"Ladies and gentlemen, at this time we ask that you please return to your seats. You will notice that the captain has turned on the fasten seat belt sign and we ask that you put up your tray tables and put your seatbacks up to the full upright position in preparation for our landing at Heathrow International Airport. We anticipate landing a few minutes ahead of schedule but we request that you remain in your seats until we have reached the gate. Local time is 10:35 AM and the current temperature in London is 32 degrees Centigrade, partly cloudy with mild winds. We hope that you've enjoyed your flight and on behalf of the captain and your flight crew, we'd like to thank you for flying British Airways and we hope that you will choose British Airways again in the future for your air travel needs."
Raising his head at the announcement, Kazuya yawned and stretched luxuriously in his first class seat. Looking next to him, Jun was still asleep, her face resting on his shoulder. He tried not to laugh when he saw that she had imprints in her cheek from the waffle texture of his shirt. Shaking her gently, he said quietly, "Jun. Jun, wake up. We're landing soon."
She blinked sleepily and rubbed one eye. "We are?"
"Mm." He pulled a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "Sleep well?"
Covering her mouth as she yawned, she nodded drowsily. "Did you sleep at all?"
"A little." He glanced out the window at the thick cloud cover. "After we land, what would you like to see first?"
She perked up a little at his question. "I don't know. What do you think we should see?"
"We can play it by ear," he grinned. "We're not in any hurry." He noticed that she was smiling to herself. "What?"
Giggling, she said, "It's stupid, but I feel like those two kids at the end of that movie Battle Royale. You know, making it on their own one day at a time, dropping out of high school, just relying on each other."
Seeing the similarities, he nodded and replied, "I never thought of that but now that you mention it, we are kind of doing the same thing."
"You're a lot better looking than the guy in the movie, though," she added with mock seriousness.
"Thanks," he said wryly.
After arriving at the gate and exchanging their yen for pounds, they hailed a taxi and in minutes they were headed for the heart of London. "Kazuya, how's your English?" she suddenly asked. Her voice had a trace of worry in it.
"I do okay," he reassured her.
Curling up next to him on the seat, she looked out at the window. "I don't know why but I'm so nervous right now."
Putting an arm around her shoulder, he gave her a squeeze. "We'll be fine. I'll take care of everything. Shinpai shinai-deh, kanajo." He felt her relax under his arm and gave her a kiss on the side of her head. When they had arrived in Kensington, Kazuya suggested that the first order of business should be to find a hostel. After finding one that looked decent enough, they went to the nearest tube station to buy a map and begin their exploration of London. "We should see all the big stuff first," Kazuya planned. "Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London – ".
"Time out! Time out!" Jun laughed. "I think we have enough on our list for a few days."
"Well, the changing of the guard is going to happen in an hour. Want to head to Buckingham Palace?"
"Sure!"
Boarding the train, a placid voice announced, "Stand clear of the doors, mind the gap, please."
"I like their accents," Jun whispered to him.
"It makes the English kind of hard to understand, though," Kazuya muttered.
Walking to the gates of Buckingham Palace, a large crowd of tourists had already gathered in anticipation of the English tradition. "Oh look they're starting!" she squealed. "Look at the funny hats!"
They watched as the red-coated soldiers in their tall bearskin hats paraded ceremoniously and then exchanged places. Kazuya smiled at seeing Jun clap delightedly as the relieved soldiers marched off the palace grounds. "Enjoying yourself?"
"Oh yeah!" Her face became serious suddenly. "What do they do if they have to pee?" Kazuya burst out laughing at her question. It was a good thing she asked her question in Japanese because if she had said it in English a lot more people would probably be laughing. "What?"
"Nothing," he said, still laughing "Come on. Let's go ride one of those red double-decker buses." The rest of afternoon was a whirlwind of sightseeing and Jun loved the fact that she felt completely safe with Kazuya in control of things. The sun was beginning to set and the bright billboards of Piccadilly Circus began to light up, one by one. In the center of the Circus, pink mohawked punk rockers in leather jackets and chains milled about, looking bored as they smoked cigarettes. Stopping at a local stand, Jun picked up a Union Jack T shirt and held it up to Kazuya's chest. "You like it?" he asked.
"I think it would look nice on you," she nodded.
Handing her a couple pound notes, he said, "Well, if you like it, get it." He picked out a small tank top emblazoned with a Union Jack for her to wear. As they contemplated where to go for dinner, the sound of shouting and cheering caught their attention. A group of people was gathered watching something that was happening in the center of the crowd. Curious, Kazuya pulled Jun over by the hand and peered over the shoulders of the onlookers to see two men swinging at each other in the space the spectators had created around them. The first man was young-looking, possibly not even in his twenties and his long blonde-brown hair stood straight up for about seven or eight inches. He was using Judo techniques. His opponent was a Latin American looking man who appeared much older who was fighting in the cappoiera style. As they fought, the observers shouted and waved fistfuls of pound notes exuberantly, spurring on their favorites. Though they seemed about equally matched in skill, eventually it was the younger fighter who emerged victorious, winning the bout with a flying roundhouse kick that sent his opponent crashing to the ground. The unofficial mediator of the match announced, "Winner, Paul Phoenix!" One half of the crowd erupted into cheers while the other half sourly handed over their money.
"Any other takers?" the strangely hair styled fighter asked cockily. His accent showed him to be American and Kazuya realized that he recognized him from some of the fights that he had participated in during his travels in Asia. "Come on, there's gotta be someone who can knock out Paul Phoenix." Seeing Kazuya and Jun out of the corner of his eye, he walked over to them and looked Kazuya up and down. "How about you, man? Interested in a street fight?"
Figuring they had more than enough money at the present, Kazuya shook his head, declining, "No, thank you."
"Aw come on, you mean to tell me you're that scared to take me on?" he chided, hoping to bait him.
Not falling for his taunt, Kazuya took Jun's arm and began to lead her away when the American shouted. "Hey, how about we make it interesting? You win, you get all my winnings from tonight. I've got about five hundred pounds. If I win, I get to take that cute little girl of yours. Whaddya say?"
Finding his attitude incredibly rude, and furious that he had insulted Jun in front of him, Kazuya handed her his duffel bag and told her in Japanese, "Hold this and don't let anyone take it."
"What are you going to do?" she asked nervously.
"He wanted to wager you in this fight. I won't allow his insult to go unpunished." The look on his face made her even more anxious. He looked…scary. The American made it even worse when he winked at her.
"Hey, cutie!" he called cheerfully. "As soon as I beat your boyfriend, I'm going to show you a real good time! You know what they say – everything's bigger in America!"
"Don't you dare talk to her like that!" Kazuya snarled back in English, baring his teeth. The livid expression on his face even caused Paul to take a step backwards. Clutching his duffel bag to her chest, Jun held her breath as they began. Watching Kazuya assert himself in the ring, she felt a mix of pride and fear for his safety as the two men fought. She knew he was good, but even he seemed to be having a difficult time making the American submit.
Initially the onlookers shouted enthusiastically, but the bout began to drag on, as neither fighter could seem to gain any advantage over the other. After a half hour with no foreseeable conclusion in either direction, Paul held up his hand in a time out, breathing heavily. Still in a defensive posture, Kazuya was panting just as hard. Due to the disgruntled grumblings of the betters, the referee jumped between them to preempt an all out brawl, shouting, "No winner, this fight ends in a draw!"
His fists still clenched at his sides, Kazuya spat disgustedly in Paul's direction and after a last menacing glance, he pulled Jun out of the crowd and headed towards the Underground station. "Are you okay?" she cried, her eyes wide.
"Daijobu," he muttered.
"You didn't have to do that."
"Yes I did. No one insults you in front of me without paying for it." He cracked his neck pointedly for added emphasis.
She couldn't help chuckling a little at his macho display. "You're kind of cute when you're angry," she teased.
"I should have beaten him," he said angrily.
"You did really well."
Kicking the curb out of frustration, he snapped, "I've never been beaten before, not even once. I've always won every fight, but this loss ruins my record."
"Well technically you weren't beaten," she reminded him. "It was declared a draw after all."
"Whether it was a draw or a loss, the point is, I didn't win. Next time I see that fucking American I swear I'll paint the ground with his brains!" he swore.
Shrinking back a little, Jun tried to sound lighthearted when she said, "Oh, you don't mean that, Kazuya."
"Yes. I do." The look in his eyes confirmed that he was indeed quite serious about his threat.
The glimpses she'd had of Kazuya's darker side were starting to worry her. It was strange how his personality could be so divided – alternately warm and violent at the drop of a hat. Hoping the change the subject, she kissed him and gave his butt a flirtatious squeeze. "You look so hot when you fight," she cooed. Finally succeeding in getting him to smile, she laughed when bit her playfully on her neck. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."
shinpai shinai-deh: don't worry
kanajo: girlfriend
daijobu: I'm fine
