Daydream

It had been 2 days now since the incident in the alleyway.

Sprawled out across his couch, Xion Mizuno had been nonchalantly tossing the Red Coin upwards towards the ceiling. Though it was tossed lazily, he still concentrated enough to keep it from touching the roof, whilst also being sure to catch it and preventing the coin from planting atop his face. The virtual hologram television set up across the wall was now displaying information about popular Mother’s Day gifts. Additionally it also talked about a new product called Insomnigone, pledging to grant the user up to 14 guaranteed hours of sleep.

It seemed being at the wrong place at the wrong time had caused a domino collapse of unfortunate events. On one hand, if Kazue and Xion weren’t there to distract his former boss, there’s a chance Saeko would have never been given the means to help her mother, who had been doing better as indicated by text this morning, and she herself may have been harmed. On the other hand, without the immediate medical supply, if experimental, Kazue’s mother had no chance, along with Xion’s own sleeping mother who may meet the same fate any day. Of course the arguments could go either way. It wasn't Xion’s fault, but in his eyes, if he hadn’t been there…

Thonk. Something had whacked the back of his head, resulting in the coin nearly falling atop him as it was deflected to the ground by his hands.

“You’re thinking too much again, aren’t you, Xion?” his mother’s comforting voice came from a little ways behind him. On the ground next to him was a roll of newspaper, which was in fact still sold nowadays. While his mother was bed ridden, her condition had still luckily allowed her usage of her hands. Unlucky for Xion however, this meant she could still throw things.
“Even if I say no you won’t believe me,” Xion pleaded. He resumed tossing the coin a few more times before stopping to turn and see his frowning mother. “Yes, I was.”
“When your father passed, I thought each day for an entire year about the ways I could’ve prevented it. Pretending to be sick, surprising him with a vacation. I could keep you here for hours rambling about the excuses, so the point I want to make is that those are simply just still excuses. You have no control over life aside from the choices you make, and even then you still might not know what might happen afterwards. But what we do know is our heart’s values in life. It’s what makes us a Mizuno.”
“You’ve been watching way too many fantasy tales mom” Xion laughed. Her words had touched him deeply, though he had no better way to respond than laughter.

“Reading them actually. You’re lucky I don’t still have yesterday’s news nearby or else I’d throw that too.”
“When you’re all better again we should go out and play ball. With that kind of aim-” he paused as his mother had begun to cough. It was a usual occurrence that only time would resolve. After she’d finally recovered, and had taken a sip of water, she finally replied back.
“Go out and have some fun. It’s what your father and I would do when times were tough.”
Xion couldn’t say no to her smile, or else she would throw the hologram television remote at him. So instead he hugged her tight, and thanked her for talking him out of a terrible daydream. He shut the door, and with the Red Coin in his pocket, and phone in hand, he called up the last person in Kyoto he knew.

As he left, his mother teared up. She was proud of him, even if Xion didn’t believe it.

When he had arrived, Saeko Nagata had been leaning against the wall of her home. She had a cigarette hanging between her lips, and had begun to take out another until Xion waved her not to.

“So, what gives?” Saeko placed two fingers around her cigarette with a puff.

“I was told to get out, so I thought I’d stop by someone who gets out a lot.” There was an uncertain gesture that looked like a shrug. “Got any ideas?”
“Oh plenty,” she smirked and tossed the tobacco roll down, putting it out with her foot. “Depends on the kind of attractions you’re looking for.”

“Not anything weird, just a place to catch my thoughts and enjoy, I guess.”
“There’s actually a new club opening tonight I wanted to check out, although it’s for pre-approved members only. Place is called Daydream. If I promise we won’t get caught, you want to sneak in with me?”

“Sure.”

“Really? Didn’t take you as the law-breaking type.”
“I don’t plan on murdering anybody to get in so I hope you at least explain how we’ll go about this.”
“Well for starters, I wouldn’t be a good smuggler if I couldn’t get into a building would I?” she smiled at Xion’s unsatisfied grin. “Okay okay, I’ll tell you on the way there, how’s that sound?”
“Fine-”

“Before we go, you have to stop inside and say hello to my mom.” Saeko hadn’t been looking at Xion anymore and instead had been focused on the ground. “She wanted to thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Xion said honestly, “it was just the right time and right place. That’s all there is to it.” He hadn’t told her about Kazue’s abrupt departure from the region, the loss of his job, or Kazue’s mother’s passing. “I’ll go in though if she really wants me to,” he said while following behind the already proceeding Saeko into her home. 

There her mother was already sitting up in bed. The dressing divider had been moved to the opposite side of the room, and although she was still tied up in tubes, Saeko’s mother was physically looking better. A relief of sorts.

Upon finishing friendly exchanges, (a simple forced smile and wave on Xion’s part), the two left down the alleyway together towards their destination about 30minutes away.
“The bug nanomachine thing hasn’t come out of her yet” Saeko suddenly said. They’d each matched each other’s pacing up until this point, but now Xion had slowed. “She’s feeling better though as you obviously saw,” she quickly added, “so I’m not too concerned over it.”
“I am though,” Xion bluntly replied.

Saeko had begun to walk backwards while facing Xion. “The box said it could take up to a month, whether it’s through digestion or programming. My pessimism just comes out sometimes when concerning people I care about, so I had to mention it is all..”
Xion’s silence was his only reply, and while Saeko looked at him for at least facial reactions, Xion gave none. She finally resumed a normal walking method and things stayed silent until they’d reached a Red Coin shrine.
Xion stopped to overlook it. The coin was in his pocket, yet he still hadn’t considered what message he’d deposit along with the coin. There were a few people gathered around though none of them had legitimate reasons to approach the shrine. Perhaps they were all thinking what they’d write too.

The shrine itself was a small red pedestal holding up a large symbol in the shape of a fox. While surrounded by 4 torii gates, the mask itself was orange of course, but also with sharp features such as its teeth, ears, and vicious eyes. There was a simple grate in the ground directly ahead of the shrine where people would drop their said coins, and a deposit box protected by government security personnel for micro notes, (very similar to usb drives except a fraction of the size, was a portable writing machine, and could only contain 1,000 or less characters). These would be supplied by the guard at no cost, so long as you had a coin.
“Did you hear me,” Saeko repeated, to which Xion nodded no. “What would you write if you had a coin?”
“I’m thinking about that right now actually. What about you?”
“Probably something really crude and of no importance to the Daimyo,” she laughed. “That’s why I gave it to Kazue. Although I have a feeling he’d be just as brash with his words.”

Evidently Xion figured she was just about to bring up his whereabouts, seeing as Kazue most likely hadn’t messaged her late at night as he did with Xion, his friend of several years.

“Speaking of whom..” she began as predicted, though she was cut off quickly by the wailing of a woman directly behind them. Xion hesitated to turn around, his stomach cramping upon recognizing that the woman bawling her eyes out was Jenki’s now-widow, Aika.

While she hadn’t stopped by too often, Aika Sakuma was a kind and gentle lady that often brought desserts and other goodies to work for the employees of Wasteland Warehouse. It was impossible to miss her, seeing as she was a towering 6’5 (or roughly 195cm).

“Oh, are you alright miss?” Saeko was the first to turn and speak.

“I’m terribly sorry,” Aika said, words muffled beneath the tissue in her hands. “It’s just been a difficult time for me with my husband’s passing.” She proceeded to break down into another spree of wheeps, though this time supported by Saeko’s comforting hand patting as high as she could reach.

Xion refused to look back, and instead proceeded towards the shrine. He couldn’t stomach the uncomfortable interaction that ensued between the two, regardless if neither had done anything wrong. The text message from Aika this morning to all employees, thanking each for their hard work, had been more than enough. There was no reason to turn around and see her red face and all its tears.

The guard ahead smiled as Xion approached. He was wearing traditional Samurai armor, complete with facial armor also known as mempo, all tinted to a tan-like color. Holstered was a modern day stun baton, fashioned in the shape of a sword.

“Your first time here?” the man said, stepping forward to meet him and extending a hand to shake. This was far more formal than Xion had imagined it would ever be, though he shook the guard’s gloved hand anyways. “The shrine is yours to consult, and they say days like today Kitsune is listening the most,” which Xion assumed was a line said to anyone. “If you’ve any questions, please let me know.”

“Thanks,” he simply returned and went towards the shrine alone.

From a distance it was actually difficult to see that there was a small plaque attached to the pedestal holding up the symbol. Inscribed were only a few words; a haiku describing the imagery.
“QUICKNESS FINDS YOUR TRUTH.”

“IN OUR STEAD A SHRINE TELLS LOVE.”

“A BRIGHT SWORD FOUND YOU.”

“How do you depict the message?” the guard from earlier had said next to him. Xion had never realized his approach, or how he’d gotten so close, though for whatever reason he didn’t mind.

“I think it’s a message from the Daimyo himself. It’s telling us that honest people are what will drive this region.”

“Hmm, interesting,” the samurai guardsman spoke while stroking his chin. “Have you considered it actually to be a damning message for criminals?”

“No, why would it mention love then? They want those that are crossed, hurt, and desperate to know they are thought of too.”
“Clever lad.” The guardsman proceeded to step around the shrine and out of view while Xion was fixated on the eyes of the fox symbol.

It was identical to the same that hung from Daimyo Kitsune’s sword, as seen in his single infamous appearance, yet something else about it was oddly familiar. It was the eyes. Where had he seen them?
Foxes inherently weren’t dangerously fearsome. Maybe to small livestock, but not to humans. The longer he continued to look, the more his heart beat trying to find an answer. And there it was.

Standing above the shrine was the woman dressed in all black with the white kitsune mask that had appeared in the alleyway just a few nights ago. The eyes of the mask just were just as black and soulless as the shrine, and as he’d remembered.

Instinct told him she was just an illusion, but her scarf drifted elegantly with the change of wind.

The calmness of the evening sky gave a pinkish backdrop without a single cloud in sight.

Surely his heart had begun to beat loud enough she would hear him. That it would throw off her balance, and she’d have no choice but to leap and confront him. There was an urge to yell out and alert everyone that she was there, but he knew she’d be gone the moment he did. All he could do was watch as she looked down on him. That’s when he knew what he’d use his coin for.

“See anything interesting up there?” the guardsman had returned, staring upwards alongside Xion. He knew by that response he couldn’t see her, as after blinking she had left his field of view without a sound.
“Inspiration.”

The coin was tossed from his hand down beneath the grated floor. It made a few metallic clinks, then a water splash. Down below Xion could barely make out the pool of red.

“Seems you’re set then. Here’s your micronote, please deposit it in the box before leaving.”

He’d only needed a moment to write up his message with the built-in keyboard provided. After placing it through the insert of the deposit box, he confidently made his way back to where Saeko had been last seen. Inscribed were only a few words; a haiku describing his reply.

“TRUTH BIDS HONESTY.”

“DANCING WITH YOUR DAYDREAM SOON.”

“MIZUNO DARES YOU.”