The uneasy relent of time finally reached its close as the copper door lock clicked quietly open.
Takamoto pushed open the heavy door and stepped softly onto the carpet, careful to shut the door behind him as equally soundlessly as he had opened it. His grey vest was now decorated with brown stains of blood and the wound on his left hand revealed a thickly wrapped dressing. He surveyed his previously tidy living room with a look of heavy fatigue. He sighed deeply at the upturned table and blood on the carpet, though obviously far too wary to express this any further, he instead made his way to a simple chair of some dark wood that overlooked the only window in the room.
He passed Mei, who still remained on the floor holding a now slumbering Harumi, without sparing a glance. He looked up at the half-moon glinting high in the sky before sitting carefully down into the chair. The chair creaked a little as he shifted his weight to his desired position before settling to stillness. He closed his eyes, bathed in the filtering moonlight, and listened to the waves outside.
Mei regarded him as he ritualistically went through this sequence of actions. She knew what she wanted to ask, what she needed to know, but, albeit, remained perfectly silent. She knew he would speak only when ready. The small boat slid over the waves, bobbing in place, a few crashing up against the sides, spraying the glazed window with foam. Harumi stirred uncomfortably; Mei looked down to where she slept in her lap, lips moving slightly, as she muttered something inaudible from the other realm of consciousness.
''Sleep is a natural defence mechanism to pain, or so it seems.''
Mei started, jerked out of thought with the awareness Takamoto had finally spoken after five minutes of silence. She looked up from Harumi's quivering face to Takamoto's serious one, his black eyes twinkling in the moonlight with intellect.
''Yes, I suppose it is...It's just as well, she gets horrendously seasick.''
Mei smiled softly down at Harumi then back up into Takamoto's dark eyes, searching his countenance for any sliver of indication as to the outcome; her burning question etched into every feature. He leaned further back, bringing forth a second round of protest from the wooden chair and interlaced his fingers over his chest. Mei briefly wondered if his bandaged hand still hurt.
''Though he's not entirely out of the woods yet, if nothing unforeseen occurs in the next few hours - the dog should pull through.''
Relief. Instant relief. It hit her harder than she thought, washing through her aching limbs with its soothing fingers, making her whole self feel just a little lighter - in spite of everything. Harumi? Should she wake her now, or perhaps wait to be absolutely sure of the result? Mei looked down at her resting face which had just relaxed; she was obviously exhausted.
''Thank you, Mr Takamoto…''
She decided on the latter.
''I can't apologise enough for the chaos in here, and - for Harumi. Once she's awake you'll see she's nothing like-''
He held up a dismissive hand, replicating his action on the harbour (though this time it was his right).
''I've been in the business of life and death far too long to have not seen how the prospect of losing someone precious can transform even the most tender of people, let alone those who are already capable of expressing themselves strongly.''
He motioned to Harumi.
''In her, I can clearly see a person who cares immensely about those close to her, even if those individuals may be few and far between.''
He watched carefully as she smiled for a second time, this time placing her hand lightly on the other woman's resting head.
''If I were you, I'd hold on to someone like that - some people don't just turn the corner into your life every day.''
Mei appeared to consider this for a moment before she shook her head sadly and began to murmur a response, more to herself than anyone.
''If only that were true. Yuzu she would do anything for, Eiji she would do anything for, Shinobu she would do anything for -But me, I'm just that anything.''
The old man cocked his wise head, interpreting the message within Mei's complex whispers, despite the strange names surrounding them.
She spoke up, looking him in the eye briefly once more.
''Unfortunately in my case, I don't think the roots run so deep, nor the veins so red.''
Harumi stirred again as though disturbed, Mei withdrew her hand suddenly, worried she was interrupting her scarce sleep. To her surprise, Harumi visibly protested at the removal and shifted uncomfortably before pressing herself closer to Mei's warmth, only settling fully once Mei had drawn her arms lightly around her once more. Mei couldn't help the third smile flicker across her lips.
''I wouldn't be so hasty to trust hollow words.''
Mei looked at him properly this time, his dark eyes sparkled back at her knowingly. She chose to change the subject.
''I assume this means you have accepted the lighter as payment.''
He nodded and pulled the object in question from his pocket. It's cerulean-orange flame briefly flickered to life in the semi-darkness where Takamoto sat. The dancing flame cast strange shadows across his aged face, telling the story of every scar and wrinkle cut into the deep valleys of his countenance. Mei sat mesmerised, just as she had done as a child, staring into the logs of the great fireplace at the many shapes and stories to be found amongst the winter flames. With a tiny chink, he flicked the cap back over the flame extinguishing it. His illuminated form diminished into the darkness; his left side still described by the light of the moon.
''Solid silver, correct?''
''Yes, that's right.''
His voice took on an inquisitive edge, heightening slightly in pitch.
''An expensive item to carry, especially for one with so little else to her name?''
''What are you suggesting, I stole it?''
''No, no I'm not suggesting that. I can tell you were brought up with money despite your current situation. If I could put it into a phrase I'd say, you were naturally rich. ''
''Not to be rude, but you don't have any idea of my financial situation or what it has been over the last few years. What makes you so sure I'm rolling in it?.''
''I wouldn't care if you were born in the tiniest slum of East Asia, in time, money would come. By what means I couldn't say, but somehow, someway it would just come because it's just natural to you.
Even now, even after whatever you say you've been through over the past few years, your underlying subconscious has never once told you, 'we're broke' and you know it, because as I said before, money is only natural to someone like you.''
Mei gawked at the man, taken aback by his utterly random premonition of her future wealth. He didn't know her from Adam and this he had apparently summed up in the past hour of their acquaintance. He had struck her as a logical man, not one to put stock in the burning between his toes. She wondered briefly if it was entirely safe to be locked in his company.
''Ok… well unless I become an armed robber in the near future, I'm afraid you may fall a little short on that prophesy Muhammad. ''
He laughed lightly to himself at the comparison leaving Mei increasingly bewildered as he broke his serious demeanour for the first time that night, her eyes only just making out the uncharacteristic expression in the pale moonlight.
''Just the blatherings of an increasingly senile old man, pay them no heed if they bother you. You just remind me of a man I knew briefly during the war, one of the only one of us so-called regular folk to walk out of the thing with more than the skin on his back; that man died a rich old fool and he always knew he would.
Besides, the true reason I don't believe it belonged originally to you is strongly rooted in concrete logic, if that makes you feel better.''
Mei shifted awkwardly, realising he had picked up on her discomfort.
'' You simply don't strike me as a smoker, unlike your friend over there.''
''No, I'm not a fan of the practice.''
''Neither am I nor was I back then.''
The highlighted half of Takamoto's face clouded with a look of faraway places.
''It belonged to my husband.''
''Belonged?''
''Yes, he's since passed.''
''Recently?''
Mei nodded, albeit warily.
''I see, my condolences.''
She nodded again in acceptance of the formality.
''When was the funeral?''
''It's been delayed.''
''I don't remember hearing about a death in Matsuyama.''
Mei hesitated briefly, then continued, deeming the additional nugget of information relatively harmless, ''No, I'm from Kagoshima - originally.''
''A young widow three hundred miles away from home, in the company of a strange woman and her dog when she should be organising her husband's funeral?''
Mei didn't like the way he edged around the words. Not in the slightest.
She shrugged the comment off casually, ''Yes, actually, I'm going in person to see my in-laws as they can't make the trip in ther-
''Are you on the run?''
Well, that died quickly.
She eyed his silhouetted figure sharply, he had leaned back in his chair so his face was no longer visible in the moonlight.
''What makes you think something like that?''
''I've noticed the police thickening out lately.''
''Even Japan has criminals.''
''Beautiful young women in their mid-20's, sporting long dark hair and nonchalant expressions are particularly prevalent in the news recently, however, don't you think?''
She watched with rising anxiety as he shifted in his seat, even though she couldn't see his face, she knew, without doubt, his gaze fell on the small radio by her elbow. Panic began to set in.
Shit, he knows.
Mei began to eye her escape routes. The window? Too small and he's too close by. The only way out of here is the front door, but he's undoubtedly locked it. So where the hell is the key, how the hell was I dumb enough to let myself fall into this one?
She squinted into the pale darkness in the fleeting hope of spotting the glimmer of metal she so begged he had been careless enough to leave in view.
''But then again, I am getting on,'' he sighed wistfully, ''perhaps it was just my hearing.''
Mei stopped dead from where she had risen an inch from the carpet and slowly sat down again.
''This really is an awfully expensive trinket, perhaps, even all you have left. My guess is you probably don't even have enough to cross the inland sea again - am I right?''
Mei was watching his rotating fingers like a hawk, following every word with heightened attention. Beads of sweat had begun to form on her otherwise cold forehead.
''You've gone a little too far, for a quick spot of veterinary work, don't you think?''
''Where are you going with this?
Takamoto suddenly leaned forward, his head finally piercing the shroud of darkness to reveal his grinning eyes which settled on Mei's guarded ones.
''I'll take you back to Hiroshima, to the small port town of Onomichi...''
Mei mouthed words of soundless perplexion.
''...but from there you're on your own.''
Finally, she managed to verbalise, ''But, why would you?''
Takamoto replicated Mei's casual shrug of mere moments ago settling back into a less dramatic position.
''Several reasons, actually. The first of which is that I don't like ripping people off. As I said, your little treasure here is too high a payment for my rough service, so I figured free passage across the sea should have us about square.''
Mei nodded vaguely, still trying to comprehend the catch behind the unnecessary display of kindness.
Takamoto held up the middle and index fingers of his right hand in a gesture for two as he continued, ''Second thing is no matter what I do next, you've been on my boat now and everybody knows it. It won't take long for those nosy chaps outside to send the blackshirts my way, so even if I decided to dob you in now, I'd still have to deal with that headache of freezing my ass off outside whilst they questioned me. Too much trouble if you ask me.''
Mei raised her eyebrows at the severely illogical reasoning but dared not interrupt as in this version of reality things were turning in her favour.
Takamoto sighed deeply and his serious expression returned before he spoke, ''Did you kill him, your husband?''
The question fell heavily and inevitably into the quiet room. Mei averted her eyes from Takamoto's scrutiny, unsure of what the right thing to say was, nevermind the truth. Instead of pushing further, he gazed outside allowing the silence of consideration to linger before filling it himself.
''I know how it feels to kill - to watch the light drain out of their eyes and the body go limp. The first time, you watch as intently as though you were blind seeing colour for the first time, and then it hits you - this was caused by your hand. The sweats come, then the adrenaline and you don't know just how to feel. Through the insanity of it all, some part of you is freed, like some great gate has been finally lifted, while fifty more simultaneously fall shut, forever. ''
Mei didn't even begin the attempt to deny it at this stage, the twinkling of his perceptive eyes told her he knew too much already.
''People never look at you the same way again, for better or for worse - I know that pain. The look in your eye tells me you know it too.
The best advice I can give you going forward is to never let yourself believe you deserve to suffer, especially when you know damn well you wouldn't be here today if you didn't act then.
Don't let it tear your soul apart, especially not under the eye of the narrow-minded, this world is cruel - that's just how it is.''
Takamoto stopped talking for a moment and bent over where he sat, deeply considering his next words; the look of faraway places had cast over his furrowed brow once more.
He eventually turned his hard stare from the ground, looking up to face Mei once more,
''Let me tell you a story.''
/