Introducing, another chapter of Walking on Fire!:inlove:
Chapter5- Fated Encounter
It was still dark out, the rain continuing to pour; I continued to cautiously walk through the alleys. I knew the sun was rising soon, so I had to get off the streets immediately. My body was sluggish and weak, due to the lack of sleep and the fact that I hadn’t eaten for a day… I was clumsy in my movements. It must have only been thirty minutes since I was out here but it felt like hours in this horrible weather. The blood that stained my hands were washed clean, but my clothes remained stain by the black ichor but it only looked like black ink that was half-heartedly washed. I finally stumbled in front of what looked like a small diner. The door was shut but the light was still lit inside. I knocked on the door and pressed my back against the wall then slid down to the ground. I heard the door opening; a middle aged looking man stepped out of the door with an umbrella and looked about before finally laying his eyes on me. He knelt down to take a close look at me then closed the umbrella and slid his arms under my legs and my arms lifting me up in a cradled position. He then took me inside, he yelled out for someone.
Middle Aged Man- HEY! DAISUKE! GET DOWN HERE!
Daisuke- You don’t have to yell… I’m coming…
Middle Aged Man- (He laid Ai down on the floor) Oi, young girl, what’s your name?
Ai- …Loveless…
Middle Aged Man- (Smiling proudly) now what kind of a name is loveless? Don’t worry about a thing, I’ll fix you something to eat and my son will help you till then.
Ai- …
Daisuke- (He just made it down the steps and began approaching his father and Ai) Don’t tell me you beat up someone else? (He notices Ai lying on the floor in only a hospital gown.) Did you just snatch a girl off the streets and put her in a hospital gown!? What is this some hidden fetish I didn’t know about?!
Dad- What? No! I found her outside my store like that; she looked like she needed help. (He turned to Ai and spoke in a reassuring tone) I only really beat up two people at the most because they looked rather suspicious hovering around my diner. Oh! Almost forgot, my name is Kenta and this is my noodle shop, the Matsuda Noodle Shop!
Daisuke- Why are you announcing something like that to her like it’s a sales pitch?! Didn’t you say you were going to cook something for her?!
Dad- Oh right! I’ll be right back, hehe!
Daisuke- Sorry, my dad can be an idiot sometimes…Your not hurt are you?
Ai- …No…
Daisuke- Can you walk?
Ai- I think so…
Daisuke- Well, were going to have to walk up some stairs to get to the bathing room. So you can wash up and change into some clean clothes. I have an older sister that use to live here with us but she moved because she went abroad for college, when she left, Dad decided to leave her room as it was, so there still should be some clothes in there you can use.
Ai- (She manages to get on her feet and follows behind Daisuke) …
Daisuke- So what kind of a name is “Loveless”?
Ai- …
Daisuke- You don’t speak much do you? Well that’s alright, if you don’t want to talk about yourself or anything I won’t force you.
Ai- …I don’t want to talk about it…
Daisuke- Okay, no worries, here’s the bath room; we have an ofuro, so you can relax for a bit. By the time you get out and change, the food should be finished, two doors down to the right is my sister’s room, you can go in there to change.
Ai- (nods)
I stepped into the bath room and closed the door behind me, I removed the hospital gown and tossed it aside, as I climbed into the ofuro all the bad feelings that afflicted me like a disease, was instantly melted away by the warm and soothing feeling of the water that filled the ofuro. I slowly sank into the water, submerging myself until my lips were under the water. I thought about what had happened inside the hospital. I lifted my right arm from under the water and examined it. I could see nothing wrong with my arm, as if what had happened was purely my imagination but that was not the case because there is no way I could imagine the feeling of putrid flesh in my hands so vividly and the howls the beast let out from my attacks. I figured that if I stay here to recuperate, the next day I can slip out and find Dr. Yoshida. ..
Daisuke- Hey dad, the outfit she was wearing… Do you think she escaped from a ward?
Father- It’s none of our business…
Daisuke- But, what if she’s dangerous?
Father- All I know is that girl needs our help right now… She’s hungry and needs a place to stay…
Daisuke- …Were going to be opening soon, do we just tell her to stay up stairs?
Father- Hrmm, Well the rain is lettin’ up, so I think we could use an extra hand around here.
Daisuke- Eh!? You can’t be serious! You expect her to help us out?
Father- Well we did get her out of the rain, put her in clean clothes and were about to feed her, I think the least she can do is help us out with the customers, after she gets a bit of rest.
Daisuke- We can’t do that, we don’t know what she’s been through, how do we even know if she can provide good customer service? She doesn’t even want to talk!
Father- Wahahahaha!
Daisuke- What the hell are you laughing for!
Father- Wahahaha! You worry too much son. Everything’s going to be fine.
I climbed out of the ofuro feeling renewed, I grabbed the towel that was hung out for me then wrapped myself with it and proceeded towards Daisuke’s sister’s room. I stepped inside and looked around. I could remember my room when I was a child, it was warm and humble, and being inside that ward could never feel the same, no matter how much freedom is granted…
Ai- So this is the room of a girl who is loved by her family…
I noticed there were clothes placed out on the bed, I picked through them and finally put on the clothing I felt fit me best. I sat down on the bed then let myself fall backwards. It felt strange lying in a bed that wasn’t mine, but it felt even stranger lying in the bed of a girl who had the joy of growing up with her family… I saw pictures of her when she was a child, pictures of her, her brother, father and mother. A question came to me that I didn’t think of the first time. Where is the mother? I looked at the photo and saw how happy they were, I envy them… I sat the photo back down and left the room. I was curious about what the rest of the place looked like, but I decided to stifle such feelings and went down stairs. I could smell the food, the aroma of beef broth, and the smell of different vegetables filled the air. I was captivated by the smell and was instantly lured into the dining room by its enticing aroma. I looked inside and saw Daisuke and his father already seated waiting for me to sit.
Father- (smiling) Go ahead! Take a seat.
Daisuke- My dad maybe an idiot sometimes but if there’s one thing my father can do, it’s making great ramen.
Ai- Hmm… (Takes a seat at the table)
Father- Hehe, Itadakimasu!
Daisuke- Itadakimasu!
Ai- …
Father- (He begins eating) Mmmm! <slurp>
Daisuke- (Maintaining good eating habits, he takes his chopsticks and begins eating) …
Ai- (She lifts her chopsticks, and grabs hold of a slice of beef and eats it) …
Father- (Irritated) It’s to damn quiet!
Daisuke- Why do you always have to yell...? Weren’t you the one saying to be mindful of others feelings?
Father- Meh…
Ai- (Finishes chewing her food) Where’s your mom?
Daisuke- (Caught off guard) Huh?!
Father- (Eye’s lowered to the ground) … Um…
Daisuke- …She passed away giving birth to...me…
Ai- …
Father- Anyway, this isn’t good table talk…How about some bean paste?
Ai- I envy you…
Daisuke- …Why?
Ai- My mother and father were killed in a car crash, leaving me all alone… I had no one else…
Daisuke- …
Father-… Hey, listen, you can stay here for however long you want.
Ai- …I thank you for your kindness, but I can’t stay here for long. I’m leaving tomorrow, there’s a lot I have to do.
Daisuke- Are you in trouble?
Father- Daisuke!
Ai- …I don’t know…
Daisuke- …Well, if you ever need a place to come back to, you’re always welcome.
Father- Right!
Ai- Hmm…
Father- There is one other thing, since you’re here; I was wondering whether it would be alright to ask you for your assistance with running the shop.
Daisuke- Daaaaad… Why are you asking her such a dumb qu-?
Ai- Sure…
Daisuke & Father- EH?!
Ai- (Shrug) I’ll help for now…
Father- Ehehe! Wonderful! Daisuke! Show her the ropes on proper customer service and how to serve a table. We’ve got work to do!
Daisuke- (Sigh)
We didn’t talk much as we ate but I could tell that they were content with the conversation we had. Daisuke gathered all of the dishes and took them into the kitchen to clean. Kenta, Headed towards the kitchen to get ready for the shop to open. I didn’t feel it was my place to offer assistance because I felt I didn’t belong but I got a sense of fulfillment watching those two work side by side in the kitchen. It made me think of what could’ve been. They set up the shop quickly, a clear sign that they were pretty much experts at what they were doing. Daisuke was rather flashy with making the noodles, probably to impress me… I thought it was funny but I congratulate him on his effort. We occasionally talked and he showed me how I should wait tables and the likes but the conversations were never to long. I knew he didn’t want to get into my personal life so he avoided saying things that may have me bring it up, I could tell he was still a little curious about my situation though. Daisuke had me dress in the outfit his sister used to wear to wait tables, it was pretty embarrassing to me, and Daisuke was rather enjoying it. It was finally time to open up shop. They unlocked the door and flipped the sign to open. The customers began to come in like clockwork, I guess their noodle shop was pretty successful, given they are set up in such an awkward area… To my surprise, waiting tables was no easy tasked in this shop, the people were masterful of the menu, so they were very quick in giving out their orders and I trying to keep up was laughable. Daisuke told me that it’s bad to continuously ask the customers to repeat themselves but the customers knew I was new to this whole thing so they had no problems. Inside the kitchen Kenta was dicing up a storm with the vegetables, I never seen someone work with such fervor, and vigor as he does, it was impressive. Working with them made me forget about those terrible things that had happened to me. While I was carrying ramen to a table, Daisuke walked by me and whispered something happily, He said, “I have never seen Dad look so happy ever since Mom died.” I wanted to return the smile, but I was unable to, it hurts to try. The day was slowly winding down to its end, the last bit of customers stepped out of the door and Kenta locked it and flipped the sign.
Father- YOSH!! This calls for a celebration!
Daisuke- What are you yelling about this time…?
Father- (He pulls out some warm sake and begins filling a cup, then takes a sip) Ahhhh!
Daisuke- Don’t start drinking all of a sudden… We still have to clean up…
Ai- That was sort of exciting.
Daisuke- Yea? It was, wasn’t it?
Ai- …
Father- (Pouring himself another cup) Making noodles and cooking noodles is just as fun as serving it. I enjoy what I do.
Ai- Hn.
Daisuke- You mind helping me clean up?
Ai- No…
We began clearing the area, cleaning the dishes, wiping down tables, sweeping floors and everything in-between. Kenta was still busy drinking himself to the floor with sake, I guess he was really happy. Daisuke was yelling at him, calling him a freeloader but you could see he was smiling all the while.
Father- (Mumbling somewhat incoherently) Daiske… when I’m old… all of thish here will be yoursh… I’m proud… of yous son…
Daisuke- Idiot… (He walked up to him and helped him up to his room)
I sat down in a chair and looked out the window. In here it feels like it’s a different world, like there are two worlds in here and outside but I have to find Dr. Yoshida and ask him these questions that bother me. I decided that I would leave during the night… I’ll just sneak out of the window in his sister’s room. I know that it isn’t right to leave without saying a word but its better this way. Daisuke was coming back down stairs, shaking his head.
Daisuke- I can never understand dad sometimes… oh well, you can use my sister’s room to sleep if you want.
Ai-…I’ve wanted to ask you, what is your sister’s name?
Daisuke- Oh, her names Yuuka…
Ai- Must have been nice having a sister…
Daisuke- hehe, not really, she was a pain in the neck because she was older… She always teased me and did a lot of things that pissed me off haha… Dad always said that she reminds him of Mom. Even though she was so annoying at times, whenever I was sad or needed help she was always there. I never got to see Mom but I guess through my sis she was sort of there.
Ai- …
There was a long silence between for awhile. There wasn’t much to talk about and the awkward feeling of me being alone with him was to much to handle… I stood up and told Daisuke I was going to get some sleep. He just nodded with a grin and looked out the window to the distance. I guess he was thinking about his mother. I went upstairs and went into Yuuka’s room, changed into clothes so I can leave the shop, turned the lights out, then fell into the bed. I stared at the window looking at the sky. I lied there watching the sun slowly settle on the horizon and the sky turning a crimson red then slowly after the sky darkens. I was ready to leave, so I got up from the bed and walked up to the window, I quietly opened it. I then heard some foot steps’ making its way upstairs, Daisuke was downstairs all this time and I guess he had just decided to retire to his bedroom. I held my breath and slowly crept out the window. I could hear his footsteps close in on the door, and then it came to a halt. He was standing right in front of the door. I could hear the door slowly being pushed open. I climbed out the window and climbed my way towards the ground, I immediately started running down the street. I turned my head looking over my shoulder and noticed Daisuke peeking out the window looking at me as I ran.
Daisuke- Sayonara, Loveless…
I could see that his mouth was moving but I couldn’t quite make out what he said. He stuck his hand out and waved good-bye to me and I, without saying a word to him didn’t raise my hand to wave, instead I turned my head away and continued running. I didn’t want to wave because I felt that I might stop running and go back to them… But I had a feeling he understood. I wasn’t quite sure where to look, to find Dr. Yoshida which vexed me. It would be as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. I was running through a neighborhood till I heard some faint screams from a home across the street. I saw the door was broken off the hinges. I knew immediately what had done that. I wanted to come face to face with another of those things to see exactly what this strange power I have is. I rushed towards the house and entered the door without hesitation which was reckless on my part because as soon as I stepped inside I was welcomed with a heavy blow to my stomach and sent flying into the kitchen. I hit the fridge door hard, putting a nice dent in it. I looked up and was rather pissed by what happened but no matter how pissed I was I could never get over the fact of just how ghastly these creatures look. This one was different from the one I encountered in the hospital. It was very scrawny, stringy like, it looked emaciated but its arms and legs were rather long and its left arm was thick like a club. Every time it took a breath it sounded like it was snickering. The creature walked into the kitchen dragging it’s heavy arm behind it, it could barely stand straight because of it’s arm so it simply hung back letting the weight of it’s arm bend it, giving it such poor posture. Although its head was almost practically touching the ground because of its poor posture, I was pretty sure it could see me without a doubt because most of its body was covered with eyes; it makes me wonder that if such grotesqueries were even allowed to walk upon earth, is there a God? I looked at my right arm, trying to summon that same power from before but nothing was happening, just when the creature was lifting its heavy arm to pulverize me. The sound of a blade slicing through bone and flesh was heard. I looked up only to see that the creature was quickly dispatched and a man wearing a black cloak was standing before me, the black winged man, my angel…
