Changes

Reo stood patiently, waiting for Harry at the end of the security checkpoint, arms at his side, suit crisp, tie straight, glasses polished, looking somehow stiff and relaxed at the same moment. His friend was easy to spot as he towered over Japanese businessmen and his voice boomed over the polite crowd, each “Excuse me,” and “Sorry, my bad,” carrying over the gentle din of the airport. Finally the two stood before each other once more. Harry dropped his backpack with a echoing thud on the floor, crossing his arms and eyeing Reo with a boyish glint of mischief.

“The hell were you thinking growing crap on your face?” Harry asked, pointing to the goatee on Reo’s chin. Reo smiled. Of course the first face to face words coming out of Harry’s mouth in eight years would be insulting his facial hair.

“Hinata likes it,” Reo said, stroking it gently.

“Tell Hinata I’m gonna kick her ass for mutilating you,” Harry said sternly. Both of them stood there, letting the moment sit briefly before Reo went in for a handshake. Harry, however, had a much different idea, grabbing Reo in a full blown hug and lifting him off the ground, happily booming out laughter as his arms crushed his friend. Reo’s face scrunched in discomfort, trying to get the words out to the giant ape to put him down before his lungs collapsed. When Harry did let go Reo dropped to the ground quietly, taking a brief gasp of air and adjusting his tie.

“So how’s life since I last called? How’s Hinata’s heart doing?” Harry asked as they began to make their way through the crowd. Reo’s stride hitched for a moment, and his response came a beat later than usual. A normal man wouldn’t have noticed it. Harry, the man who fought demons with him nearly a decade earlier, did.

“Good,” Reo said, his pace picking up again, going slightly faster now.

Harry's eyebrow arched sharply. Reo wasn’t one to hide things from him. If Hinata had died he would have told him. If she was doing worse he would have confessed. If she got a baboon heart and she was completely cured he would have paid for plane tickets so Harry could fly back and celebrate. But the tiny bastard had given him a “good” with a silent yet screaming “but” after it.

“Good good, or natto good?” Harry asked, hoping for a smile. He received none.

Reo sighed, adjusting his glasses the way he always did. “Good means good,” he said, then he gave Harry a slight smile, one which said to drop it. Harry shrugged, knowing he would be seeing Hinata soon anyways. If there was something weird going on with her, he’d learn about it soon enough. Maybe she grew up and got tattoos all over her body? Maybe she got secretly married and Reo knew Harry would be pissed about not being invited? Harry loved excuses to drink, after all.

“Fine,” Harry said, letting the subject drop.

“How long are you here for?” Reo asked.

“Until I know why Gouki wants this,” Harry said, patting the side of his backpack. The book felt like a nuclear weight back there, hot and heavy with secrets. Harry didn’t want to think about it, though. He only wanted to revel in being with old friends, at least for a little bit.

“Gouki Kageyama,” Reo said grimly.

“God damn,” Harry said with a nod. A look passed between them, a bizarre look of fear and happiness at the thought of staring down a mob boss together. It was the way their unique friendship had started, surrounded by supernatural criminals, so it only felt natural to want to leap into the fray once again.

“Feels…” Reo started to say, looking for the right words.

“Like normal?” Harry asked. Reo nodded, sticking his fist out. Harry busted his knuckles against Reo’s, another slight laugh escaping his throat. “So, how’s exorcising?”

“Japan is one of the powerhouses of global exorcism. The ranking system the UN has constantly has me high,” Reo said, more than a bit of pride sneaking into his voice. Harry rolled his eyes, hating the stupid online board which ranked them like superheroes. It was a feature they had implemented to provide a PR boost for the global exorcist community as the world grew weary of constant demon attacks. Some exorcists even had action figures and posters. He did notice, though, how people in the crowd looked at Reo. Several men and women seemed to notice him, and he saw a few kids waving at him. Reo returned the waves, and Harry suppressed a laugh. He tried to avoid the spotlight when he could. Reo, the tokusatsu fiend, of course reveled in it.

“I’ve noticed. Girls all over you?” Harry asked.

“No,” Reo said flatly.

“Guys?” Harry asked.

“I’ll stab you in the eyes,” Reo said. Harry held up his hands, casual and friendly.

“Okay, fine. Celibate as always. I’m only saying, one of the advantages of being an exorcist is the girls, Reo,” Harry said.

“Noted,” Reo said, slightly shaking his head.

“Hey, how are you guys dealing with normalizers?” Harry asked. The door was in sight, sunlight spilling in, the city of Tokyo within his grasp again. Harry was starting to feel like he had back then, like no time had passed.

“With the who?” Reo asked, though in his gut he had a sinking feeling he knew what Harry was talking about. The tone of his voice, the contempt which tinged the phrase. Reo didn’t know if Harry heard it himself.

“Civilians who accept demons…” Harry said as the doors opened. The sun was bright, hot and beating down on their faces. Tokyo smelled exactly as he remembered, felt like it had. Like he had never left.

And then he saw Hinata.

She had changed. Eight years would change a fifteen year old girl. Now she was in her twenties, her eyes more full of life than he had ever seen. She was dressed professionally, like Reo, standing straight but nowhere near as stiff as her big brother. Her gaze fell to Harry, the shock on his face, the emotion she couldn’t place. She gave him a small, sad smile.

“We give them jobs. We use them. Hinata’s my partner. She’s a…” Reo started to say. He placed a protective arm around his sister.

Harry wasn’t looking at Reo, though.

He was looking at the two fox tails coming from Hinata’s back.

He was looking at the fox ears on the side of her head.

He was looking at the highly manicured claws jutting from the ends of her fingers.

He was looking at her eyes. Intent. Intelligent. The eyes of his dear friend. The eyes of a fox spirit.

He was looking at the red arm band the U.N. provided for her to let the rest of Tokyo know Hinata, his Hinata, the girl who had fallen asleep on him when her illness had been too much, wasn’t dangerous.

“A normalizer,” Harry said, finishing Reo’s statement. His friend nodded, not swaying from his gaze.

“Yeah,” Reo said. His grip on his sister tightened.

For the first time in a long time, Harry Vickers had no idea what to do.