Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Strangers

Hiro and the girl sped down the empty street. Maki trailed behind them, out of breath. When they were a considerable distance away from the bar, they stopped to rest.

Maki sat beside a nearby lamppost, catching her breath. “You guys are… You guys are way too fast! What’re you in such a hurry for?”

“What do you mean? We were getting away from that mess,” Hiro said.

“That you caused,” the girl added.

Maki chuckled. “Hell yeah, I did.”

“What were you even doing there?” Hiro asked.

“Haha! You won’t believe it! See, I found this random guy, and he’s challengin’ people to some arm wrestlin’! So, bein’ the honorable woman that I am, I wanted to show him up. Used my trusty little babies to weaken him so I could beat him down and let him know who’s boss!”

“So you cheated,” the girl said.

“Yes. Yes, I did. Anyways, then that old guy back at the bar. Remember him? He came to me after my glorious win and told me that if I could pull off that same stunt over and over again, we’d earn tons of cash. Now, I don’t give a damn about money, but when I saw those big buff dudes waitin’ in line to wrestle some arms, I thought to myself: I wanna ruin their fragile manly pride. And uh, here we are! The rest is history!”

Hiro sighed. “Charming story.”

She bowed in an elegant fashion. “Thank you, thank you. I always aim to please… me. Anyways, fancy seein’ you with her, of all people. Small world, huh?”

“We were looking for you.”

“Gee, that’s crazy. I totally didn’t ask.” Maki rolled her eyes. “So, how’d you end up bumpin’ into Haruka in the first place?”

He cocked his head to the side. “Haru…ka? Is that her name?”

The girl’s eyebrows furled ever so slightly. “Look what you did, Maki.”

“What? You never told him?” Maki shrugged. “I mean, I told him mine. It’s not like this hobo’s gonna figure out who I am. Plus, I didn’t tell him my last name.”

“We’re supposed to be secret.”

“And we still are! Besides, what’s this guy gonna do? Call the nonexistent police?”

Hiro raised his hand. “Um…”

Maki looked at him with disgust. “What do you want?”

“I helped you find your friend, just like you asked.”

“Oh, wow. Cool. Thanks. Want a pat on your head for doing such a good job?”

“Um… No. I helped you out. I need your help in return.”

She spat out laughing. “Suuuuure. Would you like a side of fries with that? We ain’t a charity, sir. You helped us. That’s your loss.”

“I went through hell ‘cause of you yesterday. The least you can do is hear me out.”

“Didn’t I help you and your friend escape? We’re even now.”

Hiro fell silent. His lips quivered as he muttered, “...We didn’t.”

“Huh? Then that’s your f—”

“My friend died yesterday. I buried him this morning.”

“Oh…” Maki lowered her head and patted his arm. She then grinned cheerfully. “Oh well! You win some; you lose some! No use cryin’ over spilled milk!”

“HUH?!” He pointed his finger at her face. “What the hell did you say?!”

 She put her arms forward. “Whoa whoa. Chill there, partner.”

“No. I’m not standing for this disrespect.”

“Harukaaaaa! Help me out here!”

She shrugged. “You deserve it.”

“HEY!”

“Well…” A red blade suddenly appeared in Haruka’s hands. She pointed it at Hiro’s neck. “He does know our names. Dangerous to let him go.”

“Okay, okay.” Hiro took a step back. “We don’t have to go that far, right?”

“Should I do it?” Haruka asked her friend.

“Muhaha! That’s right, you should be afraid of her!” Maki placed her hand on her chin, having a smug look on her face. “Though, as fun as it would be to see him killed, I want him alive.”

“Why?”

“I’m interested in him.”

“Uhhh…” Hiro shook his head. “Sorry, I’m not interested in kids. Well, apparently, you’re not, but—”

“What? HELL NO! And who’re you callin’ a kid?!” She crossed her arms and pouted. “I was referrin’ to your eyes! Don’t think I ever forgot! I know somethin’s up with those, and I’m gonna find out!”

“Eh? My eyes? What in the world are you talking about?”

“No, wait,” Haruka said. “I remember. When we fought, your eyes turned green.”

“YEAH! They glowed! See? I told you I wasn’t—” 

A loud rumble echoed throughout the street. Maki hugged her stomach and squatted down. Everyone froze.

“Um…”

“Shut up.”

Hiro seized the opportunity. “Hungry! You’re hungry, right? Want something to eat?”

Her eyebrows perked up. “Food! I want food!”

“You can come over to my place! I can make you dinner!”

She raised her hands in the air. “Hell yeah! Sounds like a plan!”

Haruka chopped her on the head. “Maki! What are you doing?”

“Huh? Gettin’ some grub.”

“You’re wasting our time.”

“Food is never a waste of time.”

“We can’t befriend him. We need to kill him.”

“I already told you I want him alive!”

“No witnesses. Remember?”

“Now, wait just a second!” Hiro wagged his finger. “If I’m gonna feed you, you have to agree to not kill me.”

“Hmm…” Maki scratched her head. “Ugh! Fine! Can we go now?”

“No.” Haruka readied her blade. “Don’t decide for me, Maki. We need to find their base before morning. We’ve been here too long.”

 “No, no, no! Wait!” He frantically put his arms forward. “You’re looking for Bandito’s base, right? You can look all night if you want. You’ll never find it.”

Maki waved her fist at him. “Huh? You pickin’ a fight with us?”

“I’m saying I know where their base is.”

“Oooh! Well, why didn’t you say so! How about it, good buddy? Wanna tell me where it is?”

“No problem, but before I do, I’m sure you know what I want.”

Maki nudged Haruka with her elbow repeatedly. “See? He can be useful! Can we let him live now?”

She scowled. “What do we do after, then?”

“Eh, I’ll figure it out. Leave it to me!”

Haruka sighed. “Okay, but this is all your doing.”

“Of cooourse!” Maki grinned at Hiro. “So, about dinner…”

He crossed his arms. “Dinner costs extra. Like I said earlier, I need your guys’ help.”

“...Name your price.”

“All those corpses I saw… and those Bandito guys suddenly getting paralyzed too. You’re both strong. Really strong. Bandito’s been doing whatever they want in this village. Taking whatever they want. Killing whoever they want. I wanna protect my family—what’s left of it, at least. I want Bandito gone.”

“Oh, wow. How wonderful.” She pointed behind her with her thumb. “Then why don’t y'all just leave the village? Or are you afraid you’re gonna end up a hobo? ‘Cause I assure you, that’s already happenin’.”

“I mean, you’re not entirely wrong. The big cities won’t take people like us. We have nowhere else to go.”

She mimicked his mouth with her hands. “Yada, yada. I’ve heard this all before. You ain’t the only place in the outskirts overrun by some small-time gang. Get in line.”

“Please.” Hiro bowed his head. “There’s no police around here. And the ones far out won’t help us. As much as I hate to admit it, you two are our best options to get rid of Bandito.”

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“Listen, listen.” Maki held her stomach, attempting to hide another rumble, but failing terribly. “We can talk about this over some nice, hot dinner. Sound good?”

He nodded. “Follow me.”

The three made their journey to the farm. The street they were on was entirely devoid of Bandito guards—most likely due to the bartender paying them off. Before they were even halfway there, Maki stopped to take a break. To avoid any further delays, Haruka used her whips to carry her the rest of the way.

Hiro brought them to his home. It had several holes in the wall that were patched up with wooden planks. To the right of the door was a window with a large hole in its corner; a piece of paper was taped over it. The hole seemed to have caught Maki’s attention, as she couldn’t take her eyes off it.

“Looks like a dump,” she said.

“Thanks.” Hiro unlocked the door and opened it for them. “Well, I hope you still feel at home.”

“Don’t mind if I do!” Maki rushed inside.

Haruka nodded to Hiro and followed her. She took off his cloak and placed it on the coat hanger.

Despite its rather shoddy exterior, the inside was clean and well kept. Though there wasn’t much room, the checkered floor was spotless and the tables wiped. Magenta flowers bloomed from tiny cacti placed in pots by the window sills. There were two bedrooms; a smaller screen door on the right led to the kitchen.

Maki sat on the floor, extending her legs forward and resting her arms behind her head. She tossed her black cloak on the floor. “Yuck. Some chump spilled his drink on it. The nerve of some people.”

“Make yourselves at home. I’ll whip up a meal for us,” Hiro said.

“Hold on! Just gotta follow protocols.” Checking inside her metal bag, she took out a pair of yellow goggles and put them on. By pressing a button on its side, several numbers and graphs appeared on the lenses. “Hm… All good! No traps whatsoever!”

“Still don’t trust me, huh?”

“I mean, you did kidnap me.”

“Uh huh, sure.”

“Alright, alright! Let’s talk business, startin’ with the most important one. What’re we havin’ for dinner? I’m starvin’!” Maki marched toward the kitchen. 

“Hold it.” Hiro placed his hand on her head, stopping her in place. “You two stay here while I cook. Kitchen’s not big enough for the three of us.”

She saluted him. “Aye aye!”

He walked to the kitchen, which was a rather cramped room. The wall behind the gas stove was stained with char. From the fridge, he took out several handfuls of assorted vegetables and brought them to the sink. He was washing them thoroughly when he noticed Maki and Haruka peeking through the door.

“I can see you two, you know.”

Maki burst through the door. “Oh, heeeeey! We were just playin’ a lil’ game of hide and seek! Didn’t expect you to find us so fast.”

“Yeah? Or maybe you’re just terrible at hiding.”

“Wow. Rude.”

“Says the creep spying on me.”

“Wh— You’re the creep who kidnapped me!”

“Right, right. You two gonna help or what?”

“Oh! Well…” She nudged Haruka forward. “If it's help you want, then Haruka’s the perfect one for that! Kitchen’s too simple for the likes of me, so I stay as far away from it as possible.”

Haruka leaned down and whispered into her ear.

“Shh! You’ll be fine," Maki whispered back loudly.

Haruka raised her voice. “You’re leaving me alone with him?”

“Sorry, Haruka. But I got a mission to do.”

“What mission?”

Maki placed her hand on her shoulder. “It’s important. Just trust me, okay? You’ll be fine.”

“Maki, I don’t like that smile.”

“Pleeeaaase?”

Hiro cleared his throat aloud. “Sorry to bother you, but I’m not sure how I feel about being alone with someone who was about to kill me not too long ago.”

“No worries! I already talked with her about it! You’re as good as safe, my guy; you have my guarantee! Take care, you two!” Maki slammed the door shut before running out of the room.

Hiro and Haruka looked at each other.

Not wanting to prolong the awkward silence any longer, Hiro returned to the menial task of chopping vegetables. The sound of his dull knife hitting against the cutting board seemed much louder than it actually was. His gaze shifted back and forth between the vegetables and Haruka, who was standing still behind him.

He decided to break the silence. “Haruka, right? Sorry that Maki blurted out your name like that.”

She didn’t answer.

“You… alright there? You seem bored.”

Again, no reply.

A drop of sweat fell from Hiro’s cheek. “Um… you can leave if you want.”

“No. I’ll help.”

“Eh?”

“To make it faster.”

“O-Okay…” He pointed at the fridge. “If you open the freezer, there should be some beef on the lower right. Mind bringing it over here?”

“Understood.” She handed him the meat.

“Thanks.” Laughing nervously, he turned the stove on and poured water inside. He turned around only to find her staring blankly at his hands. “Um, you don’t have to stay, you know. You can wait outside with your friend.”

She shook her head.

“So you’re just gonna stand there…?”

“Next.”

“Huh?”

“What’s next?”

“You wanna keep helping?”

She nodded.

He took out a knife from the kitchen drawer and gave it to her. “You mind chopping the beef up into cubes then?”

She nodded once again.

“Perfect. There’s a sink over there in the corner. You can wash your hands there.”

Haruka followed his instructions. She then handed the chopped meat over to him, which he placed inside the pot. Minutes later, he added the vegetables in, followed by a pale, yellow liquid kept inside an unlabeled glass bottle. Leaning closer to his shoulder, she took a whiff of the stew.

“What is that?” she asked.

“Oh, this?” Hiro took a step away from her and showed her the bottle. “It’s a special sauce made by a good friend of mine. It’s just a bit of honey, vinegar and random spices here and there.”

“Nice smell.”

“It’s good, huh? My friend—his name was Miles—he used to love messing around with all sorts of random ingredients. Some were really good, like this stew. It was his favorite thing to cook. Others were uh… questionable at best.” He placed his hand over his mouth and chuckled.

“‘Used to’? What about now?”

His smile quickly faded. “Yeah… He’s not around anymore. I briefly mentioned him earlier, but he was killed yesterday by Bandito.”

“I see…” She inched closer to take a few more sniffs. “So what next?”

“N-nothing. We just wait for it to be cooked.”

“Okay.”

The next hour was a grueling one, with Hiro running out of things to talk about. After standing in silence the entire time, the stew was finally finished. With a sigh of relief, he poured it into three separate bowls.

“Well, we’re finally done. Let’s take these over to the other room. I bet Maki’s starving.” He gently slid one of the bowls closer to her and took the other two.

“Understood.” Haruka’s eyes were glued to her murky reflection in the stew.

They carried the bowls and were headed toward the dining table. Suddenly, they heard loud banging coming from the living room.

“AAAAAHH! This piece of— Screw you!” they heard Maki’s voice cry.

Hiro almost dropped his bowls. Haruka’s red whip saved the stew from spilling.

“What was that?” he asked.

“Might be an attack. Let’s go check.”

“Got it!”

They placed the bowls down on the counter top and hurried to the living room.

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