The Rise of Shiroi Nami – Chapter 21

Riding in a Kiiroi Yama police car, we pass through Rin’s old neighborhood in Kadoma Ward. I used to walk these streets every day, and they look the same to me now, clean and orderly. I smile at those tortured days after Rin kissed me for the first time, and I was so lost, wandering the streets to and from K&G Noodles.

“Look. It’s your old apartment building,” I say, pointing out the window. “And there’s that convenience store I always went to for coffee in the early mornings.”

Rin leans into the window, resting his chin on my shoulder and peering out.

“I miss this place sometimes.”

I reach around and lay my hand on his head. “Just think, if you hadn’t ever met me, you might still be there. I sometimes regret letting you take on my contract. You gave me a choice, and I took the easy way out. The devil you know…”

“I don’t regret it. Not for one moment.” He kisses my cheek and winces. “You’re so hot again.” He glances at the clock in the car. “I think you’re due for more fever reducers.”

“When we get inside.”

We cruise past his old building and avoid a street filled with protestors.

“What’s going on?” Rin asks the driver.

“Protests are happening all over the city.” The driver looks at a read-out on the dashboard showing which streets are blocked off. Many of them blink red on the map. “The festival in Awashikawa stirred things up here. They flooded the streets in the early evening hours yesterday.”

News travels fast on this planet.

Another few turns of the car, and we end up on a street near Rin’s old apartment. We staggered our drop-offs so no one would suspect who we are or where we came from, and everyone else is already inside.

I pull my sweater around me tighter, clutching my bag, like my hands are too weak to be of any use to me. Doesn’t matter. I’ll just hold on harder.

This building is full of exclusive, luxury lofts. The men and women at the front desk nod as we walk through. They don’t stop us, probably because they’re also Kiiroi Yama employees.

When the elevator opens to our floor, only two doors are available to us, and one of them is propped open.

“Hello?” I call out to the hushed voices inside.

A large man steps into the doorway, and a moment of panic seizes my chest before I recognize him.

“Oh, I know you. I think…”

He smiles and extends his hand. “Rikki. We met at my dance club, Club Seiun?”

“Right. Right! Yes, I remember you. Hello, Rikki.” I shake his hand and try to ignore his perplexed expression at how hot my hands are. I just came from outside. I should be cold. I am not.

My memory of my first meeting with Rikki is foggy. I can’t remember how he and Rin know each other, but there must be a reason he’s here, so I move on and let them greet each other.

That right there. That is how I know I’m slipping, that I’ve reached a point with the memory loss and concussions and infections… Even if I remembered Rikki, if I were healthier and had my full faculties, I would quiz him. I would ask him questions. I would make sure he was supposed to be there.

Now, I have no energy for any of that. I am at the point of acceptance.

Inside the giant loft apartment, everyone is gathered for a meet and greet. Chiéko and Shintaro are on the opposite side of the room, chatting with people from Orihimé I haven’t seen in months. Hey, it’s José! Wow. Last I saw him, he was nursing a broken leg. But now he’s healthy and smiling. I remember our trek through the woods of Kurai together. I gave up my pain meds for him… Or did he give them up for me? I stop and close my eyes, try to recall the incident. But all I remember is being in pain and Rin sleeping beside me.

“Yumi!” Shintaro spots me, and his face lights up. I try to imprint his smile on my brain, remember it for always. He may be a shit of a brother, but he and Kazuo are the only family I have here.

I turn around to see Rin and Rikki chatting by the door and catch my breath. Wait. Rin is my family too. He hasn’t committed to me long term, like a marriage or anything. Still, there’s more to us than a casual relationship.

A phrase pops into my head. “I would have to be the dumbest man alive to turn down a woman who traveled across the stars to find me.” When did he say that?

“Yumi.” Shintaro is right next to me, peering down and into my face. “Hey, you don’t look well, sis. Been partying too much? A little too much booze at the festival, celebrating the Shiroi Nami win? It was quite the story around here.”

I swallow and wait this out.

“Everyone’s been talking about it. They are murmuring about Isao and the kumojin. And even the androids seem strange now, so that re-programming of yours worked.” His eyes narrow on my arm. “You’re bleeding. Are you okay?”

“What?” I glance down at my arm, and blood is seeping through the light blue fabric there. “Fuck. This shit is going to be never-ending, I can tell already.”

A wave of exhaustion rolls over me and nearly knocks me down. I sway for a moment, and firm hands grasp my waist.

“Hey there,” Rin says in my ear. “Let’s get you to the bathroom and clean you up before you talk to people.”

Shintaro’s face is alarmed as Rin guides me away from him and down an adjacent hall. I want to fight him and return to the main space to see all my friends and former colleagues, but it’s not a good idea. No one wants to see me in this state.

“What’s wrong, Yumi? Are you ill?” Shintaro didn’t take our leave as a cue to fall back. He’s in attack mode.

The bathroom in this place is luxurious, at least three times the size of Rin’s old bathroom. I sit down on a bench near the sink while Rin drops his bag on the floor and opens it up.

“Take off your shirt. We’ll get you a new one.”

I grimace as I remove my arms from the shirt and drag it over my head. Shintaro snaps out of his stupor and jumps forward to help. He emits a low whistle as he sees the cat scratches, one on my chest and another on my arm.

“Somebody better explain this.”

“Give me the meds first,” I mumble, reaching out for the pills Rin offers. I throw them all down my throat and take a gulp of water. “The short answer is that I’m sick with some sort of infection, and the antibiotics don’t appear to be working.”

I explain the longer answer about the mission and the cats and Gen, and with every word, Shintaro’s face grows dimmer, angrier. His eyebrows threaten to leap off his head, and his mouth settles into a permanent frown.

“I’m going to kill Gen. Kill him,” he stresses, and I swallow away my fear. “And I’m not even just kidding around.”

“I know,” I whisper. Shintaro has a temper, and he’s one of the best fighters I’ve ever met, next to Rin and Kazuo. He may not be flashy or anything, but he’s more than competent.

I reach out to grab his hand. “Fuck, Yumi. You’re burning up. How are you even upright?”

“Lots of drugs. Look, I’m not worried… Well, maybe a little worried, but medicine is advanced here. I need to get this done and rest, and I’ll be fine.” I put some strength into my voice. “Plus, I have a backup plan, just in case.”

He’s speechless for a long moment. “You’re going to do what Isao has done? Are you crazy?”

“No, just desperate. This body is going to fail me sooner rather than later.” The tears come, and I can’t stop them. “I want to go home. I want to see Kenichi, Mom, and Dad before it’s all over. I want to apologize to the Empress. I want to get down on my hands and knees and apologize for everything I’ve done. I do not want to go to my grave without fixing the things I’ve fucked up.”

Shintaro sighs. “You know Empress Itami has already forgiven you.”

Anger hardens me and stops the tears. “Yes, but I was too young and stupid to really apologize… to appreciate how badly I screwed up.”

Shintaro looks to Rin and back to me. “This is fucked up. I don’t want you to give up.”

“I’m not.” I lift my head and clear my throat, wiping away my tears with my entire hand. “I’m not. I’m going to make the decisions I want to make. I will not sit back anymore and let other people determine my path. I choose my path.” I clench my free hand into a fist. “No one else. I’m going to do these last few things and rest. And then I’ll be fine.”

Why do I feel like I’m in denial?

I take the bottle of water and chug more of it down. These drugs are not working. The antibiotics should have cured this infection already, and deep down inside, I can tell things are not getting better. My health is declining swiftly. This fever is raging inside of me, trying to eat me from the inside out.

“What do you need from me?”

“I need to lure out Gen. You think on that for me, yeah?”

He blinks in surprise. “Yeah. That’s an easy one. The city is already swarming with protests. I’ll post to the message boards and rile people up even more. That should get his attention.”

He nods before laying a solid hand on Rin’s shoulder and leaving the bathroom.

Rin and I are quiet while he patches me back up. More coagulant, more pain-numbing spray, more bandages. Then he takes my hand and brings it to his lips. My heart breaks as he kneels by my side, wraps his arms around my waist, and pulls me close.

“You can’t leave me, love. I won’t let you.”

I rest my hand on his head before laying my lips there. “I know. I love you. I’m sorry I don’t say it enough.”

A knock at the door brings us out of our wallowing. Shintaro pokes his head back in.

“I have new tech for you both.” He hands us each a wristwatch. “These came from Kiiroi Yama along with your ride back to headquarters.”

I put mine on after watching Rin secure his to his wrist.

“These will give us a way to track you, which is going to come in handy soon enough.” He gestures to the screen on it. “Messages and communications are right here. It’ll even interface with your chip, and it’s waterproof too. Thank goodness because it looks like there’s a front moving in with thunderstorms.” He hands me my jacket. “Atsumi is here and waiting in the car downstairs. Time to get back to business.”