At the end of a Long Shift

She stepped back so that he needed to let go of her. Too close - that was making her nervous though she was it already. He looked at her for a moment then sighed.

"Can´t you imagine that you´re family worries about you?"

That means: no job, just a safety measure. Somehow disappointing but she knew it before. Yet, she was still standing here waiting for him to go on. It was nice and warm though she started to shiver. She remembered her hair being clammy. A nice hot bath would be the best for now.

"I´m sorry but there was nothing to worry about so ... if there is a job for me to do don´t hesitate to tell me about it."

It was not her style to behave rudely in the presence of her boss but she would apologize later. Staying any longer would only cause some more trouble. She turned around feeling guilty now just to turn back to him and give him a wink.

"Really. You don´t need to worry. I´m still a hitmen. I´m going to take a bath. See you later."

She left. Back in the elevator she remembered him not being surprised at all. But he did react when she talked about him worrying too much. That made her smile. He probably wouldn´t change doesn´t matter how many times she would tell him. But that was ok. It really was.

Location and time went according to pace, with a minute or two late on the actual time. He would have to manage for now. The buildings around him were so unfamiliar to him. While he tried to recall the buildings he saw during his stay in Japan as a child, he sat down in front of a home. The people that lived there weren't home, so it was safer to ward of any complaints. Not that he could say the same for the neighbors.

There was no way to figure out the same patterns of the ground and houses, since over time, there had to be some construction work. That was the only way he could find clues, without resorting to memories. Remembering details worked better by touching. And having no way to feel his way around, everything seemed useless.

Again, moving his hair to the side and wiping water off from his face, he stands and continues on. Faint visions occasionally came to his mind. With all of it, it wasn't much to work with. As he walked to another area, he stops. A few children were playing in the street, careful enough to watch out for any cars that may have been coming by. Obviously disobeying their parents by playing in the rain. But all in all, they were... happy.

He stares at the house in front of him. The color. The sign on the door... Maybe...

At such a pace, it took some time for Himko to reach the school - work was a little bit of a distance away from it and her home, after all. Sometimes she caught a bus some of the way to and fro, but usually she walked; the city had proven to be safe thus far, so she wasn't worried about wandering about at all hours of the night. Unfortunately, the rain seemed to be getting heavier.
When she did reach the school, it was completely deserted. Apparently even the most stubborn sports teams had given it up for a bad job. Silent and empty in the rain, it seemed more ominous than she was used to expecting it. Heh, all they needed was some thunder. But the gate was still open, so the building was still unlocked yet - though perhaps it wouldn't be for much longer.

Himiko trudged her way up the side of the school, pushing the door open with a creak. Most of the lights were off, but Himiko didn't need to see to know the way to her classroom. She stopped at her footlocker, abandoning her wet and muddied outside shoes for her indoor pair and left them beside her umbrella, leaning against the locker bay. The rest she carried with her as she walked up the stairs towards her classroom. That in-class essay had better be worth the effort.

A few minutes later the elevator opened again and Joanna stepped into her room. She entered the code so that any visitor would need to wait for her to unlock the elevator to enter the room. All by herself she stretched and went into the bathroom to turn on the faucet. The steam coming from the hot water was filling the air immediately. She put some essences in the water and went back in the living room to undress herself. She stopped at the window. It was still raining, no, it was pouring and she was happy to be inside. The city seemed to be more grey than before - maybe just imagination.

She sighed and turned around to finally start undressing. She just threw her cloths at the floor. She would pick them up later. The bath was more important. She didn´t closed the door to the living room since she wanted to hear the bell if someone wanted to enter. She put her towel next to the bath tub so that she could reach it at any time. When she got into the tub she took a deep breath. Too hot. Still she stayed. The smell - eucalyptos - was strong but she loved it that way. She closed her eyes. Pleasant. Very pleasant.

There was just something about the house. Maybe... just maybe... it was the same home he lived in before he was forced to move to Italy. The place looked empty. If the kids were outside, there had to someone inside to look after them. Someone that could give him clues.

Knocking at the door, his eyes wander off to the the ground. Clean, with a toy off to the side, hidden from sight. Which confirmed that the person that lives there had a relation to a child, and that the home wasn't deserted.

A woman opened the door, only to look past him to the children, yelling at them in Japanese. Not a word understood. But the children seemed to understand her now, as they ran inside afraid of what was to come. She turned to him, gave a smile, like she was some kind person, then waited for him to speak.

With a mix of bad Japanese and English, he says, " ... Ahh... Would you happen to know... the Moretti family? "

The worst part was that he was raised by these people. And it had been a long time since he spoke fluent Japanese. It became worse when he was kept isolated from normal people. He could use a translator right about now. Better next time, if he asked the neighbors later. The woman stared at him, as if none of what he said made sense. No laughter yet. Good enough, right?

She shook her head, no. He couldn't help but notice the boxes inside. She was new to the neighborhood. With a sigh, he thanks her, then leaves.

Dark, low hanging clouds and a lack of other light sources made the school as dark and omnimous inside as it was outside. There were heavy shadows stretching out from every corner, making it hard for Himiko to see in front of her and making trick images on the far walls. If she squinted, she might just have been able to make out the room numbers above the doors. As it was, she didn't need to - hard as it might have been to navigate visually, she could still use her mental map; comparing the number of steps to those used during the day to find her way to her classroom and her seat.
She fished around in her desk; now the need to squint and read titles was important. This was her history book. This her maths book, and beside it was an exercise book she hadn't had homework for tonight. The novel was at the very back, buried under stray pieces of paper, its title in shiny golden figures. There now, that wasn't so hard.

Himiko stuffed the book in her bag, and then spotted another object in the far corner. Oh, right, that... thing. She actually had no idea what it was. It looked like a box, a little smaller than her first. A plain, purple box with a small snowflake in one corner. She'd accidentally brought it to school one day, and had shoved it out of the way and left it.
The box worried her. She didn't remember where it had come from, and she remembered everything. It had been in her pile of belongings when she'd left home, but she didn't put it there, and she didn't know where she had gotten it in the first place. That lack of knowing worried her more than she could describe, and she'd buried it away at the very bottom of a drawer until it was reearthed again by a sweater.
Himiko held the box up, staring at it. It was too dark to see the details, but she could project her own mental image on top. Ah well, whatever it was, wherever it had come from, she might as well take it back home too. Now, there was a sort of trick, wasn't there...?
A chain fell the top of the box, from a hole that she didn't think had been there previously, and she attached it to her school satchel like an over-sized decoration; too large and prominent, but it would do until she got home and buried it with her staff again.

Her task done, she left, closing the classroom door behind her, and began to walk back down stairs. She tripped just a few steps from the bottom, grabbing the rail to keep from plummeting, and ended up falling in a heap against the wall of the step, her legs stretched uncomfortably of the step corner beneath her. Ow.

She had no idea how long she was already in the bath tub but she didn´t felt like leaving it already. The water was rather cold by now but she pulled out the stopper until there wasn´t much water left. The new water felt way too hot again but the pain was worth its goal. After a few minutes she could relax again. Ah, she forgot: the essence. While grabbing for the bottle with the essence she looked into the living room where her close were lying scattered on the floor. If anybody would enter the room it would seem that she had been in a rush. Yes, she had been in a rush entering the hot bath tub already! She laughed out loud. It could also be a different story. Again she laughed. So, after all the bath was calming her down though there wasn´t really a situation that could annoy her this day. But she felt that way. Weird.

The smell of the essence was filling the air again. That smell ... It was her mother who made her love it. She remembered herself, when she was little, coming back from school and having a hard day again. That blonde hair ... she had a lot of trouble due to it. Most of the girls wanted to have such blonde hair but they couldn´t. Why would another girl have blonde hair when they all couldn´t? How often did they try to cut it? How often did they try to dye it? With no luck. Thank goodness. But not enough - her training with mafia guys was making it even worse. She sighed. But when she came back at home her mother always hugged her with that amazing smell of eucalyptus. How she loved it - and she was still loving it. She longed for her to see her again. Not her father but her mom. Really. She decided to ask Dino later for a short visit in Germany next time. He would understand. Of course. She imagined her mother seing her again after such a long time. She was a woman now. Not a child anymore. She smiled.

The door closes behind him. All the effort wasted. He didn't expect to find anything so quickly. But for a moment there, his chances were high. Still, there was point of giving up so easily. The neighbors came next. After he found a better way to communicate with them.

With the time he still had left, he thought it would be best to look around more. There may even be another house that looked just alike. The details on the house seemed so familiar. The other houses around had similar designs and something that made it diverse from the rest. He made sure to note the patterns and details of them. But then again, there was just something that attracted him to it.

Another long walk around the neighborhood didn't change a thing. He looks onward to the house ahead, then turns back to leave the street. Now that he tried by himself, it was a good time to look for some help. Walking to meet Joanna was going to take some time.

'Well, lesson learnt.' Himiko concluded. It didn't matter how well she remembered a layout if she didn't remember to keep her footsteps the same size and not - this was the important part - not large enough that she completely past one step altogether, causing her to lose her balance and take a painful tumble. At least her moment of clumsiness had been done in privacy, as opposed to surrounded by laughing classmates. That would have completely stolen the vague 'aura of mystic' her school friends insisted she had. Still, ouch. Pulling up one of her pant legs momentarily, she could see a light bruise already forming on her shin. 'Meh, I've had worse'.

Using the rail for support, Himiko pulled herself back to her feet, straightened her hair and dusted herself off. She then reached down to pick up her bag, which she'd dropped when she'd grabbed the rail for balance. Just as well it hadn't been the other hand, or there would have been a mess, and a waste of good food. As it was, old skills had kicked in to keep the box flat, untipped and unopened, and its contents was still safe. Polearms were easier on the fingers though.
The odd purple cube swinging from its place on her back, Himiko recovered and continued down the stairs - at a slower pace, this time trying to make an effort to actually see where the next step was. Geez, at this rate she wouldn't be home until midnight.

Finally, she decided to leave the tub but it was an effort to do so. The water had been too comfortable at all. Whatever. She grabbed for her towel almost falling head over out of the tub. That was close but she was safe. Wrapping the towel aroung her she went back into the living room to pick up her clothes and catched a flash of the town outside. The rain had stopped again and the sky was clearing. A nice sunset. She stayed in that position until she heard the sound of the elevator. She turned around. Maybe the person wanted to go upstairs. Slowly she picked up one of her cloths and was about to pick up another one when somebody knocked on her locked door.

"Joanna, could you open the door and let me in?"

She flinched. Dino! Damn! Bad timing. She fastly turned around grabbing for her remaining clothes while she shouted out to hang on. What a hurry! She had been so calm a few minutes ago ... She pulled out some new cloth of her cupboard and threw the used ones into the basket envisaged for that purpose. When she put on her cloths, no , tried to put on her cloths Joanna stumbled and fell over with a shriek.

"Are you ... are you ok in there? You need to let me in if you want me to help ..."

"I´m fine. I´m fine. Hold on a second, I´ll be right there."

She stood up and finished dressing herself then, again with a stumble, stepped to the door and entered the code. When the door opened she noticed her hair being still wet and uncombed. What a day!

First he would have to visit the diner again. That waitress was the only person he knew here. Well, he didn't exactly know her. She was the only one he knew that could speak fluently. Although, having the feeling he had earlier would be... troublesome to say the least. There was also the option of finding another person to help out. He didn't want others getting into his personal business. Today, he could make an exception.

The walk wasn't as bad as he thought. Probably 'cause the rain stopped. Things were going back to normal again. And finally, he was getting closer to the diner. Still open. More people, in and out. There was still a chance. Not everything was bad today.

As he made his way inside, he looked around to find her. Another waiter or waitress would come shortly to ask if they could assist him. By the looks of it, he had to find someone quickly.

With the late dinner rush, it takes a few minutes before a waitress - a new one who wasn't on shift before - can come to greet Negai. Like Himiko, her first "Good evening, sir." Was in English - though with poorer pronunciation.
However, she immediately switched over to Japanese again to say "And what can we do for you tonight?", suggesting that the English greeting was probably required of all the waitstaff and that she didn't speak any more. It wasn't that surprising; many of the high-end restaurants in Japan liked to use a little gratuitous English, unless specifically themed otherwise.


Himiko herself, meanwhile, switched her indoor school shoes for her other pair again. Why exactly she needed different shoes for indoors and outdoors she didn't know. It wasn't like her work shoes, which were required to be shiny black, fancy-looking things.
She kept a brush in her shoe locker, just because no one knew when you'd need one. After all, who knew when you'd randomly fall down the stairs on a wet day, and turn a perfectly neat bun into a loose, frizzy mess? She took several minutes to straighten her hair - and hopefully her general appearance for it - before collecting her things again.
Satchel? Yes. Book? In her satchel. Food? In her other hand. Umbrella? She fumbled to swing her back of her shoulder, and then grabbed it. Right, now was there anything else? Nothing in her locker? Nothing she'd left at work?
No? Good. Next thing on her agenda; stop talking to herself like that.

Finally organized, Himiko moved to leave and go home. She pushed the front door, but it merely rattled in place.
Locked.

She didn´t know what to say and gave him a surprised look with her big green eyes instead. Seeing her like that he rised his eyebrow while reaching out her favourite candy. Wholemeal cookies with chocolate. Whole milk chocolate, not dark chocolate.

"Are you really ok? You behaved weirdly just now. Did something happen today?"

She grabbed for the cookies just about to say thanks when he pulled her closer and layed his hand on her forehead.

"Mmmhh, you seem to be pretty hot today ..."

They looked at each other for a moment then bursted into laughter. That´s the reason why she likes being in the mafia and being a member of the Cavallone family. He always knows how to cheer up his family and he always notices when there are problems members don´t want to talk about but really should. She didn´t cared about her hair anymore, no, she forgot about her hair while they were laughing. Nearly calm she stepped to the elevator to close the door - there were more people using it - then sat down on the floor, still chuckling.

"Just today, huh?"

Just as he thought. Like before, he looked around the place again for another waitress. And realzing he was sort of ignoring her, he turned back to her. Now it was a matter of speaking complete english, or a mix of japanese.

Not wanting to waste the effort, " Do you have a waiter or waitress that can speak enlgish? "

If it wasn't understandable, at least the word 'enlgish' would get through. It was really getting to be a drag. He wished he could speak japanese to her. In the near- future, he would have to work on that.

The waitress furrowed her brow, and then grabbed another waiter, speaking quietly to him. The waiter shook his head, and then continued to take his drinks to a table. The waitress turned back to Negai, looking apologetic, speaking still in Japanese, "I'm sorry, sir; the only ones fluent in English aren't here tonight. Himitsu - sorry, she's probably our best English speaker - will be on shift again tomorrow after school - from four to ten, if that helps. Was there anything else I could help you with?" Just because he didn't speak Japanese well didn't mean he didn't understand it, of course.


Elsewhere, Himiko jiggled at the door again, a little more forcefully this time. Nope, definately locked. So, in the time it took for her to get her book and come back, whoever had been in the school still previously - most likely the cleaners, when she thought about it - had left. Without noticing her things lying in plain view of the door, or hearing her fall on the stairs. She was really having a lot of bad luck today.
The sunset was nearly over; the red and oranges that cloudy sunsets usually offered had faded into a dim yellow that was fading away fast. Alright, fine; Himiko could get out another way, but it had to be why there was still some light around.
If this door was locked, they all would be. She could unlock them by hitting the fire alarm, but that was a possibility she'd like to avoid. Besides, she could fit through a window. Or, at least, the windows that opened on the second level; the first level windows opened in a strange way from the top.
Plan made, she returned upstairs, this time going the science labs. Himiko opened one of the windows near the back and leaned her head out to check. Yes, the window had a large tree growing next to its ledge, wide solid branches within easy reach. That'd do.

He just smiled and sat down next to her. While opening the packing to eat the cookies he looked around noticing the towel and some clothes still lying on the floor. Since he followed his eyes she noticed too and immediately jumped on her feet to clean up her "mess". There was also the water tub which was still filled with cooled down water. But she just threw the towel and the remaining cloths into the bath room and closed the door. Without saying anything he watched her trying to tidy up and smiled again after seing her throwing around her cloths. When she finally sat down again he hold out the cookies and took one himself.

"Now, seriously. Did something happen today? You seem pretty absent-minded today. It´s not like your normal self."

How true. She had successfully tried to cover up her feelings for the last weeks and today had been the day she couldn´t anymore. The scenario in the restaurant wasn´t really the trigger. It just showed her some things about herself and the whole situation she needed to change.

"I just can´t take this anymore. I need a job! I know that you try to protect me but I´m a hitmen too though I´m a woman. Don´t get me wrong. I like the way you treat me but I feel useless since I can´t do anything"

" No, that'll be all. Thank you. "

With that, he leaves.

So Himitsu is the only person there that could help. He had a feeling it would turn out that way. Only now, she wasn't going to be around until the next day. Another day without answers. Unless he had some luck today.

After checking if he was being followed again, he heads over to the school to meet Joanna. She was probably waiting there by now. Bored. Even without a lead, there were still some things to do. It wasn't an official job for her, but it's something.

The one flaw with climbing out the window was that her hands were full. Very full. Hm, she could leave her umbrella - but morning showers were too likely a risk for her to approve of the idea. It wouldn't fit in her satchel, but she did try to fit it sideways between the bag and its lid, sticking out either side. It was loose, but hopefully would hold. The food was going to be more difficult.
First; climb onto the ledge. That was the easy part. Swinging the satchel over so its strap caught on the limb she was going to climb onto was a lucky throw, and even the umbrella stayed in place. Next, close the window. Food container on the ledge, and leapt over onto the tree branch herself.
For a brief moment, she was suspended in the air as though gravity didn't exist. The next she landed heavily, but on her feet and knees; it was like a rocky, uneven and rounded balance beam, and it was her years of training she had to thank for not plummeting to her death. Her hands automatically grabbed the branch as well as she tried to get her balance, but a nice long pole would have been much more welcome. Next she changed position to straddle the branch, and reached over to grab her food again. The bag was retrieved, dangled as long as it could be on its strap and then dropped. It landed with a thud, one not nearly as loud as her jumping on the branch. Good thing no one was around.

Skivvying down the tree with only one hand was a difficult chore, but she managed it. Things were going right for the first time that night - even if her knee was angry at her for hitting it heavily on a tree with some crazy jumping stunt. It wasn't like that leg didn't hate her already.
Himiko retrieved her bag and umbrella - the latter lying a meter or so away - and turned to walk around the building, back to the front of the school. The chain of the cube-thing hanging from her bag jingled a little with every step; that was going to get annoying fast.

He looked in her eyes then down on the floor. Did she went too far?

"I know but ty to understand me too. I´m just trying to protect my family. I don´t anybody get hurt."

Again he looked in her eyes. She knew it before but ... She sighed.

"Ok. But, really, I´m bored. I can´t do nothing. So, if there is a job for me to do would you please tell me?"

He nodded smiling. He was obviously relieved that she was giving in so fast. Of course, she would. She loved her family. She would never try to force them in doing something they wouldn´t agree on. She looked out of the window. It was getting dark outside. Damn! What time was it? She totally forgot to meet at Namimori school. She would need to hurry. Again, she jumped on her feet and went for her hair-dryer. Dino was watching her kind of surprised.

"What´s up? You don´t need to hurry for dinner ..."

Smiling she turned to him.

"Sorry, I forgot something. But I will be back soon ... probably."

Empty. She wasn't there yet. He either took too long, or she was running late. Just as he was about walk back and forth to wait for her arrival, he heard something. There was someone coming. Maybe it was her. Or a student. There was no possibility that the people after him would know he was supposed to be here. So it was safe to assume there was no threat.

To his surprise... Himitsu. Here. Really here. How lucky is that? He looked into her eyes, then gave a slight wave.

" Himitsu? Wow. I must be lucky today. "

Ignoring the expression of surprise from her, and the possible thoughts she must be having about him following her, " Hey... I want you... "

The first few words gave a different impression, since the rest was out of thought of how to put it. He didn't want to seem so pushy, and had to make the rest of the words more polite. Though he was still needy and in a hurry to find answers. And still didn't want to give out more information about his situation.

"... to be a translator for me. I'm having a difficult time communicating with people here. Can you please help? "

Himiko walked around the corner, and then out of the school gates - nearly crashing right into the same dark-haired boy who had shared a table with Joanna at the restaurant that evening. She gaped in surprise, mouth open in an O shape and eyes wide with surprise. He met her eyes - they didn't seem quite as dead as the first time they'd met - and waved at her in greeting. She waved back, if a little shyly, "The young sir from the restaurant. Hello again."
He called her Himitsu, but she didn't mind the nickname. But the rest of his statement was... odd. Lucky? And what was he even doing out here - he was soaked, apparently having not used his umbrella, and was just standing out here in front of the school in the middle of the night. He didn't go here; she'd have recognized his face. "I want you..." There had been a long pause, which was enough to make her swallow and take a step back nervously.

Then she relaxed a little when he finally finished his statement. Right. Most people found english a near impossible class, and those that were good didn't have the confidence, and then accents came into play... He did look a little foreign, and he knew that foreign woman, but she hadn't thought on the topic too long.
Her first instinct was to refuse. Asking someone you'd met for something like this was creepy, wasn't it? But he looked a little pitiful, standing there all soaked with his hair dripping in his eyes, and she couldn't really see why it was meant to be so creepy anyway. She wasn't the best judge of those things.

Himiko fidgeted, looking at her feet, and her free hand toyed with a corner of her satchel, "Well, I don't mind helping out a little, but we might have too many scheduling conflicts. I've school, homework, and work, so I don't have a lot of free time." She didn't even have time for a school club, for goodness sake, and that was practically a cardinal sin.

In a hurry she ran down the streets. Her sense of direction wasn´t the best and she had only seen the map of Namimori once. Hopefully she remembered it well since she had no desire to get lost in a strange country with a language she couldn´t really handle. But only a few minutes later she saw the school building looming up in front of her. It was already night. Of course, the sunset has been over since an hour. The school close at hand she reduced her speed. She could have used the car. Now, it was too late.

Near the gate she saw two figures. Two? She hesitated and her hand went down to grab for the weapon under her skirt. She slowly got closer watching for any suspicious signs. They were talking to each other about ... Did she really heard the name Himitsu? Now she recognized the tall figure of ... What was his name? He didn´t told it yet. Time to change that. She shook her head and stepped to them.

"Sorry, to interfere, you two. I´m a bit late but ... did you told her to meet here?"

School and work. Since he doesn't go to school, the thought hadn't occured to him that she spent long hours in school. Still, it was easier to help during school hours, given that there was a free class she could excuse herself from. She probably needed to keep working too, but parents provided things. She seemed like a good student. Which made him think of a plan. Of course, he couldn't tell her. Whatever it took, he had to find answers soon.

" What about the weekend? "

Hearing someone behind him, his finger slowly slides up to the side of the handle on his umbrella. Then stops.

Oh. It was Joanna. Somehow he felt she was going to use this opportunity to tease him about being here with her.

" ... No, I just ran into her here. "

"More work, mostly." Himiko offered a careless shrug, "Bills have to get paid somehow." Overall, waitressing didn't earn that much per hour, especially when you added in food, clothing and education costs for a teenager. But it definitely was better paid than any other job she could have gotten, and her restaurant really was a nice place to work. Not wanting to be difficult, her nose scrunched slightly as she ran through numbers in her head, "I could probably cut my weekend double-shifts to single shifts for a fortnight or so. That'd make me free until, hm, late afternoon?" On reflection, her life seemed very full and amazingly boring at the same time. It was still so much better than before that there wasn't even a comparison.


Splashing footsteps made her glance to the side. Joanna approached them, a little hesitantly at first before growing in confidence. Himiko imagined that she just hadn't expected to see her there as well - assuming the two were meeting here. Joanna certainly seemed to think that Himiko had been asked to come here. Why on earth would they be meeting outside a junior high school so late at night? Foreigners were odd.
She took a step back so that Joanna could join their conversation, and bobbed her head rather than a proper bow, "Good evening again, Miss Joanna."

For a minute she felt like she being a square peg in a round hole and thought of just going back and continuing to talk with her boss. But she did ask for an job and there it was. She waved and tried to smile though it probably wasn´t to be seen due to the dark.

"I can´t get rid of the feeling that you kind of dislike me, Miss Himitsu. Sorry, I had some business to take care of first."

She had turned from her to him and rubbed her head. Her hair was still a bit clammy and some of her long blond strands were falling in her eyes. She sleeked them back and tried to surpress the bad feeling she had. Around Himitsu she felt somewhat odd. Maybe because of what happened earlier. Maybe she should tell her boss about it for an advice how to go on with her. Stupid. She was an adult and was able to think for herself. Being friendly would probably solve the problem since she was pretty uptight back then. We´ll see if it works or not and if not: not bad at all. She wasn´t someone she would care for.