“Beauty in the Breakdown”
Chapter Six: Sweet Dreams, Good Night
By Baine
Chapter 6/?
Finished: June 14th, 2007
Posted: November 11th, 2007
Sorry for the late update, but it wasn't ready before I left for a brief visit to the States, and then I came back and had to go to a conference and catch up at work. You won't wait nearly so long for the next chapter. Gomen, ne?
*—(number) Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story.
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Beauty in the Breakdown
Chapter 6: Sweet Dreams, Good Night
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Rearing back on his haunches as he snarled at Usagi, Artemis’ eyes donned a hazy red tint.
Usagi gulped, frightened by the sight. Had she picked up some rabid, mutated stray? She glanced around for Luna, but didn’t see her. She’s either afraid and hiding or about to launch a sneak attack, she mused, turning her attention back to Artemis and watching warily as he climbed her torso. Her breath hitched in her throat as his small face came in contact with her own. Was he going to bite her?
Hissing angrily, the cat once more snarled, “Get out.”
Usagi blinked, startled. Grabbing the kitten by his backside, she deposited him on the mattress and quickly sat up, rubbing her eyes as she peered down at him. “There is no way my cat is talking to me. I must be going crazy.”
She watched as he began to paw at her comforter. “Now, now, none of that, Arty. If you start forming bad habits now, you’ll put holes all over the place when your claws start to grow.
The kitten’s eyes glowed as he stared up at her and frothed, “I said, get out.”
Usagi laughed. “Are you really telling me to get out of my own bedroom? If you don’t want to be here, I can easily set you back out in the wild.”
“Leave this house. Take your family. Go back where you belong.”
Usagi’s smile faltered and steel made its way into her cerulean eyes, where it was quickly concealed as a knock sounded at the door.
“Are you okay up here, Usa?”
“Yeah, Mom, I’m fine.”
“Is someone in there with you?”
“Just the cats, why?”
“I thought I heard talking.”
“Nope, I was just telling the kittens a story so they’d fall asleep. It’s their first night up here, after all, so they’re a bit on edge.”
“Well, sleep well. Sweet dreams, okay?”
“You too, Momma.” She listened to her mother’s footsteps as they faded from view. Turning back to her bed, she was surprised to see that Artemis had disappeared.
Glancing around the room, she saw two pairs of eyes glowing from the dark crevice beneath her desk. Stretching across her bed, she propped her chin and peered down at them.
“So you can talk.” Her voice was soft and thoughtful. “Either that, or I’m finally going crazy. I don’t understand why I’d imagine you saying things that were mean, though. Then again, you only said what I wanted to hear. After all, I’d love to have an excuse to leave this place.”
The kittens, lulled out of hiding by the sound of Usagi’s soothing voice, timidly crawled onto her bed and curled up with the frazzled girl. Lightly stroking their heads, she sighed wistfully. “Well, whether you can talk or not, I wouldn’t mind having a confidant here. Talking to a cat isn’t any crazier than hunting for a ghost, right?” She laughed harshly.
Cuddling her new pets close, she murmured, “You’re really not supposed to sleep up here, but I suppose it’s okay so long as Mom doesn’t find out.”
As she stroked Luna, she murmured, “Did that actually happen, or am I going crazy?”
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He paced nervously. What he had thought to be a brilliant plan had officially backfired on him. For the past week, he’d possessed the male kitten in order to freak out the girl. He had to admit that it had seemed to work at first.
Unfortunately, she’d grown accustomed to the fact that one of her cats could talk. Each night, he’d start by asking why she hadn’t left yet, but wound up playing the role of therapist as she vented to him. Her words almost made him want to cut her some slack.
Almost.
Even though he was discovering she wasn’t quite the pampered princess he’d made her out to be, he still wanted her to leave, but was finding it hard to be cruel when he could feel her aura overflowing with unhappiness. If she didn’t like it here, why didn’t she convince her mom to go back home? He’d seen how the older woman bent over backwards in an attempt to make her daughter happy.
His essence currently possessing the white cat curled up in the girl’s lap, he peered at her through feline-tinted eyes. It was a strange feeling to see what the world looked like when your eyes weren’t quite human…or what had once been human, at any rate.
Stroking the cat as she smothered a yawn, the girl mused, “I’m glad I have you, Arty.” Smoothing out his fur, she stated, “I know on an intellectual level that the fact you can talk is just a figment of my imagination, but it really helps to think I have a friend here that I can talk to.”
He winced at her words. As much as it hurt him to hear what havoc his latest ploy was causing, he couldn’t seem to stop. Had he ever thought he’d feel such emotions again? Maneuvering the conversation toward his goal, he forced his voice through the kitten and mused, “You know, if your mom found out you were having conversations with cats, she might be prone to realizing this is a bad environment for her kids. If you think you can speak with animals and your brother pretends there’s a ghost living in the house in order to get away with more pranks, doesn’t that mean something is wrong?”
She let out a mournful sigh. “You’d think. Mom would just say I’m trying to get attention, though. She wouldn’t believe me.” Furrowing her brow, she added, “If she did, she’d send me off to therapy. Since, y’know, I’m obviously so messed up and all.”
Looking up at the girl sitting forlornly on her bed, he felt a pang in the cavity where his heart had once resided. What kind of girl had no one to confide in save for a mangy kitten?
“You’ve been here a few months now, right?” he mused, mind churning with how to turn this to his advantage.
“Unfortunately.”
“If you try to make friends, you wouldn’t have to rely on me.”
Her expression softened. “I don’t mind, Arty. I love you and Luna. It makes me happy to take care of you.” She sighed and flopped backwards onto her bed. “Besides, the kids at school are stuck-up.”
He raised an eyebrow. Wasn’t this a case of the pot calling the kettle black? “Cats are stuck-up, too, you know. We like our space.”
She absently stroked the cat’s fur. “But you can also be friendly when you want to be. The kids at school,” she frowned and stood, depositing the kitten onto the bed in the process, “they hate me just because I used to live in Tokyo. They think I’m too good for them and go out of their way to make my day miserable. They ruin my stuff and steal things from me and call me names. They aren’t nice people.”
Pacing the room, she added, “Cats aren’t supposed to talk, so usually, they can’t do that stuff.” Almost tripping over the female kitten, she bent to pick it up, murmuring an apology as she stroked its head. Turning to look at the white kitten stretched languorously across the bed, she asked, “How come Luna can’t talk?”
“Perhaps you only needed one friend?”
“But why not the female? Wouldn’t she understand me better?”
He’d had enough of talking with the girl for the night. Their conversations were going past his realm of comfort. Fleeing the cat’s body, he hovered as he watched the kitten blink before it flew off the bed and moved to cower beneath the desk.
The girl sighed and sat on her bed, her hand pressed against the warm spot the kitten had left behind. “I guess that’s that, then.” She rubbed at her eyes and peered in the direction where the small feline had fled to, then shrugged and turned off the lamp, draping the room in darkness.
Waiting until the sound of light snores filled the room, he turned and drifted through the wall. He was straying from his goal. He wanted the girl out of his room, out of his house. He shouldn’t be encouraging her by possessing a cat for nightly chats. Then again, by doing so, he felt almost...human again. How long had it been since he’d conversed with another human being? He found that he’d actually missed doing so over the years. After all, even ghosts got lonely, especially when there was no one around to care.
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Pushing the contents of her bento around with her chopsticks, Usagi stared aimlessly over the rooftop at the ground below. She’d been coming here at lunchtime for the past few days. It was peaceful and quiet. Nobody was around to taunt her or ruin her belongings.
Sure, it was a little nippy since the weather was getting colder, but she’d always loved the wind. Letting it wash over her and play with her hair and clothes always gave her a nice, relaxing feeling.
Hearing the door squeal as it creaked open, she turned to see who had invaded her privacy. Seeing no one there, she shrugged and turned back to the onigiri she’d just been about to bite into. Chewing slowly, she pondered the thought that she really was going crazy. Through a mouthful of rice, she mused, “This town really does have a bad influence on me.”
“Why’s that, because you’re sitting up here all alone?”
Her heart jumped to her throat and Usagi nearly cried out in alarm. Struggling to maintain a nonchalant expression, she turned to see who had snuck up behind her. Seeing nothing but stormy eyes hovering above her, she tilted her head back for a better look. The boy standing beside her seemed impossibly tall. His raven hair was slicked perfectly across his scalp save for one long chunk that fell haphazardly into his eyes, daring someone to push it away. Glancing down at his pin, she observed that he was a third-year student.*--1
“Can I help you?” her voice was cool and betrayed none of her inner turmoil.
“In many ways,” he stated, grinning slowly as he squatted to sit beside her. “Why’s a pretty girl like you up here all alone?”
Usagi shrugged and focused on her food. She didn’t know why, but he made a feeling of awareness stir within her. Her stomach flipped over, unsettled. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. What was he up to? Was a new prank in the works?
He shot her a lopsided grin, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. “Do you make your own lunch?”
“No, my mom does.”
“Pity,” he mused, leaning closer and causing Usagi’s stomach to churn again. “I would have swapped you in a heartbeat if it had been your own creation.”
She eyed him curiously. “You’re assuming I can cook.”
“’Course you can. After all, cooking is a girl’s prerogative.”
“Not this girl’s. We can’t all cook well.”
“Doesn’t mean you don’t know how, though,” he winked and leaned forward, pressing his toned arms against the railing and peering at the ground below. “It’s quiet up here.”
“It was.”
He turned to analyze her and a slow smile spread across his face. “Am I bothering you?”
Refusing to respond, she speared an octopus-shaped hotdog and popped it into her mouth.
“Silent type, eh?” he turned so she could see his profile in all its glory. “Or are you just shy?” Grinning, he twisted his tie around his neck. “What do you say we go out this weekend and get to know each other better?”
“I can’t, sorry.” Replacing the lid on her box, she grabbed her patterned handkerchief and tied everything back together.
Steel flashed in his eyes. “Can’t or won’t?”
“Both.”
“You can’t have it both ways, doll. You know how many girls would kill to be in your shoes right now? Not only that, but I’m going out on a limb just to talk to you, considering the fact that everyone in this school hates your guts. I’m popular enough to get the masses to accept you.” His eyes glittered as he brought his face closer to her own. “Likewise, I can just as easily crush you.”
Usagi lifted her chin in defiance. “I don’t respond well to threats.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not threatening you.”
“Look, I have a boyfriend, okay? I’m not interested in replacing him.”
He reached out to play with a strand of her golden hair. “I can help you change your mind.”
Jerking away from his touch, she countered, “You can go to hell, too, for all I care.” Standing, she stalked toward the stairwell, allowing the door to slam shut behind her with a satisfying bang. She never saw the challenging look that sprang to his eyes or the wicked smile that slowly made its way across his face.
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Numbers and fractions swirled before her eyes, culminating in a headache, which caused Usagi to flop back against her pillow. Why did she have to learn math, anyway? It wasn’t important. She was never going to use it in her career or anything. She rolled over and stared at the closet, watching her uniform sway against the hanger.
Her eyes narrowed. Odd, she didn’t remember leaving the window open. She turned her head and her eyes widened in fright as she noticed a figure silhouetting her window, his black hair falling roguishly into his eyes as he gave her a dark look. Her hair standing on end, she let out an ear-piercing scream and threw her textbook at the intruder, causing it to smash into the wall mere inches from his head. Rather than deter him, however, he shot her a menacing glare as he slowly moved toward her, causing her face to drain as she stood frozen to the spot, unable to move...
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CULTURAL NOTE #1: Some high schools in Japan have special pins or different uniform pieces, etc, to differentiate the grades. Not all schools do, though. They don’t usually have different colored shoes the way some elementary and most junior high schools do. I decided on a pin for the difference at this school because it’s small and discreet.
As always, thanks to Kel and Neph for going over this with me, esp. Neph, since she's been so busy lately!
Like it? Hate it? I’m the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or e-mail lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com today!
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