CHIHIRO
Hot faced with embarrassment Chihiro hurried ahead.
She turned a corner only to find not a stairway, as she had hoped.
Instead a long stretch of people choked sitting areas with drawn papers sliders. Fantastic shadows danced against the time-yellowed translucent screens, making the murmuring sounds of voices seem almost otherworld as they floated through the clouds of cigarette smoke. Chihiro found herself hurrying ahead even though she had no idea where she was going. But time seemed to slow all around her as she went, because older architecture was more prevalent in the upper floors. The walls were dark with age and the floor was bare wood. It thumped and bounced slightly beneath her feet. The unnerving sensation was oddly familiar. And someone must have opened a window somewhere because the hallway smelled very strongly of rain.
Déjà vu hit her full force.
And she had the feeling she'd done this before; maybe not here, but somewhere else. It was totally weird; scary weird; like have a panic attack weird. She hadn't had one of those in a long time. Staring to feel slightly dizzy, and afraid to go any further toward the dark distant end of the hall, abruptly Chihiro turned back the way they'd come.
"Neh, Kou? Which way's out again?"
By way of an answer he ran right into her.
She hadn't realized how closely he was following her because he was so quiet. Kou had some pretty good momentum going too and he would've knocked her right off her feet if he hadn't caught her. As they came to stillness his face was inches from hers, so close his messy hair tickled her cheeks. And she was staring into his jade eyes as his warm breathe broke over her face. Whoo! Her body's reaction was instantaneous. All kinds of hot needful things tightened in the pit of her stomach even as her heart thrilled inside her chest, making her head and throat squeeze with anticipation. Chihiro's hands tightened on his coat as again she was staring at his lips. Fascinated by their shape, she watched his generous mouth form words without hearing a single one.
"Are you alright?" He hushed in consternation.
"Excuse us!" Waitresses sang behind them.
At once they broke apart, flattening against the wall and making way for a series servers who shuffled by carrying a fantastic caravan of hissing platters and steaming baskets. Kou gaped at the procession, craning his neck as if wanting to see more of them as he followed a step or two after them like he might follow. Grinning in spite of the sharp disappointment circling in her stomach like a shark, Chihiro grabbed his hand and pulled him in the opposite direction.
"C'mon! You can't possibly be hungry!"
"I am not," He didn't seem sure, "These smells are so new to me."
She laughed, not knowing how to reply, because he was so very weird. As they turned another corner in the labyrinth of seating areas Kou gently pulled her to a stop, pointing down a side hall.
"The way out is this way."
"How d'you know that?" She remembered the way he'd found her shell earlier like he was using some kind of magic and grinned, "You haven't checked your compass."
Totally serious, he glanced back at her.
"I do not need assistance, Chihiro."
Again her heart thrilled. It was the first time he'd said her name. She very much liked the way he said it, as if it was already familiar on his lips.
"Why not?" She pressed, teasing now although half serious.
With a perfectly straight face he pointed at the green exit sign glowing distantly, great big arrow aimed right down the hall he'd suggested.
"Oh…"
Feeling like a complete idiot she followed behind him silently.
At least he was still holding her hand, and it was a good thing because the streets of Shinjuku were packed with people as they spilled out the stairwell into the street. At once he went rigid as a board, taking a step back into her as if afraid. Looking up at him she found he had gone quite pale. His green eyes were so wide they reminder her of Fuu's. Frowning, she couldn't help but look, trying to see whatever had upset him.
"S-so many people…!" Kou's breath lifted in a cloud thanks to the frigid air.
Distantly they could see the white glowing bulk of Shinjuku station modern shell and bodies poured out of its many access points, flooding the allies. Toyko's nightlife turned out in full force in spite of the frosty temperature. As steam flooded up from the gutters a carbon-copy heard of business men paused to gawk at a two young women in fur shrugs and full kimono as they clacking by on wooden geta carrying guchi purses. On the adjacent block a group of men in leather jackets with florescent Mohawks crossed the street only to pause and make way for a bent old grandma. Seconds later the same guys hooted and cat called after a gal circle of white lipped yamamba. (1) Chihiro would never understand this fashion craze. In their fake white eyelashes and electric pink-purple wigs the girls looked terrifying, especially with their almost orange tanned faces. Fearlessly the girls laughed at the punk's and hooted right back, questioning their manhood and following after them so aggressively the group of leather jackets scattered across the street.
And the streets, including this one, grew narrower as they stretched further and further away from the station, choked with counter bars, glowing red lanterns, fluttering curtains, clouds of cigarette smoke, piles of trash, and people, people, people. Shinjuku seemed almost an underground cave at times because the wires overhead were so thick. But the people here didn't care. They were laughing, drinking, eating, and arguing. And elderly couple shuffled by holding hands even as across the street a younger pair paused in the middle of the choked sidewalk to kiss.
And for the first time in a long while, Chihiro actually saw them.
Kou made her look a second time at the city.
And she blinked as she realized she'd stopped looking a while ago.
Tearing her eyes away, she looked at him instead only to go still once more, because she had never seen someone so awed. He was gawking now, more than curious and twice as delighted as he inspected the passing crowds.
"I have never seen so many people in all my life!"
Frowning in confusion, he pointed at Shinjuku station. Tributaries of bodies poured out of the building's many access points.
"How is it possible that they all fit in that building?!"
Chihiro laughed outright at that, "You're new to Tokyo, aren't you?"
"Yes."
And he didn't drop his chin as he admitted that. He was too distracted to be shy. Standing tall, Kou used his height to his advantage as he stood on his toes to gape at something she couldn't see. And curiosity burned on the tip of her tongue until she couldn't stand it.
"So where're you from?"
"The place I was born no longer exists," He replied absently, "It was a beautiful forest full of maples and pines. In the summer there was quiet green shade and in the winter bright white sky. Nothing at all like this world."
Chihiro blinked. He had such a strange way of putting things, but she liked the way he talked. Kou didn't seem inclined to say more. Again he was distracted, lifting his eyes overhead and watching at the intensely buzzing, winking, humming electric signs in the same way someone might watch fireflies.
"What happened?"
"They built condos," His face tightened into sharp lines of anger.
Suddenly she understood all too well.
"The same thing happened to the forest by my parent's house. They tore down all the trees and built a huge mess of houses no one bought."
"People bought these places," He continued quietly, "In droves and droves they came until I was forced to leave for there was no place left for me."
As if he only realizing he'd been talking all this time Kou blinked and red flooded his cheeks. Chihiro met his uncertain gaze with a frown. Even when she was living on-her-own in Nagoya she'd go home every other weekend. Her parents could be a pain but she loved her mom and dad. Even now she missed them, even her mother's persistent meddling. She couldn't fathom what it was like to not have a home.
"I-I'm so sorry…"
Then he did it again. He dropped his face as if shy of her attention. Then again he forgot to be shy while following something of interest off into the crowds.
"It is alright. I am grateful to have found a new home."
Chihiro blinked. Did he mean Tokyo or somewhere else? She couldn't tell and he didn't elaborate. But at once Kou was surveying the milling press of bodies, looking at the herd of people the same way someone might look at a raging river when trying to find the best crossing route.
"Where may I take you this evening, Chihiro?"
Her pulse quickened as again he pronounced her name easily. Her heart went flying up into her throat and she almost blurted that he could take her anywhere he wanted. But the reality was it was a short walk to Shinjuku station. It would be an even shorter wait if she called Lydia. The fact that she was slightly drunk helped her muster courage because this so was not something she would normally do! But Chihiro did not want to let go of his hand. Not yet.
"Neh, Kou?" She had to pause to swallow only to find her throat had gone completely dry, "I… I know you have to work tomorrow and this might sound, um, kinda weird considering we just met, but I… I'd really like to spend some more time with you tonight if that's okay? Can we, um, get a cup of coffee or something?"
Chihiro held her breath because Kou had gone perfectly still. His back was to her and she couldn't see his face. But then his gloved fingers laced through hers. And as he spoke it was in a quiet voice intended for only her.
"There is nothing I would enjoy more."
She could have floated right up off the sidewalk.
Thankfully she didn't, because he was holding her hand.
LIN
A frigid draft whistled around the window at her back as she bent at the desk.
Lin had to sit sideways her stomach was so big.
At least the kitlings were sleeping.
Gods, they were giving her no peace these days.
The electric light overhead hummed and flickered as if unhappy to be so close to her. Shadows shifted around the feet of the receipts neatly piled around the edges of the low table like the walls of some well constructed fortress. Lin ticked beads back and forth across the abacus, balancing the books as she made notes with her ink brush on the crisp ledger paper. She had moved her records keeping back into the human building. There was far more room to work here. Plus it was much quieter than the God Wing. The frogs had the television set on almost constantly and she was sick of listening to Aniyaku's chortling gaffaw.
In spite of the bad weather that slowed the number of arriving guests, they still had managed a significant profit for the month of November. December was looking to be the same. Now that money wasn't such an issue they could easily close for the New Years, maybe even more. And she wouldn't feel a bit of remorse about making those cancellation calls. Running her hand across the top of her huge stomach, Lin considered she would need the time away from work for other things. Very soon their children would enter the world. And her face warmed with affection as she felt her babies stir beneath her pressed palm.
At once she found herself hoping that they'd have Suzume's eyes.
Gold and bright like sunlight.
But a frown tightened the scars on her face as a shadow flitted down the hallway outside the office door. Onsen tattled on the cat with a subtle creak. Lin barely managed not to throw her ink stone at the wall, because she was getting sick of this! But if she had thrown something she probably would've woken up Mrs. Nikkou and probably Suzume too. Since they' come back from the spring with Cinna the fox had been following in the old witch's footsteps as if afraid to take his eyes off her. Not that she blamed him. She looked like a flame that'd reached the end of its wick. Lin's heart went cold in her chest as she tried not to think about it.
"Leave it alone, cat." Lin growled impatiently.
Seconds later a sour faced Cinna stuck her nose around the frame of the door. She crouched low to the ground, glaring with narrowed red eyes at the ceiling. Onsen creaked uncomfortably. The cat crossed her arms in a huff her velvety black ears folded. The electric lamp threw her shadow into stark relief, etching the outline of a cat against the yellow papered wall behind her as Cinna lashed her tail impatiently.
"Aye wanna go back..." She grated in a hoarse rasp.
Cinna would not leave the door to Chihiro's room alone. She was constantly testing the portal, prying and prodding at it, trying to find some way back to Tokyo. But that was not the way the tokens worked. Unless the primary was engaged the secondary tile was useless. It the bit of useless red lacquered wood until magic made the mark inside it otherwise. Lin held back the angry words she would've liked to thrown instead of her ink stone but that the cat had spoken at all was a miracle. For half a day Lin was half afraid the cat would never speak again. The wounds on her neck had badly damaged her voice and she had to struggle to make sounds.
"'E needs me!" Cinna choked as she slid to a seat on the bare planks, gritting her sharp yellow teeth, "'E jus' ah kitten!"
"Look! I'd send you if I could but I can't!"
Lin's frown deepened as the cat's fretful worry touched an all too sympathetic a nerve hidden deep in her stony bones. She swallowed with difficulty, pretending to turn back to her numbers while really she was worrying about the stupid dragon. Lin still couldn't believe half of what Tomoe told her. Against her will Lin remembered the vision she'd seen of Haku spattered with blood staring in horror at his hands. Blinking rapidly, she tried to clear that image from her head.
"Haku's not completely helpless. Besides, if he wants to find Sen he's gonna need to learn to stand on his own feet."
That much was true. Unfortunately it didn't bring either of them any peace. Putting down her brush with a sigh, she massaged her temple. Then for some reason the cat snorted, sounding like she was trying not to laugh.
"Neh, Lin? Um…" Cinna pointed vaguely.
"What now!?" She wilted into her only hand.
Here the cat paused as if reconsidering something. And her voice was smug as she choked on her replied.
"Nevermind…"
Lin looked up as the cat's ears swiveled rapidly, turning towards the back hall as the floor creaked and snapped. Retreating to the interior of the room and folding up against the opposite side of the door, Cinna made way as pale and wide-eyed once more. Wearing his night clothes and not even a jacket this time, Kai appeared at the doorway even though it was very, very late. Lin was flabbergasted by his appearance especially since Amano had chewed the kid out so thoroughly the morning prior about coming over here without permission.
"You!" Lin pointed. She would've risen if she could've, "You're not supposed to be here!"
"I-I know b-but someone's on Uncle Hidé's boat!"
The little human rushed forward, pointing back the way he'd come.
"We saw lights from t'cabin an' jus' Dad took off! I've never seen him so mad! K-Kiri went after him an' her second shadow got all kinds of scary as she went! I was so scared I didn' know what else t'do but come here!"
Lin blinked, stunned to stillness.
She'd spent the whole day watching that second shadow hide as if it knew she was watching. Sometimes it slipped and Lin saw, especially in the sun. It was shaped like a human woman. But she knew exactly what the child meant when he said it'd turned frightening. With a cold pinch of apprehension tightening in her chest Lin hauled herself to her feet.
"Stay here!" She ordered quietly.
As she stormed through the door she glanced at Mrs. Nikkou's door.
It was closed, the occupants inside fast asleep.
Suzume hadn't woken up with Kai crossed.
Maybe he'd sleep thru the night?
At once she was down the back stairs and into the kitchen. A timid flame kindled in the hearth, lighting the room and revealing Tomoe was standing in front of the open back door. The ghost drew back from the portal as Lin waddled down the stairs. Instead of the back yard the archway offered up the interior of a mortal house. It smelled strongly of motor oil and sea salt. It was Amano's smell. Without hesitation she strode over the threshold. Magic sang across her skin like cold fire, making her momentarily dizzy as she spun on her heel. Tomoe slipped across the portal seconds before she slammed the door. Though she barely noticed him, Lin was glad he'd come. What better to deal with shadows than another shadow?
"Move!" She commanded the ghost, yanking the door open once more.
The connection could be reforged at any moment. This doorway had two primary tiles and could be opened from either side. And she wanted to get a head start before anyone else decided to follow her.
Spilling out into the blustery winter, Lin was brought up short by the brooding sky. The more time she spent in the mortal world the more she felt its bite. Blinking rapidly as it stung her eyes, the long grass in the front yard flattened against the ground in the gusts churning peeks of white on the dark flat of the bay. The air was too cold for her to taste or smell the salt. The front gate's hinges shrieked in the wind as it rattled and swung, beating against the fence. Overhead angry black clouds hung low, churning and threatening rain and more as they blotted out indigo night. Distantly A fog horn booed its mournful warning as the harbor buoys rang clamorously. And the bass voice of the ocean roared until it was almost humming in her blood. Unnerved by the crackling static hanging in the open air and the sea's foul mood, she threw her eyes across the harbor and saw in the tiny bobbing portholes of Hidé's boat.
They were filled with light.
Abruptly one blocked out as something passed in front of it.
"C'mon!" She barked at Tomoe.
Hurrying awkwardly thanks to her stomach, she glanced back to find the ghost wordlessly following on her heels as if already knowing why she'd let him follow. And it was so late that the Yamada's bar had closed. Barely any lights showed in the windows of Kumomi-cho as if the village had hunkered down under the weight of the approaching storm. But there was an unfamiliar truck parked in the harbor lot though the name stenciled on the door was familiar.
Nikkou Fish Company: so it read in white against the navy paint.
Baffled by the sight, Lin cringed as a frigid gust blew right through her skin, shoving her down the pier towards the moored boats. Their bows rose and dipped like the beaks of nervous birds as they jostled against each other, creaking and shuddering as the agitated water churned beneath their keels.
Lin came up short where the dock met the sea wall, recoiling as a wave smashed on the opposite rocks, whipping her with a thick mist she could taste on her lips. And she was soaked in seconds, no longer hidden in the lee of the arm of stone rising up into Mount Eboshi behind her. Here the wind screamed off the open water with furious speed as the timbers beneath her feet moaned beneath the fury of the elements. Tomoe took her arm, shielding her from the wind as he guided her towards a single light.
Seeing the deck of the Kaze no Sengen sent a shudder through her insides. Last time she had set foot on this boat it was to claim Sen. I had been almost half a year since. As pregnant as she was, in a burst of uncanny agility lightly Lin danced across the madly gyrating nose of the prow. She was kami after all. Sinking low over her feet, Lin steadied herself on Tomoe's offered arm as the craft tossed and shimmied in the water. Listening over the wind, she clearly heard the angry voices echoing from within.
Amano was more than pissed, he was livid.
"Get t'fuck off this boat, old man! Y'got no right t'be here!"
"Don't call me that, y'damn hothead!" A strange threw back just a furiously, "I got more right t'be here than you!"
Lin listened sharply, because he spoke with the same clipped consonants that marked the local speech. Though the human's voice was harsh with bitterness, smoldering with anger and old hurt, there was something familiar in it.
"You two were oil an' water; why t'hell d'you sudden care!?"
"What would you know 'bout anythin' tha's been goin' on here, eh?!" Amano shot back, growing angry again as acid dripped from every word, "Y'didn' even come t'Izzie's funeral!"
As a difficult silence fell Tomoe flinched, making Lin glance at him.
She watched as the ghost shrank before bowing with reverence.
Startled, she threw her eyes after his and found Hidé sitting on the bench built into the railing. Wearing silver and gold hakama that spilled around his feet like scales of water the God's bare chest flashed like mother of pearl in the dark. But in a very human motion he bent over his knees with clasped hands. His burning sapphire eyes remained firmly fixed on the deck as he listened to the squall inside the cabin of his boat. Hidé flinched and his face twisted with such pain as again the stranger finally spoke in a voice frayed with despair.
"Goddamn it, Testuo! My son's dead! Dead! An' I would've come home but she didn't even have t'decency t'give her own grandson a goddamned funeral! This boat s'all I have left of him an' I'll be damned if I see it rot into t'harbor or sold off for peanuts 'cause my goddamn mother's too crazy t'admit he's dead!"
"Keep talkin' 'bout Obasama like that, old man, an' I'll break your fuckin' face!"
"I've put you under before, kid," The other male returned in a dangerously low voice, "Don't think I won't do it again."
"Both of you just stop it!" Kiri pleaded, suddenly reminding Lin she was there.
"Stay outta this, babe!" He shot back, "Go home!"
"D-don't fucking order me around like I'm a piece of furniture!"
"Good luck with that," the stranger muttered callously, "You shoulda heard t'way he talked t'Manami."
"Don't fuckin' talk about my wife, you bastard!"
A muffled crash and an angry shout brought on another bout of stillness.
"Enough!" Kiri thundered, sounding like she'd come to an end,"You're both idiots! And right now I can't stand the sight of you!"
Lin fell back against the opposite side of the deck as Kiri threw herself through the door, stumbling on the slick deck. Hidé flowed to his feet, reaching to help her. But she didn't see him, she was sobbing too hard. Her shadow, however, did.
It stood in Kiri's wake physically, clearer than it had ever showed before. Lin shrank as it looked at her and Tomoe before turning to Hidé, reaching for him as if trying to communicate something. In shock Hidé stared with wide-eyed recognition. In the meantime Kiri scrambled up the prow onto the dock. She disappeared into the bristling forest of masts that obscured the pier, forcing the dim outline of the strange woman left in her wake to fade and follow.
Hidé winced as inside the cabin breaking sounds started up again. But as Lin turned, intending to barge into the interior to break up the fight, she skidded to a halt on the wet deck. Because paler than pale Suzume was standing between her and Hidé. The fox held out a hand to the young God as if urging him not to follow Kiri.
"The sea is angry enough. Go back before she comes looking for you."
The fox entreated as his gold eyes turned at the cabin, hardening as they did.
"I will see to this."
Hidé looked for a moment like he was about to argue, obviously torn. His incandescent blue eyes flashed back at the land before fearfully turning overhead as if noticing the storm for the first time. Then he bowed his head, nodding in silent agreement. The young God flowed backwards to the bow of the boat, pivoting over the side in the way water might pour. Waves lifted with eerie calm beneath his beckoning hand, enveloping him as he disappeared fearlessly into the depths. As he went Suzume turned, striding through the cabin door.
"Holy s-shit!" Amano swore in hoarse surprise.
Two human-sized loud thuds rattled the boards of the desk and silence followed.
Then Suzume spoke.
"It is time to come home, Maboru," The God's frosty disapproval frayed as he forced himself to utter the next words, "Your mother is dying."
CHIHIRO
Shouta and the others were right. Kou moved like nothing she'd ever seen.
Tucked against a pylon trying not to freeze her butt off, Chihiro watched in awe. They'd spent the last fifteen minutes hanging out under the train tracks listening to the sound of passing trains. Kou's face lit up every time a subway car went roaring overhead in a clicky-hissing rush, flooding the narrow pedestrian tunnel with violent gusts of wind. As if he couldn't help himself, he dove into the arctic blast of air, turning in tight sinuous circles as each divided around him. How he managed to keep up she couldn't fathom, because the gusts seemed to slow around him as if even it couldn't take its eyes off him. Then Kou laughed: high and clear and happily. Oh, how her insides shook at that sound! With what she wasn't quite sure, but as Chihiro tried to figure that out Lydia called. Turning away, she scrambled with her bag, yanking out her cell and making the eyes of her susuwatari lanyard roll in circles as she slapped it to her ear.
"What!?"
"Chihiro?" Lydia was taken aback, "It's almost 10. Are you alright?"
At once she felt like a jerk.
"I'm so sorry!" She called louder and louder as a train went hissing by overhead, "I totally lost track of time!"
"Where are you!?" Lydia called back, worried now.
"Shinjuku," and Chihiro didn't know why she bothered dropping her voice, Kou couldn't hear anything over the train, "I… I met someone!"
She glanced up as gasps and excited chatter echoed in the tunnel as the train whisked by. And on the opposite side Kou caught the last of the wind. Chihiro's mouth fell open as he back flipped off the wall like it was a trampoline, landing with flying coat tails. Only as he came to stillness did he realize he had gathered a crowd. As all kind of people clapped, tightening in a knot around him, the poor guy shrank in surprise.
"Don't worry I'll see you tomorrow bye!"
Rushing down the tunnel she caught his arm and hauled him through the chattering crowd, pulling him out from under the train tracks onto the east side of Shinjuku. Again Kou came up short on the other side, throwing his head back at the massive high-rises that towered above the boulevard, leaning their bright billboards and flashing advertisements over their heads until she could hardly see the sky.
"They are so… tall! They appear so much smaller from above!"
"Did you fly into Tokyo?"
"In a way…" He was distracted again, leaning back further and further until again she could see his perfect teeth.
As they passed by the caustic red and blue electrics lighted arch marking the beginning of the Kabuki-cho (2) neighborhood a whole score of clubs, bars, and cafés flooded the streets with trendy hipsters, shockingly dressed women, and yakuza types. One closest to the entrance was blasting some j-pop techno. It was the kinda place Michio would've dived into with a victory cry. But the sound seemed to slam into Kou with physical force, knocking him bold upright and perfectly still.
"This music is… strange," he was paled with awe as he lifted a hand to his chest, "I feel it here."
Chihiro was more than tired and not in the mood for a club, but she was so intrigued by his delightfully weird reaction she had to ask.
"Never been to a club?"
"No," he appealed to her for guidance, "Should I?"
"Maybe not tonight. C'mon."
Smirking in spite of herself, Chihiro took his arm and pulled him in the opposite direction. In no time they stopped in front of the cheery two-story brown and orange exterior tucked into the foot of one of the high rises. Delicious smells of sweet sugar and yeasty dough breathed out the door as a group of school girls poured out the door and divided around them in a giggling mess. Kou ignored the girls, still frowning at the quirky English words floating over the door as if he was reading them. Maybe he was?
"How 'bout here?"
God bless Mister Doughnut. They were everywhere. Open pretty much all the time. And who could say no to a doughnut?
When she was still going to college in Nagoya Chihiro loved coming to Mister Donut. She had a donut punch card. After eating 100 donuts in the course of a single month she got a prize box. Inside was a donut pillow, a donut blanket, a donut mug she still had and used, and a mood light donut frosted in plastic. Push a button on the back and it turned red, then blue, then yellow, and green. Michio had promptly stolen it. That was the last Chihiro ever saw of the fabled mood doughnut. But beyond having cool corporate swag, importantly Mister Donut's was welcoming and not at all stuck up or expensive like some of the other late night shops they're passed. But for some baffling reason Kou was suddenly hesitant.
"Chihiro, I… I do not know what a donut is."
She blinked and blinked and the blinked some more. Then she dragged him through the front door, depositing him in front of the glass case. At once he sank to his heels as if he didn't know the meaning of clumsy.
"They are beautiful," Kou hushed to himself, "How is it that people eat such beautiful things?"
Chihiro struggled not to laugh, although as she looked inside the case she realized Kou was right. Doughnuts were beautiful in their own way, especially the crullers with all their curvy lines, pretty frosting, and sprinkles.
"Have you decided?"
The girl behind the counter all but disappeared beneath her mascara. How she could stand beneath the weight of it Chihiro wasn't sure.
"I would have the pink one…"
As if mesmerized, Kou's jade eyes remained fixed on the interior as he pointed vaguely. Apparently the girl's co-worker saw what he saw, because a pair of tongs flashed inside the case.
"And for you?"
"The honey old-fashioned and two cups of coffee."
Her nails clacked on the keys as the register beeped whirred loudly. Chihiro and the counter attendant both jumped as Kou was on his feet, leaning over the edge of the counter to inspect it with a curious frown.
"That'll be 950 yen."
The cashier flashed an uncomfortable smile, glancing between them as trying to decide if they were crazy or not. And the moment Chihiro reached for her purse Kou produced from his pocket what she was quite sure was his last 1000 yen note. She was about to protest when he turned gentle green eyes onto her. At once the words and pretty much everything else in her head just… stopped…
"Please," he murmured in the same quiet voice he'd used earlier, "I have been shown an undue amount of kindness as of recent. Permit me to share my good fortune."
Chihiro was stunned, because he was obviously broke and just making ends meet. But he wasn't insisting out of stupid male pride or the need to impress her. He simply wanted to be share. And she was learning that this was just the way Kou was. How could you say no to something like that?
Taking back his hand Kou lay the note in the money tray. A little pink in the cheeks just from watching, the shop girls glanced between Kou and each other with widening eyes. Apparently they'd just gotten past his appearance to get a good look at his face. Then they both reached for the bill at the same time, crowding the register. But Kou already had the tray, carrying it away from the counter without so much as sloshing the coffee before any of them knew it.
"Thanks," Chihiro muttered sourly.
As she collected the change as they began whispering like hissing cicadas.
"Did you see that guy!?"
"Oh-my-god, He's so hot!"
Surprised by her jealous reaction, Chihiro hurried away and tried not to hear the rest because a hot curl of dislike for the girls was kindling in her stomach. As she joined Kou at the drink sidebar he was carefully stirring sugar and cream into his cup.
Chihiro grinned, "I see you've had coffee before."
"Jae taught me the ways of this drink," He was smiling at his cup as if anticipating his first sip but then made way for her, "Do you enjoy cream and sugar?"
"Yup," she squeezed in beside him and doctored her cup, grinning in spite of herself as she remembered diner, "All of you guys seem really close. How long have you known each other?"
He straightened as if thinking.
"I have known Jae the longest. It had been three days."
Chihiro almost dropped the sugar, "Did you say three days?"
It easily could've been three years the way they acted. Unperturbed Kou nodded, searching the sitting area.
"When first we met I was sure he was quite mad. Jae, however, is simply in earnest at every moment. He knows not how not to feel. Nor does he know how not to show such feeling. I envy him his candor."
Chihiro struggled to understand what he'd just said. It was some seriously deep stuff. But in almost the same sentence Haku turned one of his hands toward the hall leading to the second level.
"Shall we go upstairs? I would see the lights."
With a whole corner of windows to themselves, Chihiro watched as Kou picked up the chocolate-strawberry cruller. She struggled not to laugh as he put on his broken glasses with a solemn dignity, inspecting the pastry as trying to divine its hidden secrets.
As she watched him her heart swelled inside her chest to the point that she scared herself. Blinking rapidly, Chihiro sat back in her chair like someone might step back from the ledge of a building. Because she'd just met this guy. She'd just met him but it felt like she'd known Kou her whole life. And this was so totally strange and weird and crazy. But just as surprisingly, she didn't care. Because there was an undeniable attraction between them, one too strong and too mutual for her to pass by in spite of the fact that he was quite possibly the weirdest guy she'd ever met.
At once Kou's jade eyes turned onto her bringing with them that eerie stillness.
"Is something wrong, Chihiro?" A pinch formed between his shapely brows.
"N-no," She lied quickly, sipping her coffee gingerly, "Just burned my mouth."
But almost as if he knew she was lying, the line between his eyes deepened. Then his gentle gaze turned helpless. He took off and pocketed his glasses, sitting back with slow regret as if he knew there was nothing he could do. Chihiro found herself at a loss beneath the weight of his eyes, because they seemed to look right through her seeing everything, even the things she didn't want him to see.
Kou jumped, at once pale and terrified as he held his donut at arms length.
A bit of the filling extruded from the insides as his fingers tightened on it.
"It spits!" He hushed in horror.
Chihiro laughed explosively, slapping her hands over her mouth. With her hand still clamped over her mouth she watched him cautiously put down the donut only to stare askance at the cream on his fingers as if unsure of what to do. Anyone else would've thoughtlessly licked their fingers. But not Kou. Cautiously, as if afraid it might somehow be poisoned; he brought his hand to his mouth and tasted the filling. At once his face wiped clean with surprise and he sat perfectly still and tall. His jade eyes turned to her full of such genuine astonishment.
"This…! This is delicious!"
She knew in that moment he was telling the truth when he said he'd didn't know what a donut was. Then Chihiro watched him reconsider the pastry. Picking it up as if it was somehow sacred, Kou brought it to his mouth and took a tiny dainty bite. Again her heart squeezed to the point of pain as she watched him sit back in his chair lifting his chin into such wide smile of utter bliss his eyes fluttered closed.
He was glowing again, radiating happiness.
How was it possible for someone to be so beautiful?
Watching him was like watching the sky from the window in her Nagoya apartment. The view was the only reason she'd bought it. Endless blue and white streaked clouds; even when the sky was an angry black and pouring down rain; one look and she was filled with peace. She felt the same way every time he looked at her. And it was like she'd found something she'd somehow lost without knowing it. Putting her other hand in into her pocket, she found the shell with her fingers, once again staring at Kou half expecting him to disappear.
"This has to be a dream," She breathed through her fingers, half afraid she was right, "This can't be real."
At once Kou froze, then slowly put down his donut. Suddenly absolutely serious he leaned forward, disappearing beneath his hair as he put his hands on the table between them, bowing as if apologizing for something she couldn't begin to fathom.
"This is not a dream, Chihiro," he hushed gently, "This I promise you."
Feeling strangely lightheaded at the intensity in his voice, Chihiro closed her eyes, still half-unsure over what she was about to do. Because this was fast; way too fast! But she was terrified that this really was a dream. She was terrified she'd wake up tomorrow morning only to find out that he didn't exist, or worse, that she'd let this opportunity pass by. Taking a slow shaky breath, Chihiro put one of her hands on his beautiful hands.
"Kou?" She began just as quietly, "Will you come home with me tonight?"
Chihiro's insides tightened with dismay as she watched him startle. And she knew she'd surprised him, maybe even scared him. He was weird enough to probably be old-fashioned especially since a glance was all it took to make him blush. But before she could apologize, before she could do anything at all, he caught her hands, holding them with such care. They ere so warm and so very soft. They were also shaking as he breathed a single word like a prayer.
"Yes."
Notes:
Read more about extreme Japanese fashion by wiki-ing Ganguro.
Kabukichō (歌舞伎町?) is an entertainment and red-light district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Kabukichō is the location of many hostess bars, host bars, love hotels, shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, and is often called the "Sleepless Town" (眠らない街). The district's name comes from late-1940s plans to build a kabuki theater: although the theater was never built, the name stuck. - Wikipedia