Chapter Twenty Five

A/N: So here I am again. Working hard…I'm trying to be stricter with my schedule. This work week (the one that I started writing the chapter) is long…but next week's is short so I'll have more time off to finish.

…And I realize that I'm probably the only one who knows what I'm talking about because I'm the only one who knows my work schedule… DERP. XD Oh well…wanted to rant anyway.

Alfred and Matthew trotted around the fish market, early the next morning. They had slept all afternoon and well into the night. They were up, wide awake at 3 am with nothing to do so Matthew suggested they see the fish market. Alfred was in disbelief that even that would be open, but Matthew protested that he saw on a travel show once that restaurants in Japan start shopping around for fish at underground fish markets really early.

"They need to," He told the American, "I guess that's when all the fishing boats come back with fresh product."

The Yankee agreed to go. He was curious to see what Tokyo might look like in its dead hour. He was dismayed to find that it was not, in fact, dead at all. Even in the early hours people were awake and walking about. "Seriously man," He glanced his head back and forth, "Don't these people ever go to sleep?"

Matthew chuckled to himself as he watched Alfred gawk at the busyness of the market. He could be wonderfully cute when he was clueless. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to do here. He couldn't buy any fish since their hotel room did not come with a kitchen. Instead he entertained himself with Alfred's facial expressions and the aggressive bidding by restaurateurs for fish. He noticed that Salmon was the biggest demand. Being from Canada, where salmon was also highly prize as a national commodity, it made him feel like a bond was being created with this Asian nation. He wondered if they were big on lobster too.

He wanted ask them. He wanted to ask about many things. But he couldn't. He didn't know Japanese and the Japanese didn't know English. Well, not many of the ones here anyway. Matthew was a bit surprised as the Japanese, from what he understood, did learn English in school. However, it was becoming clear that many of them didn't bother to retain that information. He sighed…kind of like how English Canadians barely bothered to retain any of the French they learned in elementary and high school.

Looking back at Alfred who was blankly staring at an old Japanese vendor lady who was talking up a storm with him – Matthew figured by her tone that he had done something wrong and she was lecturing him…either that or trying to aggressively sell her fish to him, he realized they would need a translator to get around. They had managed to make it through Europe thanks to newfound friends who spoke a language in common with them, but this wasn't Europe.

Walking up to Alfred he tapped him on the shoulder. The American looked relieved to be pulled away from the chatty Japanese lady. He quickly waved goodbye to her claiming he had to leave and dragged Matthew along with him.

"Dude," Alfred laughed nervously, "I have no clue what that lady's problem was but man, am I ever glad to be out of there." He smelt himself, "We need to head back to the hotel. I smell like fish. It's kind of gross." He shouted enthusiastically as he turned away to head back to their room, "Can't go to Tokyo Disney Land smelling like fish!"

Matthew sighed. Was Alfred still going on about that? He really was persistent. "Alfred!" He called out before the American could go too far. Alfred turned around to listen – he had a worried expression that displayed his fear of Matthew saying no to Disney Land, "I think we should hire a translator."

Alfred blinked. He wasn't sure what to say to that. He had been expecting the worst and was surprised. "Oh," He finally managed to squeeze a word out. Thinking about it for a minute he concluded that this was a good idea, "Sure, why not."

Matthew felt better knowing that they would have someone to assist them. Having a translator would double up as a tour guide since translators were taught to act as ambassadors for their country. One summer Matthew acted as a translator in Quebec City. It was the summer after his mother died. Feeling suffocated he accepted a position with the Province of Quebec's Ministry of Tourism giving tour guides of the only walled city north of the US-Mexico border. It was Canada's oldest city, established in 1608, and a favourite tourist destination in Quebec after Montreal. He gave tips to new comers on all the best hangouts and historical sites. He hoped the translator he and Alfred hired would have the same enthusiasm he had back in those days.

The two went back to the hotel to have a hot shower. Alfred insisted they share one – something about saving water, but Matthew waved it off. He knew Al was just looking for an excuse to get sexy with him and he wasn't feeling up to it right now. Matthew went first, making sure to lock the door while he showered.

Rubbing his naked self down with a bar of white soap, Matthew's thoughts drifted to his mother. What would she think, knowing he was running around with Alfred like this? Surely she would support him, right? His emotions sank wishing she was here. He could just ask her. Almost suddenly the topic in his head changed. He was always wondering about his own parents…but what about Alfred's? How did they feel about their son wandering off with him? From what Alfred had told him his dad wasn't a very tolerant man and the two didn't get along…but what about his mom? Matthew had only seen her once back in the Netherlands when his and Alfred's parents tacked them down in Europe. He wondered what she was like.

BANG BANG BANG!

"Yo, Mattie, are you done yet?" Alfred moaned from the other side of the locked door, "The smell of fish is really starting to bother me."

"Yeah, yeah," Matthew groaned, shutting the water off. As Matthew dressed he tried to remember what it was he was thinking about. Alfred's bantering had broken his train of thought, which he was so deep in it was like a dream. He shrugged it off. Whatever it was, he'd remember sooner or later.

While Alfred was cleaning himself off Matthew trudged down to the lobby to inquire about tour guides and translators. The woman at the concierge desk gave him a book to look them up. Matthew stared at it for a moment before the obviousness of the situation gave itself away. …It was all in Japanese.

"Oh," She finally noticed as she watched him blink dumbly at the pages of the book. "My apologies."

Scribbling something down on a piece of paper she handed him a note. "This is my friend," She smiled at him, "His name is Honda Kiku and he is training to work in tourism." She smiled at him before adding, "His English is quite good. I think he would be happy to help you."

"Ah," Matthew smiled, receiving the note, "Thank you. My friend and I will look him up." He waved as he left to return to his room, "Thanks again."

Riding the elevator back to his floor he studied the note in his hand.

Honda Kiku
713-549-xxxx
Ikyou Temple

An address was added. Matthew wondered where exactly that was. He'd have to find a map. Luckily, Alfred had an app for that. He had downloaded a type of GPS system into his iPhone to locate the fish market that morning.

The elevator rang as the door pulled back to let him out. Matthew walked out, still looking at the paper. Perhaps he'd call Honda first. The sun was rising and it was just after seven o'clock. From what he understood the Japanese were early risers so maybe this friend of the woman's at the front desk was already awake.

Opening the door, Matthew found Alfred half naked with two towels. One was wrapped around his hips and he was using the other to dry his hair. Matthew blinked, stunned and strangely attracted to this image of the American. His face headed up as a shudder ran down his spine all the way to his loins.

"Hey Mattie," Alfred smiled as if nothing was wrong. He pointed to the piece of paper in Matthew hand and asked, "What's that?"

"Oh," Matthew glanced down at his hand. "I went downstairs and asked for information about a translator. The woman at the desk referred me to this guy so…" He held the paper up to Alfred.

"Oh yeah?" Alfred walked up to him and grabbed the paper.

The Canadian observed Alfred calmly staring at the paper. He could smell how clean Alfred was and it made him woozy. If the American had any thought to take him now he wouldn't protest. But Alfred had proven that timing wasn't really his thing.

"Okay so," Alfred walked away with the paper in his hand, "I guess we'll just call this guy then."

Matthew frowned. Was it really that simple? Could they really just pick up the phone and ask the guy if he wanted to be their tour guide?

Alfred was immune to Matthew's hesitancy and easily picked up the receiver of the phone by the bedside and dialed the number on the paper. He fidgeted with the long, curly cord as it rang once, twice, three times before someone picked up the phone.

"Moshi Moshi," A deep groggy voice answered. He sounded like an old man and not the type that was kind and grandfatherly.

"Hi!" Alfred replied cheerfully, "My name is Alfred and I –" He was unable to finish as a clicking noise gave way to a dial tone. He looked at Matthew and blinked, "He hung up on me."

Matthew smiled sympathetically. He though highly of Alfred for having the courage to try but obviously this wasn't going to work. A shrug accompanied his smile, "Maybe the woman gave us the wrong number."

"Oh maybe," Alfred stared at the arrangement, "I did it wrong." He looked at Matthew said, "The Japanese read right to left, right? It's opposite! Maybe if I type in the number the opposite way…"

Matthew laughed, "I don't think that's it."

Al nodded, "Okay, I'll try again. Maybe he just didn't understand why I was calling. Probably thought I was some foreign telemarketer."

Feeling as though there was no point in arguing Matthew settled himself down in the attached living room. He picked up the black remote and turned the television on. Nearly every channel was in Japanese. Once he managed to find an English channel, CNN not surprisingly, he settled in to watch the news. It was all politics of course. The U.S. President had just given a speech and the commentators were analyzing it. Matthew had little interest but there was nothing else to watch but Japanese game shows, anime, Japanese news and other things of interest to the island.

Suddenly, Alfred burst into the living room, "OH MY GOD!" His adrenaline was high; he'd scared Matthew into being wide-eyed. Alfred was so excited he was nearly dancing, "Guess what!? Guess what!?"

Nervously, Matthew inquired.

"I got through to him!" Alfred quickly explained. He was so fast Matthew barely understood him. "Okay, so, I phone and then the old guy answered and I was 'old guy, someone gave me your number I need Honda Kiku' and the guy was like…nothing because he can't speak English and I thought he was going to hang up but he didn't and then some other guy with a soft voice – not as soft as yours though Mattie, came on and was like 'hi, I'm Honda Kiku' and I was like some chick gave us your number to be a translator for us, do you want the job? And he was totally stunned and asked us to meet him at his temple! Cool, right!?"

Matthew blinked, trying to absorb all the jumbled information Alfred spat out at him. When he finally digested it all he asked, "How do we get to the temple? And what time did Honda want to meet him?"

Alfred thought about it for a minute. "Oh crap!" he suddenly shouted, "I forgot to ask! I was just so excited!"

Matthew sighed. Anyone could tell from a mile away that Alfred was excited. He was laughing and prancing so hard people in China were probably aware of the news.

"Well," Matthew stood up off the couch after turning the television off, "We have the address on the paper. Type it into your phone. We'll follow it and leave now."

"Sure," Alfred smiled at his companion. "Works for me."

They set off a few minutes later feeling more confident in their vacation than they had earlier. Now they would be able to see the little known hangouts and the mainstream events. Matthew hoped the GPS system would accurately guide them, especially since it was some distance outside of Tokyo and they'd have to take the train to get there.

The train leaving the city was nowhere near as tightly packed as the one coming in. Matthew shuddered thinking it crazy that so many were accepting of the cramped conditions and marvelled at how they managed to even get themselves in there in the first place. Alfred was not as amazed. He likened it to the New York subway on a busy day.

The two sat comfortably on the plush green seats as the city rushed past them at lightning speed. In less than a half hour the door to the long, air conditioned train opened and let the two out. It was a bit eerie as they were the only ones getting off.

Alfred pulled out his phone, the GSP still tracking their location and where they had to go. He pointed to the stairs and Matthew followed him. They walked down until they hit street level whereby Alfred consulted with his phone again. He led them down the street, around the corner, down another street, across a crosswalk, down another street, and into a back alleyway.

"Are you sure this is right?" Matthew looked around. Cherry blossoms towered over a stone wall, preventing passing strangers from seeing their stumps. The roof of an old temple could be seen behind the wall too.

"No doubt about it, dude." Alfred reassured his own uneasiness by reviewing the GPS on his phone. "It's got to be."

"Well," Matthew stared at the iron gates. The scenery beyond it was inviting, making them feel more comfortable about entering. But still, why did a public temple need an iron gate? Alfred opened the gate, letting Matthew pass before him, and closed it as he followed. They walked down the white stone path, under the little torii gate and into the main court.

The temple was made of wood and painted red. A small stack of stairs led to the main level of the temple where visitors would buy charms or leave pieces of paper on trees. Matthew assumed they must have been prayers or wishes.

"It is a wish tree," a kindly voice said to them. Matthew and Alfred turned around to find a young man in a purple robe, with a red satin waistband tied to keep the piece together.

"A…what?" Alfred looked back at the little tree.

"It is really a bamboo tree," He was told by the young Japanese man, "But during the Tanabata Festival we call them Wish Trees."

Matthew smiled, "I guess these are the wishes of the people who visited this temple."

"That is correct." The temple keeper said, "Tanabata was last week."

"Damn," Al frowned with a groan, "So we missed it…"

"I am afraid so." The black haired host mimicked the frown, though more out of sympathy, "But you are always welcome to add your own wish right now if you'd like."

Both Alfred and Matthew were thrilled. Even though the festival had passed they still would be a part of it. They eagerly took the small pieces of paper handed to them and wrote their wish. Matthew wrote his in French to avoid anyone knowing what it was. He was curious to snoop on Alfred's though. He peeked over Alfred's shoulder but was caught by the American.

"Hey," Alfred hid the paper under his hand, "No looking! If you do it won't come true!"

They tied their wishes to the tree like ornaments and watched them hang amongst the other papers with pride. Turning around they both thanked the gentleman for giving them the opportunity to engage in the national culture.

"You are very welcome." The young man smiled. He suddenly found himself wondering curiously to them, "By any chance…you wouldn't happen to be the people who called earlier, would you?"

"Yup," Alfred didn't even have to think about it, "You're Honda Kiku, right? I'm Alfred Jones. I'm the one who spoke to you on the phone."

"Ah, yes," Honda nodded with an uncertain smile, "However, you may call me Kiku."

Alfred raised a brow, "You want us to call you by your last name?"

"No," Kiku laughed, "Kiku is my personal name. Honda is my family name."

Alfred was still grappling with the information. He was unused to people spelling their names backwards. Matthew was equally perplexed but let it be. He knew if Alfred began asking questions the topic would go round in circles so he inquired as to whether Kiku had an itinerary for them.

"Oh, um," Kiku thought about it. "My apologies but I am afraid I do not."

"Well that sucks," Alfred frowned, "What do we do now?"

Kiku scattered around his brain trying to come up with a fun and exciting idea off the top of his head. It would have to be something these gaijin, foreigners, would enjoy. Perhaps something that would make them feel more at home. Something…western…

"I suppose we could go to Tokyo Disney Land." He said.

"YES!" Alfred was a ball of energy, pumping his fist into the air. The time had finally arrived! His mouth watered thinking of riding on roller coasters, taking pictures with Mickey and Minnie and fighting for a good spot to watch the noon hour parade to the castle.

"Um," Alfred's grin flopped. He knew that tone coming from Matthew's lips. It screamed 'I really don't want to do this'. " Let's hold off on Disney Land for a little bit."

Alfred grumbled with disappointment, "But whyyyyyyyyyyyy!? Dude, what do you have against Disney Land?"

"Nothing," Matthew tried to ease his partner, "It's just…it's the first day. Let's focus on settling in rather than tiring ourselves out."

"Perhaps a visit to the local market?" Kiku suggested.

Alfred was not impressed, "We were already at a market today…and it sucked."

Matthew gave Alfred a short glare, feeling the American may have insulted their host. He proceeded to smile at Kiku and explain, "We were at a fish market earlier this morning. It was complicated to navigate."

"Oh, I see," Kiku said while nodding, "the market I have proposed is a regular food market. Not a fish market."

"Like…with fruits and stuff?" Alfred asked.

"Yes."

"In Japan?"

"Yes."

"Why not?" Matthew smiled, "We can get ourselves some breakfast."

It was almost nine o'clock and neither Alfred nor Matthew had eaten yet. Alfred conceded to postponing Disney Land and the trio walked to the nearby market for something to fill their empty tummy's.

Alfred was amazed at the variety. Staring in awe at a counter with chocolates and candies he gawked, "Holy crap! They have seven different kinds of KitKat bars! There's orange and lemon meringue pie and white chocolate and mint and original and…"

Matthew wasn't interested in that. He wanted to try something ethnic to eat. What were the Japanese known for? Rice, of course! But he could get rice at home. He looked to Kiku. "What should we get to eat? I'd like to try something unique."

"Hmmm," Kiku opened his mind once again, "A good Japanese meal would be rice, miso soup, grilled salmon…"

"Please," Alfred interjected rejoining the group with an orange flavoured KitKat bar in hand, "No fish. Not after this morning."

"Oh please," Matthew rolled his eyes, "You couldn't have been affected that badly."

"Not forever," Alfred counted, "Just today."

"Maybe pickles instead," Kiku told them.

Alfred raised a brow, "Pickles?"

Matthew nudged him, prompting the American to keep quiet, "Pickles sounds fine. What else?"

"Yes, what else?"

Alfred, Matthew and Kiku jumped out of their skin at the voice behind the two North Americans. They whirled around to see the smiling face of a bleach blond young man taller than both of them. He smiled politely as if he had done no wrong. He was just trying to be friends.

"Oh, um…" Matthew was at a loss.

"Who the hell are you?" Alfred was much bolder.

"Oh," The young man's violet eyes sprung open. He smiled again, "Zdravstvujtye, I am Ivan."

Matthew smiled, "Well, hello Ivan. It's nice to meet you." He was a bit shaky talking to a stranger, but he appreciated the man's friendliness.

Alfred was immediately suspicious, "You sound like a Russia."

"Da, I am Russian." Ivan responded before diving his chin back behind the long white scarf draped around him.

All four stared at each other quietly for a moment before Matthew casually said, "Why don't we all get breakfast now? I'm starving."

"Sure thing, Mattie." Alfred grabbed Matthew's hand and walked away from the Japanese guide and Russian stranger. He glanced back eyeing Ivan suspiciously, though not dangerously. Turning back he shrugged it off. Maybe he just noticed they weren't Asian like everyone else and wanted to hang out. Yeah, that's got to be it!

Kiku was about to hop himself into a jog to chance his employers when Ivan said to him, "Do you know who that is?"

"Oh," Kiku turned around, knowing the Russian was addressing him, "Yes, the one in the red jacket is Alfred-san. He is from America. His companion in the blue jacket is Matthew-san. He is from Canada."

"Alfred," Ivan echoed in a hypnotic voice, "Alfred F. Jones."

Kiku was flabbergasted that Ivan knew the American's full name. His surprise was eased when Ivan explained to him, not taking his eyes of the wandering American, "He's the son of a wealthy American." He looked at Kiku and smiled, "That's why I recognize him."

"I did not know that," Kiku smiled. He excited himself at the idea of a wonderful bonus payment if he ensured Alfred and Matthew had a good time. "We should follow them before we lose them." The Japanese youth added, figuring the Russian wanted to join. Ivan simply nodded, letting Kiku lead the way.

Short chapter is short, I know. The next one (26) might not be up for a month since my schedule at work is out of whack due to a future vacation request.

But hey...two new characters...yay...right?