Thunder

Chapter 3

Midori sipped on her drink. The mint margarita was the perfect beverage in this heat.

Her phone rested beside the glass, thankfully it hadn't broken.

Across from her, sat Watanabe Rize. Her childhood friend.

"So how are you?" Rize crossed her legs. They were in a small café, not far from where they met.

When she'd seen Midori, she couldn't believe her eyes. How long it'd been? Seven; eight years? Far too long.

Midori had hugged her immediately. Both had stood like that for a while, embracing.

(What both didn't know was a certain information broker witnessing this reunion.)

"I'm... fine." Midori replied.

They were best friends. Or at least, had been. Childhood friends. And then she left for the UK.

"Last time I saw you... in Kyoto." Rize started. She tucked a strand of bright red hair behind her ears, softly brushing against the fabric of her shirt.

Midori nodded. "That was... a weird time for me."

"You left without a word." Rize faced the window. "You just disappeared."

Midori twirled the straw on her glass. "Like I've said. It was a difficult time."

"Where did you go?" Rize decided to let it go, for now. The truth was her mind was racing, no matter how calm she appeared on the outside. While she desperately wanted to know why she left so abruptly; the thought on the top of her mind was that why Midori was outside Izaya Orihara's apartment!

"I went to New York. NYU." Midori cleared her throat. "Became a doctor." She smiled.

"That's amazing." Rize smiled.

"Yeah. I was in the middle of my residency when... things came up."

"What things?"

Midori shrugged and looked down at her drink. "Just things."

A moment of silence passed between the two. Rize mulled over her extremely vague answer. Then decided to risk it.

"What do these things have to do with Orihara Izaya?"

Midori whipped her head up. "What're you talking about?" She frowned. Then sighed, her expression carefully neutral. "How did you know?"

Rize placed her arms on the table. "Midori, I'm a homicide detective with the Ikebukuro Police Department."

She paused before continuing. "Orihara's a witness in a case. I came to question him."

"Oh." Inwardly, Midori sighed with relief.

"You're in the police." She smiled. "I never figured you'd do that. You were always a cry baby."

Rize crossed her arms. "I was not."

"Yes. Yes you were." Midori teased.

"No! Remember that chicken? You were afraid to touch a chicken! Chicken!"

"Of course I remember the chicken! You picked it up and threw it on me!" Midori chortled.

Both girls laughed. Thankfully, the conversation moved to lighter topics and they chatted like any normal friends who'd met after a long time.

"How's your family?" Rize asked.

"Oh. They're good. Shiro-nii and Mia-chan had a son." Midori replied.