SNAKESKIN (Tangerine) ✓

二十八

Ladybug

It had been six months since the chaotic events that took place on the Hayate Shinkansen and despite assuring Maria that I intended to go to a zen garden and evaluate my choices, I had been laying low in a small town near Kyoto. I hadn't completely lied, though. I had definitely thought a lot about myself and my life choices. I had concluded that maybe this career wasn't really for me, after all.

Every day, I made it a priority to get outside. I was living in a small condo near the centre of the town. It wasn't anything special, just a small one-bedroom apartment, with a kitchen, small living space and bathroom. But it was enough for me.

So today—true to the promise I made to myself—I was walking down Main Street, ten thousand yen in my pocket and my white bucket hat on my head. The White Death was dead—Bronte had made sure of that—but I still found myself looking over my shoulder every few minutes. It was a habit, I guess, but it was a nuisance all the same.

I turned a corner, finding myself outside of a small grocery store. I frequented this particular store quite often since I had moved here. It was quiet, never too crowded and the owners were a sweet old couple, who always tossed a few extra sweets into my grocery bag, whenever I stopped by.

The bell jingled as I pushed the door open. The teenage girl at the register glanced up at me with hooded eyes. I could see the boredom on her face as she leaned against the counter, chewing a piece of gum with her mouth open. I shot her a polite smile, before heading towards the back of the store.

I made my way up and down the aisles, grabbing items from the shelves as I did. Once I was happy that I had enough to last me for the week, I headed back towards the register to check out.

"Ladybug?"

I whipped around, dropping everything onto the conveyer belt in shock. Behind me, with a basket full of produce in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, was a woman. She shot me a smile, adjusting the basket on her arm.

"Hello, Bronte."

Bronte took a step towards me, moving out of the way of a man with a shopping cart behind her. "You look well." She nodded in my general direction, her eyes observing me vaguely. "How've you been?"

I shrugged, turning around as the girl at the register finished scanning all of my items. She rang up the total, looking at me expectantly.

"Seven thousand, two hundred and forty-seven yen, sir."

I nodded, handing her the ten thousand yen note, before turning back to Bronte.

"I've been alright," I said with a small smile. "Just taking every day as it comes, you know?" She nodded. "What about you? You still hanging around those Twins?"

Bronte smiled, a warm gleam shining in her eyes. "Yeah." The register beside me opened up and she stepped over, placing the basket in front of the employee. "It's nice to have people around." She leaned against the counter, giving me her full attention. "Beats being alone all the time."

"I bet." The girl handed me the change and the plastic bag full of groceries. "Thanks," I muttered, before moving over to stand by Bronte's register. "You and Tangerine still going strong?"

Bronte glanced down at her feet, a smile spreading onto her face like an embarrassed school kid. She let out a breathy chuckle, before extending her left hand towards me. "I guess you could say that."

I gaped at the shiny rock that glistened on her ring finger. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life, so beautiful and elegant. It shone under the fluorescent lights like a little sun.

She let out a giggle as I gawked in shock. "Pretty nice, huh?"

I scoffed, picking up her hand to examine the ring more closely. "Nice, you say?" I shook my head in disbelief. "I mean, I knew those Twins must be loaded with all the jobs they've done, but this is just..."

I trailed off, completely mesmerised by the shimmering diamond on Bronte's hand, but the boy at the register cleared his throat impatiently and I immediately dropped it.

"Ten thousand, three hundred yen, please."

Bronte presented a small black card from her pocket, tapping it on the receiver, before returning it to her pocket. The employee nodded and handed over the two plastic bags, which Bronte took with a polite "thank you."

We headed out of the store together, Bronte sipping on her coffee, while I just walked in silence. It felt strange to see her again. We had met under such intense circumstances, put against each other and branded as enemies. But in all the chaos and death and fighting, we had found a common ground. We had never wanted to be there.

"So," I started, side-eyeing Bronte as she threw the cardboard cup into a trash can. "You live around here?"

She nodded, tilting her head southward. "We're living in a cottage a few miles that way."

"Hmm." I knew that area. It was just past the edge of town; large forests and a big beautiful lake. I had seen it on the map, but I hadn't been there yet. "That sounds really nice."

Bronte suddenly stopped beside a small black car. She pulled a set of keys from her pocket, unlocked it and placed the bags on the back seat. "Well," she said, turning back to face me. "This is me."

"Cool." I pointed to an apartment building a few blocks up the street. "Well, that's me."

"Nice."

We lapsed into silence for a few moments, before Bronte suddenly jumped up, opened the passenger door and began rummaging around in the centre console. She emerged a few seconds later with a ragged piece of paper and a pen. She placed the shred of paper on the roof of the car, scribbling something on it, before turning back to face me.

"Here." She extended the piece of paper towards me and I took it. "You should come over for dinner sometime." I glanced down at the written note. It was an address and a phone number. "It'll be nice to catch up—to spend a few hours with some friends." She eyed me pointedly as I folded the note and tucked it into my pants pocket. "It might be a little less lonely."

A genuine smile spread onto my face, causing Bronte to chuckle in amusement. "That would be nice," I said honestly, leaning forward to embrace her. She didn't push me away, instead, she wrapped an arm around my shoulder, squeezing once, before letting go. It was brief, but I knew she appreciated it.

"I guess I'll see you around," she said in a conclusive tone. "Bye, Ladybug."

I chuckled, as she walked around the car and opened the door to the driver's side. "Bye Cobra."

With a genuine laugh, Bronte climbed into the car and shut the door. I watched as she drove off, up the street and out of sight. With a sigh of contentment, I adjusted my grip on the bag I was carrying as I continued up the sidewalk in the direction of home.

A/N: Well... this is technically the last chapter (the epilogue will be up tomorrow). I actually wrote this chapter before writing chapters 25, because I wanted to write the end first, so I had something to write towards.

Second last question: In the book Ladybug's name is Nanao, but they don't specify that In the film. Lemon and Tangerine aren't given actual names, so I want you guys to come up with names for them, based on their personalities. It can be funny or serious; up to you!

Don't forget to vote and comment!