Live a Little - Resolved to be me
To live a Little
Part three: Resolved to Be Me.
Perfume had spent the entire night waiting and worrying about her friend. She didn't care about what Happi said about Silk being safe, she was still worried sick. She was sitting in her nightclothes having a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
She'd let Happi sleep on the couch as he awaited his student's return.
Keisuke yawned, rising out of bed. Stretching out, he glanced at the clock. "Hmm, 4:30 a.m. I wonder if Silk is back yet?" he thought aloud. Throwing on a T-shirt, he walked up the stairs and was surprised to find Perfume sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee, since he was usually the first one up in the household. "Morning, dear. You're up earlier than usual." he said, grabbing a bottle of orange juice out of the fridge.
"yeah I am, I couldn't sleep. " Perfume answered softly. " It's just not like Silk-Chan to stay out this long at all. "
From the living room, Happosai grumbled, snored and rolled over in his sleep. He was having nightmares, but not about Silk, but about the Dark carnival instead. They always seemed to come back when he was the most worried.
Keisuke took a big swallow of orange juice. "You mean she hasn't even come home yet?" he said, wiping his mouth. He sighed, feeling sorry for Perfume. She looked really worried for her friend. "Don't worry," he said, getting his sword and heading out the door. "She'll be back any minute, I'm sure of it." he said with a reassuring smile. He closed the door behind him and went out onto the freezing front lawn to do some sword kata.
Fujiko closed to door to Silk's guest room and petted the cat a couple of times. Unlike Silk, Fujiko had often gone two or three days without sleep during times like these. Sleep was definitely not in the cards. She checked the phone messages. None. Not even Aunt Mikara who seems to have a sixth sense about calling Fujiko during her sabbaticals. Maybe that was it. It wasn't her sabbatical. It was Silk's and Fujiko was just along for the ride.
She put aside the seven phone numbers of boys she flirted with. Fujiko had no intention of calling them. She wasn't desperate. It was just part of the game she played when she was in those moods. She did pick up the phone and began to make a phone call to Curses and Cures. Hopefully Scarf would be awake and they could talk over coffee. She needed to warn him. Things were going to change.
The phone at Curses and Cures began to ring.
Perfume slammed her coffee down and answered the cordless phone. Fujiko could tell that Perfume was very worried about something. "Good Morning, Curses and Cures, This is Perfume, what can I do for you today?"
Fujiko said "Good Morning Perfume. You sound like hell. I think I know why. It's because of Silk, isn't it? If I'm right, I got good news for you. She's safe at my place, sleeping. I wouldn't wake her though, she's had a long night."
Perfume was very much relieved to find out that her friend was safe. If she had known that she was with Fujiko she wouldn't have worried at all. Happosai and Alex going nuts about it was what made her worry so much.
"You two were together all day yesterday? Let me guess, shopping and having a great time?" She smiled and laughed a bit at the situation. "I guess Happi and Alex were panicked over nothing. They both thought something very bad was going on, but the wouldn't tell me what."
"Pretty much. I don't know why Happosai was worried. Silk left you guys a note. Alex, I understand though. I coulda been some guy smooching with her all night. She was feeling lousy when I arrived at your shop yesterday, but nothing that a change of scene couldn't fix." Fujiko replied.
"You guys are welcome to come over here as long as you don't wake Silk up or get some much needed sleep, whichever you prefer. Tell Happi she was with me the whole night, though."
Scarf walked into the kitchen from outside with a large ruck sack on his back. "Ahhh good to be home." he said. He had been training in the mountains for the last week. He walked over to the fridge pulled out an apple and began munching on it and then waved at Perfume. She was smiling so nothing too bad could have happened while he was away.
"I will do that Fujiko-Chan. I've had too much coffee to sleep anyway." She smiled and waved at Scarf. "I'll be over in a little while. Bye for now."
She turned off the phone and turned to Scarf. "You missed all the excitement last night. Silk-Chan ran off and left a cryptic note, Happi and Alex went into a full fledged panic. She's alright though, she was out with Fujiko Chan all night."
She walked over and gave Scarf a hug. "Welcome back Scarf Chan."
"HEY HAPPI WAKE UP!" She shouted over to where the Martial arts master was sleeping.
Scarf just stood there processing the information. "Oooookay..." he said.
Happi moaned and woke up, shaking worried sleep from his eyes. He was a little upset at having been woken up rudely. "Good morning to you too, Perfume!" She said with a trace of sarcasm in his voice.
Perfume walked over to the couch and Looked down on Happosai. "Silk is alright, she spent the night with Fujiko. You were worried over nothing."
Then she ran off to the shower to get cleaned up and dressed.
Happosai smiled in relief. He was very pleased that Silk was alright, he really wasn't sure why but he was. In a case like hers you just can't take the risk. "Don't think your off the hook, Silk-Chan." Happosai used his best fatherly tone as he spoke. "You're going to get a good chewing out for scaring me like that."
Just then, the phone rang. Happi was the one to pick up the phone and Alex was on the other end. "Have you heard anything from Silk?"
"Yes I have Alex, my boy." Happosai answered with a more upbeat tone. He was still upset at Silk but at least the girl was alright. "She was out with Fujiko all night. She managed to scare the hell out of you and I, but otherwise she's alright."
-------------------------
Back At Fujiko's, Silk had awoken and packed up her things, thanked Fujiko and left before the redhead could object. She needed to go home now, she could feel it in her bones. Or else it wouldn't feel like home anymore, and she needed a home. She saw Keisuke out doing his forms in the yard and waved to him. He didn't look up. She didn't expect anyone to be waiting for her when she walked in the door of the Curses and Cures.
Perfume had just come back upstairs after showering and getting dressed. She was brushing her hair when she came up in the main room. She noticed Happosai was sitting on the counter staring at the door as though he could sense that something was coming.
She turned toward the door just a Silk came home.
Perfume smiled from ear to ear. "welcome home Silk-Chan!" She gave her friend a monster hug.
Happosai waited patiently for Perfume to finish greeting Silk. He was very relieved to see that she was alright, but he was still upset about being made to worry like that.
"Air, Air!" Silk gasped slightly as Perfume's grip took all the air from her lungs in a single whoosh. "Perfume, you look like hell." Silk looked at Happi, "And so do you. Don't tell me you waited up all night?"
"Of course we waited up all night." Happosai was using his stern grandfather voice. "You left a cryptic note and a broken figurine with blood on it. As much stress as you've been under.." Happi's voice broke a bit. " I thought you were involved in something terrible!" He gave Silk a look that told her exactly what he thought was happening.
Scarf walked out of the kitchen, having taken off his rucksack, but still munching on the apple, he said "Hey Silk, so what's new?" Not realizing the new bit of information that she had learned.
Silk sweatdropped. "So you assumed that'd I? Gods, Happi, I have no reason to do that." then Silk looked as Scarf. "I spent the night out with Fujiko and these guys all freaked out like I was going to do something stupid." Silk stalked towards the stairs, "yes, for those who care, I had a wonderful time. I died my hair blue, painted flowers on my stomach and was crazy and wore a sign that said 'don't you wish you had the guts?' and played in the rain, terrorized the ginza, went dancing, and otherwise had an outstanding time. For those who care." She went up the stairs quickly and slammed the door to her room.
Perfume couldn't figure out why Silk was so angry. She didn't know if she had done something wrong or not. She felt as though she had to say something.
She walked stealthily up the stairs to Silk's door. She didn't knock or even open the door. She spoke to Silk through it. "I'm sorry Silk, We didn't mean to upset you. I do care about you and so does Happi, that's why we were worried." Perfume really couldn't think of too much more to say, so she turned about to go back downstairs. She never was too good at all this stuff.
Back downstairs, Happi heard Alex sigh in relief. "Thanks man. I'll talk to her. Bye." Alex hung up the phone, and tried once again to mind-speak to Silk. --Hello?--
Happi hung up the phone and drooped his head. He over reacted to the situation, and he knew it. "I'm sorry Silk." He whispered to himself. "you like the daughter I never had, I should have trusted you."
Silk heard perfume's apology, but didn't respond. She heard Alex's mind-call and sighed, --Do you want to rag on me for having a good time too?-- she demanded. --Is it wrong to want to live a little?--
Alex mentally flinched at the hostility he was sensing. --Whoa! Calm down! We showed up here and found the note and the blood and thought something bad may have happened to you. Is it wrong for your boyfriend to show concern for your well being?--
Silk stopped for a moment, and realized what it must have looked like. She'd ruthlessly crushed a glass figurine with her bare hands, left a deliberately cryptic note and no evidence as to her whereabouts. It was unlike her to do anything like that. --Why would you worry?--
--Because you were being way out of character for you. If I suddenly vanished like that, you know you'd chew me out.. And judging from what you chose to crush, one would think that I had broken your heart or something.--
Silk laughed, but there was little humor in it, --Perhaps it wasn't my heart that I crushed.--
Alex raised a mental eyebrow at this. --Well, who's heart did you crush then?--
--Perhaps it was my responsibility-- Silk said cryptically, --Are you satisfied that I haven't gone off the deep end? I'd like to get some more sleep if I may.--
--Of course,-- was Alex reply. --We can always talk later.-- Alex sensed something was wrong on a deeper level here, but he decided for the moment to ignore Murphy's constant. --Good night, Silk-Chan. Pleasant dreams.--
--Always?-- Silk's mind-voice was doubtful without giving a reason for the doubt. --Fare well, then, Alexander. In all you may encounter.--
--Feeling doubtful? What's wrong. You planning on giving me the axe or something?-- Alex said jokingly, not realizing how close to home he had hit.
--I have no axe. Good bye-- was all that Silk said before she cut him off.
Once her mind was free of outside voices and intrusions, she fell asleep very quickly, oblivious to the world for the time being.
------
Alex KNEW now that something was up, but since he had been cut off, there wasn't much he could do about it. "I guess I'll find out later." He said to himself as he prepared himself for the day's activities, and his evening out with Silk that night.
It was this inopportune moment that Fujiko had decided to go back to Curses and Cures. She entered and looked around for anyone who was on the store floor. "I hate to leave things unfinished," Fujiko said, "is Scarf here?" to whomever was around to listen to her.
Happi hopped up and met Fujiko at the door. "Scarf's in the kitchen, Fujiko-sweetie."
Now fixing breakfast for himself (Two scrambled eggs, 4 pieces of French toast, half a plate of Bacon, and two glasses of milk for starters), he looked through the doorway to the shop and said "In here."
The redheaded artist went straight into the kitchen. "Good Morning, Scarf. How are things around here?" she asked cheerfully.
"Fine, I guess," he replied, "I just got back from a week-long training trip, so I'm a bit outta it." He said as he finished getting his breakfast ready. He sat down at the table and said "So what did you want to see me for?" before beginning to eat.
Fujiko put her hand behind her head and then twirled her fingers around
in an hesitant pose. Finally she shook it off and stared Scarf straight in the eye. "There have been some changes since you and I last chatted. I have gone through some and Silk has gone through a whole bunch. I want you to listen to me very carefully because I will only say this once so put down your meal and look at me."
"Okay" he said after swallowing the bite he had in his mouth "I'm listening."
Fujiko took a deep breath. "Okay. First things first. Don't take this badly, but I've decided that you and I wouldn't make a good couple. You're just too...mature for the likes of me at the moment. You need a life partner and I just need a good time. I still want to be friends with you though, and that's not just a put off line. As surprising as that maybe, what's happened to Silk will be more incredible."
Scarf sat there for a moment just absorbing this info, this was unheard of, someone who had shown interest just giving up. Scarf nearly danced where he was, but he didn't want to insult Fujiko. "Ummmm...Okay. If you say so. So what's the other bit of info?"
The redhead paused a second for dramatic effect. "Two things. One, Silk knows what you feel about her, I mean, what you REALLY FEEL about her. Don't try to deny it. I can see it in your eyes every time she walks in the room. The second thing is good news for you. Silk and Alex are pretty much no longer a couple as I speak. This isn't a reason to get cocky, though. If you try to Don Juan this thing, you'll lose her. If you want my advice on what to do here, I'll tell you. It's the least I can do as a friend."
While she had been telling him this, Scarf had leaned back balancing the chair on the back two legs, but when she dropped the first big bomb on him he lost his balance a bit but caught himself, but when he heard the second bomb it was too much and he went backwards and slammed into the floor.
Fujiko lent a hand for Scarf to get up. "Are you okay? I'm sorry if that was too much at once, but yesterday was a busy day..."
"I see." Scarf pulled the chair upright, and sat back down in it. "I could use the advice, thanks."
Fujiko smiled. Scarf was taking this much better than she thought he would. "It's really simple. Just keep doing what you are doing. Be there when she needs it, but don't overdo it. She needs space like the rest of us. She's gonna flirt for a while, just to rub it in for poor Alex. It's petty, I know, but it's what we do when we feel cheated on. Don't take it personally. It's a phase."
"Do let her know, however, when she looks beautiful. Girls like that sorta thing. Above all, don't rush it. She never thought you felt that way and it will take time for her to figure out where and how you fit into her heart. Finally, don't be afraid of yourself and your feelings. You're not a monster and it won't be the end of the world if she rejects you. You are a hell of a guy and I'm telling you this only because I want you happy. That's all I can think of to tell you. I hope it helps. I'm not Brush, I won't do anything wild to help you. This is all I can do."
"Okay, I'll keep those things in mind." Scarf said, "You have to realize I'm completely inexperienced with anything romantic. For the last 7 years I've avoided trying to feel those feelings. And now I don't want to avoid them, but I didn't know what to do. Thank you."
"Anytime, Scarf-Chan. Just look me up if you want some pointers." Fujiko said with a grin.
"I will if I need some." Upon saying this he settled down in his chair to think, breakfast forgotten. Things had changed...a lot. He needed to clear his mind, so he could think of things one at a time. So he decided to do what would do that best. He went up to his room, cleared a space and did some katas and soon his mind was clear. For the next hour or so he mulled over the things that had just been revealed. At that point he decided to go to sleep, since he had been up since about 3, walking home. With a few stretches he pulled off his shirt and climbed into bed and was asleep in minutes.
Keisuke went back inside the house, his workout over. He was sweating heavily since he had decided to go for a run after he was done practicing his sword dances. He noticed Silk had come in a while ago. --Guess she was okay after all-- he thought to himself. He entered the kitchen to see a mountain of food on the table. He fixed a couple of plates and walked upstairs to Silk's room. "Hey," he said, knocking lightly while balancing one of the plates on his elbow. "I brought you some breakfast."
Silk opened the door to let her roommate in. "So, you going to yell at me too?" she asked tiredly. She was dressed in a new pair of silk pajamas and her hair was loose. She accepted the plate gratefully, perching on the edge of her bed to eat.
"Not unless you think you deserve to be yelled at." he said with an amusing smile. "I can't say I wasn't worried about you when I saw how Happi and Alex reacted." He picked up a forkful of bacon and brought it to his mouth. "But I was pretty sure you were okay."
Silk sighed as she munched on a piece of toast. "I can see why they might be worried... But I wish they would trust me a little more. I'm not going to do something stupid. I've learned better." She sighed, putting her plate on her nightstand and pulling out of her feet up and around the back of her head, part of her stretching routine "I just wanted to go out and have some fun, like any other teenager. And they all freak out. It's like having over-protective parents." she switched legs, "Except mine were protective for a reason. When I wandered off by myself I almost got eaten. the only dangers in downtown Tokyo and easily avoided; I'm not four anymore."
"I can see that." he said, taking her empty plate from her. "Well, I think you should apologize to Perfume. She was really worried about you. I think you at least owe that much to her." he headed out her room. "I'll talk to you later."
Silk watched him go and sighed. He was right, she needed to go talk to Perfume. and then she was going to bed, and chi blasting the next person to wake her up. She headed downstairs.
****
Downstairs, Perfume sat down on the couch in front of the TV. She couldn't get back to sleep and was just trying to keep from being too bored. She was still upset at this morning's incident, she hadn't meant to make Silk angry.
Fujiko left the kitchen with Scarf and had wandered down just to see how everyone was doing. She saw Perfume watching the idiot box. "So what's on?" Fujiko asked with a smile.
Perfume had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed Fujiko approaching. She jumped a bit when she heard the red head. "Oh Fujiko," Perfume responded with a sad sounding voice. "I didn't hear you coming down." She glanced at the TV a with a little puzzled look. "I don't know, I turned it on, but I wasn't watching it."
The thespian mulled this over for a second, then spoke. "I think I know what it is. It's Silk. I can tell. I've done enough of these sabbaticals to see both sides, those who go and those who worry. You were right to worry, even though nothing really terrible had happened. She spooked me for a little bit, too. I thought she was on her way to a nervous breakdown, that's why I recommended a change of scene."
Fujiko sighed and smiled, seeing that Perfume was taking this all in. "Silk forgot something very important and I want your help to make sure she never forgets it again. She forgot that underneath the adult in all of us is a little kid that needs to come out and play occasionally. Kind of ironic, isn't it? The thing that Silk wanted you to have was the one thing Silk forgot to give herself. A release from all the cares in the world. That's it in a nutshell. That and she's a little bit miffed at Alex and he'll get his world rocked, but otherwise, don't take her actions too personal. Okay?"
Perfume smiled weakly. "Alright, I won't take it personal, Fujiko-Chan." She reach over and patted Fujiko's hand. "Thank you for helping Silk-Chan when she needed it, and I will try not to let her forget about the inner child."
Fujiko hugged Perfume. "Hey that's what friends are for." Fujiko grinned, then yawned. "It's been a long day for me. I should get home and get some rest."
Silk and Fujiko passed each other on the stairs from the basement to the main floor, nodded, but didn't say anything. nothing really needed to be said. Silk stepped quietly into the rec room, waiting for Perfume to notice her. When the pink haired Amazon turned in her direction she spoke quickly, "I'm sorry for what I said to you. I shouldn't have snapped at you, it wasn't your fault, and you didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't thinking and I was tired. I am sorry. Will you forgive me?"
Perfume did not know what to think. She thought she had done something to upset Silk, but it was really the other way around.
Perfume stood up and walked over to Silk, wordlessly. She put her hand on the taller amazon's shoulder and looked her right in the eyes.
"of course I forgive you, Silk-Chan." Perfume started speaking very softly. "Fujiko-Chan explained everything to me. I didn't know things were getting that rough for you, I wish I had noticed it." She gave Silk a hug. "you've always watched out For my emotional well-being, it's time I started watching out for yours. That's what friends are for, right?"
"Perfume, I didn't even notice it." Silk's smile was weak. "I had an epiphany. I finally realized what my life had become. My life is not what I want it to be. So, I'm making some changes. I'm going to stop seeing Alex, cut down on time spent at the hospital and Furinkan, start spending some time with my plants and my wardrobe. Go dancing. I'm thinking about taking up guitar. I'm going to be who I want to be, instead of who everyone else wants me to be." Silk's smile was stronger now, "And Perfume, it's wonderful." she held up a headband she'd had in her pocket that read 'don't you wish you had the guts?'. "Just you watch. Everything is changing. I'm finally going to live a little."
-End