by Lila Mina
“No, oku sama,” she replied with certainty. Yuki groaned and tightened her embrace, before claiming Lana’s mouth in a searing kiss.
“I am so happy to hear it, and you know why?” Yuki went on after letting go of Lana’s lips. “Because all of this will work. I’ll take care of you and give you the chance to rest. The velvet glove on your skin after the burn of the scorching rope. Simply follow my lead. You find freedom, a matching release of your own blazing temper in his arms, a sort of… echo chamber in him. But you also require something else. Let me try, at least, to give you a little bit of this.”
While she spoke, Yuki never stopped working her fingers inside Lana’s pussy, increasing her speed. Lana fumbled and found Yuki’s, mirroring her gestures. As Yuki’s voice got rougher and rougher, Lana plunged her tongue in her lover’s mouth and aggressively dug in three fingers, while her thumb brushed her clit. She came hard, her scream muted by Yuki’s lips. Her companion shuddered, swept away by her own orgasm.
“You and me, we can be tender and sweet to each other, or naughty and dirty, or even a combination of both, as you prefer,” Yuki whispered afterward while Lana panted and licked her lips.
“The combination suits me well, oku sama. You know how much I love being naughty.”
Yuki chuckled and twisted a nipple, hard, eliciting a strangled gasp from Lana. “Oh yes, I do. How is your back now, neko chan?”
“Much better, and so are my legs. Thank you.”
“Then, let’s get out and tend your other wounds.”
Later on, they stepped out of the bathroom together. Lana’s legs were stiff, but she could limp and walk by herself again. They found Honda in the kitchen, eating his late lunch and watching live reports of the earthquake on a flat-screen 4K TV mounted on the opposite wall. He looked at the two women and quirked an eyebrow.
“It is done then? Everything is sorted out? Lana san?”
Lana bowed while Yuki picked a couple of dishes and set them up for herself and Lana. “It is, goshujin sama. Oku sama and I had a productive discussion.”
Honda leaned forward and searched her face. “You did more than talk about it.” His voice was flat, unreadable, free from either irony or leering. He didn’t even sound disappointed at her capitulation.
Yuki chuckled while Lana tried not turn into a blushing teenager. “Indeed,” Yuki piped in. “There was a brilliant demonstration along with it, goshujin sama. The matter is settled.” Yuki seemed eager to move forward.
“Good. Lana san, given your situation, what do you need right away? It would be useful to sort out your priorities.”
Lana welcomed the change of topic and used it to compose herself. Sitting at the table, she accepted the rice and miso soup Yuki gave her, before stating the traditional expression of gratitude at the beginning of a meal.
“Itadakimasu. Well, Gabriella has copies of all my essential papers. I have my foreigner ID and bank cards with me, so I’m not an undocumented alien without any resources.”
Right then, the house shook as another moderate aftershock rattled the city. The trio glanced up at the ceiling and kitchen shelves; nothing fell off, so they continued as if it hadn’t happened. This would be their new normal for the coming days and weeks. After a while, people would start feeling ‘phantom shakes’ out of sheer anxiety. Lana figured that as long as her phone didn’t blare any alarm, she’d be fine. She had set it at a high level to avoid being warned about non-threatening tremors.
“As for what I need… Clothes, mostly. My office will be closed on Monday if the trains don’t run. Still, I’ll have to go there next week to meet with management to figure out the next steps. I want to grab a laptop if they ask us to work from home.”
“Let’s wait until tomorrow to see if anything opens around Kichijoji. In the meantime, we’ll make do with what I have, even though we don’t wear the same size,” Yuki said, finishing up her meal.
“Especially when it comes to shoes.” Lana chuckled. “I can get by with my borrowed sneakers for now. I’ll ask Gabriella to help me out, and I’ve got clothes in a storage container in the parking lot of my condo.”
“We will see what the traffic and road conditions look like tomorrow morning,” Honda said. “Come with me. Let me show you our home office and give you the Wifi access codes.”
Lana followed him to a room lined up with filled bookshelves and two large workstations. Five minutes later, she was back on the phone with her friend who was safe at home. Lana’s phone battery was too low to make it a long call, so Gabriella offered to get in touch with their office’s emergency unit on her behalf.
Afterward, Yuki showed her a bedroom, a spacious 15-tatami room with sliding panel windows opening on the Zen side of the garden. To Lana’s satisfaction, it had next to no furniture, in the traditional Japanese way.
Finally, Yuki led her to the private dojo of the estate, a 30-tatami room. As tradition requested, a kamidana, a portrait of O’Sensei and an impressive work of calligraphy that Lana couldn’t decipher hung on the main wall facing the entrance. A large collection of bokken and other various staffs were stacked along the left wall. It was much more than necessary for practicing the aikido techniques using weapons.
Yuki noticed Lana staring. “Like my father and two brothers, I practice iaido and kendo, so these are my training weapons. My blunt edged sword and my katana are not on display here but in my room. Of course, goshujin sama also uses those now and then.”
Lana quirked an eyebrow. “Yes, I was wondering what kind of martial arts you do.”
“I am a third dan in both those budo, but I have been a little remiss in my practice.”
“If you ever have time, would you mind introducing me to iaido?” Lana asked, hopeful.
“Certainly, but I am no instructor, so I can show you only basic moves. My father teaches both arts. He used to be goshujin sama’s kendo sensei when he was still training in that art before he decided to focus on aikido. About twenty-five years ago.”
“Ah, so… both have known each other for a long time,” Lana said prudently. She didn’t want to sound like she was prying, but something about the relationship between the two men disturbed her. The way Nakazawa had almost snarled at Honda had been unsettling.
“Oh yes, they do. Our families’ relations go back to the Edo period. We used to be samurai clans, direct vassals of the Tokugawa family. My family’s domain is located in Shizuoka area, while goshujin sama’s ancestral land is near Nikko. This used to be their townhouse in Edo, and the property was much larger in the past, as it included the shrine grounds next to us. Our families have shared close ties for centuries at personal and political levels. But when we got married, it had been well over forty years since there had been a wedding between our families. The general political context had changed, of course. It was the object of careful and detailed negotiations.”
Yuki didn’t offer more information, and Lana didn’t dare show too much curiosity. The other woman sensed her hesitation. “You may ask me questions, but I might not answer all of them, Lana san. Some things aren’t mine to tell.”
“I understand. My apologies for being so nosy,” Lana said, bowing her head.
“You’re not,” Yuki chuckled. “Let’s agree we don’t have to share everything today, right? We have time to get to know each other better.” Lana nodded, there wasn’t much to add. “Come now, you must be exhausted, we’ll finish the tour another time. This has been a challenging day for everyone.”
19
Memories Buried under Ashes
The next morning, Lana found herself sitting in the passenger seat of Honda’s car, moving in a long line toward the district of Mitaka, Gabriella, and what was left of her apartment. Staring at the various levels of damage along the road, the trio remained silent until they arrived in the outskirts of Mikata. Lana guided Honda until she could see her building down the street.
“Oh… it’s even worse than I thought,” she whispered, shocked, as they came to a
halt. The entire apartment complex was built in four wings, each of them counting nine floors. The walls and outside corridors of the south wing, where her unit was, were blackened by soot, from the third floor up to the sixth.
“Where is your apartment?”
“On the fourth floor. Right above where the fire started…” Lana said, a lump in her throat. “Can you imagine what would have happened if…” Her voice trailed off.
“Units in condos as modern as these have good fire and smoke alarms. I’m certain you would have been able to escape,” Yuki tried to reassure her.
“The police and fire brigade haven’t left yet. With any luck, we’ll get answers. Ah, Gabriella’s over there, near the bicycle parking.” Leaving the car, Lana jogged across the street. Both friends fell into a warm and emotional hug.
“Oh, cara mia, I can’t believe it. What a mess…” Gabriella sobbed in relief in Lana’s hair. In tears, her friend could only nod, her own well of emotions overflowing.
After a long while, Lana sighed and tried to compose herself. “It’s so good to see you. I’m so happy you didn’t get hurt.”
“I was lucky. Here, take this. It’s not much but should be enough for a few days.” Gabriella handed Lana a large duffel bag. “Copies of your papers, smartphone charger, underwears, a pair of sandals, sweatpants, two skirts and a few shirts… I know we don’t have the same style, but I swear I picked up the blandest stuff in my closet. In other words, you can keep it!” They shared a laugh, feeling much better.
“Lana san,” a grim Honda interrupted them. “I talked with the police officer over there. It is highly disturbing, but according to the fire brigade, the timing does not match with the earthquake. They are considering all scenarios, including arson.”
“What?” Lana exclaimed, turning pale. “But… how? Who? Any casualties?”
“They would not give me details, obviously, but two bodies were found in the unit on the third floor where the fire started. Unit 312.”
Hand flying to her mouth, Lana gasped. “The Kurozawa’s! A family of four. The kid is five or six and always stays home with his grandma because the parents work irregular shifts at the hospital nearby. Oh gosh, do you think the kid…?”
Honda shook his head and handed her several sheets of paper. “I cannot say. Anyway, the police officer told me you can fill those forms to start the insurance process. You are allowed to go to your unit if you want to shoot pictures of the damage. I will come with you.”
“Use my phone. I’ll forward them to you later. Arson? What a nightmare…” Gabriella whispered, subdued. “I’ll stay here with Yuki san and see what else we can learn.”
After Lana had shown her ID confirming her place of residence, Honda and Lana headed for the building entrance, accompanied by a firefighter and another police officer. In the staircase, the smell of smoke and burned materials overwhelmed her. She gagged and her eyes watered. She gratefully accepted the cotton mask offered by the policeman. By the time they reached her floor, her legs reminded her of their trek, and she was panting while cramps crippled her calves.
They arrived in front of the remnants of her door; it had been demolished by the fire brigade. “The fire started in the kitchen in the unit below, so you will see that your kitchen and your living room were the most affected by the flames. Unfortunately smoke and fire repellant destroyed everything else,” the fireman explained.
“How come there was so much damage? Why was the blaze allowed to grow so large?” Honda asked behind Lana, who was busy shooting the first round of pictures from the entrance.
“The closest fire respondents couldn’t make it in time because they were victims of vandalism: they found all their tires slashed thirty minutes before the call came in and were still replacing them by then,” the police officer answered. “It took another unit much longer to arrive, and then things became hard to control when the earthquake struck. It’s a series of unfortunate coincidences… although now that we’re considering the arson lead, I don’t know if this is the right word.”
“Martin san, the room in the front and the one in the back can be accessed, but don’t step on the floor of the rooms on the left, as the structural integrity of the flooring is not guaranteed,” the fireman advised, seeing her hesitation to step inside.
Heart beating wildly, Lana stopped listening to Honda’s conversation and walked inside, aiming at the first room on her right: her bedroom. Maybe the safe was resistant enough… maybe everything is intact…
She started coughing right away, the smell and thick, heavy air making her eyes water. She took a couple of pictures of her room. Everything was covered with soot and drenched by water, beyond repair or use, but the flames had spared it. Crouching on the floor, she grabbed the small safe she had put under her bed when she had moved in. It had been years since she had opened it, close to a decade.
With trembling hands, Lana entered the combination code. To her enormous relief, the inside of the safe was in perfect condition. She took out a lucky charm bracelet, a pair of fantasy earrings and a small photo album. There were two pictures in it. One of herself and her father, when she was seven, on their yearly ski trip to the French Alps. The last one they would ever take. Uh. Why do I even bother keeping it, anyway?
With a shaky breath, she dared take a look at the second one. Hi there. Long time no see.
Two smiling faces greeted her, forever stuck in a beautiful moment she could not forget. She chuckled at the goofy grin her younger self wore but couldn’t bring herself to stare much longer at the other person. She shut the album closed and bit her cheek hard. This was a dangerous memory lane, and there were good reasons why her safe had remained locked all this time. But she was grateful the flames hadn’t eaten everything away.
Lost in thought, Lana straightened up and turned back toward the door only to stumble on Honda. “Oh!” She caught his arm to avoid falling on her butt, and the album clattered on the floor.
Before she could move, he picked it up. The second picture was hanging loose; there was no way he could miss it. Their eyes met, and something soft sparkled in his. “You look very young in this one.”
Lana chuckled to hide her emotional turmoil, but her burning cheeks betrayed her. “Hm, yes, seventeen… and definitely acting like it!” More forcefully than warranted, she snatched the album from his hands and tucked it into her handbag.
For a few heartbeats, they remained standing in the semi-obscurity of what was left of her bedroom and her past. He stepped aside when she didn’t provide any further detail, especially about the young man biting her younger self’s bare neck. Sorry, access to this part of my life is a strict no-no for you.
“Is there any other belonging you can salvage and bring along? I took the liberty to shoot other pictures down the hall. To my regret, the smoke and soot damage is total. No need to linger here with those toxic fumes.”
“Yeah, the smell is pretty awful and makes me nauseous. Let’s go. I found nothing else worth taking with me. Do you mind coming with me to the storage containers behind the parking lot? I’ll ask a moving company to handle most of all the contents, but I can take a few things with me today.”
Honda nodded, and they stepped outside the apartment. She gave her companion’s back a quizzical look. Grasping what their agreement implied was still hard, in particular now that they would share more than a hotel room every blue moon or so. None of them had expected such a turn of events, and his behavior blurred the lines in her book.
But then, in his mind, perhaps he’s simply doing what he promised he’d do.
Her hand gripped the staircase ramp as she took careful steps. “For the record, you will not make me do any suwari waza anytime soon, and even less walk around in shikko,” she groaned. The mere thought of roaming around the mats on her knees made her legs ache.
“Have no fear, I would not be able to make any demonstration on my end,” he replied over his shoulder. His pace was more prudent than usual, and his hand rest
ed against the wall for support. The twenty-six flights of stairs of the previous day had left their imprint on both of them.
Yuki and Gabriella were waiting for them outside the main entrance, agitated and worried. “It’s even more terrible than we thought,” a pale Yuki told them. “The police officer just informed us the father is now the prime suspect. The mother was found yesterday morning, wailing and wandering barefoot in the streets. It’s only now they could identify her, and she’s mumbling accusations against her husband.”
“But then, it means... the bodies…” Lana whispered, heart in her throat.
“Yes, the grandmother and the son,” a grim Gabriella confirmed.
“I can’t… can’t believe it!” Lana recoiled in shock, blood draining from her face.
Yuki laid a soft hand on her arm. “Let’s go home, now. We shouldn’t stay here; it’s too sad and terrible.”
“Yes… yes, you’re right, but give me five minutes to check my container over there. I’ll be right back.”
Lost in thought, eyes blurred by tears of sadness at the tragedy that had struck her neighbors, Lana hurried to the rows of storage units. After unlocking hers, she stepped inside the small space, going for the boxes where she kept old and winter clothes. As she rummaged through them, the sound of footsteps resonated behind her back.
“Goshujin sama, would you mind–” She stopped mid-sentence. Honda didn’t have such heavy and raspy breathing. Even at the end of a strenuous practice session. Or in bed.
“You! It’s your fault! Your fault!”
Lana screamed and stumbled against the piles of boxes behind her. Twisting on her feet, she faced the intruder while her hand searched frantically for something useful to grab.
“Kurozawa san!” she exclaimed, icy threads of fear clutching her heart.
Disheveled, hands and face smeared with soot and dirt, her neighbor pointed an iron bar at her head. “It’s your fault!” he repeated with a hoarse cry. “He made me do it because of you! It’s all because of you! He made me do it!”
