Return with Answers

A long pause ran between the three, helped that Yuki was stunned at the moment. The two women stared at each other making evaluations of the other. More than a few new problems came up as well. It helped having a clear mind to think. It also made things so much worse. “Who are you?”

Ayumi actually paused as she was in motion to leave. The realization that Saki didn’t know and the threads holding the lie together finally frayed. “Ayumi, something wrong?”

“I know who Ayumi is, you’re not her.”

Yuki began to come around from his stun hearing the raised voice of Saki. He shook his head remembering what happened the moment before. “Ow, ugh… I knew I’d hate that… Why are you yelling?”

“Yuki, do you know who this girl is?”

“Huh? Ayumi, why?”

“I can’t be the crazy one here, that’s not the childhood friend we know!”

He glanced over at Ayumi, who gave him a silent answer. “Ah, she figured it out. Well the games up.” A determined look came from Ayumi that Yuki realized quickly. “Don’t even try it. There’s no point in wiping her memories. I planned on explaining things the next time I had a free minute, this saves me a lot of convincing.”

“She’s not involved, it’s a bad idea.”

“And it’s a worse one hiding it. Trust me, I’ve read those stories, I don’t want that stress. Besides, she’s clearly more useful than me at the moment.”

“Very well, but this could be something you come to regret in time.”

“Possibly, but she’s my best friend, if I can’t trust Saki, who can I? So add it to the list of things we have to explain once we’re out of here.”

Ayumi reluctantly agreed and began to march back to the opening she made. However, Saki turned to look at the cells to see if there was anyone remaining. “Wait, we need to get anyone else out before we leave!”

Chapter 22 - Return with Answers

Splitting up, they all searched out through the warehouse for anyone that remained behind. As the foreigner explained earlier, he released them leaving most cells empty. A few stayed behind in unresponsive states or worse.

Saki immediately went to the cell where she remembered Hitomi being. ‘Please be gone…please…’ Unfortunately, she did find her trackmate laying unmoving in the cell. “Hitomi!” No reaction. She hurried over stepping into the cell. “Hitomi?”

Carefully, she lifted up the teen into her lap to get a better look at her. “Hitomi…” Placing a hand on her cheek, warmth still filled her. A little hope, Saki checked for a pulse to confirm she was just out. “Did he do the same thing to you?”

She brushed her hair out of her face. Her fingers tried to clean away from the dirt. The feeling of helplessness grew stronger as her mind tried to invent ways things would have been different. Saki hugged her tightly. ‘I need to do better…’

After the reflection ended, Saki pulled Hitomi up and carried her out of the cell. The others continued to help and move people out of the cells. They all met outside continuing without an answer of the next part of the plan. Each silently knowing, there was no plan.

Placing Hitomi down, Saki almost started back when a small groan escaped. She looked back to see Hitomi coming around. “Hitomi! Can you hear me? Are you alright?”

A few moments later, Hitomi opened her eyes looking up at Saki, a little confused. She jerked back suddenly as though she had seen something that frightened her.

“Hitomi! It’s alright. It’s safe now.” Her hands hovered over Hitomi tried to find something useful. The girl panicked and tried scurry away, but against the wall she stalled. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“S-S-Saki…”

“Yeah, it’s me, Saki!” Saki let Hitomi have some room after she had calmed down. Hitomi looked around the outside, taking in everything still wrinkled in uncertainty. “The bad man is gone.”

“The vines? Vines…” Hitomi started to panic again from the images that were being summoned up on her mind. Trying to provide comfort, Saki reached out to hold her. “So many… Get out! Stop!”

“Hitomi! It’s over! Hitomi!” Saki regretted saying anything now with the state that she was in. She didn’t know why she had managed to get through without the side effects everyone else had. Saki wanted to cry seeing Hitomi and helpless to aid her. The emptiness of her position sank in deeply. “Hitomi…”

While Saki dropped to her knees Hitomi sank deeper into the madness that enveloped her. The screaming persisted for minutes and pounding until Hitomi exhausted herself and collapsed to the ground, panting no longer able to keep focus. Her mind began to drift away and other thoughts came to the surface. “Saki…Takako… S-Saki…we have to… find Takako.”

The words pulled Saki back to reality, coming to Hitomi’s side to listen. She had all but forgotten the whole reason that they had first set out the other day. “Takako, that’s right! We were looking for her. Hitomi…”

“Find…her…”

Saki jumped to her feet to look at the rest Yuki and Ayumi helped out. None of them wore their uniform or looked like Takako. “She might still be in there. I’ll go look for her!” She hurried back into the warehouse. “Yuki? Ayumi?”

Yuki appeared around the far side and sprinted over. “Something wrong?”

“You find anyone else here wearing our uniform?”

“Yeah, I was heading back for them now.”

“Take me!”

“Sure.” He turned around and headed off, guiding Saki to the cell. Around the corner of the aisle deep in the back, he pointed out the remaining person he had left. “There. Someone you know?”

“Probably. Sort of…” Ignoring the confusion on his face, she ran over to check. In the back of the cell laid a teenage girl wearing their school uniform. Slowly stepping inside, Saki went to check on their face. She only met the girl once or twice, so she wasn’t sure she’d recognized the girl. “Takako?” No movement like with Hitomi, but still alive like everyone.

Brought back outside, Saki rested her down next to Hitomi. “Hitomi, is this…”

“Takako… It’s me, Hitomi from track.” Hitomi reached out, picking up her hand. Slowly Takako began to stir awake.

“Leave me… No more… …plants…” Sadly, the same state repeated for her as it had the others. The girl stopped responding to anything from Hitomi. She didn’t even look up, leaving her hair to cover over her entire face and hang over her knees.

Hitomi fell to the ground next to the girl, starting to cry as she put her arms around her. “Takako…” She had set her head against Takako’s trying to comfort her.

As Saki watched she felt like she was seeing herself over again. She couldn’t look any more and stepped back in searching through the warehouse for others that needed help. All told, they found eight people inside.

The three of them gathered away from the rescued. Each looked at the other with different thoughts running through their head. But the same question filled each of their minds. “What do we do about this? Call the police?” asked Yuki.

“And try to explain that a man wielding plants kidnapped and scrambled everyone’s minds?”

“Well when you say it out loud…”

“I can remove that part and just leave it as a kidnapping and some PTSD.”

“Will the police buy that?”

“If the victims don’t have anything more to give, who’s going to tell them otherwise?”

“Ayumi’s probably right, Saki. Not a good idea to let this go beyond us. At least this way they’ll get proper professional help and treatment.” A quick nod in agreement gave Ayumi the go ahead.

“So going to let me in on your secret?”

“It’s not like that. She’s the one with the real secret.” Yuki paused to consider his words. A few passes at the speech he planned to give Saki had been run through his head the last couple days. It didn’t really prepare him for the moment. “The back of the book summary is that I found out a few days ago that I’m the heir to Ayumi’s people leader. Her people and me too, have this power to rewrite the laws of reality. And she wants me to come back with her to rule. But there’s a group that doesn’t want that to happen and are trying to kill me.”

“...right…I’d hit you again if I hadn’t seen all that back there. Probably for the best you didn’t tell me until now.”

“Yeah, I hadn’t figured out how to convince you without looking like a crazy person.”

“You’re still crazy, just a different sort.”

Ayumi marched back up looking even more tired than before. “It’s done and I put in an anonymous call to the police. It’s time to leave.”

A long train ride back, the three returned to Yuki’s house. Before they even got to the door, it opened with Hiroshi staring at them. A mix of relief and anger filled him. Yuki smiled sheepishly back hoping to wash it all over.

Jun and Ken pushed Hiroshi aside, busting through the door. They latched on to Yuki slowing him down. Even inside and sitting on the couch, they clung closely to him as though he’d fly away. Yuki gave them reassuring hugs as Ayumi and Saki collapsed into chairs much like on the train.

“Want those bandages now?” The torn up state of Saki’s clothes worried Hiroshi. They all managed to walk through the door, but how much of a front did they put up.

“No, I’m just tired. It was all close calls, no injuries.”

“New clothes then?”

“I’ll get you something from my room, Saki.”

“Thanks!”

Hiroshi sat down on the edge of the couch near Saki. The amount of stress he felt while they were gone was unlike anything he felt before. Exams didn’t compare. “I’ve seen and done my share of stupid stuff, but this really takes the cake, Saki. What were you thinking?”

“I couldn’t let him go alone.”

“Always about Yuki?”

“It’s not like that…” Her mind drifted through her past. Words and actions floated in her mind. So many events that lead her to the point she lived now. “I’m too tired to explain right now. Just know it’s promise I made to him. One I won’t ever break.”

“I get it.” He leaned back and rubbed his stomach again. The pain from where she slugged him still lingered. “Dammit, all this time you’ve been pulling your punches, Saki! You’re a scary woman.”

She smiled back, teasing. “And never forget it.”