Crys could count on one hand the things she hated, and even then, ‘hate’ was a word she rarely used, preferring the milder ‘dislike.’ Yet, there was one exception, one visceral aversion that transcended mere discomfort: airplanes. The journey from Hawaii to Japan, punctuated by an agonizing series of layovers, had been a brutal assault on her islander sensibilities. Each plane felt like a cramped, suffocating tube, making sleep an impossible luxury. How anyone endured these metallic prisons, she couldn’t fathom.
The exact moment they touched down in Japan was a blur. Crys recalled Ampris rousing her.
“Rise and shine, we’ve landed.” Ampris’s voice was a soft murmur through her exhaustion, and Crys responded with a profound yawn.
The airport itself remained a fuzzy impression, her weariness too profound to register details. The plane ride had eclipsed every other sensation, leaving Crys drained.
“Well, where to now, schedule keeper?” Shylene’s question cut through the haze as she and Sarah gathered their bags, piling them onto a rolling cart.
“Let us determine our first destination, and I will manage the details.” Ampris’ calm tone brought stability in their small group. “We already spoke on the plane, so I have a few hotels lined up. I just need to confirm the reservations.”
“Ugh, I just want to sleep.” Crys struggled to keep her eyes open. She simply yearned for a place to rest, where she might fall asleep completely.
“Oh, come on, sleepyhead!” Sarah nudged Crys’s arm. “You’re outside! It’s time to explore! Don’t you want to explore!?”
Those words, simple as they were, sparked a flicker of curiosity within Crys. She had forgotten that she was no longer confined to the walls of the compound. The entire world lay before her, waiting to be discovered! The sheer magnitude of that thought ignited a renewed burst of energy, her excitement soaring at the prospect of hitting the streets and immersing herself in all that Japan offered.
“Just remember our mission.” Ampris’s voice, ever the voice of reason, grounded them. “We are here to locate information about your brother.”
Crys nodded, the weight of their purpose settling over her.
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.” Her gaze shifted to Sarah. “I give it a few days. That will give me time to locate the brother. Sarah, I’ll need your input on the itinerary.”
Ampris and Sarah stepped a few yards away, leaving Shylene and Crys to manage the remaining luggage.
“Thank you,” Crys said, causing Shylene to raise an eyebrow in surprise. “You don’t know me very well, and I don’t know you, but I need to thank you.”
Shylene, hands tucked into her pockets, shrugged. “Just don’t go too crazy. It’s an enormous world, that’s true, but,” Her grey eyes met Crys’ blues, “it’s pretty dangerous out here, and you aren’t used to danger. Stick with us as much as possible and don’t wander off.”
Crys nodded, her resolve clear. “Okay.”
Moments later, Crys found herself in a car, speeding into the vibrant, open world of Japan. Her curiosity was at its peak, her eyes glued to the window, eager to absorb every sight and sound.
“Our first stop is Harajuku.” Sarah’s eyes twinkled with unbridled excitement. “Oh, we HAVE to go to the Hello Kitty store! You, girl, need a plushie!” She eyed Crys with a knowing look. “I’m going to say either Hello Kitty or the Little Twin Stars.”
Sarah’s enthusiasm was infectious. In the rear, Crys and Sarah began lively chatter concerning destinations and activities, Sarah reciting a notable array of stores she referred to as “kawaii”.
At the wheel, Shylene tuned out the cheerful insanity emanating from the back, her gaze fixed on the road ahead. Here, she drove with meticulous care, mindful of her speed, determined to avoid any commotion in this foreign land.
“Any news yet?” She asked Ampris, who occupied the passenger seat beside her. Ampris engrossed herself in her phone, scheduling events and searching for their primary target.
“There is a gathering in the main household,” Ampris stated, her voice even. “I assume it’s what we believe it to be.”
Shylene huffed. “So he did survive.”
“Looks like it.” Ampris nodded, a hint of resignation in her voice. “My guess is he will begin the introductions tomorrow. It’s just a matter of discovering where he will be after.”
Shylene gestured toward the back, where Sarah and Crys were glued to Sarah’s phone, no doubt poring over pictures of cutesy merchandise, indicating they would be dealing with such an overabundance of enthusiasm for a while.
Ampris chuckled, a rare, soft sound. “It’s refreshing, isn’t it?” She asked Shylene
“Only if you haven’t lived it your entire life.” Shylene groaned.
Ampris gave Shylene a long, assessing stare. “This isn’t the type of mission you typically accept.” She said, “You never involve yourself in such personal matters. What motivated you to embark on this journey?”
Shylene paused, her grip tightening almost imperceptibly on the steering wheel. For a brief second, her eyes left the winding road to glance at Crys through the rearview mirror. Crys was laughing at something Sarah had said, her head thrown back, her movements as animated and uninhibited as a child’s. A soft smile touched Shylene’s lips.
“No fucking clue,” Shylene admitted, a hint of weariness in her voice. “Guess I just have a soft spot for her. Always have.”
“Don’t we all?” Ampris smiled, a gentle warmth in her eyes as she, too, glanced at Crys. “She has that effect on people.”
Shylene nodded, a wry smile playing on her lips.“If we find some time to get a drink of alcohol — the good stuff, none of that crappy cheap shit, I’ll drink to that. Just met her and, well, she’s something else.” Shylene said.
“I know what you mean,” Ampris agreed, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Doesn’t it bother you that she lacks awareness? Almost completely oblivious to the dangers lurking just beneath the surface?”
“It scares the hell out of me.” Shylene glared, her eyes hardening. “Makes me want to forgo this entire mission and just keep her somewhere, far away, from her actual family. They’re going to eat her alive, chew her up and spit her out without a second thought.”
“I doubt that.” Ampris ran a hand through her hair. “What in the blazes was David thinking? Bringing her up like a normie? A very isolated normie at that, sheltered from every harsh reality?”
“Dunno.” Shylene’s gaze drifted into the distance. “I guess we’ll never know the full story behind his reasoning.”
Ampris then raised an eyebrow. “How you are able to drive here is beyond my comprehension.”
Shyelene smirked. “Cars are still cars, even if they're made differently.”
The drive to Harajuku from the airport took less than ten miles, making it an ideal first stop for anyone new to Japan. The city buzzed with its renowned atmosphere, filled with enthusiastic shoppers and girls adorned in the vibrant, distinctive colors of Harajuku fashion. After checking into their hotel, Crys, accompanied by her new female companions, ventured out into the bustling streets, eager to immerse herself in every experience. She discovered the delightful taste of strawberry crepes, declaring them her absolute favorite, and she decided she was a Hello Kitty girl, not a Little Twin Star. However, one detail caught her attention, something she assumed was a cultural nuance: odd, small brick buildings. Those structures appeared on every block. Uniformed personnel occupied or stationed themselves beside each unit.
“What are those?” Crys inquired, her finger pointing, and Ampris’s gaze followed.
“Police boxes,” Ampris replied. “They are there to help if needed.”
Crys understood the concept of police, but she had never encountered these unique structures before.
“Why is the odd dragon image displayed in certain windows?” Crys pointed to a specific window. “See? See that dragon?”
Indeed, a delicate dragon hung in one window of the police box, invisible to the naked eye.
“Those are special boxes,” Ampris informed her. “Should we cause trouble, we’ll head toward one of them. I think Sarah is calling you over.”
Sarah, a short distance away, bounced with eagerness. Crys rushed to her, eager to discover what exceptional finds awaited them.
“We’ve got to do purikura!” Sarah’s voice carried over the crowd.
Once Crys was close enough, Sarah grabbed her arm, and they hurried down some stairs to a lower level where hundreds of photo booths lined up. Teenagers clustered around several of them, giggling and chatting.
Sarah seized a booth, and she and Crys enjoyed a lively photo session together. In typical purikura fashion, the two used screen prompts to decorate the photos, even making their appearance cuter in nature. After they finished, Crys grinned at the small photos, and Sarah wore a mischievous smirk.
Then came Shylene, being dragged by both Sarah and Crys, with Ampris following behind. Once Shylene realized their location, she glared.
“Oh, hell no!” she screeched. “I ain’t doing that cutesy crap!”
“Oh, come on!” Sarah pouted at her.
Shylene glared at her twin. “You want to die, don’t you?”
“We need a picture for posterity!” Sarah whined.
“You can’t be serious.” Shylene smacked her head. “Why the hell would I want—”
“Please?” Crys spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention. “I want a picture of all of us together. To, you know, remember.” She smiled at them all. “You three are helping me see everything there is out here. I want to remember this moment forever.”
Shylene paused, grumbled, then threw back the curtains of a nearby, occupied booth. The girls inside gave a slight yelp at the intrusion, though Shylene gave them a fierce glare.
“Get out,” she said, her voice low and dangerous. The girls scurried away, eager to escape the situation. Shylene looked towards Crys.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Crys offered a grateful smile.
The four returned to their hotel for rest after a fulfilling period of discovery and amusement. Sarah departed for the neighborhood store to procure snacks, while everyone rested within the hotel room. Shylene took a lounge chair and placed it by the door, her seat for the evening, a comfortable oasis. She even pulled a small ottoman over and plopped her feet upon it, sighing. Ampris hung at the lone table in the room, hunched over her phone, her fingers flying across the screen as she worked on their next steps and itinerary. All the while, Crys just plopped onto the soft mattress, its plush surface a welcome reprieve, gazing at the ceiling above with a dreamy expression.
“This was the best day ever!” She grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I can’t wait for tomorrow!”
Shylene gave a slight smile, a subtle curve of her lips, but said nothing, enjoying the quiet. Ampris stopped her work for a moment, a smile on her lips as well, a rare softening of her focused demeanor.
“Say, you think my brother is here? Maybe we saw him but didn’t notice.” Crys suggested with a hint of hope in her voice.
“No, he isn’t in Harajuku.” Ampris shook her head, her certainty unwavering. “That I can guarantee.”
“How do you know?” Crys asked her, curiosity piqued.
“Ampris is good at finding people.” Shylene spoke up, her voice calm and assured. “If she says he isn’t here, then he isn’t here.”
In that instant the main door burst open and Sarah appeared, her arms burdened with plastic white bags.
“The snacks have arrived!” She declared, her voice bubbling with excitement.
“Please tell me you–” Shyelene started.
Sarah presented her with a small, dark bottle, which cut Shylene’s words short. Shylene grabbed it, tore open the seal, and downed the contents in one gulp. She melted against her seat, a profound sigh of pure bliss escaping her lips.
“Japanese alcohol, love the stuff.” She said, her eyes closing as she savored the lingering taste.
“Shush, you two,” Ampris whispered, then nodded towards one bed. Crys lay there knocked out with a peaceful expression on her face.
The three, sharing smiles, prepared for slumber, reserving snacks for tomorrow’s exploits. All the while, Crys dreamed of the eventual, much-anticipated meeting with her twin brother, a reunion she had longed for.