A Hostile Third Party For the return trip, Sakaki ended up alone with Osaka. As long as Sakaki remained silent and offered no distractions, Osaka kept her eyes forward. Sometimes her thoughts seemed elsewhere, but the car only went off the road once, and they didn't actually hit anything. All in all, a grand success. Once in her apartment, Sakaki dropped her bags just past the entryway and headed for the phone, intending to call Chiyo. The phone rang as she reached for it, and she picked up before it sounded again. "Hello?" "You're home safely. I'm glad." Chiyo sighed. "How was it?" "Kaorin wouldn't speak to me, Yomi and Tomo argued the entire time, and Maya's claws are very sharp." "He scratched you?" "No. I was just petting him, and he started kneading my leg. He didn't draw blood or anything, but it wasn't very comfortable. Anyway, Yomi left me at my house, then went on with the others. Would you like me to call a taxi and bring Maya to you?" "Is it too much trouble?" "Of course not." "Then please do." "Okay. See you soon." "Bye." Sakaki unpacked and put everything in its proper place. She started a pot of coffee brewing, then tidied up her apartment. Since it was just one room, plus a tiny kitchen, it didn't take very long. She got a third sitting cushion out of the closet and set it by the table. If Chiyo stayed, it would be nice to offer her a seat that wasn't coated with cat fur. She returned to the kitchen and took a package of cookies from the cupboard, then arranged them on a plate. She got down her two favorite cups and saucers, with dancing kitties around the rims. She arranged the cups, a jar of sugar cubes, a small bird-shaped pitcher of milk, and the plate of cookies on a tray. Then she rearranged them. Finally, she heard a knock. Sakaki reached across the small entryway and opened the door. Before Chiyo could even step inside, Maya leapt out of her arms and into Sakaki's. He rubbed his forehead on her chin, purring loudly. She stroked behind his ears. Chiyo hesitated in the entryway, shifting her weight and shuffling her feet. Sakaki nodded. "Please, come in." "Thank you." Chiyo stepped out of her shoes and up into the kitchen. Sakaki noticed the canvas bag slung over her shoulder. "What is that?" Chiyo's cheeks reddened. "Um . . . my toothbrush, a change of clothes, and a lot of wishful thinking?" Sakaki froze. She couldn't move, couldn't even speak. She had no question that she loved Chiyo. She always had. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she'd been biding her time, waiting for Chiyo to grow up. But she'd worked so hard to suppress those feelings, to bury them deep. They hadn't been appropriate. Now she knew that Chiyo wanted the same thing. Now it was okay. But it had been less than a week since Chiyo had come back into her life. It might take longer to fully tear down the wall she'd built inside. Chiyo looked down. "Too soon?" Sakaki nodded. "It's okay. I understand. Should I leave?" Sakaki shook her head. "I made coffee. Please drink it with me?" Chiyo grinned, then followed Sakaki into the main room. She set her bag on the floor and knelt on the cushion Sakaki indicated. Sakaki went back to the kitchen, placed a dish of salmon chunks on the floor for Maya, then put the coffee pot on the tray and brought it out. She placed one cup in front of Chiyo and poured. "Do you take anything in your coffee?" "Milk and sugar both, please." Sakaki stirred in the additions, then turned the cup's handle toward Chiyo. She put the plate of cookies on the table near her, too. Finally, Sakaki took her seat, catty-corner from Chiyo, and filled her own cup. Chiyo sipped as she looked slowly around the room. Sakaki felt self-conscious about her cramped place. Her apartment in its totality could probably fit in Chiyo's bedroom twice. But then Chiyo smiled brightly. "I like your home. You have a lot of pretty pictures on the walls and cute stuffed animals on the shelves. It's very charming and cozy." "Thank you." Sakaki felt her face grow warm. Her parents told her every time they visited that it was inappropriate for an adult to have so many plush toys at every turn. But Chiyo liked it? Sakaki hid her grin behind her tea cup. Chiyo stared intently at something across the room. "May I look . . . ?" Sakaki nodded. "Hmm." Chiyo went over to the shelf with the photographs and took one in her hands. Even at this distance, Sakaki knew it by the frame. She closed her eyes and remembered the day that picture was taken. Chiyo's thirteenth birthday. There hadn't been a party, since everyone had been studying for their college entrance exams, although they had eaten a cake to honor the occasion. Earlier in the evening, Sakaki had taken a break from studying. She'd gone outside and sat underneath a tree, with Tadakichi-san's head on her knee and Maya curled up in the crook of her elbow. Chiyo had set the camera with an automatic timer, then taken a place behind her dog. She'd leaned close and rested her head on Sakaki's shoulder just as the camera flashed. Chiyo set the photograph back on the shelf. She knelt on the floor behind Sakaki, pressed her face against Sakaki's back, and sighed. "Even then, I think I was in love with you, although I couldn't have put it into words." She placed her hands lightly on Sakaki's hips. "When I was old enough to start dating, I always went for people who somehow reminded me of you. And it never lasted because they never measured up to my memory of you." "R-really?" Sakaki shivered a little. "Is it that much of a surprise?" Chiyo chuckled. "From the first time you rescued me from the deep end of the pool, back before I could swim, I thought of you as my protector. And you never once let me down. When Tomo-chan was fooling around and almost sent me over the edge of that cliff, you caught me. When I was sure we were going to lose the relay race because I was so slow, you ran twice as fast." She sighed, rubbing her forehead against Sakaki's shoulder blade. "What I remember most are the times when I was scared, usually at the athletics festivals, and you would put your hand on the top my head and tell me, 'It's all right.' Even in college, whenever I was worried about something, I would close my eyes and imagine you touching me and saying, 'It's all right.'" Sakaki turned around. "Chiyo-chan . . ." "Sakaki-san." Chiyo kissed her softly, caressing her jaw with gentle fingertips. Quivering, Sakaki closed her eyes and parted her lips. Chiyo slid her tongue inside. An electric tingle coursed from Sakaki's belly to her breasts. So much for her barrier. Suddenly she was glad Chiyo had brought an overnight bag. She embraced Chiyo and drew her closer, pressing deeper into the kiss. Chiyo giggled, not breaking lip contact. Sakaki lay back on the floor, pulling Chiyo down on top of her. She stroked the length of Chiyo's back with both hands repeatedly. "You're petting me like a cat again," Chiyo murmured. Sakaki stopped. "I wasn't complaining this time, either." Chiyo brushed her fingertips over Sakaki's eyebrows, then her cheeks, down the bridge of her nose, around her ears, and across her lips. Then she kissed her again, on the mouth, then on the chin, and then on the throat. She lingered there, and Sakaki felt the flick of her tongue. Sakaki arched her back, and a moan escaped from deep within her. Chiyo yelped and rolled off her, crashing into the table. Her eyes were wide and startled. Sakaki sat up. "What happened?" Then she heard the low growl beside her. She looked down at Maya, who bristled and flattened his ears. She looked back at Chiyo and noticed the blood on her arm. Maya jumped over Sakaki and took another swipe at Chiyo, who quickly scooted away. Maya chased her across the room, into the kitchen, and almost to the entryway. Sakaki ran over and scooped him up. She met Chiyo's gaze. "I'm sorry." Then she looked into Maya's eyes. "Why are you acting this way, so suddenly?" He meowed, and she set him on the floor. He glared at Chiyo, swishing his tail, but he did not move from that spot. Sakaki clasped Chiyo's hand and looked at her arm. The bite was deep and fairly severe. She had Chiyo hold the wound under running water while she fetched antiseptic salve and a bandage from the cabinet. "I'm sorry," Sakaki repeated as she tended the injury. Chiyo shook her head. "It's not your fault. Maybe he's jealous. Or maybe he thinks I was hurting you. He's very protective of you." "He lived with you for several months before I had my own apartment. You took good care of him then, and he got along well with you. He should trust you." "Maybe my scent changed when I grew up. Or maybe it was just so long ago that he doesn't remember." They returned to the main room. Chiyo knelt beside Maya and held out her hand, palm up. "Here, see, I'm a friend." He sniffed, then chomped down on her index finger. Sakaki smacked him lightly on the head. "Don't bite." He looked at her, lowered his tail, then ran under the couch. Sakaki took Chiyo back to the kitchen and dressed the new wound. Chiyo sighed. "I think I should go home." Sakaki lowered her gaze. "I understand." "My parents want to spend time with me tomorrow night. But are you free the next night?" Sakaki thought ahead to Tuesday. She had absolutely no commitments after work. "I am." "Would you like to go out?" "Will you tell me where we're going so I can dress appropriately this time?" Sakaki smiled. Chiyo grinned back at her. "Of course." Chiyo telephoned for a taxi. Then they sat together and finished their coffee while they waited. Chiyo glanced at her watch. "They should be coming soon. I'll go down now." Sakaki walked her to the door. Chiyo collected her bag and put on her shoes. Standing in the entryway while Sakaki was on the regular floor made her seem even tinier. Sakaki stooped to kiss her one more time. Chiyo put her uninjured hand on Sakaki's shoulder and squeezed. "Goodnight." "Until Tuesday, then." ----- It was almost time for Yomi to go home Monday, when Kaorin came into the pharmacy. She greeted Yomi with a smile, bought some vitamins, then headed for the door. "Wait," Yomi called. "I'm off now. How long do you have before you have to be at work?" "I have just enough time for breakfast." "It's evening . . ." "I'm nocturnal. I just woke up a little while ago." "Well, shall we go out together for breakfast-supper?" Kaorin blushed. "I'd like that." She gazed at Yomi silently for a moment. With a start, Yomi realized it was The Look. Suddenly, she was looking forward to dinner three times as much as usual. ----- Sakaki put on her pajamas and spread out the futon on the floor. Maya immediately crawled under the cover, turned around, and poked his head out, resting his chin on the pillow. As she reached for the light switch, the phone rang. "Hello?" "Sakaki-san? I hope I didn't wake you." Chiyo sounded apologetic. "Not yet." "I was thinking, Maya and I got along fine in Yomi's car. So I wondered if I were to spend some more time alone with him, maybe he'd get used to having me around." "When would you do this?" "I was thinking that if I spent a day with him, while you were at work . . ." "Tomorrow?" "If that's okay with you. And then I'd already be there for our date in the evening." Sakaki looked at Maya curled up in her bedding. She imagined having Chiyo there with her, also. She wanted them to get along. "Sure." ----- Chiyo showed up early in the morning with soft-sided briefcase. "I brought my laptop computer. I thought that I could work on this chaos mathematics treatise I'm supposed to be writing." Sakaki nodded. After all, no human, except perhaps herself, could be expected to play feather toy with a cat for nine solid hours. "Maybe I'll teach Maya about fractals." Chiyo set her laptop case on the floor and then crouched, apparently looking for Maya. "Last night, I told my father that there is a cat who regards me as a threat, and that I want to make friends. And he reminded me about what happened between him and Tadakichi-san." Sakaki knelt beside her. "What?" "I was five when we got Tadakichi-san. Throughout his puppyhood, he thought of my mother as the alpha of the pack, and he seemed to regard me as a littermate. But my father had a lot of business trips that year, and he was rarely home for more than three days at a time. So Tadakichi-san barely knew him. But when my father finally came home to stay and behaved, as is proper, like the dominant member of the family, Tadakichi-san rebelled." Sakaki remembered Tadakichi-san as the most mellow dog she'd ever met. She couldn't even imagine him acting disobedient. Chiyo continued, "Anyway, I guess my father and Tadakichi-san went back and forth for a long time before Tadakichi-san accepted my father as the alpha male. Tadakichi-san showed his acquiescence by rolling on his back and exposing his belly to my father. After that, there were never any problems." Sakaki wondered how this related to Maya. Did Chiyo intend to vie with him for an alpha role? Sakaki didn't think that would work. Maya sauntered out from behind the sofa. Twitching his tail, he approached Chiyo. Chiyo flopped over. Then, lying supine, she tipped her head back and exposed her throat. "Okay, Maya-san. I accept you as top cat in this home." Maya sniffed her fingertips, then he followed her arm to the shoulder. Resting one paw on her collarbone, he sniffed her neck and face. Then he climbed up onto her chest. He hunkered down, tucking in his paws and tail like he intended to take a nap. He had claimed her as his territory, as he would a pillow or a sheet of paper left on the floor. Chiyo grinned, not moving. "See? I think we'll be fine." "Ah . . ." "Have a good day at work." Sakaki put on her lab coat and headed for the door. "I'm leaving now." ----- Sakaki and the senior veterinarian were reviewing the health history of a dog they expected to see the next day, when the receptionist came back and asked for help getting rid of a weirdo. Sakaki and her boss went out and discovered Osaka, clutching a small cardboard box with both hands and looking very serious. Sakaki glanced at the clock and guessed that Osaka must have left immediately after school to get here so quickly. Osaka stepped forward and angled the box toward them. "King Volkswagen is sick. Please make him well." They looked inside the box and saw a beetle. It wasn't moving. "Miss, we don't treat insects here," the senior vet said gently. "Is he still alive?" Sakaki asked. "He is." Osaka shook the box slightly, and the beetle twitched one leg. "If you can't help him, where will I find a vet who can?" The senior vet folded his arms. "I don't think there's a veterinarian in all of Tokyo who will take a beetle. Most people prefer to have insects exterminated." Osaka looked personally wounded. "No way . . ." Sakaki stepped forward and held out her hands. "Let me see him." ----- After an hour and a half on the internet, Sakaki came back out with the box and a stack of printouts. Osaka slowly rose out of her chair. Sakaki returned King Volkswagen to her custody. "Do you keep him in a place with a lot of sunlight?" "I do." "That's bad. Move his cage to a room with no windows. Or at least to a shady area. Put in a bunch of leaves for him to hide under. He'll eat them, also, if you give him the right ones." She handed over the printouts. "Here's a list of leaves he should enjoy. At the bottom of the page is another list of types that are toxic for him, so avoid those. If you want to make sure he lives through the winter, after you figure out which ones he likes best, gather a good supply while they're still green and freeze them. Thaw them thoroughly before giving them to him." "Will that really work?" "I don't know." Osaka furrowed her brow, then smiled widely. "Well anyway, thank you." She wandered out the door. The senior veterinarian approached. Sakaki braced herself for getting fired for wasting so much time. He cleared his throat. "Good work. You've reminded the rest of us here that some people love even strange pets dearly, and we shouldn't take them lightly. I know that when I do retire, I will be leaving this hospital in good hands." Waving over his shoulder, he returned to the back office. "By the way, you were off duty twenty minutes ago. See you tomorrow." Sakaki stared after him, stunned. Then she bowed. "Thank you very much." The front door opened and Osaka returned. "Sakaki-chan, there was something I wanted to tell you. I just remembered. Yukari-chan went out to run an errand at lunchtime and came back to the school very late. She said that she saw Chiyo-chan. I asked if Chiyo-chan had any news, but then Yukari-chan ran away. I wonder if something bad happened." "Something bad?" Sakaki felt her throat tighten. "Or maybe not. Yukari-chan runs away from me a lot. I don't know why. Well anyway, bye!" ----- Sakaki was surprised to find the lights off when she arrived at home. The laptop sat on the table, closed, so Chiyo had apparently done some work. But the futon was spread on the floor, and Chiyo was inside, with the cover pulled over her head. Maya lay stretched out along her side, on top of the cover. Sakaki crouched by the pillow and whispered, "Chiyo-chan? Are you awake?" "Mmm." Sakaki pulled back the cover, then gasped. The whole right side of Chiyo's face was bandaged, as well as her chin, forehead, and across the bridge of her nose. Sakaki whipped around to yell, "Maya!" He streaked out of the room. Chiyo sat up, waving her arms, which both sported several more bandages. "No, no! It wasn't Maya. He's been very good!" Sakaki gently touched Chiyo's left shoulder. "Then what happened?" "I decided to go out for lunch. I remembered seeing a restaurant not far from here, so I walked. I saw Yukari-sensei on her bicycle. It's a long ways from the school, so I was surprised to see her. I waved. She waved back and turned in my direction . . . and she's not any better about riding a bicycle than she is about driving a car." Sakaki slipped her arms around her. Chiyo hissed through her teeth, and Sakaki released her quickly. Chiyo looked down. "I'm sorry. I really ache." Sakaki sat back, hands in her lap. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't think about it." "Yukari-sensei apologized, and she even walked me to the hospital. They gave me a painkiller, and it made me kind of sleepy. So when I got back here, I just went to bed. From the moment I got home, Maya has stayed by my side. He's rubbed up against me and purred a lot. He's a very good nurse." Sakaki heard a thump from the kitchen. She listened for a moment, then heard another -- the very distinctive sound of Maya's tail slapping against the floor. He always did that when he was annoyed with her. Chiyo groaned softly. "Sorry. I'm still feeling really out of it. May I stay here tonight, please?" "Of course. Do you need to call your parents, so they don't worry?" She shook her head. "They left for Brazil this morning. That's why they wanted to see me last night. They'll be gone for almost two weeks." "Ah." "And I never got to eat lunch. I'm really hungry." Sakaki kissed Chiyo on the cheek that wasn't bandaged. "We could order sushi." "That sounds nice." "I'll get some tuna sashimi for Maya." She needed to apologize for yelling at him. Tuna ought to do it. "Is that his favorite?" Sakaki nodded, then went to her desk and got out a notepad. "What do you want?" "Come here for a moment, please." Sakaki crossed the room and knelt beside her. "Yes?" Chiyo turned, a little stiffly, then rested her hands on Sakaki's shoulders and tugged slightly. Sakaki leaned lower, and Chiyo kissed her gently, lingering for several seconds. "There. I feel better already." She kissed her once more, then lay back down. "Thank you." Sakaki's cheeks felt hot as she returned to her desk. "D-dinner?" Chiyo chuckled softly. "That too. Just get me a small combo tray." ----- Late at night, Sakaki lay awake in her spare futon. She had spread it out so that she was head to head with Chiyo. Maya lay halfway on Sakaki's pillow and halfway under the cover. Stroking the top of his fuzzy head idly, she listened to Chiyo's quiet, even breathing and imagined what it would be like to live with her. To be together every night, to eat breakfast together every morning, even to wash dishes and do laundry together -- that would be bliss. She closed her eyes and savored the feel of the heaviness of sleep seeping into her muscles. Sakaki bandaged so many wounds on Chiyo's arms and face that she ended up looking like a mummy. Then she carried the sleeping woman piggyback through a garden of giant flowers. She was lost. But a beetle the size of a car was kind enough to give her directions. He ate the leafy plant that blocked her path, and Sakaki found herself at the door of the Mihama house. A penguin opened the door and bowed as Sakaki passed. Then, unbandaged and uninjured, Chiyo dismounted, kissed Sakaki's hand, and bounded up the stairs. Sakaki tried to follow, but the staircase changed, and she lost her way again. "A guest should knock before entering someone's house." Sakaki turned to face an orange cat, half her own height, standing on two feet. "But the maid let me in." "That's no excuse." Sakaki bowed. "I'm sor--" "Nevermind." The cat held up one paw. "I know why you're here. You want to marry my daughter, don't you?" "Yes, sir. May I ask for your--" "Impossible." Sakaki hung her head. "Because we're both women?" "Incorrect. It's because you are not a cat." "I beg your pardon?" "I will only allow my daughter to marry a cat." He glowed red, his eyes widening. A young, male voice sounded from beside Sakaki. "Of course my mother is a cat." Sakaki looked down at Maya, standing on two feet, wearing an elementary school boy's uniform. "She doesn't look like a cat." Chiyo's father turned a swirling blue. Maya reached up and clasped Sakaki's hand in his paw. "She's my mother. Of course she's a cat." Chiyo's father stopped glowing. "Hmph. Very well, then. You may marry my daughter." He rose into the air. "Where are you going?" Sakaki called, reaching after him. "Brazil. The coffee is very good there, I hear." He floated out the window. Sakaki sat up. Feeling disoriented, she rubbed her eyes. She soon recognized her own apartment. She looked down at Maya. He blinked, then stood and padded toward the kitchen. She heard him lapping water from his bowl. She lay back down. It had been years since she'd dreamed about the orange cat. Listening to Chiyo's soft breathing, she wondered what her parents were really like. All through high school, Sakaki had never met them. Even during the months when Maya had lived with Chiyo, and Sakaki had visited very frequently, even spending the night a few times, she had never seen Chiyo's parents, nor any maid or butler. Chiyo had mentioned them, of course, but Sakaki had never seen them, never heard their voices. For all she knew, Chiyo had always lived alone in that giant house and had just made up stories about parents and servants. Of course, that was ridiculous. Then again, she knew from conversations with their friends that no one else had ever met Chiyo's parents either. And Osaka once reported dreaming that Chiyo's father was a talking, flying, glowing, bipedal orange cat. It was strange that two of Chiyo's friends would dream the same thing. But then, rationally, it was probably hearing about Sakaki's dream that had planted the idea in Osaka's subconscious. Sakaki decided to put it out of her mind and try to get back to sleep. She pulled up the cover and closed her eyes. ----- Tomo was downright miffed. She knew that Yomi had been having dinner with Kaorin -- well, dinner for Yomi, breakfast for Kaorin -- every night this week. And for the last two days, apparently, they'd been having the other meal -- breakfast for Yomi, dinner for Kaorin -- together as well. Oh, sure, Tomo had still gotten to see Yomi later on most evenings, when she'd dropped in unannounced at Yomi's apartment. But still. When she did the math, Kaorin was logging more Yomi-hours than Tomo. At least Tomo thought so. She wasn't exactly sure. Math had never been her best subject. Anyway, it was Friday night, and Tomo wanted Yomi to come drinking with her. Without Kaorin. Tomo stopped at her place just long enough to ditch her office garb and put on slacks and a sleeveless, strapless top, then she headed over to Yomi's. A quick check of the parking lot proved that Yomi was home, or at least her car was. Tomo climbed up the stairs to Yomi's fourth floor apartment. After she caught her breath, she rapped her knuckles on the door. No answer, so she knocked again. And again. She paused to listen. Then she pounded on the door continuously until she heard a loud, "Go the hell away, Tomo!" "How'd you know it was me?" she called back. "Who the hell else would it be?" "Let me in. Let's go out." "No. Go away." "Aw, come on!" She waited for a moment, then receiving no response, she crouched to pick the lock. That was one of the useful skills she'd learned during police training, before she'd gotten kicked out. That suspect had taught her all sorts of interesting things. He still sent her letters from time to time. The door swung open, and the sight that greeted Tomo was enough to stun her into silence for a few seconds. Yomi, her blouse unbuttoned and her pants unzipped, straddled a shirtless Kaorin. They froze. "Oh, crap," Yomi muttered. Tomo recovered from her shock enough to point and scream. Yomi jumped up, shoved her back into the hallway, then slammed the door. Tomo heard the sound of something heavy sliding across the floor, then bumping against the inside of the door. "Hmm." Tomo planted her hands on her hips. She stared at the door for a little while, then decided to see if she could climb up to the balcony.
Back to Azumanga Daioh Plus Six Index - Back to Azumanga Daioh Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction