Silence In Numbers: File One, page 23
Hitomi watched her turn the corner before she looked at Sano. “Your leader is a lot nicer than I first expected.”
Sano snickered. “You got a way different first impression than most get. In fact, that was a lot nicer than her fourteenth impression. Or thirty-seventh.”
“She’s not usually nice?”
“Well, she’s… Katsumi’s very determined,” Sano clarified. “She likes getting business done. A lot of times she can be abrasive and direct, even rude, especially ‘cause she’s pretty closed off. But I just mean she’s usually not nice to people; at the same time, she’s really kind. Even if you were a total asshole she’d still be doing what she could to help.” He rubbed his chin. “Except give you her personal number. That she did because she likes you. Which puts you in a group of less than ten people. Congratulations!”
Hitomi smiled. “Thank you. I really do feel honored, actually. I really appreciate everything all of you are doing. This day has been very… intense, but you’ve made it a lot better.”
“Honestly, dealing with all of this stuff every week, we know how it can get to you, especially when it’s new. And besides that, none of us have perfect pasts, so we want to make hardships easier.” Sano nodded down the hall. “Let’s get to your room and get you set up for the night; it’s getting late, and you’ve gotta be tired.”
“I am, actually, now that you mention it. It’s been very draining.”
“Well, rest will help that.” He led her to a comfortable, clean room that was obviously meant for just this purpose, set up with a large bed, a lamp, a desk with a computer, and a TV screen on the wall, as well as two comfortable chairs.
“Wow, this is nicer than most hotels,” Hitomi said as she entered the room, inspecting it.
“Might as well be comfortable if you’re stuck here,” Sano said as he leaned against the door.
Hitomi turned around, clasping her hands behind her back. “So, um… Would you like to stay and talk?”
Sano raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you tired?”
“Yes, but…” She bit her lip, looking to the side. “Well it’s just, I’ve been sealed up in my apartment for a week with no one to talk to, and after this week and today, I’d really like a normal conversation without all the talk of evisceration and blood rituals.”
Sano sighed as he stepped into the room. “Aw, man, those are my favorite topics! Fine, I guess we can talk about something boring.”
Hitomi laughed. “You know, boring would be perfect after the day I’ve had.”
“Oh, well in that case I should go get someone else, I’m way too interesting to fill that need.”
“Oh, but you’ve been doing so well at it so far!”
“Hey, hurtful things will not ingratiate you to me.”
Hitomi flipped her shoulder-length brown hair in a haughty manner. “Who says I want to be ingratiating? I don’t need to grovel to those below me.”
“Ha,” Sano grinned as he dropped into one of the chairs. “The only thing below you is your feet. And you’ve gotta look up to even see mine.”
“Only I get to be mean.” Hitomi held up the black phone with a wide smile. “If you act mean, I’ll call your boss and complain and she’ll teach you a lesson.”
“Agh, another cheater. Women don’t play fair.”
“I always play by the rules. I just don’t tell my competition the rules I’m going to play by.”
“So you cheat by deciding that what you’re doing isn’t cheating.”
Hitomi laughed, sitting on the bed. “It’s only cheating if they can prove it’s cheating.”
Sano sat back, crossing a leg over the other as he smirked. “Katsumi was right. You might fit in here a little too well.”
Hitomi smiled. “I might as well take advantage of the situation. Friends make everything better, right?”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Date: April 6, 2068
Time: 11:46 PM
Location: South Ashfield Hospital, 3rd Floor, Room 302
“Katsumi!” Law sidestepped quickly as Ayane, beaming happily, leapt past him to hug her sister when she entered.
Katsumi caught her with a smile, hugging her back. “Aya… You seem to be doing well tonight.”
Ayane nodded as she pulled Katsumi to sit on the bed with her. “I was just telling Big L that I feel good. He said he felt better because he got to use the Spirit Ray.”
Law grinned. “Dead-on shot. Jus’ too bad he didn’ stick around.”
“Yes, that’s actually why I came,” Katsumi stated as she sat beside Ayane, who gave her a betrayed look.
“You didn’t come to see me?” She switched to a very sad look; Law simply smirked, knowing what was coming.
Katsumi looked at her sister. “Well, of course, I just also have business.” Her eyes widened as Ayane sniffed a bit. Law looked at the wall to avoid laughing. “No, wait, stop crying! You know I hate that!”
Ayane rubbed a hand over her eyes. “It’s okay, focus on your important stuff…”
“That’s not fair! You’re more important than anything!”
The younger Samakura smiled happily. “I know!”
Katsumi blinked and then growled. “Ayane…”
Ayane grinned at her. “You’re too eas- ack!” She fell back as her pillow hit her, followed by her older sister who pinned her down.
“Apologize!”
“No!”
Katsumi gave a wicked grin as she lifted the pillow again. “Apologize or suffer.” Ayane simply stuck out her tongue, so Katsumi pulled back her arm only to blink and give her own exclamation of surprise as Law grabbed her wrist and lifted her off the bed into the air.
Ayane sat up and clapped. “Teamwork!”
Katsumi shot the big man a glare as she hung in the air suspended by her wrist in his hand. “You betray me?”
Law gave a shrug. “Sorry, boss. Blue-hair’s the sick one.”
Ayane nodded. “Yeah, I’m sick! How dare you attack a sick little girl!”
“You’re gonna be sick and injured when I get down from here!”
Law chuckled, setting her back on the bed. “C’mon, kids, play nice.”
Katsumi couldn’t hide her smile as she leaned back on her hands. Sometimes you really did need to just play. “Alright. Ayane, you’re forgiven.”
“Yay!”
“Law, you are of course fired.”
Law chuckled again. “Saw that comin’.”
Katsumi moved to the head of the bed so she could lean against the wall, where Ayane took the opportunity to lay her head on her older sister’s shoulder, bringing out another smile. “Since you’re loyal to Aya, however, you’re re-hired.”
“Truly you’re a forgiving boss.”
“Well, to tell the truth, seven-foot demolitions experts are hard to replace.”
“I don’t recall seein’ a lot of ‘em.”
“It’s a problem.” Katsumi sighed, resting her arm around Ayane and getting more comfortable. “Back to that business, any trace on that Shade? I’m worried about its next moves.”
Law shook his head. “Unfortunately, the thing vanished. I got its signature, though, and sent it to M, so if it has a lot of activity we should get something.”
“Good.”
“What about that girl you saved?” Ayane asked out of curiosity.
“She’s safe at HQ now,” Katsumi answered. “Strange part is, M thinks she’s a Silent.”
The other two started at that and Ayane tilted her head a bit to see her sister’s face. “A Silent? Like, a real one, not like us? We haven’t seen one of those in… six years?”
Katsumi let out a breath. “Yeah. Hopefully this won’t end the same way.”
Law leaned against the wall. “That explains why that demon was so interested in her.”
“Was she able to tell you what he wanted?”
“Not specifically,” Katsumi said with a frown. “She did think he wanted someone sacrificed, though. To what end I don’t know, but it does mean we should pay careful attention to any murders in the local area.”
“Do you think we could do anything about this, Sumi?”
“I’d rather not risk you out there with your health the way it is, Aya.”
Ayane looked up a bit, frowning. You’re not much better¸ she spoke over their cyber link.
Let’s not have this discussion again. Please. Besides… “What you and I can do is help Hitomi learn about what she is and how to control it.”
“Oh! Of course! You’re right; the two of us can be great for her to talk to.”
“She needs it.” Katsumi looked over her sister’s head. “Law, you’ll be on the response team for when this Shade makes its move. So is Rufus.”
“Me providing back-up and escape prevention, Rufus going in with you?”
“That’ll be the basic plan. If we manage to corner it you’ll come in as well, otherwise we’ll try to push it your way. Reno will be transport.”
“What’ll Sano be doing? If I can ask.”
“I’m putting him on protection detail for Hitomi. He’s perfect for it; they seem to get along, he’s smart, and he’ll fit in best if she wants to go somewhere.”
“Got it. I’m gonna head back to HQ and get out the fun toys, then,” he grinned. He waved as he left the door. “Keep getting’ better, Blue-hair.”
“Escaping this place is a good motivator!” Ayane called after him, receiving a laugh in return.
Katsumi looked down at her sister. “It’s past midnight, by the way. You won’t ever get out of here if you don’t sleep.”
Ayane sighed. “Fine, I’ll go to sleep.” She pulled Katsumi down, getting comfortable with her head on her chest.
Katsumi smirked. “On me? I can’t get up if you do that.” In response, Ayane just pretended to be asleep already, leaving nothing for her older sister to do but turn off the light with a smile. “Fair enough. Goodnight, little sister.”
Chapter 12: Flare
Date: April 7, 2068
Time: 7:15 AM
Location: South Ashfield Hospital, 3rd Floor, Room 302
“Aww, they’re so cute!”
“They probably won’t like waking up to your face inches away, Yuri.”
Yuri gave Mikoto a look. “I’m sure they’ll appreciate my appreciation!” She was currently hovering over the two Samakura sisters, the younger of which was curled up against her older sister, whose arms were around her. Both were asleep, of course, which was why the three visitors were whispering.
Kyo leaned against the wall with a smirk. “Maybe you should poke them awake.”
Before the more sensible Mikoto could caution against that, Yuri was already poking Katsumi, which, of course, was a bad idea, as she found out when the pistol appeared in her face as Katsumi suddenly jerked awake. Yuri let out a squeak and dove behind the bed, and Kyo burst out laughing as Mikoto let out a sigh.
Fortunately these sounds woke Ayane, who blinked wearily as she lifted her head. “Sumi, you’re trying to shoot my friends.”
Katsumi clicked the safety back on and slid the pistol back under their pillow with a yawn. “Mmm, sorry.”
Ayane smiled as Yuri peeked over the edge of the bed. “You know how I said never to startle me awake? That goes double for my sister.”
“No kidding,” the pink-haired girl said as she stood up, “That’s dangerous!”
Mikoto looked at the two sisters. “I’m very sorry for disturbing you, we didn’t know.”
Katsumi attempted to sit up, but Ayane apparently refused to move, so she just smirked and laid her head back down. “It’s fine, but knocking would be more appropriate in the future.”
“That’s what I said,” she nodded, brushing a brown curl from her eye, “but Yuri thought you looked ‘cute’ as you were.”
Ayane smiled as she returned her head to its position. “Aww, Sumi, we’re cute!”
“You are. I’m not.”
“But you were in that situation!” Yuri sat on Ayane’s side of the bed. “I’ve seen you on the news before. You’re her sister, right?”
Mikoto rolled her eyes at the stupidly obvious question, but Katsumi just gave an amused smirk. “Yes, I’m her sister.”
Ayane looked up at Katsumi. “You did say you were going to meet my friends.”
“That I did.”
“Regret that decision?”
“Almost immediately.”
Ayane giggled. “Too bad. Guys?”
“Oh, right!” Yuri smiled and waved happily. “Yuri Amanake!”
“I figured,” Katsumi chuckled. “What do you do?”
The pink-haired girl blinked. “Lots of things. Or do you mean for a living? I’m a journalist!”
“Interesting. You must have a curious mind. You’re the youngest of this group, right?”
“Yep. I’m twenty-four. Ten years younger than you.”
Katsumi raised an eyebrow. “You know my exact age?”
Yuri smiled. “Well it’s hard not to remember all sorts of details, with how often we hear about you from Ayane.”
Kyo raised a hand from his spot against the wall, brushing aside his black bangs. “Moving along to spare Ayane the embarrassment, even though it’s funny… I’m Kyo Takagawa. I’m a researcher and inventor in cybernetics focusing on prosthetics and enhancements. Twenty-eight years old, if you’re curious.”
“Cybernetics?” Katsumi looked interested. “That’s a very advanced field.”
“Kyo’s the creative one,” Ayane explained. “He’s even worked on some things you’d be familiar with.”
“Consider me impressed,” Katsumi smiled, before looking to the final visitor. “And Mikoto Suigi. It’s good to see you again.”
The young woman smiled, nodding. “The pleasure is mine as last time, Miss Katsumi.”
Yuri looked at her older friend. “You already met her?”
“Of course,” the brown-haired woman answered. “I’ve known Ayane for eight years. I met them before she was in here, when they lived together.”
Katsumi nodded. “Hopefully we’ll be back to that soon. How is your practice, Miko?”
Mikoto smiled. “It’s doing very well, thank you for asking. It turns out a thirty-year-old lawyer is considered more trustworthy than one in her twenties.”
“Perception is a strange thing,” Katsumi chuckled.
“So how about you?” Yuri tilted her head. “What can you tell us about yourself? That’s what we’re interested in, since we always hear about you but never got to meet you.”
Katsumi smiled. “Well, what can I say that my sister hasn’t bragged about before…?”
Ayane blushed. “If you keep teasing me, Sumi, I’m gonna start telling all the bad things.”
Katsumi chuckled. “Alright. What can I say that you three don’t know already, though? You know my name, my age and my job.”
“Well…” Yuri thought for a moment. “What about your relationship, since we’ve heard it from Ayane’s side? Pay her back for it!”
Mikoto smiled. “Yes, let’s make it even. You talk about her some.”
Ayane grinned. “That’s perfect! You embarrassed me, now you do it.”
Katsumi gave a soft smile. “Talking about you never embarrasses me,” she replied before looking to the others. “You probably already know all about how incredible my sister is, being her friends. If you’d like to know the difference, it’s that she’s part of your lives, but she’s all of mine.”
Kyo tilted his head. “Nothing’s as important?”
“Not even close.” Katsumi looked down, seeing her sister’s smile as her hand ran down her pale blue hair. “Everything I do is focused around this girl, and I don’t have a problem saying it.”
“Wow,” Yuri breathed, ever the dreamer. “That’s so sweet!”
“Your relationship is very special,” Mikoto added with a smile. “Knowing something about your lives, I’m glad you have each other.”
Ayane looked at Katsumi. “I’m pretty sure neither of us could survive without the other.”
Katsumi met her sister’s eyes and nodded. “I can only hope we’ll never have to test that.”
Everyone fell silent then, their thoughts focusing on Katsumi’s dangerous job and Ayane’s sickness. All of them were hoping things would be okay. Mikoto spoke up for the others, as she often did, with a polite smile. “I know you don’t get to visit as often as you’d like, so we’ll leave you two to enjoy today and visit Ayane tomorrow.”
The sisters smiled at them and Katsumi nodded. “I appreciate it. Thank you. And thank you for visiting my sister more than I can.”
Yuri smiled. “She’s our friend…we want to keep her happy.”
“You know how much I appreciate that. Don’t hesitate to visit her when she’s back with me, either.”
“Just remember to knock then,” Ayane grinned.
Kyo smirked. “No worries, I think we all prefer not getting shot.”
They laughed and the three said their goodbyes, exiting the room with a final wave from Yuri.
Katsumi sighed, sitting against the wall. “Your friends are admirable.”
Ayane sat up, stretching. “Well, we both know how to pick good friends.”
“I was wondering what to do with today, since I’m just waiting for that demon to make a move.” Katsumi looked at her younger sister. “What do you say we take advantage of your friends’ suggestion and spend the day together?”
Ayane smiled, her eyes shining. “Really? You mean it?”
Katsumi patted her hand. “Yes. I don’t get to see enough of you; I’d rather not waste this opportunity for more. Once a week is just… not enough.”
“You already know I agree… I miss you.”
Her older sister smiled. “Well, let’s try to change things, then. I’ll visit more, and if you keep getting better, we’ll move up our plans.”
Ayane matched her smile. “Then we could move, and then we’d see each other every day.”
“Yes… It’d be perfect.” Katsumi grabbed her hand, getting out of bed. “No reason to put off joy, though. Let’s get started on our day.”
