Sunlight, through the leaves, casting patterns on her face—tanned skin, light, bleached hair with dark roots. Her head, lying on Mayumi's lap.
Where were they?
Right. This was a temple.
How long ago was this?
"Maya," said the girl, reaching a hand up and stroking her face, "I don't ever want you to leave."
"I won't," she said. "I'm not leaving you."
"Oh, but you will."
"No, I won't."
The girl laughed, sitting up. "Everyone always does. And I don't mean this in some dark, edgy way."
"Then in what way do you mean it?"
"The usual way. In our job, no one ever really stays, do they? Take that American, for example, that you were with a few months ago."
"Oh god. Don't even,"
"See! I told you, people leave so often, don't they. And our job doesn't exactly have a lower rate of that." She stood up, brushing off her airy white dress. She too wasn't fully Japanese either, Hikaru. That was one of the reasons she had been picked out of the endless numbers of potential candidates. Because Maya Castillo didn't just want another member to fill out Kitsune.
She wanted a friend, too.
"Nah," she told Hikaru. "The American didn't leave me. I left the American."
"Ouch. Who's next, Dame Christie?"
"Hah! You think I aim that high?"
"I mean, she's hot."
Mayumi laughed. "You think every Englishwoman is hot, Hikaru."
"Oh no," she said. "Not only Englishwomen." Then suddenly, her tone changed. "About tomorrow, Maya."
"What about tomorrow?"
"I have a bad feeling about it."
"Why?" Mayumi stood up, stretching. "Tomorrow is just another day."
"Hattie's been acting weird."
"He hasn't."
"You don't get it," said Hikaru, crossing her arms. "I'm always surprised, you know, when you notice things even less than I do, even with people who you're supposed to know better than I do."
"Well, I've never been good with people, I suppose."
"This isn't a joke."
"Look." She took Hikaru's hand in hers. "I understand you're worried, but it's going to be okay."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do. Because it'll work out in the end, Hikaru. It always does. We'll be all right, the both of us. And Hattie can take his grumpiness and shove it up his ass."
Hikaru snorted. "Uh-huh. Sure, Maya."
Mayumi bowed. "My pleasure, Yoshida-san. And I mean it," she added. "It's going to be fine."
"Sure thing," Hikaru only said. "Sure thing, Maya."
YOU ARE READING
Daybreak | F. Dostoyevsky
Fanfiction❝ Can the killer in me tame the fire in you? ❞ Fyodor could plan for a lot of things. But he could have never planned for this. He could have never planned for her. And Mayumi Shimei? Mayumi Shimei just wanted to watch him crash and burn. At least...
