Chapter 13
“I’m not sure if he’ll go for that,” Hikaru says.
“Oh, come on!” Ari cries. “You’re always tellin’ me how you’re not sure that kid even gets enough to eat. Why not invite him to dinner?”
“You already asked him to come over here, remember?” Hikaru points out. “Has Haru shown up yet? No. So I don’t think he wants to.”
Asha walks into the dining room with a stack of clean plates. “Why not try?” she chimes in. “Haru-san might come, since he doesn’t have to be in public.”
“See?” Ari says.
“The problem is that Haru doesn’t like to be around too many people,” Hikaru says. “Inviting him to a dinner party would be like asking him to traipse around in a crowded subway.”
“Look, just leave the convincin’ to me,” Ari says irritably. “You help Asha dry them dishes, or I’ll have another heap of your quarters as payment for pullin’ your load.”
“Fine,” Hikaru grunts, getting to his feet. “Just don’t be irritating Haru.” Hikaru trudges away to join Asha at the sink as Ari walks toward the door.
“Ryo!” she calls, “In case Dad asks, tell ‘im I’m gettin’ our last guest!”
“Okay!” her brother calls from another room.
Ari leaves the house and begins the trek to the industrial area. She thinks back to the last time she saw Haru, when he healed her after she’d fallen from the bridge. So the Loner– Haru– is a healer, she thinks. I wonder...if he’s like me. Ari glances down at her hand. I wonder how he does it?
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When she finally recognizes the building where they’d last seen Haru, Ari knocks on the door. “If you’re in there, come on to the door! It’s me, Ari!” After a few seconds, he still hasn’t come to the door. “Hey, Haru!” Ari calls, knocking again, louder. “You home, or what?” Haru finally opens the door and peeks out. “It’s about time you answered,” Ari snaps. “C’mon out. I wanna talk to you.”
Haru opens the door and waves her in. “Don’t stand outside,” he says.
Ari looks incredulous. “I said come on out here!” she says, pulling him out.
“What gives?!” Haru cries. “Let go!”
“C’mon! We’ll talk on the way,” Ari says, practically dragging him out.
“What do you want?!” Haru yells. “Let go!”
“We’re settin’ up a dinner at my place,” Ari says. “Figured you should come along.”
“A–A dinner?!” Haru exclaims. “What made you think you could drag me around just to go to a dinner?!”
“It’s impolite not to accept when you ain’t doin’ anything,” Ari snaps.
“You didn’t even ask if I wanted to go!” Haru yells. “And what I’m doing or not doing right now is none of your business!”
“What, you don’t want to go?”
“No, I don’t!”
“Then stand up to me!” Ari yells. She stops and turns to face him, still holding his arm tightly.
Haru tries to pull free from her grip. “Let go!” he yells.
“I said, stand up for yourself!” Ari yells. Haru apprehensively draws back. “It’s no wonder you’re so scared of bein’ around too many people,” Ari says. “You make yourself an easy target.” She lets go of his arm. “Your pal asked me not to be irritatin’ you. If you’re not doin’ anything, then you oughtta drop by instead of stayin’ by your lonesome. There’d be no one to help you if something happened at that old building.”
Haru looks down at the ground, thinking about her offer– or, more preferably, how he could get out of it. “I’ve gotta go back and leave some food for the kitten,” he says lamely.
“You don’t even got enough food to feed yourself!” Ari cries. “That cat will be fine on its own! It’s you I’m not so sure about!”
“I’m fine on my own!” Haru retorts. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?!”
“Your pals spend all their time worryin’ about you! The least you could do is stop takin’ them for granted!”
Haru looks ashamed. He finally stops fighting with Ari and follows her to her house.
When he walks in behind her, Hikaru takes one look at him and exclaims, “You came?!”
“It took a little convincing,” Ari says.
“I told you not to irritate him!” Hikaru yells.
“Aw, shush,” she says, “I didn’t bug him too much.”
“It’s okay...Hikaru,” Haru says softly.
Hikaru gives him a confused look. “If you say so...”
The dinner proceeds without a hitch. People from Ari’s extended family come to visit and chat while Asha, Hikaru and Haru eat their fill.
“Your friends don’t talk much, do they?” asks Ari’s uncle.
Ari nervously looks down at her feet. “The tan kid can get pretty talky,” she mumbles.
“I don’t think I’ve seen them around here before,” her uncle observes. “Are they new in town?”
“Yeah,” Ari responds.
Her uncle stares long and hard at Haru, as if he is studying every one of his features. “Please don’t stare at him like that,” Ari pleads. “He’s shy, you know.”
“Shy, huh?” Ari’s uncle turns and walks away without taking his eyes off of Haru.
A little while later, most of the guests leave the dinner party. Haru sits alone outside, watching the stars begin to appear in the night sky.
“Hey.” The voice startles Haru, and he jumps up to face Ari. “Sorry,” she says. “You can relax.” Haru sits back down on the step, and Ari sits next to him. “So how do you do it?” she asks him.
“Do what?”
“Y’know. Heal. How do your powers work?” she clarifies.
Haru shoots her a questioning glance. “Why the sudden interest?” he inquires.
“Just curious,” Ari replies.
“I can’t really explain,” Haru says. “It just happens when I want it to. But it takes a lot of effort.”
“I see,” Ari says. “Well, one thing about bein’ a wanderer, you never get bored.”
“Bored?” Haru asks.
Ari nods. “It’s so mundane, livin’ like this. Sometimes I wish I could get away from it all and go adventuring. I know Ryo feels the same way.”
Haru frowns. “You wouldn’t mind...giving this up?”
“Not in the least.”
“I only wish for the things that you and the others have,” Haru murmurs. “I’m tired of running.”
“Then don’t,” Ari says. “It’s simple as that.”
“No. It’s not.”
“What are you runnin’ from?” Ari asks.
“Never mind that,” Haru says, standing up. “I’m going to head back, now.”
“You gonna say bye to your pals?” Ari asks.
Haru nods. He walks back in the house and bids his friends farewell. Then he leaves for the industrial area.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The child shivers with fear in the cold, dark corner. Strangers grab at his arms, then a sharp pain. The sounds of machinery drown out the boy’s wailing. Dark figures dart around in every direction. Panic engulfs the scene as flames break out, people screaming and fleeing from the danger. The boy tries to run, but he can’t seem to move.
Haru’s eyes spring open and he pushes himself up. Another nightmare? He thinks, panting heavily. A sudden, sharp pain floods through his arm. He puts his right hand on his arm, then realizes that his arm is bleeding. “It...It really hurts...!” he cries. “What is this...?!” He glances at his injury and notices that it is actually an old wound that had never completely healed. When Haru takes a look around, he sees a few sharp pieces of concrete nearby. I must’ve rolled into the rubble... he surmises.
The images from his nightmare flash through his memory again. This can’t be...It’s the same wound, he thinks. The boy...Is that... me?
