Part 3

Good Reasons

Kyouka caught up with Atsushi to see him staring at nothing.
"The blonde guy said we need to go to the... store..." she said, looking at him.
He turned around to face her, she didn't recognise that strange look in his eyes.
"Are you sad?.. happy?.." she asked.
He shook his head. "Neither. Let's go to the store." he took her hand in his and started walking, taking big and quick strides. She had to pick up her pace to keep up with him.

He was quiet.
He looked distracted.
He held tightly onto her hand.
Too tight for comfort.

"My hand..."
"Huh...? Oh, sorry!" he immediately let go and put his hands up in panic and bowed apologetically. "Did I hurt you?"
"No..." she said. "Are you worried about the junkie?"

"...could you please stop calling Furuta-san a junkie? It's extremely disrespectful." Atsushi sighed.
"But she is a junkie." Kyouka said.
"She's not. Why do you keep saying that?"
"Of course she is. I can smell Valium on her. She probably takes pain killers or something like that too."
"Why are you so against her? You hardly know her. If you give her a chance you'll see how sweet and kind she is."

Kyouka examined Atsushi's face. She could tell he was upset, but she wasn't sure if it was because of her or because of something else. She hoped it wasn't her fault.

"Back at the slums I met a lot of people like that," she spoke softly and quietly, carefully considering each word before saying it, still unsure what would cause Atsushi discomfort, "zombies that were dependant on chemicals to keep them sane, roaming the streets, looking for their next fix. Those people are the worst. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Atsushi finally slowed down and then they came to a stop.
She took that as a sign that she could continue talking.
"Those deranged, messed up creatures, they were aggressive, they would always be looking for something to sell. Your blood, your organs, your life. They were ghosts, remnants of the people they used to be, haunting the living, dragging society down with them – "

She was cut off by Atsushi exhaling loudly.
"Furuta-san isn't like that. She's nothing like that. She's not a ghost, she's not a zombie. Just give her a chance."

"You don't see it? It's in her face, it's in the way she walks, and talks, and breathes." Kyouka felt annoyance creeping up her very soul. Why was she so annoyed, though? Junko rubbed her the wrong way, that was a given, but still, why is she so moved by this? "Everything about her is just so... off."

She wasn't used to this. She hasn't been emotional in a long time. For the past who knows how long, ever since her parents died, she has worked hard to keep herself in an emotional coma.
But the way Atsushi was looking at her right now with those soft, caring eyes, that were nothing like Ryuunosuke's, and everything like her mother's, she couldn't hold it back.
Why is he nice to both that drugged out weirdo and to her? Why be nice to any of them? Junko was a drug addict weighing down society. Kyouka killed 35 people. Make that 37.
Those are unforgivable sins.

"Why don't you just give her a chance?" he smiled faintly as he crouched down to her eye level.
"I don't deserve a chance." she distractedly blurted out but then immediately corrected herself, "I mean, she doesn't deserve a chance."

So that's what this was all about.

Atsushi slowly put his hand through Kyouka's hair, removing it from her face.
"Kyouka-chan, let's go to the store. We'll ask Kunikida-san what we have to get, and you can help me carry everything back. Then we can go back to the dorms. Does that sound good?"

Kyouka just nodded before clinging to Atsushi.

•••••

That evening, Atsushi invited Kyouka to join him for Junko's routine.
"I don't like Furuta." were her exact words.
She didn't use the word junkie for once, so Atsushi decided to take that as progress.
Kyouka just waved at him as he left for the room next door.

"No white noise tonight?" he handed Junko a cup of water so that she could take her sleeping pill. She bowed her head politely and chugged the pill with ease.
"My tape recorder doesn't work, so it seems. It's fine, I'll manage without it. Did you figure out how to deal with Kyouka-chan?"
"Yeah, we got another futon and we somehow figured out a way to make it work."
"I'm glad."
He didn't bring up what happened earlier today.
She wouldn't tell him anything anyway, so there was no point.
He didn't bring up Kyouka either, because he didn't even know what it is that he wanted to ask.
He just hoped tomorrow morning would be better.

"I'll be eating breakfast with Kyouka-chan from now on, I think. You should join us. The food she makes certainly tastes better than all the canned stuff." he said with a giggle.
Junko smiled. "I'm not sure she would like to have me around, but if it's ok with her, I would love to have breakfast with you two."
"I'll talk to her. Come over tomorrow at 7:20?"
"Are you sure she wouldn't be mad at me?"
"She'll warm up to you, I'm sure."
"I'll be there, then."
"Awesome. I'll see you in the morning."