Chapter 9 - "Lost, Found and Robots" <<

Toasters, toaster, the world for a good toaster.

The stores in Japan, or at least this Japan, have a completely different "feel" to them than the ones back home. Everything is neat and they definitely chose weird colours. Pink walls and a cyan ceiling. Granted, that's more subjective, but the cartoony drawings all over them definitely aren't the norm.

There's one side of the store that looks somewhat normal, and then there's what I'd call the "Anime" corner because that's exactly what it is. They even have a mascot! The cardboard-cutout is a young schoolgirl with a toaster for a head. A speech bubble is coming out of her mouth, but I'd have better luck trying to translate Spanish than [ulr=[MEDIA=imgur]GbiyRV0[/MEDIA]]

I slowly step closer, driven by a morbid curiosity to find out if the toaster there are any different.

"Hans?"

I blink, the words slipping out of my mouth without pause. He turns away from the toaster in his hands. It's a simple model, kind of like the one we had back home. The only difference is that this one comes with some sort of cozy.

They made it look like a god damned skirt!

I'm not sure whether to laugh, smile, or shake my head in disappointment. In the end, I settle for a combination of all three.

Only in Japan.

"Huh? Oh, hey, Lee." He grins and holds up the toaster. "Did you see all the cool, weird stuff they have here?" He laughs and shakes his head, carefully putting the appliance back in its spot.

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before."

"Yep!" Hans replies enthusiastically. "This one calls you 'onii-san' once the toasts pop out."

Of course, it does.

"Right, I'm going to track down Benitsubasa to make sure she doesn't get into a fight or anything."

She's actually been pretty calm, but at times I feel this slowly rising tension within her. It's as if she were a stick of dynamite with a very short fuse. Best to try and keep anything from setting her off.

"Alright," Hans answers, eyes scanning the shelves. "I'm going to see if I can find any other cool things here."

And with that, I turn and start looking around. One would think it'd be very easy to find a girl with pink hair.

Alas, this isn't Kansas anymore and I don't have a little dog either.

"So many different hair colours.."

It can't be natural!

But it is!

-----------

"何って言ったの?"

I turn the corner, stepping into another aisle. And there she is, Benitsubasa in all her tiny might. She's currently in a tug of war with a much older woman and the two are practically yelling profanities at one another. At least, I'm guessing that's what's going on.

"私はこれを最初に見つけたと言いました"

For obvious reasons, I have absolutely no idea what the hell they're talking about. There's more to communication than just words, so I can tell from both of their body languages that they're pissed.

"あなたがした地獄のように,あなたは古いハッグです!"

Benitsubasa shouts, tearing the toaster out of the woman's hands.

"私があなたのお尻を蹴る前に迷子になる"

She growls and pulls away from her, holding the toaster as if it were a baby. A chill races down my spine. The tall, slender woman opposite to Benitsubasa lowers her head, allowing those long, violet locks of hers to cover her face. For a second, I swear it looks like she's about to backhand Benitsubasa. Instead, she raises her head and smiles. Without a word, the woman turns and walks away,

I blow a sigh and approach.

"What was that all about?"

The scowl on my Sekirei's face dims as she turns and puffs her cheeks out. There's a smile, but I can still see the lingering frustration behind it.

"Just some bitch trying to steal my toaster," she answers, puffing her chest out. "But I showed her not to mess with me, so let's go buy this baby and cook us up some toast!"

The way she talks about it, one might think that a toaster was some magical device that made high-class food. It's just toast, Benitsubasa. Still, toast and jam are a delicious combination.

"This the best you could find?"

Admittedly, it does look the part. It's got like six slots for toast, a couple of little cup holders or something on the side and a clock. To top it all of, there's a touch-screen display.

I wonder if people could get doom to run on this.

"It's a bit expensive, but if we're getting something, aim for the best, right?" She tells you with a large grin. "And you're paying, right?"

I smile and nod.

I have all this money. It'd be really dickish not to use it when the people I'm with probably don't have much to their name.

"Right! Grab that skinny friend of yours and let's go."

My lips purse into a small frown.

"You shouldn't say things like that. Hans is a cool guy."

Benitsubase huffs and shrugs.

"Whatever."

I sigh.

She really can be quite rude at times. Hopefully, she warms up to him.

----------------

With toaster in hand or, more precisely, in bag we decided to stop by a park on the way home.

"It'd be kind of a shame not to go look at the sights while we're here, right?" Hans had said.

"I just want my toast..." Benitsubasa growled.

"I think he has a point, and we could grab some ice cream or something while we look around, right?"

The moment Benitsubasa's scowl slides away, I know I've got her.

No one can stay angry when ice cream's brought into the picture!

"Alright, whatever, but I'm assuming I'll be taking the orders?"

"Well, you're the only one that can speak Japanese," I say.

"You better learn fast, damn it!" She yells.

I chuckle and Hans rolls his eyes.

If only it was that easy.

----------

Hans and I take a seat. The small lake in front of us sparkles as the sun beams down from above.

I carefully drop my bag by the side of the bench and stretch out my legs.

"You take her for a mint person?" Hans asks with a smile.

A small chuckle bursts from my mouth.

"I'd have guessed strawberry, but that just goes to show not to judge a book by its cover."

"She must really be an ice cream lover if she went around rather than stop at the places on the way here."

Yep.

"Those places are all low-class trash! Just go find a bench in the park and I'll meet up with you two after I stop by Sunshine Scoops."

I'd have never taken her for such a passionate ice-crema lover. But, there's a whole lot of things I don't know about her. In a way, trying to find all of them makes me want to smile.

I let out a yawn and reach down for the toaster. Appliances always come with little manuals and those are fun to read.

However, my fingers clutch at empty air.

I blink and look at where I put the bag down.

It's gone.

What? Who? Where?

My eyes go wide and the smile I had melted away.

It takes a real kind of scumbag to steal someone else's toaster. Honestly, it feels like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon. Still, I know people will steal literally anything they can get their hands on. Hell, I'm pretty sure people have stolen dildos before. If a grown man can do that, then I shouldn't be surprised.

"Son of a bitch," I hiss as my fingers curl up into a fist. That stupid toaster cost a bit over half a grand! It's not that much money when compared to what I have, but that's not the point.

Benitsubasa is going to be furious.

"Huh? Something happen?"

Hans asks curiously. He glances over my shoulder and stares at the empty plot of grass.

"Wait, where' the bag?"

If only I knew...

"I think some asshole stole it," I answer with a grumble. "I'll go try and see if I can find it."

The bag's big as hell and also has a pretty obvious logo. I only took my eyes off it for a moment, so they shouldn't have gone far.

"Stay here and wait for Benitsubasa, will you."

Hans blinks and furrows his brow.

"Alright." He nods. "Guessing you don't want us to get too split up?"

"Yeah."

I don't know Japanese and neither does her. Would be annoying if one of us got into trouble.

"Kay." Hans says with a thumbs up. "Man, I should get a job and buy a phone."

He mumbles as I start walking away.

"I'll get you one if you want."

"Hmm, alright, but I'll pay you back, ok!"

A laugh rolls out of my mouth.

"You don't have to, man. I've got loads."

Hans chuckles.

"That's not the point! Anyways, don't take too long! Your friend probably won't be happy if she doesn't find you!"

Hah. Yeah... better get a move on!

-----------------

The first spot I check is the area just a bit behind the bench. The large, rectangular bathrooms would make a perfect place to hide. Unfortunately, there's no sign of anyone inside, though it would have been a great place to set up shop. Just to be safe, I take a good look around, and when the coast is clear, I head into the women's side.

Clear as well.

If anyone asked, I'm just the clueless tourist. Yep!

Hmm.

I only looked away for a minute. Where could they have gone? Definitely not in the direction we were facing, so the only real option is to keep looking this way.

With the bathrooms clear, I head for the other, much smaller lake in the distance. It's more like a really big pond than anything. It takes a good ten minutes or so to walk there.

It's a real shame I can't just fly everywhere. I've not tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure my telekinesis could do it.

"Ah!"

My eyes go wide and I let out a small gasp. There it is! Someone's just up and left the bag lying by one of the garbage cans. I rush over, still somewhat frustrated but far more relieved.

"Fucking asshole." I curse. They took it out of the bag and just dumped it by the can. They probably thought it was something else. Still, I'm fine finding it with the box a bit bruised than never finding it again.

With a smile on my lip, I dust off the box and put it back in the bag. A sudden pop has me turning toward the pond.

A bubble?

I step closer, peeking over the murky water. Another bubble rises from the bottom. Man, this place is dirty. The lake right in front of us

was a lot more clea-

A flash of possibility rushes through my head. I see a hand reaching out, grabbing my neck, and then a spear shooting out of the palm. Pain assaults my neck and then I fall, blood pooling over my corpse.

My eyes go wide and I move away.

A second too slow.

A robotic hand burst through the pond's surface. It goes for my neck, but with foreknowledge, the deadly blow never lands. However, with the easiest option gone, the hand clamps down over my arm. I prepare to send a concentrated hammer of force at the hand, but it gives a violent tug and pulls me into the water. Panic starts to flood my mind at around the same time water rushes into my mouth.

An arm wrap around my neck and squeezes. Pain flares up and I nearly throw up as my adam's apple starts getting crushed. My heart pounds against the walls of my chest. I lash out with my elbow, smashing them against the unseen threat. Even underwater, the clang of something bouncing against metal reaches my ears as it reverberates through the water.

Right, it's a robot! What do I do? It's going to drow-

...

Oh.

I bite down on my lip and stretch the tiny star inside my chest. The buzzing of a hundred flies swallows all sound.

Water bursts outward like a geyser as I telekinetically toss both of us up into the air. Though it all, the stupid robot holds its chock hold. Even as we crash into the ground and roll about it does its best to try and keep me restrained. Soon, both of its legs wrap around my midsection. The pressure on my spine and neck intensify. It's trying to squeeze the life out of me as if I were some human toothpaste.

Enough!!!

I listen to the boiling rage within me and blindly fire a wave of force to everything and anything behind me. The robot buckles and an arm goes flying, showering my back with sparks.

But it still holds.

Mother-

Again.

This time, it lets go and rides the wave, tumbling through the air until it lands a few feet away. My lungs are screaming, hungrily eating every scrap of oxygen they can get. God, it feels like I'm about to throw up.

I take a good look at my assassin. It looks far more human than the last. Heck, it's actually wearing a coat! No, wait, its armor is shaped like a coat. Who the hell makes these things?

The robot's imposing figure towers over me, though its head is smashed up. It takes a combat stance, or at least the best one It can do with one arm.

You steal my toaster, try to drown me, and now you're going to try and punch me?

...

Let's see how that works out for you, asshole!

I swing my hand, smashing a concentrated hammer of force into the robot. At least, that was my plant. As if reading my mind, it moves and tries to avoid the invisible strike.

Too slow.

Though I only brush part of its body, the blow still hits one of its arms and legs. A shield of shimmering force suddenly appears around those appendages. They look like glass and shatter just as easily as my hammer barrels right through them. Still, they turn what should have been a decisive blow into something that only criples one of its arms. The appendage is bent backward and then spins around, hanging loosely and unresponsive at the robot's side.

It smashes into the ground, bouncing twice. The pavement groans as dozens of cracks streak across it like a spider web. Yet, the thing responds with mechanical precision. It feels no pain nor does it make mistakes. The unfeeling automata is back on its feet in seconds, digging the tip of its metallic foot into the ground.

The next few moments are a blur, but I distinctly remember something fast and grey rushing for my face. A rock? A piece of metal? I can't tell. There's a loud bang and my head is violently pushed back with enough force to snap a person's neck. I lose track of the robot for a split second as I'm forced to stare at the sky. A moment later, a dark shadow appears right on top of me.

Its fist crashes into my stomach, smashing me into the ground so fast that small chunks of the concrete fly into the air. A tiny headache pounds away at my skull, though, my head doesn't even touch the ground. A normal person would have died. Their spine would have turned to dust and they'd be puking up their lungs. Yet, I'm fine. It hurt like a bitch, but the barrier clinging just above my skin perseveres.

With a thought, I send the small chunks of stone rocketing forward along with new shards that I rip from the pavement. The robot raises its good arm and tries to protect its face as the rock strips away paint and bits of metal. There's no major damage, but that's fine. I only needed to stall it for a single second.

I grab hold of my own body and telekinetically launch it backward. My back scrapes across the ground, leaving behind a trail of dust and dirt. The barrier holds and I reach out with an invisible grip. I'd been aiming to wrench the robot's head from its shoulders, but it jumps to the right just as I squeeze.

What little remained of its shattered arm is crushed alongside a good portion of its side. Sparks fly as exposed wiring and metal greet the open air. By this point, I'm back on my feet and beyond pissed.

I take a breath and feel something wet slide down my nose. It rolls down my chin and dribbles onto the ground. Blood? A nose bleed? Why?

The robot quickly regains its balance and adapts to the massive chunk missing from its side. It raises a hand and another one of those shimmering barriers forms around its fist.

Enough!

If it can somehow predict my telekinetic assaults, then what about this.

Once more, I try and crush the monster with an overhead blow of force. It leaps away to the left and towards the nearby trees. I see it reaching for the nearest one, perhaps trying to throw it at me? Either way, that's a critical mistake that I don't let slip.

The tree's very roots spring to life. They rocket out of the ground, guided by an unseen will. Like voracious tentacles, they wrap around the robot's limbs, locking them in place. Of course, I don't just stop there. The roots grow and split off, worming their way into any exposed holes or sockets they can find.

The robot uses its good hand to rip off the main root, but when one falls, a dozen more appear. Soon enough, its joints are clogged and branches wreak havoc within its internals.

And I'm still fucking pissed.

I raise my hand and tug on one of the other abilities at my disposal. The buzzing at the back of my mind changes. It becomes far more solid and organized, echoing a symphony of creation.

A hammer of psychic energies settles onto my palm. It barely ways anything at all and I raise it high, sinking my feet into the ground. Though the robot can feel no fear, it still desperately tries its best to remove the roots. However, it can barely twitch its fingers, let alone move.

I leap forward, crossing the distance between us in a heartbeat. And then I smash my new hammer on top of it. Its head pops like a balloon, spraying nuts, bolts, and other bits of metal in all directions. A crunch resounds through the area as my hammer continues on its way, crushing what remains of the robot. In the end, it's turned into scrap metal that looks no different from a squished can of coke.

Still, just to be sure, I grab every small piece I can find and then smush it into a tiny ball around the size of my thumb. No way it's getting back from that.

"Stupid ass."

Grumbling, I look around. I swear, if the toaster is broken- ah, there it is. I grab the bag and dust it off, looking inside for damages. Thankfully, aside from a bit of water getting over the box and bag, it's fine.

I blow a relieved breath and wipe my nose. My hand comes back bloody. Was it because I was focused on the barrier? No, it couldn't have been that. Maybe the robot had some way of hurting me through it? Can it really be? If that were the case, then it should have killed me when it caught me off guard.

Just in case, I better try and not be hit by them again.

------------------

"Dude, are you ok?"

Hans and Benitsubasa meet me halfway as I was trying to head back. The former looks about ready to jump into a fight while the latter holds three ice cream cones as if she were getting ready to eat all three and then shove her foot up someone's ass.

"Was attacked by another robot. This one was smart enough to lure me away with the toaster and hide in the pond."

Clearly, they aren't just dumb combat bots.

"We'll have to be a bit more careful from now on, I guess."

I sigh.

"Here." Benitsubabsa holds out my ice cream. "I think you could use it."

I blink and stare at the cone. Heh. Maybe she's right.

"Thanks."

She nods.

"Now, let's head back before another robot tries to kill you." She grumbles, eyes sharp and about ready to murder someone.

"And before the police get here," Hans says. "Your little fight was anything but subtle and I'm sure someone's already called them."

Yeah, that's a good idea...