Author's Note:
I love writing Ginza. She's so much fun!
These characters belong to Gonzo.
. . .
Saiga heard his cell phone beating tattoos against the glossed pages of a magazine. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the sound and the pounding headache he had. Something soft brushed his chin.
"Jesus Christ," he groaned. He shifted underneath Kagura, trying to lean her on the arm of the couch while he reached for his phone. "Fucking nut-job… H-Hello?"
"What the hell, Saiga." Ginza's voice made his headache worse. "I've been calling you all night."
His thumb rubbed his puffy eyelids. "I was busy."
"What were you doing? Screwing that little bitch?"
"What do you want?"
"I want you zipped up in a fucking body bag is what I want. Get your ass back here and stop crawling away from me like a spineless worm."
"Did you wake me up just to make idle threats?"
"Wake you up? It's eleven in the morning!" She exclaimed.
"I have a hangover."
"You're gonna wish you had just a hangover when I'm through with you."
"You have three seconds to make your point before I hang up."
She sighed. "Listen, lay off that fucking camera, okay? You'll go blind. Do you understand what that means?"
"Take care, Ginza."
"Saiga! You son of a—"
He tossed the phone back onto the coffee table. He could feel parts of Kagura's body pressing against him, and he didn't want to investigate it further. Saiga detangled himself and jumped in the shower, double checking the lock on the door before he got in the tub.
Inevitably, he thought about their conversation the night before, and he guessed it could've been worse. She could've asked him what his deal was at the beach. What the hell were they supposed to do today? Lay on the couch swapping good-feelie stories?
. . .
Kagura didn't say much in the car. Saiga had expected to be bombarded with a hoard of questions about the previous night or his tight-lipped manner this morning or even something simple like, "Where are we going?" She remained silent.
Saiga took a deep breath. "So… You still want me to teach you photography?"
Kagura looked at him. "Yes."
He nodded. "I thought maybe I'd take you out and teach you how to work a camera."
She observed him carefully. "You're not smoking."
"No."
"You must be relaxed."
"Why do you say that?"
"When you're nervous or upset you smoke a lot; and when you're content, you don't smoke at all."
He shook his head, smiling. "You're something else."
Kagura studied his knuckles on the steering wheel for a few moments. "Are you wearing cologne?"
His cheeks flushed. "I've smelled like a pig for awhile, so I thought maybe I'd clean up a little bit."
She grinned slyly and leaned towards him. "You smell good," she muttered.
Saiga could not deny himself the shiver that went up his spine.
. . .
"And then pull this to get ready for the next shot." Saiga pointed.
Kagura held the camera aloft, pressing it to her cheek.
"Focus with this ring here." He placed her fingers on the correct component. "Once it isn't blurry anymore—"
The camera clicked.
She smiled. "This camera is nice. It's kind of heavy, but it feels…"
"Natural." Saiga finished breathlessly. "It was my first camera when I started out."
"Really?" She focused on something over his shoulder and took another shot. "You kept it all this time?"
"I keep them all." He rubbed a speck from his telephoto lens. He heard another click.
Kagura grinned.
He smiled faintly and gazed around them. He took her to a little park outside the main part of the city. There wasn't much to it: just some trees, a few picnic tables and a playground. But it was nice to be under the shade and out of the apartment. They were tucked under a tree in the grass. Saiga stared at the dappled canopy above their heads.
"Get a shot of that," he commented, gesturing to the leaves.
. . .
She finished the entire roll, and Saiga took her to a dinky one-hour photo place. He scowled the entire time they were there, much preferring to develop his own film.
"It's all I can do for you now, though." He shrugged.
"I'm sure it'll be fine."
They climbed back into the car. "I figured we'd go eat lunch and then go pick up the photos." He stole a fleeting look at her gazing out the window. The lighting was perfect. His grip tightened on the steering wheel. "I'm sorry if I upset you last night."
"Upset me?" She shook her head. "I got all the answers I was looking for. Thank you for telling me. I know it was painful for you to relive."
"I'm sure it was painful to hear it, too."
"But… I know this is selfish, but I'm glad… that you were there that night. I'm glad I got to meet you." She beamed.
. . .
A man in a crisp white uniform greeted them at the door to the restaurant and bowed. They did the same.
"Welcome. Sir, may I seat you and your…"
"Girlfriend." Kagura answered suddenly.
Saiga froze.
"Your girlfriend," the waiter repeated. "This way, please."
Saiga followed him stiffly, desperately wanting to drop Kagura's hand but refusing to quit the alias she chose for them. The waiter led them to a quiet table in the corner. Kagura sat on the floor, and Saiga waited until she was settled before he took a seat opposite her. The waiter bobbed his head again and left them.
Saiga stared at Kagura with a bewildered expression.
"Well…" She rolled her shoulders. "You never correct people when they call me that, so I thought that was the disguise you were sticking with."
"It just makes me kind of uncomfortable," Saiga choked out.
Kagura looked away. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you."
"You didn't embarrass me," Saiga explained hurriedly. "Not at all. I'd be honored if… But it makes me… I'm not embarrassed."
"I don't understand." She tilted her head. "Isn't it the same thing?"
"No. No, I'm uncomfortable with thinking of you as my girlfriend—"
"It's just a disguise, Saiga." She blushed. "It's not real."
He closed his eyes. 'Why do I always make such a damn fool of myself around her?' "But I would not be embarrassed in the slightest bit."
"That's kind of you to say, but it's not necessary."
"No, I—"
A waitress brought them a steaming pot of tea and some biscuits.
"For the record," Kagura mumbled, picking up a cup, "you wouldn't embarrass me, either."
They nibbled on their biscuits for awhile.
"Please say something so I don't feel so stupid." Saiga laughed uneasily.
She sighed teasingly. "You tend to make such a big deal about everything."
"You know," he chuckled. "Most people will tell you I'm pretty cool. I don't get nervous or upset. In fact, I only do that stuff when I'm around you."
"So I give you nervous impulses." She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Great."
"It's not that." He smiled into his tea. "I've never cared about anything until I met you. I want things to go smoothly and safely, and… On a personal note, I think I feel… that you could do a lot better than me."
She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not the greatest guy in the world, and you deserve a lot better caretaker than me."
"Saiga, do me a favor, please."
He swallowed. "Sure."
"Don't ever say that again."
. . .
Saiga's expression grew more and more severe as he thumbed through the pile of photographs. Kagura grew impatient.
"Are they any good?"
"Kagura, I've never seen anything so good from a rookie."
She wriggled in the car seat. "Let me see."
He handed her the stack. "I didn't even cover composition, but all the shots are set up perfectly."
She held one delicately between her fingers. "This one is my favorite."
It was a shot of Saiga looking off in the distance. His brow was wrinkled in thought, but he didn't seem duly concerned about anything—for once.
"It's very handsome." Kagura said.
. . .
Kagura was working her way through another roll in the hotel room that night, and Saiga tried to pretend that he wasn't interested. Truth was, he wanted to lean over her shoulder and look at every shot, but her subject happened to be Saiga, so he stayed on the couch so she could work. He studied her developed photos carefully, jotting notes on a notepad for her to read later. The pictures were good, though.
She handed the camera to him, grinning. "Take some with me—like before on the beach."
He didn't think twice. Again, he wrapped his hand around hers and peered into the camera. He had a feeling this would warrant more rum tonight.