I wish to thank my beta-readers, Di and Gina. This story is set six years after the girls graduate from high school. My notes and artwork for the story are available at my website, which you can access via my user profile. ----- Scary? Sakaki sat quietly on a bench at the airport. She was much too early, of course, but she was looking forward to seeing Chiyo again. Closing her eyes, she recalled how her friend had looked six years ago -- a just-turned-thirteen high school graduate with wide eyes and pigtails, headed for the United States. Not that it could be empirically proven, but Sakaki felt certain that Chiyo had been the cutest child on earth. Cuter than a tabby. Cuter than a calico kitten. Very nearly as cute as an Iriomote mountain cat. In her letter, Chiyo had said that now having earned three bachelors and two masters degrees, she would take a short break before going on to get a Ph.D. Getting one degree had been hard enough work, as far as Sakaki was concerned. She couldn't even imagine studying at Chiyo's pace. It had been a long time since Chiyo had sent any pictures. Sakaki wondered what she looked like after an adolescence overseas. Had she ever gotten taller than Osaka? Taller than Yomi? Sakaki smiled at the thought that Chiyo could even be tall enough to look her in the eye. In her last year of high school, Chiyo had worn her pigtails lower than in her first two years. Were they even lower now? Or would she have abandoned that hairstyle altogether? Sakaki hoped not. Pigtails were cute. She envisioned Chiyo looking just the same as when she left, except taller and perhaps with a figure. "Waugh! My juice! I spilled my juice! Noooooo!" Sakaki looked over her shoulder. Tomo was nowhere in sight, but the voice was unmistakable. How many rooms away was she? And still so loud? Sakaki stared at the billboard beside the entryway. Five times the size of life, Kagura grinned back from an advertisement for a sporting goods store. A minute or so later, Yomi came through the gate and looked around. She still wore her white lab coat from the pharmacy. Shuffling a few steps behind her was a weeping office lady with a juice can dangling from one hand. Yomi met Sakaki's gaze and waved. Sakaki stood as her friends approached. Tomo continued to mutter, "My juice. My juice." "Please, just stop. There are vending machines everywhere. If you're that thirsty, buy another can." Yomi grumbled. Then she smiled at Sakaki, "She's not here yet, is she?" "No. The plane just landed two minutes ago. Is anyone else coming?" "Kaorin's shift at the observatory starts in just an hour. But Osaka said she'd be here. She's bringing her boyfriend." Tomo looked up. "What's his name again?" Yomi paused, then shook her head. "I can never remember. I haven't met him, either." At that moment, Osaka rounded the corner with a painfully nondescript young man in tow. Average height, average build, average face. His only distinguishing feature was that he wore glasses with large, squarish lenses. He looked kind of familiar, but Sakaki couldn't say for certain whether or not she'd seen him before. "Hey there," Osaka called. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" "Mmm." Sakaki nodded. The young man bowed his head slightly. "Nice to see you again, Sakaki-san. You, too, Mizuhara-san. And Tokino-san." Sakaki exchanged glances with Tomo and Yomi. They both shrugged. Obviously, they were also at a loss. Better not to admit anything. Sakaki bowed. "Nice to see you again." She hoped Osaka would say his name before anyone had to admit that they didn't know him. "How are things at our old high school, Osaka?" Tomo piped. "Are Yukari-chan and Nyamo-chan still there?" "Kurosawa-sensei almost got married last year, but I think Yukari-chan and I scared him away." Intentionally? Sakaki wondered. They all turned to face the commotion as the passengers came through the gate. They searched the crowd for pigtails. A young woman in ripped camouflage fatigues and a black leather biker jacket, with many gleaming silver zippers, snaps, and buckles, stopped and scanned the room. From her combat boots to her electric blue hair, she looked like someone to be feared. Aside from having more earrings than could be easily counted from this distance, her eyebrow, nose, and lower lip were each pierced as well. She scratched at the abstract pattern of black curves tattooed on the side of her neck, then looked directly into Sakaki's eyes. Sakaki took a step back. The scary girl raised her hand and called, "Hi, everyone!" With Osaka screaming to her right and Tomo screaming to her left, Sakaki couldn't be sure whether or not she was screaming too. The girl whipped out a camera and took their picture. Then she laughed. "This was worth it just for the looks on your faces." "Ch-chi-chiyo-chan?" Osaka stumbled forward. No! No, no, no, nonononononono. Sakaki took another step back. Chiyo rushed up and hugged her tightly. "Sakaki-san, I missed you." Sakaki froze, unable to return the embrace. She gazed up at the ceiling. "Sakaki-san." She gulped. Chiyo's grip tightened. "Sakaki-san. Down here. Look at me." Slowly, Sakaki turned her gaze downward. Tears blurred the edges of her vision. "You look so . . . different." Chiyo held up a lock of her hair. "This will wash out." She pointed to the tattoo. "And a little soap and water will take care of this, too." She tapped her fingertip to each of the various facial piercings. "And these are held on with spirit gum. It was just a joke. I didn't mean to induce cardiac arrest." Sakaki's muscles unclenched gradually. She tried not to quiver visibly. "You've grown up a lot, Chiyo-chan." Osaka's boyfriend smiled. "It's nice to see you again." Chiyo cocked her head. "Do I know you?" "You don't recognize me?" "I'm afraid not." "I'm . . ." He hesitated, glancing at Yomi, Tomo, and Sakaki, who all leaned expectantly toward him. "Ooyama Masaaki. We went to high school together." "We did?" "Yes. We were in the same class all three years." "We were?" Yomi muttered softly. Pointing, Tomo shouted, "But I don't remember you at all!" Masaaki hung his head. "None of you?" "I'm sorry." Sakaki said. Osaka patted his arm, then frowned as she looked at her friends. "I'm surprised at all of you. Masaaki was even the graduate delegate. You should pay more attention to things that happen around you." They all stared at her, stunned. This from the girl who had slept nearly every day in class? Masaaki sighed. "I expected you at least to remember me, Chiyo-chan. You helped me with trigonometry." Chiyo's eyes widened and she drew in a deep breath, then she paused and furrowed her brow. "Oh. Yes, of course. It's nice to see you again." She obviously still had no clue. "Oh!" She pointed at the billboard with Kagura's image. "How cool!" Tomo frowned. "Yeah, she's everywhere. Taunting me with her success." Yomi glanced at her. "You, specifically?" Chiyo whirled around and clasped Yomi's and Osaka's hands. "I need to get my things from the baggage claim, but I'm looking forward to a long, lingering dinner together. I want to hear how all of you are doing." "We want to hear about Chiyo-chan's life in America, too." Osaka grinned widely, with open mouth. After a moment, she gasped. "Oh, what if you don't remember how to be Japanese?" "Uh . . ." Chiyo looked at Yomi, seeming to ask for help. Osaka stepped closer. "When you were in America, did you wear your shoes inside the house?" "Well, yes. But it's not because I forgot to take them off. I just did it their way because I was living there. I saw a lot of Americans put their shoes up on chairs, tables, sofas, and even beds. I couldn't bring myself to do that, but it wasn't unusual to see." Everyone around her visibly shuddered. Osaka's eyes widened. "But what if someone stepped in dog poop and then went into their house and lay down on their bed with their shoes on . . ." Tomo covered her ears and screamed, "Stop! Don't say it!" Chiyo shrugged. "That did happen to someone I know, actually. She just washed the blanket, cleaned the carpet, and grumbled a lot of bad words in rapid succession." Everyone shuddered again. Tomo clamped one hand over her stomach and the other over her mouth. "Oh, I'm going to be sick just thinking about it." "Er, anyway . . . which way to the baggage claim?" ----- "In her last e-mail, Kaorin-san told me that Chihiro-san moved out?" Chiyo took a bite of her croquette. Yomi nodded. "Kaorin seemed really upset about it," Tomo mused, "I don't understand why, though. Roommates are such a hassle. Living alone is so much better." Yomi's eyebrow twitched, and light glinted off the lenses of her glasses. "What?" Tomo cocked her head. "It's true! It's so nice, not having to fight with you for the toilet in the mornings anymore, and not having to label my food to keep you from eating it." "I never ate anything that belonged to you!" Yomi shouted, "And my labels never stopped you, did they?" "Huh? I think you're remembering wrong." Yomi slammed her hand down on the table, splashing a few drops out of everyone's cups. "It's you who's remembering wrong!" Chiyo stared at her plate. She knew that Kaorin and Chihiro had been more than just roommates. Chiyo and Kaorin had exchanged e-mail messages frequently during college. It began when Kaorin enrolled in a nine-month study-abroad program and contacted Chiyo for advice on getting along in the United States. Their correspondence flourished when they discovered that they had a particular characteristic in common, and they had confided in each other rather deeply on occasion. So when Kaorin went back to Japan and moved in with Chihiro, Chiyo had known that the real reason hadn't been economic. Chiyo gazed at Sakaki, who elegantly raised her chopsticks to her beautiful lips. Her face was a little leaner these days, but she still had that magnificent long, glossy, black hair. Chiyo glanced behind Sakaki and noticed that, seated in an ordinary chair like this, her hair very nearly brushed the floor. Chiyo sighed. She and Kaorin had one more thing in common, after all. She had not yet mentioned this to Kaorin, though. "Chiyo-chan, do you have a boyfriend in America?" Osaka smiled. Tomo let go of Yomi's hair, and Yomi let go of Tomo's ears, and they sat down quietly. Sakaki leaned toward Chiyo. Chiyo shook her head. "No, I don't have anyone right now." "Right now? So you have been dating Americans!" Tomo propped her elbows on the table. "I wonder what kind of person Chiyo-chan likes?" Looking up, Osaka touched the corner of her mouth with her fingertip. Chiyo squirmed. "Um . . . well . . . the first person I dated was tall and very good at sports, but also very quiet. The second person was a classmate who always doodled cute little kitties and puppies in the margins of organic chemistry class notes. The third and most recent person was a veterinarian." "Huh, sounds like those guys didn't have anything in common." Tomo snatched a slice of cucumber off Yomi's plate. Yomi didn't react. She just stared into Chiyo's eyes for a moment, then looked away. "Hmm." Chiyo smiled at Masaaki. "We can see what kind of person Osaka-san likes." Then she looked at Sakaki. "What about Sakaki-san?" Sakaki blushed and hunched her shoulders. "Uh, well, I . . . I've never gone on a date." "Never? Really?" Sakaki nodded. Chiyo was amazed. On one hand, it was nice to know that Sakaki was still single. On the other hand, it struck her as rather sad that in her mid-twenties she had never gone out even once. "Yomi doesn't go out much, either," Tomo said loudly. Yomi looked pointedly at Tomo. "That's better than having a long string of first dates, and never getting a second." "Waa!" While Tomo and Yomi pulled on each other's cheeks, spilling more beverages in the process, Sakaki cleared her throat and softly changed the subject. "Do you have any pets?" Chiyo shook her head. "I suppose it's been long enough now that I'm willing to think about bringing another animal into my life. But I couldn't just rush out and get a new dog after Tadakichi-san passed away. There can never be a replacement for him." Her throat tightened more with each word. Tears gleamed in Sakaki's eyes, and she covered Chiyo's hand with her own. Chiyo turned her hand over and interlaced her fingers with Sakaki's, then squeezed. "Thank you," she mouthed. A moment later, she felt hot breath on her neck. She whirled around to find herself face to face with Osaka. "A!" Osaka grinned. "I was looking at your tattoo. It looks like a sea slug with stripes." ". . . Sea slug?" "Sea slug." Masaaki looked over Osaka's shoulder. "Definitely a sea slug. Chelidonura inornata ?" "I think it looks more like Chelidonura philinopsis ." Chiyo blinked. "Osaka-san, are you sure you shouldn't be teaching biology instead of history?" "Ayumu's genius is vast indeed." Masaaki nodded solemnly. Everyone at the table stared at him. After several seconds, Yomi adjusted her glasses and coughed. Chiyo reached under her seat. Now that people were mostly finished eating, she decided it was a good time to distribute the gifts. "I brought something from America for everyone." She passed a jar across the table to Yomi. "Strawberry-rhubarb preserves. It seems to be something of a specialty in the smaller towns near where I was." "I've never even heard of rhubarb. What is it?" "It's . . . a vegetable. I think." Chiyo had never actually seen one of the plants. She'd only tasted it in pies and cakes. "It's supposed to be kind of bitter by itself, but it's really good when combined with something sweet, like strawberries. I'm told that the stalks look like celery, but red. You don't need to do anything special to prepare that stuff in the jar. Just spread it on bread or crackers." "I look forward to trying it. I'll let you know what I think." Chiyo then leaned across the table to give Tomo a snowglobe. Tomo shook it violently, then set it on the table. She grinned malevolently and cackled as she watched the glitter swirl around. "This is fun, but why Stonehenge? Isn't that in England?" "Actually, that's Carhenge." Tomo picked up the globe and peered inside. "Cars? Whoa! They are! They're cars, stacked like Stonehenge! That's really warped!" "It exists." "No way!" "Out in the Nebraska countryside, surrounded by cow pastures and cornfields, there is Carhenge. I've seen it with my own eyes." Tomo shook the globe again, apparently enthralled. "I must go there on my next vacation!" Chiyo turned to Osaka and handed her a jar. "Nebraska is also known for corn. This is corn cob jelly." At the bewildered look on Osaka's face, she quickly added, "It tastes much better than it sounds." Then she reached past Osaka to give Masaaki a tube of sausage. "I originally bought this for Chihiro-san. But it seems like I won't get to see her, so I want you to enjoy it. It's deer meat." Sakaki drew in her breath sharply. Chiyo decided not to mention that she knew the hunter who had killed the deer and sold her the sausage. Leaving in the bag only the box of walnut cookies that she'd give to Kaorin later, Chiyo turned toward Sakaki and put a cub-sized plush white tiger into her hands. The blush spreading across Sakaki's face revealed that she still liked stuffed animals as much as she had in school. Chiyo smiled, feeling warmth rise in her cheeks as well. "Omaha has one of the best zoos in America. One of the things they're famous for is having a whole lot of white tigers." Sakaki hugged the toy. "Thank you, Chiyo-chan." At the next table, a little boy who was dining with his mother raised his hand and shouted, "Yoshio-kun! Over here!" His mother promptly shushed him, then bowed a silent apology to the other customers. Another mother and son joined them. Yoshio clutched a stack of trading cards in his hands. He whispered louder than normal speech. "Taka-kun, do you have your sports cards with you? Mom bought me a new pack of swimmers today. I have two Kaguras. Can I trade you one for a Yamada?" "No way. I only have one Yamada and I already have a Kagura." Yoshio frowned, then set his cards on the table. Chiyo pushed her chair back slightly and leaned toward them. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help hearing . . ." Both boys and both mothers stared at her, terror in their eyes. For the first time, Chiyo regretted punking up her appearance. She smiled and bowed, trying to look nonthreatening. "Did you say you have a spare Kagura-san card?" Yoshio nodded, then held it out to show her. His hand shook as if he was afraid that Chiyo might bite him. The card had an excellent photo of Kagura diving off the starting platform. "I don't have any cards to trade, but are you willing to sell it for money? I'll pay enough for you to buy two new packs." She pulled her wallet out of her jacket's inside breast pocket. Apparently feeling bold all of a sudden, he cleared his throat. "Two-thousand yen." Chiyo suspected that he could probably buy at least three packs with that amount, but she wasn't going to argue. She opened her wallet. "Oops. I forgot. I haven't had my money changed yet. All I have is American dollars." She pulled out a twenty. "I think that this about right. Will you take it?" She wished she'd thought to check the current exchange rate. He eyed the money suspiciously. Tomo pulled out a calculator and punched the buttons, keeping the screen from anyone else's view. Then she took Chiyo's twenty dollar bill and handed her two thousand-yen bills. "It's close enough." Yomi pried the calculator out of Tomo's hand. "Hey! You cheated her! Give her the rest of it!" "I'm really not worried about it," Chiyo said, grinning and waving her hand dismissively. Then she handed the little boy the two-thousand yen, and received her Kagura card. Yoshio clutched the money to his chest and giggled. His friend gaped and both mothers buried their faces in their hands. Chiyo showed the card to Sakaki, Osaka, and Masaaki, who were all leaning toward her. After everyone had a good look, she put it safely in her wallet. "By the way, Tomo," Chiyo began. Yomi let Tomo out of the headlock and sat down. Tomo fell back into her chair, flicked a grain of rice off her plate in Yomi's direction, then grinned at Chiyo. "Yes?" "How come you're an office lady? I thought you were going to join the ICPO." Tomo's face froze for an instant, then she wailed loudly. Everyone in the restaurant turned and looked, Osaka and Masaaki covered their ears, Sakaki took a sip of her tea, and Yomi screamed, "Shut up!" Tomo thumped her head on the table repeatedly. Sakaki leaned close to Chiyo's ear and whispered, "She was expelled halfway through regular police training." Somehow, Chiyo was not surprised. Masaaki looked at their empty plates, then at all of the still-staring customers. "I think our work here is done. Perhaps we should move on." "Chiyo-chan, should I drop you off at your parents' house?" Yomi asked. Chiyo cleared her throat and ducked her head. "First, I'd like to wash my hair and change clothes. Is anyone willing to let me use their shower?" She really didn't want her parents to see her looking like this, not even as a joke. Sakaki nodded. "My apartment isn't far from here." ----- "Chiyo-chan's been in there a long time," Tomo muttered, "I wonder what she's doing." Kneeling on the floor, Sakaki swished a feather toy and Maya jumped for it. "It might take several washings to get the dye out." Yomi yawned and stretched. Tomo, seated beside her on the couch, reached over and poked her belly. Yomi grabbed her hand and glared at her. Tomo grinned and leaned away. Yomi folded her arms. "Osaka and . . . her boyfriend . . . offered to give you a ride home. Why didn't you go with them? After I drop Chiyo-chan off, it'll be really far out of my way to take you back to your apartment." Sakaki had wondered the same thing, but hadn't said anything. She tried to keep from ever getting between Tomo and Yomi. Her life was much calmer that way. "You forgot his name already?" Tomo laughed loudly. "And after spending three years in school with him!" "Tell me then, what is his name?" "It's . . . Sakaki-chan, tell her!" "Ooyama Masaaki." Tomo folded her arms and gloated. "See? Sakaki-chan remembers." Yomi narrowed her eyes. "You are such an idiot." Chiyo came out of the bathroom, now clad in a nice pair of olive slacks and a respectable, cream colored blouse. Her damp hair was almost its natural color, except slightly darker. At least it wasn't blue. And the tattoo and facial piercings had mercifully washed away, also. However, although she only wore one small pair of hoop earrings now, Sakaki could see the holes in her earlobes. She really had gotten four sets of piercings. Maybe she had gone a little bit bad in America after all. "I'm sorry to keep everyone up so late." Yomi stood. "It's okay. Are you ready to go?" Chiyo nodded, then turned to Sakaki. Before she could say anything, though, Tomo pointed at her. "Chiyo-suke! When are we going to your summer house?" "Don't be so presumptuous." Yomi grumbled. "It's the beginning of summer. That means it's time to hit the beach!" Tomo persisted. Chiyo blinked. "Uh . . . well . . . I hadn't considered it. But that would be fun, wouldn't it? I suppose any time would be fine. Does everyone have weekends off?" Tomo nodded. "We could go out early Saturday morning and come back late Sunday," Chiyo suggested. "What about Friday?" Tomo clenched both fists and crouched. "Could we go out Friday evening after everyone gets off work? We need to maximize the time for fun." "But doesn't Kaorin-san work the night shift?" Yomi nodded. "But instead of five nights a week, she works extra long shifts four nights a week, Monday through Thursday. So going out Friday night should be fine for her, too." Chiyo turned back to Sakaki. "Is it okay for you?" Sakaki looked at Maya. "But I can't leave him alone for two nights." "Bring him along." Sakaki picked up the Iriomote mountain cat and looked into his eyes. "Do you want to go on a trip?" He meowed. "Is that a yes or a no?" He meowed again, flexing his paws. "Okay." Sakaki faced Chiyo and nodded. "We'll both come along." Chiyo stared at Sakaki and Maya. "Can you really understand what he . . ." Yomi leaned close to Chiyo's ear. "Don't ask. Trust me. Just don't ask." "Ah. Well then. I'll call everyone else tomorrow and tell them about the trip." Chiyo approached Sakaki and reached out her hand like she was going to touch Sakaki's arm. Then she hesitated. She put her fingertips by Maya's nose so he could sniff, then scritched him between the ears. Chiyo, Tomo, and Yomi went through the kitchen to the entryway and donned their shoes. Sakaki stiffened as Chiyo slipped on the black leather jacket. Then Chiyo unsnapped one of the pockets, fished out an adorable little leopard cub plushie, and clipped it to her zipper pull. She met Sakaki's gaze, smiled widely, and giggled. Relief washed over Sakaki. Chiyo was still cute after all.
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