Chapter 3 - Part one

3.

“Nao, we reached home.” My brother’s voice sounded soft. I opened my eyes. I couldn’t remember what happened. The last thing I remembered was how the boy staggered out of the club. After that everything turned black.

The first thing I saw was Yuichi’s relieved face.

“Nao, you returned.” He grinned.

I remembered the green eyes of the tiger and suddenly came fully to my senses. I abruptly sat up and my head started to swirl.

“Nao? Stay calm!” Even though my brother tried to calm me I looked around to search for the animal which fascinated me so much. That red fur, the black stripes, it looked so mesmerizing, an amazingly beautiful animal, even if the colours were kind of strange. Maybe it was a new type of animal, an experiment? Then I remembered how it just made “poof” and disappeared. So was it again an imagination? But I had touched it... I looked down to my hands and saw that I was clinching my fist together. When I opened it there were a few hairs still in my hand. So it couldn’t have been an illusion. But something else was the matter. I was too curious. I had to find out!

“What happened? Did I miss something? I looked at the direction where I heard that voice from and saw Shosuke standing in the door of MY room. Now I realized that we were at home and I was in my own bed.

“Ah, I understand. Nao is awake. Hey Nao.” Open-mouthed I stared at him. I didn’t want to feel weak in front of other people, but now lying in my bed I did. I tried to crawl under my blanket but Yuichi hold onto it. “What are you trying to do?” he asked. Okay, I admit, it probably looked funny how I moved suddenly... but! “Two guys in a girls room. OUT!” I screamed. Both held their ears. Shosukes’ grin got even wider, if it was even possible. He slowly came towards me and knelt down beside my bed. I should have known that he’ll do that. Angrily I pulled the blanket from under my brothers fingers as hard as I could and hid inside.

“Come on, Nao, it’s not like you had to be ashamed for anything. I even saw you naked before. And now you are dressed, maybe a little bit pale from what happened. Isn’t that reassuring? Just come on and calm down!” I folded down the blanky and looked into his mischievously shining eyes.

“Paddle pond-nudity doesn’t count. And congratz, you just gave me another reason to throw you out! Don’t you have an own home? Disappear!” Now I also was raged. All the events that happened that day I just couldn’t take his jokes anymore. It was too much. Any other day would have been alright but not that day. Somewhere in my conscious I knew that I was overreacting, but who could blame me after what happened? And the shock about everything made me want to distract myself from everything. To be angry at Shosuke and Yuichi was one of the ways.

“Usually I do have an own home, but for this night I’ll have another accommodation.” Shosuke answered.

Surprised I turned to Yuichi. “What is he talking about?”

“Well, because I’m back he’ll stay with us for one day. Like in the past.” He sharply looked at me. “Nao, what kind of problem do you have right now? You are fully dressed and are just lying in your bad after going through a big shock. You don’t have a reason to be this upset.”  Urgh.... he said it...

“He’s right, Nao! You’re being mean to us, that’s unfair!” Shosuke agreed with him. They had a point. But I still couldn’t accept it.

If they were in my place and I would stand in their door with my girl friends they would behave exactly the same as I do right now. They would be embarrassed to death to be seen in a weak state by other girls. And that’s how I told it to them. “Now disappear BOTH of you!” They looked at each other, got up and walked towards the door. “Okay Nao, when you rested come down to the living room. We’ll wait for you, you have to come down! If we have to we’ll wait the whole night!” my brother warned me. Then both left the room.

To be honest I didn’t want to go down to their side, so I didn’t get up of my bed for a while. In my head I recapitulated the events of the evening. Something went immensely wrong, or why else would I be lying around in this weak state? I thought about the boy who helped out in the club. I saw him somewhere before I thought, his facial features seemed familiar. But I couldn’t remember where I could have seen him. Maybe we just crossed our ways one day, coincidentally, and I remembered his face? Or because of the dark in the club I confused him with someone. But I was kneeling beside him so I got a really good sight of his face. I wondered when I could thank him for his help. I had to find him somehow. He helped me out after all and I was worried about him. it didn’t seem like he was very fond of hospitals from his reaction to Shos’ advice to visit there. I just hoped that he’ll survive. But right now the more important thing was the talk with my brother. He had to explain why a stranger got injured instead of him. Not that I wasn’t happy that my brother wasn’t injured, but when he was there to get his revenge, why did a stranger got it for him.

When I gathered up the courage and strength to get up, I put the fur which was still in my hand into a little box which was on my night table and went down the stairs to the living room. There I saw how Yuichi and Shosuke put their heads together and were talking excited about something which seemed interesting and amusing at the same time. They were grinning like a Cheshire Cat. They didn’t notice that I came into the room. I went up to them and tried to look at stupid as them. “What’s so amusing?” I asked.

Both were startled. They stared at me for a while before they dared to answer that question.

“Tell me!” I pushed them.

“First sit down!” Yuichi calmed me down. I looked at both of them, one by one, and slowly sat down on the floor. Then I looked expectantly up.

“You see Nao” Shosuke started, “we thought that the guy who helped you out at the club and you seemed really familiar together. And above all the part where he held onto you and didn’t want to let go.” He grinned.

What was he talking about? Yeah he held hands with me, because he was helping out, there was never the point where we seemed familiar with each other, or was there?

“What do you mean?” I asked cautiously.

“See Nao, he entwined your fingers together! Wasn’t that already really suspicious?“ Yuichi answered. “Could you tell me where you met him without being shy?”

What kind of scenarios were they thinking about? “I don’t know him” I said.

“What do you mean you don’t?” Shosuke asked totally startled. “He was a complete stranger? You never met him before?” Now he started to get worried.

When I didn’t answer he came towards me and grabbed my shoulders.

“Answer Nao! This can’t be true!”

Why was he so upset? Didn’t he help me out? He should be happy! Even if he was a stranger he was a good person. He even got injured for my sake! Right when I wanted to say that my brother interrupted me: “Calm down, Sho! What’s your problem? Wasn’t it nice of him to help out?”

“Yeah nice! But it was a complete stranger! Something seems wrong! I can’t believe it! An unknown person helps Nao, and we, her family can’t do anything!” Shosuke sounded really desperate. I seriously didn’t understand his problem, his mood changed too often and too fast and his grip on my shoulders got stronger.

“Ouch!” I called out. “Sho you are hurting me!”