I couldn't believe what Choro had said. It was almost surreal, and I had let go of Choromatsu's hand to curl up within the bathrobe.
Atsushi was letting me go? Without any kind of fight?
"Are you sure?" I couldn't help but ask, "Are you certain that it was actually Todomatsu, and not Atsushi using his phone?"
I heard a rustle before his green encased phone slid into view, the screen lit up with some kind of picture. I leaned upward to see the picture more clearly and saw Todomatsu smiling wide at the camera with a scowling Atsushi slumped over his office desk, pen in a gauze-wrapped hand and scrawling something on a pile of neatly stacked papers. I could see fresh bruises and cuts on both men.
"Do you need more proof than that?" Choromatsu's hand lowered onto my head in a comforting pat.
It was done. It had actually finished.
"How long will the divorce take to process?"
"Well, we'll need to convince Atsushi to show up to the city office near Akatsuka Ward and sign the other papers in front of a representative, and you'd both need to stamp the papers to make it official. After that, they'll be processed and a few days later, you'll be a single woman again," Choromatsu scratched behind his ear, as if recalling the information.
"That's...that's great! But, what is Atsushi signing here?" My smile faded as I looked from him back to his phone, wrapping the bathrobe around me as I started to sit up.
"Not the divorce papers, but probably something equally embarrassing for Atsushi to do," Choro took his phone back, "Knowing Totty, it's probably a financial or mortgage transfer. He likes to leave his enemy hurting in more than one way."
I watched Choromatsu stand up and offer a hand to me, and I took it gently, feeling the hidden muscles of my brother pull me up almost on his own from the ground. I smiled at the thought of the band on my ring finger being taken off and I hugged Choromatsu around his chest, avoiding the hidden pistol holsters at his sides. He didn't hug back immediately, but just pat the top of my head until I let go -- which was normal for us.
"Does everyone else know?"
"Yeah and they're waiting for Totty to get back, which should be within the hour."
"You're kidding...that quickly?"
"Last I checked, I am terrible at jokes," Choromatsu opened the music room door and led me out, "Go put some actual clothes on, and meet us in the lobby."
"O-okay," My face flushed slightly in embarrassment and I rushed off to my room, closing the door behind me and turning on the lights. I noticed a small plastic bag on my bed that wasn't there before, and gently opened it up to see a new pair of jeans and a nice-fitting gray shirt with six stripes of color crossing from the right shoulder to the left-side hem; each color reflecting a brother. I put on fresh undergarments and the new clothes that appeared to already be washed, wondering at who bought them and pushing aside the creepy thought of which brother knew my measurements.
Different question for a different day.
Wearing my hair down, I noticed a glint from the plastic bag opening and reached in to grab it. I felt a familiar hairpin, a golden crown with seven diamonds resting on each point. I quickly clipped it above my right ear, smiling at the reflection in the mirror resting on the dresser. I moved to the closed bedroom door and pulled it open, letting the current it created wash over me and carry my past life off with it.
I was free from my cage.