“As you know, I’m a cat-girl. I was the product of a once-secret experiment in a military laboratory located in the Saitama prefecture. The Japanese government and the military wanted to make a hybrid creature that would become the ultimate fighter.”
“Sounds like something from an anime.” Himeko concluded.
“It sure does. They took the embryos of mothers who donated them and fused it with a cat’s DNA chromosome. Out of twenty embryos, I was the only one that fully developed. I was in there for at least eighteen years. They pumped every type of drug you can imagine into me. They pumped so much shit into me I was starting to hate syringes!”
Nekoko continue as Himeko listened attentively, “The things I saw there were terrifying and would make the average person sick to the stomach. It wasn’t just guinea pigs that they performed experiments on; they experimented on every non-endangered species available, even humans! They did barbaric things to them like exposing them to radiation, electrocuting them, using painful procedures on them, severing private parts, etc. They had them attached to various devices at various part of the body; it didn’t look that much different from Igor’s lab.”
“Igor’s lab?” Himeko innocently questioned.
“You know, from Frankenstein?”
“Oh yeah, sorry about that.”
“No problem,” Nekoko said as she continued. “I collected evidence during my time there, figuring that if I ever escape I was going to expose to everyone these labs. Eventually I found a way to escape. I was there long enough to know the ins and outs of the place. Later I found out that the building’s ventilation reached the garbage room. That plus the knowledge that the garbage was taken at around 3 pm every Thursday at the same time when the scientist were checking out a few of the animals, gave me a plan. I was close with some of the lab rats and I was able to train them to start acting up when they hear a buzzer from my alarm.
So on a Thursday when they were short-staffed, I knew it was the perfect time to escape. I hid the alarm in the room very well and immediately went to the ventilation shaft near the end of the hallway. When 2:45 hit, the rats started to act up. It worked better than planned because as soon as the scientist opened the cage, the rats immediately ran out of it and were all over the room. I quickly opened the cover for the ventilation and rapidly move to the garbage room; luckily I was small enough to go through the ventilation without any problems. I only had fifteen minutes to spare but it was more than enough time to find it.
When I got there I quickly hid inside one of the trash bins. The smell was awful but I smelled even worse things in that godforsaken lab. When they picked up the bin and threw it in the garbage truck I was amazed that I was finally free from that place, but then I remembered that I had to get out of it as soon as possible. So when the truck stopped on a red light, I quickly got out and ran as fast as I can.
For a while I had to find ways to survive, digging through trash cans, stealing food, etc. Then I heard about a civil liberties group in this area that dealt with questionable scientific research. I found that civil liberties group and told them my story. They were going to publish it in the newsletter but the government got wind of my location and made a deal with the group stating that they will be funded greatly if they don’t say anything about the lab and its experiments and they will let me live. I was very upset about it, they sold me out. So I left them and with no money or no one to go to, I ended up here.”
Himeko silently let the story sink in her mind, feeling Nekoko’s pain as she went on. “It makes me mad what they do to those poor things. Just because they can’t speak doesn’t mean that they can’t feel pain! People don’t have a right to treat animals the way they want to. They’re not some toys that they can do as they please with. They are living creatures who contribute to this planet and they have as much right to live freely as humans do.” Nekoko finished as her ears laid back and she began to cry. Himeko came up to her and put the crying girl’s head on her shoulders.
“I understand how you feel Neko-chan.”
“I know you do Hime-chan, I know you do. I wish I can tell you more but right now I got a bad headache, I need to go to bed. You can stay up if you want.”
“No thanks, I’ll go to sleep too.”
“OK then Hime-chan, go ahead and say you prayers. If you do say them, please pray for all those animals and people who are wrongly abused in the name of science.” as Nekoko headed straight to her bed. Himeko got down on her knees and started to pray, prayed for the mother she barely knew about, prayed for the girl who saved her yet act so mean to her, prayed for her adopted parents even though they were terrible to her, she figured that’s what Jesus would do, and finally she prayed for those who were abused in the name of science as requested by Nekoko. However she never prayed about her own pain, sufferings or wants, thinking that it’s not right to ask God for her own selfish needs, but the hidden and denied truth was that she thought that her requests would never be answered. Why would they be? She never thought that she was good enough. Even for God.
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The next day Himeko and Nekoko got up and went to get some breakfast. After that they started to collect cans and other ‘valuables’ such as bottles, metals, etc. While they were collecting Himeko found something.
“Wow, this is great!” she said as she picked up the object.
Nekoko came over there and said “What is great, nya?”
“It’s the special edition of Battle Mikos!”
“Battle Mikos? Is that a manga?”
“Yep! It’s one of my favorites!”
Nekoko wanted to know more about the manga but her stomach rumbled loudly.
“Excuse me! I think I need to eat. Are you hungry as well, nya?”
“Actually I am.”
“OK then, let’s stop and get something to eat.”
Himeko nodded her head in agreement. Eventually, they were able to get 5000 yen, not great but not bad either. They figured that they had enough to buy something to eat, instead of going to get free food. They were getting sick and tired of free foods, they may be free but they weren’t the tastiest meals. Since they were near the Shomben Yokocho area they decided to get a bite there. The Shomben Yokocho area is known for its yaki-tori shops, however most of them only cater to the native male customers, thus Nekoko and Himeko had to look for one that would accept them. In addition to the fact they were women, they were also homeless, something that the Japanese are not thrilled about. While they were looking for a place to eat most of the people around them were staring in disgust, wishing they would leave immediately. Eventually they ended up going to the one they can truly trust into accepting them, the Ruby Star.
It was small and cramped like most of the yaki-tori shops but it did have one advantage, they accepted anyone. The owners were a Seventh-Day Adventist couple who strongly believed in tolerance and acceptance regardless of their background, therefore they never turned anyone down unless they were causing trouble. Also due to their religious background, they had by far more vegetarian options than most restaurants in the area; however they didn’t have anything that the religion considered “unclean” (pork, duck, primates, non-scaled-and-finned fish). Since they weren’t in the mood for any of those things, it didn’t really matter.
When they got to the restaurant there was one other person there sitting at the far end of the counter. They didn’t take a close look at the person but it was apparent that the other person was also homeless, probably drove the other customers away even though she didn’t emit any bad odors. Nekoko ordered the Mehikari, a fried Japanese whitefish with several spices, and Himeko ordered the Negima, chicken with spring onion. While they were eating their food Himeko started to read the manga. Nekoko noticed how deeply interested Himiko was in it. It made her curious.
“Can you tell me about the manga?”
“Oh yeah! The manga is about two mikos who must save the planet from an invisible evil god named the Orochi using a battle mech who also happens to be a god.”
“Wow that sounds rather… interesting.” Nekoko said while trying to be polite, even though she thought it sound rather silly. However there was one person on the other end of the table who heard Himeko’s summary and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.
“Two mikos? An invisible evil god? And a mech God? Who on this planet would write something that stupid?” said the blue-haired girl who saved Himeko’s life, Chikane. She too at the restaurant very often, often enough that people left as soon as she arrived, her attitude is very well known around the area. She was also eating her Tofu yaki-tori with her right hand still bandaged from the fight.
“Chikane-san, would you mind your own business?” Nekoko spat.
However Himeko answered Chikane’s question timidly “Ano, Kaishaku.”
“Well that explains it. You must be an otaku girl then?” Chikane scoffed.
As soon as she heard a word ‘otaku’ tears start forming in her eyes. She quickly left the shop and found a corner so no one can see her cry. “What a big baby,” Chikane mumbled as she continued to eat her food.
As she was crying in the corner, she replayed the unpleasant memories of her classmates teasing and bullying her in her mind. In Japanese culture, otaku is not considered a good thing, it is used on people who are considered to lack social skills, and thus Himeko saw it as an insult. Nekoko came up to her and tried to comfort her. She was beginning to understand how much the crying girl was hurting inside, however she knew that Himeko wouldn’t survive very long in the homeless world of Shinjuku if she kept on carrying that way, so she had to show her some tough love.
“Hime-chan?” Himeko didn’t say anything but continued crying, so Nekoko continued. “Listen, I know that back home in Mahoroba was rough and painful for you but you can’t cry in public around here.”
“I’m sorry Neko-chan but when someone calls me an otaku it just brings back painful memories of when my classmates used to pick on me.”
“Listen Hime-chan, the past is the past, you got to get over it. You got to be tough around here. If you think the schoolgirls at Mahoroba are tough, you ain’t seen nothing yet, although you already got an idea of how rough it is out here, nya.”
“I know but it’s just . . . hard.”
“Look just dry your eyes go back to the shop and just ignore Chikane. She may be a bitch but she won’t do anything to you. And if she does, I got your back.”
“Really?” Himeko said forming a small smile on her face.
“Yes, now let’s go back and eat our food before it gets cold. The fish is good and I’m planning to order seconds.”
“OK.”
So they went back to the restaurant and continued on eating their meal, however Chikane wasn’t about to shut up.
“I don’t know why you like hanging around that little sissy, Neko-san,” Chikane said while pointing at Himeko. “She’s going to be nothing but trouble for you. Soon everybody will know how weak she is and they will take advantage of it. You’re going to be a marked target.”
Nekoko was about to get furious with Chikane but she remembered what Himeko said the other day about Chikane and gave it some thought, maybe Hime-chan was right about Chikane, she might have something to hide.
“Chikane-san, with the way you act towards people it makes me wonder if you have something to hide. Maybe that’s why you get so offensive towards people.”
Chikane went stiffed for a second, shocked that the cat girl would bring that up. It didn’t escape Nekoko’s or Himeko’s attention, they saw it very well. She then returned back to her normal self and told her, “You don’t know anything about me to make such allegations!”
After that she quickly left the restaurant without looking at them back. Nekoko had a small grin on her face; she found a chink in Chikane’s shield. However for Himeko it left her wanting to know what’s really eating Chikane up. Himeko stared at her for a while as she was walking away, Nekoko brought her attention back.
“Himeko, did you see the surprise on her face? That was priceless!”
“Ano, yeah.” Himeko said softly.
“Now she probably would leave us alone for once.” Nekoko said as she returned to eating her meal. Himeko followed suit a few seconds later.
When she returned back to her meal, she noticed something at the end of the table where Chikane was sitting. She went over and picked it up. It was a gold necklace with a heart attached to it. It looked like it had snapped. Himeko put it in her pocket and went back to her food, mentally making a note to return the necklace back whenever she could.
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After they finished eating they went to an alley not far from the block. It was where Nekoko’s friend Hana was staying. He had his cardboard home set up with pictures of various divas, female teen-idols, and hunky muscular men. He made sure his area was nice, tidy, and as glamorous as he could make it. Even though he was broke he still kept his vanity.
Hana was just lying down on his bed looking at a worn-out fashion magazine when he saw the two girls.
“Hey Neko-darling, how are you doing?” He liked to refer to Nekoko from time to time as “Neko-darlin.”
“Fine, how about yourself?”
“I’m fabulous as usual darling. Aren’t you going to introduce me to this angel?” Hana chimed.
Nekoko chuckled while being slightly embarrassed, “Sorry about that Hana-chan, this is Kurusugawa Himeko, my friend.”
“Hi, nice to meet you sir. . . I mean ma’am,” Himeko said nervously then hung her head down low in embarrassment.
“Ah don’t feel bad sweetheart, I know you don’t meet people like me everyday. Just call me ma’am for now on, okay?” He said with a grin.
“Okay ma’am.” She said bashfully.
“Good. Where are you from?”
“Mahoroba.”
“Goodness, that’s far away sweetie. I can tell that you ran away from home, did you have problems with you family.”
Himeko gulped, “Yes I did.”
Seeing the pain in Himeko’s face in her response he wisely decided not to press further, “Sorry little angel for asking you such a thing, I won’t bother you any further. However, what’s going on lately with you Neko-chan?”
“Well you know I don’t mind shooting the breeze with you a bit but I got some important things we need to discuss first. I seriously need to talk to you about the Snake clan and also those masked bastards that have been going around terrorizing the people at the park.”
“Well those masked guys have been nothing for trouble and I want to get to that, but first tell me about the Snake clan. What have they done now?”
“Those bastards tried to rape Hime-chan!” Nekoko hissed.
“What?!”
“Yeah, they tried to rape Himeko. When she was collecting cans by herself in one of the alleys not far from here the Snake clan came up to her and tried to rape her but she was saved by Chikane.”
“Is that so?” Hana said while looking at Himeko who really couldn’t look at him back.
“Yes, it happened,” she said trying her best not to cry.
“You poor child, what was a soft flower like you were doing in alley by yourself?”
“I needed some money so I went to collect cans in the alley. I didn’t think something like that would happen to me,” Himeko said. She couldn’t hold her tears any longer and they started flow down her face. “I promise I won’t do that again.”
“Ah dear, you must have been quite a sheltered little girl back in Mahoroba.”
“Yes, my aunt and uncle didn’t let me play with the kids.”
“Your aunt and uncle? What happened to your parents?”
“It’s personal, Hana-chan.” Nekoko stated.
“No Neko-chan, that’s ok. My father died when I was young and my mother is somewhere in this city.”
Nekoko intervened, “She got a letter from her mother but no address, stating that she’s living in Tokyo. So Hime-chan was looking for her mother but she ran out of money. Now she’s homeless, like the rest of us and going back to Mahoroba is not a good option for her.”
“I see. Have you tried the City Hall? They could help you find your mother.”
“I did but they told me that they couldn’t find her.”
“Oh my, well let me get my ‘girls’ on this, they could find something.”
“Your girls?” Himeko asked.
Hana saw the puzzled look on her face and chuckled “Hahaha, me and five other okames call ourselves the ‘girls’ because well . . . we’re all drag!”
Himeko just couldn’t help but laugh at the statement and Nekoko joined along with her, however Hana went back to his serious mode.
“Now back to the situation in hand. Me and the girls will take care of the Snake clan, alright darling?” Hana said to Himeko.
“I don’t think it’s necessary, Chikane-san really beat them up.”
“Yeah, two of them are in the hospital right now. The other one has not been seen in days.” Nekoko inserted.
“Chikane kicked their butts, huh? Well that serves them right.” Hana quipped. “I knew that girl was tough as nails, especially after she decked that guy in the food line a few months ago, but I never thought that she was capable of taking out three men by herself. Sometimes she’s an asshole but I’m glad she kicked their asses. They’ve been a nuisance in the area long enough; however they’re nothing like the masked gang.”
“They’re the ones who really scares me, just the other day they posted a message on my tent with a drawing of a dead cat on it saying that my days of being queen of the park are numbered.”
Himeko was shocked to hear this and brought it up. “Really? Why didn’t I see it?”
“That was because it was early in the morning and you were still asleep. I didn’t want you to find out because I thought you were rattled enough as it was.”
“Well you got it easy, sister. They attacked two of the girls a few days ago insulting them and threatening them to ‘prepare them for what they would experience in hell.’ That statement made Himeko jumped and had her shaken a bit. “Keroshi-chan got his arm cut badly and had to go to the clinic. They have been burning down people’s tents and cardboard boxes. In fact it was rumored that they were the ones responsible for killing Matamoyo-san two weeks ago?”
“Are you sure?” Nekoko responded with concern.
“Well Naoya-san was around the area, he thought he saw them running away from the alley where he was stabbed. It was rather dark and the lights were not that bright so he couldn’t get a good look.”
“Naoya-san?” Himeko questioned.
“He’s a good friend of ours.” Hana replied.
“I see. Has anybody got a good look at them?” Nekoko asked.
“No but one of the girls, Yukihiro-chan, told me that they threatened her right before they beat her up and that their voices sounded like young men.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. I’ve been hearing incidents of young men beating up homeless people throughout Tokyo.”
“The thing is Neko-chan, I’ve told the police a few times about the incident and they said they would do something about it but I haven’t seen any signs of progress.”
“Well I talked to Girochi-san the other day and he said they were looking into it but they don’t have much evidence.”
“DON’T HAVE MUCH EVIDENCE!?!” Hana hysterically shouted.
“Well they’re masked men and they appear randomly in the night, Hana-chan.”
“I mean with all the so-called “wonderful” technology like DNA matching and Forensic Science, couldn’t they get some sore of evidence?” Hana steamed out.
“Yes but they’re limited to what they could do.”
“Sure I bet if they were targeting rich CEOs then they would have found them in no time. Sometimes I think the system just want us to be eliminated.”
“Come on now Hana-chan, I’m sure they’re trying to get the masked gang as much as they can, not all cops are corrupted. Girochi is one of the most loyal cops there is.”
“Yes I know, even though he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed,” he chaffed.
“That’s for sure.” Nekoko responded in agreement.
+-+-+
It was at a desolate alley in Shinjuki, not far from Nakano, where Chickane entered into. It was perfect for her, there were no people around for her to deal with, no people to watch her back for, no people to take advantage of her. It was one of the few places where she can be vulnerable without any fear as she moved towards the dead-end wall in the alley. Finally when she got to the end, she sat down, covered her face with her hands and started to cry, crying about something that has been disturbing her even since she’s been in Tokyo. She still hasn’t realized that her necklace was no longer around her neck.
+-+-+
While they were having their discussion Himeko was listening but she was also looking at the various pictures around the place. There were various pictures of divas and idols that included Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Brittany Spears, Julia Roberts, etc. There were also many black-and-white pictures of women that Himeko couldn’t recognize. Hana noticed that Himeko was staring at them blankly so she came up to her.
“Honey child, what are you looking at?”
“Who are these women?”
“Oh you don’t know them?” Hana asked and Himeko shook her head ‘no’.
“That one over there is Bette Davis.”
“Who is Bette Davis?”
“Oh she’s an American actress who was popular during the 30s and 40s. A real glamor queen if you ask me.”
“Oh, and is that one over there Joan Crawford?”
“Yes! How did you know that one?”
“Neko-chan showed me some pictures of her.”
“The ones she stole from me?” He said as he stared at her. Nekoko simply responded back with a sheepish grin.
“She was a beauty to watch on the screen, but she was a real bitch off the screen. She didn’t have a lot of friends.”
“Really, was she that bad?”
“She makes Chikane look like Mother Teresa!” Hana said using an example that he knew would sink in Himeko’s mind.
“That’s saying a lot…” Nekoko mumbled.
“Neko-chan…” Hana said ruefully. Nekoko was about to respond but Hana knew where it was going so he quickly changed the subject. “Do you want to see some impressions of her.”
“Yes, I would love to!” Himeko said excitedly.
Hana had a smile on his face so he quickly turned into Joan Crawford and started to talk and act like her.
“I, Joan Crawford, I believe in the dollar. Everything I earn, I spend.”
Both Nekoko and Himeko were enjoying the spectacle Hana was displaying as he was quoting memorable scenes from such classics as What Ever Happened to Baby Jane and Grand Hotel. While they were watching Hana’s performance another homeless guy interrupted Nekoko to get her attention.
“Neko-san, I need to see you immediately.”
“Can it wait, I’m with my friends.”
“No it can’t.” He replied and then he whispered in her ears. Her eyes widened and she immediately excused herself.
“Hana-chan and Hime-chan, I need to talk to him right now, I’ll be back.”
As she left the alley Himeko remembered what she wanted to ask Hana.
“Hana-chan, do you know where Chikane lives?”
“Well she lives at the east side of the Station, why did you ask?”
“Well, when we were eating at Ruby Star she left this behind,” she said as she pulled out the necklace.
“Oh that thing, I always see here wearing it. Once I asked her to let me take a look at it and she growled at me back.”
“It must be very important to her; I got to return it back to her.”
“That’s awfully nice of you to do that?”
“Why’s that?” Himeko asked as she was very puzzled by his response.
“People around here don’t return valuable things like jewelry and such. They usually take it to the nearest pawn shop and get some money on it.”
“Oh, but it’s not mine and it’s only the right thing to do,” Himeko reasoned, although she was hiding from Hana that it would also give her another opportunity to meet her again.
“Well if you go to where the Central East ticket gate is located you will find her there.”
“Arigato Hana-san.” Himeko politely said as she bowed.
“No problem darling.”
Nekoko returned back to the alley.
“I need to get back to my tent and talk to the guy more. It seemed that he heard that the Snake clan have regrouped and was planning to ruin my circus. We got to go Himeko.”
“I can bring Himeko back if you want me to.”
“There’s no need Hana-san. I want to go back and do a few drawings in my tent,” Himeko stated. Just the other day Nekoko helped her get a tent so she can have her own space.
“Well OK then, I’ll see you two later than, especially this little angle here.” He said as Himeko blushed.
“I’ll come back and visit you some time this week Hana-chan.” Nekoko responded.
“Nice meeting you Hana-san.” Himeko smiled.
“Nice meeting you too darling.” Hana replied.
When she returned to her tent Himeko took a look at the necklace. She noticed that there was a crack in the heart. When she opened it she saw a picture, it wasn’t just a necklace, it was a locket. The picture was a young blond-hair girl, whose hair was brighter than Himeko’s, with dark-brown eyes. At first Himeko was surprised that Chikane would have a picture of a girl in her locket but then it all started to make some sense. The girl must have been her lover. For some reason it made her heart jump and at the same time it made her a bit sad. While she was looking at the picture, her eyes drifted over to her color pencils near the locket. Since she didn’t have much to do, she decided draw a picture of the girl in the locket. Why not? So she immediately grabbed a piece of paper, some color pencils and started to draw the picture. ***
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