From Cacoons to Butterflies - Chaptre I

Like Butterflies in a Net   1

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Megumi always loved Butterflies. Their wings in flight-forming their own spread of rainbows. She needed rainbows. Most of the time, it seemed like life was rather bleak for her-colourless, leaving her alone in the shadows and rain. But when she found a butterfly, soaring away from the darkness into the light, she almost felt like they were taking her sorrows from that bleak corner on which she stood, out into the light. That’s what her brother had always said. If you lead a butterfly to the window, it will carry all your sorrows away… And there she was free, courtesy of the butterflies. It was just that now, there were no butterflies to carry away her problems, which left her on that wet street corner against the dripping tapestry of a rain storm, wondering what was left to do.   3

~ 4

  A sol silhouette flickered behind the shoji screen, kimono sleeves dangling off of her thin wrists. She danced, a thin light dancing behind alongside her. Thin violet umber hair slapped her back as she spun onto the open stage. On cue, she fanned out two sensu   fans, weaving them in front of her faces while singing a delicate traditional Japanese song. Her slippered feet slid in a circle until she slowly descended to the ground, falling to a kneeling position . “ Doko niiru ka?”  Where did you go? She whispered on time, the curtain falling before her immediately afterwards. A loud applaud rose and she smiled sadly. I have to ask where you are too, brother... 5

~6

Name: Megumi. Just Megumi. Sex: F Age: Nineteen Height: Six…something… Identifiable Marks: violet umber hair, cyan eyes, Major: Acting              7

 8

"Yep, well that's everything about me!" Megumi proudly said as she thrust the paper in front of the lady at the front desk. Her irises were roughly a cyan colour, but when the light hit them just right, there was a shimmer of pink that glossed the edge. Contacts. It was one of those habits of acting school that had never quite left her—dressing up. “Or at least…that’s all I can remember!” she shrugged nervously. 9

"And...Why is it that you're here again?" The lady in the desk’s eyebrow twitched. She had no time for these new graduate kids, bursting into her doors, begging for jobs. She was very old, Megumi observed. She looked like an over-aged acorn, whatever that looked like. That was just the first thought that entered Megumi’s mind when the woman raised her wrinkled decrepit head-an over aged and dried acorn. 10

Megumi hid her look of indignation.   “Isn’t it obvious? I want a job!” 11

What did she expect? Graduate kids, needing jobs. Kinekawa Corporation was known for being a not half bad job with pretty good pay, no matter what your actual job was. She didn’t have time for this. “I’m sorry but we don’t have any place that…” she cringed, “You would fit,” 12

“What’s that supposed to mean, miss?” 13

“What is it that you’re really here for?” the woman asked, getting to the heart of the issue. “You’re an actress? Are you low on money, hoping I would sympathise and find somewhere for you to work?” her beady eyes scrutinized the girl. “No, I think its something else. But please get to the point; I have a job to do,” she tried to smile, but her bitter heart soured it. “Perhaps I can help you,” 14

The young woman let out a sigh. So much for the act. “Fudegawa Shino is one of your best etymologists…” 15

“…And?” This woman was straight to the point. Her name was Donguri Shinju, Megumi noticed. Donguri… Megumi giggled to herself. The woman’s name even meant acorn…how ironic. Donguri’s face scrunched up in impatience for the girl to answer, looking even more like a wrinkled acorn. 16

“He said it was a short business trip-at worse a week. He’s not back.” 17

“Perhaps he was delayed,” 18

“It’s been almost a month,” 19

“He could have made a big discovery-“ 20

“He promised to be here for my graduation,” Megumi’s expression stiffened. “I’ll even bring you some butterflies, how does that sound?” She remembered his laughing voice. 21

~ 22

  Today was the day. It was the day circled on everyone’s calendars, the one that everyone had worked four years to earn. It was the day remembered by most as the “most memorable day of their lives”. It was the day she had been waiting for as well, nervously playing with that ridiculous American styled cap and gown…   In the sea of black, she tried to look for him. He was the only one that mattered. He promised to be here for my graduation. She reminded herself as the minutes ticked by He promised butterflies, she added with a smile.   But school songs and anthems were sung, students spoke, diplomas were given, teachers spoke, the principal spoke beyond his allotted time, and yet there was not Shino. Eventually, I final cheer rose, along with the tossing-up of hundreds of identical black caps. I wonder how anyone will find which one is his… she mused, trying to distract herself.   The crowds began to clear slightly, but her closest friend Xin stood faithfully by her for a while. When the hours tolled by, she too left, with a hug and the words, “He would be here if he could,” But that seemed beside the point. Her nii san wasn’t there.   23

~   24

Perhaps she’ll work with me if I’m more emotional…Secretaries usually are moved by the emotional… 25

But the over aged acorn sat their, emotionless, blankly staring at the sniffling Megumi. “Well-what do you want me to do about it?” she asked, getting annoyed. 26

Alright…next tactic… Megumi thought. I have to figure out where he is… “But he’s a baka!” she said with half truth. Admittingly, she often jokingly called her brother a baka. Idiot. All the same, she loved him with all her heart and admiration, and worried about why he hadn’t returned home. He promised he’d be back… 27

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  As Shino packed his car with all sorts of equipment and boxes, he heard the screen door slam. The next second, he felt the warmth of his little sister hugging him. Though they were both adults now, she often acted like a child, keeping her clingy ways. “You can’t go, Shino nii san,” she muttered from against his white leather jacket front. Were those even tears that stained his jacket now?   29

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“I have to,” he replied, patting her chocolate raspberry hair. “But don’t worry-it’ll just be a short trip-a week max,” 31

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  “But-“she sniffled, “You’ll be here for my graduation, right?”  33

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 “Of course!” He smiled down at her assuredly. “I’ll even bring you some butterflies,” 35

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Butterflies. She loved them, ever since she found her brother’s first bug collection as a child. “I like those the best,” she still remembered saying as they ran around the backyard as children. But they were no longer children.   37

“I’ll miss you, o-ni-san,” she said, hugging him with one last tight squeeze before letting go.   Getting into the driver seat, Shino laughed from his thin sunglasses, “Don’t do anything too stupid while I’m gone,” Megumi waved until the car was just a dot on the horizon. Now she was truly alone. 38

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She hated how the government kept sending all these automated messages whenever she called to ask where her brother was. It always said “Don’t worry! Your friend and/or relative has been given opportunity to stay longer on his or her business trip! He or she will be returning shortly,” she had even memorized the message. But Shino never likes to stay on these trips… she knew something wasn’t right. 40

“If he was a baka, he wouldn’t have been hired,” the old acorn said heartlessly. Obviously, she didn’t pick up the pun. “I’m sure he’s fine, wherever he is,” she added disconcerned. 41

Megumi’s fingers wrapped into a small fist. “You run this research compound! Don’t you know what happens to your researchers?” 42

“Do you think I can with hundreds of them frolicking across the globe?” Donguri-san’s gaze grew dark. 43

“What if he’s hurt?” Megumi shouted, trying an angry “I-will-sue-you!” Tactic. Fear was often effective against these old stone-hearted government workers. “What if he’s not being treated appropriately for that? If he’s picked up AIDS or something-“ 44

Her face grew even sterner and sinisterly dark. “Being in our company is a risk,” she replied coldly. “People die. When your brother was hired, he became aware of this,” 45

“He studies bugs,” Megumi said blankly, wondering how exciting, dangerous, and daring that could be. Even Shino would find it hard to lay his life down for a new breed of bug. 46

“Hence, he’s an etymologist.” The old one scoffed back. “As I said, he is aware of the danger of his work,” 47

Megumi’s eye brow furrowed. This woman’s being rather secretive… she mused, There must be more to this than him studying some bugs in Africa… Concluding that there was no more to find out today, Megumi put on a cheesy pedestrian smile and said, “Thank you so much for your help!” Walking off, she cried with youthful joy, “I love you all!” 48

There must be some way to figure out what’s going on… Megumi mused as she walked to the door. Just as she opened the main door, a torrent of rain hit her. “Great. In my new Yukata too,” 49

The rain showed her no mercy on her walk through the rain. The pastel jade yukata top quickly clung to her thin figure as she tried to find her home through the mist and blending of colours. Running her toe into the Fudegawa home’s cheap set of Shi-Shi statues, she knew she had made it. 50

Fiddling in her pocket for the house key, she heard that unmistakable voice of her childhood friend. “Konnichiwaaa!” the high pitched voice called out, matching the beat of the splashes across the street. Megumi turned around to meet the arms of her friend Xin. She could feel the silk Chinese top rub against her sleeve. 51

Xin eventually let go, putting on that tough-cute smile she always had. Her eyes were dark umber brown with a tint of honey, which held many secrets that even her closest friend Megumi had no idea about. Her family, clan, and past life were mystery, the answers glistening subtly in her eyes. Only if you looked hard enough. Her hair was in two signature buns, wrapped in two long crimson Boas. The extra hair fell into two thin braids. Her Chinese silk top was golden with twin dragons across the back. A dulled crimson apron tied loosely around her waist, hardly reaching mid-thigh. Underneath, her worn jeans hugged her legs.   Seeing Megumi’s reluctant smile, she asked like any good friend, “What’s wrong, Megumi chan?” 52

“Oh…Its just-about brother Shino…” Megumi replied sadly, fiddling with the end of her sleeve. “No one will tell me where he is!” 53

“So you went to the company and asked again?” Xin examined her friend with equal disappointment. Megumi nodded head down. “Those fools,” she cursed in a hushed whisper, “Thinking they’re so high and mighty,” 54

“They never tell us anything!” Megumi pouted. “Even about an—etymologist,” even though Megumi’s brother had been an etymologist several years now, she still had trouble pronouncing the word. 55

Over the time Xin and Megumi had grown up, the government had transformed from an extreme democracy to an oligarchy. Once basing all decisions off the votes of the people, the Daimyo (or the highest in the clans) of the “Elemental” clans made all decisions. The once open and friendly government became secretive about everything to the point that the common person walked blindly through life. Unlike most citizens, who naively passed it by, Xin and Megumi began to wonder what secrets lay hidden behind their backs… 56

“I’m sure there’s another reason you’re so worried about Shino, ne?” Xin winked, making Megumi’s face turn scarlet. And there came the true issue. Fudegawa Shino was not the only one sent on this project. His friend Ken Kiba,  Megumi’s unrequited love, also went. 57

Kiba was of the Ken clan, known far and wide for its abilities with the blade. Ken   Kabuto, the father of Kiba, was the legendary blacksmith of the area; any who needed a new or sharpened blade called upon him. Of all of Ken’s top quality blades was the prized Wolf’s Fang Blade , described by those who saw it as “sharper than the fangs of a wolf,” It was Ken Ken’s most favored blade and supposedly the reason why he named his only son “ Kiba”. 58

  As such, Kiba was a master of all swords, shuriken, and kunai. In the days of grammar school, he was seen in the backyard, showing off his newest tool from his father. It always impressed Megumi, who hid in the shadowed corners to watch. Even though she was older now, she could not restrain that childish-blush rising to her face, thinking of him. 59

 60

  Grammar School Fudegawa Shino was never seen without his friends Xin and Ken Kiba.   Perhaps it was because the three were paired together for large boring assignments rather frequently. Many a day, the three would meet at the Fudegawa residence. Megumi was 8 at the time and she watched them all from behind a wall. She blushed at the Ken boy, with his tanned face and onyx eyes...   61

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Suddenly from behind, she felt a slight tug at her skirt. She looked down to see a dog! She turned red, then tentatively reached for behind its ear. It smiled. "What are you doing here, inu-chan?" she asked sweetly, massaging behind its head. The dog was in a look of ecstasy.  63

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 "There you are Akamaru!" Megumi heard a voice, and looked up to see none other than that cute boy! She blushed.   65

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"Go-gomen nasai!" she said, quickly getting up.   The Ken boy laughed. "Akamaru must like you! He doesn't usually randomly go up to people!" Megumi smiled behind her hand.   "Oh, I'm Ken Kiba!" he held a hand out for her. She softly took it.   "I'm Fudegawa Megumi," she followed suit, blushing. Her thoughts mused about his looks, not even noticing that soon he was gone.   67

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“Am I right?” Xin’s grin woke her up. 69

“A-ano,” Megumi twittled her fingers-a bad habit from her past, “It doesn’t really matter…” 70

“Of course it does Megu chan!” Xin urged, a twinkle of knowing in her eyes, following Megumi as she went to escape to her own door step. 71

“For the last time, STOP!” Megumi squealed annoyed through a stream of Xin’s persuasions. Reluctantly, the Chinese girl bid farewell and drifted home. 72

Oh the warmth… Megumi sighed, pulling the door behind her. This house was so quiet now-now that Mother had been dead seven years, Father gone four and now Shino. She missed the smell of almond cookies, permeating every corner of every room as Mother’s voice sweetly hummed an old Japanese folk song. But she was dead. She missed Father’s strong hugs, and possibly even his jokes on her. But now he had vanished for the government. Mostly, she missed Shino, who helped her up through all of the loss, always able to grin and ask, “Would a butterfly help?” 73

Nostalgically, she shuffled up the wooden creaking steps, towards her brother’s old room. It smelled of bugs and lettuce still. With a painful smile and a creaking door, she mused, it’s as though he just left… 74

 75

  Shino always had a box of some live specimen on his night stand. Those were just his favourite findings for the week. Scattered in seemingly disordered rows, he had boxed away myriads of beetles, caterpillars, flies, ants and more. But on his desk, on the right hand corner, there was always a box of butterflies.  76

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 Every time Megumi broke into tears at night, trapped in dreams of Mother and Father drifting between life and death, he always led her to the window of his room, taking a butterfly gently from its box and leading it to her finger, saying, “Let it go,”   78

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The first time he had said this, her look was one of confusion, “What?”  80

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 “If you lead a butterfly to the window,” he explained with a smile of reassurance, “It will carry all of your sorrows away with it,”  82

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 “H-honto ni?” she asked with wide eyes.   He nodded, letting go of a cherry red one he held in his hands. Its wings carried off into the blackened night until it was no more than a dot. “See?” he asked, perching another butterfly on her finger.   Making it into some sacred ritual, Megumi closed her eyes tight as though making a wish, kissed the butterfly lightly, and let it off to follow its partner. 84

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When she said nothing, Shino asked, “So-did it work?”   Still with eyes closed, she nodded. So the tradition had begun.   86

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Taking a circuit across the room, Megumi noticed the boxes that cluttered his old desk, scattered with yellowed papers. Little green and black specks lined the clear bottoms, across a few twigs and blades of grass. None of them moved. 88

Landing at the largest box that had housed rainbows of butterflies, her childish curiosity over took her as she peeked in. The floor was lined in an Arabian carpet of blacks and yellows and blues, all the petals of butterfly wings. On a long stick, there stuck a cocoon or two, now brown and molded, never to awake from its slumber. Feeling as though something within her had died as well, she jumped at the flicker of movement. For out of the mass of death, there rose one butterfly, weak and hobbling, but still flying. 89

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  Its wings were not particularly stunning, bedizened in a dulled grey like a moth, hinted at with disproportionate blobs of white. She remembered it now-it was called the Pholisora catullus …that was Latin. All butterflies were named in Latin.   How this one-the ugliest of them all, somehow survived all this time, trapped in a clear box, was beyond Megumi. But the sight somehow comforted her as she thought , I too will continue on.   ~   There was one place in the house no one ever entered. No one even spoke of. The small western cellar-like basement added to the home when Megumi was hardly two was an uncharted land in her memories, the place she heard O tou san and O kaa san whisper about in the middle of the night at times. Over the past few long weeks, she began to wonder for the first time, What is there? With Shino gone, perhaps for a while longer, surely she could take a look. Just a small look. Today, she decided, she would.91

In the dark dusty basement lay many secrets. Megumi knew that even before she stepped down the stairs. What sort of secrets? Even she didn’t know, and she had lived here her whole life. But she was going to find out.  92

 The wooden stairs creaked with each step. The way was layered in a blanket of dust, as if no one had ever set foot down here before. Why…did O tou san and O kaa san get it put in if they never even went down here? She asked, wondering why she had never thought about it before. Perhaps…because there were always people here before…I had no…reason to ask. She answered herself.   93

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How anticlimactic. The room could not have been more than four yards squared, flooded with bent cardboard boxes, rusted lantern shells, and other sorts of things. A closet shrine  sat abandoned in a corner, housing all sorts of things Megumi preferred to not envision. A few old traditional dolls, dressed from the Heian period. The memories gave Megumi a quick smile among the shadows around her. On the walls, she saw familiar scroll patterns that had once hung in her and Shino’s rooms. It was as if her very childhood rested down here.      95

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Stepping into curtains of cobwebs, she easily spotted the set of giant dulled cardboard boxes. All of them had the same kanji, which read “KANJI NO JUTSU”.   “Kanji…no jutsu?” she read aloud, though no one was there to hear. Surely there was something more hidden beneath the cardboard walls. A flap flew open with her touch, bringing a cloud of dust into her face. A tickle hit her throat as she broke into uncontrollable coughs.    97

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  Once the grey had disappeared into the muggy air, she was able to part through the seas of sundry items in the boxes. It was rather anti-climactic, for as she began to pull things out, they mainly listed up to sets of calligraphy pens, ink stones, porcelain bowls, rice paper and dyes. Having worked much with calligraphy in the past, she found it a nice treat, but still, rather unexpected. Why has the family kept stashes of calligraphy pens in the basement? She had to wonder.   99

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Continuing in her task, she did the same with box after box after box. Open. Cough. Sneeze. Grab. Pens. Shock. After only a few minutes, she had a hill formed out of bamboo pens. That is, until she reached the bottom of the box…   101

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In the dim lighting, she squinted and tilted her head, in all desperations to see what was before her. A photograph. How droll, she thought, almost tossing it into her mountain, until a familiar face came into her sight. Turning back to the sepia, she noticed her father; younger of course, dressed in a traditional boy’s kimono, surrounded by others in traditional Japanese dress. His--family? Curiosity seizing her, she fingered the peeling edges. Father never told us much about our side of the family…  103

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 Six year old Megumi hopped on her father’s lap. He didn’t expect that. But that was her tradition-when she had a life-threatening question, she had to ask her father, and thus, jump on his lap. “O-to-san?” she began, as usual.   “Yes?” he put down the paper he had been reading.   105

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“Why don’t we ever have family days-with O-jii-san or O-baa-san? Everyone at school has them,” she fiddled with the ends of her short hair.   Masking his surprise, he replied simply, “Sweetie-our family isn’t like other families,”   107

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“Huh?”   109

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“Our family’s great as it is-right?” he grinned that kind of grin that only real Dads could pull off to their children. The kind that would make any little kid smile.   Nodding strongly, she replied, “Hai!” And so the question was never asked again.   Gazing harder and harder into the photo, her body began to softly sway back and forth.   For every little light There is a little person Who never would expect His person to be seen…   111

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It was as if the butterflies in her mind slowly became fireflies, blurring in her tired daze. 113

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  For every little light There sits a little family Who never would expect Their talk to e’er be heard… 115

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 And old song slowly played back into her head, and she smiled. Family.   For every dark’ning night Just count each little light Watch it all still glow For each family now known   She didn’t even remember where the song came from. Somehow, it was very calming. Hehe…how silly to be calmed…by such a childish song… she laughed to herself softly as she drifted off to sleep.   117

~   118

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Knock Knock. It got louder and louder. It was at the most unholy of hours as well. As her cyan eyes began to open, she noticed the clock blinking 2:23 am. Begrudgingly, Megumi left her bed and raced down to the door. Cautiously she creaked it open. In shock, her hand slipped, causing the door to bang against the opposite wall. “Remember me?”  120

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 ~   122

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It was 4:29, and Megumi was still pinching herself. Here he was-Ken Kiba, on her couch. He had the same face-that handsome rugged face of a olive tan she never could help but smile at, same long, angular eyes. His bangs were still of the glossiest black, hanging over his eyes carelessly. So smooth looking she almost wanted to reach her hand out—she blushed at the familiar childish thought.     124

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She still wasn’t sure how he got to her couch, but that didn’t bother her. He was here once more. Smiling at the realization that she was no longer alone, the sleep she had dreamed of for the past three years finally captivated her as her head fell softly onto her guest’s chest.  126

 ~   127

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Early sunlight beamed through every crack in the window. Refreshed, Kiba awoke with the thought, “Wow-am I still 18?” But then the disappointment hit him. “Dang it. I’m 21.”   129

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Of course, all complaints about age ceased to be when he noticed the beautiful girl draped over his chest. Wow-I wish I woke up like this every morning… he mused, cheeks turning a shade red. Who-and what-and where-and why…Never mind about the why. But the angel stirred slightly. Letting out a soft yawn, she tried to pull herself up. But she felt the unexpected weight of an arm across her back, “It’s alright,” a deep, handsome yet half asleep voice smirked. “You can sleep as long as you want, angel,”   131

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Kiba? She thought, raising her soft head up to meet his eyes, which were now certainly wide and awake.   133

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This is Shino’s nee chan?! Mind racing. “Kiba!” “Megumi!” the two voices collided. His muscular arm instantly moved to give her passage, and her head instantly jolted up from his chest.   135

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Scrambling to her feet, she made a hasted bow with furiously blushing cheeks, “Gomen Nasai!” I must have fallen asleep-“   137

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“It’s fine,” he reassured her, getting up as well, “But now seems best-to start at the very beginning,”   139

~  140

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 Right from the beginning, Megumi knew Kiba was the best storyteller. Either that or she was just already enthralled by his voice. That voice…But that didn’t matter. All that mattered was what had happened to him and her brother Shino. “It started, as you remember, Shino and I going on a supposedly short research project. As soon as we arrived, we both knew it wasn’t a research project.” He cleared his throat.   142

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“When we arrived at the research compound, we found that there was nothing for us to do. That seemed a bit…odd. Something that we couldn’t over look. So we went to the main office to see what was going on.   144

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“The way there, it was like a ghost town…I had never seen a lab so empty. Picking up our pace and turning into the office, we stopped at the sight of thousands of bugs…roaches…coating the walls-“ Thin black eyes looked up at the sound of a soft gasp from Megumi’s lips.   146

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Turning plum, she asked softly, “R-roaches? Why roaches?”   At that question, he almost smiled. Almost the smile she remembered from their childhood, only worn away much more. Was his dimple even still there? Oh wait-there it was. But something made him look so much older. “Because, cockroaches flee from the light,”   148

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Light…Shino said something about bugs and light… she tried to remember, but nothing came. “Wh-why were they fleeing from light-to the office?”   “Because as soon as we opened the door, from behind us came a blinding flash,” Kiba crossed his arms, almost as though he wished he didn’t’ have to recall this whole story. “It was odd…and neither of us understood it at the time, for it just came and went,”   150

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Megumi’s ears perked up like a puppy dog’s. They did so rather often. “That’s weird,” 152

 153

  The man next to her nodded in agreement. “What was more weird was when we began to leave…finding everything so far-no workers, cockroaches, blinding lights-unusual…yet at the same time, nothing seemed to happen to us…already alert, we jumped down the stairs, we couldn’t miss the giant kanji that read   154

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May the traitors rot in the pools of their own blood   156

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His eyes lowered as he shrugged. “I had no clue what that was supposed to mean, but it obviously meant something to your brother. It was like he fell into shock,”   158

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“That’s not like Nii-san,”   160

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“Tell me about it,” those eyes flickered once more. It was just like before-just like the days when they were all children of innocence. For, as Megumi had always admired and remembered, Kiba had passion. “He wouldn’t tell me a thing,”   162

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When silence fully fell for a few moments, he continued, “As soon as we got back to our hotel room, he grabbed his unpacked suitcase and said that we had to leave as soon as possible. He sounded almost-scared” the words fell off his lips softly, as if he didn’t even believe it still.  164

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 “Nii san never runs away,” a hushed whisper squeaked.  166

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 “…He never got to,” Megumi’s eyes flashed up to his suddenly, cyan glowing at his words in shock. Her mind rang What happened? but it spoke through her look. “I left to get some information down stairs about tickets, but when I returned…I was too late,” Holding in her gasp, she waited for him to finish, “In his stead were cockroaches,”   168

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Cockroaches… The raspberry brunette shivered, “Why were there so many cockroaches? Why did they want nii san?” her voice seemed to escalate with every new question, bringing her closer and closer to tears, “Why were there kanji on the walls? Who would want that with Nii san! What did he know that we didn’t?” her voice fell into a hush on the last question, until silence filled them both. An accidental tear dropped onto her lap.  170

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 “I…don’t know,” the words pained Kiba, but they were the truth, “There was nothing I could do. I thought-“ he stopped suddenly, looking away.   Concealing her tears, she asked softly, “What?”   172

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“Never mind,”   174

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“What?” her voice became louder, clearer.   176

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“…” his long narrow eyes scrutinized her, then continued reluctantly, “I thought you may know the significance in any of that,”  178

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 “M-me?”180

He nodded, now realizing what a foolish hope it was. “But I guess not,” His eyes drifted to the window. A soft drizzle blurred the rising sun. Not what he was hoping for. Reluctant to get up, he began towards the door, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything,”   181

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Waking up from her long stream of thoughts, Megumi jumped up to catch him at the door. “Wait!”   183

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Turning at her voice, he was surprised to see a tear budding in her eye. “Please-“ she begged, “Please don’t go now! How-how can I find nii san without you?”   185

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“I told you everything I know,” he replied more coldly than he meant. It was just the truth.     187

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“Please! You were there when nii san disappeared and you know him so well!” it was no longer a sentence, but rather a stream of words bursting out with the tears she had tried so hard to hold in. “I don’t know-what I can do-“ Eventually, her words couldn’t even be discerned between sobs. For the first time in years, it seemed, she wasn’t acting.   189

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From her inner coldness and loneliness, there was suddenly warmth. Her cyan eyes looked up to see it was Kiba who gently pulled her closer to him. A moment she had dreamed of for years…perhaps, was this a dream as well? “We’ll find him,” his hand patted her soft curls, though really, he had no clue as to how to find his old colleague. “Just don’t cry,” that grin resurfaced that Megumi remembered him by. That smile he seemed to have buried in the sandbox a long time ago. Seeing that once more, she knew she could press on. You being here is enough… 191

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