Chapter Thirty-Seven: Long Time, No See

A manicured thumb with a French tip hovered above the mute button on a TV remote, minuscule tremors running through it.

[It's back on,] a male voice said.

[Huh?]

[The show, it's back on, the commercial ended,] the voice said again.

[Oh,] the manicured thumb hit the mute button to resume the TV's sound. [Oh, sorry.]

[You alright? You seem a thousand miles away today?]

[I'm okay, sorry, I just] the young woman tucked a strand of jet black hair behind her ear. [have something on my mind.]

[That client again?] the male voice guessed.

[Yes,] a sad smile formed on her lips. [Yes, you know me well.]

[And you're still not allowed to tell me?]

She shook her head, [Still not allowed,] she confirmed. [Sorry, I try to separate work and life, but this client...well, sometimes I can't help but worry about them.] She feigned a smile. [Sorry, I'll try to push it away.]

Just then the phone on the coffee table chimed. Iku-san glanced at it. It was a text from Ash. It was only three words long. It read: 'It went well.' She smiled and released a relieved breath.

[Who's texting you in English?] The male beside her asked nosily.

[I'm fluent in English, lots of people text me in English,] she replied casually, but there was an undertone of hostility.

[Are you?] The male sounded impressed.

[I am,] she smiled. [And you?] She inquired. [Japanese isn't your first language, so what is?]

"I speak English," he replied, avoiding her actual question. She noticed.

She feigned another smile, "So you do." Her head swiveled back to the TV. [We're missing the show.]

[And you seem much more on Earth now. I take it that text was from your client?]

[Clients aren't supposed to have my personal number,] she deflected.

[But still, that was him,] the man decided.

"Well aren't you Mr. Intuition," she quipped sharply. [But that's really none of your business,] she told him sternly.

[Just making sure you don't have a secret lover I should know about,] he said with a teasing voice, clearly trying to backpedal from his previous statement.

She glared at him. [No you weren't.] She hit the power button on the remote, silencing the show. "I have just realized I quite enjoy my own company just fine, Mr. Hudson." She stood and folded her arms before him and tapped her foot, clearly indicating for him to leave.

He stood then, towering over her. She was not small. Standing at 5'5", she was on the tall side for a Japanese woman. No, he was simply tall, noticeably so.

"I apologize," he said, his voice suddenly sounding threateningly smooth. "I did not mean to offend you, my flower." He reached out a hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

She brushed his hand away with a scoff. "Maybe not, but you have all the same." She untucked the hair he had just placed behind her ear. "And I'm no one's flower," she declared bitterly.

He picked up his trench coat from the arm of the sofa. "I really do apologize." He sounded sincere but she doubted him still. He reached the apartment door. "I hope this has not ruined things between us. I have really enjoyed getting to know you."

She reached past him and opened the door. "You," she corrected. "You hope you did not ruin things between us. Not this. Give credit where credit is due, but don't forget blame too." She made a sweeping motion with her hand. He stepped out of the apartment but lingered on the doorstep. "I would say I'll be seeing you around, Tom, but I'm not sure that's true. Goodbye."

She began to close the door, but he caught it with a strong hand. Suddenly fear bubbled inside her as the dark-haired, foreign tower-of-a-man stood before her. But none of this fear showed on her face. "Don't make me scream," she warned bravely. Without warning, she flung her hip against the door, slamming it shut. She instantly locked, bolted, and chained the door. She rose to her tiptoes and stared out the peephole. He glared at the door, not at all surprised by her actions. She knew he could have stopped the door from closing if he had wanted. She also knew he could break down the cheap apartment door with ease. One shove of his huge shoulders would buckle its hinges.

"I said goodbye!" she shouted at him through the door.

His eyes met the peephole, his neutral expression never faltering. Then, thankfully, he turned and left. She watched him, with breath held in suspense, walk down the stairs and to the parking lot. He opened the door of his big, fancy, American-made car and drove off. She exhaled a shaky breath, finally embracing the fear inside her. She pulled over a kitchen chair and wedged it under the door handle, just in case. Then, she retreated into their room and flung open her work laptop. She pulled up a file. Ash Lynx. She scrolled back to the relevant notes she'd made during their first few sessions.

Ctrl + F

She typed the word 'dead,' and was taken to the first instance the word was recorded.

A quote from Ash appeared. It read, "Ash Lynx is dead. Only a select few in New York know that's a lie. And it has to stay that way. One of my biggest fears is that someone who shouldn't know will learn the truth."

She read and re-read the words three times. This Tom Hudson seemed suspiciously interested in her clients from the start. Her stomach sloshed. Something was not right here. She scrolled to the top of the chart and dialed the number listed in Ash's contact information.

From a crowded, bustling restaurant in Izumo, surrounded by Eiji's family, Ash stepped away from the table to answer his phone. Before accepting the call, his eyebrows furrowed as he read the name listed in his phone, 'Iku-san's cell.'

"Hello?" He said as he walked outside to escape the noise.

"Ash? Ash, hi. Sorry to call you on a Sunday."

"Do you need to cancel our appointment this week?" He asked, unsure what other reason she would have for calling. "Because it's fine if-"

"No. No, Ash, I need to ask you something important," she interjected.

His stomach twisted with nerves. "What is it?" He asked seriously, aware he was going into 'boss mode,' as Eiji called it.

"I- I-" Ash heard her take a steadying breath before continuing. "Ash, I've been seeing this man," she began, "not long, and nothing serious. We've just been on a few dates. Dinners and such. And from the start he's, well he's been quite interested in my work." She paused.

"And?" Ash asked, his nerves growing. This was not just Iku-san calling him about boy troubles. This was serious.

"He's been specifically interested, prying even, in my clients." She swallowed dryly. "And today when you texted, he seemed particularly interested."

Ash tensed. His hand instinctively fled to his waistband, reaching for a gun that hadn't been there for nearly a year. He cursed under his breath. "Describe him," Ash commanded.

"Tall, long dark hair, he wears it pulled back. He's foreign, European I think, maybe Russian, I'm not sure really- I just know he's not from here. His Japanese is good, but he has an accent that shows it's clearly not his first language."

"What name did he give you?" Ash asked tensely.

"Tom," Iku responded. "Tom Hudson."

"Fucking Blanca!" Ash spat angrily. The description matched, but the name itself was a dead giveaway. Thomas Hudson, the main character in Hemingway's Islands in the Stream.

"So you do know him?" She asked anxiously. "I knew it, I don't know why, but I had a feeling he was one of those people you were talking about...one of the ones who shouldn't know you're here."

"Where are you? Are you safe? You're not with him still, are you?"

"No, no, I kicked him out when I started getting suspicious."

"You kicked Blanca out?" Ash asked, honestly impressed.

"I did," she stated firmly, almost proud. "But he clearly could have resisted if he wanted to."

Ash huffed in agreement, "He could have killed you if he wanted. The fact that he didn't make a move to hurt you means you're just a tool to get to me. He won't harm you unless he has orders to do so and he clearly doesn't." Ash was pacing now, mind running a million miles an hour as he debated what to do.

"You're probably safest where you are…" he said, thinking out loud. "Do you have a gun? Scratch that, of course, you don't. Fucking Japan. Do you have any way to defend yourself should you need to?"

She shook her head, "No, nothing more than a kitchen knife."

"Shit," he cursed. "Do you feel safe there? He didn't make any threats, did he? Does he know you know? Do you want me to come get you? I'm not supposed to, but I do have a way to defend myself." He paced more quickly now. His mind's eye pictured the gun he had hidden in his dresser. Although it remained dormant for the past year, it was loaded and ready to go at a moment's notice. No one would hurt the people he loved. Not on his watch.

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down," she replied instead of answering any of his many questions.

"Sorry, sorry."

Iku-san inhaled deeply. "No, I don't feel safe, but I think I am. He doesn't know that I know, as far as I'm aware. He made no threats, if anything he tried to maintain his facade, making it clear he wants to see me again...romantically," the last word came out with particular bitterness. Ash instantly guessed what she was thinking.

"Hey," he interrupted, "you should know he's not one of the men who raped me. Could have if he wanted to. He could have done it many times, but he never once laid a finger on me. Looked the other way while others did, but he himself never touched me. So you don't have to worry about that." It wasn't much, but it fractionally put her mind at ease.

"Okay," she practically whispered.

"You never answered the last question. Are you okay to stay where you are? Do you want me to come get you?"

He shouldn't, he knew he shouldn't do that. That would simply draw attention to himself. Blanca might even be expecting it. It could be a trap. But he didn't care. He wouldn't put her in danger because of him. And part of him wanted to confront Blanca, put a bullet between his eyes.

For a long moment, she said nothing, clearly considering his offer. "I- I appreciate the offer, Ash, but I think you were right when you said I'm safer where I am."

'Good choice,' he thought.

"Nnno," she continued slowly, "I think I'll call him and apologize, pretend I regret my outburst. Maybe that'll extinguish any suspicions he has about me knowing who he really is."

"Good idea. But play it stubborn, like maybe your mom raised you to apologize but it goes against how you actually feel. It will be more believable."

"Alright...alright."

"I'll be in touch," Ash said.

And then he was gone.

Ash returned to the table, slightly shaken.

"Who was that?" Eiji asked.

"We need to leave," Ash said hurriedly.

"What?" Eiji asked bewildered.

"Now," Ash insisted. "We need to go."

Ash pulled out more than enough money to cover the bill and placed it on the table. "Now," he said hastily, "Let's go."

[We need to leave,] he said again in a language everyone could understand.

Everyone looked confused, frightened even, but followed Ash without argument.

When they reached Ash's car, they found Blanca, leaning up against the driver's door, book in hand.

Ash stopped in his tracks, outstretching his arms to halt the rest of the family. He was vulnerable, so vulnerable, without his gun. He'd put up a fight, but ultimately, he was at Blanca's mercy. He only hoped he'd be satisfied to just kill, or capture, him and leave the rest of the family alone

"Hey kitten," Blanca's silky voice called to him softly, "Long time, no see."

Author's Note: I write this to heal all of our Banana Fish depression, so don't worry too much, I won't betray you. I just wanted to make things a bit more interesting.