I'm rather fond of Nonon, really, but I can't keep her close. No, she might know too much. For the most part, all I've had were my sisters and then the Mankanshokus but that was all. Nonon was insistent that I come out of the house and meet her friends. She promised that we won't stay out long and that I could get back to my sisters. I wasn't at all comfortable but I opted to oblige her this once.
This time, I opted for more than makeup and opted to wear a veil along with it. My excuse for this was that I was very shy, though this was true but for different reasons. I couldn't allow myself to be found out. No, if I get found out, that would be horrid. I had no clue what having friends were like, no, but I was mildly shocked that Nonon had three other ones. She introduced them as "Uzu", "Gamagoori", and "Houka" and she told me that she's known them since she was a schoolgirl.
"So, this is 'Sissie', isn't she interesting?" Nonon asked, though it sounded more like a proclamation. I don't recall Nonon ever speaking with such an emphasis. Perhaps, she was more "subdued" when she was only with me? Her friends I found to be rather nice but I think they asked too many questions.
"Where are you from?"
"Mm."
"So, how old are you?"
"How old is Nonon? I'm around Nonon's age."
"So, what happened to your parents?"
"We were orphaned by a house fire."
"What's your name?"
"I am called 'Sissie' and that's that."
"How are your sisters?"
"They are well..."
"What's the deal with the veil?"
"I am shy, very."
They asked me more questions. It felt like I was being interrogated but I answered each and every one of them to whatever half-truth I could muster. However, one last question practically struck a nerve, when they asked if Nonon would ever get to meet my sisters. Somehow, I stayed composed while answering, "When I'm ready. I'm protecting them, you see." I didn't answer from what, just that I was. The conversation moved on, as they got to discussing a mystery from years ago. I knew what they were talking about.
They were talking about the night that I snapped or, as they called it, the "Kiryuuin Mystery". The one with glasses, Houka, mentioned that he was wondering what happened to Ragyou's three daughters, if they didn't perish in the fire, while the taller one, Gamagoori, cited how the murder happened, along with how the fire was started. The goggle-eyed boy, Uzu, mentioned that the investigation never ended and that they never found the gun. Eventually, their words became ambiance, droning ambiance, with smash cuts of what transpired that night.
"Satsuki get down here this instant!"
"Hush, my dears, I'm going to need you both to stay in this room, DON'T leave until I tell you."
There was so much yelling. Yelling that turned into near animalistic shrieks, mixing in with the ambience of the background conversation. I don't even remember what the argument was about but after being smacked into objects for the umpteenth time, I was done. Something in my being was broken but it would go from broken to shattered. I realized Ragyo had a gun and grabbed it when I got the chance.
"Satsuki, put that down!"
"Sweet raptured light, it ends tonight!"
Gunshots and then silence... ("They never found the gun.") I think I took the gun with me. Maybe I still have it or maybe I discarded it. I don't really remember.
I had to get rid of the evidence, somehow, and it only occurred to me to burn the house down. I told my sisters to pack their things. They didn't have very many possessions, none of us did, but I knew we couldn't stay nor go back there. I got them out and tossed a match. We never stayed there long enough to watch it burn. I could have just run away and that would have been the end of that but what monster would I've been to have left my sisters.
"Those girls were never found, maybe they were kidnapped?"
No, we weren't kidnapped. We escaped as the house was burning. We fled and lived on the streets, anywhere where there could be shelter. We stayed another girl but that didn't last long.
"Who could have killed her? Madame Kiryuuin had no known enemies."
The pressure was building. Some part of me wanted to just confess it but, instead, I just cried, letting out guttural sobs. They were staring at me, with Nonon asking me if I was alright. Somehow, I managed to tell her that something had me upset and that I'd like to go home, back to the Mankanshokus. She obliged me and I told her, the next time, we'll have tea and talk at the Mankanshoku house. It sounded like an order. I hurried back inside but not quick enough, as Nonon saw my makeup running.
Authoress Notes:
While I tend to keep the passage of time very vague, I will say that Satsuki and sisters are fairly young, still, and that they're still minors. Most of that relevant to figuring out their ages, is that Satsuki's about Nonon's age, while Nui's the youngest of the cast.
That said, some of the use of italics with some of the dialogue is because much of the conversations in the background. The flashback scenes are written aligned right.
