Marshall had finally done it. He had escaped jail. He was going to get back at his former friend who betrayed him, that damn Frances. She only wanted to have the Blue Angel so she could use it to advance in some big pharmaceutical company. He couldn't stand her treachery. That didn't matter right now. He put all that aside.
He picked a few blue angels from the ground. These mushrooms has special healing properties and sent you to another dimension, or something like that. He still didn't understand exactly how they worked. Even so, he was much further along than Frances. As he swallowed these natural drugs, something happened. He felt different.
Before he knew it, he found himself on a bridge in some Japanese city. In front of his very eyes, he saw a man, no... a woman, right? She was standing on an overpass, as trains were whizzing by underneath. Suddenly, a bouquet of flowers fall out of her hand. She reached out and leaped over the railing. He saw her blue eyes, pale skin, and long blonde hair shining in the light, while one of her long limbs attempted to grab the flowers. He was too far away to stop her.
She fell toward an incoming train, bounced off it, flew up into the air, then plummeted to the ground. He was horrified. Somehow, he still had his box of Blue Angels with him. He couldn't let this go on... he had to save her. After all, these mushrooms could do wonders, right? He stuffed one into her mouth. "Miss...please swallow this...it will help you...get better." Rei didn't understand what the man was saying to her, since she didn't know much English, but she somehow had enough strength to swallow this strange substance. It tasted like a mushroom she'd eaten in some kinoko gohan that Nanako had served her when she'd been sick. Whatever this was, it sent her some place. She found some weird grey creatures crawling all over her and she appeared to collapse into nothing. She was falling apart like a window being smashed, or wooden building blocks tumbling down. It was a very moving experience.
She suddenly opened her eyes, like she had been in a bad dream. She saw the man who had saved her life. He had on a fitting white cotton hat, and waved, as he seemed to fade away. What she didn't realize was that he had stuffed a few mushrooms in her pocket. She wouldn't know until later. This whole miracle shook her. She had to make the most of her life. She couldn't take any more of these painkillers again... she couldn't let herself go out this way... after all, she had a cute girl who loved her. "Oh, my sweet Nanako-chan...I'm coming!" she exclaimed, as she somehow dodged the trains, made her way onto the platform, and prepared to take the right train. She wouldn't let Nanako wait. Perhaps she was more than "Ma chérie la Poupée," her darling doll, or "Poupée-chan" as she once called her. Even so, she still thought about that comparison every time she saw her, even now. She had to fulfill her promise. Maybe giving this mysterious drug to Kaoru would heal her heart and end her disease... Perhaps she would offer it to her... in secret.
Nanako was getting nervous and continued pacing across the train station platform. Why was Rei late? Did something happen to her? She was almost about to run to a nearby telephone booth and call her apartment, hoping she'd answer. Just then, Rei walked toward her. She cried tears of joy. Everything was okay. Well that was until she looked closer. There was dirt on her finely pressed clothing. What...was going on? Rei came running toward her and hugged her, catching her off guard. She could have told her that she fell off a bridge, and miraculously survived after almost dying. She decided to not mention that. Instead, she tried to be upbeat.
"I'm sorry that I'm late...I'm grateful to be with you...right here and now."
Nanako suspected something was up, but did not want to pry. Had something horrible happened to her beloved Rei? Or was she just overthinking it? She grimaced at the thought of Rei dying and remembered back to when Rei had talked about death. At the time, she was terrified. Perhaps that's why people at Seiran called her "Saint-Just." Rather than visibly shaking, she smiled. She was overjoyed to see the woman she loved standing right there with her.
"Saint Juste-sama, I was so nervous...I thought...I don't know...so many things swirled in my head...When you arrived the weight off my heart was been lifted...I feel so much lighter."
Rei heard this and continued to hug Nanako. She held her tightly. She didn't want to let her go. Nanako, of course, continued to reciprocate. They held one another close until the train came, taking them to the place Rei had mentioned, a place with a beautiful sunset. It was where Rei's birth mother ended her own life by walking into the ocean, the waves crashing around her. As they chattered on the train, Rei wasn't sure how she could tell Nanako about a special drug some mysterious guy gave her. What even was that glowing blue mushroom? She felt it had given her another lease on life. Now she could make sure that her life was worth something more. She refused to leave anyone behind.
Nanako was satisfied. She firmly held Rei's hand, overjoyed that Rei was there. She wanted to talk with her about why she was late and why she had dirt on her clothing. However, she decided that she would raise that issue some other time. What mattered now was that they were together. She was especially grateful when Rei handed her the exotic yellow flowers she had specifically picked out for her.
With all the stress she was under, it was no shock that Rei had been popping pills, specifically painkillers, for years. Being around "Miya-sama," her sister-by-blood (also known as Fukiko), and the emotional manipulation Fukiko directed toward her, engendered that response. She didn't inhale vapors from bags or buy hypnotics from a store. If she had, she could have entered a state of intoxication or dreams. Nor had she used cannabis or other stimulants (like amphetamines). More and more ordinary people were being arrested for using those drugs every year, as Japan continued cracking down on their use. Rei hadn't used meth, which was also growing in popularity. It would, in later years, cause waves of addiction among the population while the economy went into a downward spiral, even leading to specialized police officers enforcing strict laws against the drug's use.
Using drugs was seen as a "moral failing," even when it came to cannabis. It was claimed to be part of counterculture which had "corrupted" minds of Japanese people. At least that's what the authorities and their sycophants said. Rei didn't care about any of that. Although there were strict drug laws, people continued to take stimulants as Japan's economy rapidly grew in the years after the second world war. At the same time, it took time for the country's pharmaceutical industry to independently develop it's own products, even as pills and other drugs were still sold. They were, more likely than not, imported from other countries.
Soon enough, Rei and Nanako exited the train, holding each other's hands, and began walking toward the beach. She saw Rei smile. She looked happy. In the past, she'd seen visions of Rei in her mind, with her blonde hair draped upon a white suit, and leaning against a grand piano. Her gaze looked aimless and lost, but the music she played was beautiful. This time was different. When Rei turned around, she looked more determined than anyone else. As they approached the soft sand, Rei impulsively pulled Nanako closer and ran quickly, as she continued to hold Nanako's hand. Nanako urged her to slow down.
The waves hit the beach, calmly and methodically. They both sat on the beach together. Rei was no longer lonely, as she had felt in her apartment, which was filled with mirrors. Nanako had always felt that it was a depressing place for Rei to be, with all the mirrors almost staring at her every night, making it hard for her to sleep. She surely couldn't live that way, Nanako reasoned. She wasn't sure how Rei could stand it. Perhaps all the painkillers she took helped or maybe she had come up with her own coping mechanisms. Being saved from the clutch of death, somehow, made Rei realize she needed to rethink her life and be more grateful to everything Nanako had done for her.
No longer did she want to be hesitant, or reluctant, to touch Nanako, nor did she ever want to hurt her, even though she had a lot to go through herself. "Saint Juste-sama, thank you for bringing me here...it's such a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing it with me," Nanako said, as she leaned her head on Rei's shoulder. Although it was risky, she decided to reveal why this place was so important to her. Nanako was sweet, innocent, and honest. Even so, she didn't want to hide anything from her, especially not something like this. She wanted, no she needed to tell her, especially in such a picturesque place like this, a place which had been imprinted in her memory.
"This beach is where my mother took her own life...I watched her walk into the waves and disappear...it was such a noble thing to do," she said. She then quickly added, before Nanako had a chance to add something, "I wanted this place to have a happy memory." Nanako was a bit horrified. Did Rei want to do something to herself here? Did she want to hurt herself? She was getting worried.
"Saint Juste-sama, no Rei-sama...are you okay?...is everything okay?...I don't want see you to hurt yourself." She started to cry. Rei had guessed something like this might happen. As the sunset started to lower to the horizon, the orange light from the sun came across the water. It began to illuminate both of their faces. She whispered to Nanako, tried to reassure her, and wiped her tears.
"I'm okay. Something big happened today. Perhaps it changed my whole life...can I tell you about it back at my apartment?" Although Nanako wanted to press Rei to answer her questions, her response led her to relent. She hugged Rei and both sat together, watching the sunset, and remained in a close embrace. While she could have lost her life that day, caught up by a warm wind, and maimed by a train, in an attempt to catch a flower bouquet she had bought for Nanako, that wasn't what fate had in store for her, apparently. Nor had the police taken her away, thinking she had ended her own life on purpose, or whisked her away to a hospital. Either timeline divergence could have happened if something had gone differently. In this world, she walked away on her own, making her way to safety, and no one was the wiser. Not even the train conductor realized he had hit someone.
Thanks to all of this, Fukiko received the red roses Rei sent her, complete with a message written in her spidery and long cursive, and hadn't expected to get a gift from her dear sister. Kaoru did well in her layup drills for basketball. Takashi was changing spark plugs. Tomoko rode her bike around the city. She had survived and no one, except her, and the mysterious man, who had given her the substance, knew the exact circumstances.
As the evening soon became night, they walked together back to the train station. The electric lights began to illuminate, lighting their way. They traveled on the train together, not saying much to each other, and holding one another's hands. Soon thereafter, Rei reached her apartment, which was dark and filled with mirrors. She opened the door and saw that no one was inside. She flicked on a switch and the electric light filled the room. She surprised Nanako when she opened up the curtains, letting the bright night lights of the city flood in. Dear Brother, Sainte-Just, I mean Rei, is acting a bit weird. I'm glad I got to spend time with her. Something seems to be bothering her, she thought to herself.
Nanako offered to prepare tea. Rei sat down on one of the couches in her apartment's living room. It wasn't a big place, but enough space for her. When she thought about it, she was beholden to Fukiko for having this very apartment, with its ghastly decor. She wouldn't have it otherwise. It was yet another thing she could hold over her. She prepared herself to say something that would catch Nanako off guard. She had to come clean about it.
As the tea started to steep, Nanako made her way over the couch, curious to hear what Rei wanted to tell her. She hoped it wasn't anything too horrible. All she wanted was for Rei to be okay. She hadn't been fazed when Fukiko had, time after time, told her to stay away from Rei. If no one else was going to help Rei, why couldn't she lend a hand?
"I almost died today, Poupée...Nanako-chan...I was saved by some person with some glowing blue mushroom...if he hadn't been there..."
Nanako was getting nervous. She started tugging at her skirt. She was anxious and uneasy. What had happened? She started to feel a sinking sensation in her stomach. She was almost afraid to ask about the specifics. She pushed herself to do so. She cared about Rei, just as much as Prince Kaoru did. She had to know.
"Rei-sama...what do you mean?...a mushroom?...aren't those things...illegal?"
It was hard to explain it. How could she explain it? One second it felt like everything was about to go to black and another she was up and well. It was almost impossible to comprehend.
"I was reaching for the flowers I gave you... and I fell off the railroad bridge...a train hit me...I flew into the air...I thought that was it for me...then this mysterious man with white cotton hat appeared out of nowhere and told me to have this glowing thing so I would get 'better'...and I did...and it brought me back."
Reaching into her pocket, for a lighter, she happened to put hand upon something. She reached in and found something peculiar: a few glowing mushrooms which were wrapped in a napkin. She wasn't sure how they got there, but the strange man must have put them there. Nanako was amazed. At the same time, she couldn't help but be worried. What if there were some unforeseen side effects?
"Are you sure about this, Rei-sama?...it might hurt you...physically...I don't want something bad to happen to you."
Rei tried to tell here that she would be okay. She had expected that Nanako would be concerned. While she didn't want to admit it, she had similar thoughts. Sure, she took painkillers, pills, and smoked. Before being saved by this weird mushroom, she'd never thought about the affects on her body. She only took those pills and smoked because they made her feel better. Others in Japan, and elsewhere across the world, felt the same. She wasn't alone in that.
"Nanako-chan...it's okay...nothing bad has happened...if it makes you feel better, you can call me every night and come to check up on me."
She hadn't expected that Rei would say this. Her long fingers tapped on the couch, ever so delicately, as her chest rose and fell with every breath. Nanako couldn't help but be drawn to it. The unique look of Rei wasn't the only thing that attracted her. Rather it was how much of a bad girl she was. She had even tried to smoke. As Rei had said once, it didn't suit her. She was more proper than any of that, you could say, even though smoking was very common back then. There were no anti-smoking laws nor were there any health warnings about smoking. No one, at least generally, seemed to care about secondhand smoke, despite its negative health effects.
Rei took a deep breath. What she was about to say next would be tough. She had to do it. She had to get rid of them, to rid herself of them. It was one way to regain her sanity, a way to reclaim the space as her own.
"I want to take down the mirrors in this apartment...all of them...I can't live like this anymore...I can't live with their eyes looking at me!" she said, almost yelling.
Nanako started to think Rei might be having hallucinations from the mushroom. She had read recent, and sensational, news reporting about narcotics, which highlighted the negative effects of these drugs. Surely that influenced some popular perceptions of these drugs. In contrast, young people, like her, tended to approach see differently. They wanted to experiment, even if it caused fissures with their parents. Nanako looked around and her eyes came back to Rei. She wasn't imagining things. The mirrors were penning her in. She put aside the idea that the mushroom was having side effects like that, at least for now.
"Okay, I'll help you, Rei-sama...let me get some bags." Although it would be years before the first plastic bag, with drawstrings, would come about, there were lightweight plastic carrier bags produced by a Swedish company named Celloplast. Rei had some around. She grabbed some from the kitchen, while Rei started to taking down the mirrors. She was willing to leave one in the bathroom, but the others had to go.
Nanako came back with the bags. She delicately picked up each mirror. Each one was placed in its own bag. Somehow, she was able to do this without getting cut. As the minutes went by, they were able to take down all the mirrors, which numbered over forty. Rei had personally put up each one, over the years. Fukiko had purchased them for her, with her money. It was yet another way she maintained dominance. Tired from all the work, Rei laid down on her bed, and Nanako joined her. She caressed the cheek of her lover, who leaned onto her hand. They were lucky that Fukiko wasn't there. She would confront her another day and declare her independence from her once and for all.
As they laid there, together, Nanako put her hands over Rei's chest, and began gently hugging her. Rei leaned toward Nanako and started to kiss her, with their lips moving softly and sweetly. Nanako and Rei both took off their jackets, with their kissing becoming more and more passionate. Soon thereafter, Rei kissed Nanako's neck, causing Nanako to moan happily. They were clearly deeply in love with one another. Nothing would change that.
They slept there that night and no one called to check up on them. The day before, Nanako had told Tomoko to cover for her and contact her parents, telling them that she was staying at a friend's house. That was partially true. However, Rei was, in actuality, her girlfriend, not an ordinary female friend like Mariko or Tomoko. Under no circumstances would Nanako ever want to abandon Rei. It would be like she was losing a part of herself. Nor would she be pushed into a marriage with a man she didn't know, by her parents. She had heard of that happening to some other women. She refused to let that happen to her. It would not happen. She would not let herself get caught in such a scheme, even if she had to run away from her mom and dad. She saw them as responsible people, so she hoped that would never happen and that they would respect her independence as a young woman instead.