Chương 3: A little slip

Part 1 - Broken

-Chief, the test subject came back negative, but there's a problem, a student walked in as I was about to clean up the scene.

A signal jamming sound came over the communicator.

-Agent Mars, wait for the kid to get out of there and try to clean up....

-Recepted Venus

-Mars, did the boy see you?

-Negative Venus

-Remember to return that when you finish your cleaning.

The sound of the intercom sank in, immediately the boy ran out the door.

-Shit of all children it had to be you Hikaru....

I didn't believe what I was seeing in front of me, I was seeing....

-Akari, what's going on, why are you in two places at once, are you okay?

I approached her, my head was going to explore.

-Hikaru, I don't know what's going on, why is there someone just like me on the floor?

-Honey, tell me this is a dream.

I approached her to hug her, all I wanted was to hug her, for god's sake I just wanted that, and not to look at what was behind me, but when I went to touch her I just went through her as if she wasn't there.

-Akari, Akari, Akari, Akari.

The fear, the agony, the suffering, all those feelings prevented me from thinking clearly, I let the fear take over me, I ran out of the room while screaming and crying.

-Hikaru, what's going on, why did he run through me, am I dead?

I kept running desperately without looking where I was going, I just wanted to get out of here, when I turned to go down the stairs, I bumped into someone.

-But kid, you don't run in the corridors, imagine if you make me fall down the stairs?

It was Principal Aberson (55)

I wasn't listening to any of his words, he stopped challenging me once he realised I was crying.

-Hey Nishimura are you alright?

He approached me, touched my men, but the very fact that he touched me made me panic even more.

-Stay away

I pushed him down, and ran out of the school.

-Nishimura, but how dare you, I'm talking to you, Nishimura!!!!

I arrived home, greeted no one, quickly climbed the stairs and locked myself in my room.

I was absorbed in my thoughts for hours, I didn't know what to think, I got into bed and let myself be completely covered by the sheets.

-It drove me crazy, that's for sure, if not how I saw her after she was dead.

I couldn't avoid any of the thoughts that assaulted my head, I saw again and again, and again, and again Akari's corpse, I constantly thought about how I had lost the light in my eyes, when I looked at my hands I saw them stained with blood, a voice in my head pointed out to me how he was to blame for Akari being dead, I felt miserable, every time I heard that voice the panic in me was deeper.

-Why did I have to lose Akari, who did that to you, I didn't even have the courage to approach her body.

I wanted to scream, but I couldn't even get my voice out, the negative thoughts came to me so fast that each one was worse than the last, my breathing was so agitated that I felt like the air coming in wasn't enough, my heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to explode, the sweat was cold, my body felt horrible, almost as if my "I" and my body were two different things.

Part 2 - The missing girl

(P.O.V Emi)

-I'm home.

I left my shoes in the Genkan (Place at the entrance of the house where you leave your shoes) to put on my slippers.

-How was work Emi?

-Boring and exploitative as always, I want a beer.

I went straight to the fridge to get one.

-A delicious one, you're the reason why I'm back.

-You're already drinking, you should at least get a boyfriend.

I took off some of my clothes to be more comfortable.

-Don't start Camila, by the way, did you see how my brother arrived, was he happy or sad?

-Hikaru went straight to his room, I called him several times to eat and there was no answer, I went to his room, but he didn't open it either.

I finished my beer quickly, crushed the can with my forehead and threw it in the trash can,

So it went bad, I'll take care of him don't worry.

-I'll leave it up to you, but girl someday you're going to get hurt crushing the tall ones like that.

-Yeah, yeah, don't bother.... Sorry Camila, don't worry.

-Don't worry, I know you've never seen me as a mother, but at least let me worry like one.

-I guess thank you, I'll go see Hikaru.

I was outside his door, from here I could hear him crying.

That's how bad it was for you, Hikaru... maybe it was a mistake to encourage him to propose, no that wasn't a mistake... now let's see how I encourage him.

I knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

-Hikaru, can I come in?

Again he didn't answer, the only thing that could be heard was his crying.

-I'm coming in.

The room was dark, he was like a lump on the bed, I sighed to give me some courage, because, I felt guilty that my little brother is like this.

-Hikaru, everything is going to be fine.

I sat next to him, I was nervous because I didn't know how to contain him with a love problem.

-Come on answer me, if she didn't accept your feelings, she's a fool and I assure you she's not worth your tears.

Damn girl what did you say to her to make it so bad.

-I know, I'll let you see them again to cheer you up, it worked in the morning....

Again no response

-Just kidding...

I was sorry for what he just said to her.

Fuck, what was I thinking proposing that to him, now I'm nervous.

-Hikaru...answer me something, even if it's, it's ok to cry, in these things sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, it's normal, but you can't be like this because ....ahhhh...Hikaru at least look at me.

I took off the sheets to see his face.

-Hikaru...

It was worse than I thought, his look was more than lost, it was like looking at an empty shell, it was like going back to that time where our mother had abandoned us.

-Hikaru, please tell me something, tell me what they did to you.

Not knowing what to do, I just opened it.

-Why is your forehead swollen, tell me something Hikaru.

At last my little brother was looking at my face, but seeing him in this state was devastating.

-Emi... I couldn't... protect her...

-Hikaru what are you talking about, sorry I don't understand you, are you talking about Akari?

-I lost her.

She sank her head into my chest, without another word.

-I'm going to go get something for you to eat.

The moment I stood up, he grabbed my arm.

-I'll be back, I promise, I'll never leave you alone.

I kissed him on the forehead to reassure him.

I went down to the kitchen, made some tea and some quick ramen.

Camila had put the TV on in the living room, as always she was zapping endlessly without setting a fixed channel until her favourite series of tragic events, voiced by someone called Pinto, started.

In one of her channel searches, she passed by a news programme and heard: new missing person at Sakura's Copo School, she changed the channel again.

-Wait, Camila, turn it back to the previous channel.

-To the news? But you've never been interested in news channels.

-It doesn't matter, just change it quickly.

-All right, I'll put it on.

Akari Gōsutohāto a 16 year old student from class 2-D is the new missing person in the country of Chipon with her the list goes up to 34 missing persons,

-Isn't that Hikaru's class?

I decided not to answer him in order to pay attention to the news.

It's worrying that the authorities haven't been able to find out anything about any of the missing girls.

Now I understand what happened, Hikaru had to have seen who kidnapped Akari, so that's why he looked so bad.

I quickly took the tea and ramen to go back to Hikaru.

-But you can't answer me.

-Don't worry, I'll explain later.

Part Three - Sweet Lullaby

I heard again someone came back into my room, it was probably Emi who said she would be back, but I couldn't think of anything else but Akari, her eyes when she lost her light, I immediately shook my head to stop thinking about that moment.

-I immediately shook my head to stop thinking about that moment, "Brother, I heard all about it, Akari was on TV.

I felt like some kind of zombie, as if I was seeing everything through a glass, I barely peeked through the sheets to see Emi.

-So... you know what... she was...

How hard it was for me to get those words out in my voice.

-Yes, I know it's painful, she was kidnapped, it's just been on the news right now.

What are you talking about, she wasn't kidnapped, she's dead, the blood was everywhere, it's impossible that they kidnapped her... I understand they prefer to say that she disappeared, because, it would be much worse for the Academy if someone had died inside its walls, you sons of bitches.

-I brought you your favourite ramen, chicken and spicy beef.

-Thank you, but I don't want it.

Again another empty answer.

-Come on, you have to eat something, you're going to need strength to look for her.

I know Emi was trying to cheer me up, but somehow her words annoyed me to no end, I slapped the ramen, voting it to the floor.

-I don't want it.

I know I made her angry, but I just wanted to be alone.

-Leave me alone.

-Hikaru.

-Leave me alone...

She got into the bed, she hugged me with all her strength, I even felt her breasts on my back.

-I'll never leave you alone, even if you ask me a thousand times, it'll always be the two of us, silly.

He gently stroked my hair.

-I... I lost her forever.

-Don't worry, she'll turn up, I promise we'll find her.

-It's impossible, she's...

-Don't talk like that, I know they haven't found any of the missing people, but I promise you that Akari will be the exception to the rule.

You don't understand, how do I tell him that she's dead?

I turned around, I wanted to face Emi's eyes.

-I proposed, she had accepted, she loved your food, she even kissed me, now she is dead.

Everything I had said I said in tears, I thought that saying it would make me feel better, but it had the opposite effect.

Why of all the people in the world to whom such a misfortune should befall you Hikaru, if I could I would change places with you without hesitation.

-Don't say that... I assure you that he'll show up sooner than you think.

-You don't understand...

-Yes, your sister might be a bit of an airhead, so you'll have to excuse me.

Again I retreated into silence.

-Go to sleep, for today your sexy sister will sleep with you, just like old times.

I sank my face into her chest, even though I couldn't stop the fury of my thoughts, being with Emi gave me some peace. I hugged her as tight as I could and closed my eyes.

Emi began to sing a lullaby that my mother used to sing to me as a child to make me fall asleep.

蛍の光窓の雪 (In the glow of fireflies and snow).

書読む月日,重ねつゝ(Moonlit by the moon through the window,)

何時しか年も,すぎの戸を(Days and months spent reading,).

開けてぞ今朝は,別れ行く (Even years passed; through the cedar door This morning, we went out.)

止まるも行くも,限りと (Let's stay or let's go,).

互に思ふ,千萬の (Let us remember one another, in the).

心の端を,心の端を,一言に (Depths of our hearts, in the)

幸くと許り,歌うな (one word, Let's sing "Good luck.")

You don't know how I hate you mother, but if I can at least cheer him up a bit with your songs... I'd rather that than see him again in the state you once left him in.

Almost at the end of the song I managed to fall asleep, the last memory I saw was not of Akari's death, but of my mother singing to me, but in the end the one that counted was Emi, who little by little in time had supplanted the face of the mother who abandoned us.

-Apparently you've already fallen asleep Hikaru, although you'll never know, you'll have to apologise for this.

I couldn't hold the impulse, knowing that all this was wrong, I kissed my little brother's lips.

I'm a lousy sister, I know what I had done was wrong, no, it was horrible, I had fallen in love with Hikaru a few years ago, but I always decided not to cross the line, this was going to be the only time I would fall for an impulse, I'm going to protect you as long as it takes.

-Good night Hikaru.