Disclaimer: Sanyo-Tokaido, Tokyo Met, East Japan Rail, Imperial Hotel, Hibiya Park, Takarazuka Theater, Yamanote are all copyrighted names.
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A Night on the Town
By Kochan
Chapter II - Yamanote
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"Ladies and Gentlemen, we hope you have enjoyed your journey on the Hikari Shinkansen. we will soon be arriving at Tokyo Terminal. The doors on the right side will open. Please ensure you take all your belongings with you. Thank you. "
The over-pleasant signature female voice of Japan Railways lulled Hayate out of his meditative trance. Like every other intercity train service and station they followed the announcement with a cheesy jingle.
He looked down and found his sister's eyes opened to slits, focused upon him.
"…Good Morning…" came her soft murmur before the gentle weight of her head rested on his chest again. He tickled at her fringe, drawing a giggle as Kasumi buried her face in the material of his brown sweater.
Outside, the pastures and farmhouses had vanished, replaced by the never-ending, night-lit forest of concrete, glass and steel. The immense towers of Shinjuku dominated the skyline in the distance as they drew closer. Almost twenty million people were stored in the greater confines of this city and spending longer than a week here revealed the truth of what it was: A gargantuan beast thriving on organized chaos. Survival meant blending in, conforming and keeping pace with others. Those who did not were seen as prey and had the very life sucked from them, if not by the cannibalistic society then by the city itself.
This was Tokyo Megalopolis.
Kasumi's glossed lips were parted, thick-lashed eyes flickering at everything that passed the window. Hayate knew there was so much to take in, too much comment on.
They pulled into Platform Eighteen and the doors hissed before sliding open. The other passengers had that perpetual sense of urgency that was unique to Tokyo residents and less than a minute passed before the siblings had the carriage to themselves.
He knew it was the simple things that meant so much to Kasumi. She never asked to be helped with her luggage or even her coat, but the interaction itself delighted her. Hayate was rewarded with a warm gaze and bright smile after, gifts that were so rare when they were apart.
Brother and sister stepped out and he had the polluted yet refreshing, chilled winter air to thank for pressing her close to his body. Of course, she was accustomed to endless winter nights out in the open. The shivering sighs and tightened grip at his arm were just a subtle act.
"Ah...it's cold." she gasped.
"Nothing you're not used to." he winked at her sweet pout, "Nii-san is almost freezing to death though. You'll need to keep him warm." She mirrored his sly smile before pulling closer and nodding with an enthusiastic "mm!"
The stiletto heels of her boots echoed along the concrete as they descended the platform steps from the Sanyo-Tokaido Trunk Line.
"Nii-san has been to Tokyo before?" she'd turned her head up to look up his shoulder.
"Several times." He nodded with a smile, "There are lots of differences between people from Osaka in Kansai and those from the Chubu region like us...and again between the Kansai people and the Kanto people here." Hayate explained.
Kasumi's eyes rose in thought, "Mm…to say 'Thank you' in Osaka they say 'Okini'. Here in Tokyo they say 'Arigato'?"
"Yes, and in Osaka, they talk about how cheap something is. In Tokyo they talk about how expensive something is. You remember that Osaka began as a port of merchants in the Fifth Century, they have always been very tight on money. Tokyo used to be known as Edo..." he smiled, one eyebrow lifted as he paused to let her finish.
"…and the Tokugawa Shogunate ruled from here for two and a half centuries." Her eyes had lit up as she recited the lessons he'd tutored her in so long ago. "The city of Bushi...of the Aristocratic Warriors such as the Samurai. That is why they are not shy about spending money ne?"
Hayate nodded with a silent grin and squeezed her hand. They passed through the Shinkansen gates, weaving their way through the thickened crowd for the Local Metropolitan train platforms. "Tokyo has twenty-three main wards, covering roughly the same area of Mugen Tenshin Forest Jurisdiction. In that area, there are approximately eight and a half million people...or over fifteen thousand the number of our village." Kasumi uttered a gasp and a soft, 'Ehhhh?' before following him towards the light-green colored platform.
"Life is too cramped here." He continued," "And everything moves very quickly." they broke into a slight jog on reaching their platform just as the Yamanote loop train pulled in. "Try and relax and you get run over by others!." he called out over the noise.
This was the busiest line in the country's rail system, possibly the world. Trains ran every three minutes in each direction servicing over thirty major government, financial and shopping hubs such as Shinjuku, Ueno, Ikebukuro, Shinagawa and of course...Tokyo.
This was also peak hour.
They squeezed onto the closest carriage with the rush of evening commuters, not having even a centimeter of space between them and the next person. Kasumi blinked and looked to him as a group of business men with sake-induced flushes and pungent breath pressed between them. Hayate reassured her with a nod and smile: Pushing and squeezing in cramped conditions at this time of the evening was normal and expected. No matter, their station was only a stop away.
Some people were sleeping, several were typing messages on their phones, others were reading comics.
All were tired.
Hayate knew she'd never seen so many cellphones all at once. She took particular interest in one girl using her phone as a mirror to adjust her makeup. This life was so superficial, so unlike their humble village. He wondered if she'd ever get acclimatized to such a life if chance presented itself.
The train jostled and he saw her tense, jerking forward against one of the men as her eyes went wide. "Ah…I…I'm so sorry." she whispered, cheeks crimson in embarrassment.
Hayate frowned as the man smiled off the bump. The way his sister's eyes had flickered in distress before dipping down, her reactive body motions...something was wrong. Another one of the sake drunk suits stood to her back, blank stare directed into the next carriage like any other commuter.
On the next jolt, Hayate's eyes caught the stray hand flashing up Kasumi's skirt from behind and again she jerked forward. The man in front caught her...with his palms on her breasts and a lecherous grin. Hayate felt the rage bare his teeth and narrow his eyes at all of this. But what infuriated him most was that they were touching his sister, the Eighteenth Leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan...and all she could do was stammer another apology?
He pushed his body between Kasumi and the perverts, sending one reeling back into his colleagues. The frowns and muttered curses from the men made him the offender, but he could care less. The imbeciles before him were Chikan: train gropers, perverted males who used crowded conditions to touch girls in sexual ways. These low-lives relied on their victims being too embarassed to draw attention to the violations. The two now had their hands gripped about the rail above and Hayate noted the rings on their fourth fingers.
Their glares were returned with a smoldering gaze and they averted their eyes, no doubt realizing that his silent threat was backed up by six foot of muscle under his long coat. It was fortunate for the two men that only seconds passed before the train pulled into Yurakucho Station. The Shinobi was straining to keep his shaking fists from slamming into their jaws.
Hayate felt his sister shivering before she tried pulling him towards the door but he continued to stare the men down. "Get off first." he whispered.
"Please don't do anything rash, Nii-san…please!" Kasumi begged before excusing herself on pushing past the other passengers and stepping off the train.
The men paled and shrank back, perhaps expecting him to lash out. He did...but with words rather than fists.
"Heh." Hayate sneered, "You're both married. Perhaps you should try to keep those hands and penises to your own wives, though they deserve better than disgusting scum like you. Give them my deepest sympathies, you perverts." That last word was delivered with all the loathing that had risen up inside him. The hidden blade in his free hand did its work without sound as he shoved past with luggage, stepping out just before the doors closed.
Kasumi's eyes were wide as she looked between him and the train, "Nii-san!…what did you do?" the people in their carriage were chuckling at some form of spectacle as it pulled away.
He watched the tail end of the train, grimace still etched on his face, "What you couldn't. I made sure they'd be humiliated for touching you inappropriately." The blade had un-seamed the men's trousers in two quick swipes: They'd be traveling home in their underwear.
"Nii-san…that was cruel! I beg of you, please don't take revenge on others for me anymore!" her hands were clasped together close to her chest as she pleaded in that desperate tone…that tone that so often touched that spot within him. This time, it sparked off the mixed fuel of tension and fury filling within him since the train ride.
He exploded, hands flicking through the air, "Cruel? I left them alive, Kasumi! That was mercy! Don't you understand what they were doing to you? Those degenerates were feeding their lusts by…touching your body and…" he hissed through his teeth in disgust, "…you just LET them!" he jabbed in the direction where the train had travelled.
Her lips were parted, her eyes flittering about to avoid his own, voice weakened, "I…I thought it was an accident...I didn't know…I didn't want..." she stammered.
Hayate didn't know if it was an act or his own gaze that was driving hers into the ground, but he had to get the point across. "Accident? How can you be so naive? And how can you just expect me to stand there and let those perverts get away with what they did to you?" Images of her helpless body surrounded by tubes had flooded back. That same anger…from a different time.
He coaxed a deep breath into his lungs, forcing out a hard sigh that took some of the tension with it, voice softened, "Kasumi. You've always known that I can't protect you forever. This world is different in every possible way. In ours, you are a woman, a Kunoichi, armed with all the knowledge to survive in the wilderness indefinitely. In this one you are merely a child, at the mercy of those…bastards." he shook his head and took another deep breath, "You must learn to protect yourself."
She'd come silent with her head still lowered. No tears, sobs or whimpers like one might have expected of most girls. His sister had vanished, driven away by his insensitivity. Only a shell with an emotional shield more impenetrable than any armor remained. This one look which he dreaded ever seeing from Kasumi made him hate himself, told him he'd gone too far.
"I will not displease you again, Onii-sama. It will be as you say." Her response was formal, devoid of feeling. Kasumi could be as cold and direct as their half-sister Ayane when she wanted to be, but almost never to anyone let alone him.
He shook his head, "Kasumi, when I said 'child' I didn't mean…."
"We should go." his sister whispered, tone deeper than usual. She took a step away and awaited his lead, head still bowed.
The passive-aggressive guilt trip was already working as Hayate felt that intangible void expanding between them.
He'd lost her.
The Yurakucho JR and Hibiya Subway stations were joined by a bright, advertisement lit underpass. Hayate chose to brave the crowds of business executives over walking through the wind and cold above. The usual tissue dispensing girls were out in force, leaving no exit unguarded as they offered the packets to everyone that passed.
He could feel hear Kasumi trailing just behind, following as though she'd been assigned as escort. Yet it felt as though she was a hundred yards away. Talking was no good now. There wasn't much chance of recovering the evening and this frustrated him.
They left Hibiya Station via the thirteenth exit and were presented with the majestic neon-fantasy nightscape of the Ginza district. Hibiya park sprawled open behind them and he noted Kasumi's gaze lingering just a moment at the fountain in the center.
Across the road, the grand castle block of the Imperial Hotel loomed almost twenty stories skyward. Its tower sibling behind stretched beyond thirty. With over a hundred years of tradition steeped in history, this was one of Tokyo's oldest hotels, matched only in age by its splendor. They stepped through the square arch of seamless granite blocks to the spacious lobby within.
Earlier visits had brought Hayate past the front entrance but nothing prepared him for the three foot square, double story columns, the red wool carpet sweeping wall to wall and the magnificence of the chandelier suspended in the center. Exotic plants filled the balconies overhanging the upper level. This one hall redefined elegance in every aspect of the word.
Looking back told him his younger sibling didn't share his feelings. Kasumi neither spoke nor lifted her eyes to take any of it in.
The Concierge with gold-trimmed black suit and perfect tie was tagged Terasaki. The sheen of his bald, egg-shaped head almost matched that of the polished counter. Hayate didn't doubt that the smug look on the man's face had been chiseled in over years behind the desk.
The Shinobi returned the man's bow and greeting with a nod before sliding the reservation card across. He watched as Terasaki's squinting eyes flitted across to Kasumi before returning to his screen.
Hayate stole a side glance at her. Her head was still bowed, heavy-lidded eyes just visible from under her reddish-brown fringe. She stood with white coat buttoned, feet close together, pocket book clutched tight in front between her pale fingers. The overall picture tore him inside, an image of a depressed, young girl who didn't want to be here. One who was being forced into something she didn't want to do.
…in fact…
"Sir, I'm afraid it is our company policy to ask." said the concierge, eagle eyes confronting him. "Is the young lady of age?"
...oh hell...not this...
"Of age?" Hayate already knew what the question meant, but his state of mind had been so affected by the train incident that he'd been caught off guard.
"Yes sir, the Imperial Hotel does not condone compensated dating. Unless the lady can prove that she is over eighteen years of age, we cannot accept the reservation." The man was polite, adamant and the smug look that was amusing before had now become annoying.
The events up till now had been more than enough to put Hayate on edge. "Compensated...? Just what are you insinuating here?" he growled with a frown though he knew quite well 'what'. Enjo Kosai or compensated dating was a practice whereby high school girls were paid by older men for accompaniment on dates and even sexual services at times. But despite Kasumi not having identification, his sister and he were respectable people!
His defensive tone had only seemed to affirm Terasaki's standpoint though. "Sir, we've had several incidents of guests bringing underage..."
Hayate decided he didn't need this and just managed to bite back a curse, "Look, if what you're thinking..."
"I'm Seventeen." came his sister's soft voice. He'd been so caught up in his emotions that he hadn't even noticed her stepping up beside him.
Her statement had blanked his mind and widened the other man's eyes for a moment. But the Concierge recovered as a stern frown crossed his brow. "I see. In light of this, I'm afraid that we cannot accept you as guests. As the young lady came forward herself, I will not notify the authorities but I must ask that you leave immediately."
"Is this a problem, Nii-san?" Kasumi asked as she met his eyes, the squeeze at his hand a signal he knew well from childhood.
Hayate crossed the fingers of his remaining hand under his coat and played along, "Well, I guess..." he shrugged, shaking his head in defeat.
"We have to make it to the hospital quickly ne? They said mother was already in her final stages. Let's just go." she whispered, voice wavering.
"Are...are you both…siblings?" asked Terasaki, surprise stuttering his voice.
"Yes." they both said in unison. Hayate almost grinned at the perfect timing, but managed to turn it into a pained look and sighed as he pulled Kasumi into an embrace. The false sob she uttered was so genuine he felt the anguish himself.
The Concierge could only present the top of his balding head in a shamed bow and apologize in staggered speech. "Ahh…uhm…please accept our deepest apologies, Sir, Madam. We…we've had complaints from concerned parents that their daughters were um... seen here with strangers. I'm sure you understand our ah…checks…for the sake of the young women of course."
"That's alright." Said Kasumi with just the right touch of lament, "I'm sorry I looked so upset in your beautiful hotel. Our mother's remaining kidney failed some time ago…Dialysis can't sustain her any longer. Father called us earlier and we rushed over from Kyoto. She is due to pass any moment." Hayate added a morbid nod despite his curiosity. Where was she getting this from?
He watched embarrassment continue to rip into the man. Frantic fingers were making him struggle with processing their reservation. "Uhm…ah…yes, I had a distant cousin who received a transplant last year."
"Nii-san and I both offered our kidneys but we weren't the right blood type. Otherwise, perhaps…" his sister broke off in another sob and slid into his arms, drawing yet another guilt point as Terasaki blinked and licked his lips.
"Ahh…I'm so sorry..." the man whispered before sucking in a breath through paste whitened teeth, no doubt at a loss for words.
Hayate took the opportunity to finish this, "Uh…would you mind if we left our luggage here…we really must be leaving for the…hospital." He said in a low voice. His fingers stroked through Kasumi's soft mane before he kissed her forehead and murmured to her.
"Of course, Sir. We'll have your luggage brought up to your room right away…and ah...compliments of the hotel we've upgraded you to one of our deluxe suites for our grave mistake." Another nod from that shiny egg top.
"Oh there's no need..." Kasumi started.
"Please. We insist." That smug look had returned to Terasaki's face as he snapped his fingers at the tall, lean doorman, "Fujita! Get these guests a taxi to wherever they need to go! We'll be picking up the charge!"
Best for him to think that he'd redeemed himself, thought Hayate.
"Thank you so much, Terasaki-san." said his sister in that sweet voice that even he himself was vulnerable to at times. "Nii-san, shall we?"
They stepped out to the black taxi and nodded to Fujita before he closed the car door behind them. "The Takarazuka Theater please." Hayate said as he slid in beside his sister.
"Takara…that's just across the road!" the old driver turned about as he adjusted his glasses and squinted at them.
"I know. Drop us off and head to the nearest hospital after. Charge it like the doorman said." Hayate said with a nod of his head.
"Ok, makes no difference to me." the driver shrugged before easing on to the road.
He turned to Kasumi, "How the hell did you make up a story like that on the spot? Even I almost believed you!" he shook his head with a grin.
She said nothing, just smiled and pressed a packet of advertising tissue into his hand as she stared out the window.
…Become an Organ Donor today…
The folded leaflet within explained everything she'd told Terasaki.
Hayate chuckled.
Perhaps she'd be alright in this life after all.