Chapter Eighty One: The Shape of a Brother
Christina's Arc: Bend or Break
While Christina was in the Carter residence, Sakura went to the car with Yua.
"Hey, wait up," I called out to Yua, who had reached the stairwell. She looked back at me with a worried expression. She waited by the stairs before descending them.
"What can I do for you, Ms. Carter?"
"Can I…walk with you?" She looked me over.
"Well, I can't stop you… I mean, I could, but what the heck. Just walk in front of me."
We made our way down the stairs. I remember hearing stories from Yuuka about how relaxed and cautious she was. I just never thought I'd ever meet her.
"So, how long have you served the Court?"
"Served? Since birth. I accepted my official service paperwork the moment I popped out," she said, laughing so loud that her voice echoed. "Oh, I think I laughed too hard."
I smiled because she's just the way Yuuka described her.
We exited the stairwell to the parking lot. The car stood out like a sore thumb. Yua moved to the car with caution, unsheathing her blade and using the reflection to check the tires for…something foreign.
"I don't think that anyone in this neighborhood has even seen a car marked by a clan before," I said, but she continued checking.
"Yo, Yua. Did you hear me?"
She tested the doors. "Yeah, yeah. Good people always say they're good, until they're not."
The sun reflected the sleek silver appearance and golden emblem before slow-moving clouds blocked the light. Yua squinted when the sun shone. I walked closer to the car.
"That's far enough. I haven't finished checking for tampering." She looked at me and scratched her forehead. "I kind of don't know if you would do something either."
I reached down, grabbed my sweatpants, and stretched them wide. "I don't even have pockets. Do you want me to roll up the legs, or take my pants off to show you that I don't have anything?"
"Well, what if there's a bomb—"
I walked over to the car. "Blowing up with you is safer than being stuck with Ms. Tetsusen. What do you think she's going to do if you die alone?"
She whistled. "I see you, Ms. Carter."
"Just call me Sakura."
She looked me over, so I started to spin in place. "Do that a few more times, and let's see where you stand," she laughed. I stopped spinning. "Dang, everyone in your house is a funny person."
I walked to the same side of the car Yua was on. She was slightly taller than I was, but heavier, because she was more muscular.
"Do you want me to start it?" Yua looked at me and rubbed her chin.
"What if that's how they get us? I mean, I don't want to be alive if you're not. Think about what your brother would do to me?"
"Pft, just take him to Tokyo, and all will be forgiven."
She opened the door and sat in the driver's seat. "So, he's that kind of boy?" She started the engine and braced herself. I watched, a little confused, and took a deep breath.
"I guess the worst is—Ka Boom!"
"Fuck!" She screamed, gripping the steering wheel.
…
"Oh, fuck off," she said, taking several deep breaths.
I smiled. I learned that from Yuuka, too.
"Girl, you and my kid act like the same fucking person," she said. She turned off the car and closed the door, leaning against it.
"What kind of boy do you think my brother is?"
She looked at me and wiped her mouth.
"You know…the boy wants status and everything that comes with it. The kind of boy who studies the girl he wants, puts himself in her sights, and then makes her want him, thinking he's different. Just when you think it's something special, the girl next door is having his kid, too."
"Wow, that sounds…personal," I said, rubbing my arm.
Her eyes cut low. "Well, even girls with clarity can be blinded. Why don't you tell me what kind of boy he is, Sakura?"
"He's the kind of boy…who makes you feel good when you're down, and brings you low when you're high. He's kind of a dipshit, but he's really good at homework," I said. Yua raised a brow. "He also wants to be his own person. You know. Without our parents or me. But he's also there to help people who can't help themselves… Not that he's out helping the world, or anything like that. But if you need help, he's just kind of there sometimes… He's still a dipshit."
"And that stuff about Tokyo?"
"He wants to be in the world, because he's not alive unless he's out there, or some shit."
"What about you?"
"The man I claimed was a sneaky fucker that got what was coming."
"What did he get?"
She smiled and ran her hand through her hair. "I told my mother, she told her queen, and his pretty face was branded. I just hope your brother ain't like that."
I rubbed the side of my face. "I hope he isn't, but what kind of queen do you serve, Yua?"
She sighed.
"Does it matter? Christina Tetsusen is the next queen of Iron. She could be the shittiest person in Kokiri, and all any man or woman can do is shut up and fall in line."
I nodded.
Nothing I say will change that. I know that she's right.
"Just humor me. I'm losing something precious, after all."
She pushed herself off the car and stepped toward me.
"Well, she's…like…damn I can't put it in words. Normally, she's kind of a rock. Nothing you do or say fazes her, unless you're the queen." I craned my neck. "Like, she's strong, but not just like physically. Emotionally, she's solid."
"What about the thing with your sword?"
"I've never seen that happen. Ever since she claimed your brother, her head's been all over the place. You should have seen her when your brother… I mean, you saw her when she came here, but she was calling in, arranging squads to hunt for him, and stuff."
I nodded.
"Do you think she will take on another boy?"
"Fuck. Why would you want more headaches? Guys don't like to share shit."
"I wouldn't know."
She walked around to the trunk and sat down. I followed and did the same. The car dipped.
"If she does take on two boys, at least she will take care of them, you know?"
"Nah, she should just try to make them get along. That way, she can teach them to work together."
Yua laughed, sliding off of the trunk. "If the world were that simple, we would be too sore to fight."
I got off of the trunk, keeping a good distance between us. "So how old is your daughter, if you don't mind me asking?"
"It's cool. I don't think you're going to invade the Fan by yourself. She's eight, but she thinks there is a one in front of that number."
I smiled. "What's her name?"
"It's Yuuka. Maybe, under better circumstances, you could meet her after your brother is bound to my queen."
"Maybe, after I win my brother back, we can work something out."
She laughed, and the sound of footsteps echoed from the stairwell.
"Kid, I hope you can handle yourself in a fight. You're fighting a girl who's been trained to fuck someone up since she could walk."
I brushed my sweatshirt off. "As long as she doesn't kiss me, I might have a fighting chance."
Yua grinned. "Damn, you got to tell me about that one. I only heard about your fight from my Mom."
Antwon walked off the stairs, carrying bags.
I knew he would take that ugly bag, so I slipped his cell phone in there.
…
I reached for him, but he walked past me, like I pulled Yua's blade myself. Then Christina approached. I bowed.
Well, Christina. It was nice.
"Safe travels, your grace."
***
After they drove off, I called Jenie because I needed her advice.
Jenie was the only person, if I could call her a person since she was a genie before the world reset, who remembers the future as I knew it. But I no longer wanted that future. I got to meet Yua, Yuuka's mother, while she was still alive. I want to hold on to her for Yuuka. I stood in the parking lot, waiting for Jenie to answer her phone.
"Hello, Sakura."
"Jenie, Christina just left with Antwon."
"I was informed by Antwon's new owner that he resided within her domicile."
"Well…yeah, but she spent the night at my house, Jenie."
"What was the exigency?"
"The what? Never mind, don't answer that. Listen, I met Yua." My heart filled with joy. "Is there any way that we can keep her alive this time?"
…
"Jenie?"
"Sakura, I will be explicit in my delivery. I do not fully comprehend the nuances within the cosmic fabric. I do not know if changes forced by anomalies will solidify. The changes you and your brother make might alter the shape of the weave, but its elasticity is something I cannot measure. Make changes if you believe in the changes you make, but I can provide no guidance. However, I may also be depending on its durability, as I am unsure if Kai was meant to survive his encounter with Shizuka Kurobane."
"That's—a lot, Jenie. Is Shizuka the woman who attacked my brother?"
"Yes."
"How do you know that Kai was supposed to die?"
…
"After touching her, I made an inference. Antwon is here because of a wish he made. He is an anomaly that I brought here. If not for me, Kai would be a victim of Shizuka. I saw the encounter through her eyes when I touched her, and then I distanced myself from Kai for five days."
"W-why five days?"
"Because for five days, I wanted to hurt Kai."
I sat down on the curb.
"Fucking hell, Jenie. That's dark."
…
"Anyway, let's change the subject. How's Kai?"
"Kai is fine."
"That's great. I'm sure he's spending a lot more time with you after that."
"Yes. He lives with me now."
"O-okay, that's nice. Just, um, don't pressure him into doing stuff he isn't ready for, okay?"
"Intimacy is perfunctory."
I grabbed a chunk of my hair.
Even the non-human thing is having sex… Does she like it?
…
"Holy shit, Jenie… But you don't feel…"
"We create a feedback loop."