. At least she didn't make complaints when their investigations went outdoors and she would end up with stains on her kimono. That didn't mean she didn't like to pamper herself after a case.
Which is why instead of continuing her studies that she missed out on thanks to Naru's case, the young medium settled herself inside a tub full of hot water and bubbles. She decided to use the bathbomb Ayako had given her as a Christmas present which gave the water a lavender hue. A CD player was sitting on the sink counter, transporting the Japanese bathroom to a mystical lake in Russia. Masako could practically see swans swimming around her.
What's the one thing you've always wanted to do but couldn't because of your show's schedule?
Most of her bobbed black hair was tied in a bun, the layer of hair that was too short to be tied up grazed the water as the medium sunk a little further. The monk and priest's words from the day before floated through her mind as she leaned her head against the wall behind her.
What did you want to do when you were little? You couldn't have always wanted to be a medium.
"I can't exactly become a princess in my time off," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. She bobbed her head and hummed along to the melody of the ballet. "What can I do instead?"
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the teenager, just a few rooms over her mother sat at a desk typing away on her laptop. She certainly didn't look as put together as she normally did. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun with a pen sticking out of it, an oversized pink t-shirt along with a pair of yoga pants replaced her usual pantsuit, and to complete the look were the smudged wire framed glasses slowly sliding down her nose.
She reached behind her head for the pen that was stored in her hair and made several hasty scribbles in the notebook next to her computer. "Well, what do you know?" she thought aloud, tapping the blunt end of her pen against her chin. "Kazuya Shibuya as my daughter knows him, doesn't exist."
She used her pen to push up her glasses. "Just who are you, Mr.Shibuya? What are you hiding?"
***
Saturday April, 1:56 P.M.
It was a quiet day at SPR's office on this particular Saturday. Not that weekends were ever particularly busy, but ever since the theater gave the credit to their success to the ghost hunters, many people had been coming to the branch to report their own phenomena. Now that the play had been finished for a while now, the claims were less frequent.
Finally, no more crazy cat ladies, Mai thought with relief as she set the kettle on the stove. She opened the cabinet in search of mugs when she came across two that she hadn't seen used in a long time.
With very careful hands, she pulled out the pink mug and gingerly turned it to look at it. It was very childish, a present from that previous Christmas after she managed to break a few of their clay mugs. Its plastic makeup made it rather durable, yet she held it as though it might shatter anyway. A smile graced her lips before she sat it down on the counter and looked up to find the mug she had given to her employer that same Christmas. It was also a little childish but more in a novelty way with its not-so-menacing ghost next to his name.
Onto the counter it went as the high schooler busied herself with finding the teapot and the tealeaves to go in it. It's about time we used those mugs again, a new start, she told herself as the kettle whistled and she pulled it quickly off of the stove.
After dropping off Naru's mug on his desk she returned to her own to finish her own paperwork. Absently she glanced down at her wrist. I haven't worn that bracelet that Madoka got me in a very long time. Where did I put it? She wondered as she looked through the drawers of her desk.
***
Now that Yasuhara had his car back from the shop, he had to admit that Mai's warning had made him more than a little jumpy. Even when he didn't have the car, the sight of a white sedan always seemed to make him do a double take. Of course he didn't tell Mai, that would only worry her, nor did he tell Kiko, about any of it. He didn't see a need to.
Mai wasn't known to have precognitive visions, there was a chance that this one was just in reference to the case she was just on or one in the future. He remembered the case the previous summer where she had a vision of the past in which their team all played parts in. However, Yasuhara wasn't going to test fate so he just kept his guard up.
He didn't realize just how many white sedans were zooming around in Tokyo. A lot if you can imagine. "Hey, you seem a little lost," the voice broke him from his reverie. He looked down to the bright blue eyes of a brunette.
"Only in my own head," he answered with a sheepish shrug. His hand found hers as they walked down the semi busy street in Harajuku. "Thanks for meeting me, I hope you don't mind walking."
"No worries," Kiko smiled, giving his hand a squeeze. "I was actually meeting a friend nearby so it worked out perfectly. So where did you want to go?"
"It's not far, are you up for coffee?" he asked as they came to the shopping sector of the neighborhood.
"Planning to get me riled up at three in the afternoon? It's not like we have a ghost to bust or finals to cram for," she teased, raising a brow.
"Then I'll have coffee and you can have tea," Yasuhara replied as their destination came into view. "How do you feel about hedgehogs?"
It was then that Kiko noticed the Hedgehog Café that had opened up recently. The sign even had a cute chibi hedgehog with a cup of coffee. She pursed her lips and shook her head trying and failing to hide her smirk. "You know I can't resist." And her face broke into a grin.
***
"Okay, I think I fixed it, can you hear me now, John?"
The priest adjusted his laptop's screen to try to stop the glare. "Now, I can, Clara. It's good to see you!" the blond replied in English. The woman on the screen waved and grinned.
"I don't know if this really counts as seeing each other," Clara said with a shake of her head. "Are you ever gonna come home for a visit?"
"I will, I promise, in the meantime you could always come and visit Tokyo," John returned, taking a sip of his tea.
"You're kidding right? I might be the same age you were when you left but there's no way Mom and Dad would ever let me go." She rolled her deep blue eyes. "Besides, they are still mad at me for my hair."
The priest raised a brow. "Why?" he asked, studying his younger sister's milk chocolate hair. "It looks fine to me."
"Exactly what every young woman wants to hear." She squinted her eyes and put her hands on her hips. Then she grinned and turned around. "But you didn't get a chance to see what Gail, my hairdresser, did." She lifted her hair to reveal shades of blue, purple, and magenta hidden at the bottom layer of her locks. "You should've seen Mom's face when I came home and put my hair in a ponytail. I thought she might shave my head in my sleep!"
John chuckled at that, he could imagine the absolute fit their mother would have at the dye job. "I don't think she would stop to that level, considering she never let you get that pixie haircut you wanted so bad in high school," he said, causing his sister to grin.
"Don't even get me start on that, once I officially move out I'm getting it done. Maybe I'll dye my whole head green." She leaned in closer to the screen, resting her forearms on the table in front of her. "But seriously, if I could fly up there I totally would. This college thing is kicking my ass-oops! Sorry."
"Haha, you're fine, trust me I've heard much worse." His head perked up at the sound of the kitchen door. "Yukiyo-san!" he greeted switching to Japanese. "My sister Clara is here!"
"Herro Kurera-chan!" the sweet cook called with a wave as she came into view of the laptop.
"Clara, this is our cook Yukiyo."
"Konnichi wa Yukiyo-san!" the young woman called through the screen.
"Judging by her accent I can definitely say that your Japanese has vastly improved, but she is just as adorable as you are," Yukiyo said to the priest who grinned. "Tell her I hope she comes to visit."
"I will," he answered with a laugh.
"That is another reason why I can't come and visit you, I have no clue what she just said," Clara said sheepishly. The cook on the other hand got to work as though they were not in the room. The girl scrunched her face and scratched her head. "I hope my accent didn't offend her."
John laughed. "No, no, she was just saying that my accent had improved, but that you were cute," he answered. "She also hopes you come to visit."
"Well, now I have to come up there!"
"What about school? You said that was taking a lot out of you."
"Calm down, I'm not dropping out. I'm just the idiot who thought 'hey why not add another class load? The last couple semesters were a piece of cake, you can handle it!' It's my own fault, really."
"Well, I'm sure you can do it, how is everyone else doing?"
"Mom and Dad are the same as always, Andrew's thinking about asking Willow to marry him, Noah's construction company's really taking off, he has the means for like twenty more employees and of adding a landscaping service. Evie and Josh are going to start up their own bakery, so they've been super busy with that lately. Other than that, nothing's really changed. Now come on, tell me about your exorcisms! You haven't told me about them in a while."
"Really, it's not as exciting as you think." The young man held up his arms trying to wave the notion away.
"Are you kidding? What you do is amazing! You're practically a superhero!"
John shook his head and smiled. "Have you ever heard of haunted tomatoes?"
***
The band had finished playing and Ayako had to admit even with a brand new singer and only a couple days of rehearsal with her, they were good. Really good. Especially Houshou, she knew he couldn't sing to save his life but he could definitely play. And when backing up the lead singer he wasn't too bad. She was glad she came, sure she was alone at the bar since Chikako got stuck with a last minute shift and Mai and Masako weren't old enough to get in and John had plans and there was no way she would be able to get Lin to come with her, but she didn't mind it.
She needed some alone time and she needed to support a friend. After all, that's what they were, right? Friends? They had several chances in the past to change that especially with a recent case. Yet the line had been drawn and there was no crossing it. No way in Hell.
"Glad you could make it, Old Hag." It was a familiar voice, one that calmed her yet kept her on edge at the same time. How did she manage to fall for this idiot?
"I figured it was time I witnessed what you call music, Dirty Old Monk," she replied, ordering two shots from the bartender. She handed one to him. "On me, you guys weren't half bad."
Monk clinked his shot glass with hers before they both downed it. "Wow, an actual compliment. You've definitely had a few."
"My 'few' is equivalent to your 'one,'" Ayako teased with a smirk.
"Yes, yes, I already know you can drink me under the table." He rolled his eyes in defeat before looking back behind him to where the rest of his band was cleaning up their gear. "The rest of us are gonna have a few drinks, probably hit up a couple other bars too, why don't you come with?"
Ayako glanced behind the man in front of her to see his cousin grab her things. Hard to believe she had thought Monk was in a relationship with her. It was ridiculous and just a result of the added stress she had recently with her mother. Still, there was no point in her ruining a family reunion. "No thanks, I've got a shift in the morning and I don't want to intrude on your band bonding session."
"Norio, the manager got us a table over in the corner," Kimiko, Monk's cousin, said flashing a smile at the priestess. "You can come too."
"Actually, I-"
"We're gonna hang out for a bit," Monk replied before the priestess could finish. "You guys have fun without me."
"Suit yourself, just don't forget about rehearsal tomorrow." The woman gave a wave of her hand as she walked back to the rest of the band.
Ayako gave the monk a peculiar glance as he returned it with a nod of his head to the door. "Come on, there's another bar not far from here. You look like you could use a change of scenery."
He wore a cheeky grin as the priestess studied him. She was tempted to accept his offer, but after her excitement this week between the case and personal matters, her bed and fuzzy pajamas were just as tempting. Her mind was still deciding, but her lips managed to give her answer before she even registered it. "Sure, where do you have in mind?"
"Pay your tab and I'll show you," he replied as he hailed the bartender. "I just have to let the others know I'm leaving."
Ayako looked at the check the bartender handed her and looked at the man in confusion. "This is-"
"You're with the band, you get half off." He walked away leaving her with the bill that was very unexpected. She signed anyway as Monk came back.
"You ready?" He smiled and jabbed his thumb toward the door behind him. "You wouldn't happen to be horrible at darts, would you?"
Ayako smirked and hoisted her purse onto her shoulder. "A few more drinks in me and maybe you'll have a chance."
***
Turns out, Monk was very good at darts. Ayako had to actually try to beat him, which was a tad difficult after a few more drinks, but nevertheless she did win. Though she half suspected that he let her, but they will just have to rematch later.
As the night wore on, the priestess found herself being escorted home by this rather enjoyable monk. Now, keep in mind, the two of them have gone out drinking before, even double dated once (though they don't like to speak of it especially after learning how Ayako's ex cheated on her), but never did Houshou walk her to her apartment. They'd walk together to a point, sure, but would turn their separate ways. This time, however, Ayako found herself looking up at her apartment building, not quite wanting their conversation to end.
The conversation ended, but with the two of them softly singing the lyrics of one of the band's cover songs from that night (of course having difficulty keeping their voices down). And Ayako couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, she should have kissed him on their last case. Maybe everyone's teasing about them bickering like a married couple had some truth in it. Maybe they should give it a shot-
And just like that, they were at her door and she was in the middle of unlocking the deadbolt. She opened the door and almost took a step in before turning and praying she had worked up enough nerve. "Thank you, Houshou, I had a lot of fun. You, surprisingly, know how to show someone a good time," she said with a smirk, before subtly biting her cheek. Her nerve was lost.
"And your company isn't as horrible as I imagined either," he teased back with a smirk of his own. But as she took a step into her apartment she saw his face sober up. "Hey, Ayako, I've been thinking...about the resort case..."
That the whole thing was a mistake? That you should have bailed before we even set up the equipment? That you lied when you were comforting me? Her mind rambled, as it was just her luck. Right when she was having fun and thought she found something good, she finds out the whole thing was nothing more than a sham. "Hey, you don't have to say anything more, it's in the past-"
"I meant it when I said it." He didn't let her finish. "You are amazing and I'm sorry I never told you before then-"
Perhaps it was the alcohol. Might have been adrenalin to keep her from passing out into an exhausted sleep in her doorway. Could have even been one of her own spirit guides who influenced her, but no matter what triggered it, the damage was done.
However, Monk didn't seem to mind when Ayako grabbed his shirt collar with one hand and wrapped her other arm around his neck, pressing her lips to his. In fact, he may have been a little shocked, but that didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around her and deepening the kiss.
Finally, they came up for air. "You can shut up, you don't have to say a word," she said breathily, earning a grin from the man in her arms.
Their lips met again and together they managed to get inside the apartment and lock the door behind them.
***
Ayako woke up before her alarm went off. She looked at the clock to see she still had another fifteen minutes before she had to get up. Rolling over to her other side brought her face to face with the reality of transpired that night.
Houshou Takigawa actually looked pretty peaceful when he wasn't snoring. Despite knowing he was sound asleep, a content smile could be seen on his lips. The priestess knew she wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep, not now that she realized that the night wasn't a dream, though her headache made her wish it was.
She sat up and headed for her bathroom, turning around a gazing back at the man in her bed. A pang shot through her chest, but not one of regret. No, as she closed the door and turned on her shower she took a deep breath and told herself it wasn't a mistake.
No. We were just too late.
A couple hours later, Monk finally started to wake up. He took in his surroundings, ignoring his own headache. Definitely wasn't his apartment. What had happened last night?
It hit him as the memory of a redheaded woman flashed before him. The hair on his arms raised as his skin recalled the night of drunken passion they had. Fingers ran through his hair as he failed to keep his smile off of his face. "I suppose things are gonna be a bit different now," he said to himself as he got up and pulled on his boxers.
He made his way into the priestess's kitchen. "Not a bad place for Tokyo, pretty spacious all things considering," he called out waiting for a response. "Ayako? Are you here?"
Looking over at the table, he saw a small bottle of Gatorade and some ibuprofen, along with a note.
Sorry to leave you there, had work this morning. Help yourself to anything in the fridge, there's not much I have to go shopping. Be sure to lock up when you leave. Thanks for last night.
Ayako
Letting out a breath, the monk put down the note, popped two pills in his mouth, and gulped them down with the sports drink. "We may have to actually talk about this, whatever this is."
***
"So how was the show? Sorry I missed it, I would have rather been there than dealing with the weirdoes of the night," Chikako asked as she put away the last file she had to work on. She was supposed to have left two hours ago, but unfortunately patients come first, paperwork not so much, but it still had to get done.
"It was better than I thought," the priestess replied, the ghost of a smile painting her face.
"I would say so," her friend said rolling her eyes. "So what's his name?"
An eyebrow rose. "Whose name?"
"The guy who you were just thinking about. The one who made the night better than you thought it would be." Chikako was not about to fall for some lame lie.
The priestess rolled her eyes. "Chikako-"
"Ms Matsuzaki-san? A word?" The two nurses turned their heads to see their supervisor in the doorway.
"She never works Sundays..." Ayako heard her friend mutter.
"Sure, Fukita-sensei." Ayako followed the older woman into her office. She took a seat and crossed her legs. "I take it this is about last week?"
"Minato had nothing but good things to say about you," Fukita began, folding her hands on her desk. "In fact, out of all of the nurses who he interviewed, you were the most qualified and the one that stuck out in his mind."
Ayako bit down on the inside of her cheek. She somehow knew that this would happen. After a night like she had, she knew this was the only way this conversation could go. How did she know this? What does her night out with Monk have to do with the result of an interview? We shall see.
"Because they are our sister hospital, I am the one who will be offering you the position of Nurse Supervisor." A hitched breath. "It will be a pay raise obviously, and you will be required to move to Ashikaga to be near the hospital. Should you accept you will need to start making preparations immediately. Minato has agreed to help you find a place to stay,"
Despite the mixture of emotions that wafted through the young woman's chest, her face remained neutral. Her hands gripped into fists to keep them from shaking. She dare not let go of her breath, more emotion than she would rather allow would escape.
"They also have an excellent cancer treatment program." Ayako was sure her heart stopped at that. It was such an opportunity. How could she pass it up? "Of course, you are more than welcome to stay here and continue the program you are already in and wait for an opening. Given the circumstances, I can't really tell you there is a right or wrong answer."
She let go of the breath she held. Taking another deep one shortly after. Air. She needed air.
"I understand if you need some time to think it over, but I must ask," Fukita began, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Do you have an answer to this proposal?"
Letting out her breath, the priestess nodded. "Yes." She sat up a little straighter and looked much more confident than she felt. "My answer is..."
***
Next time: Post Case 9-Uncertainty- Deeper into the lives of our favorite people, we find that the future is a scary place. Especially since we have no ability to see it coming.