Chapter One
The sun shone brightly, making the heat almost unbearable but she wiped the sweat from her brow and stared at the small building that stood before her. Cheyenne could feel her heart pounding in her chest and it was making it hard to breath. She had spent so long searching and now here she was, possibly getting the chance to meet her father. Her mother hadn't told her much about him. Instead she had purchased a one-way ticket for her daughter to Japan, which led her to this moment. Taking in a deep breath, she pushed the door open to the restaurant and entered.
It was a small restaurant with a few tables and chairs against the wall, out-looking the street. There was a long counter with bar stools seated in front of it. It seemed simple enough. There was nothing too special about this restaurant. Even so, there were still a few customers in the little restaurant and they all seemed to be in a heated discussion with the large man behind the counter.
As if on cue, they all seemed to stop their conversation as she entered into the restaurant and all eyes fell upon her. Gripping the handle of her guitar case, she found herself a seat at the bar; setting the case and her duffel bag down on the ground. "Just play it cool," her mind kept telling her, as she ignored the stares thrown at her. It was obvious that she had just walked in so rudely to their important discussion but she was here now. It would look a little strange if she had turned back around and walked out. More than that, she hadn't travelled halfway across the world to give up now. One of these people may have information on her father. Perhaps they could help her.
"Could I get you something to drink?" a gruff voice interrupted the silence in the room.
"Coffee," she answered, opening the menu that was set in front of her, "Black, please."
She kept her eyes lowered and face hidden from the man. A part of her felt stupid for coming here. What were the odds that any of these people would know who her father was? There was probably no chance. Japan wasn't a big country but the city she was in was big enough that it made it practically impossible to find one man. To make it even more difficult, this man only had a first name. Well at least one that she knew of. She had no idea what his last name was. Her mother had just told her to go to this address and that was it. Though, another part of her felt embarrassed for interrupting these people in the middle of their important discussion.
A mug was set in front of her and Cheyenne was quick to close her menu. She wasn't really all that hungry but she had picked something random off the menu, just so she could get the order out of the way.
"Are you ready to order?" the man asked, pulling out a pen and pad from his apron.
Cheyenne pushed the menu towards him and finally gained enough courage to look up at him. She had gathered enough courage to flash him the best smile she could muster. She had to stick with the plan, no matter how difficult it seemed but just as she opened her mouth to speak she was surprised by the shocked expression that was pasted across the man's face.
"Natasha?" he whispered, setting the pad and pen down on the counter.
Confused by this strange man's outburst, she exchanged looks with the other two sitting at the bar; a few seats over. But they both had the same confused expression plastered across their face.
"Um...no, my name's Cheyenne," she answered, unsure if he was actually asking her that question or he was asking himself, "Natasha is my mother's name."
The man was taken-back by her answer and he stepped away from her for a moment. His face was riddled with just as much confusion as her own. How did this man know her mother's name?
"She actually sent me here," Cheyenne continued, standing up from her chair and reaching in her pocket for a picture. Leaning over the counter, she pointed at the handsome young man in the picture next to her mother, "This man here is my father. His name is Masuda and I'm trying to find him. Do you know who he is?"
The man backed up against the wall and slid down it until he was sitting on the floor. Confused by his reaction, Cheyenne turned back to the other two sitting at the bar. One was a man who could possibly be in his late thirties to early forties with shaggy long hair and a dark moustache and goatee. Cheyenne wondered if he could have possibly been her father. He fit the description. Next to him sat a beautiful woman who looked young but had the aura that she was possibly in her late twenties to early thirties.
"Are you Masuda?" Cheyenne asked pointing at the man with the shaggy hair.
"Me?" the man asked as a grin spread across his face, "Considering how beautiful you are, I can only imagine how beautiful your mother is and as much as I would love to take responsibility for this, unfortunately I am not. The man you're looking for is the one on the floor, muttering to himself like a crazy man."
Glancing at the man on the floor, Cheyenne felt a bit confused. He looked nothing like the man in the photo. The man in the photo had black hair and the man on the floor had no hair what so ever. The man in the photo wasn't necessarily lean but he wasn't built like a tank like the man on the floor. The man in the photo didn't wear glasses either! Unsure of how she felt at the moment, Cheyenne plopped herself into the chair she had seated herself in before. So far, everything had gone completely opposite from how she wanted them to. She had expected that he would have been happy to see her. Instead he acted as if he hadn't even known about her existence. Wait...had her mother told him about his daughter?
Suddenly the sound of the door being opened broke the uncomfortable silence and two more people piled into the restaurant, arguing amongst each other. One was a young man in his twenties and Cheyenne could feel her cheeks redden a little. He was definitely a good looking man and he had that aura about him that told her that in a way he was a bad boy. The other was a pretty girl about the same age as her with medium length brown hair. Their arguing came to a halt as soon as they had entered the uncomfortable silence in the room.
"Did we miss something?" the man asked, glancing from the other two sitting at the bar to Cheyenne.
"No, not at all," the man with the moustache answered, grinning a bit, "Oh, you two haven't met Cheyenne yet. Cheyenne this is Kurosaki and Teru. Cheyenne is Master's long lost daughter from..."
"Dixon, Wyoming," Cheyenne answered finishing the man's sentence, "Nice to meet you."
"Master has a daughter?" Kurosaki asked, eyeing Cheyenne up and down as if she was suspicious of being a liar, "How do we know that you are who you say you really are?"
Confused by the harshness in his words, Cheyenne couldn't help but shoot him a dirty look, "You want proof? My name's Cheyenne Cordero. I'm from Dixon, Wyoming. My mother is the daughter of a long line of my people's chief's. I don't know who my father is, so for me to travel half-way across the world to search for a missing piece of my life; only to be questioned about my intentions is completely out of line."
"Listen, you can tell us that you are this person you say you are but unless we have actual proof..." Kurosaki continued, breathing out a sigh of exhaustion but was interrupted abruptly by a gruff voice.
"It's all right," the voice replied and Cheyenne turned to look at the man speaking, "She's telling the truth."
The man barely made eye contact with Cheyenne as he walked out from behind the counter and made his way to the restaurant door. She could feel something in her chest tighten and apart of her wished she had just stayed back in Wyoming. Something had told her that he wouldn't want anything to do with her. Now that she was here and he couldn't even be bothered to look her in the eye, proved that she had been right all along. If he had wanted anything to do with her, he would have looked for her a long time ago.
Just as she gathered the courage to stand up and gather her things to walk out, she was surprised to hear the sound of the door locking. Looking in her father's general direction, she watched in confusion as he turned the open sign over to closed and shut the blinds.
"Andy, can you make everyone a coffee and fill Kurosaki and Teru on our previous discussion?" he asked as he motioned for Cheyenne to follow him, "I have important matters to discuss."
Without another word, Cheyenne set her belongings back down and followed the man to a table in the corner, far from ear's reach. She watched as he took a seat before sitting herself down, across from him. There was a bit of tenseness that lingered through the air and even though she had been happy that he was willing to listen to her, she was unsure as to what he was thinking. His eyes wouldn't meet with her own eyes and it made her nervous. Instead he stared down at his fingers, as he fidgeted; a bit uncomfortable. Cheyenne couldn't help but hear the other's whispering amongst each other, and once and a while she could feel their eyes glued to them. This whole situation wasn't what she had expected it to be. She figured there would be a few more tears of joy shed and perhaps maybe a few more hugs but she had got the opposite. Instead she had been treated as if she had been a skunk who had walked in on a picnic.
"How is she doing?" his voice finally broke the silence between the two.
"Pardon?" Cheyenne could feel her palms getting sweaty, so she wiped them against her black hoody.
"Your mother, how is she doing?" he asked again, a little more clearly.
He looked up to meet her eyes and this was the only time she had wished he wouldn't. Quickly she pulled her gaze from his, not wanting him to see the tears that were coming. She was stupid for thinking that he wouldn't ask her. Of course he would! He loved her. Well at least, that was what she hoped.
"She isn't," Cheyenne answered quietly, trying to hide the emotion in her voice, "She passed away in her sleep three weeks ago. She had been battling with cancer on and off for the past five years."
Once again there was an uncomfortable silence between them. Cheyenne found herself glancing at him through her lashes as if to try and read the expression on his face but there was nothing. It was like he was trying to grasp a hold of his reality that was falling into his lap. One moment his life was everything as it should be and next it was thrown into chaos. Twenty minutes ago he didn't have a daughter. Well at least he had no knowledge of one and now he was sitting in front of her trying to grasp it all with his mind.
"I see," he responded finally, "And she sent you here to find me?"
Nodding, Cheyenne traced her finger along the edge of the table. She was unable to look him in the eye, completely afraid of what he had to say next. With the lack of emotion he showed after she had told him her mother had passed away, she was sure that he wasn't willing to let her stay. Suddenly his hand reached gently across the table and Cheyenne was shocked as he placed his hand against her cheek.
"You look just like her," he exclaimed quietly as tears began to form.
Before he could pull his hand away, Cheyenne reached up with her own hand and grasped his in hers, "You have no idea how badly I've wished for this moment. Please, please, please don't deny me the only living parent I have left."
She could tell he was surprised by her outburst but she didn't stop. Letting go of his hand, she jumped to her feet a sudden urge to prove that she could be useful here. She couldn't go back home. There was nothing for her back there.
"My mom taught me to cook and clean so I can help you here in the restaurant," she exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes to the point that everything was now blurry, "If you send me back there, I will have nowhere to go to. Please, let me stay."
By this time the conversation had become loud enough so that everyone in the restaurant could hear and all eyes were on her. Cheyenne didn't care. They could stare all they wanted but it didn't change the fact that if her father refused to let her stay, it would be the biggest mistake he could ever make. The tears were now making a trail down her cheek to the floor and she could feel her knees growing weak and her body shaking from the built up emotions.
"I know nothing about raising a daughter," he replied, almost choking on his words.
"You don't have to raise me," she exclaimed, wiping the tears away, "I've got a few more years and I'll be off to University."
"Not to interrupt in on your conversation here," a girl's voice interrupted the conversation and Cheyenne was surprised to find Teru standing next to her, "If it's too much trouble for her to stay with you, she can stay with us."
The woman stood up and walked over to stand next to Teru and Cheyenne, "Master, if you don't want to take responsibility of her I don't mind taking her in. It'll be like having another sister I never had!"
Everyone was shocked when the man they called Master, slammed his fists down on the table and Cheyenne found herself jumping a little at the sound. She watched as he pushed his chair back and he stood to his feet and walked past Teru and her only to be standing next to the woman. His face was wrinkled into an expression of anger and frustration.
"You know very well why I shouldn't be permitting this Riko-san," he muttered and before anyone could say anything else, he had left the restaurant.
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving the room in utter silence. Cheyenne felt a feeling she never thought she would ever feel ever again. Her heart was pained at the thought that her own father wanted nothing to do with her. What had she done wrong to make him feel this way towards her? Her chest felt heavy and almost difficult to breath but before she found herself crying, someone had gently slipped their hand into her own. Looking to her side, she was shocked to find that Teru was holding her hand.
"It's all right," she whispered, followed with a smile, "You can stay with us."
Fighting back the tears, Cheyenne mustered up the best smile she could possibly find but at this moment her heart felt like it was crumbling to pieces in her chest.
"Hey Kurosaki, I need you to drive us home," Riko-san demanded, "I don't think it would be wise for us to be here when Master gets back."
"What do I look like, a taxi?" he asked, ignoring the death glare from the woman.
Riko-san stomped her way towards him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt with surprisingly amount of strength, "Today you will be a taxi service, whether you like it or not! Now pick up the slack!"
As she let go of his collar, she shoved him a little as if to show him that she meant business. Kurosaki grumbled to himself as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his vehicle. Teru motioned for Cheyenne to follow and Cheyenne was quick to gather her belongings and follow the three of them out of the restaurant. Her heart crumbled with every step she took.
He hadn't noticed that the sun was setting until it was almost hidden behind the city's skyline. For everything that had happened for the past year or more, it had been difficult enough as it was. But to find out that he had a daughter he hadn't even heard about, took it to another level! It wasn't like he hadn't wanted children before and it had crossed his mind once or twice in his life, but with his line of work it was too dangerous to have even a pet. It didn't help that he had to keep an eye on a young man who could have been a potential hazard to this country, but to have to keep an eye on his daughter whom he knew nothing about, made this whole situation more difficult. What was he to do in this situation? He can't bloody well have her involved with everything that was already happening. There had already been some close calls with Teru's life and he couldn't possibly imagine it being his own daughter in that same situation. But where would she go? Wasn't there a relative on her mother's side that could possibly take her in?
Opening the door to the restaurant, he wasn't surprised to see Andy and Kurosaki sitting at the bar. He wasn't sure where everyone else had gone and as terrible as he felt at the moment, he couldn't handle seeing her there. Damn, she had been a splitting image of her mother.
"It's about time you got back," Kurosaki replied, taking a puff from his cigarette, "I thought we would have to start a search party."
"Cheyenne?" Masuda asked making his way behind the counter. He needed a drink and badly!
"With Teru and Riko," answered Kurosaki, "I dropped them off at the apartment about three hours ago."
Masuda brought out a large bottle of old fashioned whisky and grabbing a clean glass, he poured an immense amount before shooting it back. It had been a long time since he had felt the strange burn as the whisky made its way down his throat. Had it been coincident that this use to be her favourite drink? Pouring another large amount into his glass, he shot it back again. This time the burning sensation chased away the pain in his chest. For a moment he felt numb.
"Do you think she'll go back to her home?" asked Andy, taking a sip from his coffee.
"Nope," Masuda answered, taking a breather from the whisky, "If she's anything like her mother, she'll do the exact opposite from what I tell her to do."
"Well then what was that whole scene about anyways?" Andy asked a little irritated with the whole situation, "If you know she isn't going to listen to you, then why treat her the way you had?"
"When you have a sixteen year old girl come to you claiming that she's your daughter, then maybe you'll understand why I do the things I do," Masuda snapped back, pouring himself another shot of whisky, "With my line of work, I can't accept the role of a doting father."
"We accepted Teru into our group and she's the exact same age as Cheyenne," Andy pointed out, obviously ignoring the harshness in Masuda's words.
Before Masuda could answer him, Kurosaki piped in, "Teru was already involved to begin with."
"What kind of life will she have if you send her back?" Andy continued to argue.
"What kind of life will she have if she ends up getting mixed up with all the shit that's going down?" Masuda roared as he slammed the glass down onto the counter, breaking it, "Are you going to protect her when some asshole decides to go through her to get to any one of us?"
Andy didn't answer this time. There had been so many times already that people have targeted Teru and her friends, in some cases almost killing them. Whoever they were dealing with had no remorse and it was obvious that they didn't care who they targeted.
"That's what I thought," Masuda snapped, pulling the shards of glass out of his hand, "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to spend the rest of the night by myself."
There was a moment of silence between the three of them and Masuda wasn't sure if they were going to listen or not. He could tell that Andy was willing to protest against what Masuda wanted. Andy probably thought he was the most heartless man on the earth for his decision but that wasn't the case. His heart was falling to pieces this very moment and he didn't need anyone there to witness it. Masuda knew they all meant well but in this case, sometimes it was better to be the bad guy. Andy watched in surprise as Kurosaki got to his feet, putting his cigarette out in the ashtray. It was hard to tell what was going through Kurosaki's mind but at least somebody was on his side.
"Come on," he replied, "We've got some work to do anyways."
Andy hesitated for a moment but listened and gathered his jacket before exiting the restaurant with Kurosaki. Silence filled the empty restaurant, and it was almost lonely. He couldn't remember the last time it had been this quiet. It seemed like there had always been someone there but tonight was not one of those nights. Sighing, Masuda made his way to the door and locked it. The silence was eerie but in its own way, it felt comforting. Turning off the lights, he made his way back to behind the counter and grabbed another glass. He poured himself another drink, before sitting himself down on the cold floor. This brought back memories from long ago but instead of the strange silence there was the sound of music and laughter. It was there that he had met her.
The room reminded Cheyenne of her own back at home, except all that was missing was the posters of horses that plastered her walls. This room didn't have posters but in a way it still felt comforting. The door burst open and Cheyenne was quick to manage a smile. It was nice enough for Teru and Riko to let her stay here, the least she could do was look happy even though she found herself almost dying inside. It was hard enough to have lost her mother and her best friend in her entire life but to have a father who wanted nothing to do with her for no apparent reason, made it even more difficult.
Teru bustled into the room carrying a dozen blankets, "So unfortunately we don't have a mattress for you to sleep on tonight but I gathered up a bunch of blankets. If you want the bed, I can sleep on the floor and hopefully tomorrow Sensei Onizuka can purchase a mattress for you to sleep on."
"Thanks," Cheyenne smiled, "But I don't mind taking the floor. At this moment I'm lucky enough to have a place to sleep."
Cheyenne watched as Teru set the blankets down on the edge of the bed, "Hey, I'm sorry about all of that. I guess that's not how you expected things to turn out."
"Not really," answered Cheyenne quietly.
"Well if it's any consolation, you can stay for however long you need," Teru piped up, obviously trying her best to shake away the sadness in the air with a smile.
Once again, Cheyenne faked a smile. She didn't want to make Teru feel like her efforts weren't appreciated because they were but at this moment there was nothing anyone could do to make her feel better. She felt like a complete idiot for believing that she could travel all the way to Japan, meet her long lost father she never knew and hope that everything would be all right. Instead it was the polar opposite. Everything wasn't all right. The only home she ever knew was on the other side of this body of ocean and she had no way of getting back. She only had a couple of hundred dollars left to help her get by until she could find a job and could stand on her own two feet.
"Do you mind if I take a bath?" she asked, retrieving her duffle bag and searching through the contents for her bag of toiletries.
"Bathroom is just down the hall, third door on the left," answered Teru, as she began to unfold the blankets and making the best bed she could possibly muster up with the few blankets they had.
Nodding, Cheyenne quickly left the room and followed her directions. Closing the door behind her, she breathed a ragged sigh of relief. She had done so well with holding in the tears for the past three hours but it was beginning to get harder and harder. She needed some time to herself to wrap her head around everything that had just happened. Maybe by tomorrow this heavy feeling in her heart will have disappeared and she could move onto her next plan. As nice as Teru and Riko were, she couldn't impose on them for much longer. It wasn't their duty to take care of her.
Locking the door behind her, she rushed to the tub and quickly turned the hot water on. Sitting down beside the tub, she found herself letting go of all the pain that she had bottled up inside her. The sound of the pouring water drowned out the sound of her sobs.