Little Birds

[Natasha Walker]

She needed a mental break from the house, from the small dramas of relationships and romance and the stress of what Masao would think or do, or that sinking feeling in her chest that this wasn’t going to work out.

She had a talent for relationship self destruction, as the lectures from her sister had drilled into her.

Kawasaki was 15 minutes out of Yokohama and they ran a Wind chime festival around this time of year, a small market a shrine of noise and peace and handcrafts, she would have chosen the Gundam factory but that had closed in March much to her little heart’s dismay.

So as she was getting ready to pack up adjusting the Bento Box and the water as she licked her lips it was Hannah who was at the door.

“Planning to run off on us?”

Nat gave a small chuckle and a shake of her head.

“Kawasaki wind chime festival, only runs for 5 days , thought I'd hop on the Bullet and have a day trip, didn’t know I was running everything past you Hanners.”

Hannah gave a chuckle as she rolled her eyes.

“I’m just making sure you lunatics are ok, the energy is weird.”

Nat sighed to turn and sit down rubbing at the top of her eye brow and smirks.

“I don’t exactly wanna burden you with my problems any more than I have, it’s a thing I just wanted a little space to process it and get outta my mental doomscroll, you know?”

Hannah raised a brow and closed the door.

“What’s going on?”

Natasaha picked up the water bottle and she picked at the lid.

“Rini has a thing for both me and Masao and she’s…trying to figure it out, I told her she needs to tell him how she feels about me as well and well I’ve been in the situation before and don’t want anyone hurt…is all, I don't want ..this..”

She gestured about the room to Hannah herself.

“I just figure I’m gonna fuck ya’ll up somehow , so the energy is me Hannah…and I need to get outta my own head some so…Wind chimes.”

Hannah rolled her eyes into the back of her head and raised a hand and then sighed.

“Nat,I don’t think you should be alone, I’m going with you.”

Nat closed her eyes and picked at her packed food and water and closed her eyes with a smile.

“Seriously, I’m just going shopping in a temple, it’s only there for five days…”

Hannah gave a smile and chuckles.

“Then you won’t mind having some company will ya? We both need the break , I'd feel better if you did it this way okay?”

Natasha nodded a bit and gave a slight smile.

“Then you’d best pack for a bullet train hon, if we’re quick we can get the discount rate for us both?”

Hannah nodded and smiled with a clap

“I’ll drop a note to let the others know where we’re going so we don’t just you know.. Ghost.”

Nat gave a chuckle.

“Kinda ruins the surprise factor”

Another bright grin.

“Yeah but the pair of us just heading out would look weird so, just roll with me on it ok?”

Nat gives a light hearted smile as Hannah nudges her some.

“I thought you'd stay out of this kinda thing.”

Nat sighed and put her head on Hannah’s shoulder with a very gentle.

“Kinda blindsided me as well Hannah, not a bad thing I just…I don’t wanna hurt her.”

Hannah smirked.

“Don’t wanna be hurt either, c’mon lets get the train alright make the day of it..like you said.”

Nat started to stand up and before she finished pulling her stuff together she would let out a soft.

“Thanks Hannah.”

Maybe not a perfect day but it’s a start.

---

“You know April, We’re a fair bit alike, as much as we’re different.”

We fade in on Nat , sitting in a quiet studio, dressed in relaxed clothing, shorts a “Techno Tsuchigumo” baseball cap, a tank top and a jacket with one leg crossed over the other as she eats from a small bento box and smiles at the camera, one of her sneaker clad feet idly bouncing in excess energy.

“Your pressure comes from family, mine is very much the pressure of having the weight of expectation on my shoulders hell, I guess we have that in common too, we’ve also both recently suffered some form of betrayal, granted mine was a little more plaster of the wound than yours was, Dean Harper got you real good, and I can only imagine how much it stings buuut like I said ..Kinda karma given the way y'all came at folk.”

Nat winkles her nose as she looks at her surroundings and uses a free hand to pick up a water bottle and stake a sip.

“We might be staying in Yokohama, but it’s fair to say we’re very much reaching crunch time, and well it’s a Murder-Birds of Prey part two isn’t it? Not gonna lie April I’m excited to stand opposite you. I’m not even gonna start with the ‘chances’ speech, because I know for a fact we both like to think we’re fighting uphill. Maybe you are, You got a lot of reflecting on your soul right now.”

She tilted her head and picked out a Piece of maki sushi with chopsticks to eat and then her foot slowly stops bouncing as she nodded.

“So, from one competitor to another, April Madrox I hope you bring your S tier game. Because if you don’t? The question will be if I’m facing Charlie or Viv at the end of the night. No bullshit, my foot is squared evenly on the Go pedal and I’m not going to let trepidation or worry stop me sister.”

She huffs a breath, eyes taking a moment to fix from the food to the camera.

“I figure you might come out on your own for this one, despite how you might be aching, babes. You do have people willing to work with you. I might not have expressed much sympathy, but I’m more than willing to help you work out your rage. I mean it. Come at me sis, bring all the fire you can muster. I want it! I wanna see what April Madrox is capable of when the leash is off and sister dearest isn’t there to hold you down, wolf cub hunts on her lonesome right?”

Natasha shook her head to take the baseball bat cap off, hanging it off the chair then back to looking at the camera.

“I said this once before, This whole thing is about who wants it more, but I figure your problem right now is, what the hell is it you want? You’ve been spinning, chasing our own tail tryin’ to impress everyone that you just never found a direction to go, like I talk about never settling but I -have- direction and that’s as high through the ceiling of glass they put above us as humanly possible, Aim high jump higher and stick the landing right?”

She shook her head.

“Hell you must have seen a dozen of me in developmental. Before you stepped in to be your sister's parachute? I want -that- April Madrox, I want the teacher, I want the woman who could rein trainees in with knowledge. I don’t want a little red riding hood. I want claws and fangs. I’ve yet to see you bring them out. Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to see the parachute you’re holding not only holding your sister back? But you as well?“

Natasha shook her head and blew a breath.

“I guess I get it, spending all your time molding others, inspired by that sister you’re stood just behind trying so desperately to get things working you’ll try anything but taking the leaps you’ve watched so many jump from. You’ve seen so many leave you behind that you forget what it is to jump yourself, so I’m asking no..April I begging you To do me ..and yourself a favour.”

She slid forwards on her seat and took the camera in her hands and stared down the lens as if she were speaking to April herself.

“Jump, trust yourself even if you trust no one else, take a risk, a real risk. Gamble on yourself. That little voice in the back of your head telling you you’re not good enough, the one everyone else here preys on? The one I could so easily poke at? The one your sister will be cranking up to eleven because you made a poor choice. Don't listen to her, you have all the tools to be a top player, you have the mind, the skill and the experience, hell I figure given the right attitude you can put your own sisters to the mat if you needed. Poor choices happen April. Question is can you look past it and do your job?”

Nat squares her shoulders back and rubs at her neck with a sigh nodding.

“Faction stuff aside, mental state aside, on paper we’re very similar, I’m maybe a little more airborne, and grapple focused then you but I figure if not for that bum wheel you’d be just as flashy as me, so the future comes. Hell April we are the future  Leave your family at the ring apron, leave everything behind and lets play a game when it’s all over when the crowd is cheering and when the victors music plays?”

Nat gives a small cheeky grin.

“We’ll see if you kept up or not, ring the bell class is in session.”

Fade out to Nat’s little smile.