|A thorn you love to hate

“What do you want from me?” her gaze scattered around, staring down any random passerby that happened to look her way. At this time, there weren’t many but none of them escaped her gaze.

“I just want to know more about you.” she pressed her hands together and smiled.

"I'm totally fucked, aren't I?" she loosened up, turning to the moon with a soft sigh

"What makes you think that?"

“I'm not stupid. And believe me, I've seen a lot to convince me you're a threat. How did you find me?"

"If you don't mind me asking, what have you seen?"

“If you answer mine, I’ll consider."

"My partner's got a good nose, that's all."

"Your partner's a monster.How do you stay with someone with such an alarming amount of bloodlust.” she managed to conceal her fear but the displeasure was visible.

“My apologies. I don’t think I have the capacity to sense bloodlust.”

“People like him, the ones who actively seek violence are often the ones in need of karmic retribution. You don’t save people like you say you do. You sniff out the irregulars using inhumane means and then act surprised when you receive violence as retaliation.”

“I understand but surely, that assessment must be wrong.”

“I know the nonsense you’re about to say so I’ll stop you right there. I don’t need an objective view on anything. My personal experience is enough..has always been enough…will always be enough. I’ll trust my gut, thank you.” she dismissed her with her left hand.

“As you wish. All I wanted to say was it’s pretty unreasonable to lump us all together just like it will be to lump you all together but then again, in a matter of life and death, it is absolutely crucial to trust your gut.”

“So you agree you’re a threat.”

“Nope.”

“I don’t know. Being with him kinda makes you untrustworthy by default.”

She stared into her eyes and ultimately gave up. Drawing out a blade from under her skirt, she threw it far off into the distance.

“I’m sure you’ve already sensed it but that’s my one and only weapon purely for self defence of course.”

“A rather pointless gesture.”

“I’m not sure there’s another way to prove my sincerity.”

“Because there isn’t. If you really wanted my trust, you should have kicked things off with an explanation of your powers. It feels like a sleep jolt. Must be uncomfortable for you.”

“Apologies for that. I had to get used to that feeling when I first got them. All I’m asking for is your trust.I just wanna talk. So please, indulge me?” she winked, hoping her playful plea could lower her guard, just enough for an actual conversation.

sigh

“What’s there to know about me?”

“Now that I think about it. Just now, that was my first time watching a guy get hit by a woman.”

“How lucky you are then.”

“Uhh..”

“I’ll prefer you don’t think of violence first when you remember me.”

“So you aren’t typically violent?”

“Not even when I’m drunk. That dickhead just got to me. No matter how long it is, he always makes me so mad. I really wanna…”

“Hit him??”

Ahem

“There's nothing much to say. I'm a failed writer that once tasted success and failure as a bitter aftertaste. My last work was so bad that most people claimed they couldn't tell who wrote it.” she blew a thin strand of hair that landed on her face while staring into the distance. As soon as the pink haired man was mentioned, her mood soured even further.

“Ouch.”

“My editor didn't hold back either. I was this close to dropping her.”

“Wouldn’t she be the one dropping you?”

tsk

“A-anyway. Was it from the heart?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, who cares about them?”

“Who cares about my readers?”

“If it was genuinely something you held in your heart, or your experience, who cares what they think? You aren't necessarily playing to the crowd. If no one can resonate with you, does that mean your experience is diminished?”

“No, it just means it's a bad book.”

“By what metric? What did you have in your new work that you didn't have in your old ones?”

“You're quite stubborn.”

“I get that a lot.”

“It’s not what you think. You don't know how bad of a person I've been.”

“We aren't talking about how you as a person but your work. A person can be evil but art cannot. It is neither.”

“Hmm.”

“I didn't tell a lie. Wait no. That's a bit arrogant. That's what I think anyway.”

“You remind me of my kid self.”

“What part?”

“The part of me that lived with a filter. You're usually imposing but you put on a mask.When it slips, you end up panicking and going with the flow. Why do you pretend? Are you in a position that forces you to?”

“Everyone I deal with is so smart, sometimes I struggle to keep up. You're not making this any easy for me, Miss”

“The name is Ari.I'm a writer so that explains it.”

“I would have thought you of all people would hate stereotypes.”

“I do. But I gotta admit they are funny. What’s next? I’m a broke writer this close to being homeless but this close to creating a masterpiece.”

“Okay now that’s funny but it’s too much to take, even for you.”

“Of course, that’s the final boss of writer stereotypes.” she snuck in a chuckle.

“To answer your previous question, I'm an idol. A failed idol on a really long break.”

“An idol,huh? In that case, what brought someone like you out here in the frontlines, meeting with people like me? In other words, how did your career crumble??”

“I failed my solo debut so bad that I can’t possibly return to that stage.”

“So essentially you’re being avoidant. Well, in cases like this, running away after botching your debut is the smartest way to kill your career. Not lack of promotion, or fan reception.”

“When you think of healing someone's heart, what do you think about??”

“I break hearts not heal them but if I had to guess, I’ll say ‘resonating with them?’”

“Right. Perhaps that’s the problem. There’s simply nothing to say.”

“If the words are from the heart, then who cares?”

“You don't think that, do you?” she glanced at her cold, dark colored eyes.

“No, but that's probably something another person would have probably told you.”

“Jeez, thanks for ruining the moment.”

“I’m going to be honest when I say this. You’re definitely looking at it wrong. Who said you had to say something from the perspective of an idol?”

“You’re totally right Thanks for that. I’ve been rattling on about myself for a bit.”

“That's nothing.” she smiled.

Before her next words could be uttered, there was a diagonal slash from behind them that left holes in the ground. It caused public panic with those that were still present. The young girl was no where to be seen.

“You should see me when my Dad talks about Gesaku.”

“Great. You're trying to kill me. Who would have thought?” she rested on a tree directly opposite her, arms crossed.

“I hate cliches and stereotypes but I hate people like you even more.”

“But you just said. Ugh, forget it.”

“Nothing ever changes.That's why I don't wanna talk. I just wanna survive.”

“That's not all you want. We need to find that one thing you wish for.”

“Don't talk down to me.”

“You fool. I'm trying to save you.”

“Save me, hah? You don't know the first thing about me. Do you think I need redemption?”

“I don't need to.”

“That's naive.”

“I don't care. I'll save you, even without your consent.”

“Hahaha yeah you're cute.”

“Don't take this personally. For me to help you, I'll have to knock some sense into you first.”

Meanwhile, back at the alley, the two shared a lengthy exchange. Although, it would have been more accurate to call this an interrogation.

“Hahahaha” he covered his face while the man simply stared.

“Happy?”

“So let's get this straight. You did it with a lady and was killed in your sleep. When she tried to dispose of your body, you woke up and ran away. Dude, you're in deep shit. Won’t she find you?”

“She won’t.I've been laying low ever since then. My life is peaceful and boring, but you know what? I love it that way.” he was still on his knees. It would have been unfair to call this his true demeanor when all he did was act accordingly to a threat. A threat that was itching to take his life.

“Hmm.”

“What? What more do you need?”

“Well, where do you live?” he stared into his eyes. From the man’s perspective, the aura that leaked out was sealed back. ‘I’m safe for now’, he thought.

“I rented a small apartment here.”

“Recently?”

“Yeah.”

“We'll be joining my colleague. Follow me. If you don't, well…”

“I understand the position I'm in.”

“Bravo. You're the easiest person I've dealt with so far.”

“I don't know how to respond to that. Am I that pathetic?”

“Not really. You're just really good at reading the situation and responding to it. A pretty reasonable fellow if I’m being honest. But what was all that about?”

“If it’s about the violent lady,she’s no threat. That’s how she’s always been.

“Hmm. Can you sense that?”

“No.”

“Well, seems like they're going at it. Let's go watch.”

“I don't think that's a good idea. What if we get hit in the crossfire?”

“Don't worry about it. I'll shield you.”

From behind her, the ground was covered in a dark viscous matter that spawned multiple figures within. Two gigantic samurai, clad in armour appeared, raising their swords in unity.

"How were you able to?"

“I wasn’t. The question should be when did I? It was right before you teleported me away.I was simply stalling while my shadows arrived."

“I see.” she knew deep down it was way too good to be true. She couldn’t shake off the feeling of disappointment but surely, this was to be expected.

"Did they target anyone else?"

"I made sure they didn't."

"Commendable."

"Leave or you’re gonna get hurt.."

"I can’t."

She teleported behind her.

"And I don't need to." with a swift kick, she knocked the pen and paper off her hands, pushing her away. Before she could retrieve the paper, she was forced to teleport away. If not, her head would have been neatly disconnected.

"Argh." she ran to it while her creations guarded it, back to back.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Tch." she scribbled, her hands moving at inhuman speeds.

"Stop." she teleported in front of her but moved back instantly as her life was nearly sniffed out once again, this time via laser beams.

"The hell?" One by one, horned rabbits spawned from the ground, black with red jewels for eyes. They surrounded their maker like a wall and as soon as they screamed, laser beams spawned from multiple directions. It was so chaotic even the samurai got hit but were largely unaffected. Perhaps it was because they were all her creation. Tactically, the young girl was trapped.

“This is where I step in.”

He rubbed his hands together, forming a little circular space enveloping the both of them. It was a safe bubble where they could fight to their heart's content under his supreme supervision and away from the eyes of the public.

“Out of space already?” she pointed to the piece of paper, smirking.

“If that makes you feel safer.”

“This is a battle of speed” she thought. She hurriedly grabbed her blade on the ground, wiping off the dirt that stuck to it

"Looks like I'll be using this after all."

She sized up her opponents. Rationally speaking, she was outclassed. These creations offered a mix of offence and defence that she couldn't simultaneously

"Hah!!" she bent the hilt of her blade, it was bulky, with a tiny hole, it’s functionality was made clear..

Bang!!

She fired it off in quick succession. Her opponent was busy drawing while the samurai rushed in trying to stop the bullets.

"Bingo."

While one rushed to intercept, she struck it instantly, a swift hit from behind, it swung again and she dodged, this time, targeting it's head. With the nature of the armour, most weak points around the body were covered so aimlessly swinging was unwise and only invited danger. One clean sweep and it vanished.

“One more to go.”

"Shit. Ignore me. Go after her." As it sprinted towards her with a slash, she vanished in front of it’s maker, the rabbits mercilessly screamed, beams on display like it was a lightshow.

She tried to block the first with her sword but it melted and nearly penetrated her chest till she vanished.

"Got you." she was panting when the samurai threw his sword, the rabbits, pointed their beams. In under a single breath, she smirked. She appeared behind him, wrapping her legs around him and placing the hilt directly on its back.

“boom”

It vanished.

“Impressive.”

“I know. Can you stop now?”

“Now I'm pissed.” in front of her was her teammate, or an imitation of him. He was covered in ink.

“Haha. I'm screwed.”

He blew her away instantly, it was so fast she nearly hit the tree but due to whiplash she still felt intense pain. She tried getting up but simply couldn't. She was flung around like a toy.

“What happened? You previously had a spring in your step, now you can't even walk.”

“Clever of you to pit my teammate against me.”

“I wanted to use you but I'm sure defeating yourself wouldn't be a problem.”

“Yeah, you're right.” blood dripped from her nose and her head, thickening the front edges of her pink hair in red before dripping down.

“You’ve lost already…... I just need to be faster, right?” she dashed around. Speed immeasurable, from side to side, all angles were marked with her presence. Her legs flashed. She teleported as she dashed.

From in front, she attempted a quick jab which was just a decoy.

“Wrong.” she looked up, spotting Aiko. With the force of gravity, she teleported as she fell, nothing could stop her, not even the wind. For the wind never belonged in the hands of a cheap imitation.

With a heavy kick, she landed a hit to the back of her neck, instantly knocking her out.

“Wow.”

“Don't think of underestimating my partner. She's really strong..” He rushed over to the scene and caught her as she nearly passed out herself.

“So you were here all this time.”

“Yup. Had front row seats to my wonderful partner kicking ass. You were amazing.” as she leaned on him, he rubbed her shoulders. He felt like a proud father watching his kid ride a bicycle for the first time.

“If you were here, perhaps she was distracted by your presence.”

“Nonsense.Surely you don't think that.”

“And him?”

she glared. he sighed and raised his hands up in defeat

“I gave up long ago, dear.”

“Keep a close eye on him.”

“What did I even do?”

“She hates perverts, that's all.”

“What?”

“Why did you have to knock her out though? Now we need to actually wait for her to gain consciousness.” he turned to her.

“Or..”

“Shut it. She's got a wish deep in her heart that unfulfilled. You aren't laying a finger on her.”

“Jeez. I wasn't even thinking about that.” he whispered in her ear “More about job allocation. In most cases, it's a 24 hrs window right?”

“Case by case basis but standard allocated time is indeed 24 hours.”

“You. How do you know her?”

“It's a bit complicated.”

“That's why I'm asking. You didn’t get to answer the last time.”

“She was my childhood friend up to a certain point. That's all.”

“That's all? You liar. I can just ask her when she wakes up. Now we wait.”

{

thump thump

Bam

I should have been a bit more careful with the door. Mother didn’t like the sound of slammed doors.

As soon as I locked the front door, I threw my coat on the hook, hoping it landed.

I flung my shoes and dropped my bag in the corridor.

I stepped on a toy and felt a sharp sting but bounced off the pain and raced to the living room.

None of it mattered. Mommy said she will be home early today. That means..

“Oh, Megumi, you're back.”

Nothing??

“Yes, Mom??” my cheeks were unusually soft, awaiting the sweet kiss of surprise that kept me up all night.

“Why did you leave your bag out? I told you to stop that.”

“…..”

“Megumi? I’m talking to you.”

“I'm sorry. I was in a hurry.”

“Hmm?”

“I'll go pick it up. Where's Dad?”

“That idiot is asleep. Probably got drunk.”

Stupid liar.

“Okay.”

“Go wash up. Dinner is ready.”

“Okay.”

It's just 6pm, the surprise was coming. Daddy slept off so he must have forgotten. He had something planned. He always did. On the dining table, I finally confronted my Mother. Back then, it was scarier than facing monsters I thought were hidden under my bed.

“Mom.”

“Huh?”

“Today is my birthday.”

“Really? Happy birthday.”

I bit my lips, holding my breath.

“I know things are hard for you and Daddy so I wasn't expecting much…”

“What’s with the look?”

“But I wanted you to at least remember it.”

“Why should I? Why should I remember the birthday of a liar?”

“Mommy”

“You’ve eaten right? Leave your dishes and go to bed. I’ll sort them.”

“I’ll do it. You need to catch some sleep for work tomorrow.”

“Who said I’m tired?”

“…”

“Off to bed.Now.”

What did I expect? Mother has been acting strange recently. Why did I think my birthday was so sacred it was going to be an exception. Whether it was simply arrogance or naivety. I was a fool. Just like her.

Dinner was good, as always. I didn't realize mood could influence flavour but here we are.

  By the time I woke up, my puffy eyes were greeted by the sounds of screaming.

“What’s wrong with you? I spent time getting the decorations done and you took them all down.”

“Where did you get the money for all that?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“One that needs answering. Last time I remembered, you’re jobless.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Where are you off to? Come back. I’m still talking to you.”

She pulled him by the shoulders.

“I’m really not in the mood for this. Those things cost money. Wait. You even threw out the cake. Are you serious?”

“I asked you beforehand to leave her be. How on earth is she supposed to improve her grades?”

“And this is the way to do it?”

“She’s my daughter. I’ll use whatever methods I deem most suitable.”

“She’s my daughter too.”

“I will repeat myself since you didn’t hear me. Where did you get the money for the decorations?”

Sigh

“What do you think?”

“I’m here working my butt off while my lazy husband spends all my money on useless things.”

“What are you even talking about? We did this every year.”

“You know, this is all your fault. You spend the most time with her because that is all you can realistically do and her grades have taken a nose dive ever since.”

“Yes. It’s my fault you’re behaving more like a tyrant than a mother.”

Whack!

“Don’t you dare insult me for your incompetence. If I had the chance to stay home with her, she’ll be doing way better. But guess why that’s not possible? Just guess. Do you need to be reminded every single day? So pathetic”

“You..”

“Daddy, please stop.”

“Megumi.”

“Mummy threw out the cake and removed the designs because you got it wrong. Today was never my birthday. You already missed it, so let’s go return those decorations.”

“Come here, darling. Don’t cry.” He grabbed both me and the decor bag.

“We should be able to get something from this. What would you like to get?”

“I want mocchi.”

“Okay. Let’s go find some.”

“Where are you taking her at this time?”

“You just heard. We’re going for some mocchi and ice cream. That’ll do.”

He walked away while she desperately grabbed me.

“Don’t touch my daughter.”

“You should be ashamed.”

“Come back here!!”

}

gasp

“Did you have a nightmare?” aiko softly spoke, her laps served as a good enough pillow.

“What are you doing?”

“You've been out for like an hour or so. Also, you’re crying.”

“Shut up.” she wiped them off like a snotty nose.

“Look at you, just standing there like an idiot. You know they’re going to kill you, right?”

“And what about it? That's what I wanted.”

“Huh…”

“I'd also be confused if I were you.”

“What did I tell you about…”

“Shut it. I beat you so I can trash talk all I want.” her tonal shift came as a surprise to not only her, but everyone there.

“She's really feisty today. I also need to get fired up.”

“Okay. Hansha, we're at a deadlock. What do you mean you wish to die? That's nonsense.”

“The truth is, I lied.”

“Shocker. You gotta fess up already. My patience is growing thin.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn't killed by my fiancee. I decided to commit double suicide with her. We came to Japan after exploring the rest of the world.”

“You chose to enter the country knowing you physically couldn't leave??”

“We wanted our final destination to be Tokyo, where I grew up.”

“You’re…”

“Scum? A selfish piece of shit? I know. We both died, I'm absolutely certain. Everything after I woke up is foggy. My memory is a huge mess. The only thing I remember is somehow landing at the front entrance of my ex chaffeur's house.”

“Fucking great. What about you, miss?”

“I remember everything. I got hit by a car.. and got up. Ever since then, I've been living my life same as usual. I’m your average washed up writer turned children’s book storyteller.”

“I'm glad to hear that. Your life has been pretty normal. I can tell my partner is already sick of the both of you. Anyway, what's your wish?? Think long and hard about this.”

“My wish. I think I've got one.”

“That didn’t take long at all.”

“Before I died, there was only one thing I could think about. My mind’s eye spotted something. Clear as day. That was my Mother. If there’s anything tying me to this world, it’s her.”

“What will you do if you see her?”

“I'll make sure she leaves this world before I do.”

“I just had the feeling you would say that.” he appreciated her honesty. A bold move, indeed.

“I mean I considered lying but if it’s something I wouldn’t fall for, I doubt you would.”

“As for you. We've established your wish is not death. Perhaps it is but the circumstance behind it?”

“I don’t know about that. I’ll very much prefer suicide.”

“Then it's not that either.” he rubbed his face.

“What was the last thing you thought about?” she cut in.

“It was you..”

“Ehhhh???”

“Well, to clarify. Not just you. When you die you see your life flash before your eyes, you see memories from the past. I thought about my grandpa, my partner and you. I absolutely hate you though.”

“I hate you too. I hate you so much if I were stuck in a school full of monsters and you were the only human I still wouldn't get together with you. I'll rather fuck a dog.”

“What's going on?”

“I don't know. You can’t necessarily call it a lover’s quarell.”

“We are not lovers.”

“Absolutely not. Don't make me throw up.”

Aiko stepped on his toe as he stared at her, smirking.

“In anycase, this is quite easy. So she wants to kill her mom. You want to.. I don't know what with her. But you two have some business to take care of.”

“You're both in denial. Okay. Why do you hate each other. Let's start from there.”

….………………….

“It seems they're not used to talking to younger people about stuff like this. Let’s give them some space.”

“Aiko, you're way too soft but fine. If you trust them that much, we'll give them a bit of time. Don't run away.” he gestured to the exit.

“We won't even think of it.”

As soon as they both sat on the bench, she laid out a few plans for an escape but was shut down instantly.

“Wait. Don't bother. The only reason you escaped last time was because they let you.”

“Or they didn't want us together.”

“You say that like we can do something. The both of us can't take on either of them.”

“Okay, then what's your plan?”

“Let's just talk. You can do that much at least? “

“Fine.”

“You can ask me anything you want.”

“I know you hate me but if the thought of killing me ever crossed your mind, I'm afraid I can't help you.” she straightened her messed up hair in an act of boredom.

“That's not a question. Why must you make everything so difficult? Wanna know why I hate you? That's why. You see kindness as evil because you are evil.”

“Can't argue with that.”

“It's been more than a decade but back then, I was madly in love with you. Did I do anything wrong?”

“Yes.”

“And what was that?”

“You ruined my family.” she stopped and stared at him. Her cold expression only confused him, angering him further.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Nevermind. Even if you were not there, it would have been someone else.” she turned away but he pulled her towards him.

“You talk in riddles all the time. How do you expect other people to understand you?”

“Maybe I don't want other people to understand me.” she rejected his gaze.

“You do. You want people to understand you. You want people to help you. You want people to feel sorry for you.”

Whack!

“Haha. You do that anytime you can't stomach the words coming out of another person's mouth.

I should have known just from that. You're fucking crazy.”

“What were you expecting me to say. 'That's our Hansha for you. So thoughtful. He knows everything about me'. Keep dreaming, you pervert.”

“I know because I tried..... so fucking hard. I skipped classes for you when you had one of those days. I didn't give up the track team 'to focus on my studies'. I left so that I could spend more time with you. I didn't ask for anything in return. I just wanted to be loved in return. That's all I asked for. Yet, you..”

“Do you wanna know why I did it?” she grinned mischievously.

“..…”

“Is that a yes I hear? I did it because even if it would crush me, it will crush you. I tried my very best to taint a star and I succeeded. I had all that power and used it for my personal gain. Perhaps the only version of you I could truly love was the one I thought would be as miserable as me. By me, another person. It didn't really matter.”

“Can I hit you?”

“Go for it. But I know you won't.”

“...”

“Forget that. What questions do you have for me?”

“Do you really wanna kill your mother?”

“Of course.”

“You aren't coming back from that.”

“You killed your fiancee. You shouldn't be talking.”

“You're right. Even if it's a case of right message wrong messenger, what I'm saying is still right.”

Tch.

“Bastard. Even now.”

“It's a neutral observation.”

“Right. Right. So what do we do?”

“Like hell I know.”

“If I was informed ahead, maybe I'd have finished my book.”

“Think of it like this. By dying, we are saving people.”

“Like I give a shit. We've finally had our own heart to heart. Conclusion: Megumi is a piece of shit. What else do you need from me? You don't love me but from the looks of it, you don't hate me either.”

“I just said I..”

“I don't care about what you said.”

“I think I have a wish. I want to see your face without all that make up.”

“At this point, you're asking for it.”

“What are you gonna do? Hit me again? Or drug me again?”

“You won't let that go, huh?”

“Of course not. You understand that's illegal right?”

“I wasn't going to do anything to you.” 

"Yeah, sure.”

“Don't look at me like that. It’s just stealing.”

“Get a job.”

“I have one.”

“Well, it's clearly not paying the bills, is it?”

“It’s not enough. I’ll rather take from rich pricks like you than ask for a raise.” she glared at him, like she was staring at pure filth.

“This won’t do. I think I have another idea.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Let's do it.”

“..…”

“..…”

“Okay.”