Homeplot (2)

[babyviper]

Chapter 1:
The Empty Room in Osaka

Apartment 217, in a nondescript block of an apartment building on the outskirts of downtown Osaka, Japan.

Laying on a bare floor, a clunky mobile phone began to ring. Despite the amount of money such a phone would cost in the late part of the eighties, before the big rush really began, it wasn't even the most expensive item in the room. The real treasures in this tiny, bare apartment had to do with what was in the closet, which bore a simple combination lock.

The ringing seeped into O-Ren's consciousness even as she struggled to wake up. How late had she been out last night? That wasn't like her, and surely Angua and Dean would have had questions. Was she sick, then? Why the heavy haze around her? The fucking ringing was beginning to wear itself out, too.

O-Ren snapped up from her futon so quickly that she had to brace against the window. She was no longer even a bit sleepy, so aware she couldn't keep her hands from shaking as she patted herself down. Same self that had gone to bed the night before.

But a look around confirmed this was her old apartment. Only a few pots to boil ramen in. Blood spots she'd never bothered to clean up. Locked closet. Mobile phone ringing on the ground. She'd cut the regular telephone line herself, preferring this.

It stopped ringing, and O-Ren took a deep breath. "What the fuck."

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[babyviper.livejournal.com]

Sucking in a breath, O-Ren managed to make herself stand back up. She completed her prayers, ringing the bell first, and in lieu of coins, dropped the rings into the collection box. Please let me be done now.

"Owarimasu," she murmured, bowing, and then, surreptitiously wiping at her eyes, she jogged back down the steps to Arya.

"Think you can drive without crashing us?"

[lonewolflives]

Arya looked at the bike and gave it all of a second's consideration.

"Just hold on," she said brashly, swinging her leg over. She'd been watching how O-Ren did it, and she had good balance. She could ride a horse, and a motorcycle didn't even have its own brain.

[babyviper.livejournal.com]

O-Ren slid onto the back of the bike, pressing herself snug against Arya's back, arms wrapping around Arya's middle. If she was pressing her face into Arya's hair, then only they would be the wiser.

"Drive," she said softly. "See if you can get us to Tokyo Tower. It's over there." She pointed in the direction of the lit-up tower.

[lonewolflives]

Arya took a moment to orient herself, both in terms of where she was going and, more importantly in the short term, how to operate the bike.

Then she revved it up and started them moving, not as fast as O-Ren had gone as she got used to keeping it upright and moving and watching the traffic all at once.

As her steering steadied, she started to grin against the wind and speed up.

[babyviper.livejournal.com]

It was only once they'd gotten clear to the other side of Tokyo that O-Ren lifted her face from where she'd tucked it, out of the wind. "Stop anywhere you want," she murmured, well aware that the answer might be Hokkaido.

[lonewolflives]

It wasn't quite that far. She did stop eventually, and she'd even tried her best to head in the direction of the tower she'd been pointed at.

Threading her way through the streets, however, had proved secondary to keeping the bike upright and not crashing into anybody at speed.

Stll, she felt it a satisfactory result, interlinking her fingers and stretching her arms above her head after she'd parked up.

[babyviper.livejournal.com]

At this time of night, there wasn't exactly parking or ticketing, but O-Ren wasn't interested in going inside, anyway. She wandered over to a vending machine instead, peering at the contents-- after sparing a glance back at Arya. Her smile was tucked away, as was the image.

After staring at the glass for a while, she made her move, kicking the machine thoughtfully. A loud couple of clanks confirmed that this place was going to behave itself now.

[lonewolflives]

Arya spent some time trying to work out how tall the buildings were, sitting on the bike and staring up. She wanted to balance on her toes on the edge of one and look out over the city; she didn't like climbing in the way that Bran had, but she liked seeing.

She slipped off the bike and walked to peer at the machine O-Ren was kicking. "It's one of those things, isn't it?"

She knew what she meant, anyway.

[babyviper.livejournal.com]

O-Ren fished around in the opening and pulled out two cans. "Hn," she said, without much inflection, and then tossed one to Arya. "Beer. I'd have preferred sake. Rather save our money for a room tonight, if we need it."

Then, slipping the can in her jacket pocket, she vaulted herself up one of the support beams and began to climb-- not to the top, of course, but high enough.

[lonewolflives]

Arya caught it one-handed and pressed her face nearly to the glass for a little longer before she likewise tucked it away and followed along.

"Is everything sold from boxes? No people with carts on the street?"

Not at this time of night, obviously, but she hoped they existed. She had fond memories of being one of those, and she felt a city without someone trawling about shouting Oysters, clams and cockles! would be a little poorer for it.

[babyviper.livejournal.com]

"In the mornings, mostly," O-Ren said. "There's a fish market... you have to see it to believe it." She smiled, in spite of herself, and finally settled on one of the wide beams, dangling her legs. "If we're still here tomorrow, I'll show you everything."

She pulled the can out, popping open the tab.

[lonewolflives]

Arya stopped on the same beam, standing on one leg, foot tucked behind her calf and hands tucked in her pockets. She leaned out slightly to appreciate the view, then let the wind push her back to a safer stance. "Then I'll have to see it," she agreed.

She liked this city. With O-Ren's business done with, she could enjoy that fact.

She lightly dropped to sitting and took out her own can, popping it open and holding it up for a moment. "Should we toast something?"

[babyviper.livejournal.com]

"To closing the circle," O-Ren said, lifting her can. "To finishing the job, and becoming... myself. To you, for helping me, because..." She looked down, cheeks going pink.

[lonewolflives]

"Because wolves hunt together," Arya finished for her, since it seemed to fit. She leaned back against a beam and tipped back the beer.

[babyviper.livejournal.com]

"Hai," O-Ren murmured, and then drank too. It wasn't so bad, not like it had been the time she'd tried the stuff. But this was a nicer part of town, not some squalid ghetto where the burakkumin tried to sell you that rat piss alcohol.

"Kirei, ne?"

[lonewolflives]

"Hai," Arya said, leaning out to the side again, letting one leg dangle over the other side of the beam as a balance.

"It's a pity there's no snow."

There'd been snow in the movie, at the end... which hadn't gone well for O-Ren, but they'd fixed all that, sort of. And she'd liked to have seen the city snowbound.

[babyviper.livejournal.com]

O-Ren scooted just a little closer. In this short time, it seemed she'd gotten to know the warmth of having someone, of having Arya, so near, and she didn't mind it.

"The real pity is there's no sakura," she answered. "I wish-- I wish we could come back again, some time."

[lonewolflives]

"There's one of those on the island," she said, but she knew it wasn't the same, just like having the single weirwood wasn't the same as being in the North.

So she added, "That'd be nice. I don't think it works like that, but it'd be nice."

Did anyone ever dream themselves to the same place twice? If they did, would they just have to do it all over again?

[babyviper.livejournal.com]

"After everything, even just this little time is perfect," O-Ren said. "That's how it works. Beautiful, perfect moments, they don't last very long. That's how it has to be."

[lonewolflives]

"The longer summer lasts, the harsher winter is," Arya said, frowning slightly, then taking another sip from her can and looking up at the sky. "That's how they say it works, back home."

It seemed like it was the same kind of idea.

[babyviper.livejournal.com]

O-Ren nodded, also looking up at the sky, the bright lights filling the heavens with a neon kind of aurora, stars just barely visible beyond that. She flicked the tab on her can back and forth.

Her heart had filled up so much that there were no words left for her.