6th of January, 8:00 am, Ruby's house
The first rays of the sun that shone through her window had Ruby already up and kicking. She didn't really remember if she slept or not, but she sure as hell felt just as tired as she did the evening before. Her bed was soaked by her sweat, and every sound she heard during the night made her jump out of her skin. Ruby pulled her shirt up just enough to expose her stomach just after she entered the bathroom, but then she paused.
"Would that really be a smart thing to do?" Ruby asked herself as she let her shirt fall back down again. The mere thought of the guy having cameras in her house and what he could be doing while watching her made her feel like crying, but she was not about to let her fear seep through. Instead, she just walked back to her room, acting like everything was totally cool. She began to pick out her clothes for the day, as usual. She hadn't planned on just complying with any of this. The thick blanket covered her entire body as she disappeared beneath it alongside her clothes.
Minutes later, she emerged from beneath the blankets, her clothes looked all wrinkled up, while her hair was messy and oily, but she still saw this as a small win. "Miyako must be gone already," Ruby said as she entered the kitchen.
I should also be on my way.
Otherwise, I'd be the one coming too late.
Just one day after telling Keiko to be punctual.
You're such a great role model, Ruby.
Ruby quickly grabbed her purse and set of keys, making sure to lock the door twice before she left.
...
The train ride was horrible; she was surrounded by countless men, all of whom looked the same to her. Their voices felt far too loud, like all of them talked about her. Even though nobody seemed to be paying the slightest bit of attention to her. She gasped for air like the cart had been filled with carbon dioxide as she finally stepped out of the wagon. The air felt almost as thick as before, but she needed to cling to something. The platform she was on was quite empty; therefore, she could pay more attention to her surroundings. Nothing seemed wrong, but everything felt wrong.
She felt like somebody watched her for every step she took towards the studio; through a cafe front, a car window, binoculars, from just around the corner; the possibilities were endless. It felt like 2 anvils had been lifted off her shoulders as she finally stepped into the studio. She hoped this might be her last safe haven from whoever made it their goal in life to make her miserable. She walked up the steps while checking for the time; it was 9:56 am; she had made it just in time. She saw Mem-Cho and Keiko, who had already waited for her, as she pushed the door open. This time, she's the last one to come.
"Heyyy," said Keiko, already waving at her.
Mem-Cho stayed back while Keiko walked over to Ruby, waving her hand while beaming with enthusiasm.
"Hi." Ruby's monotone reply made Keiko stop in her tracks, and her hand paused. Ruby didn't want to show it, but even Keiko noticed after a single word that something was wrong.
"Ruby? Are you okay?" Keiko asked.
Ruby looked up at her, her gaze not quite meeting Keiko's. "Huh? No… I mean, yes, it's all fine. I'm just a bit tired, that's all."
…
Their practice day went by like any other. Ruby tried not to think about what happened, but it was hard. The other two clearly noticed that Ruby wasn't quite herself, but chose not to be pushy about it since they knew Ruby would tell them if she really wanted to. Keiko began her journey home as their work day ended; Ruby, too, started to walk away, but Mem-Cho grabbed her arm and held her back.
"Ruby, we have to talk," Mem-Cho said.
Ruby turned around and said, "If this is about earlier I-" but was cut off by Mem-Cho.
"No it's not that, it's about Kana, you told me she won't leave her room, but I think yesterday she did," Mem-Cho informed.
Ruby's eyes lit momentarily up. "What, really? That's amazing. So you saw her?
Mem-Cho let go of Ruby's arm before she spoke. "Not exactly. I was so tired that I fell asleep in her hallway. When I woke up again, I was covered by a blanket. It could have been her mom, but let's be for real…"
Ruby, about to burst from excitement, took a few steps before she stopped to signal for Mem-Cho to follow. "What are you waiting for? Let's visit her right now."
"I think you should do that alone," Mem-Cho said, "I think she would be more comfortable if it were just you." Her wavering voice was a bit softer than usual.
"Don't say that, Kana likes you just as much," Ruby replied.
Mem-Cho placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I know, but I think there's a reason she didn't come out to see me while I was awake."
Ruby brushed Mem-Cho's hand off her shoulder, slightly annoyed at her stubbornness. "But why me?"
"Well, you were the one that did all the work after all. Now go finish the job tiger, this ain't about you or me." Mem-Cho said as she hesitantly pulled her hand back.
Ruby took a moment before she nodded. "Alright, but you'll come along tomorrow."
…
The way to Kana's place was long and silent; the crowds turned smaller as she entered the more suburban areas of Tokyo. Her worries about the creepy man, which she had managed to forget momentarily, had completely returned by the time she finally arrived at Kana's place. Her last scan of the area in front of Kana's house also showed nothing out of the ordinary; her pulse spiked regardless when she stepped onto Kana's porch. She rang the doorbell, and Kana's mother opened the door a moment later, looking as indifferent as always. Ruby just walked by her; any respect she had for Kana's mother before was gone by now at the very latest.
One thing still bugged her, though, so curious little Ruby reluctantly turned around.
"Excuse me?" Ruby's sharp voice took Kana's mother by surprise. "You always act so indifferent towards Kana, yet when you heard about what happened, you moved back to Tokyo to be with her… Why?"
Kana's mom fully shut the door as something in her eyes shifted.
A moment later, they returned to their usual cold state, and she spoke. "That girl couldn't even tie her shoelaces alone; somebody needs to take care of her home while she slacks around."
Ruby's expression faltered, and her palms turned sweaty. Her lips quivered like she wanted to respond, but she just looked slightly downwards as her hands formed fists. "I see…" she finally muttered before she quickly walked off.
Slacking around?
Seriously, that's all?
It's her daughter…
Why do mothers need to be this cruel?
This is not slacking around, I'd know.
I hate people like her…
They are the worst…
Kana is such a great person, and her own mom, the person who's supposed to love her the most, only sees a piggy bank in her.
Kana needs me.
I had Gorou, he made me forget about my mom… my pain… I was just able to… smile.
I just have to do the same for Kana. Nobody knows what would happen if nobody were there for her.
"Hey, Kana," Ruby said as she reached Kana's door.
"Hey," it replied from within.
Kana's voice was quiet, but it made Ruby's heart skip a beat. She believed Mem-Cho, but hearing that the effort she had put into this finally paid off with her own ears made Ruby feel all fuzzy inside.
"Uhm, I didn't find the time to prepare soup today, you know, Idol practice and all," Ruby explained.
"Don't worry about it," Kana replied almost instantaneously.
Ruby had by now sat down next to Kana's door; the floor felt harder and colder than usual. It was hard to imagine that Mem-Cho really managed to fall asleep here.
"Tomorrow is my day off. I will definitely bring you some then," Ruby said once she had gotten comfortable.
"There is no need for that," Kana replied.
"What do you mean? Of course, there-" Ruby halted as the bit of comfort she had evaporated. Her heart jumped into her throat as she heard a sound which, even after she had looked around, she just couldn't identify.
He is here. That was the first thought that shot through her mind over and over again as even Kana's voice had turned silent; however, then she saw the actual cause. It was Kana's door, so little ajar that not even the light out of her room could escape into the gloomy hallway. Ruby looked around once more, just to be sure, as she stood up. Even now, she couldn't hear a single sound coming out of Kana's room, though. The bright lights of Kana's room flooded Ruby and the hallway as she pulled the heavy door open.
Kana stood just a few meters into the room, back facing towards Ruby.
Both Ruby in the frame and Kana in the room just stood there in silence. Ruby stared at the back of Kana's head, while Kana looked at the wall opposite the door.
"Can you please just say something? Anything?" Kana asked quietly after about 30 seconds had passed.
"Uhm- I know that's probably not what you want to hear right now, but you're doing an amazing job. I am proud of you," Ruby replied.
The room fell quiet for a few seconds once more, both still unmoving.
"You're such a dummy," Kana whispered.
"Excuse me?" Ruby gasped, slightly taken aback.
"Of course that's what I want to hear…" Kana's uncertain voice spoke.
The creaking floorboards sent a shiver down Kana's spine as she knew that Ruby was now finally coming closer, yet she remained standing while her mind wanted her to flee. Kana shut her eyes tight as the damp echoes of the steps had ended right behind her. Suddenly, she felt Ruby's arms wrapped around her torso and closing in front of her chest. "Thank you," Ruby muttered, her mouth right next to Kana's ear.
Kana's tense body relaxed a bit as she spoke. "For what?" she asked, a hint of genuine confusion in her voice.
"For trusting me," Ruby said.
A solid minute of silence had passed between them. In this time, Kana had slowly begun to open her eyes again, and even the rest of her muscles were mostly relaxed again.
"Do you want to see it?" Kana's voice was the thing that pierced through the silence.
Ruby hesitated for a moment, but then she spoke. "Only if you want to show me."
Kana placed her hand on top of Ruby's intertwined hands, signaling her to let go. Ruby waited for a moment before she pulled her hands away from Kana's chest and took a step back. Ruby could only hear Kana's nervous breathing for a few moments before Kana whipped around, her eyes closed once more. As she saw Kana's face, every single thought she had ever put into what she would say in this exact moment left her brain as a dead and empty wasteland. Ruby was no doctor, so she couldn't quite tell if the pinkish line on Kana's face was already the scar forming or still an earlier event; however, that didn't matter to her in this moment.
Did I expect it to be better or worse? It is the only thing that went through her mind.
Ruby inched closer until she had gotten close enough to inspect it even better. From here, it looked like it was definitely not fully healed yet, but it looked a trillion times better than before. And, what do you think?" Kana murmured, "You think I'll be able to act again?"
Ruby remained silent for a long moment; she thought about the industry, about the vultures she had met in the past and present. "I think so. It is not as bad as I had expected…" Ruby said after a moment, yet not fully convinced.
Ruby made a pause before a surge of confidence overcame her. "No, we will get you roles, and if it's the last thing Miyako does. You will show all of them how great you are."
Kana's eyes opened again, and they beamed with an intensity Ruby had rarely ever seen before; those were not the eyes of a person who had given up.
This sight. Ruby took a step towards Kana as her insides felt like they were about to combust. "KANA," Ruby howled as small tears began to form in her eyes and roll down the side of her face.
"Kana… Kana… Kana…" Ruby continued to mumble in the same fashion as she held Kana.
Kana, too, slowly placed her hands on Ruby's back. "Shut up, dummy, keep this up, and you will make me cry."
…
A minute later, she pulled back, letting Kana breathe again.
"It's getting really late. I think I have to-" Ruby began, but halted again.
Ruby's eyes wandered through Kana's room. First, towards the window, looking at the dark outside world. Then, towards the dark door, she was uncertain of what could wait for her in the shadows. Their last stop was Kana's comfortable-looking couch. "You think I could maybe…" Ruby trailed off.
Kana followed Ruby's gaze.
"I don't know if that-" Kana held in as her gaze wandered back to meet Ruby's. Her eyes were red from the tears, but there was something else, something that somehow sent a spike through Kana.
She thought Ruby just wanted to spend more time with her, but her eyes told a different story. Fear is what she saw, on a level she had rarely ever seen before — never on Ruby's face. "Is everything okay?" she hesitantly asked as she put her hand on Ruby's shoulder.
Ruby nervously looked away and started to shift left to right. "I will tell you tomorrow. Just please let me stay, just this once."
Kana looked over at her couch once more and quietly sighed. "Alright, it's the least I can do for you anyway."