XLIII

“Ah, I see you still live,” The voice near her bed said brightly as Sachi’s eyelids fluttered open.

“Wh-what happened?” Sachi croaked.

“You ran off the road. Cops were saying you were drunk until the blood tests came back. They figured you just fell asleep.” Sachi turned her head gingerly to the right to see Mirai sitting on a chair by the bed leaning forward earnestly which belied the anxiety she tried to hide with her nonchalant words.

“Akari!” Sachi exclaimed, shooting upright suddenly, nearly ripping the IVs out of her arm. “She’s in trouble!” Mirai put a hand reassuringly on the cast on her arm and tried to ease her back into a laying position.

“It’s ok, I’ve got Ness on the way to the address we gave you right now,” Mirai soothed. “You were just in a serious accident, Sacchan, you need to rest. The doctor said the only reason you’re alive is you smacked your head first and passed out so the roof didn’t crush you. I told him your head’s far too hard to ever be seriously injured. You’re welcome for that, by the way. I stuck up for you.”

“That was n-“ Sachi wheezed before her throat became too dry to talk. She looked around for a glass of water before finally settling on Mirai’s coffee cup.

“Nah, help yourself,” Mirai chuckled as Sachi grabbed her coffee and drank it. “Good thing it’s lukewarm.”

“That was no fucking accident,” Sachi managed, her throat finally cooperating. “That bitch tried to kill me!”

“I’m sorry, Sachi,” Mirai muttered, looking for a brief moment like she was going to cry. In the four years she’d known Mirai never once had she seen her cry. The quivering of her lip came as a shock.

“For what?” Sachi asked in confusion.

“I never should have let you go by yourself,” Mirai managed, successfully fighting off the tears.

“Let me?” Sachi cocked an eyebrow quizzically. “No one ‘lets’ me do anything. You said yourself my head was too hard to be damaged. I do it because I want to and will not be stopped!”

“You’re a force of nature, Sacchan,” Mirai smiled, the threat of tears fading, leaving Sachi somehow disappointed. “Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you.” Sachi felt her blood run cold.

“What?” Sachi said suspiciously. She honestly didn’t know whether she could handle any more bad news.

“You’ll never dance again,” Mirai whispered sadly. Sachi felt her heart stop and her breath catch in her throat.

“What?” Sachi finally managed.

“Nah, I’m fucking with you,” Mirai said with a smile.

“You fucking bitch!” Sachi snapped, smacking Mirai’s arm with her cast and nearly knocking the smaller girl off her chair.

“Ow! Shit! What the fuck, Sachi? That hurt,” Mirai muttered with a smile, rubbing her arm.

“Don’t joke about that shit, I thought I was paralyzed,” Sachi snarled.

“You were halfway out of the bed with like eight broken bones, Sachi, how the hell would you be paralyzed?” Mirai asked with a grin.

“I have to get to Akari, not to mention I’m going to brain that Amanda bitch with my cast. She fucked with the wrong girl. After that, I’m killing Hiroto out of principal,” Sachi snarled.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about Hiroto, you won’t be seeing him anymore,” Mirai said breezily, getting up to get better leverage to push Sachi back onto the bed. “I fired him this morning.”

“What?” Sachi blinked at her.

“Oh, well, I was looking for a new investment here in Japan so I bought out your management company and put my own girl in place. She speaks glowingly of you, by the way,” Mirai replied.

“Your girl?” Sachi was confused.

“Yeah, Hana,” Mirai replied. “She was my waif on the inside, as it were. She’ll be your new manager. The rest will have to find gainful employment elsewhere, I’m afraid. I felt it best to clean house and start fresh. New blood, new ideas, stuff like that.”

“You bought our management…” Sachi trailed off. “Well, I want a fucking raise.”

“Oh my God, Sachi!” Mari and Yukiko said as one as they hurried into the room. “We’re so glad you’re not dead!”

“Yeah, Mari was going to go through your stuff but I talked her out of it at the last minute,” Yukiko grinned.

“We had sex in your living room instead,” Mari giggled.

“What in the actual fuck is wrong with you two?” Sachi grinned, hugging them as best as she was able as they folded her in their arms. “But seriously,” Sachi said as they pulled back, tears in their eyes. “If you fucked on my floor again I’ll hurt you both after I stab my mind’s eye out.”

“No love for your little sister, Sacchan?” Koemi asked from the door. Sachi held her arms open and Koemi hugged her close. “Your car’s jacked, by the way.”

“Thanks, Koemi, I can always count on you to point out the obvious,” Sachi grinned. “But now we have to get down to business. I need to get the fuck out of here and find Akari and smack down on that Amanda bitch.”