Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  “No, Mark,” I say, sitting down with my cup of coffee. “I’ve been concentrating on other things. I honestly spent my time in Ku 1 watching who you told me to. I gave Sakai clan a wide berth. Did you say you have news?”

  “This morning at 5:00…” He sighs and rubs his face. “I swear they interrupt my sleep on purpose to throw me off. Anyway, all three heads are demanding proof of your lineage so that’s a good sign. If they had just denied your birthright then we’d be back to square one.”

  “What did you do? I told them we could provide proof, but I had no idea what the proof was.”

  “DNA and medical records, of course. I had them all archived when you were little and the new ones created in their place. I sent both over to them, and it’s enough to prove it.”

  It’s begun. Soon, they will be plotting.

  “Sanaa, I think we’ll hear something right away — within twenty-four hours. There’s no way they’re going to drag this out. One of them will act fast before the other one can, but our plans remain in effect.”

  “The concert tomorrow?”

  “Yes. No one but family knows you’ll be there until you arrive. But once you’re at the concert, word will spread. I hear you’ve taken Beni as your jihi,” he says with an ironic smile. The way one side of his face is more elevated than the other, I can tell he’s amused.

  “What, Mark? Are you making fun of me?” But I’m not mad at him, I’m laughing, too. “I know it’s ridiculous, but I’ve never had a staff before. I thought it might be nice to have help since it’s what’s expected of me anyway.”

  “No no. Beni is a good choice. I… I didn’t know what to expect when I finally got you here. I didn’t watch you grow up except to follow your schooling and work. I only knew your mother and Kimie and how they were. I wasn’t sure how you were going to handle any of this.”

  “You know, Mark, that video of my mother? The only word that popped into my brain was ‘accept.’ Then I talked to Helena and her advice stuck. I have to accept what happened to me, what’s going to happen to me, and accept what you have to offer that will keep me alive. My mother made my duty absolutely clear, but I want to do things my way, on my terms. So I’m taking what I can.”

  “That frightens me a little,” he says with a chuckle.

  “It should!” A loud laugh escapes my mouth, and I clamp my hand down over my lips quickly. I’m going to wake Jiro if I’m not careful.

  “Do you remember the afternoon we spent in Ku 8 together?”

  I nod my head. Remember it? I’ll never forget it.

  “We walked through the artifacts section and the scientists working on the genomes. Then we got to spend time with all those wonderful animals.” A smile breaches the confines of his somber face. “I saw your face when you put on the hazmat suit and when we were on our tour. You know how important it is to continue that work here and on Yūsei.”

  I nod again.

  “We have to keep our eyes on the goal,” he continues. “The goal is to keep the peace amongst us so we can concentrate on rebuilding all we’ve lost. Let’s never forget that.”

  The bedroom door opens, and Jiro emerges with a yawn.

  “Ohayo, Sakai. I was wondering who Sanaa was out here laughing at.”

  “Sorry, Jiro. I didn’t mean to wake you.” I laugh again, this time at myself for being so happy amidst all this crazy drama. I should probably be more afraid for my life right now, but I’m not.

  Jiro walks over and pats the top of my head. “You’re so loud, Sanaa. I swear you could wake the dead.”

  We spent all last night joking around, and I really love Jiro’s sense of humor. He certainly can make me laugh.

  Sakai stands up. “I’m going to go home now and go back to sleep.”

  “No. Stay for breakfast. I’ll call Oyama and have him cook something up.”

  He looks at each of us. “No, that’s okay. I’ll leave you two alone,” he says with a smile. At the door, he stops and turns around. “Sanaa-chan, I hear you have a tattoo appointment for later today. Please say hello to Manami for me.”

  * * * *

  I have many fears these days but fear of needles isn’t one of them. Jiro introduces me to Manami, and she is super sweet, if a little on the wild side. Her chin length hair has a bright blue streak, and she is covered with the most colorful tattoos I have ever seen. She’s a bit surprised that for my first tattoo I want something so large, but she’s also happy to accommodate me once Jiro starts talking about me. I’m doing my best to put all thought of duties and negotiations aside so I can enjoy this, my first tattoo.

  While she and Jiro go over his initial illustrations and her interpretations, I sit with Beni and flip through the photos of Manami’s work. Jiro has been coming to her for years, and I find photos of his upper back and shoulders in her collection. Whenever I get to one of him, I tip the tablet to him, and he nods. I think he’s a little embarrassed by the attention actually.

  “Beni, where are yours?”

  She takes the tablet from me and swipes through. “Oh, here, Sanaa-san.” Beni’s slim back is covered from her shoulders straight down to her lower waist with cherry blossom petals. The tattoos are definitely many year’s worth of work.

  “Beni,” I gasp. “That’s gorgeous.”

  “Thank you, Sanaa-san.” She is so quiet and matter-of-fact. I think we’re going to get along nicely.

  Manami comes to me with a print out of the design, and the flowers are going to be huge on my tiny back. But once I stand up and she holds the template up to me, I know it’ll be perfect.

  “Let’s start, Sanaa,” Manami says as she grabs a long, length of fabric to wrap me up in. I step behind a screen to take off my shirt and undershirt and come out covered up except for my shoulders. She lightly shaves my upper back, transfers the design, and gets to work.

  The scratching, itching, burning sensation being etched into my skin as each petal comes to life is annoying at first, and then the endorphins kick in. I alternate between feeling nothing and pain so intense I almost black out. I ask Manami to give me a few seconds to pause for a deep breath, and then push through it.

  It’s easy to become bored though. Jiro sits patiently in the chair opposite me, reading from his tablet, and holding my hand when I reach out for him. I let my eyes go fuzzy and stare at Oninoten and Kazenoho propped up next to him while listening to the buzz and hum of Manami working away.

  Once every so often, I glance around the screen to the door and either Usagi or Beni are outside. They must be taking turns watching the parlor. Both have been here before and talk with everyone coming and going.

  Choosing only the barest hint of purple and green in the tattoo was probably a wise decision because past the three hour mark when Manami starts to shade in color, I start to get light headed. She’s done by the four hour mark, and I am so pleased I decided on something beautiful but not too intricate for my first tattoo even if the design is rather large.

  “Ometase itashimashita. Owari!” Manami says as she leans back from me. “We’ll just spray it, and you’ll be done.”

  “Ah, the meds are the best part,” Jiro says as he gets up and comes around to see my back. “It’ll feel cool and take all the pain away. Tomorrow, you be all healed up.”

  “Modern medicine is wonderful.” The spray hits my back, and I sigh audibly. Wow, that’s nice. No more pain but I’m so tired now. How will I make it through the rest of this day? I don’t dare get up from the chair yet. I just let them both stand and admire.

  “Excellent work, Manami.”

  “Subarashii desu yo, Jiro. Do you want to see it, Sanaa, before I cover up your back? Bandage stays on for twelve hours and then you’ll be as right as rain.” Funny how these sayings that mean nothing to us living in a bubble stick around for thousands of years.

  When I stand, I’m glad I’m not going to topple over. What I see in the mirror takes my breath away. Manami’s a master especially with color.

  “W
hat do you think? Happy?” Jiro asks, peeking around the corner.

  I turn to him with a smile. “Very.”

  “Now you are nogiku in every way.”

  Sanaa, the wild chrysanthemum.

  Chapter

  Thirty-Three

  I sleep all night on my stomach (I try not to roll around) and wake up with Jiro late the next morning. He takes off the bandage, and the tattoo is perfect, absolutely flawless. Tattoos in the old days must have been such a pain without the meds we have now. A twelve-hour turnaround in healing would get almost anyone in the chair.

  We’ll have no private time today if this morning is any indication of how the rest of the day will go. It’s only 9:30, and Beni and Oyama are already in our apartment. Oyama is serving up breakfast, Jiro is in the shower, and I have a few things I need Beni to do today.

  “Beni, my Aunt Kimie is going to meet you in our old building in Ku 9 and take you to my family’s storage room. She’ll show you everything and grant you access to the space for the foreseeable future.” Beni nods, her little hair clips over her ears bounce in time with her head.

  “Sakai-san has asked me to wear one of the royal kimonos tonight, so please go to the air-tight bins and choose one. Nothing too heavy, though. I need to be able to move in it. Don’t forget an obi and grab whatever else looks interesting. Beni, can you fight with a weapon?”

  “Excuse me, Sanaa-san?”

  “Jiro told me you’re a brown belt in karate like me. Before I learned to sword fight, I could only fight with my hands.”

  Beni thinks for a second. “Sanaa-san, I have never fought with a weapon before. Is this something you need me to do?”

  She seems scared of what my answer is going to be, and her hesitation reminds me of the first time I stood in the Itōdōjō with Jiro and the wooden swords. I was so frightened.

  “Not necessarily, Beni, though you might want to learn. I was just thinking of the weapons that are also in the storage area. I remember a small, sheathed, sharp sword in with the other longer swords. Will you please grab that for me, too?”

  “Yes, Sanaa-san,” she says, obviously relieved, but I think I’m going to ask her to learn anyway. Maybe I can teach her?

  After Beni leaves, Oyama is right on her heels. I swear he’s only said about five words to me in the time I’ve known him. He’s so quiet. Only ever “yes, miss” or “no, miss” and sometimes we discuss what I like to eat and don’t, but he is not at all social and keeps to himself.

  “Why is Oyama so quiet?” I ask, sitting at the table with Jiro. “I wish he’d talk to me more.”

  Jiro passes me a plate of food, lovingly arranged. “Here, eat. I’ll tell you what Oyama likes, a clean plate.”

  “Mark told me he likes pretty girls, and that’s why he wants to do this job.”

  Jiro laughs. “I am constantly surprised by the things Sakai tells you that he tells no one else. I can’t imagine him ever saying that.”

  “I think he shows you his serious side because that’s the way he wants you to be, especially when you’re head of the family.”

  Will Jiro choose to support Sakai clan instead of me someday? I’m only one person, one little person left in my generation for my family.

  “Jiro…” I set my chopsticks down. “I want to make sure you’re fine with all of this, us living together already, and how quickly everything happened.”

  He sets his chopsticks down too and holds my eyes in a lock, but stays silent.

  “Because, if you’re having doubts then…” I swallow hard past the lump in my throat. “Then I completely understand.”

  “Sanaa, never in my life has anything made more sense, made me more happy than this. I promise. I’m perfectly fine with everything.” His feet reach mine under the table and rub up against them, causing a new blush to burst onto my neck.

  “Okay.” I just wanted to make sure. I still don’t feel like any of this is real.

  “Anyway, Oyama,” Jiro continues, setting his rice aside and picking up the miso soup. “About four or five years ago, he had the sweetest girlfriend and was totally in love with her, but she died of a congenital heart defect the doctors couldn’t fix.”

  “Oh. Oh, no. That’s so sad.” Poor Oyama. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost someone close to me like that. I lost my parents but I was practically a baby.

  “Yeah. He was quite depressed for a long time. I remember Sakai going to talk to him one day, and Oyama up and turned his life around. He’s been cooking and food-tasting full time since then. Before, it was only a thing he did on the side. He practiced with Sakai until you came along.”

  “Hmmm, and what about Usagi? Are they really brothers?”

  “Adopted. Usagi is adopted. His real name is Akio, but he hates it. Oyama’s real name is Hideyoshi. They are technically family friends and not blood relatives though they have sworn allegiance to Sakai clan.”

  “I think I’m going to need a family tree soon. This family is confusing and large.”

  “Yes, it is,” he says with a smile, but I can tell it’s a confusing and large family he loves. “Sanaa, do you want to go to the dōjō today and train?”

  “Yes. Definitely. It’ll be great to get out.” Even though we’ll be kicking each other’s butt in the dōjō, we’ll be alone. Just have to ignore the cameras.

  “Let’s finish and go then.”

  * * * *

  It was a good idea to expend all of my excess energy at the dōjō because, now, as Beni is getting me dressed for this taiko drumming concert, I’m less nervous than I thought I would be.

  Mariko is here in our little bedroom as well. She is already dressed in a peach kimono with a dark green obi and has her hair all twisted up into a French knot. She helped Beni get dressed in a dark pink kimono before they both came over here.

  Beni chose a bright green royal kimono for me to wear tonight from the storage area. The fabric is exceptionally heavy, but Beni assured me it was the lightest one of the bunch. She’s paired it with a dark gray obi studded with checks of dark blue. Beni has good taste.

  “Okay, Sanaa-san.” Beni stands and waits, her hands clasped in front of her, and I hesitate before stripping down to my underwear, no undershirt. Mariko eyes me, and I know my body is being quietly assessed as something her son sees, and gods, that’s embarrassing. Her glance only lasts a second, but her attention snaps back to me when I turn around, and my new tattoos face her.

  “Utsukushii. Jiro no deshō ka?”

  A blush creep up my neck to my face. Yes, they are beautiful and Jiro’s. I turn my head to see her pleased expression, and I scan the width of my tattoos again. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of them.

  “Nogiku. They’re perfect for you.”

  “Sanaa-san just got them yesterday.” Beni holds out the white undergarment for me to wear and makes sure the collar is up around my neck and tight across the chest. My tattoos are only for family and friends. “She was very brave in the chair.”

  “Thank you, Beni.”

  Next comes the bright green kimono and obi. Both Beni and Mariko use all their strength and finagling to get a decent drum bow tied on my back. I feel 10 kilos heavier. Beni had already done my makeup earlier when I was fresh from the shower, so while she ties the obijime around me, Mariko brushes out my hair and twists it into a simple, elegant bun at the back of my head. Not traditional but lovely, nonetheless.

  “All ready?” Jiro asks from the door. He is watching me with so much pride and love in his eyes I’m aching again. “Here’s the short sword you had Beni get from the storage area.”

  I unsheathe the blade, and the sword is still in excellent condition with a gleaming finish. Jiro reaches into my obi, laying the weapon lengthwise and tilted across my belly and lower chest. The position is not comfortable at all but I’ll have to get used to it.

  “I still don’t understand why I can’t bring Kazenoho.”

  “I’ll carry both our swords. Sakai says he doesn’t want
the first real image of you to be a fighter. We’re promoting peace not war.”

  “I don’t agree. I think Kazenoho makes me look strong, like I shouldn’t be messed with.”

  He smiles as Mariko nods her head.

  “Well, yeah. But when has Sakai ever been wrong about these things?” He reaches into his obi. “Here. I have a small, extremely sharp dagger I want you to fasten to your leg, too. This one will be our secret.” He turns to Beni and Mariko. “Can you two give us a minute, please?”

  They both leave and shut the door behind them.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m terrified, Jiro. I don’t know how I’ll make it through tonight.” If he could see through my kimono, he’d find my knees shaking.

  “You need to dig deep, love. Find the same strength you did from the other night when you commanded Maeda to kneel and negotiated with Matsuda.”

  “I don’t know, Jiro. That was an out-of-body experience. I can’t expect it to happen again.” I was possessed, an entirely different person than the small, shaking girl I am now.

  “It’ll come to you.” He pulls me close to him, and I tip my face up to his. “Sanaa, you look amazing. I’d propose to you right now if you could marry.”

  I no longer feel ridiculous in this extravagant kimono and smile shyly.

  “I wish you could.” It’s the truth.

  The damn sword in my obi is poking me in the ribs, but I’m not going to let that stop me from getting a final kiss before we leave. I rise up to my tip-toes to brush my mouth against his warm, soft lips, and we lightly press into each other being careful not to mess up my makeup. His fingers graze my cheek and chin before landing on my neck. Ah, I love his touch.

  Before I can pull away, he kisses me on my nose and sighs. “I love those freckles.”

  Chapter