Time Flies By

The afternoon sun gleamed on the glass façades of Marunouchi’s office towers as Hale and Koori slipped out of the underpass.

“Stay close to me.”

Hale’s voice trembled, not from fear, but from the rush of adrenaline, as the sirens behind them grew louder.

Koori followed, sunglasses crooked on her nose, her expression a mix of worry and confusion.

They turned into a narrow side street and ducked behind a trash container.

Air-conditioners hummed above them while Hale struggled for breath.

Koori looked at him anxiously. 

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” he lied hoarsely, his chest aching. “But we need to get somewhere safe, maybe with the subway.”

He looked her over.

Tangled hair, wrinkled blouse, half-melted slippers.

Then himself.

Torn jacket, ripped sleeves, dried blood on clothes and face.

“…Maybe not the best idea looking like this.”

He frowned, while Koori glanced down at herself as if she couldn’t see the problem.

“My apartment’s in Hongo, about an hour’s walk from here. If we stay off the main roads, maybe we can make it unseen.“

“Hon...go?“ Koori repeated softly.

Hale peeked around the container. Police cars sped past, lights flashing. 

A few businesscats in suits exited a nearby Pawson conbini store, coffee cups in paw, before vanishing into one of the tall buildings.

A faint burning crept under Hale’s skin, as the mark on his wrist shimmered faintly blue in the daylight. 

Beneath Koori’s blouse, hers glowed a soft red.

“What exactly happened to us down there, by the way?” he asked her carefully.

“That was the power of Fuji-san,” she murmured. “The power of my mother.”

Again with her mother… what had Neko-gami said about her again?

“Koori, what do you actually know about your mother?”

She fell silent.

The traffic beyond the alley roared, muffled by concrete walls.

Then she raised her head slightly, as if listening inward.

“I only remember her face, vaguely,” she said at last. “She was beautiful, I think. And she treated me good. That much I know.”

Hale watched her, and suddenly the name Neko-gami had spoken surfaced in his mind.

“…Konohanasakuya-hime?”

Koori drew her knees to her chest. “Is that what people call her? I just called her Mother. But one day, she was simply gone…”

She touched the spot above her heart.

“When those cats hurt you, I felt her again. Her power, the heart of the mountain.”

Her eyes met his. “Atleast, half of it.”

Hale looked down at his wrist where he felt energy pulsing.

It dawned on him.

“You mean… the other half…”

She glanced up toward the sky framed by skyscrapers and nodded.

“I carry Fuji’s fire inside me. But its ice, that belongs to you now.”

Hale fell silent, trying to grasp it.

I… carry half the power of a Japanese goddess?

A chill ran through him, not from fear but from the weight of something far greater than himself.

After a while he looked back toward the street.

“We'll talk about that later. I think it’s clear now, we should move.”

Koori nodded and followed him through the canyons of glass and steel, north toward Hongo.

“Let’s try not to draw attention,” he whispered.

A hopeless request, especially once they passed the area around the Imperial Palace, which was busted with tourists.

Everywhere, people slowed to stare, or rather, the cats did.

Fur brushed against wool coats, tails flicked beneath skirts, and a hundred narrow pupils followed the strange pair walking by.

“Why are they all staring?” Koori asked, genuinely puzzled.

“Just ignore them. Don’t stop walking.”

Suddenly, the screech of tires.

A dark car pulled to the curb ahead, engine idling quietly.

What now?!

Hale motioned for Koori to turn around.

“Quick, down that side street, before...”

A voice called out behind them, hesitant.

“Heiru?”

Then louder, disbelieving.

“Heiru-san!? Hontō ni anata na no!?”

Hale turned, squinting into the sunlight.

A slim man had stepped from the car, glasses, beige coat, a familiar face.

“…Hasegawa-san? (長谷川)”

For a heartbeat the man froze, then his expression softened.

“I knew it! I knew I wasn’t imagining things!”

He approached, visibly shaken yet cautious.

“You’re alive! Since when… since when are you back in Tokyo?”

Hale stood there, stunned. 

For the first time in days, he saw a familiar face.

Hasegawa glanced around nervously, then lowered his voice.

“You could use a ride, right? Get in, before someone starts asking questions.”

Hale nodded. “Come on, Koori. He is a friend.”

She blinked in surprise but obeyed, her gaze wandering curiously over the polished hood as Hale opened the door for her.

“Sumimasen, tasukaremashita...” The words tumbled out before Hale realized they weren’t English.

Hasegawa froze mid-movement. “Eh?” He gave Hale a puzzled look.

“Heiru-san… since when do you speak Japanese like that?”

Hale blinked. “Did I…?"

“You just spoke a whole sentence,” Hasegawa murmured, half amazed, half suspicious. Then he shook his head. “Hen da na… strange.”

“Long story,” Hale said quietly, in fluent Japanese again, as he buckled his seat belt.

“Sou ka,” Hasegawa replied, starting the engine.

***

The car glided through the thick traffic and Hasegawa’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.

More than once, his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, where Koori sat silently, gazing out the window.

Only after they had left the main avenue did he speak.

“Where were you, Heiru-san? You just… vanished. No one knew what happened.”

Hale stared out at the passing cityscape where Tokyo rolled by like a distorted reflection, familiar yet foreign. 

Cats everywhere. On billboards. On screens. On every corner.

“I was only gone for a few days…” he murmured, then sighed. “Please, just drive to my apartment. We’ll talk there.”

Hasegawa was silent for a moment, then gave him a grave side-glance.

“Heiru-san… you don’t have an apartment anymore.”

Hale frowned. “What?”

“You’ve been missing for three years,” Hasegawa said calmly. “Almost exactly since the Nekos appeared. I even went to the police but…” He paused, rubbing his chin. “Everyone thought you were dead.”

For a long moment only the hum of the engine filled the car.

Hale stared at his friend in shock.

“Three years? I’ve been gone... three years!?” His voice cracked and he slumped back in the seat.

How is that possible?

Hasegawa kept his eyes on the road, still shaken. When he finally spoke again, his voice was softer.

“We searched for you, you know.“ he murmured, almost to himself. “I… didn’t want to believe you were gone.”

Only then did his gaze drift to the mirror, toward Koori in the backseat.

She sat quietly, hands folded in her lap, watching the city drift past, a few strands of hair brushed her cheek.

“And… who is she? A friend of yours?”

She lifted her head. “My name is Koori.” 

Hasegawa blinked, surprised. “Ah… Koori-san. Hajimemashite.” 

He smiled politely and turned back to the road.

“How do you know each other?” he asked again, half curious, half wary.

Hale scratched the back of his head, flustered. “Oh, uh… it’s a long story. I'll tell you later, okay?”

Hasegawa sighed. “Alright then. You’re coming to my place. You both need food, and maybe somewhere to rest.”

Hale nodded. “Thanks…”

Outside, the city flowed past. Tokyo as he’d known it, and yet not the same.

“Three years…” he whispered, his face pale, his throat dry.

But only the steady hum of the engine answered.