Epilogue
Tears, Sake, and Hot Tubs
The group, newly added to, sat in the giant hot tub in the Mansion. All but Erika, away as she was, were present. There was a floating tray, laden with sake, floating around. I sipped my cup, the warmth cheering me slightly. I couldn't feel bad forever. We've all lost something, and everyone has to die. Karma is Karma, isn't it? I smiled at my friends. We had spent so much time together fighting the evils of the world, and finally, finally, we were given a reprieve. I missed Sabrina. She should have been here, her warmth next to me in the tub. Her hand holding mine, as it would have been. She was gone now. Shit happens. I guess that is all I can say about that. Shit happens. The others were chatting quietly, some of them stricken worse than others with the news of my wife's death. Megan looked quietly at me, her eyes shining with sympathy. As my friends slowly filtered out, sipping sake and walking slightly precariously, I was left thinking, only Kira left in the room with me. She stood to leave.
"James?"
"Yeah."
"It'll be alright, I promise." The words would have sounded hollow from anyone else. It was just the way she said it that made it mean everything it did.
"Yeah." She slipped on her kimono and exited the room, sliding the shoji shut behind her. I was left alone in the darkness of my hot tub. I dozed off to sleep.
I was awakened by a familiar presence, and a crack of light in the shoji wall. Erika stood at the door. She slid it closed behind her. She bowed to me. I rubbed my eyes and bowed my head back.
"Did I wake you?"
"Slightly. Doesn't matter."
"They said you'd be here. Megan was worried about you."
"Hmm. Figures." She slipped off her kimono, hanging it on a wooden peg near the door. She proceeded to take off the under kimono too. I felt kind of awkward, Erika standing there naked in front of me. Last week I would have felt totally different, being married. Now there was a gap there. It still felt awkward looking at her. I had seen her like this before, and more than this. But I still felt strange, just the fact that loss of a wife and bathing naked in the dark with someone you've slept with in the same week were just kind of a bizarre mix. She lowered herself into the tub, eyes widening slightly with the heat.
"James, what did you set this on, boil?"
"150, give or take, umm... 100."
"It's kind of hot."
"I'll turn it down." I mentally flicked the temp control down to 100. The tub jetted in cool water, setting us at 100 in less than ten seconds. Erika stood in the deepest part, the middle, at about four and a half feet. I carefully waded out the ten feet to the middle from where I had fallen asleep.
"James, I heard about all of this. I'm so sorry."
"It's alright. Life takes its course, I guess it takes its toll too." She put her arms around me and hugged me to her. I held her too. I could feel her soft skin against mine, her firm breasts pressed against my chest. I buried my face in her hair and cried. She just held me tightly. I could feel every minute movement she made, her even breathing in contrast to my uneven sobbing, and the slight adjustments of her arms holding me. I felt so open and weak, standing there, her arms around me, sobbing into her hair. She kissed my cheek.
"Like you said, life takes its course. It will all be alright in the end. Trust me." She kissed me again. The tears stopped, and we just stood there, embracing. After a while I felt her pull away. She grabbed my hand.
"James, it's getting late, and you are going to bed." I followed her out of the hot tub, turning it off. I helped her put her underkimono and kimono on, and we walked to my room, just down the hall. We got took off our outer kimonos and got into bed and held each other until we fell asleep. Maybe I would get over all of this. Just maybe.
Tears, Sake, and Hot Tubs
The group, newly added to, sat in the giant hot tub in the Mansion. All but Erika, away as she was, were present. There was a floating tray, laden with sake, floating around. I sipped my cup, the warmth cheering me slightly. I couldn't feel bad forever. We've all lost something, and everyone has to die. Karma is Karma, isn't it? I smiled at my friends. We had spent so much time together fighting the evils of the world, and finally, finally, we were given a reprieve. I missed Sabrina. She should have been here, her warmth next to me in the tub. Her hand holding mine, as it would have been. She was gone now. Shit happens. I guess that is all I can say about that. Shit happens. The others were chatting quietly, some of them stricken worse than others with the news of my wife's death. Megan looked quietly at me, her eyes shining with sympathy. As my friends slowly filtered out, sipping sake and walking slightly precariously, I was left thinking, only Kira left in the room with me. She stood to leave.
"James?"
"Yeah."
"It'll be alright, I promise." The words would have sounded hollow from anyone else. It was just the way she said it that made it mean everything it did.
"Yeah." She slipped on her kimono and exited the room, sliding the shoji shut behind her. I was left alone in the darkness of my hot tub. I dozed off to sleep.
I was awakened by a familiar presence, and a crack of light in the shoji wall. Erika stood at the door. She slid it closed behind her. She bowed to me. I rubbed my eyes and bowed my head back.
"Did I wake you?"
"Slightly. Doesn't matter."
"They said you'd be here. Megan was worried about you."
"Hmm. Figures." She slipped off her kimono, hanging it on a wooden peg near the door. She proceeded to take off the under kimono too. I felt kind of awkward, Erika standing there naked in front of me. Last week I would have felt totally different, being married. Now there was a gap there. It still felt awkward looking at her. I had seen her like this before, and more than this. But I still felt strange, just the fact that loss of a wife and bathing naked in the dark with someone you've slept with in the same week were just kind of a bizarre mix. She lowered herself into the tub, eyes widening slightly with the heat.
"James, what did you set this on, boil?"
"150, give or take, umm... 100."
"It's kind of hot."
"I'll turn it down." I mentally flicked the temp control down to 100. The tub jetted in cool water, setting us at 100 in less than ten seconds. Erika stood in the deepest part, the middle, at about four and a half feet. I carefully waded out the ten feet to the middle from where I had fallen asleep.
"James, I heard about all of this. I'm so sorry."
"It's alright. Life takes its course, I guess it takes its toll too." She put her arms around me and hugged me to her. I held her too. I could feel her soft skin against mine, her firm breasts pressed against my chest. I buried my face in her hair and cried. She just held me tightly. I could feel every minute movement she made, her even breathing in contrast to my uneven sobbing, and the slight adjustments of her arms holding me. I felt so open and weak, standing there, her arms around me, sobbing into her hair. She kissed my cheek.
"Like you said, life takes its course. It will all be alright in the end. Trust me." She kissed me again. The tears stopped, and we just stood there, embracing. After a while I felt her pull away. She grabbed my hand.
"James, it's getting late, and you are going to bed." I followed her out of the hot tub, turning it off. I helped her put her underkimono and kimono on, and we walked to my room, just down the hall. We got took off our outer kimonos and got into bed and held each other until we fell asleep. Maybe I would get over all of this. Just maybe.