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- Dusk
“Can we…” Anri hesitated, her voice low and soft. In the evening traffic, Celty strained to hear her polite, clipped tone, each word pronounced as though they had a weight to them. “Can we sit over there?”
Celty’s hands were already on her motorcycle handles, her foot ready to kick off. Processing the request a second time, she turned to Anri in surprise. This was not how it usually went. She had dropped Anri home for weeks now and this was definitely not how it went. [Is something the matter?]
“No…I…” Anri’s eyes lowered to the ground, her hands clasped in front of her. Usually at this point, she’d give a bow, a practiced 45 degrees, before waving goodbye. A stiff smile and professional demeanor as she closed their business transaction. “I just want to ask you something.”
[Of course.] Celty swung off her bike, excited. Perhaps they would have one of those ‘girl talks’ she’d read so much about. Surrounded by a sea of males no matter where she turned, Celty rarely had another woman to talk to. Or a girl, in this case.
“Thanks.” Anri smiled briefly before leading the way across the street to the nearby playground. While the sun had started to set, painting the sky in pastel colours, elementary kids still laughed and chased one another over the slides. Several benches surrounded the sandboxed lot and Anri sat down on one, her legs neatly crossed beneath her. Watching the kids, she commented offhandedly, “I came here once. As a child.”
[Just once?] Celty asked, curious.
Anri’s expression carefully passive, she shrugged. Her eyes never left a mother picking up her toddler, gently cradling him as she headed home. “Maybe.” Her hands curled into her skirt and she lowered her eyes. “Knowing my parents, I might have just imagined it.”
A difficult childhood. Celty wasn’t sure if that constituted girl-talk. [Do you want to play now?]
At that, Anri blinked in surprise. Breaking into a soft laugh, she shook her head. “No, I’m a little too big.” Fiddling with her fingers, she glanced at Celty. “I never properly thanked you, for everything you did.”
That was a surprise. Celty felt warm as her fingers flew over her keyboard. [It’s nothing.]
“It wasn’t. Not to me.” Anri paused, watching another family leave. A little girl holding her parents’ hands. “I never really relied on someone. Before then. It’s a new feeling.”
[I’m just glad you’re safe. It was very scary finding you covered in blood!] Celty tapped in response. She shivered, remembering the red eyes, the sharp knives that even cut her. It had been terrifying dealing with Saiko’s children. [I’m not sure if it’s worse that it wasn’t your blood.]
“I’m sorry about that.” Anri stared at her lap thoughtfully. Her lips tugged up into a small smile, another unusual thing. “But…really. Thank you. Ever since that day…there’s been a lot of new things.”
[New things?] Celty asked, hoping beyond hope that it wasn’t another monster. Or aliens. She wouldn’t know what to do if it were aliens.
“Sorrow. Rage. Envy.” Anri listed carefully, pausing at each word. “I used to keep them sealed up, shut tight within me. I was afraid of what Saiko would do, of what I’d do, if they were let out. But…I think I can risk it now.”
None of those emotions sounded good. Troubled, Celty asked, [Is that safe?]
“I don’t know.” Anri shrugged. “Another feeling I didn’t have before.” Turning to Celty, she added, “But it’s not all bad. Joy. Peace. Love. I can feel those too now.”
That was reassuring. Celty’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, not sure of what to type. Anri answered that for her, reaching out to grab her hand. “It’s fine, really. If anything happens, you’ll be there to help me, right?”
Celty felt another burst of warmth in her chest. [Of course.]
- Midnight
“You made it.” Shizuo sat at the edge of the curb, blood dripping down his arm. Next to him was a broken vending machine and a twisted streetlight. A cigarette dangled loosely from his lips as he slowly got up. It was such a stereotypical scene that Celty couldn’t even confirm that this was the first time she’d seen it all night.
[Sorry I’m late.] Celty pulled her motorcycle to the side of the road, hoping off immediately to inspect her friend. At least her gloves were still on his hands, protecting them from bruised knuckles and broken wrists. Prodding his arms and legs, she finally stood back and plucked the cigarette out of his lip. [Are you hurt?]
“I was still using that,” Shizuo grumbled, frowning while she stepped on the used butt. As Celty glared and ground the cigarette even deeper into the ground, he shook his head. “I’m fine. Blood ’s from the other guy.”
[You sure?] Celty asked, wishing it weren’t so dark. It was hard to make out the cuts and rips in his vest and Shizuo had a terrible habit of not recognizing his own pain. She’d taken him to Shinra’s enough times with broken ribs to know better than to trust his I’m fine.
“Swear it.” Shizuo stared at the crime scene behind him with a sigh. “My pay’s definitely getting docked.”
She prodded him one last time before accepting his assessment. [I can help if you need anything. A bed. Food. Cash.]
“Thanks.” He gave her a crooked smile before shaking his head. “Next time, maybe. Should have enough stashed up that I can make ends meet.”
[As long as you’re sure. There’s always room for you, if you need it.] Celty typed quickly, trying to reassure him. [And I’m sure Tom will understand!]
“I’m past understanding with him.” Shizuo sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. Looking up, he stared at the bright lights on the city buildings, the lights that blocked out the night sky. A giant screen on one building flickered between ads and Shizuo inhaled sharply as his brother appeared on the screen. “Huh.”
[He’s in a new movie.] Celty had done her research the second she had learned of their connection. Poured over every magazine article she could find, read all the pages on Wikipedia about him. Eager, she typed, [I hear it’s a spy thriller. First time he’s slated to play a villain.]
“He’s really making it.” Shizuo kicked a stray can and watched it roll down the street at record speed. It crashed into the wheel of a car, crumpling. “That’s good.”
That wasn’t the tone she expected to hear, the shyly proud sound Shizuo made every other time they discussed his brother. Reaching out, she gripped his arm gently. [Is something wrong?]
Shizuo opened his mouth to deny before thinking better of it. Shrugging his shoulders, he stared at the ground and scuffed his shoe. “I don’t know. Maybe. I feel…I don’t know.” Pulling his hands out of his pocket, he flexed his fingers. “I’m only getting stronger. And worse.” He gestured at the wreckage around them. “I doubt he wants to know someone like this.”
Gripping his arm tightly, as though he would bolt if she let go, Celty typed as fast as she could with her thumb. [That’s not true. He definitely cares about you.]
With a snort, Shizuo waved dismissively, gently prying his arm out of her grasp. “I dunno. I wouldn’t want a brother like me.” He picked up a broken stop sign and started twisting the metal as though it he could wrangle the words within him. “He might be better off without me.”
[That’s not true.] She unleashed some of her black smoke around them. [You still want to be friends with me, right? Even though I’m not human.]
“Of course. That doesn’t matter.” Shizuo trailed his hands though the smoke. “Might even be better. Don’t have to worry about hurting you as much.”
[You’re taking care of his cat, right?] Celty gave him a thumbs up. [And you have his number and he called you.]
“Alright, alright.” Shizuo pushed her phone away. “I got it.”
[Really?]
“Really.” He dropped the street sign with a heavy clang. “And if I don’t, you’ll remind me.”
Celty nodded. [Every day, if I have to.]
“That would be annoying.” Shizuo chuckled, running a hand through his hair and pushing his locks back in place. If it weren’t for the blood, he’d look like the bartender he could have been. “Mind giving me a ride?”
[Sure!] Celty eagerly typed, glad to be of some use to her friend. Conjuring up a helmet for him, she tapped her foot pointedly on the ground when he was about to refuse. [Safety! Matters!]
“Fine.” With a grimace, he plopped it on. “It’s like blinders. Too limiting.”
[You don’t need to see anything else. We’re on a ride.] It might be even better if he didn’t—the smallest thing could make him blow up again. As good as it was not to keep things bottled up, their city could only take so much destruction a day. Revving her horse-motorcycle, she asked, [Where to?]
“Good question.” Shizuo swung on the bike behind her, his arms automatically wrapping around her. She could feel his shrug as he rested his helmet on her back. “Somewhere far.”
She understood the feeling. Sometimes, all she wanted was to ride all night, see where the roads took her. Giving him a thumbs up, she pulled out onto the busy streets and roared toward the highway.
- Dawn
There was something magical about driving through the city in the wee hours, in that space between yesterday and today. In the hours between two and four, the only people out were monsters, insomniacs, and those who thrived on the night.
While Celty was the first, she also belonged with the latter. Pushing down on the gas, she urged her steed to go faster and faster on the deserted streets, barely missing red lights as they charged forward. Above them, the city lights merged into one big line. At one time, it would have been stars and an open sky above her. Now buildings crowded skyline, fighting for her attention. It was amazing how much the world had changed during her wanderings.
Ahead of her was the highway entrance, the closest thing she had to freedom. A place where it was just her and the road. Sometimes she took it and dreamed of never coming back. Of just driving on and on, until the road ended, until her horse tired, until her body stopped yearning for her lost head. If she went far enough, maybe she could forget everything and just settle down for once.
Warm hands were still wrapped around her belly, a hard head on her back. Somehow, despite her reckless driving, Shizuo had managed to fall asleep. There was something grounding about his touch, something real. A hook to this city that would stay deep within her, no matter how far she ran. There were so many of them now: Shinra. Mikado. Masomi. Anri.
They weren’t her head. They weren’t her memories. But maybe, just maybe, that was enough. The ‘Celty’ she was with them was enough. Taking the right, she continued down the city’s roads. Through her home’s roads.
For tonight at least, there was no need to run away.