Friday late morning, March 18th – Melbourne, Australia
The Melbourne Fashion Festival was officially over and Ryuuji had also called an end to their stage performances. If it hadn't been for the predatory press, they would have tried to put on a few more concerts. Dealing with such adversities was something that both Ami and Hisako were used to, but they weren't the only ones that Ryuuji was responsible for. Suzume and Umeko were both in high school – and they might have been tough enough to deal with unruly reporters. But, since their lead singer was a grade schooler, neither Ryuuji nor their Australian hosts wanted to take a chance with their safety. But the press wasn't the only problem.
They were all running out of steam. Even before the disastrous events of March the eleventh, Ryuuji had put them all on a fairly aggressive performance schedule. Then, with all the charity events they had been invited to, constantly being on the move from venue to venue had taken it's toll. Deena's contacts at DFAT had apologized for not putting them on the first flight back to Japan, but they hadn't anticipated the fall out from the results of the group's accelerated schedule. Neither had anyone anticipated the attention they would be getting after the natural disasters that had occurred back in Japan while they were away.
For that reason, Deena's superiors had moved them all to a more remote location out near Cape Schanck. Still technically in the Melbourne area, it was outside the city and near the small continent's southern beaches that faced the Bass Strait. Famous for it's golf courses, it was considered remote from the standpoint of being far away from any entertainment venues where they might perform. For the moment, that was exactly what they needed. The quiet and slow pace of the place helped everyone to finally relax and start getting some much needed rest.
Ryuuji knew that they were not recovered yet. But it was a start. Tensions had been mounting, nerves were starting to fray. And it wasn't just the younger ones that were affected. Sure, everyone was concerned about Aiko-chan's health, but he could see the weariness in the faces of the adults as well. The memory of his mother falling ill when she was trying to hold down too many jobs was still a strong memory for him. One that he had recalled when he made the decision to have the group take a much needed break.
And now, after only one day of that much needed rest, a single phone call had him thinking of pulling everyone into another project. The timing and opportunity of the offer are pretty amazing… if only everyone wasn't on the edge of exhaustion.
Nanako found Ryuuji at the suite's table, tapping his pencil against the small notebook he had been using to keep track of the group's many engagements. Even though they were on a break, he was still working for everyone's benefit while his charges seemed to be moving like zombies. You need to take some time to relax too, you big idiot. Nanako thought while she had the machine in the kitchen make her a carafe of coffee.
Ryuuji too thought that everyone was starting to look like lifeless characters from a horror movie. That was one of the reasons he had been tempted to turn down the rather interesting offer. Next to the notepad was his empty coffee mug and, for the moment, that was the louder of the voices calling to him. Taking the cup in hand, he started to get up from the table.
"AH!" Ryuuji was shocked to see Nanako sitting just across the table and… watching him. Thinking he was alone in the suite's main room, he asked, "Where did you come from?"
"I've been here a while." Nanako smiled impishly and hefted a carafe of coffee. Moving it over to where Ryuuji was holding his mug she asked, "You got another offer didn't you?"
"Yeah." he admitted. He had started to hide the notepad, but it was obviously too late. Even considering another engagement with everyone so worn out, made him feel guilty.
"Are you considering it?" she asked while pouring the coffee.
"We'd need to pack up and leave tonight… I'm tempted to turn it down." Ryuuji said as he watched the rich aromatic coffee fill his mug halfway up. But Nanako stopped pouring when it got to that level.
"Why?" Nanako asked. She left the question vague. Why are you tempted to turn it down? Why were you considering the offer in the first place? Why did I stop pouring when the cup was still half empty? Or, is it half full?
"It would mean more flights and more work and… I don't know if everyone has the energy for it any more." Ryuuji worried.
"Are you sure everyone would see it that way? Sure we are all tired, but aren't the things we're doing amazing? Think about it… these are the things that make memories that we'll remember for a lifetime." Nanako suggested.
"I suppose…" Ryuuji replied as if it were a new idea, but it was actually what was making him worry. It all sounded like fun and games, but in their exhausted and worn-out state… he was concerned about someone getting injured or sick.
"You're worried about us, aren't you?" Nanako asked.
"Yeah…" he was about to go into the details of his worry, but Nanako wasn't waiting for that… or wasn't interested.
"Surely there is another option besides turning it down and leaving immediately." Nanako suggested.
"Another… option?" Ryuuji wondered what Nanako might be thinking. What could she have found that he had missed? Recalling the conversation, the company representative said he could have someone there to pick them up in the afternoon, but he needed an answer within the hour. So, I have an hour to decide whether we should rush now and make the pickup time… or decline the offer. Two choices. Start packing to leave in a few hours, or don't go at all… Waitaminit…
Ryuuji knew he was missing something. He looked up at Nanako and saw her patient smile as she watched him think it through. Her delicate fingers barely touched the sides of her coffee cup while she quietly watched and waited for him to find a new solution.
Today or not at all. But… what if we didn't leave today? Could they do this a couple of days from now? And, if we did that… YES! Ryuuji's eyes opened wide and he seized his cell phone. There would only be one call if he couldn't make this work, but there would be many if all were agreed. He didn't mind though. He was giving his English language skills a real-world work out and making something interesting happen too. He only hoped he was doing something that would make the girls happy.
.
Ami came into the suite's common area and found Nanako seated at the table and gazing out the big window that faced the ocean view. She was peeling an orange and had a serene smile on her face. Her curiosity piqued at what Nanako found so interesting, Ami turned to look out the window and saw Ryuuji on the balcony. And he looked… good! Her heart skipped a beat while her mind struggled to burn the image into her memory.
He was talking on the phone to someone, but that wasn't what had made her pause. He was wearing the black satin robe with the silver dragons. The sea breeze was tousling his hair and billowing his robe while he stood there against the backdrop of tree tops, a distant sandy shore, and the blue on blue horizon of the southern sea. Rays of sunlight mottled the land and sea under scattered clouds in a hypnotic pattern behind Ryuuji. The horizon was at his waist where her eyes were now, and she blushed when she wondered if there was enough wind out there to accidentally open his robe. With that naughty thought on her mind, her gaze swept up his muscular body until she got to his face and realized… he was looking back at her. "Eep!"
"Ami?" Nanako's voice surprisingly sounded from next to her.
"Ah… Nanako?" Ami had forgotten that she wasn't the only person in the room. Trying to recover from being caught, she hurriedly commented, "Nice view isn't it?"
"Yes… yes it is." Nanako said dreamily.
Huh?
Ami turned to look at Nanako for a moment and wondered if she was enchanted with the ocean view, or the view of her husband. She had a sudden urge to ask the purple haired girl about it, but part of her didn't want to create any unnecessary friction.
"He's out there making a deal for us to get a little more work while we're here." Nanako said passively.
"Oh?" Ami wasn't thrilled to hear that. She was tired of the treadmill they had been on since their arrival – and she suspected everyone else was too. There was something else in Nanako's statement that got to her as well. Us… whadayamean, us? You guys have it easy compared to those of us that are here to work! She wanted to demand. But that wasn't as true on this trip, as it had been in the past when they went to Hawaii… or some of the other places. This trip wasn't a vacation for their friends this time. Parent, teacher, and friends had all been pulled in to help with both the fashion shows, and the concert performances. And, to be honest with herself, Ami knew that Nanako had been especially hard working. In addition to performing in the shows, she had also taken on the responsibility of preparing all of their costumes and performance modified garments.
"Don't worry. He knows how tired we are." Nanako commented as she pushed a saucer with a cup of coffee, and a peeled orange over to Ami.
"I guess." Ami sounded dissatisfied as she went back to looking at Ryuuji while slowly stirring some cream into her coffee.
Ami's tone tingled Nanako's senses and she raised an eyebrow at her blue haired friend. Without staring at Ami, she glanced over at the bluenette's brooding profile and saw the tell tales of frustration. She didn't wonder about it long before she thought she knew what was bothering Ami. Feeling a slyness that she tried not to show in her expression or tone, Nanako casually commented, "He sure is wonderful to be trying so hard for all of us."
"Yeah… he's like that." Ami conceded and she knew it was a nice complement. But, for some reason, she wasn't too happy about it.
"As a manager, he's done a good job of making sure everyone was taken care of. Nobody can complain that he's the type to be… playing favorites. Don't you think?" Nanako pushed as she slowly turned to watch Ami more intently now.
"Yeah." Ami agreed with that too. She wondered why the playing favorites part of what Nanako just said made her feel disappointed.
"He really is everybody's Ryuuji, isn't he?" Nanako asked the rhetorical question and watched as Ami's head snapped around and glared at her.
Ami didn't know why she was suddenly so pissed off, but she really wanted to yell at Nanako. However, her fierceness didn't catch Nanako by surprise at all. Nanako was watching… waiting for her to react. And worst of all, it looked like Nanako knew everything while Ami was still at a loss to understand her own feelings.
"Say it." Nanako prodded Ami quietly.
"Say… what?" Ami felt like a volcano that was on the verge of erupting from too much stress and frustration. The stress, she could understand. But the frustration was what was making her temple throb. She felt frustrated with Ryuuji. She was also frustrated with Nanako and even with herself. But, worst of all, she didn't know why she was feeling so frustrated. The confusion was evident on Ami's face – along with the frustration.
"Oh Ami," Nanako sympathetically reached out and took her friend's hand, "You've tried to leave that old silly selfish airhead persona behind a little too completely. It's okay for you to be selfish about some things, you know."
"But…" Ami wasn't sure she fully understood where Nanako was going with this. But it did feel like her friend understood what was wrong.
"Now, I'll ask it again. And this time, you need to let out your real response. Even if you think it sounds selfish, you still need to say it. Will you promise me that you won't hold back this time?" Nanako said as she looked deep into Ami's violet eyes.
"Yes!" Ami could feel the tension building inside her and she wondered if she would be able to hold anything back even if she wanted to. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, she was afraid now. Ami was afraid that Nanako might be wrong and unable to help her figure out what had been bothering her after all. At the same time she was worried that it might be something terrible. But the confidence in Nanako's sage-like smile gave her hope.
"All right, here we go." Nanako clasped both of Ami's hands and gave her a gentle squeeze as she repeated the question she had asked before, "He really is everybody's Ryuuji, isn't he?"
"Yes…" Ami thought for a moment that Nanako had not understood after all. Surely, there must be more to this discontented feeling. But Nanako's smile broadened even as Ami could feel her own tears sliding down her cheeks. Then, as suddenly as the tears had started, the words came out of her mouth – straight from the heart, "No… he's not! I don't want him to be everybody's Ryuuji. I… I want him to be mine!"
"Good." Nanako said as she let go of Ami's hands and turned to gaze out the big picture windows once again. "Now, go out there and let him know that."
.
Not long after Ami and Ryuuji disappeared from the balcony to go find one of the hotel's hot tubs, Hisako walked into the common living area and found Nanako alone at the table. Thinking it odd that no-one else was up yet, she was thinking about sneaking up on her girlfriend when Nanako sighed her name.
"Oh Hisako-chan… you're not too worn out, are you?" Nanako said airily while laying her head down on the table as if she were going to nap there. Her head was turned to face her tall girlfriend, but her long purple hair was splayed out on the table in beautiful lines and swirls.
"Uh… no, I guess not. Why? Are you okay?" Hisako worried a bit. Her Nanako was scary courageous, but she never had an impressive stamina. If she were to get sick…
"I'm okay. I'm just feeling really lazy right now. And yet, I want to take a bath. I wonder…" without raising her head from the cold wood of the table, Nanako said idly – yet suggestively, "I wonder if there isn't someone who would carry me off from here and… bathe me?"
Bathe! Bath! Nanako in the bath! Bathe Nanako! YES!
Hisako blushed hard as a parade of passionate memories flooded her mind. Of course the memory of their time in the big bath at the Kawashima house flashed through her mind first. Followed by the smaller bath at the Hisamitsu townhouse in Tokushima. And the pool sized bath at the Hisamitsu estate. And… come to think of it, there had been a lot of memories with her beautiful little Nanako in baths and onsens. Each time, it seemed to start with a comment from Nanako and a lot of blushing from Hisako.
Not that a lot of blushing would impair Hisako. Given this splendid opportunity, it wouldn't even slow her down. Not even a little bit.
Nanako felt herself suddenly lifted into strong arms and face to face with her girlfriend while she was held in a close princess carry. She smiled and laid her head on Hisako's shoulder while she quietly murmured, "You always know what I want."
"Nanako… you tease me too much." Hisako pouted even as she started off for the suite's big bath with her lover in her arms.
"Do you hate it?" Nanako asked playfully.
"No… You know that I don't." Hisako continued to pout.
"Well, in that case – I feel that I should tell you that I'm feeling particularly dirty. So, I'm going to need you to wash me very… very… thoroughly." Nanako emphasized the last three words with a kiss on Hisako's neck near her ear. Each of the kisses getting closer to her ear until the tall model could feel Nanako's breath and a gentle lick – up the edge of her earlobe.
Hisako's eyes opened wide and she made a little gasp as the feel of electricity coursed down her spine to her toes and back up again in an instant.
Whirrfle! Hisako held Nanako a little tighter and moved a little faster on her way to the anticipated comfort of the big bath. If anyone else had seen them at that moment, they would have sworn they saw steam venting from Hisako's ears.
.
A few hours later and everyone was finally crawling out of bed, or returning from an… exhilarating distraction. Either way, they were all up and looking forward to some food when Deena arrived. All of the others could rest, but her position was more like poor Ryuuji's. She was here to work too, and her work didn't end with the finale of the fashion show. Until her friends were safely on an airplane to take them back to Japan, she continued her role as liaison for her government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
"DEEEENA!" Aiko-chan shrieked as soon as the Australian woman walked in from the suite's entrance. The young girl ran into the arms of her tall blond friend, fully expecting to be swept up into the air for a big hug. Happily, Deena didn't let her down at all. But today, she was going to give Aiko-chan more than just a hug.
"Aiko-chan!" Deena swooped the little girl up and tickled her while she held her close.
Aiko-chan's anticipated hug turned into a fit of squeals and laughter as her body squirmed and wriggled to get away from Deena's devilish fingers. The peal of Aiko-chan's laughter got everyone fully awake and made them smile a little more. Yuri was watching with a big smile and wondering at how wonderful it was to still be so young, when she heard a voice behind her that made her freeze in panic.
"Oooooh, that looks like fun!" Yasuko looked like someone had just given her a festively wrapped gift as she moved in behind the frozen teacher. And yet, even if Yuri had tried to escape, she never would have been able to move fast enough to avoid Yasuko's attack. Only a fraction of a second passed before Yuri's body went rigid from the touch of Yasuko's fingers along her sensitive ribs.
"AAAAIIIIEEEEEEEEE!" the teacher cried out while everyone around her laughed at her antics with Onee-chan. It was a bit of a repeat of what they had done in several of the performances over the last ten days. As much as it made Yuri blush and struggle to escape, the little attack was a huge crowd pleaser for all the audiences that had gathered to watch their performances. And, unfortunately for the poor teacher, she wasn't developing any immunity to it.
However, Yasuko never kept it up for long. As soon as everyone was laughing, or at least smiling, she pulled the giggling and panting teacher down into her lap and held her until she got her breath back. She called out to everyone else in the room, "I just love it when everyone's happy!"
"Onee-chan is too mean to me." Yuri mewled, but was obviously enjoying being held and pampered by the buxom blond.
"No I'm not sweetie." Yasuko admonished the pouting adult as if she were a child, "I always take care to stop before you wet yourself."
"Ah!" Yuri hid her face in her hands at the idea. She was close to defending herself that she would never do such a thing, but there was the very real fear that Yasuko might want to put that claim to a practical test. And there was the horrifying possibility that… Yasuko could actually do it.
"If I could have everyone's attention." Ryuuji called out to the room full of friends. "I need to talk to you about… another offer we just got."
"What?" Deena looked a little stunned and a little angry, "This isn't about flying out to Brisbane, is it?"
"What's wrong, Deena-chan?" Aiko-chan asked. She was concerned that her friend sounded upset about something. "Is there something wrong with that place?"
"It's not that far is it?" Yasuko remembered seeing the name on a map in the first hotel they stayed in, "It's just up the coast, isn't it?"
"Onee-chan," Deena said gently, "It's about the same distance as Sapporo to Fukuoka. You could almost fit all of the main islands of Japan between Brisbane and Melbourne."
"Oh!" Yasuko's eyes opened wide. It was hard for her to remember that the size of a map could be very similar, but the scale of the map was the important thing in understanding the distances between places. But when Deena put it into terms she was more familiar with, she understood.
"Why is that a problem?" Ami asked, "We'll be flying much farther than that when we go home."
"I think I know." Ryuuji stepped back into the conversation. Although his gangster-ish face made it look like he was mad, his voice told them that he understood and even appreciated Deena's concern. "She's worried about us. She thinks we're all worn out… and we are."
Hisako bristled at the idea of turning down work. She was ready to defend the offer, but she had to think about people other than herself. She didn't want to cause any pain to her precious friends, and certainly not to the small, purple-haired one she was still holding in her lap.
"Don't worry, Deena. I told them how tired we were and they understood. We won't be flying out to Brisbane until Monday. We have the whole weekend to relax." Ryuuji promised.
"The weekend to relax… before what?" Suzume asked.
"There's an Australian company that's making a new kind of airplane… or boat. Anyway, they want us to help them make a commercial for a Japanese audience. They can't pay a lot, but they will use their video gear to make some music videos for us."
"I don't know..." Suzume said, "I don't think a music video at an airport will be all that interesting."
"It won't be at an airport. These boat-plane things take off from the water. They're going to fly us out to some remote islands. From what he said, it's supposed to be a lot like the beach shoot we did in Hawaii." Ryuuji was hoping to get everyone interested by mentioning that trip. Many of them had been with him on the Hawaii shoot and there were good memories from that time, but it would mean adding several more days to their trip. Still, he thought this excursion was a good opportunity. But, if no-one was interested, he was also willing to cancel the whole thing.
Many of them looked stunned and he couldn't tell whether it was a good or bad kind of stunned. But there was one in the group whose expression was never hard to read – she was practically bouncing with excitement and not the least bit stunned.
"Ryu-chan, are you saying that we get to go to the beach!" his mother cheered. Her enthusiasm was infectious as always and soon there were several excited looks coming his way. But Yasuko seemed to be interested in more than just a beach, "I mean… a real sandy beach on a South Pacific island?
"Um, yeah. They are islands in the South Pacific." Ryuuji wondered at his mother's hysteria. Then he noticed Yuri-sensei with an equally excited look.
"We positively have to go!" Yuri insisted breathlessly.
"Oh… okay." Ami was surprised by Yasuko and Yuri's sudden fanaticism and wondered what was going on. She looked around at the others and discovered that everyone else was as puzzled as she was at their excitement. She noticed that it was only the eldest of their group that seemed so enamored with the idea of going to a South Pacific island. If my mother were here, I wonder if she would be… OF COURSE! Thinking of her mother made her remember some of the movies that Kawashima Anna had starred in when she was younger. She had been in all kinds of movies, but there had been several romantic movies set in the south pacific.
"So Ryuuji-sama, this boat-plane thing. What do they call it?" Suzume asked since it sounded like they would be going after all. She still had the urge to go home and see her sister, but Yasuko's excitement was filling the room with energy and she was caught up in it as well.
"Heh, well… believe it or not, they call it a WIG." Ryuuji said the last word in English but it was a word that all of them knew… or thought they knew.
"A wig?" a chorus of disbelieving voices battered him for his bizarre answer.
.
Friday late morning, March 18th – Sendai, Japan
In the less devastated areas around the city, lines of people were everywhere. Some had escaped the devastation of the tsunami with whatever they had in their car. Many more had escaped with only what they were wearing at the time. They had lost their possessions and much more. Many of them had lost their homes to damage that was so severe, the structures were no longer safe to enter. Others had lost their homes completely. In the places where homes, schools, stores, and places of work once stood, there was nothing there but a pile of rubble and debris – or just the slab of a foundation where a home used to be.
So people stood in lines for help in getting the essentials of survival. Shelter, water, and food were in great need. The situation wasn't as bad as it had been several days before – help had been arriving from the rest of Japan, and from the rest of the world. But the other need was now playing out in meeting places across the devastated areas. It was to be the saddest need, and one that sometimes… could not be resolved.
This was the need to find missing family and friends. And consequently, to identify the dead. The tragedy seemed to have been particularly hard on the children and the elderly. But they were not the only ones. Even now, Noto could feel the raw emotions as he walked past a gathering of people trying to see the notices on a hastily erected bulletin board. Afraid to look, but also needing to know, scores of people crowded the boards to read the names of people reaching out to find each other… and the names of the recently identified deceased. It was true that those same names would soon be on several social media and aid sites, but there were many that were without the luxury of a working cell phone. So they gathered and read the notices with hope and fear. Some would suddenly shout for joy while others would cover their faces to hide the tears.
Even the foul smell in the air reflected the conditions that the survivors had to face. Waste treatment systems had been overrun by the tsunami, and the flood waters spread the raw sewage all over the land. There had been many fires that had set alight things that were unpleasant to burn. Petrochemicals, tires, plastics… the acrid odor stuck to everything. Fish, and other creatures of the sea had been washed ashore to perish when the waters receded. Their rotting corpses added to the stench that settled over the wide valley. Many people could be seen moving about with cloth wrapped around their faces to give them some protection from the malodorous reek. But there was nothing to protect their eyes from the images of rotting debris and… the occasional discovery of another body as the ruin and rubble was slowly cleared away.
Most of the survivors that had stayed in the area were involved with helping in the clean-up or the ongoing searches. Sadly, no-one was calling it search-and-rescue any more. A week had passed since the deadly flood waters had come and gone. Rarely was anyone found still alive at this point. So the effort had moved into search-and-identify. But still, there were those that held out hope that they would find their missing loved ones.
"My beautiful city." one of the prominent elder citizens was almost in tears as she looked out at the piles of refuse and reek where once stood the eastern half of the city. The rooftop of a vacant school building was being used by the emergency government due to it's view of the ravaged land. From there, the dignitaries and their guests could see all the way down to the sea where the waves continued to wash debris up onto the shores.
Noto also took in the scene. He had never been to Sendai before this, but he knew the city hadn't looked anything like the vista laid out before him now. Three or four years. That's what the Italians had told him to say whenever someone asked about a full recovery and clean-up. But Noto didn't believe it would be possible in that amount of time… if ever. Reflecting the intelligence and diligence of the bright student he had always been, Noto had made some investigations into the kind of tectonic activity that would create the tsunami that had caused all this devastation. What he learned, did not inspire optimism.
"It will be rebuilt. I'm sure of it." another voice said encouragingly.
But Noto wasn't sure of that. He suspected that when the surveys were done and the facts were released, there would be two startling revelations that people would have to deal with. The first, which would be interesting but wouldn't cause too much concern, would be that the entire nation of Japan would have moved several meters to the east of where it had previously been. The second and more problematic issue would be that the main island's eastern coastline would be lower than it had been previously. And a lower coastline would mean that the area would now be more prone to flooding than it had been.
"Can it ever be put back to the way it was?" the elder lamented.
"No. We shouldn't do that." Noto said as he considered all the options that lay before them now. Several people looked at him in surprise, but he kept his focus on the distant sea and told them, "What is important now, is that we understand how this happened – and build intelligently. The devastated parts of Sendai shouldn't be rebuilt… they should be built anew, and in such a way that this kind of thing can never happen again."
"Can such a thing be done? Can we rebuild so that we are flood-proof?" an elder asked.
"Probably not." Noto admitted, but more hopefully told them, "But flood-resistant is an achievable goal. That is something I think we can do."
"How?" someone asked.
"I don't know that answer. But we will find it." Noto said with certainty.
"How can you know that?"
"Because we are Japanese." Noto was barely able to suppress a prideful smile from what was running through his mind just then. He hoped he could put his thoughts and emotions into convincing words as he told them, "The cities of our ancestors used to burn to the ground. So we found ways to make fire-resistant cities. Then our first skyscrapers crumbled when we had earthquakes. Instead of never building skyscrapers again, we invented ways to make those tall buildings resistant to damage from earthquakes. Overcoming such disasters is nothing new to us. We'll ask the Dutch how they protect Holland from flooding. We'll ask the Americans what they did to keep New Orleans from drowning again. Bangladesh, London, Jakarta… we'll see how they deal with their flood issues. That is how we should rebuild Sendai."
He turned to them and saw the looks on their faces. Some seemed angry, others shamed. But there were many that looked like they were giving Noto's words a great deal of thought. Noto believed in what he had said, but still felt that he might have been a little to rough with their wounded and raw emotions. "I'm sorry if I misspoke." he said, and offered them all a formal bow.
"Young man… do you have a vision for what should be done?" the elder asked him.
"I do not. Nor do I believe that I should push my ideas here – even if I had any. It… is not my place." Noto told them.
"What do you mean?" another elder asked.
"I am Hisamitsu Noto. I am here representing Hisamitsu Heavy Industries. We are here to help in any way we can. And, if you choose to have us assist with recreating your city, we would welcome your business. But, we are not here to cast blame for what has happened, or tell you what you should do in the future. The vision for rebuilding Sendai should be from Sendai. It should reflect the people of Sendai and their values… their spirit."
"Well said, Hisamitsu-san." said one of the elders who had been deep in thought. Some of the them nodded in agreement while others were still too stunned or too angry to agree with anything.
"We must be off soon, Noto-sama." Shinako said quietly.
Noto nodded and excused himself from the group. He waited until he and Shinako were clear of the building before asking her, "Do you think I went too far?"
"Do you think you went too far?" Shinako countered the question with the same question.
"I know what I think. But as my assistant, I want to know what you think." Noto countered her counter.
"I am also here as your evaluator, so I need to know what you think." Shinako countered his counter-counter.
"Pah! I guess you're right." Noto thought about it for a moment and told her, "I wanted to tell them more sternly that they should not simply rebuild. But, considering their emotions, I worried that if I were to be more forceful, they would become defensive and wouldn't listen to anything I had to say."
"Very good." Shinako smirked at her younger cousin, "Those were my thoughts as well."
"Awww DUDE!" an anguished voice cried out from a group of people nearby. Noto stopped in his tracks and started to look around in wonder.
"Noto-sama?" Shinako asked as she too stopped.
"That voice… it can't be… can it?" Noto finally spotted the source of the familiar exclamation.
The haggard man was wearing filthy, shabby clothes. His hair was matted and clumping together as if he were trying to go for the 'dreadlocks' look, and as Noto took a few steps closer, he discovered that the man stank like he had just finished crawling through some of the more fetid piles of debris.
Shinako trailed a few paces behind Noto as he walked toward the unkempt man. Even at this distance, the smell coming from the man was enough that she had to put a cloth over her nose and mouth. Shinako could see that the filthy man was focused on the notices that had been put up and hadn't yet noticed their approach. Noto abruptly stopped at the last moment and turned back to his cousin.
"Shinako-san, please proceed to our next meeting and let them know that I will be a little late." Noto bade her. He knew that she was there to observe him, but she was also there as his assistant and he hoped that she would understand and give him this time.
Shinako could see the hurt in her cousin's eyes for this person. After a moment of consideration, she took at her planner and told him, "You have two hours before your next meeting back at the hotel. I shall await you there."
"Thank you, Shinako-san." Noto gave her a brief bow then turned back to look at his old friend.
Shinako wondered at her cousin for a moment before turning away. She admired his loyalty and empathy but worried that those qualities might get in the way of the years of work that lay before him. Somehow... I believe he will be able to manage it.
"Haruta?" Noto asked as he drew near the man.
.
Haruta was stunned. He heard his name called by a voice he hadn't heard in a long, long time. It was a voice that brought back memories of family vacations, his high school years, and... happier times. He wanted to believe his old friend was here too, but the last week had been pretty tough for him and he knew it could have been a hallucination. Just in case, he called out to that voice, "Noto?"
"I'm over here." Noto called back from beyond the crowd of people.
Haruta gazed over the heads of the other people gathered around the little community bulletin board and saw Noto. His old friend looked clean and healthy. He was wearing nice clothes... actually, nicer clothes than Haruta had ever seen him in. He still looked young, but no longer the 'kid' that he had been. Not in those clothes. The fabric was expensive, the cut was tailored, and the suit veritably screamed 'business man!' And yet... it was Noto nonetheless.
"How..." Haruta asked as he pushed his way through the crowd to get to his friend.
"My grandmother has me here representing family business. But... what are you doing here?" Noto asked.
"I... I..." The cheer left Haruta's face as Noto's question made him remember his troubles. "I can't find them, Noto. I can't..."
"Who, Haruta?" Noto now stood only a meter from his bedraggled friend, "Who can't you find?"
"My Uncle and... my wife. I can't find them." Haruta was barely able to say the words. Just saying it was almost impossible since it was just a few thoughts away from admitting, I've lost them. A shiver ran through Haruta's body as he once again tried to deny the possibility that was becoming more likely with each passing day. He looked up with a haunted expression that Noto had never seen on his friend before.
"Haruta... let's talk."
.
Saturday afternoon, March 19th – Hisamitsu Estate
There was a sweetness from the gentle breeze that wafted up from the valleys below. Since Shikoku was further south than Honshu or Hokkaido, the trees, bushes, and other plants were already green and flowering with the coming of spring. Higher up, where the trail meandered down from the mountain cabin where the girls had been staying, green had not yet made it's re-appearance, but it was perfect riding weather and the scenery was beautiful. The sun's rays illuminated the snow capped hills and colorful valleys as far as the eyes could see. Unfortunately, no-one was enjoying this beauteous splendor that nature had wrought.
Minori rode beside Maya when she could. Sometimes the trail was too narrow and Minori would fall back to watch her suffering friend. They had put straps on her to make sure she didn't fall from her saddle, but Minori was still concerned. She had never felt the kind of pain Maya was in now, but she thought she could imagine it, and it wasn't anything she ever wanted to experience for herself.
Maya's breasts were full again and they didn't want to let down. And if they didn't let down, there was no way to relieve the pressure… and the pain, from her overfull breasts. Every step the horse took felt like jarring horrific pain that started in her breasts and reverberated through her chest and back. They had thought of dismounting and slowly walking back to the estate, but that would take a long time and Maya's breasts were a little more full with each passing minute. Instead, they made their way down as quickly as they could, and hoped that Taiga would soon be back from the estate with help. Still, Minori wished there was something she could do to help her miserable friend.
"Um… maybe if I rode on the horse with you and held your breasts so they didn't bounce as much?" Minori suggested.
"Hah… ouch!" Maya winced after her brief laugh at imagining what that would look like, "Please… don't make me laugh. That hurts too."
"Sorry." Minori said softly. The suggestion hadn't actually been a joke, but she too blushed a little when she imagined herself riding on the back of Maya's horse. Reaching around her friend to hold onto her heavy, milk-filled orbs… did paint a pretty strange picture after all. "I guess… the best we can do now is move as quickly as we can and hope that Taiga comes back soon."
"Yeah… I guess so." Maya replied, but she wasn't putting a lot of hope in it. She knew it was entirely possible that Obāsama wouldn't allow Taiga's plan. After all, the safety of the Hisamitsu heirs was of utmost importance to…
"Hey, do you hear hoof-beats?" Minori asked.
.
Taiga rode in the lead with Kawashima Anna not far behind her and Takasu Ojiisan bringing up the rear. Taiga had the lead position for a number of reasons – she knew the way, she was the better rider, and her horse was the strongest. But Taiga also knew part of that was a lie, and it worried her. Her horse would normally be the strongest of the lot, but she had just ridden him pretty hard to quickly get down the mountain for help and he hadn't had much rest before they were heading back up again. Sure, the distances weren't all that far, but he was an old retired horse… and she didn't know how much more of this hard riding he could take. It suddenly occurred to her that she had never really worried if she had been driving Ryuuji too hard… back then.
You're my dog, so you'll do as your master demands!
Taiga's stomach heaved with the memory of the things she used to say to Ryuuji. Ugh… did I really say those things to him? I really would like to forget that ever happened. But… he fell in love with me despite all the abuse so… it was his own fault. He can't blame me if he… if he…
Mongrel. My dog! Baka!
Taiga shook her head to shake the moisture from her eyes and give her back her clear vision. Those aren't tears. I'm just sweating from this hard ride. Yeah. I hope Midnight Star is okay. Taiga patted the horses neck as they continued the charge up the trail.
...you never called and you never answered! Even after he gave up on calling you… as he wasted away… dying right in front of all of us… You could have saved him with three words.
Minori's words from that awful day came back to her again. Initially, she had hated her friend for saying such terrible things to her. Later that same day, after seeing the pictures of the terrible state of depression that Ryuuji had sunk into, she understood her friend's anger. But only recently had it really sunk in that the only one to blame for everything going wrong… was herself. And now, as she rode up the trail as quickly as her equestrian skill allowed, that understanding was reinforced by another realization. I called him a dog and treated him indifferently.I loved Ryuuji… I still do. But I never thought of how it might hurt him when I left. I thought… he would be there when I came back… unchanged. He would still have that stupid grin on his face and he'd still be living in that crappy little house. And he'd be waiting for me… like a loyal dog. Now, I'm worried about this horse. Sure, I cared for Ryuuji… but I never worried about him as much as I'm worried about this horse. Why? Why didn't I think more about his feelings? Why didn't I worry about him more? Why didn't I treat him better… than a dog?
Midnight Star whinnied as they made their way up another rise and a straight and level path was before them. He liked this better than the climbing and was ready to charge headlong down the trail. His whinny served to let his rider know that he was ready to leap into a running stride… if she was.
Taiga's attention came back to the moment and she saw what Midnight Star wanted her to see. She leaned forward just a bit and squeezed him with her thighs… and that was all the signal that the well trained horse needed. Hind legs uncoiled as if powerful springs were restrained no longer – and they were off. The wind raced through his mane and her hair. Nearby scenery flew past like a blur. Horse and rider were one in the brisk gallop along the mountain path. Both of them felt the rush of adrenaline from the run, and the thrill of achieving the sensation of unity that comes from the mutual trust and affection between the rider and the horse. Exhilarating but brief, they got to the end of the run all too soon. Taiga slowed them both down for the switchback and next climb. She knew he didn't want to… and she felt it too. They both wanted a wide open field where he could run, and perhaps the field could have a few low fences where he could jump and they could embrace that momentary feeling of flight together.
But those were dreams that might never be realized. His youth was gone and with it – much of his former vitality. Days of jumping the rails, long runs, and proud competitions were in his past. Taiga knew this, and she felt it in a way that had never touched her heart before. When she was younger, she had learned about the life cycle of a horse. She knew that they grew up quickly from being a colt, had a few years of peak performance, and were then… retired. But it had all been academics back then. All the horses that she had trained with had been in their prime. Whether she was asking too much of them had never been an issue… had never been a worry… like it was now. She could hear his labored breathing from his open mouth and see the sheen of sweat on his coat. She knew she was asking much of him… and it worried her.
Heh… I'm still worrying about this horse more than I ever worried about Ryuuji. Taiga criticized herself even as she reached up and patted Midnight Star's neck with the thanks and affection of a thankful rider. There was a change in his movement and it seemed that he was trying even harder for her now. Taiga could sense this and suddenly felt defensive about her feelings as she thought, Well… he is a really splendid horse, after all.
.
"Taiga!" Minori cried out when she saw her diminutive friend crest the rise a dozen meters in front of her. She noticed that both Taiga and her horse looked out of breath, but they also seemed to glow as if they had just won a contest of some kind.
"Minorin. Maya. Kawashima-san and Takasu Ojiisan are right behind me." Taiga said as she dismounted and started loosening the straps on Midnight Star.
"Did you bring the babies?" Minori asked while she also dismounted and started to help Maya down from her horse.
"Sort of..." Taiga explained, "Kiku-chan is a little colicky, so we brought Ayame-chan and… Tatsuya-kun. Is that okay?"
"Yes, that will be fine!" Maya grunted as another spasm of pain wracked through her chest and back. Her eldest daughter and Ryuuji and Ami's son would soon be here. Surely… surely my breasts will let down for them!
"Here! Here!" Kawashima Anna called out as she crested the rise and approached the group of girls. The carrier that held little Ayame to her back would need the help of another person to remove. Minori was with her in a moment. The carrier was free, and the child was on her way to her mother's waiting arms.
Taiga loosened the straps on the recently arrived mount and was just finishing when Ryuuji's grandfather arrived with the other child.
.
Minori held Maya's hand while she cried tears of joy and relief. Her breasts had finally let down and the two infants were greedily getting their fill. Looking up from the happy mother, she spotted Taiga walking off with the three newly arrived horses. "Taiga! Where are you going?"
"Just a walk." Taiga's voice carried back.
"But..." Minori wanted her friend there too.
"After a hard run, horses need a cool-down walk or it's bad for their health." Taiga waved off her friend's concern, "I'll be back soon."
"Oh… okay." Minori wanted to run over to Taiga but chose not to. First, Maya was still clinging to her hand and seemed to need her now – as much as she needed her when she was in pain. But there was something in Taiga's reply as well. A something that told her that she wanted… or needed to be alone now. Silly Taiga… do you really think that I can't tell?
Taiga held the reins loosely as she led the three horses back down the trail. Friends and elders stayed with the babies so there was no-one to see the tears streaming down Taiga's face. The tears weren't from any one thing. Many emotions and thoughts were circling Taiga's heart at the moment. What-ifs about Ryuuji. Wishing she had been able to ride Midnight Star when he was younger… and knowing he was in his final years. The aftershocks of the realization that the loss of Ryuuji was her own fault… and that Ami was blameless in everything that had happened.
Dammit!
The bitterness was rising like bile in her throat when she was startled out of her despondence by a loud snort on the back of her neck. She skipped a step, but she wasn't so startled that she spun around to come face to face with Midnight Star. Instead, she reached her hand up over her head and patted his furry cheek as she told him, "Thanks, but I'll be okay. You don't have to worry about me."
"Hmupth." the old horse snorted and lowered his head so his muzzle was next to Taiga's head.
"You don't think so?" Taiga conversed with her horse, "I'm not as weak as I look, you know. I've been through a lot already. I may be only…" She stopped when she remembered that the short numbers of years that she had been alive was almost the entirety of a horses lifespan. This too was about to drag her back into her despondency when she heard the welcome sound of water splashing over rocks.
"Ah! Fresh stream water! Are you guys ready for a drink?" Taiga knew that they would be. Water was something else a horse needed after a good ride. Actually… humans too, for that matter. Taiga lifted the canteen from the saddle and took a long drink while the horses drank from the stream. Taking the canteen with her, she sat on a large rock just a few meters upstream, and watched over the horses while they lapped up the cold, clear water. The heavy plant growth around the stream bed meant that she had no incredible view for the moment. In fact, she couldn't even see the sky from here. But the serene setting of the babbling brook, the flickering rays of sunshine, and the aromatic pine canopy – was enough for Taiga. There was a moment when she thought the tears would come again, but the peacefulness of this place was good for healing a wounded heart. Instead of tears, she sighed and stared at the water that bubbled and splashed against the rocks of the stream bed.
"I'm going to be okay." Taiga surprised herself as the words came out of her mouth. The thought had been in the back of her mind when she lost herself while staring at the brook. It was the kind of thought that comes from somewhere deep inside when the mind is set free. More a feeling than a belief, the thought didn't come with proof, examples, or evidence. Rather than a statement of fact, it was a statement of intent.
"Huh?" Taiga realized her canteen was empty when she raised it to take another drink. With the solution at hand, she leaned across the flat rock and dipped the canteen into the shallow, but quick flowing water. The surface of the water seemed to shimmer, broken only by the bubbles from the submerged canteen. Taiga felt her hand growing cold from the flowing water and noticed that a shadow had suddenly blocked the light that brought the water's reflective shimmer. Looking up, she found herself staring into the emerald green eyes of a red fox on the opposite bank of the brook. It only looked back at her for a few moments, then sniffed the air, turned and walked back into the thick of the trees.
"Okay, that was… weird." Taiga nervously muttered while slowly backing away from the water's edge. Even though she was familiar with riding a horse, that was experience she gained from lessons at an equestrian center… in a city. She had never been the outdoorsy type and had only ever seen a live fox in a zoo. Understandably rattled, she quickly moved back to the horses and guided them back to the trail so she could rejoin the others. A small frightened part of her wanted to ride away from here as quickly as possible, but these horses needed their rest before they mounted up and headed back down the mountain with the others.
Taiga hadn't gone far up the trail when she saw her friends and the other horses all coming towards her. She noticed that Maya looked completely recovered and was enjoying a conversation with Kawashima Anna and Minori. After a glance at her watch, she turned to the three horses with her and said, "Good job boys. It looks like we'll be off this mountain before nightfall."
.
Saturday afternoon, March 19th – Sendai
"How is your friend, Haruta-san?" Shinako asked Noto. She knew that he had been asleep since the previous day. Noto had gotten him cleaned up and fed. He had wanted to find out about a lot of things, but poor Haruta had been at the end of his endurance. The only thing he had been able to discover was that Haruta hadn't been able to find his uncle or his wife, ever since the Tsunami.
"He's still sleeping." Noto tapped the screen on his laptop and sighed. He had done the best that he could, but there were still unanswered questions. "I think I found his wife in a hospital in Misawa. Apparently, she was airlifted out soon after the tsunami."
"That's good, isn't it?" Shinako tried to sound hopeful.
"It's good that I found her, but… it doesn't look like she has been trying to find Haruta. That could mean she's in a coma or… she doesn't want to find him." Noto frowned at the bleak possibilities.
"It could also mean that she believes he is already lost to her. She could be disconsolate, thinking he was a casualty of the flood." Shinako suggested.
Noto blinked. That thought had not occurred to him and he was now wondering why. He looked up at Shinako in wonder.
"It was just an idea." Shinako responded to Noto's bewildered expression.
"And it was a good one." Noto said appreciatively. "I'm wondering why I didn't think of it."
"I'm glad you didn't." Shinako said with a smirk.
"Huh?" Noto was snapped out of his introspection by his cousin's odd response, "Why?"
"If you could come up with all the answers by yourself, I would start feeling quite useless." she answered him in jest then seriously offered, "I'll see what I can do about getting your friend up to Misawa.
"Thank you Shinako-san." Noto wanted to laugh, but he was too tired. Leaning back into the overstuffed chair, he took a sip of the hot tea that Shinako had left for him. The hot tea and the comfortable chair almost lulled him into sleep, but he caught himself before the last long blink and shook himself awake. He hadn't been put through as much as Haruta, but he was exhausted too. Since they boarded the plane in Osaka, it seemed that he and Shinako had been constantly on the run. There was always one or two more things to do. Even after turning the responsibility of the construction crews over to the Italian relief teams, he was still involved with the political entities in the area. He wanted to make sure that Hisamitsu Industries would have a place in all the rebuilding efforts that would be necessary in the years to come.
He hoped he had done well and that his efforts would be something that his grandmother would praise him for. But for now, the thoughts that occupied his mind the most was that this would all be over in two more days and he could finally go home to Tokushima. He looked forward to seeing his wife and daughters, holding them in his arms again, relaxing with them on a picnic blanket - under the cool skies of his beloved home…
Shinako took the empty cup from Noto's fingers and turned off the lamp beside his chair. She didn't know what he was dreaming about, but it was certainly bringing a pleasant smile to his face.
.
Monday morning, March 20th – Brisbane, Australia
"We're going to ride in that?" Hisako sounded dubious. She was looking down the pier at the two strange looking craft. One was painted red and white and the other was yellow and white. But it wasn't their paint jobs that made them odd. They looked like parts of different models that someone had gotten mixed up and then glued together without reading the instructions. The center of the craft looked like a catamaran with it's double hulls in the water. That was fairly normal looking, but it sported two large delta-wings that seemed to have been put on backwards, two large engines with big propellers that looked like they belonged on a seaplane, and a giant horizontal wing that connected the two vertical stabilizers in the back. Hisako had seen plenty of airplanes and boats in her life. She had even seen a few seaplanes. But she had never encountered anything like these monstrosities.
"They're supposed to be very safe." Ryuuji said in a tone that sounded more hopeful than reassuring. He couldn't help it though. The pictures he had been sent hadn't prepared him enough for how strange they looked in person. He looked to Deena for support but she was also looking skeptical.
"I want to ride in the yellow one!" Aiko-chan was one of the few that still seemed enthusiastic about climbing into one of these ungainly looking things.
"We may not have a choice over which one we ride in. Oh, here comes someone now." Yasuko explained to the young girl while also hoping to ride in the yellow one. She didn't know why, but the way it was painted seemed to make her feel happier.
Deena was soon translating between the Australian operators of the WIGs and her Japanese friends. The representatives from the company explained that the cabins of these craft were normally built out to carry fifty passengers, but they had removed all but ten seats from the yellow one so that they could carry the luggage, photography, and video gear for the shoots they would be doing once they got to the islands. Yasuko and Aiko-chan were ecstatic when they found out that they could ride in the yellow craft after all. Yuri and Deena also decided to ride in the yellow one with the youngest and oldest members of their group… and the two with the weakest English skills.
Ami sat next to Ryuuji on one side of the aisle while Nanako sat next to Hisako on the other. Behind them were Suzume and Umeki looking out the window excitedly as the other craft backed away from the pier. The yellow craft had finished loading and getting everyone ready first, so Ryuuji and the girls that were with him watched out the windows as the yellow craft maneuvered into position and then accelerated away using the powerful propellers on the two big engine pods. They watched the yellow and white craft get smaller and smaller as it got further away, but it never seemed to lift off into the sky.
"All right everyone, it's our turn now." Ryuuji translated what the crew member was telling him in English. Put on your seat-belts if you haven't already. The first part of the launch will feel like a ride on a very fast speedboat. It will be fairly rough until we clear the water. After that, it should be as smooth as skating across ice." Ryuuji then took his seat and put his seat-belt on too. A moment later and the loud hum of the big propeller engines got even louder everyone could feel the sense of moving very quickly. However, there wasn't much to see out the windows other than lots of spray being kicked up by the water. The big craft banged through wave after wave and they were all glad for the security of the seat-belts until…
Suddenly, there were no more bangs or lurches. The vibrations calmed down and the craft felt eerily still. But a glance out the windows showed the nearby ocean hurtling by.
"How…" Ryuuji was about to ask what was happening when the crew member took off his seat-belt and motioned for Ryuuji to stand up as well.
"We are now flying just a few meters above the water. As soon as we clear the outer buoys, we will accelerate to our cruising speed of one hundred and nine knots, but we won't be flying that much higher. That would be one hundred and twenty-five miles per hour, or a little over two hundred kilometers per hour. That may not seem all that fast for an airplane, but a 'wing in ground-effect' craft is designed to compete against boats, not planes. As such, we will soon be flying faster than any ferry boat in the world." Ryuuji repeated what the crew member told him.
"What about the hydrofoils? Japan has a lot of hydrofoil ferries and they're pretty fast." Hisako asked. She had been on a Hydrofoil once and had been impressed with it's speed… for a while. However, she also got sea-sick from the hydrofoil's motion.
"Japan's passenger hydrofoils can go as fast as forty-eight knots. That would be around fifty-five miles per hour, or eighty-nine kilometers per hour." Ryuuji repeated back to Hisako and the others.
"So we're going… more than twice as fast as a hydrofoil? Wow!" Umeki exclaimed as she turned to look out the window at the water rushing by.
Ami too was fascinated with the view out the window… for a while. But she had been in high speed motorboats and hydrofoil ferries before, so watching water moving by quickly wasn't something new to her. In the end, it wasn't fascinating enough to hold her attention for more than a few minutes. Turning back from the window, she reached out to Ryuuji to sit next to her.
"Are you okay? This thing isn't scaring you, is it?" Ryuuji worried as he took his seat.
"No. If anything, I'm already bored." Ami sighed.
"If you didn't want to do this..." Ryuuji was about to apologize for dragging her into this job.
"No, it's not that. I just… I want to go home. I mean… I don't want to sound like a kid with homesickness, but I want to see Tatsuya again. I want to relax in our home in Tokyo. I want…" she stopped talking when she realized that she sounded exactly like a kid with homesickness. The idea that Ryuuji would call her on it – made her look down at her hands and pout.
"Yeah, I get that. But this is the last thing we're doing here. We can go home as soon as we're done with this job. Okay?" Ryuuji said as he reached over and held her clasped hands.
"Promise?" Ami asked as she looked up into his eyes.
"I pinky swear." Ryuuji said as his little finger curled around Ami's.
"Oh, it's serious now buster. You might have been able to go back on a promise to me, but a pinky swear is some serious stuff. Are you sure you can hold up your end of this?" Ami asked with a wry smile and a glint of humor in her eye.
"I'll do my very best." Ryuuji promised as he leaned in for a kiss.
.
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Glossary
DFAT: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Hokkaido: The northern most of the four main islands of Japan. Sapporo is on Hokkaido.
Honshu: The largest of the four main islands of Japan. Sendai, Tokyo, and Osaka are all on Honshu.
Shikoku: The smallest of the four main islands of Japan. Tokushima is on Shikoku.