Dating Yourself

Braith turned the slim black card over in his hand as the taxi wove through the convoluted streets of Tokyo. Yumie sat pressed against him in the back seat, refusing to let go of his arm. She didn’t like the car - it made her uneasy, moving without her legs, with nothing her blind eyes could interpret as proof of motion. Not that Braith was complaining. Having a frankly immaculate girl clinging to him - fox ears, tail and all - wasn’t exactly the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

Her tail was curled neatly around her legs as he flipped the card again. The kanji printed on the front were stark and simple: Mahotona Organization. That was all. Yet one glance at it had shut the driver up instantly. He’d stopped asking questions, stopped giving them strange looks, and hadn’t spared Yumie a second glance. Whether it was fear or respect, Braith couldn’t tell - but he wasn’t complaining.

He slipped the card into his pocket and glanced out the window. Powerlines sagged lazily overhead. Tall apartments crowded together like they were trying to compete for space. Between them, clusters of cute cafés and shops filled the streets. The taxi slowed at a red light.

Yumie leaned closer, her breath brushing his ear.

“What can you see?”

He blinked, suddenly remembering that she was navigating an entirely new world in darkness.

“There are lots of tall apartment buildings,” he whispered back. “Uh… do you know what an apartment is?”

She nodded.

“There are cars and vans everywhere. A few cute cafés, bakeries, little corner shops…”
He glanced up. “And the sky’s clear. No clouds. It’s really bright.”

She nodded again, then whispered, almost shyly:

“Colours?”

He stared at her.

“You… know what colours look like?”

She smiled.

“I think I know everything you do.”

His breath hitched.

“Everything?”

She shook her head.

“No. Only knowledge. Facts, concepts…” She tilted her head. “Why? Is there some memory you don’t want me to know about?”

He let out a nervous laugh.
“No…”

Her grin widened, exaggerated but adorably earnest.

“Well, one day I’ll know everything.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Because?”

She smiled slyly.
“Because you’ll eventually run out of things to tell me, seeing as we’re going to spend your whole life together.”

Heat rushed to his face. Thank goodness she couldn’t see that.
But part of him wished she could.

“You’re really set on that, aren’t you?” he murmured.

“I don’t have much choice,” she said lightly. “Besides, you seem like you’ll treat me well.”

She squeezed his arm, tail flicking.

“Now I just need to love you, and then we’ll be all set.”

He choked on air.
“How do you even do that?”

She rested her head on his shoulder.

“I’m trying to now. Is it working?”

His heart stuttered.

“Oh, you meant showing affection, not… finding a reason to love someone.”

Her smile softened as she tilted her face up toward him. Her tail had relaxed completely, freely swaying instead of wrapped around her legs.

“Was I not clear?” she teased. “Well, now you know. At least I can tell it’s working.”

Embarrassment surged through him, but his mind was spinning ahead.

“How… how did you fall in love already? With me, of all people?”

She shrugged, ears flicking as if she were glancing up at him - just slightly off-target.

“It wasn’t that hard.”

His chest tightened. “What do you mean?”

She lifted a hand toward him.

“You’ve done nothing but look after me,” she said simply. “Of course I would fall for you.”

He had absolutely no idea how to respond.

“W-well, I’m not against it, but-”

She rested her head on him again, as though that settled the matter.

“Then don’t complain. Instead, go out with me.”

He froze. Everything was moving too fast to process.

“G-g-go out with you-?”

She giggled.
“Was that clear enough for you?”

“N-no, I mean… is that even legal? Being in a relationship with a Mahotona?”

She raised an eyebrow, somehow nailing the gesture despite having no idea how it looked.

“Are people here allowed to marry animals?”

He coughed. “N-No, definitely not.”

“Good,” she said cheerfully. “Because I’m not an animal.”

“But you’re… a part of me. An extension…”

She shrugged.
“Maybe that’s why I love you so much.”

Braith winced at that - not the most comforting reasoning for someone who didn’t even like himself. He tried to recover.

“You’re changing the subject.”

“I think of myself as my own person,” she said casually. “Besides…”

She reached for the hem of the oversized sweater doing its best to keep her decent.

“Is this not proof enough that I’m someone else?”

He nearly choked, grabbing her hand before she could flash the entire taxi.

“Okay, okay, you’ve made your point.”

She grinned triumphantly and reclaimed his arm.

“Then what do you say?”

His heartbeat thundered.
But the answer had been in him from the moment she’d first spoken - lonely as he was.

“Absolutely.”

She giggled, pleased.

“I knew you’d say that.”

She settled her head back onto his shoulder. Braith swore his chest might burst - not from fear, but from something warm and terrifyingly wonderful.

He forced himself to think it clearly, just to make it real:

He was now dating a beautiful fox girl.
One who knew everything he did.
One who would die when he died.
One who literally couldn’t leave him, who needed to cling to him, who would stay by his side forever.

Whether it was luck or a miracle, he didn’t know. But he silently vowed that when he met whoever had granted him this gift, he’d thank them properly.

Because Yumie might just be the best thing to ever happen to him.

The taxi pulled away without the driver so much as glancing back at the pair he’d dropped off. Braith watched the car vanish into the stream of evening traffic, then checked his watch. Sunset was creeping in, and the weight of the day finally hit him like a freight train.

An eleven-hour flight.
A Mahotona who’d manifested as a cute, blind fox-girl.
A shootout in the airport.
A girlfriend.
All in the same day.

Not exactly the smooth immigration experience he’d imagined.

Yumie remained latched onto his arm as he turned to face the building. A small café occupied the street level, lively and warm, its scent of coffee drifting toward them. Above it, the rest of the structure stretched nine stories high. Beside the café sat an unmarked black door - almost hidden behind a poorly placed vending machine. But the address on Saeki’s note matched perfectly.

Braith approached the door with Yumie following closely, her tail swaying behind her in soft, unconscious arcs. Thankfully, the street was quiet. No one was close enough - or paying enough attention - to notice her.

He hesitated, debating whether to knock, then simply pushed the door open.

A bare hallway greeted them, lit by a single humming fluorescent bulb. A narrow staircase rose directly ahead. Braith guided Yumie carefully, helping her place each foot as they climbed. The air smelled faintly of dust and old paper.

At the top was another door. He pushed it open into what looked like a small foyer. A man sat behind an unremarkable front desk, typing on an equally unremarkable computer. He looked up as they entered.

“Can I help you?”

For a moment Braith blanked, his mind still fogged with exhaustion. But he forced himself to speak before the silence stretched on.

“I… We were told to come here. By Nagata.”

The man’s expression tightened.

“Nagata? I don’t know anyone by that name. Why did they send you here?”

Braith lifted a shaky hand toward Yumie’s fox ears, unsure if they’d been given the wrong address. But the man’s eyes widened the moment he followed the gesture.

“Oh. I see.” His voice shifted instantly, polite and alert. “Good.”

He stood from his seat.

“Follow me. There are quite a few people who’ll want to meet you.”

He stepped around the desk, gesturing them forward with a respectful nod - as though Braith had suddenly become someone important simply by walking through the door.