“It’s okay. I’m not stupid. Aya isn’t smart enough to survive out in the wild all by herself. She’s never had to work a day in her life, you know? Anything she needed, it was done for her. And she still held our father in contempt and treated both of us like trash. Tsk.”
I swallowed and took a step back. The shadow was gone, and instead, I was face to face with something much worse.
“I have to give her credit, she sure is resourceful.” Tatsuya took a step forward, closing the distance between us. “I mean, I thought when she went running that she would find a man. That’s what she does, you know. She finds men. She makes them fall for her charms. She seduces them and has them do whatever she wants. She’s had a lifetime of practice and she’s very, very good at it.” He took another step closer, and I backed up into a pole. I was trapped. He looked me up and down. “I can’t say I was expecting her to shack up with a woman. Huh. She’s even more resourceful than I thought. Good for her. Of course, it was all for nothing.”
I turned my head to the side. His face was centimetres from my own.
“There’s nowhere anyone can hide from me, not here, not anywhere.” He pointed to a camera on the street. Then to another behind us. And another by the hotel. “It’s not difficult to find who I want. Anyone can be bought. Anyone.”
“W-what do you want?”
He grinned and stood up tall. “Is she sleeping with you too?”
I blinked a few times, unsure if I heard him correctly. “I’m sorry?”
“My sister. Aya. Is she fucking you?”
I couldn’t hide the surprise on my face. He seemed to enjoy it and started walking around me, as though he were inspecting a new product fresh off the line.
“Ever since she was old enough to realise that men wanted her for her body, my sweet dear sister hasn’t been afraid to use it. She’s very beautiful, isn’t she? Even I, as her brother, can admit that. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t have one of those creepy complexes where I want her to call me ‘big brother’ and keep her all to myself.” I said nothing, but he grinned again. “I know that’s what you’re thinking. That perhaps I have some sort of, what’s the word, ‘inappropriate’ feelings towards my sister. That’s not it at all. I couldn’t give a flying pig’s ass who my sister sleeps with. Because she does that a lot, and I’m sorry if it hurts you to hear it.”
My mind was spinning. Running a thousand miles an hour around a racetrack chasing a rabbit while being chased by dogs. I didn’t know what to think, let alone what to say. But his words hit home. They hurt, and that was exactly his intention, and I couldn’t stop them from hurting.
“She uses her charms and her good looks and she gets what she wants and then she dumps them. She’s been at it for longer than you know. She was a very pretty child, and an even more beautiful teenager. She took to her role like a fish to water. Learnt how to expertly play men.” He stopped pacing before me. “But if I’m not mistaken, you are the first woman she’s dragged into her net. How fascinating.”
“S-shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” The words sounded more confident in my head. He laughed.
“She’s just playing with you too, and I’m sorry if you think otherwise. I really am. You see, my sister doesn’t have feelings. Not really. Not like you and I have feelings, anyway.”
“You’re a monster. Who are you to talk?”
“I’m the monster?” He feigned offence. “You have spent time with my sister, haven’t you? You’ve seen the look in her eyes, right?”
I had. “That means nothing.”
“If you say so.” He shrugged. “But as soon as she’s done with you, the moment you’ve outlived your usefulness to her, she’ll chew you up and spit you out like the rest. I mean, you are supporting her right now, aren’t you? Financially?”
He circled me, closing in like prey.
“Sexually as well, I suppose. I’ve no doubt she’s very good at that, even with a woman. She’s a natural, after all. There’s something about her, something I’ve been trying to understand for years. She can adapt to anything. To anyone. She finds out what they like and she gives it to them. If there’s something she wants, she finds a way to make them give it to her. It’s amazing, really. I’ve been trying for so long to figure out how she does it, but it’s the one thing that I haven’t been able to figure out yet. I’m hoping that perhaps you can help me.”
“Help you? Why would I help you? You’re insane.” I looked around, trying to find some chance to escape. A few people were walking down the street, but to passersby, we just looked like two people having a conversation. There was an alley a few metres away, but I didn’t know where it led. If it was a dead end, I’d be in an even worse situation than I already was. There was a street leading away to the left, but where would I go? Aya was still in the hotel. He knew we were here. There was no escape.
As if on cue, Aya came running outside. “Tatsuya, no!”
“Ah, speak of the devil and she will appear. Good evening, beloved sister. Would you believe that we were just talking about you?”
Aya stood between us and pushed her brother back. “You leave her alone. She has nothing to do with this.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. The moment you went to her was the moment you brought her into this.”
The siblings stared at each other, a conversation taking place that only they understood.
“Leave her alone.”
“I didn’t know she meant that much to you.”
“I’ve done what you asked. Again. Now leave us alone.”
He laughed and shook his head and then grabbed Aya’s wrist. “No, little sister, you didn’t. You see, they found poor Mr Yamada dead on the concrete floor of the parking lot. Funny that, isn’t it? He was killed the same way father was. And what do you know, the police aren’t total morons. They’ve started to put two and two together. They might not be geniuses, but soon they’re going to figure out the answer is four. And that’s not good for anybody. Least of all you, and not for your new play toy either.”
“I didn’t… that wasn’t me…”
Tatsuya grabbed Aya by the neck. “Is that so? Because I think we both know the answer to that one.”
“I don’t know anything.” Aya choked.
Tatsuya let go and took a few steps back. He looked around Aya at me. “Kind of a strange coincidence, right? How all of these fantastic deaths seem to happen when Aya’s around.” He stopped to look her in the eyes. “Why, you might think she was the one behind them.”
Aya grabbed my hand and we ran. I didn’t know where we were going, but I let her take me there anyway. We ran several blocks before I had to stop for lack of breath. Running was never my strong suit.
“Stop. Stop. I need some air.”
“We can’t stop, Tatsuya will be…”
I turned around. Nobody was behind us. “There’s nobody there.”
“Just because you don’t see him, doesn’t mean he isn’t following us. Taxi!” Aya waved a taxi down and we jumped inside. All of our stuff was back at the hotel. All I had was the keycard and my wallet.
“Where to?”
“Just go!” Aya directed the man. “Just start driving. I’ll give you directions on the way.”
I didn’t know where she was taking us, but feeling the fear radiating off her in waves, I didn’t care. Her brother was bad news. That much was obvious. The things he said, however, lingered in my mind. Festering and growing. “She’s just using you.” “She does this all the time, and she’s very good at it.” “When she’s done with you, she’ll toss you away like all the others.”
Aya turned to look out the back window, and then out the side. “Turn left here.”
I didn’t see anyone.
“Right!”
She was leading us out of the city, but to where, I didn’t know.
“Go straight.”
I turned around. A car was approaching the taxi with incredible speed. My heart started to pound. I grabbed
Aya’s arm and pointed. “Is that…”
Tatsuya’s grinning face came into view just seconds before he rammed the back of the taxi and sent us spinning off the road. The driver collided with a pole and the world exploded into tiny pieces of glass and metal. My ears rang and buzzed as my head slammed against the seat in front of me. My vision swam and my body ached. I struggled to keep my eyes open.
Aya’s door opened, and a figure dragged her unconscious body out onto the pavement.
“W-wait…”
The driver was still. Was he dead?
“H-help…” My voice was hoarse and my throat burned.
The figure outside dragged Aya’s body away. Her feet disappeared from view.
“No…”
Darkness began to take shape in the front of the wreckage. I turned, watching it form right in front of me. I struggled to move my legs, but they wouldn’t listen. I fumbled for the door handle, but it wouldn’t open. My head pounded. My entire body was on fire. The darkness looked right at me.
The world went black.
31
I opened my eyes.
I wasn’t dead.
But I was still in the wreckage of the car, and people were gathering around.
“Somebody, call the police!”
“Hey, there’s someone still in there!”
“Are they okay?”
“Call an ambulance!”
I looked around, trying to gather my bearings. I was in the car with Aya. Tatsuya, her brother, ran us off the road. The taxi driver was passed out in the front seat, and I was alone in the back.
Alone.
The darkness flashed through my mind. It was right there, next to me. I grabbed my chest. My heart was still there. Ribs were bruised and banged, but nothing torn out of my chest. I was alive. Why didn’t it kill me too?
There was a note on the chair next to me. I picked it up.
Come to Hotel Blue Ocean on Route 55. Come alone. Let’s sort this out once and for all.
That was it. Tatsuya. It had to be him. I crawled out of the car and fell onto the road. Somebody was on their phone a few metres away. No. That meant the police wouldn’t be too far away. I grabbed onto the car to steady myself and rose to my feet.
“Ma’am, are you okay? I don’t think you should move.” A man approached, but I held my hand up.
“I’m okay. I’m fine. Please. You should check the driver. Just give me a moment.”
The man was apprehensive. I smiled and stood up. “See, I’m all good.” I felt anything but good. There was blood running down the side of my face, a rib felt cracked, and my entire body was one giant fleshy bruise draped over brittle bone that might break at any moment.
The man went to check on the driver and I slipped into an alley as fast as my feet would take me. I was two streets away when I heard the sirens approaching. I hid in the darkness. Hotel Blue Ocean. Where the hell was that? Why were they there? What did he want? If he had hurt Aya…
My phone rang. I jumped. I took it out of my pocket. The screen was cracked, but it was in otherwise working condition. I didn’t recognise the number.
“… Hello?”
“Hi! Is this Megu?”
The voice was vaguely familiar, but in the haze, I couldn’t tell who it was.
“Yes. Who is this?”
“It’s Teru. From karate.”
Oh. My heart dropped.
“What do you want?” I didn’t mean for it to come out so direct, and his hesitation on the other end let me know he wasn’t expecting that either.
“Oh, um, so, the karate club barbecue is tomorrow, and we hadn’t heard back from you yet. I was just wondering if you were going or if you needed a lift? We’re trying to confirm final numbers and how much food to bring…”
The barbecue. I forgot entirely about the barbecue. It was the last thing on my mind. I rubbed my sore temples.
“Yeah, um. Look. About that. Things have been kinda crazy lately, so…” Coughs racked my body. My ribs burned.
“Are… are you okay? You don’t sound too good.”
“I was in a bit of an accident. I’m okay.” I was not okay. My voice betrayed that I was not okay.
“An accident? Are you hurt? Do you need help? Where are you?”
Hotel Blue Ocean. I crumpled the piece of paper in my hand. I had to get there as soon as possible.
“Where are you?” I asked. Teru was quiet for a moment.
“I’m at home, but…”
“Do you think you could come and pick me up? I really need to get somewhere right now.”
“Um, yeah, sure, okay. Is everything alright? Do you need me to take you to the hospital? If it’s urgent, I can call an ambulance, or…”
“No, no, no ambulance, it’s not that bad. I’m okay. But I really need to get somewhere right now and I don’t have a car.” I felt bad for taking advantage of his kind nature, but I could worry about that later. Aya’s life was on the line.
“Okay. Well, where are you?”
I looked around. I didn’t recognise anything. I laughed and pain exploded through my rib cage again.
“Um, to be honest, I don’t know.”
“You… don’t know?”
“It’s a long story.”
Teru was silent for a few more moments. “Okay, well, can you tell me what you see? Maybe I’ll be able to recognise it.”
I looked around. Landmarks. Buildings. Anything.
“There’s a large building across from me. It says TOYAMA BUILDING in large letters on a sign out the front. Um… there’s a park a few buildings away from that. There’s a large statue of something…” I squinted to see better. “I think it’s an angel? I don’t know. It has wings and there’s a fountain behind it. And… uh…”
I could hear Teru typing on the other end of the phone.
“The other way there’s a department store. There’s a large video store next to that, and-”
“Okay, I got it. You’re in Hirotani. My sister lives out that way.”
Hirotani. That sounded vaguely familiar.
“I can be there in about 10, maybe 15 minutes. Don’t move from that spot, okay. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Okay. And Teru.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
I could almost hear him blushing on the other end of the line.
“Oh, no, not at all. I’m always happy to help. I mean, I’ll do what I… I mean, uh, don’t move, okay? I’ll be there soon.”
Teru was a good guy. I almost didn’t want to get him involved, but everything would be okay. I could get him to drop me off nearby and then he could be on his way. He wouldn’t have to get close. He wouldn’t have to know what was going on.
I hung up the phone and shivered. The air was getting cold. Too cold.
32
A blue car pulled up and the door opened.
“Get in.”
It was Teru. His eyes shot open when he saw the state I was in. I closed the door and turned to look at him when he didn’t start the car.
“What on… What happened?”
“I’m fine. It looks worse than it really is.” My clothes were torn and covered in blood. I could barely breathe without pain and I was cut in several places. Not to mention the bruising. I looked like I had been in a car accident. Appropriate.
“I really think you should go to the hospital, Megu. What on earth happened?”
“Teru.” It felt strange saying his name like we were friends. We weren’t, not really. We’d known each other a few weeks from karate class. We were acquaintances at best. I couldn’t remember ever saying his name before that time, and yet, he was the only person I could rely on to get me where I needed to be. “Do you know where Hotel Blue Ocean is?”
He tilted his head. “Hotel Blue Ocean? But that’s a… a love hotel.” He grew even more confused. “Wait, do you mean…” he gestured with his hand between us “… the two of us… there… like…”
It dawned o
n me what he thought and I laughed. Pain exploded through my chest. “Oh, oh no. No, no. I don’t mean that.” His face dropped, and he quickly covered it with a smile.
“Oh, no, of course not. I mean, that’s stupid, right! Hahahaha.”
“Totally. I mean, no, not stupid, just.” The conversation was going nowhere. “Teru. I need you to take me there. Right now. As soon as possible. Like, I needed to be there 10 minutes ago. Please don’t ask me why. I just need to get there.”
He looked at me a few moments longer and then started the car. “Okay. But if you’re in trouble or anything, you can talk to me. I might not look like much, but I’ve been learning karate for a while now. I can help. You know. With the people who are harassing you.”
Harassing me? I tried not to laugh. Of course. What else could he think? I was beaten and bloodied and asking to go to a love hotel late at night. He wanted to protect me from the big bad thugs who were abusing me. It was sweet. He was way off course, but it was still sweet.
“It’s not that.”
“Okay.” He didn’t believe me.
“Really.”
“Sure.”
I closed my mouth. It would actually be easier if that was what he believed. He wouldn’t go to the police if he thought the yakuza were involved. That would get me in trouble and it would get him in trouble. No, the yakuza were the perfect cover. He did my job for me. I didn’t even have to say anything else.
“Teru?”
“Hmm?”
He was focused on the road, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did.” He turned and smiled. It was stiff.
“Another question, then.”
“Of course.”
“What would you do if the person you loved was in danger, but you weren’t sure that person was really who you thought they were all along?”
He stared at the road ahead of us. We drove out of the city and up into the hills. There were few streetlights, and near total darkness surrounded us. The moon shone high above, barely lighting the landscape with a soft glow.
“What would I do?” he finally said. “If the person I loved wasn’t who I thought they were. What would I do?” He didn’t look at me. “I think, if I loved that person, then it wouldn’t matter. People can change. People grow. I’m not the same person I was yesterday, so why should I expect the person I love to be the same person, day after day? If the person I loved was in danger, then I would do whatever it took to protect them. Even if they lied to me. Even if they strung me along. Even if they hurt me. Because that’s the person I love. And besides that, no-one deserves to be hurt. If that person was in danger, I would do my best to help.”
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