Chapter Twenty-Seven: Back-Up:

At sundown, Cassius, Isaac, and I met back at the plaza.

“Anything?” Isaac asked.

“No,” I said. Cassius shook his head.

“Damn it,” Isaac muttered. “Where the hell could she have gone?”

“It’s still early,” Cassius pointed out. Isaac nodded while thinking. I shuffled my feet.

“What now?” I asked.

“We keep looking,” Isaac said.

“But where?” I asked. He put up his hands in a shrug. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“You don’t really know her yourself, do you?” I asked. Isaac gave me a strange look.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Could you see that she was in pain?” I asked.

“Of course I did,” Isaac said. “Where is all of this coming from?” I took a step forward.

“No, you didn’t!” I said aloud.

“What the hell, man?!” Isaac shouted.

“I couldn’t help Hitomi because I didn’t really get to know her after junior high!” I shouted. “What if Sakura-hime ends up the same way, huh?!”

“Kichiro,” Cassius said, trying to stop me. Isaac blinked at me with a funny look on his face.

“What’s your friend got to do with Sakura-hime?” he asked. I paused when he asked me that.

“I…” I tried to say. I looked away uneasily.

“Sakura-hime is not like your friend,” Isaac said.

“You don’t know that!” I shouted. “I don’t know!” I sat down near the door statue. “I didn’t pay much attention to Hitomi when needed me most.” I looked up at the sky, feeling my soul drain away again. “I stayed with her on the day of my graduation,” I went on. “She called me out there in a right fix and then acted like nothing happened.” I lowered my head, frowning. “I just wished that she would’ve said something,” I confessed. “It could’ve been anything.”

“Did you ask her why she called you out there?” Cassius asked. I shook my head.

“No,” I replied. “She probably wouldn’t even tell me anyway.”

“Maybe that’s what she needed,” Isaac suggested.

“Huh?” I asked with a confused look my face.

“Hitomi probably called you out there just to see you again,” he explained. “I’m assuming she made you worry just to get you out by the creek.”

“Yeah, but why didn’t she say that?” I asked.

“Would you say anything if you were her?” Cassius asked. I looked down at my feet.

“Probably not,” I murmured. I looked up at the other two guys. “So what do we do now?” I asked.

“What else?” Isaac asked. “We keep looking.”

“Yeah, but where?” I asked.

“Ah! I’ve called for back-up!” he announced. Before I could ask who, a car pulled up towards in a screech. Akemi gave us a wave from the driver’s seat.

“Yo!” she said. Isaac raced over to her side of the car.

“Good, you made it just in time,” he said. My sister gave him a confused look.

“What are all of you standing around here for?” she asked. “Kichiro-kun, get in the car. Cassius, Isaac, start looking around downtown!”

“Yes ma’am!” we all shouted. I jumped into the car while Isaac and Cassius walked off in the opposite direction. Akemi turned her attention towards me.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. Akemi put the car into drive and drove off.