New Line von Xanderionas ================================================================================ Kapitel 20: Chapter 20 ---------------------- The dreamland in Yagami’s mind was wiped clean with that sentence. Every thought, every worry, they all flew out of reach and left an empty landscape behind. She remained speechless, her mouth hanging open while Anders gazed nervously at her. A stray sparrow chirped overhead while heading for the pine, barely rippling the heavy silence which reigned. Slowly, however, pinpricks of colour began to return. They began small, insignificant, before exploding into arrays of colour beyond description that enveloped every corner. The result was the bright scarlet blush that surely adorned her face, judging by the heat. She scrambled backwards a bit, stammering horribly before being able to form coherent words: “J-just where did that come from?” The mixture of tension and relief on Anders expression showed he had expected something else. “It’s been something in the making for a while now. I thought after we first met that you and I were fated to never see each other again. Many who visit Maria’s bar only need one visit to get a grip on their issues. Yet when you thanked me, I couldn’t help but pray to every god out there that we could one day meet again. And by freak chance, we did.” He began playing with his hands, interlocking his fingers over and over. “Every day since I found out we could meet more often, I dreamed of being able to see more of you, to hear more about you. I worked hard not only to help our partnership, but to try and impress you. I incurred the wrath of many in my strive for results, but I didn’t care. All that mattered to me was that I got to see you again and again. Thus, I slowly lost my will to remain in Kerzo.” Recalling Erik’s words, Yagami gathered herself enough to comment: “I overheard from somebody that you didn’t want the branch manager position in the first place. Why did you take it then?” “Because of my guilt. I couldn’t let myself be freed of Kerzo’s influence because I still felt wrongly attached through Sayuri. People around me knew about it but kept quiet for my sake. I worked myself to the bone to perform no worse than Sayuri, but it wasn’t fulfilling. So, when I received the chance to find out more about your work in Eagle Jump, I felt automatically attracted to work in the same field. But I couldn’t simply leave.” “Which led to your crazy plan to get yourself fired for negligence, only to end up arrested by taking the fall for me.” He raised an eyebrow, before realising something. “I knew it. You’ve gone and talked with Dad, haven’t you?” “Am I that obvious?” “You’re the one who said ‘some foreigner’ before. Who else but him, unless you have a secret admirer you’d like to inform me of?” “I don’t!” she snapped. “Alright, alright, I was kidding. Anyway, you’re right. I had a pretty difficult decision to make there, though I went through it in the end because I refused to let you get caught in my stupid plans.” “If you think of them as stupid, why do them?” “Because they’re fun.” he said with a grin, making her give an exasperated sigh. “I can already tell life with you would have been difficult for Sayuri.” “You wouldn’t believe it. She raised hell every time I tried one of my new pranks out in the office or at home. I had to crawl on the ground for forgiveness the time I spiked her hot chocolate with ghost pepper juice.” “You’re evil, you know that?” Anders broke into laughter, Yagami unable to hold back and joining him. The drama and tension from earlier was almost fully gone, Yagami feeling only elated around Anders with the exception of the big question still hanging over their heads. She quickly sobered up and drew her legs up to her face, Anders shooting her a concerned look. “You alright?” “Yeah, just worried.” “It’s because Ms. Toyama confessed to you already and now you don’t know what to do, right?” She didn’t even waste energy being shocked, only sighing. “Teach me how to be so damn good at reading between the lines.” “Years of experience. So, I was right.” “Yeah. And it’s tearing me apart.” “I know the feeling. Sayuri explained it quite well to me while we were trying to find a solution.” Yagami didn’t inquire further, too occupied with her frustration at not finding any solution to her own concerns. Anders provided no further commentary, instead seating himself beside her and putting an arm around her. She didn’t push him away, not as a sign of reciprocation but appreciation. Something told her he thought the same as well. “It’s just…” she began, chewing the inside of her cheek, “I’ve known Rin so long. Ever since elementary, we’ve been pretty much inseparable. I always enjoyed having her beside me, whatever we did. When we found out we could work in the same company I was overjoyed, as was she. But now I realise it all meant more for her. She always wanted to tell me, to express her feelings, yet she couldn’t. She told me repeatedly over the last month of how she slowly felt like losing me, and I couldn’t help but feel the same.” “And ironically, it was me that started it all, wasn’t it?” “Yeah, that’s right. Since you came into the picture, Rin’s been more and more fidgety, always asking about you and checking whether anything had happened. I thought she was just being overly protective, but now I know it was because she felt threatened. It must suck to be in this position, doesn’t it?” Anders retained his grip on her while shrugging. “It’s an eye-opener, that’s for sure. I finally begin to understand how Yumina felt back then. To wish for something but risk breaking something precious in the process. I understood Ms. Toyama’s feeling back at the cafe, so I didn’t pry further. But to be standing here, forming the block that either supports or destroys… it’s very heavy.” They both gave a sigh at the same time, causing both to chuckle at the timing. Anders was the first to speak up again once they had fallen silent, his tone neutral but warm: “Yagami, I won’t force you to choose anything either. I might have more experience with this, but I’m no better at dealing with it than you. Were it left up to me, I’d want you to say ‘yes’, of course. But I know you’re too kind to simply choose like that. Same as me, who couldn’t fight for Sayuri’s attention as someone too concerned for everyone’s well-being. Therefore, I’ll repeat the advice Mom gave to me before the accident.” “Which was?” she asked as he let go of her and stood up, stretching his arms into the blue sky. “The only way to be happy is to make your choice and accept it. Regardless of the opinions of others. Nobody can decide for you what’s best, only you can do that. I didn’t learn that until today, but I hope you can make more of it than me. Well then.” He moved to stand before the grave, performing a deep bow to it. “Mom, Sayuri, Yumina… I’ve made my choices. I will not allow myself to be held down by my own flaws anymore. I’m going to go on and live my life the way I want to. It’s going to be difficult, especially with all the trouble I’ve caused. But I’m determined to work my way through life so that I may find happiness again. Thank you again for everything.” He raised his head, looking nothing like the man back at the bar over a month ago. He turned towards Yagami and gave another wide grin. “Come on, Yagami. I’ll take you home. Ms. Toyama will likely be tearing up the city along with Futaba to try and find me, but I’ll go and hand myself in to them. You can rest at home while I get Ms. Toyama to see you.” He extended a hand, Yagami staring at it for a moment before accepting it and being helped up. “Are you sure, Anders?” “I’ll be fine. Futaba will likely not let me off without a serious beatdown, but I’ve had worse. Like I said before, you don’t need to give me your answer straight away. I will accept it regardless. You gave me the courage to finally use my voice again, that’s more than I could ever ask for. With a gift like that, I can’t be afraid of anything anymore. Now come on, I rented a car that I can take you in.” He began to walk away from the grave, his steps strong and filled with confidence. Not a trace remained of the hesitation and insecurity from before. Yagami watched him walk off without moving herself, biting her lip as her mind became feverish. The faces of Rin and Anders in her mind began to spin faster and faster, giving her a gradual headache as she battled her emotions. As he turned around and called out to her however, she knew that her decision had been made a long time ago. She hurried to catch up with him, her steps as long as she could possibly take them. “Anders.” “Yeah, Yagami?” he asked with a curious expression, remaining still as she caught up. “I just realised I forgot to do something.” “You did?” “Yeah. You talked so much rubbish during all of that, I think I’ve earned the right to hit you at least once for all of it.” He looked startled for a moment, before chortling. “I suppose you have. I couldn’t blame you for it either. Would you like to do it now then?” “Yes, while it still holds some meaning.” “Very well.” he said while bending down slightly, “Then go ahead. Just try to not hurt yourself in the process.” “Thank you. Close your eyes, it’ll sting less.” “Sure thing, Madam.” he said and obliged, awaiting her patiently. She gazed at him for a long while in silence, before drawing a sharp breath and pulling her hand back in preparation. Anders merely smiled in response. Only to open his eyes wide in shock as Yagami gently cupped his cheek and kissed him on his lips. They briefly split before he entered her range again, wrapping an arm around her back while returning the kiss. She let herself be taken by him, their grip around each other unyielding as they explored every crevice of their mouths. It took them seemingly an hour to separate, yet it had only been five minutes. As they finally were able to gaze in each other’s eyes, both slightly out of breath, Yagami laughed nervously and mumbled: “That is my answer, Anders. Hope that was good enough for you.” He blinked, before chortling loudly. “You’re amazing, you know that Yagami?” She blushed furiously, trying to hide it by looking away. “Shut up, idiot. You’re the one who shocked me with how you responded. Putting your tongue in right away, really?” He cleared his throat, now blushing himself. “Sorry, bit overeager. Didn’t expect you to take the initiative, that’s all.” “Well,” she began while gingerly reaching for his arm, “You’ll find me willing to take control more often. I hate being told what to do, after all.” “I can tell.” He accentuated his answer with another surprise kiss, this time only on the cheek but managing to turn her scarlet again. He grinned upon seeing her reaction and held his arm out in invitation. “Shall we?” Aware that he was teasing her, she answered by entwining her arm around his, keeping a tight grip as they continued walking. The sun shone bright, the clouds were few and far and summer was on the border. For this short period of time, barely enough to call it a moment, Yagami felt her heart being lighter than air. As she leaned into the comfortable support that was his arm, she heard Anders’ words carry over the air like silk: “Yagami, I can’t offer you anything that is forever. I’ve learned the hard way that such things shouldn’t be said. But I promise you that I will never let anything happen to you if I can prevent it.” Silence overcame them both while they continued walking. As they came within sight of the parking area, Yagami gave her answer: “The only thing I want from you, Anders, is that you’re honest with me. You can do whatever you want, say what you want, as long as you stay honest. If you can do that, I couldn’t care less.” “Hey now. What if I go cheating on you?” “Need I remind you that I have Ahagon on speed dial? I think you’re smarter than that.” She swore she felt his skin turn white as he mumbled an understanding, giving a giggle and snuggling closer to him. “Relax. Just don’t do anything stupid and I won’t have to resort to that. Now come on, we need to…” Whatever words she had prepared, they were lost for all eternity in the faded realm of possibility. She stared ahead in mute shock, Anders beginning to ask her something before realising what it was. There, at the gateway to the parking area, stood none other than Rin, her handbag slipping from her shoulder and falling to the ground with a loud crash. Her expression personified disbelief, her lips parted as she tried to formulate some kind of sentence. Her silence then gave way to quiet sobs as tears began to fall from her, rushing downwards in great streams while she continued staring at the arms Yagami and Anders had weaved together. She tried to cover her face with her hands, but the damage was already done. Yagami tore herself from Anders’ arm, trying to speak out with as much sincerity as she could muster: “Rin, wait. I…” But her words were drowned out by the sound of Rin’s yell, ringing across the parking area: “You traitor, Kou!” Stunned by the outburst, Yagami stood still as Rin shook with energy, her expression having turned wild: “You tell me to be patient and this is what I see? Were you just leading me on or what? Did you two plan this out to make me feel pitiful, huh?” “No Rin, it’s not at all like that! Please, listen…” “Listen? Like every other time I worried about you? ‘Oh don’t worry Rin, I the great Yagami Kou always know what I’m doing’. You keep telling me to follow your lead, but what about my feelings, well? What about my feelings, Kou?” With that, she turned around and stormed off, leaving her handbag behind as she rushed across the car park. Yagami stood still for only a moment longer, before running after her. “Rin, wait! Please, don’t run away from me! Let me explain!” “I don’t want to hear it! You two can go enjoy yourself all you want without me! I don’t…” Rin stopped for a split second, giving Yagami the chance to catch up until Rin’s next few words stopped her dead in her tracks: “I don’t ever want to see you again, Ms. Yagami!” A taxi inexplicably pulled up before Rin, who entered it without hesitation and slammed the door behind herself. Yagami watched in disbelief as the taxi drove off at nearly illegal speeds through the exit and onto the main road, vanishing from view. She slowly felt her legs lose control and sending her to the hard ground beneath. Before it reached her though, she felt somebody catch and support her, barely aware of it being Anders. He didn’t say anything, only helping her towards a nearby bench where he set her down, along with Rin’s handbag. He settled down on the bench as well, wrapping an arm around her in support. He didn’t say anything while Yagami slowly broke out of her stupor, the first few tears running down her face. It was then that Anders started talking, his tone as compassionate as it was firm: “That certainly could have gone better. Yagami, are you alright?” “What the hell are you saying?” she barely managed to push through her lips, her voice faint and devoid of emotion. Anders handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears, though they kept coming. “I’m sorry as well that it had to happen like that. I thought she would be out in the city looking for me or you. But I suppose somebody has been playing a bit loosely with the rules as of recent. So much for her being an ‘upstanding representative of the spirits’.” His words startled her; the image of a certain bartender vivid in her mind. “You mean Maria’s behind this?” “I wouldn’t be surprised. Who else knew that I was here and understood Ms. Toyama’s feelings? Maria’s always been a shrewd one. I’ve been in her establishment for far too long, which means I’ve learned a lot about her. I bet you she’s the one driving the taxi as well.” “So now she’s playing puppet master? Just what is it with people trying to lead others on here? First you, then Takamura, now her?” “That’s how life is, Kou.” She squirmed a bit as he used her first name. “We don’t play it as much under control as we want. When we get to know people, we unwillingly get included into their plans and ideas. And if those people decide that they need to act a certain way to help others, then you often have no choice in the moment. You should know that after everything I’ve done.” She merely nodded in agreement, unwilling to speak much more for fear of letting everything out. Yet her fate was decided with Anders’ next question: “So, what now Kou? You have a friend who’s suffering under a terrible misunderstanding, a bartender biting off a bit more than she can chew and an idiot boyfriend with a phone.” “What is that supposed to tell me?” she mumbled. “It means you have the chance to try and help her in a way I couldn’t be helped six years ago. I’m sure you’ve noticed, there’s somebody we both know well that could try and help save Ms...no, save Rin from losing herself to anger and depression. I don’t fear for her mental stability, but I know too well the pain of losing a loved one to another. So, who do you think we should call to provide Rin with some company until she calms down?” The vagueness of his words infuriated her at first, until she realised the answer was as clear as day. “Give me your phone.” “Aye-aye, Captain Kou.” She shot him a dirty look for the English as he handed her his phone, turning it on and waiting for the storm to break down upon it. Her prediction came true with over a minute’s worth of vibration, revealed to be countless calls from Futaba, Kerzo employees and even some of the members of the Character Team. She noticed that Hifumin had called especially often, almost equalling Futaba if one counted her messages. Pushing the thought aside for now, she selected Futaba’s number and called it, almost immediately receiving an answer in the form of the most furious person in the world: “You have the gall to call me, you absolute idiot of a boss? I’ve been looking for you since this morning, you better tell me where you are so I can kick your ass over Mars!” Yagami couldn’t help but chuckle at that, causing Futaba to stop in the middle of her rant. “Yagi? Is that you?” “Hey Fuba. Yeah, it’s me. I found Anders.” “Finally! Where the hell did he slunk off to? I need to have a serious talk with him!” “Fuba, it’s fine. I talked it out with Anders.” “It’s not fine! He abandoned you, Yagi! Just like he did with us!” Yagami glanced over, seeing Anders cringe noticeably. She felt though that he deserved at least that much. “Fuba, I get it. You’re angry and frustrated. I’m sure everyone else is as well. But you need to listen to me now, alright?” She made sure to use every ounce of authority in her voice for the last sentence, making Futaba shut up promptly. “Good. Now listen. Remember what you told me a couple weeks ago about the bar that only appears when you’re in a difficult spot?” “You mean Maria’s bar? What about it?” “There’s a certain address I need you to drive to. Don’t ask me why, just remember the street name. There’s a narrow alley on that street with a small bar at the end. You need to go to that bar.” “Yagi, why are you telling me to do this? What about Boss? He’s still…” “He’s under my supervision, you can relax. Tell the rest to stop the manhunt, he’ll come see you with me at the end of all this. But right now, you need to go to the bar. Rin’s there.” “Rin? Why would she be there?” Yagami hesitated, before sticking to her own lessons. “Because I hurt her. Badly. She won’t listen to me the way she is right now. So, I need you to go and talk to her. She needs somebody by her side and she won’t let me close. You’re the only one I can rely on right now.” No answer came at first, Yagami wondering if the call got disconnected before Futaba’s subdued, but serious voice crept through: “Yagi, whatever happened, you better explain it all to me afterwards. Tell me the address.” A boulder dropped from Yagami’s chest as she exhaled loudly. “Thank you Fuba.” She briefly gave the address for Maria’s bar, along with directions to find the alley. Once she was done, Futaba spoke up again: “Yagi, before I leave, is Boss beside you?” “Yeah, he is. Would you like to ‘talk’ with him?” She winked over to Anders, who returned a tired smile. “Fine. I don’t have much to say to an idiot who gives up on life every few weeks, but I do want to point something out.” Yagami sounded an agreement, before handing the phone over to Anders, who tapped it three time. It was the same gesture he had done when Maki had been on the phone. “Boss. Look, I won’t pretend like I don’t know what spooked you. I know you’re also aware about my spying behind your back. So I’ll keep it short.” Anders tapped the phone thrice again. “Good. Whatever you thought of by doing this, you only make it harder on yourself without reason. I never got to know ‘them’ like you, but I know that they wouldn’t have wanted this for you. Not now, not ever. So please, do your best to get your job back. You finally have a chance at life again, don’t waste it.” Newfound respect rose in Yagami for her junior, who held herself composed despite her earlier outburst. It was clear Anders also approved, going by the proud look in his eyes. He then took a deep breath, ensuring the sound could be picked up on the other end, before speaking in a composed, authoritative tone: “Thank you for your concern, Futaba Uchimaki.” Judging by the sounds on the phone, Futaba had just suffered the mother of all coughing fits. It took several minutes for her to return to normality, by which point Anders and Yagami had stopped snickering and he continued: “I am proud to have been your supervisor for these last four years, Futaba. I couldn’t have asked for a more competent Manager to succeed me. Keep your questions until later, you have a dear friend to console. Send me a message when you two are ready to talk to us. See ya.” With that, he ended the call and put it on airplane mode, brandishing the silent apparatus like a sword and making it difficult for Yagami to breathe due to laughter. “You’re awful, you know that?” she said between breaths. “She’ll be fine. I’ve trained her thoroughly since she joined, she won’t break down over something like this.” “What, her boss finally coming out of his mute phase after six years?” “She’s had worse. Did I ever tell you about the time she got caught up with a correspondent who was both deaf and forgetful? She had to travel all the way to Yamaguchi where he was spending his summer vacation just to pick up some contracts and have them signed by him. Only, he kept giving her the wrong papers so she had to do no less than four return trips. I only let her use bus tickets.” Yagami’s mind exploded with sympathy as she contemplated the time and stress that sort of journey involved, giving a long-winded whistle. “That’s brutal.” “Don’t tell her I lied about the ‘forgetful’ part. On the bright side, she found some really good noodle stalls on the route. I can take you to one of them sometime, if you want.” “Is that an invitation to a date I hear?” “Too smooth for you?” She knew it was in bad taste, especially given the situation. Yet she resigned herself to her emotions and giggled. “I have no idea whether to scold you or praise you. I guess that ‘experience’ thing does come in handy at times.” “Believe me, I’m all-thankful for being able to remain calm in this situation. Not just because of what happened with Rin.” Yagami raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? And why is that?” His answer was delayed, suddenly looking nervous for reasons she couldn’t comprehend. Before she could call him out on it though, he blurted out: “Can I help it that I’m still shaken to the core that my crush, the one and only Yagami Kou, is my girlfriend? My heart’s doing somersaults right now and my legs want to fuse into the ground.” His comment had been so out of place, the only thing Yagami could do is blush and fidget herself. “A-and you think I’m not nervous? I’ve never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before, so I have no idea what to do. I’m just going by instinct here.” “How shameful of me. I was married for three years and I still don’t know how to talk to my own girlfriend.” Both began to sulk as they struck themselves with verbal blows, the embarrassment thick enough to taste in the air. As time passed on in silence however, Anders slowly stood up and dusted himself off, having evidently recovered. “Well, I’ve depressed myself enough. Kou, would you like to hop in the car with me? There’s someplace I want to show you before we head to Maria.” Rousing herself from her gloom, she looked up to see him gaze into her eyes with vivid intensity, making it difficult for her to look back. “Where to?” Anders seemed to find it necessary to giggle to himself before answering. “Where else do boyfriends invite their girlfriends to? My house of course.” Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)