"Kasumiiiinnnn!" The cry was shrill and piercing and I whirled around when the figure hit me, driving me backward. I nearly lost my balance but managed to spin slightly, using the force of the impact to my advantage, keeping my feet under me as the thin figure clung to me, arms around my neck, legs wrapped around my hips. "It's been soooo loooong!"
"E-Emi?" I gasped, arms wrapping around her thin form more to keep me upright than for any other reason. "I missed you, too but you're hurting me." Emi gave me one last hug before hopping down, standing in front of me with a wide grin on her face.
"Thanks for inviting me to the sleepover! I need snacks and a peer group after the week and a half I've had," Emi grimaced. She looked like a Japanese doll with fine, porcelain-like skin and a petite body. Her light brown eyes were bright and inquisitive and her long black hair was, as per the usual, pulled back in a ponytail, bangs framing her elfin face. Although she looked at least a few years younger than me she was roughly the same age.
"Did you bring candy?" I asked, straightening my school uniform.
"When do I not bring candy? Grandma always loads me up when I visit, you know that," Emi replied, waving her hand as if to even suggest such a travesty as her not having candy was patently offensive.
"Well, I'll head home and change but I'll be over afterward," I said. "I have to clean the living room today, so I'll get that taken care of real quick. I'll bring some drinks."
"Good! Bring juice!" Emi enthused. "Not grape! I hate grape!" I nodded and waved to her, continuing past Mizuki's house toward mine. "And not pear! I drank too much at grandma's!" I waved again to acknowledge I'd heard her. Emi liked apple juice and almost exclusively apple juice. Sometimes she would deign drink other kinds, but she always made it abundantly clear apple was her absolute favorite. It would be easier, I decided, if she had just told me to bring apple juice but that would be too simple, I supposed and would make her look demanding. Best to be coyly demanding than to just say 'get me this', I suppose.
"Well, well, the hardworking sister returns," Jun said mockingly as I entered the house and took off my shoes.
"Why do you talk, Jun?" I asked, removing my jacket, and hanging it on the hook. "'It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.'"
"Don't you think you're smart quoting Shakespeare and all," Jun snickered.
"That was Mark Twain, super genius, and you proved his point more eloquently than I ever could," I laughed at him mockingly. "Why haven't you flunked out of Uni, yet? Did you find some smart girl with no common sense to do your homework for you in exchange for being her eye candy?"
"Maybe I have," Jun smirked.
"You disgust me," I snapped, pushing past him toward my room. He couldn't leave fast enough for my tastes. In fact, I hated when he returned home. Mom and Dad fawned over him like he was some prince returning from a far-off war and the entire house stunk with his copious amount of cologne or perfume or whatever he wore that smelled like locker room, stupidity, and desperation. There really was nothing redeeming about him. Sometimes I'd heard there were warm feelings between siblings, hero worship, that sort of thing. I felt none of that for Jun. I felt disgust. I couldn't even manage pity for his stupidity. He was simply the antithesis of everything I believed in. He was the raw hydrogen to my fluorine.
"Where are you off to?" Jun said, glancing at me over the newspaper as I finished cleaning the living room and began collecting juice boxes for the sleepover.
"None of your business," I snapped, looking through the cupboard for more.
"Going over to big ears' house?" He chuckled. "Maybe I should stop by later and visit." My back stiffened.
"Stay away from my friends," I growled.
"Worried I'll steal them away from you?"
"I'm worried they'll catch herpes," I snapped. "Just stay away from them. If you don't, I will hurt you."
"Ooooh! I'm really scared of you!" He quivered mockingly at me. I put the last box in my bag and headed toward the door.
"Yeah, you are," I replied. "As well you should be. I'm not playing, Jun." I felt his stare as I stalked out of the house, slamming the door behind me. I screamed internally. He made me so angry I was scared one day I would, actually, snap and beat him. The consequences would be grave, and I didn't think I actually would go through with it but the temptation was strong and somehow the idea of beating his smirking face made me feel calm, as if I had a say in my fate or something.
I was still seething at Jun when I knocked on Mizuki's door, shaking my head angrily. The door opened a moment later and Mizuki stood in the doorway, a large pouch of chocolates in her hand, her mouth full of chocolates as well. She grinned and motioned me inside. Apparently, Emi had already shared at least part of her haul.
"Pardon the interruption," I called.
"Didyoo bring da joose?" Mizuki gurgled at me, her mouth full. I giggled and opened my bag, handing her a box. "Than gawd!" She took the juice box gratefully and struggled with the straw for a moment before pushing through the foil covering and sipping greedily.
"Kasumiiii!" I turned in time to find Emi hurdling through the air toward me. I had just a moment to catch her and brace myself before she crashed into me with a grunt.
"Ugh," I groaned, my knee almost buckling beneath me. "You can't keep doing that, Emi, I'm fragile, you know."
"Pfft," she scoffed. "You're tough like old leather! I gained weight; can you tell?"
"Old leather?" I scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're all gristle and bone," Mizuki grinned, poking my side just below my ribs where she knew I was most ticklish. I yelped in shock and folded like origami, Emi falling heavily beside me.
"Owie," Emi groaned, rubbing her butt. "Don't paralyze her when she's holding me up, Mizuki, jeez."
"My bad," Mizuki chuckled, helping Emi to her feet while keeping a tight grip on her bag of chocolate. "I figured the gristle queen would be more composed from all those secret rituals they do up at the temple."
"What are you talking about?" I groaned, getting to my feet. "What gristle? What rituals? I mostly clean and sell souvenirs."
"Come on, there has to be some sort of secret summoning stuff you do. Like summon the spirits of the dead and bind them to your will and stuff. Everyone knows that," Mizuki replied as we left the entryway and walked into the living room. Mizuki's little Terrier, Sora ran around us in circles excitedly, yipping and sniffing us as he went, leaving little trails of pee behind him. "Aww, dammit." Mizuki grumbled. "You got him all excited."
"It's not my fault," I retorted, trying desperately to catch him and minimize the damage. Each time I reached for him he danced away skittishly, yipping at me, tail wagging so fiercely as to throw him off balance. He was like trying to grab a hairy fish.
"It's the gristle," Emi giggled, apparently overjoyed she had found a new word she liked. "It makes him reminisce about when his ancestors were bears and they used to tear apart their prey with razor sharp jaws! Gao!" She growled as fiercely as she could, screwing her face up and hooking her hands into claws. "You have to imagine blood dripping off the claws and fangs," she pointed out needlessly.
"He doesn't remember what he did eight seconds ago. He's just stupid," Mizuki replied. "Sora! Sit!" The dog rolled over immediately, showing his belly, and peeing once again. "See? That wasn't close to sit. Ugh. Gross. Let me take him outside and wash him really quick. I'll leave him in the yard until he gets a hold of himself." She put her bag of chocolate down on the table and hefted the wriggling, writhing dog into her arms, trying not to get any urine on herself in the process.
"He'll really lose it when Aria gets here," Emi chuckled. "It'll be something really new!"
"Aria?" I asked in confusion. Who was Aria? The name seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.
"Oh! You haven't met her, yet? I met her earlier today at the sweets shop and we got along well! She's my new friend, now, and I asked Mizuki, and she said I could invite her!"
"Ah, ok," I shrugged. Emi made friends as soon as she spoke to someone. Much to most people's chagrin. It was a constant source of worry for Mizuki and I. We were scared she would talk to some molester and get kidnapped. Thus far it hadn't happened, but I was pretty sure the reason was simply dumb luck. "You really shouldn't just talk to everyone, you know." Emi waved away my concern with a giggle.
"You worry too much," Emi replied. "I'm careful! I don't like give people a card or something with my home address and stuff. I also only talk to people who are nice!"
"How do you know they're nice?" I asked, getting on my knees with some cleaning wipes I found on the entertainment center and wiping up the pee.
"I can tell," Emi replied smugly. "It's one of my abilities."
"Pfft," I replied. "You don't have that ability."
"Yes, I do!" Emi protested. "Ask anyone! They'll tell you I have it! I met you and Mizuki and Fumi and Kayoko and Chiho and Manami and-"she counted off the names on her fingers as if to prove her point.
"Ok, ok,"I surrendered. "I get it! Just be careful is all. Don't talk to creepers and stuff."
"I don't!" She puffed her cheeks out indignantly.
"Your mom really should be the one telling you that," I said, finishing and going to throw away the wipes, Emi following after absconding with Mizuki's bag of chocolate.
"She did," Emi replied defensively. "I'm careful." I nodded as I was plainly not going to win the argument this time, either. We'd had the same conversation a dozen times or more and it always ended the same way. Once I'd let her rattle off the names of all the people, she'd met for a good Minute straight. I wasn't entirely sure if these were all real people but if they were Emi's friends list on her Facebook page had to be absolutely insane.
"I want to tell scary stories tonight," Emi decided. We'd had this discussion before as well and I could tell before it even started how it was going to go. Deciding I'd change things up a bit I replied.
"Sure, that sounds fun," I replied. Emi was about to argue with me before stopping and blinking at me dumbly.
"Really?" She enthused, popping chocolate into her mouth.
"Sure," I repeated. "Just don't blame me if you get scared and can't sleep like the last five times."
"Pfft!" She dismissed my concerns again with a wave of her hand, quickly covering her mouth as she nearly spewed chocolate everywhere. "I'm older, now."
"No, you're not," I chuckled.
"I'll be sixteen next week, you know!" She replied indignantly. "You and Mizuchi act all high and mighty because you're older but soon I'll be sixteen, too!"
"I'll still be older," I pointed out, handing her a juice box. She took it gratefully and shrugged.
"It just means you'll die first," She replied.
"That's not the way that works, you know," I said.
"I'm going to have a party next Sunday, you're coming," she declared, ignoring what I'd just said.
"I can't," I said sadly. "I'm working at the temple all weekend."
"Whaaat?" She whined at me, staring at me in shock.
"It's not my fault! Why don't we do something next Friday night?"
"How about Karaoke?" She asked. I groaned and rolled my eyes.
"I don't want to do Karaoke. I hate singing, you know that," I replied.
"Doesn't matter! My birthday! My rules!" She straightened up and tilted her head back like a petulant child.
"Fine," I sighed. "I'll go to Karaoke but I'm still not singing."
"Not even if I ask nicely?" She cooed, fluttering her eyelashes at me.
"No," I replied, listening to Mizuki yelling at Sora outside. Apparently, the dog had gotten loose from her attempt to clean him and was running wild through the back yard.
"How about if I do this!" Emi crowed, jabbing me lightly under the ribs and causing me to squeak in surprise. She giggled wildly and ran off toward the living room. I recovered as quickly as I could and hurried after her.
"That is so it! You're done for!" I called as I ran after her. Though I was faster by far she was smaller and nimbler and made it out of the kitchen and into the living room before I could properly pursue her.
"No! My virtue!" She screamed as she ran. I raced into the living room after her and found her hiding behind the blonde American from the roof.