Don't Fight Don't Win

Chapter 8: and another place

The stairs were different from the stairs Neji was used to.

They were very different.

He didn't like the way they were gray and suspiciously shaped.

The stairs he remembered were so often wood and sometimes stone.

This was really weird.Neji was still confused as they continued walking.

"Say..." said the girl quietly.

"Huh?" Said Neji.

"What would you do if your best friend was in a terrible state of depression?"

Neji was much startled by this question. Does this girl not know that such questions should not be asked to strangers?

"Well...c'mon, I want to know..." she persisted.

"I would comfort her I guess..." Neji said without thinking.

"Oh so you do have a best friend...and she's a girl..." the crafty strawberry girl spoke.

There was an awkward moment of silence.

They started walking even faster.

"Is something wrong?" Asked Neji.

"Well..."

The girl shifted her weight uneasily. 

"Kinda...yeah. My best friend is really scared of hurting me because of his traumatic background, so he always tries to push me away and panics if I come close..."

Neji didn't know what to say to this. But honestly, what was there to be said?

It was sad, sure, but Neji was in the wrong world and separated  from Shiroiko while at it. That was a situation quite dire and he didn't know if he had to think about anything else.

He glanced at Maorie several times but never said anything.

"I hope she'll be okay..." cried Maorie softly. "I've been so worried about her for too long..."

Neji sighed. "She'll be okay," he muttered.

They finally came to the bottom of the stairs, and there was a lobby and some doors and hallways.

Maorie came back to her senses and shoved him into a hall.

"We're going out,"  she said.

They continued walking at a brisk pace for quite some time until they got to a glass door and went out.

"I was going to take you to the dorms or to see people," Maorie said, "but I don't want to anymore. You'd better come with me, we're going back to my house and we'll figure out this mess."

She switched arms holding the potted plant and the two kept walking.

"What kind of plant is that?" He asked weakly.

"Monstera deliciosa."

Neji still had no idea but pretended to understand.

They passed through the bustling urban areas into a more quiet neighborhood of block shaped buildings all stacked and towering on each other. The girl stopped and reached into her pocket and pulled out a flat metal object.

"Yes, this is Aime," she said.

She then paused. "Sure we can meet up later at the park," she then said.

Another pause. "No, not yet. Yeah, I'm almost home."

More silence. "No way...well, I'm busy right now, but I'll call you in a bit."

She then closed the metal object and turned to him.

"What are you staring at?" She said curiously.

"Nothing." 

Darn...why did he have to come to a place where he didn't understand the things going on in daily  life?

They abruptly stopped walking when they reached a huge brown building that smelled like garbage...and there were several bins of it nearby...with some torn couches sitting next to it, there was also, amalgamated into the air, a terrible reek of many people cooking different dishes, strong pickled vegetables, and garlic, or fish, or meat...people sat on their front doors with smoke billowing out of their mouths, and a woman hung up her washing to dry while some kids played with colored plastic toys.

"This is where I live," Maorie said shyly.

She took him up the stairs and to a peeling green door with a peephole, pulled out a key, and unlocked the door.

"I'm home," she called.

There was a mad scramble of noises and many little heads appeared.

"Aime!" They shouted.

"Sunny and Koko aren't home yet, are they?" She asked, while handing away the plant.

"Nope!!" Chorused the little voices.

"I thought so. And Uncle?"

"Isn't home either. He's almost never home, sis."

Maorie sighed and took off her shoes at the door. Neji did as well, even more confused.

"This is a friend, he'll be here for a little," Maorie called as she disappeared into the kitchen.

The children turned to stare at him.

Neji decided to take this chance.

"Have there been any strange occurrences? Like missing people or strangers appearing?"

The kids thought. "Oh yeah...Uncle said that a weird kid was thrown in detainment."

"Where?" Neji said desperately.

"No idea. In the police facility. And then Uncle said that he's probably some big hero's bastard."

Neji quietly imagined the uncle to be a lazy and extreme fellow with no good education. An uncle who taught children vulgar language...

Maorie came back from the kitchen.

"Who are you really?" She said, staring into his soul.

"I don't know what you mean?"

"Don't pretend...you don't even know what a phone is..."

"I don't understand..."

"Well, it's been ringing, but you haven't reacted...nor even registered the sound...So who are you... and where are you from?"

Neji thought quickly. Should he come clean or keep lying?

He decided to not say anything at all.

Maorie glared at him. "Are you a villain?"

She looked around the room.

"Go to your rooms, kids..." she said in a commanding tone. Then she stared at Neji.

"You and I are going to go see Dango."

Neji was curious...who and what was Dango...a food?