Chapter Sixteen: All Girls� Night:
Meixiang needed to stay in hiding. The boys drafted Anna to protect her. She
didn't bother objecting.
"It's better this way," Tsuzuki reasoned. "She trusts you best." His fianc�e
didn't respond. She just took the siren in without question.
"I'll have to talk with Rihoko," Anna told him. That evening, she took Meixiang
back to Kimoto Manor. Jules greeted them at the door. Anna blinked at her.
"Jules? What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Seita invited me over," the former hooker said while chewing gum.
"Okay�" the woman said. I'm going to have a talk with Seita about this
later. That would be on hold at the moment. Jules looked over at Meixiang.
"And
who the hell is this?" she asked.
"This is my friend, Meixiang," Anna replied. "She's staying with us for a couple
days."
"Whatever," Jules mumbled. She headed back to Seita's room.
"And
good evening to you too," Anna mumbled. "Rude much?" She turned back to
Meixiang. "She's a friend of one of the lodgers here," the woman explained.
"Ah," the siren said with a nod.
"Come in," Anna said. Both women went into the house.
-------
Rihoko sat in the living room doing her homework when she heard the door close.
She looked up at Anna with Meixiang.
"Hey
Anna," she said. "Who's your friend? Another ghost?" A sweat formed on Anna�s
head. Again with the ghost thing?
"No," she said. "This is Meixiang. She'll be staying with us for a couple of
days." The siren gave her a little wave.
"Hi," she mumbled.
"Cool," Rihoko said.
"Yoko-chan make dinner?" Anna asked.
"In
the kitchen."
"Thanks." Anna turned to Meixiang.
"Let's go," she said. Both headed into the kitchen. Rihoko went back to her
homework. Anna got Meixiang settled in just fine. The siren took the room next
to Yoko-chan's.
"Big
house," Meixiang commented.
"Yeah," Anna said. "It was a gift to Papa."
"A
gift?"
"Yeah, we used to live with a former priest since I was a baby. The summer I
finished grade school, Papa decided to move out. Our neighbor couldn't bear
that. So, he bought this house for us.� Anna chuckled to herself, shaking her
head. �Papa didn't want it at first. �Please, you've done enough for us,
Kato-san,' I heard him say over the phone. 'Just let me fall on my own for
once.' In the end, Papa reluctantly accepted the house."
"Where did you move from?"
"Kobe."
"Why
did you move?"
Anna
shrugged. "Dunno. Papa never told me."
"Maybe it was a good reason," Meixiang suggested.
"Maybe�" the other woman said. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"Who's that?" Meixiang asked.
"Dunno," Anna said. "Wait here." She climbed off the futon and went down the
hall.
"Who's there?" she asked at the door.
"Only me," she heard a woman trying to sound like a man say.
"Emiko?" she asked as she opened the door. The butch demon stood with her
girlfriend and Kazue.
"Sup?" she asked. A puzzled look came over Anna's face.
"Emiko? Hotaru? Kazue?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Tsuzuki asked us over here," Hotaru replied.
"What?" Anna asked.
"Your boyfriend called and asked us to come over here," Kazue repeated.
"Yeah, I got that," Anna said. "But why?"
"Said you could use the back-up," Emiko answered. The demons went inside while
Anna blinked rather confused.
"Okay�" she mumbled. The woman followed behind.
--------
"So,
where's the siren?" Emiko asked, looking from room to room. Anna tried to catch
up with her.
"Emiko, she's been through so much!" she yelled. "Leave her alone tonight!" The
butch demon didn't listen. She came right to the guest room. Meixiang looked up
when she heard footsteps. Emiko smirked at her.
"Hey
cutie," she said. The siren gave her a puzzled look.
"Who
are you?" she asked. The butch demon chuckled.
"The
back-up," she said. "We're all here if you need anything. Chao!" She turned to
leave as Meixiang tilted her head, blinking.
"Okay�" she mumbled. The other girls waited in the living room. Hotaru perked up
from the couch.
"Well?" she asked.
"She's cute," Emiko answered with a grin.
"How
cute?"
"Ninja girl cute."
Hotaru smiled with stars in her eyes. "Really?"
"Oh
yeah!" her girlfriend said.
"Can
I see her?" the loli demon asked.
"Ask
Anna-tan," Emiko replied. The tsukai looked up bewildered.
"What? Why me?" she asked.
"She's under your care, isn't she?" Emiko asked.
"Well, yeah�" Anna mumbled. Hotaru turned to her.
"Please?" she pleaded. All eyes fell upon Anna as the woman lowered her head.
"Fine, but make it quick," she said. Hotaru squealed aloud as she leapt to her
feet.
"Yay!" she cheered before skipping down the hall. Emiko followed behind, shaking
her head and smiling. Anna breathed out heavily.
"Oh
boy," she mumbled before the doorbell rang again. Anna lifted her head to the
sound. Who is that? She rose to her
feet and went to the door.
"Who's there?" she asked.
"Who
do you think?" a voice croaked. Anna raised an eyebrow as she opened the door.
"Lucy?" she asked. The woman looked up when someone cleared their throat at her.
"And
Stella!" Anna exclaimed. "What the devil?"
"That shinigami guy sent us here," Stella said. The tsukai blinked at her.
"Why?" she asked. Lucy rolled her eyes.
"Tsuzuki insisted on us being back-up. Now are you going to let us in or not?"
she said. Anna puffed up her cheeks.
"Fine," she muttered. The woman moved aside to let the party girls in. I'm having a nice long talk with Asato-kun in the morning.