“If you’re gonna wait because you love him, then I’ll stay with you,” Nana sighed. It was just too damn hard to say “no” to that puppy-dog face. It was as frustrating as it was adorable.
“Yeah. Well sure… that much is true,” Hachi said blushing madly.
“Then don’t make excuses,” Nana told her. She could act like such a kid sometimes! “Just wag your tail quietly and sit.”
Why did she have to do this? This insanely melodramatic and over-thought (or under-thought depending on the way you looked at it) little scheme? It didn’t make any sense! Only someone as simple-minded as Hachi would come up with an idea like this. Hey! Let’s wait for my boyfriend to get off work after he told me to go home! That’ll impress him!
It was so wrong. It was so manipulative. It was… not for her.
“Achoo!” Nana heard next to her. She turned to see Hachi shivering in the cold. Without a thought Nana stripped off her jacket and dropped it on the girl who looked up at her surprised.
“I’m fine! You’ll catch a cold!” Hachi said offering the leather jacket back to Nana who shook her head “no.”
“I’m not as fragile as you. It’s not very cold anyway,” Nana insisted.
“Whatever! It’s freezing cold out!” Hachi shouted disbelievingly.
“Compared to back home Tokyo’s a tropical paradise,” the vocalist said turning. “We were buried in snow half the year.”
“Thanks, Nana. It’s so warm,” Hachi said as she pulled the jacket closer to her.
“Good,” Nana nodded. “So Shoji said he wanted to talk to you? He sounded all serious.”
“Yeah, it’s weird,” Hachi agreed. “That’s why I didn’t want to be left alone. Thanks for waiting with me.” Hachi pulled off her scarf and offered it to Nana who took it with a smile.
The punk rocker wrapped the scarf around her neck loosely and began to sing absentmindedly. The other girl was enthralled by her voice.. She sat in the snow listening to Nana sing until the two noticed a girl running out of the back of the restaurant.
The two roommates watched as Sachiko burst through the back door followed by Shoji who quickly caught up with her. They both froze in shock as Shoji grabbed her arm and pulled her close.
The embrace didn’t last long, as Sachiko pushed the boy away from her and turned to run, stopping when she saw Nana and Hachiko. Shoji’s two girlfriends stare into each other’s eyes, Hachi’s full of shock and Sachiko’s full of regret, but both equally in pain.
“Shoji… what’re you doing? And who’s this girl?” Nana asked her roommate’s boyfriend.
“My girlfriend,” Shoji answered, his eyes glued to the pavement.
“WHAT?! Are you telling me you have two girlfriends? What a lucky guy, huh?” Nana said sarcastically as she begins to formulate various brutal ways to make the treacherous jerk apologize to Hachi.
Suddenly Nana’s eyes harden. She drops her cigarette, still only half-smoked, to the ground and charges Shoji who stands still waiting for his beating.
As the vocalist grabs the boy by the collar Sachiko screams, “Omigod…don’t!” The petite girl runs as fast as her tiny legs will carry her and latches on to Nana’s arm.
“Sachiko! Just stay back!” Shoji yelled worriedly.
“Don’t hurt Shoji!” the waitress cried still clinging to Nana’s arm. The punk girl turns to her.
“You shut up! He deserves to get his ass kicked!” Nana shouts before turning back to the frightened Shoji.
“No! DON’T ” Sachiko yelled again, trying desperately to save her love.
“Stay out of it, you little brat!” the punk rocker yelled at her.
“Why don’t you stay out of it?!” the short girl exclaimed. Nana opened her mouth to give a retort, but none came. The girl did make some sense. What right did she have to interfere? It’s not like Hachi gave her any part in this. It was her problem.
“If you wanna hit someone, hit ME! It’s my fault! I fell in love with him! I knew he had a girlfriend but I… I just couldn’t help myself. I won’t run and hide anymore, so hit me as much as you want!” the tiny waitress yelled with all her might.
“You got some nerve girl,” Nana said cracking her knuckled.
“Please! Just stop!” Shoji shouted holding Sachiko protectively. Nana sighed and turned back to her roommate.
“Hachi! Why are you just STANDING there?! He’s YOUR boyfriend! Do something!” Nana shouted desperately. Hachi just shook her head, tears running down her cheeks.
“If you don’t fight for him, YOU LOSE! He’s your boyfriend! Fight for him!” the punk girl cried desperately.
“I don’t want a guy like that. I don’t… ever want to see his face again,” Hachi said quietly. Nana looked at the girl, eyes softening instantly. She reached out her hand and took Hachi’s shaking one in her own.
The two girls walked off leaving the scared couple behind. They walked home in silence except for Hachi’s occasional sobs.
Nana opened the front door and walked in with Hachi wiping her eyes close behind. The brunette let go of the jet-haired girl’s hand and began to walk towards her bedroom wearily. She was stopped by the other girl’s hand around hers a moment later.
“Nope. You’re sleeping with me tonight,” the musician said matter-of-factly. The other girl nodded and gave her a sad smile.
“Thanks,” she managed, her voice hoarse from crying all the way home from the restaurant. Nana pulled her roommate into her room by the hand and laid her down on the bed. The salesgirl crawled up in bed immediately and began crying into her pillow while the vocalist circled the large western-style bed and lay down next to her friend.
She wrapped her arms around Hachi as the girl began crying into her chest. While she muttered words of comfort to her faithful dog her mind was on something else.
How could Shoji be so stupid? To mess around with that little thing when he had Hachi? He’s crazy! Did he even know how lucky he was to be with her? Loser. He didn’t deserve her anyway. She deserves a real prince, not some waiter.
“I just… I thought he loved me…” Hachi mumbled into Nana’s chest. “Even if he didn’t, how could he do that?”
“I don’t know,” Nana said hugging the girl tighter.
“I was stupid to think he loved me,” Hachi said bitterly. “I care about loves me back. Takashi lied to me and used me and Shoji went behind my back with another girl!” Nana patted her back tenderly while Hachi poured her heart out. It was all she could think to do.
“No one…no one loves me…” Hachi choked out. She was quickly yanked up to eye level with a shaking Nana.
“Don’t you ever say that!” Nana shouted. “Don’t ever say that no one loves you ‘cuz it’s not true!” Hachi looked up at Nana with the confused look. “People love you, Hachi. They do…” Nana trailed off pulling Hachi tightly to her. Hachi hugged her back, but still didn’t seem convinced.
“But Nana… that’s different. You love me as a friend. I’m talking about real love,” Hachi said. Nana pulled away from Hachi and looked down at the teary-eyed girl. She set herself up straight, like she was saying something important.
It’s now or never I suppose.
“Hachi,” Nana said softly, holding her friend gently in her arms. “It’s not different. I… I love you.”
“You… huh…?” Hachi managed looking up at her roommate still very confused. She opened her mouth to ask if Nana meant what she thought she meant but was cut off by a pair of warm lips over her own.
Hachi’s eyes went wide for a moment in utter surprise. Slowly the tenderness of the kiss broke down all resistance she might have had. She melted into Nana’s arms and returned the kiss with passion.
After a few minutes the girls broke apart, their eyes still locked. Hachi leaned forward into Nana’s chest once again, this time enjoying the closeness rather that drowning in sadness. She smiled contently and said, “I love you Nana. I think… I have for a long time.” Nana slowly lay back in bed, her arms still around Nana who now lay on top of her.
The two girls drifted to sleep that night and awoke the next morning to a new happiness that dwarfed any they’d ever felt before.