And Who Knew?

Cranky is an Understatement.

"Are you... Okay?" I asked. I got up and brushed off my pants. Kuchisake sputtered and caught her breath. I held out a hand to her, and she reluctantly took it. She did the same actions as me.

"So..." She looked away, almost as if she was pouting.
"You got the whack-a-mole out of your system?" I offered with fake curiosity. 

"Oh, suck on it. How was I supposed to know I whacked the wrong guy?" We stayed silent for a few moments. I felt something cold and sticky slowly run down my head. I touched my scalp with my fingertips and flinched. that hurt. In the dimness of the streetlights, I could have sworn that my fingers looked awfully shiny. I rubbed them together and cold air made me stuff my hand back into pocket.

"So... Are you okay?" She asked as we stood around, fumbling in silence.

"No. I'm bleeding." I spoke tartly.

"Oh..." she looked down at the ground for a moment.

"Well then lets get you bandaged up!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me inside. I let her. Any appetite of mine was gone and I'm pretty sure that my hour was up by now. Takai was calmly sitting down, taking a bite of some sort of red meat into her mouth. I didn't even question what it was. I got dragged to my room and pushed down on the bed. Kuchisake then let go of my shoulders and ran back down the hall. I felt ridiculous for being taken care of, but who was I to complain? My head hurt too much for that. I fought to keep my eyes open as Kuchisake came with a dripping wash rag and a bandage.

"I can do that myself, you know." I was a liar. I was barely able to keep my eyes open.

"I didn't ask if you could do it yourself. I'm fixing my mistake. Get some rest. And in the morning, you best pretend that this never happened" Despite my fighting instinct to stay awake (this girl hates me. what if I wake up to my nose being bitten off?) I found myself crashing. Hard.

~-~-~-~-~-

I woke up with a start. Pain was still swimming around my skull, but It was more tolerant. I was more concerned with the grimy, grubby thing wrapped around my forehead. I touched it with my fingertips. Right. The bandage. It was now covered with sweat and dried blood. Oh, whatever. I ran my fingers through my hair and was about to sit up when I felt something sling around my waist. I carefully peeked to see what it was. I nearly jumped when I saw an arm there. I lifted my own arm to see the rest of who it was and froze.

Ah, shit.

Houston, we have a problem. I repeat, Houston, we have a problem. Please stand by and possibly think about your past choices before you perish.

Don't look.

Don't blink.

Don't move.

Don't even breathe. Just play dead. Lie so still you will get mistaken for a statue. Play so dead, your heart stops breathing.

Although I'm sure Girlzillas can hear your heartbeat and be woken up by that, too.

April was a sweet little thing, but she was a monster when she woke up on weekends. like I couldn't move without her waking up and bitching at me for waking her up on a Saturday. I learned to wait for her to wake up on her own, or I'd have the devil bitching at me. "Cranky" was an understatement.

And the woman clinging to me like a burr was definitely cranky. I cautiously lowered my arm down and laid there like a statue. She hates me. Once she wakes up she's gonna be pissed. I ever so slightly slid from underneath her arm and off the bed without waking up Girlzilla. Sure, maybe I was being a bit dramatic. But April could be cranky. Anyone would be disinterested in smashed plates and a bitchy wife. I tiptoed out of there and managed to sneak into the bar in a matter of a minute. I pulled a stool out and sat down. 

"Really? A drink this early in the morning?" Yeah, Arthur says that while holding a bottle of whiskey in his hand.

"Yeah, and what are you holding?"

"A bottle of unicorn piss." We laughed. Takai dragged a table and sat down. Yes, you heard right.  The stools were too small so she pulled up a small table. When I glanced around to see where the hell she got it from, I noticed the glass coffee table was missing. Well, she's skinny, and if the table wasn't that sturdy, it would have shattered already. So it should be fine.

"three bottles, please." She whispered quietly. Arthur tossed them up. I cleared my throat.

"Hi, Takai. How are you?" I said softly, like the words I spoke from my mouth could shatter her.

"I should be (Po) asking how (Po) you and Slit-(Po)mouth are doing." Her retort is angry.

"Ah, I guess I should explain. She attacked me thinking I was a doppelganger. afterwards she bandaged my head." Takai's head snapped up. Without even blinking, she shoved me to the ground and stared at me dead in the eyes. She grabbed me by the hair and yanked me off the ground. Searing pain erupted from my scalp.

"Liar!" She shrieked and shook me. The "Po" sound she usually emanates were louder and faster.

"I'm not fucking lying!" I screeched and tried to pry her fingers off my hair.

"I lost consciousness, okay!? I don't know what happened after I passed out!" The bandage rubbed off of my scalp, and sticky blood ran down my neck. Whatever wound was created, it re-opened again. She stopped shaking me. She slowly set me back down on the ground and let go of my hair. Takai  softly started to stroke the bleeding spot.

"Goddamn it, you jealous bitch! I just cleaned that up!" Takai snapped next to Kuchisake and reached her hand out. 

"Uh, I don't think so. look at what you did to your precious property. You made him bleed. You sure you want to get pissed off right now?" Takai paused. Her head slowly turned to where I was on the ground, rubbing the red on my head.

"I hurt... Katika?" She said softly.  Her eyes swelled up and something black and leaky ran down her cheeks.

"I hurt... Katika? I hurt... Katika I hurt Katika?" She repeated the words with a distorted tone in her voice. The words slowly sped up and went louder, like a siren. She began screaming and shaking violently.

Shit's about to get real.