"How old are you?"
Himari looked up from her ice cream bowl, "what?"
"What do you mean 'what', how old are you?" Naki asked after taking a spoonful of his caramel and chocolate mint ice cream.
"I turn 24 soon, why are you asking?"
Taki sighed, "A 2-year difference isn't that bad," he mumbled to himself.
Himari rolled her eyes, "never going to happen, not even if you were the last man on earth."
"Damn, why so harsh?" he pouted.
She shook her head and walked ahead.
He swiftly caught up with her, his voice filled with anticipation. "Alright then, but can we at least be friends?" With an arched eyebrow, he turned to face her, gracefully walking backwards in front of her.
"I'm a bit annoying at times, but I'm good company, I promise," he grinned, using his free hand to ruffle his dreads to get them out of his face.
"Fine," Himari stopped, "as long as you convince your grandmother to give me a raise."
"Are you asking me to buy your friendship?" Naki put a hand to his chest in disbelief.
Himari shrugged, walking past him, "if I'm going to tolerate you, I have to at least get something in return."
Naki nodded, "fair, I guess."
Catching up with her, he slung an arm over her shoulder, laughing when she let out an irritated groan.
"Ouch!" he moaned in pain as her elbow dug into his ribs, forcefully pushing him away.
"Don't get too comfortable," she warned, disposing her empty ice cream tin at a recycling bin.
"This is going to be a very painful friendship," he groaned, rubbing the spot where she hurt him.
As Himari led the way, they strolled together through the heart of Tokyo, exploring its renowned sights and immersing themselves in the vibrant city lifestyle. Naki couldn't help but pause in amazement at every store they came across, forcing Himari to help him buy whatever caught his attention. Himari remained indifferent and unaffected since the credit card being used was not hers. She would say she felt bad for Sarah, but she knew deep down that their spending wouldn't even make a dent in her heavy account.
"Ooh can we get these boots for Taki? It would go great with that skirt she loves wearing so much," Naki directed their gaze towards a stunning pair of knee-high boots adorned with elegant pink butterflies on a sleek black background.
Himari nodded with a spark of enthusiasm as she snatched up the boots, tossing them into the already brimming shopping basket. Turning to face him, an inquisitive smile danced upon her lips, "Is there anything else?"
"No, that's all," Naki guided them towards the checkout counter, stepping aside to allow Himari to swipe Sarah's card for payment.
Himari joyfully exclaimed, "A heartfelt thank you to Sarah for my fabulous new wardrobe!" They both gleefully strolled out of the mall, their hands overflowing with shopping bags from various stores and prestigious brands. They couldn't help but giggle as they made their way to the parking lot, excitement bubbling in their voices. There, they gleefully loaded all the bags into the spacious trunk of her pristine white VW Polo.
Naki scratched the back of his neck after closing the trunk, a slight concern lingering in his voice. He turned to Himari, who was casually leaning against her car, "seriously though, I hope she doesn't mind."
"You weren't worried about that when you were on a mission to buy the whole mall," she remarked, "besides, she did give us her card and said to have fun."
Just as Naki was about to respond, their attention was abruptly captured by the arrival of an elderly woman. With a wooden cane in one hand, she slowly made her way towards them, using it for support. In her other hand, she clutched a delicate handkerchief. Wrapped around her head, she wore a gray scarf, and despite the warm weather, she was dressed in a long black skirt paired with a gray jersey.
"It is you, I can't believe it's really you," her voice trembled, her hand extended toward Naki who instinctively recoiled when her icy, pale hand enveloped his forearm.
"Uh can I help you, ma'am?" he asked politely, despite the discomfort he felt, resisting the urge to pull his arm away. May the lady just need help with something, and it would be impolite to refuse her.
Confusion washed over Himari as her brown eyes darted back and forth between Naki and the elderly woman. "Huh?" she uttered, feeling utterly perplexed.
"It really is you!" exclaimed the woman, her eyes widening in amazement as she examined his face. "I've been sensing your presence for the past few days, and now I know for sure it's you. Is your sister also here? I can sense her too."
Feeling slightly spooked, Naki quickly withdrew his hand and instinctively moved back, his voice betraying a mix of fear and curiosity, "Whoa, hold on a second. How do you know me, ma'am?"
"The prophecy has come true! Ritah Makamato's miraculous twins will rescue us from the wicked forces that inhabit this city," she rambled on, inching closer to Naki in an attempt to touch him once more. "It was fate for Ritah to find your mother under that bridge and take you and your sister in."
Himari's heart raced with fear as she hastily fumbled through her handbag, desperately searching for her phone to call the police. She was overwhelmed with confusion, desperately needing to understand what was happening around her.
"H-how do you know about our mother? how do you know our grandmother's name?"
"I've been told. The voices, they speak to me," she said, breaking into a crooked smile. Her piercing grey eyes delved into his soul, sending an uncanny sensation through his chest.
"Let's go, Naki. We're clearly dealing with a nutjob," Himari pulled at Naki's hand who stood frozen in his spot. Himari turned her glare towards the lady, "you better leave now, lady, before I call the police."
She turned and smiled at Himari, "of course, Himari."
Himari let out a gasp. H-how does she know my name?- she wondered in her head, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Your sister will know where to find me when you both are ready to talk to me. See you soon, Naki," she slowly turned with the help of her cane and walked away without another word.
Naki stood motionless for a minute, not being able to process what had just happened. Surely the old lady must have been speaking a whole load of rubbish, but then again, how did she know their names and such specific details about his and his sisters lives.
"Naki, Naki," Himari called for his attention, "Naki, is that not Taki?"
Naki's head turned swiftly toward the direction Himari was pointing. There, he beheld his older sister briskly striding along the opposite side of the street. With her head lowered and her arms tightly wound around her. Naki instantly knew that something was wrong.
"I wonder what she's doing here?" Himari wondered to herself as she followed behind Naki who crossed the road to get to his sister.
Taki abruptly halted as she caught the sound of her name being called. Intrigued, she pivoted on her heel to discover her brother coming towards her, with Himari in tow. As she was about to approach them, she abruptly halted in her steps. Her eyes widened in fear at the eerie sight unfolding right before her. There, standing behind Naki and Himari, loomed a dark cloud-like figure with wide, hollow eyes and a sinister smile. It menacingly towered over the unsuspecting Naki and Himari, who approached her with deep concern etched on their faces.
"Hey Taki, what are you doing here? Are you okay?" Naki worriedly asked after they stopped in front of her.
Noticing the look of fear in Taki's eyes, Himari warily turned around wanting to know what got her like that, but sighed in relief when the only thing she saw was the regular busy street with average passers-by going about their day. She hesitated, her attention returning to the twins, wondering silently if these siblings standing before her were truly ordinary.
Naki gripped his sister's shoulder firmly, desperately trying to capture her attention. He knew that she saw something that scared her, he could see it in her eyes, and it made the hairs at the back of his neck stand. "Taki, what is it? What do you see?"
"Wha-what's going on?" Himari had a lingering feeling of being excluded from a secret, as her gaze wandered curiously between the siblings.
"Talk to me, please?" Naki was desperate for at least one answer among the countless questions haunting his mind. The uncertainty was driving him to the brink of madness, compelling him to seek solace in just one answer.
Taki's gaze shifted towards Naki, but as it did, something peculiar happened. Her irises seemed to have disappeared, leaving her eyes completely white. Shocked, Himari gasped in horror, stumbling backward, as an overwhelming sense of fear raced through her body. She had never seen anything like it before. She glanced at Naki, who appeared unfazed by the sudden transformation of Taki's eyes. Clearly they both knew something she didn't.
"How-how did her eyes do that? Did you not just see that? What's going on here!?"
Naki felt like he didn't have time to answer all of Himari's questions, so he focused his attention on his sister. "Taki..." he called for her once more.
"It's so dark, Naki. So hostile and evil, filled with so much hatred," she finally spoke, her white eyes bore into her brother's dark brown ones, sending the same fear she felt to him as well. "A lot of people have lost their lives, and there's only going to be more deaths, unless we do something about it."
"What do you mean?" Naki asked.
"A great evil lives in this city, we were brought her to deliver it."
Upon hearing Taki utter those words, Himari was overcome with sheer terror, causing her to stumble back and distance herself from the twins, while her heart raced wildly in her chest. Taki repeated the exact words that Himari had heard from the mysterious elderly woman who had spoken to Naki only a few moments before. "That-"
As Himari was about to finish her sentence, Taki's eyes abruptly returned to their usual breathtaking dark brown color. However, in that very moment, her body succumbed to unconsciousness, collapsing gently into Naki's arms.
Naki quickly caught his sister and turned his head towards a frightened Himari. "Himari I need you to bring your car over, we need to take her home."
Himari only took slow steps back, "you two are not normal."
"Himari please, I need your help," he begged, ignoring the passers-by giving him weird and questioning looks at the unconscious girl in his arms.
She gulped, despite the rational part of Himari's mind urging her to turn around and run as far away as possible, she couldn't resist the compelling pull drawing her back to the twins. With her heart pounding in terror, she summoned her courage and gave a resolute nod. "I'll bring the car," she declared.