A long pause raweehree, helped that Yuki was stu the moment. The two women stared at each other making evaluations of the other. More than a few new problems came up as well. It helped having a clear mind to think. It also made things so much worse. “Who are you?”

  Ayumi actually paused as she was in motion to leave. The realization that Saki didn’t know and the threads holding the lie together finally frayed. “Ayumi, something wrong?”

  “I know who Ayumi is, you’re not her.”

  Yuki began to e around from his stun hearing the raised voice of Saki. He shook his head remembering what happehe moment before. “Ow, ugh… I knew I’d hate that… Why are you yelling?”

  “Yuki, do you know who this girl is?”

  “Huh? Ayumi, why?”

  “I ’t be the crazy one here, that’s not the childhood friend we know!”

  He gnced over at Ayumi, who gave him a silent answer. “Ah, she figured it out. Well the games up.” A determined look came from Ayumi that Yuki realized quickly. “Don’t even try it. There’s no point in wiping her memories. I pnned on expining things the ime I had a free mihis saves me a lot of ving.”

  “She’s not involved, it’s a bad idea.”

  “And it’s a worse one hiding it. Trust me, I’ve read those stories, I don’t want that stress. Besides, she’s clearly more useful tha the moment.”

  “Very well, but this could be something you e tret in time.”

  “Possibly, but she’s my best friend, if I ’t trust Saki, who I? So add it to the list of things we have to expin once we’re out of here.”

  Ayumi relutly agreed and began to march back to the opening she made. However, Saki turo look at the cells to see if there was anyone remaining. “Wait, we o get anyone else out before we leave!”

  Chapter 22 - Return with Answers

  Splitting up, they all searched out through the warehouse for ahat remained behind. As the fner expined earlier, he released them leaving most cells empty. A few stayed behind in unrespoates or worse.

  Saki immediately went to the cell where she remembered Hitomi being. ‘Please be gone…please…’ Unfortunately, she did firackmate ying unmoving in the cell. “Hitomi!” ion. She hurried over stepping into the cell. “Hitomi?”

  Carefully, she lifted up the teen into her p to get a better look at her. “Hitomi…” Pg a hand on her cheek, warmth still filled her. A little hope, Saki checked for a pulse to firm she was just out. “Did he do the same thing to you?”

  She brushed her hair out of her fabsp; Her firied to away from the dirt. The feeling of helplessness grew stronger as her mind tried to i ways things would have been different. Saki hugged her tightly. ‘I o do better…’

  After the refle ended, Saki pulled Hitomi up and carried her out of the cell. The others tio help and move people out of the cells. They all met outside tinuing without an answer of the part of the pn. Each silently knowing, there was no pn.

  Pg Hitomi down, Saki almost started back when a small groan escaped. She looked back to see Hitomi ing around. “Hitomi! you hear me? Are you alright?”

  A few moments ter, Hitomi opened her eyes looking up at Saki, a little fused. She jerked back suddenly as though she had seen something that frightened her.

  “Hitomi! It’s alright. It’s safe now.” Her hands hovered over Hitomi tried to find something useful. The girl panicked and tried scurry away, but against the wall she stalled. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

  “S-S-Saki…”

  “Yeah, it’s me, Saki!” Saki let Hitomi have some room after she had calmed down. Hitomi looked around the outside, taking ihing still wrinkled in uainty. “The bad man is gone.”

  “The vines? Vines…” Hitomi started to panic again from the images that were being summoned up on her mind. Trying to provide fort, Saki reached out to hold her. “So many… Get out! Stop!”

  “Hitomi! It’s over! Hitomi!” Saki regretted saying anything now with the state that she was in. She didn’t know why she had mao get through without the side effects everyone else had. Saki wao cry seeing Hitomi and helpless to aid her. The emptiness of her position sank in deeply. “Hitomi…”

  While Saki dropped to her knees Hitomi sank deeper into the madhat enveloped her. The screaming persisted for minutes and pounding until Hitomi exhausted herself and colpsed to the ground, panting no longer able to keep focus. Her mind began to drift away and other thoughts came to the surfabsp; “Saki…Takako… S-Saki…we have to… find Takako.”

  The words pulled Saki back to reality, ing to Hitomi’s side to listen. She had all but fotten the whole reason that they had first set out the other day. “Takako, that’s right! We were looking for her. Hitomi…”

  “Find…her…”

  Saki jumped to her feet to look at the rest Yuki and Ayumi helped out. None of them wore their uniform or looked like Takako. “She might still be in there. I’ll go look for her!” She hurried bato the warehouse. “Yuki? Ayumi?”

  Yuki appeared around the far side and sprinted over. “Something wrong?”

  “You find anyone else here wearing our uniform?”

  “Yeah, I was heading back for them now.”

  “Take me!”

  “Sure.” He turned around and headed off, guiding Saki to the cell. Around the er of the aisle deep in the back, he pointed out the remaining person he had left. “There. Someone you know?”

  “Probably. Sort of…” Ign the fusion on his face, she rao chebsp; In the back of the cell id a teenage girl wearing their school uniform. Slowly stepping inside, Saki went to che their fabsp; She only met the girl once or twice, so she wasn’t sure she’d reized the girl. “Takako?” No movement like with Hitomi, but still alive like everyone.

  Brought back outside, Saki rested her dowo Hitomi. “Hitomi, is this…”

  “Takako… It’s me, Hitomi from track.” Hitomi reached out, pig up her hand. Slowly Takako began to stir awake.

  “Leave me… No more… …pnts…” Sadly, the same state repeated for her as it had the others. The girl stopped responding to anything from Hitomi. She didn’t even look up, leaving her hair to cover over her entire fad hang over her knees.

  Hitomi fell to the grouo the girl, starting to cry as she put her arms around her. “Takako…” She had set her head against Takako’s trying to fort her.

  As Saki watched she felt like she was seeing herself ain. She couldn’t look any more and stepped ba searg through the warehouse for others that needed help. All told, they fou people inside.

  The three of them gathered away from the rescued. Each looked at the other with different thoughts running through their head. But the same question filled each of their minds. “What do we do about this? Call the police?” asked Yuki.

  “And try to expin that a man wielding pnts kidnapped and scrambled everyone’s minds?”

  “Well when you say it out loud…”

  “I remove that part and just leave it as a kidnapping and some PTSD.”

  “Will the police buy that?”

  “If the victims don’t have anything more to give, who’s going to tell them otherwise?”

  “Ayumi’s probably right, Saki. Not a good idea to let this go beyond us. At least this way they’ll get proper professional help and treatment.” A quiod in agreement gave Ayumi the go ahead.

  “So going to let me in on your secret?”

  “It’s not like that. She’s the oh the real secret.” Yuki paused to sider his words. A few passes at the speech he po give Saki had been run through his head the st couple days. It didn’t really prepare him for the moment. “The back of the book summary is that I found out a few days ago that I’m the heir to Ayumi’s people leader. Her people aoo, have this power to rewrite the ws of reality. And she wants me to e back with her to rule. But there’s a group that doesn’t want that to happen and are trying to kill me.”

  “...right…I’d hit you again if I hadn’t seen all that back there. Probably for the best you didn’t tell me until now.”

  “Yeah, I hadn’t figured out how to vince you without looking like a crazy person.”

  “You’re still crazy, just a different sort.”

  Ayumi marched back up looking even more tired than before. “It’s done and I put in an anonymous call to the polibsp; It’s time to leave.”

  A long train ride back, the three returo Yuki’s house. Before they even got to the door, it opened with Hiroshi staring at them. A mix of relief and anger filled him. Yuki smiled sheepishly back hoping to wash it all over.

  Jun and Ken pushed Hiroshi aside, busting through the door. They tched on to Yuki slowing him down. Even inside and sitting on the couch, they g closely to him as though he’d fly away. Yuki gave them reassuring hugs as Ayumi and Saki colpsed into chairs much like orain.

  “Want those bandages now?” The torn up state of Saki’s clothes worried Hiroshi. They all mao walk through the door, but how much of a front did they put up.

  “No, I’m just tired. It was all close calls, no injuries.”

  “New clothes then?”

  “I’ll get you something from my room, Saki.”

  “Thanks!”

  Hiroshi sat down on the edge of the couear Saki. The amount of stress he felt while they were gone was unlike anything he felt before. Exams didn’t pare. “I’ve seen and done my share of stupid stuff, but this really takes the cake, Saki. What were you thinking?”

  “I couldn’t let him go alone.”

  “Always about Yuki?”

  “It’s not like that…” Her mind drifted through her past. Words and as floated in her mind. So mas that lead her to the point she lived now. “I’m too tired to expin right now. Just know it’s promise I made to him. One I won’t ever break.”

  “I get it.” He leaned bad rubbed his stomach again. The pain from where she slugged him still lingered. “Dammit, all this time you’ve been pulling your punches, Saki! You’re a scary woman.”

  She smiled back, teasing. “And never fet it.”