Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex Fan Fiction ❯ Lanslide ❯ Chapter 12 ( Chapter 12 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: AnaKhouri 
Anime/Manga: Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.23.2011 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 149 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.23.2011 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 149 | Status: Completed
**Author's note: As requested, here is another scene toward a resolution (there will be one other after this). It is set between the end of the 2nd Gig and Solid State Society. I couldn't recall the name of Kusanagi's other friend- I remembered Kourin- so I christened her Ami.**
"Motoko! Hey, is that you? Over here!"
She froze. No one had called her that name since…but she knew this voice. For a moment she considered walking away. But they didn't deserve that. She turned around.
Ami and Kourin were on the patio of an ice cream parlor, sitting at one of the ridiculously small wrought-iron tables. They were dressed to go out, tall boots and short skirts. Kusanagi stepped off the sidewalk and perched on one of the delicate chairs. "It's me. Hi."
"I knew it!" Ami crowed. "I told you it was her!"
Kourin smiled. "How have you been? What have you been up to?"
"I've been…busy."
Kourin's eyebrows arched at the evasion, but Ami was oblivious as always. "Busy! Too busy to give us a call? Clubbing isn't the same without you! What's keeping you so busy?"
"I quit my job. Now I do freelance work. It's a lot of work, building up a client base." Not exactly true. Not really a lie.
"You quit?" Kourin leaned forward. Her eyes narrowed; she'd always been the perceptive one. "But you loved your job. Why would you quit?"
"Different things. A lot of stuff all came crashing down one me at the same time." Kusanagi said. Kourin was still staring at her. Without knowing exactly why, she added. "I did something I'm not proud of."
"Oooh!" Ami perked up. "Who'd you have sex with?"
Kourin yelped. "Ami!"
"What?" She looked blankly at her friend. "Whenever I do something I'm not proud of, it usually involves sex. I know! You slept with a co-worker, right? Was it just too awkward after that? Why? Was he bad in bed?"
"No." Kusanagi schooled her features into stony indifference.
"No, what? He was good in bed?"
"Ami, drop it!" Kourin kicked her under the table. Ami winced.
"Ow! Why? This is the kind of stuff you talk to your girlfriends about. So, who'd you fuck?"
"We didn't…it wasn't like that." Kusanagi was remembering why she hadn't called Kourin and Ami since she left Section 9.
"So who was it?"
Kourin poked her. "Hey, Ami. Remember how you owe me a soda?"
Immediately her face collapsed into a pout. "You just want to get rid of me!"
"No, I really want a soda. Right now."
"But there's like fifty people in line!"
"Come on, Ami. I really want it."
"Fine." Ami climbed sullenly to her feet, swaying slightly in heels. "But you better tell me everything she says, Kourin. I require gossip to live."
She stalked off. Kusanagi sighed out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Thanks."
"No problem. She really does owe me a soda. Last time we went out, she got so wasted she knocked my Coke out of my hand, all over the bouncer. We got kicked out of that club." Kourin's lips curled; Kusanagi had never seen her go five minutes without smiling. "Want to talk about it?"
"Nothing to talk about. Ami nailed it."
"Who was it? That huge guy with the weird optical implants, with the big crush on you? Never mind. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"Yeah, it was him." She hadn't meant to talk about it. But Kourin's open, friendly face had a way of coaxing out things she'd never intended to say. "I was lonely. He showed up. I used him. The end."
"Ah, I get it." Kourin twisted a curl of hair around her finger. "But does this guy have a crush on you, or is he in love with you?"
That at least was something she could answer. "The second."
"Well then, it might be okay." Seeing Kusanagi's skeptical look, she hastened to explain. "If he just had a crush on you, sleeping with him would be cruel. You'd be getting his hopes up. But if he's in love with you…it's easy to forgive someone you love. Besides, everyone does crazy things when they're drunk. It's common knowledge. You were drunk, right?"
"What if…what if I wasn't?" She almost didn't want to know.
Kourin's eyes widened. "Whoa, that complicates things. You knew exactly what you were doing?"
"Yes, I did."
"Then the question you should ask yourself is, if he hadn't shown up, would you have gone home with someone else?"
Kusanagi stared at her hands, folded on the tabletop.
"I'm just saying." Kourin's tone was suddenly wistful. "It's possible to love someone a long time and never admit it, not even to yourself."
Something surfaced in Kourin's eyes, something Kusanagi had long suspected but never really thought about. Then it vanished, and Kourin grinned at her. "I say go for it. Especially if he's good in bed. And…oh, shit. Here's Ami with my soda."
Ami slammed the plastic cup down on the table. "Here's your damn soda, you bitch. Now tell me everything I missed."
"I was just telling Motoko that I'm starving and I think we should get some dinner before we hit the clubs." Kourin stood up, her metal chair grating on the concrete.
Ami put her hands on her hips. "I just bought your stupid soda!"
"Motoko can drink it."
She leaned over and picked up the soda. Icy drops of condensation trickled down the sides of the paper cup. "Thanks."
Ami turned her attention to Kusanagi. "Come with us, Motoko. We're going to party all night."
"Can't. I'm working. Next time."
"Aw, you quit your job and you still work all the time? What's up with that?"
"Come on already! I'm starving." Kourin grabbed Ami's arm. "I hope it works out, Motoko."
"What works out? Come one, I need to know. Hey, call us sometime Motoko!"
Kusanagi waved as Kourin dragged Ami down the block. She might just call them in a week or two; it would probably be good for her to get out.
Was she glad she'd run into them? Kourin had given her a lot to think about.
Kusanagi wasn't sure she wanted a lot to think about.
But sometimes flashes of memory caught her unawares. It wasn't supposed to happen; her memories were supposed to lie dormant until she deliberately accessed them. But these fragments appeared when she was working, walking down the street, tinkering with the Tachikomas.
Batou's easy smile. Batou joking with Saito or Togusa. Leaning forward, concentrating. Staring in dismay at a little girl who clung to his coat. Nonchlantly holding out her watch, as if he hadn't nearly died to retrieve it. Gently steering her to his bed, admonishing her to give it up and get some sleep already. His fingers tracing the ridges of her spine. His voice murmuring her name.
"Hey lady, are you going to be much longer?"
Kusanagi looked up. Two gangly teenagers, a girl and a boy, stood by the table. They held overflowing sundae dishes from the ice cream parlor.
She picked up her soda.
"No." She said. "I was just going. I have a lot to do."
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"Motoko! Hey, is that you? Over here!"
She froze. No one had called her that name since…but she knew this voice. For a moment she considered walking away. But they didn't deserve that. She turned around.
Ami and Kourin were on the patio of an ice cream parlor, sitting at one of the ridiculously small wrought-iron tables. They were dressed to go out, tall boots and short skirts. Kusanagi stepped off the sidewalk and perched on one of the delicate chairs. "It's me. Hi."
"I knew it!" Ami crowed. "I told you it was her!"
Kourin smiled. "How have you been? What have you been up to?"
"I've been…busy."
Kourin's eyebrows arched at the evasion, but Ami was oblivious as always. "Busy! Too busy to give us a call? Clubbing isn't the same without you! What's keeping you so busy?"
"I quit my job. Now I do freelance work. It's a lot of work, building up a client base." Not exactly true. Not really a lie.
"You quit?" Kourin leaned forward. Her eyes narrowed; she'd always been the perceptive one. "But you loved your job. Why would you quit?"
"Different things. A lot of stuff all came crashing down one me at the same time." Kusanagi said. Kourin was still staring at her. Without knowing exactly why, she added. "I did something I'm not proud of."
"Oooh!" Ami perked up. "Who'd you have sex with?"
Kourin yelped. "Ami!"
"What?" She looked blankly at her friend. "Whenever I do something I'm not proud of, it usually involves sex. I know! You slept with a co-worker, right? Was it just too awkward after that? Why? Was he bad in bed?"
"No." Kusanagi schooled her features into stony indifference.
"No, what? He was good in bed?"
"Ami, drop it!" Kourin kicked her under the table. Ami winced.
"Ow! Why? This is the kind of stuff you talk to your girlfriends about. So, who'd you fuck?"
"We didn't…it wasn't like that." Kusanagi was remembering why she hadn't called Kourin and Ami since she left Section 9.
"So who was it?"
Kourin poked her. "Hey, Ami. Remember how you owe me a soda?"
Immediately her face collapsed into a pout. "You just want to get rid of me!"
"No, I really want a soda. Right now."
"But there's like fifty people in line!"
"Come on, Ami. I really want it."
"Fine." Ami climbed sullenly to her feet, swaying slightly in heels. "But you better tell me everything she says, Kourin. I require gossip to live."
She stalked off. Kusanagi sighed out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Thanks."
"No problem. She really does owe me a soda. Last time we went out, she got so wasted she knocked my Coke out of my hand, all over the bouncer. We got kicked out of that club." Kourin's lips curled; Kusanagi had never seen her go five minutes without smiling. "Want to talk about it?"
"Nothing to talk about. Ami nailed it."
"Who was it? That huge guy with the weird optical implants, with the big crush on you? Never mind. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"Yeah, it was him." She hadn't meant to talk about it. But Kourin's open, friendly face had a way of coaxing out things she'd never intended to say. "I was lonely. He showed up. I used him. The end."
"Ah, I get it." Kourin twisted a curl of hair around her finger. "But does this guy have a crush on you, or is he in love with you?"
That at least was something she could answer. "The second."
"Well then, it might be okay." Seeing Kusanagi's skeptical look, she hastened to explain. "If he just had a crush on you, sleeping with him would be cruel. You'd be getting his hopes up. But if he's in love with you…it's easy to forgive someone you love. Besides, everyone does crazy things when they're drunk. It's common knowledge. You were drunk, right?"
"What if…what if I wasn't?" She almost didn't want to know.
Kourin's eyes widened. "Whoa, that complicates things. You knew exactly what you were doing?"
"Yes, I did."
"Then the question you should ask yourself is, if he hadn't shown up, would you have gone home with someone else?"
Kusanagi stared at her hands, folded on the tabletop.
"I'm just saying." Kourin's tone was suddenly wistful. "It's possible to love someone a long time and never admit it, not even to yourself."
Something surfaced in Kourin's eyes, something Kusanagi had long suspected but never really thought about. Then it vanished, and Kourin grinned at her. "I say go for it. Especially if he's good in bed. And…oh, shit. Here's Ami with my soda."
Ami slammed the plastic cup down on the table. "Here's your damn soda, you bitch. Now tell me everything I missed."
"I was just telling Motoko that I'm starving and I think we should get some dinner before we hit the clubs." Kourin stood up, her metal chair grating on the concrete.
Ami put her hands on her hips. "I just bought your stupid soda!"
"Motoko can drink it."
She leaned over and picked up the soda. Icy drops of condensation trickled down the sides of the paper cup. "Thanks."
Ami turned her attention to Kusanagi. "Come with us, Motoko. We're going to party all night."
"Can't. I'm working. Next time."
"Aw, you quit your job and you still work all the time? What's up with that?"
"Come on already! I'm starving." Kourin grabbed Ami's arm. "I hope it works out, Motoko."
"What works out? Come one, I need to know. Hey, call us sometime Motoko!"
Kusanagi waved as Kourin dragged Ami down the block. She might just call them in a week or two; it would probably be good for her to get out.
Was she glad she'd run into them? Kourin had given her a lot to think about.
Kusanagi wasn't sure she wanted a lot to think about.
But sometimes flashes of memory caught her unawares. It wasn't supposed to happen; her memories were supposed to lie dormant until she deliberately accessed them. But these fragments appeared when she was working, walking down the street, tinkering with the Tachikomas.
Batou's easy smile. Batou joking with Saito or Togusa. Leaning forward, concentrating. Staring in dismay at a little girl who clung to his coat. Nonchlantly holding out her watch, as if he hadn't nearly died to retrieve it. Gently steering her to his bed, admonishing her to give it up and get some sleep already. His fingers tracing the ridges of her spine. His voice murmuring her name.
"Hey lady, are you going to be much longer?"
Kusanagi looked up. Two gangly teenagers, a girl and a boy, stood by the table. They held overflowing sundae dishes from the ice cream parlor.
She picked up her soda.
"No." She said. "I was just going. I have a lot to do."
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