Water and Blood

Kasumi’s head shoots up at the creaking of the door. She looks over, half-excited to see Momo, half-dreading to see the Metropolitan, but to her surprise, a third option greets her.

“Oh, it’s you,” she scoffs, dropping her eyes back to her phone.

“Nice to see you too, Ozaki-san,” Ichigo says, letting the door close behind him. The tension in the air thickens as he crosses to the rack and retrieves his shoes.

“Come on, just leave,” Kasumi urges, willing him to walk out the door. But to her dismay, he remains stubbornly in place.

“Where’s Momo?” he asks, glancing at her.

“Bathroom,” Kasumi says, not looking up from her phone.

“Make sure you mention it was in the church,” he says, and Kasumi’s brow creases in anger and confusion.

“Huh?” Kasumi says, flicking her eyes up at him.

“If you go to confession for lying,” he explains, eyes as calm as his words are antagonistic. “Make sure you mention it was in the church. Wouldn’t want your salvation to be at risk.”

“I’m not lying,” Kasumi declares, thumbs smudging her phone screen. “She just went to the bathroom.”

“If that were true, then you’d be there with her,” he states matter-of-factly. Kasumi stills her thumbs, pausing to come up with a response.

“It’s true I’d normally go with her…” Kasumi ponders. “How do I explain it in a way that keeps the Maidens a secret and also doesn’t embarrass Momo?” Kasumi ponders until Ichigo sighs and breaks her train of thought.

“It’s fine. Don’t tell me,” he laments, turning toward the door. “I just wanted to exchange happy birthdays since we won’t see each other again till after it’s passed.” The heavy church door handle creaks and groans in his hand as he looks down at the phone in Kasumi’s grip. “Must be nice to be able to see her every day,” he shoots, pausing for a moment.

“Yeah, it really is,” Kasumi thinks, lips curling into a smirk that’s anything but pleasant. She’s just about to say it when he continues.

“Well, I can’t hang around all night. I’ll see you in a few weeks,” he says, opening the door.

“Oh, you’re going on a trip as well?” Kasumi asks, hopeful that avoiding him will soften the blow of Momo’s absence.

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Ichigo says, crushing her hopes. “It’s just that we won’t see each other since you won’t be here.”

“Huh?” Kasumi groans, eyes narrowing at the perceived threat. “What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, nothing sinister,” Ichigo says, ready to take out his discontent on Kasumi. “Just that you won’t come since you know Momo won’t be here.”

“Are you suggesting I only come to be close to Momo?” Kasumi demands, jaw clenched.

“Oh, no,” Ichigo says, waving a hand. “Calling it a suggestion would imply it’s just an idea I had. Rather, I’m stating it as a fact, because that’s exactly what you do.”

“What!” Kasumi demands, jumping to her feet and stomping to the edge of the wooden floor. “How dare you!”

“Ohh, so this is how Jesus and the Apostles felt when others got mad when they spoke the truth,” Ichigo taunts, looking up toward the sky. “Where shall I spread the truth next, now that I’ve conversed with the most violent and ill-tempered of His lost children?”

“That’s it!” Kasumi screams, throwing down her shoes and shoving her feet into them as she lunges after Ichigo. She scrounges up what little humidity there is and intends to cover his eyes as she charges. Her head feels light as she gathers it; her stance wobbles, whether from anger or spiritual strain, she doesn’t know. Just as it reaches a critical point, a voice calms her.

“What’s it?” Momo calls, her voice familiar and comforting. Pressure builds in her face as she struggles to suppress the sinister grin trying to erupt. Momo steps beside Kasumi at the edge of the wood floor, a tired look on her face.

“Oh, Momo, perfect timing. I was hoping to speak with you before heading out,” Ichigo says, changing tones as easily as he changes his face.

“Onii-chan, don’t tell me you two were fighting again,” Momo sighs, her face growing more tired by the second.

“Oh, I wouldn’t call it that,” he says, as a wet breeze flows through the still-open door. “We know our fighting stresses you out, so we wouldn’t do that right before you leave, right, Ozaki-san?” Kasumi doesn’t answer. She remains quiet, and Momo turns to look at her.

“Kasumi,” Momo gasps, seeing the state she’s in.

Water flows from Kasumi’s eyes, but they aren’t tears. Using her powers, she draws humidity and forces condensation onto her eyes. The water builds until it finally spills down her cheeks. The ingenious display shocks Momo and Ichigo alike; they stare wide-eyed for a moment before Momo springs into action, grabbing her handkerchief.

“Hey, it’s okay,” she consoles, wiping away the “tears.” “What did he say to you?” she asks, as Kasumi remains silent. Teeth clenched, and fearful that if she stops for even a moment, laughter will burst from her and ruin the illusion. As she runs out of humidity, the crocodile tears stop, and Momo’s attention snaps to Ichigo. Her eyes are enough to make Ichigo cower as Momo steps toward him.

“Sorry, Kasumi, but would you allow me a private word with my brother?” Momo asks, with a paper-thin smile. Kasumi nods, and the two step outside. The instant the door opens, Momo erupts into a torrent of shouting. Despite the thick frame, her voice is hardly muffled. Even as the volume dies down, her words come so fast that Kasumi can’t make out one from another, even if she were listening.

Kasumi is far too preoccupied with her nosebleed to focus on anything else. Thick red blood gushes like a river from her nose, blocking any air from passing through. Even as she tries to breathe, snotty, coagulating blood catches in her throat and makes her gag. She rushes to the bathroom and rinses her face with water. Despite the sink running full blast, her blood turns the stream orange as it flows down the drain. Blood slides from her nose and down her throat, splattering on the sink and mirror as she coughs and gags. When the flow finally slows, she’s gasping for air. She grips the sink for dear life; her heavy head and blurry vision threatening to send her falling back.

When she finally feels steady enough to walk, she takes paper towels and wipes up the blood she’s trailed on the floor. The mess cleans easily, and she throws away the last scraps just as Momo returns inside. Momo’s cheeks are redder than the discarded tissues, with faint tear lines left behind.

“Are you ready to go?” Momo asks, voice cracked, ending in a cough. Kasumi nods, no more inclined to speak through her lightheadedness.

Ichigo is nowhere to be seen as they exit the gate and begin walking down the street. The pair walks in silence side by side, with only the tapping of footsteps between them. Kasumi struggles to keep her breathing under control. She’s so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that she has no idea what look Momo is giving her.

Momo’s eyes shine with longing, as if she’s desperate to ask something but can’t bring her lips to form the words. When she finally speaks, her voice is still hoarse, like dragging nails on a chalkboard.

“Well, I’m going this way,” she says. The words snap Kasumi back to reality. She only recalls them walking for a moment, but they are already at the corner where their paths split.

“S-see you tomorrow,” Kasumi says, waving as she turns.

“Kasumi!” Momo calls, stopping her in her tracks. Kasumi turns. Momo has a hand half-stretched out, as if she meant to grab Kasumi but stopped herself.

“Yes?” Kasumi asks, unsure how to read her expression.

“S-see you tomorrow,” Momo finally says, lowering her hand and watching as Kasumi walks away.

“There’s no way it’s true,” Momo tells herself, in a voice so small her guardian can hardly hear it. “It can’t be true.” And only then does she take a step onto her own path home.