物語の妖精
Pai was incredibly nervous as she knocked on Aihara's door a few days after her fainting incident.
It was lunch time, and she had left Shiori with Aoi, Natsume, and Shuusei back in the classroom. She wished that she could have remained there with them. She had never been called to any teacher's office before, especially not by a nurse.
She couldn't imagine why Aihara wanted to talk to her now. Pai had started eating properly again – under Shiori's watchful eye, and Obaasan as well. Even Ryu was enlisted to make sure she ate well, and she knew Shin was keeping a close eye on her too. So that couldn't be the reason. Could it?
"Come in," a voice called out.
She steeled her nerves and pushed the door open. She peeked around the edge and saw Aihara sitting at her desk at the end of the room, back to the large window overlooking the city. She was frowning at her computer screen with a slim pair of bright red glasses perched on her nose.
Bumping into the glass of the window, as if it couldn't see it or had amnesia and kept forgetting the glass was there every five seconds, was a blue bauble of light. It was a Yosei. It was small enough that it had probably slipped through any holes in the boundary around the school to get this close to one of the main buildings. She could even see the little creature shaking its head after every bump, yet it still continued to hurt itself.
Is it drunk or something? She wondered. She shook her head and resolutely ignored the Yosei. If it wanted to knock itself on the window, then let it. It wasn't as if she could stop it. She walked in, sending a cursory glance at the slits in the curtains around the four hospital beds. No one lay on any of the beds.
Aihara looked up and smiled genially. All signs of her earlier irritation at whatever she was looking at on her computer vanished instantaneously. The frazzled nerves gathered in her stomach calmed somewhat at the smile. She hoped that, whatever the reason Aihara wanted her to come in, it wasn't because she was in trouble.
"Um, good afternoon, Aihara-san." She said, walking over to come to a stop the desk.
"Afternoon, Momozono-san." Aihara waved at the two plain black chairs next to Pai. "Please, have a seat."
Her calm disappeared in a flash. Shit, it's something serious.
How do you know? How can you tell?
Teachers don't tell you to have a seat if it isn't serious.
Aihara wasn't technically a teacher, but she was close enough to one.
"S-sure," she mumbled hesitantly. She moved like a robot and pulled out one of the chairs set in front of Aihara's desk, muscles stiff. Her left leg started to jump up and down in a nervous tick as soon as she was settled in the chair.
Her eyes flicked over to the window at the Yosei that still insistently ran into the window, before she brought them back down to where Aihara sat in front of her. It wouldn't do for her to be staring out a window when everyone else saw nothing.
"How are you feeling?" Aihara asked, folding her arms on top of the desk. "I trust you've been eating properly since what happened."
She nodded, praying that this was the only reason Aihara had asked for her. "I am. I am sorry to have been so troublesome to you. It will not happen again."
Aihara held up a hand reassuringly to wave away her apologies. "Don't worry; it's my job to take care of the students here. Plus, what happened to your classmate is quite traumatizing. But, that's not why I called you here."
"I – it is not?" she stammered.
Aihara shook her head. "No. Tell me, Momozono-san," she smiled. "What's your relationship with Hayashi sensei?"
Her eyebrows twitched. Surprised, she said the first thing that came to mind. "He is my Maths teacher. And my homeroom teacher."
Aihara sat back in her chair. There was still that smile on her face. It no longer looked quite so friendly and inviting as it had before. Now, it looked cold and calculating, like a snake just waiting for the right moment to slither and pounce.
"Momozono-san, I am going to ask you a very serious question now."
She gulped. "Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no, don't worry, you didn't do anything." She chuckled, waving away Pai's anxiety like it was nothing. "I'm sorry if it seems like I'm blaming you or anything like that. But this is very important."
"O – okay."
"Momozono-san, can you see the blue Yosei bumping against my window?"
Pai turned to stone.
The unexpected question had her freezing on the spot, breath screeching to a halt in her chest as she gaped at Aihara for a few moments. She knew she needed to speak, to say something. She knew that she was hesitating too much for her to deny it, but she couldn't think of a single thing to say. Her mind was thrown into confused disarray before she blinked, shook her head, and forced herself to calm down.
"There's – there is nothing there, Aihara-san."
Aihara tilted her head up so that she seemed to be looking at Pai over her nose. "You didn't even look."
"There is nothing there to see." She licked her dry lips as the rhythm of her bouncing leg picked up pace. "I do not know what you are talking about."
"Those are two contradicting statements, Momozono-san. Either you know there is nothing to see, or you don't know what I'm talking about. Which is it?"
What's going on? She thought frantically. Why is she asking me all this? Can she see Yori Chiisai? Is she Hengen? But I'd feel it if she was, wouldn't I?
Ask her.
"Why are you asking me all this?"
"Because I want to help you." She sighed heavily. "You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm not tricking you or anything like that. I know you can see them, just like I can. That pesky little midget's been knocking on my window for the last hour." She said, gesturing back with a thumb at said pesky little midget.
"Help me?" she repeated, stammering, nerves jangling all over the place.
She wasn't even sure why she was so worried, so scared. Just the idea of someone else finding out she could see Ayakashi was both familiar and terrifying, like it had happened before, and hadn't ended well. And why had Aihara asked about Shin? What if she really was Hengen, trying to get to Shiori through her?
Or...what if she was Onmyoji?
Onmyoji? No... Kuniumi was contemplative, cold, quiet, measuring the woman who sat before Pai. She is no Onmyoji. She is something else altogether.
Something else?
Aihara nodded in answer to Pai's stunned question. "I've been able to see Yori Chiisai for as long as I can remember. I know that you can, too."
Don't lie. Kuniumi said. Her words were dyed in curiosity, dripping with it. Let's see what she has to say.
"If you're worried that I'm Hengen, you don't need to be. I'm not."
"You would not tell me even if you were." She clamped her mouth shut, cursing herself for speaking without thinking.
Aihara smiled indulgently at her. "True. But if I was, you would sense it."
Also true.
Slowly, she lowered her hands to clasp them in her lap as she sat stiff in the chair. She wanted to bolt out of the room, to run as far away as she could, but she remained right where she was. And she knew why, too – it was because she was curious as well, just like Kuniumi. She wanted to know why Aihara had called her to her office, why she was revealing that she could see Yori Chiisai.
But more than anything, she wanted to know why Aihara's first question hadn't been about the Yosei bumping at the window – it had been about Shin.
"What do you want from me?"
"I don't want anything from you," Aihara lifted her hands up, as if in surrender, eyebrows raised. "I just want to help."
"Why?" her voice broke a little. She shook her head, clearing her throat. "Why do you want to help me? With what?"
Aihara laced her fingers together over her stomach, regarding Pai with a half-smile on her lips. "You know, most people tend to be relieved when they find someone who is like them, who is different from everyone else with them. But you..." she shook her head. "You're terrified."
Not when So Fu exists. She thought to herself, looking down at her hands. It was the first time she was consciously admitting to herself that the shady organization in her memory-dreams was real. Pai felt like she was sitting on a bee hive. Both her legs were jumping up and down in flighty tension, and her palms were damp as she pressed them tighter together. Not when they exist, not when they do what they do, what I did –
Easy, Kuniumi whispered. She felt a gentle breeze tinged with the scent of vanilla blow across her heated cheeks. The chill of arms draping across her shoulders calmed her, somewhat. Let us help you.
She gulped. Okay.
The change was instantaneous.
One moment, Pai was nervous as a bird about to take flight, desperate to run away. The next, an icy shroud of calm stole across her body, wrapping her in a protective cocoon. Her breath slowed as she felt something inch over her body, stilling her jittering limbs. She couldn't tell what it was, only that it came from Kuniumi, and that she didn't need to be afraid of it.
Let us help you.
She looked up at Aihara. "What do you want from me? Why did you call me here?"
Aihara cocked her head to the side. She seemed to notice the rapid change in Pai, but made no comment on it.
"Your parents," she finally said. "Do they know?"
"My parents are not here."
And even if they were, I don't think I'd tell them. What if they think I'm crazy?
"That isn't the question I asked." Aihara replied, smiling. Pai was starting to hate that smile. "Where are they?"
"My father had to go to Tokyo because of his work, and my mother accompanied him. They did not feel comfortable with letting me live on my own, so I am staying with my friend and her family."
"Why does that sound like you rehearsed a story for a play?"
She said nothing in response, staring frigidly at Aihara as she tried to figure out what it was the nurse wanted from her. No matter what, she simply had no clue. Kuniumi wasn't telling her what Aihara was. She had to be like Pai, able to see Ayakashi the way she and Shiori were. Still, she couldn't understand Aihara's line of questioning. She never ever even talked to Aihara, and she didn't know anyone that they were either mutual friends or acquaintances to.
What do you want?
Her gaze slid down to her wristwatch. It was 12.56 PM. Just four more minutes until the bell rang, and then she would have an excuse to leave.
"Momozono-san, I'm really not your enemy. There is nothing you need to be afraid of, least of all me."
"Then why will you not tell me why you called me here?"
"I want to help you."
"You keep saying that but you are not telling me, help me with what?"
Aihara nodded, biting her lip as she pushed her rolling chair back and stood up. She walked around the desk and came to lean her hip against the wood as she stood by Pai's chair, looking down at the tip of her high heeled shoes as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"You're right." Her voice was apologetic, a surprising turnaround to the know-it-all tone she'd been using insofar. "It's understandable that you'd be confused and wary right now. It's just...not something easy to say, especially considering you don't seem to know." She chuckled self-deprecatingly. "How could you, if you've never met someone like us?"
Us?
"I do not know what?" she pressed, confusion whirling in her mind. Despite that, she could feel something calming her thoughts, forcibly settling her jittery nerves as she sat with her back straight as a metal rod. She wondered if there would be any repercussions to having Kuniumi forcing her nerves away, if they would suddenly return with a vengeance later. "Why did you ask me about Hayashi sensei?"
Aihara glanced at her curiously. "I asked because he is Hengen. So are Nishimura-san, and Tsunemori-san."
Haru and Shouta...she can see Yori Chiisai, she thought. And she can even tell exactly who Hengen are?
"Why would you assume I have anything to do with them outside of them being my teachers?" she asked.
"Hayashi-san did take you home after you collapsed the other day."
"He is a teacher." Pai said flatly. "And I am a student. He did what anyone would."
Aihara tipped her head in acquiescence of her point. "Regardless, that is not the point. Momozono-san, how long have you been able to see them? Yori Chiisai?"
Don't lie. Kuniumi murmured, repeating herself.
"As long as I can remember."
"And how old are you now?"
"Ei – seventeen."
Aihara's eyes widened. She seemed surprised, but she was controlling herself as she cleared her throat and went on. "Have you noticed any changes about yourself, in the last year? Since you turned sixteen? Any biological changes?"
Kuniumi stirred. Can we?
No. This is still my body. I didn't say you can –
Kuniumi was already speaking through Pai. She didn't even know how it was possible. All she was aware of was that her mouth was moving, her voice working, without her wanting it and she said, "If you're talking about my menstrual cycle, that started when I was twelve."
Kuniumi!
Sorry. We couldn't help it.
"No," Aihara chuckled. "That is not what I meant. I mean, have you started feeling strangely weak? Unable to physically do what you used to? Perhaps you are more prone to illness than before?"
Pai grew more uneasy with every question she asked. Even Kuniumi's influence wasn't enough to completely stop the swirl of uncertainty and doubt chaotically brewing in her stomach.
How did Aihara know about her condition? Why did she ask? Why was she asking any of these questions, and what did they have to do with her? Her school records likely mentioned that she had Waardenburg Syndrome, but it wasn't like it listed out the specifics of her condition – and as far as she knew, Waardenburg Syndrome was her excuse for her white hair. The school didn't know about any physical ailment because it wasn't in any records.
"Uh..."
"If that is the case, then you need to know that – "
The bell rang then. It was a high, screeching sound that made Aihara wince and jump slightly in surprise. Pai only blinked. She was used to the sound by now. She had never felt more relieved to hear that godforsaken bell than she did now.
With a relatively emotionless void still swirling in her chest, she kept her face blank and free from visibly showcasing her relief. She remained still for two seconds longer, Kuniumi keeping her body controlled enough that she didn't startle, though her heart almost missed a beat at the bell's ring. Breathing slowly, she pushed her chair back and stood, turning to go.
"I have to go back to class."
Aihara bit her lip, eyes darting up to the clock propped on the wall above her desk on the left. She sighed heavily, as if in defeat, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Yes, I understand. But Momozono-san?"
Pai had been quickly walking away from Aihara. She'd already reached the door, but she turned at the sound of her voice. There was genuine concern in Aihara's voice. Even her eyes held some degree of worry in them as she looked at Pai across the expanse of the room, separated by the four beds shielded by sky blue curtains all around them. She dropped her eyes to the ground as she pushed herself off the table and walked slowly to Pai.
"You are scared right now, and that is probably my fault, what with my coming at you with all these questions. Today is the last day before the break, and I know you won't come again." She looked up, and Pai was stunned to see the plea in them. "But please, when the break is over, please come see me again. I've done a horrible job of explaining my actions today, but I have not lied to you. I want to help you, and you are going to need it soon."
Why did that sound like a threat?
Will you come to her?
She didn't want to. She was still wary of Aihara, this strange person who came out of nowhere with her pinpoint questions. Pai was the closest person to Shiori, the Koki Sakura Hime. She was the easiest one for anyone to get to because she was human. Human, to every other race in the world – Ayakashi, Oni, Kamigami, even Onmyoji, who were superior only because of their Ayakashi power – meant weak.
The Onihitokuchi took her into Kitsune territory. Yamajijii made it out like she had some connection to the Kitsune King.
No one had any answers yet, but there was no denying that the supernatural activity around her had something to do with the Kitsune. It was entirely plausible to believe that Aihara was either being used as a pawn by them, or was tricking Pai for her own reasons, to get to Shiori through her.
But if there was even the slightest possibility that Aihara knew what was wrong with her, Pai needed to at least give her a chance. Kanou had done all he could to help, but he was still Tengu. He knew more about his own kind than he did humans.
Besides, she reasoned as she came to a decision. There are three Daitengu in this school. One of them is here...for me. This should be fine.
"Can you tell me anything right now?" she asked.
Aihara shook her head with a small smile. "I would rather not say any more than I already have and risk completely scaring you off. This – what I need to talk to you about, it is a very complicated matter. We will need more time than a lunch break."
She knows something about what's going on with me, with my body.
Pai hesitated, but she had already made her decision. She needed answers, and this was the closest she'd ever gotten to finding them in more than a year.
"I promise I will meet with you after the break is over."
Aihara nodded, relief brightening her face. She smiled. "Thank you. Now go on to class, before you get late. You are not sick anymore, so you will not get away with a nurse's pass."