Chapter 26:The Little Things

Sector 3: The Apartment

Arisa had drawn herself a large bath- the day she just had was filled with twists and turns that she didn’t want to think about. She tied her hair up in a towel and couldn’t help but chuckle as a memory popped up in her mind:

She was just a little girl getting ready to take a bath with Keiko. Keiko was complaining loudly as she wrestled with her hair trying to put it in the towel but failing. Arisa chuckled and shifted her head to be bald. Keiko’s jaw had dropped at the sight and pouted in obvious jealousy. She grinned suddenly and started pulling the water from the bath and splashing it on Arisa playfully….

Arisa couldn’t help but smile as she pushed her hair in the towel. She no longer shifted her body to make her life easier...she washed her hair, shaved her legs, she even liked to go to the hair salon to get it cut- she liked her normal life.

Arisa slowly sank into the tub and tried to relax her fatigue away- but the steam only reminded her of the bath house...of Mei Lin’s death. Arisa felt tears well in her eyes- I couldn’t save her...she died….

It was then that Arisa finally remembered that she too would have died that night. Kyoushirou had grabbed her and pulled her away...he protected me? She sat upright in the tub- her eyes wide with shock. He pulled me to him...to protect me? She felt a smile creep across her face as she slinked down into the tub again, “Kyoushirou protected me? He protected me...Arisa the mutant….not the human...but the mutant,” her happiness was immediately taken away from her- her face pulled back into serious thought, “Why would he protect a mutant….? Could he….could he know?” she thought hard- he had given her his jacket after her involuntary shift at school...but he couldn’t have seen that- as an agent there is no way that he would have hesitated to capture a black agent….”Kenji….” there was something fishy to be seen about him. The way he stared at her, the way he spoke to her...she didn’t trust him.

Arisa let her head fall into the water dramatically and pushed the air out of her lungs- she wanted to clear her head of all her upsetting thoughts. As she resurfaced she took a deep breath and hugged her knees in the water, “I should talk to Keiko and Aku...they need to know about all of this….but if I tell them...they will insist on leaving the school. School is the only normal part of my life….I don’t want to give that up….” she sighed deeply. Usually Arisa was able to snap out of her deep thinking moods and remain cheerful...but this was too serious to avoid.

Even as she got out of the bath and got ready for bed- her mind was fixated on that thought: Should I tell them?

As she laid in her bed and looked into the darkness of her room she still couldn’t decide. She couldn’t pick between her mutant life and her human life.

The Next Day at Tenno Academy

Arisa wasn’t in a good mood for the first time. In fact Hiroto had never seen her in any mood but happy before. As he walked in- he already knew something was wrong. Normally he would hear her bright voice, Good Morning Hiroto! but it wasn’t there. Arisa was sitting in her desk looking down at her notebook silently.

“Good morning, Arisa,” he paused by her desk as he walked by.

Seeming to come out of a trance Arisa’s gaze looked up at him. She gave him a weak smile, “Morning, Hiroto,” and looked back down at her blank notebook.

While he knew something was still wrong- hearing her voice and seeing that she still had the strength to smile was enough for him to believe that she didn’t need his help. Nevertheless, he didn’t sleep that day in classes- he diligently kept a watch on her.

Lunch

“What did you do to her?” Aku pulled Keiko aside as Arisa lifelessly moved food around in the classroom, “You said something to her didn’t you?” Aku glared at Keiko softly.

Keiko shook her head, “I haven’t said a word to her since yesterday! Maybe she isn’t feeling well?”

Aku shook her head in response, “I think she might still be upset from the other day...that was the first time she had seen the agents take someone out….”

“You might be right...I’ll write Red and get the night off for us. I’m sure she just needs a date-night,” Keiko pulled out her phone.

Aku nodded, “No fighting with her- it’s her day ok?”

“Yea, yea she’s my sister after all,” Keiko stuck her tongue out at Aku playfully.

The End of the Day

Arisa had finally decided- it wasn’t just her life she was risking by withholding her worries- she could be jeopardizing Kei and Aku’s lives as well. It wasn’t her place to keep them in a place of danger...she would tell them. She was going to tell them.

“Kei I have something I nee-” it was the first time she had opened her mouth to speak to her, and yet she was cut off.

“Nope Arisa hang on,” Keiko smiled at her, “We three have the rest of the day off so let’s go on a date night. Just like the old days hmm? Just you me and Aku, normal high school girls ready to have a fun night, what do ya say?”

Arisa couldn’t hold back her smile. Date night was something Arisa had made them do when they were growing up- and when Aku joined them she was dragged along as well. Date Night was basically what they called Arisa’s Night. The three of them would do anything that Arisa wanted and would take pictures and have a good time. It was just what Arisa wanted, “Hmm hmm,” she nodded excitedly, “Let’s go!”

As the two grabbed their stuff and left Arisa smiled at Keiko, I’ll tell you after tonight- after my last night as a human high schooler. After tonight- I’ll let go of this life...I’ll be only a mutant.