Youth Unsupervised

Chapter 31-Winter Bridge

The subway had only just started moving when Saki turned to me. "Thanks for coming with me."

"Of course." I smiled. "Anytime."

She just shook her head at me.

"So, how are things going at The Weeping Willow?"

I shrugged. "Same old stuff, I guess. Nothing's changed too much since you were there. You said you were doing housekeeping in a hotel now?"

"Yeah, it pays my bills, barely."

"Is that why you lost all the jewelry and cut your hair?"

She chuckled, holding a few strands of hair between her fingers and examining them. "Something like that. It's alright over there, I guess. I get left alone for the most part. It's not really as fun as it was working that summer with you, though."

I grinned. "The restaurant was a lot more fun with you too."

It felt good to be talking somewhat normally again. We felt in sync again. The weight that had been crushing my chest and stealing the breath from my lungs felt so much lighter. I was almost resentful when the train came to a stop.

Saki got quiet again as we walked from the station to her mom's apartment building, but at least this time I knew why. I just hoped that the venomous, fire breathing creature that was behind the door last time wasn't the same one waiting for us this time. I'd only ever seen the horrible creature that Saki's mother had become, not the nice person she used to be. The fact that Saki was here meant she had hope. I just prayed that hope wasn't going to be betrayed.

My eyes fell to Saki's hand, swinging gently beside mine as we walked. I longed to take it and feed her comfort through my fingers, but I knew at that time anything like that would just complicate things. That was the last things she needed right now.

Pretty soon, we were staring at that same heavy metal door that I hadn't seen in nearly a year, and never really wanted to see again.

Saki took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, here goes nothing." She gave the door a hard knock.

It didn't take long for her mom to answer the door. She looked even more surprised to see me than she did the last time.

"Come in," her mother said after a pause and swept her arm in a welcoming gesture.

Saki and I both took our shoes off at the entrance and entered the living room. It was clean, just like the last time I was here. I sure hoped it wasn't all a show.

Her mother brought us all cups of tea, but it felt entirely too awkward and quiet to drink much of it.

"So..." Ms. Katayama started shakily. "I'm glad you agreed to come see me today."

Saki shrugged. "Dad said he really thought you'd made improvements. I figured it must be worth seeing if he was vouching for you."

She nodded. "I'd actually like us to all sit down together sometime, but for now I just wanted it to be the two of us." Her eyes flicked to me for a second.

"He's here as insurance." Saki answered her eye movements.

"Insurance?" her mother asked.

"You have a habit of pulling the wool over my eyes and dragging me back into the pit. And I have a habit of falling for it every time."

Her mother bit her bottom lip, but nodded. "That's fair."

I was actually pretty happy she was being so direct about it. Not that Saki usually danced around subjects, but I wasn't sure she'd be quite the same with her mother.