“I need you to come here. To the warehouse. Right now.” She added in a broken voice: “Please.”
“I’ll be right there.”
***
For the first time Fah saw Veronica looking as a normal human, wearing casual jeans and a sweater, sneakers, no makeup, and only an expensive cream-colored cashmere coat gave away her status. Fah noticed that Veronica was shorter than usual. That surprised her, because they almost were of the same height. Fah was sitting on a couch all wrapped in a blanket, a bottle of scotch and a glass by her side on the floor. Her face was all muddy from unreliable makeup, and the streams of tears dried on her face like receding mountain rivers in the dead of the summer. Veronica walked over and sat on the couch by Fah’s side.
“Tell me about it, whenever you are ready,” she softly spoke.
“I saw IT. I saw the alien.”
“What?”
“He… it… attacked me on the way to the warehouse. It threatened to kill me unless I quit the research or switch sides, work for him.”
“Oh my god, darling’, this… sounds horrible.” Veronica placed her well-manicured palm on Fah’s knees. “Are you sure it was not a prank?”
“I SAW it! With my own eyes! It was hiding behind a shield of some kind. If he didn’t force me to see, I would never know! Veronica, they walk among us!”
“We will figure it out. I promise you. You will get security, the best kind. We will spare no expense.”
“He called it the oscillation gene.”
“I’ve never heard that term before.”
“I need to think what I will be doing next.” Fah extracted her hand from under the blanket and showed Veronica the branding. Veronica gasped. “I need to email about my decision. I imagine they won’t wait for it too long.”
“You are considering to quit, don’t you?”
“Yes. I will not work with the enemy, for sure, but I am scared, Veronica. I think we all are in danger.”
“Give me some time. I have excellent connections. I can safely move you and the kids, no one will find you.”
“I don’t know… I am scared…”
“Trust me… Do you?” Veronica moved closer to Fah, so close that Fah felt the warmth of Veronica’s skin and her light perfume. It was enchanting. All of a sudden Fah could not think about anything else but Veronica’s skin, and her lips.
“I want to…” Fah whispered but her voice failed to do even that much without cracking.
“Let’s get you warmed up. You need to take a shower.”
With those words Veronica started to remove her clothing until she was standing before Fah completely naked. Veronica took her hand and helped her to get up from the couch saying, “I believe I could use a shower as well.”
Year 2045.
Tokyo. Japan
Next morning, Fah woke up in a guest bedroom of the warehouse. Veronica was gone. In the place where Veronica had slept, Fah found a folded sheet of paper - a note. It read:
“Call Nyoko and wait for me in the warehouse. Security is already in place. You will not see them but they are always around. You are safe now. And thank you for the shower.”
Thank you for the shower? Fah read that line over and over again. For the shower?
How did she mean it? Romantically or practically? If she wanted to say something romantic, she would add something like she had had a good time or just anything. Anxiety, self-doubt, and shame all together washed over Fah’s mind, but the timing for sicking oneself was wrong. She needed to get Nyoko to the warehouse and think about some practical steps. Romantic torment was filed away for the more appropriate time.
***
Nyoko showed up in an hour. She had her luggage - a tiny suitcase in the shape of some anime monster, all in acidic bright colors.
“That’s all you have?”
“Yes, why?”
“Not much there.”
“Actually, that’s quite a lot. Now I need to worry about it. A good thing about living without possessions is that in case of an emergency you are not restricted. And we are in an emergency, aren’t we?”
“I’m afraid so.” Fah recounted the events of last night, this time trying to minimize the drama in her voice. No need to scare Nyoko just yet.
“That’s quite a story, Fah. What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know yet. I am waiting for Veronica to come back…”
“Wait, is that her coat on the couch? What was going on here?” teased Nyoko.
“Oh give me a break.”
“Tell me, tell me!”
“We took a shower.”
“Oh-my-god! And?”
“And spent the night, if you must know. I woke up and she was gone. Left a note.”
“Oh that’s good!”
“…thanking for the shower.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s what I think.”
Nyoko sat on the couch and pulled her feet under her. Fah sat next to her.
“Where’s Jaden? I haven’t seen him in a few weeks.”
“Somewhere in Hokkaido. He’s the travel vlogger now. What about Daichi? What are the two of you up to?”
“We talk.”
“You think he’ll change his mind?”
“About joining us? No, unlikely. He doesn’t even want to meet me in person. We spend a lot of time together online but that’s about it. I told him about your theories and that the Mushin helped me to beat him, but he thinks I’m just very good at the game. He thinks I developed a skill, that’s all.”
And then a shocking realization came to Fah.
“Oh my god. The man, the alien last night, he mentioned the kids, two kids. He knows about Daichi! We must protect him!”
***
Daichi was madly in love with Nyoko, but he could not believe that such a beautiful and smart girl liked him. No matter what Nyoko said, Daichi always thought that if she knew the truth about him, she would be disgusted. Daichi never opened up about being hikikomori, that was too embarrassing to admit. It was better just to leave everything the way it was. And if Nyoko decided not to talk to him after some time, so be it. He would accept it.
The message from Nyoko popped up on his screen. A video chat request. He accepted.
“Hi, my samurai. How did you sleep?”
Nyoko was walking on the street as she was speaking.
“I haven’t gone to bed yet. I was playing all night.”
“What tournament?”
“Katana Justice League.”
“Nice. What are you going to do now?”
“I’m not sleepy yet. Just going to sit around, watch something.”
“Oh, good. Because I’m at your house, and I’m walking in.”
Daichi froze.
“What. Did. You. Say.”
“Daichi, we are in danger. We need to talk. And we need to do this in private, our communication may be intercepted.”
“No! I can’t! I’m busy now! I am going to sleep now.”
“Daichi, you said you were not sleepy.”
Daichi heard the doorbell ringing and his mother opening the door.
Voices down the hallway.
Panic. Heartbeat. Lock the room! Quickly!
Steps on old wooden carpeted floor coming towards the room down the hallway.
Knock on the door. Daichi wouldn’t answer.
“Daichi, it’s me, Nyoko.”
“Go away! I’m busy!”
“Daichi, we need to talk. You are in a serious danger. Remember I said that we have a gene, they call it the oscillation gene. Some very deadly forces are after the gene. We need to disappear. I have friends who will protect us.”
Daichi wouldn’t open the door and would not answer.
“They threatened to kill Fah.
Daichi, she is my friend. My only friend. I’m scared for her.”
“Wait… The gene… How long have you known that I have it?”
“I found out the day before I beat you in Rigonara.”
“Wait, so you just needed my cooperation?”
“No, Daichi, no! I liked you since high school. You didn’t even remember me. That’s why I even started gaming, to meet you.”
“Liar!” screamed Daichi and loudly kicked something in his room. “I hate you! I never liked you! I did it for free sex! You are a free bitch for me, that’s all! Go away!”
“Daichi…”
“Go or I’ll throw you out myself!”
Tears burst out of Nyoko’s eyes and she ran away, outside the house, to the streets, and kept running, until her lungs started burning. Then she stopped, sat right on the asphalt curb and cried. The busy crowd kept walking around her. She felt as if she was in the woods, among silent trees, with the street noises sounding like the wind in the treetops. In the middle of one of the busiest Tokyo streets, Nyoko felt in perfect privacy.
Daichi sat on the floor, cried and rocked himself violently. What had he done? Why did he hurt this girl so much? His agony was too much to handle. And yet, somehow, this was not the kind of an agony that would force Daichi to attempt another suicide. He wanted to live! He wanted to make it right by her! He wanted to be someone else, someone better. He wanted to take a step outside of his dark room, and he wanted to shave clean, cut his hair, throw out all the trash, open the curtains to allow the daylight in… He wanted to do all those things but had no energy to take the first step.
Nyoko took out a pack of slim cigarettes from her jacket pocket, lit it up, and watched the smoke mix with the vapor of the chill November day to escape her lips. She didn’t think about anything but those grey clouds in front of her, pushing the entire world to the background, blurred, out of focus.
Daichi kept rocking himself on the floor, but now he did it in a slower, consistent tempo, his eyes closed, all his senses switched off. Inside his mind, he saw Nyoko, floating among the clouds, rocking with him in unison, creating resonance waves, like ripples on the surface of a still lake. Daichi and Nyoko were two drops that kept falling in the same spot, creating perfect harmonic ripples in space-time.
One - two - three - Splash - One - two - three - Splash.
Nyoko kept lighting new cigarettes, not so much inhaling the smoke but puffing it out at a consistent pace. She became really good at creating identical, evenly spaced, puffs.
One - two - three - Puff - One - two - three - Puff.
Finally, in his mind, Daichi said: “I am sorry. You did not deserve it.”
Tears rolled down Nyoko’s cheeks. She didn’t know she had any left to cry. She felt like an invisible presence hugged her from behind. An overwhelming warmth and love entered her, love so expansive Nyoko thought her heart would burst out of her chest. She kept puffing the clouds of smoke and silently cried, when those clouds started arranging themselves in a heart shape.
***
Fah was in the warehouse, behind her computer doing some research, when she sensed someone behind her back. Fear jolted her body as she recognized that presence.
“Yes, this is me, Fah. I’m glad you recognized me.” She heard Argon’s voice. “You have been a naughty pet. And I’m afraid you need to be punished now.”
Fah closed her eyes and would not turn around.
“Do what you came for.”
“As you wish.”
With those words, Argon jolted Fah with a high-voltage electric current. Fah’s heart gave one last beat and stopped forever.
***
Nyoko did not know how much time had passed since she had first sat down on the curb. Time lost any relevance to her until she heard an incoming call. Reluctantly she checked the caller ID - Veronica Starr. “What does she want from me…” mumbled Nyoko and answered.
“Yes…”
“Nyoko, I have… tragic news for you… It’s Fah…” Nyoko’s heart paused. “Fah is dead. Don’t come back to the warehouse, it is not safe. I wired enough money to your account to last for some time. Spend them wisely.”
Nyoko could not say a word. She couldn’t cry either. Something died in her that moment.
“Are you listening, Nyoko?”
“Yes…” Nyoko answered, barely audible.
“We are closing the Project. The situation has changed. Nakamura has shifted his priority in the light of a security risk. You won’t be able to reach me anymore.”
The call disconnected.
***
Veronica Starr sat on the floor holding Fah’s lifeless body in her arms, and bitterly crying.
Year 2045.
Tokyo. Japan. Daichi’s Apartment
Hours later, Daichi passed out on the floor from emotional and physical exhaustion. He was sleeping a dreamless heavy sleep, when he heard a loud thumping noise.
Knock Knock Knock Knock!
It sounded like rocks falling from the sky. Groggy, he slowly awakened, his whole body shivering from being yanked out of his deep sleep.
The noise came from behind the door.
“Daichi! This is me, Nyoko!” He heard Nyoko’s sobbing voice. “Fah is dead. I have no place to go. You can throw me out if you want, but you will have to come out and do it yourself. I’ll just stay here.” The noise quieted. Daichi heard a lumping sound as Nyoko sat down on the floor, her back pressing to the door.
Nyoko sat there for ten minutes and fell asleep, overcome with grief and exhaustion.
About 30 minutes later, Daichi’s mom came over with a blanket and put it over the sleeping girl, secretly hoping that a miracle would happen and this weird tenacious kid would return her son to the real world.
Daichi sat in his room, staring at the door. He knew that Nyoko was there because he heard her snoring. Then resolve came over him. He simply got up, without thinking, and went to the shower. After meticulously scrubbing himself with the tiny bit of soap he had left, saving every drop of it, he dried himself with a small hand towel and found an old razor somewhere under the piles of garbage. He cleaned it with some vodka he had handy, soaked the towel in hot water, and held it on his face for a few minutes. Then he took the razor to his face. Piece by piece, he shaved off his past, his shame, his insecurity. With a face as a clean slate, Daichi felt that he could have a clean start with Nyoko. She had come back! After all he said, she had come back! He could not believe it. The final touch was to cut his thin whisky hair. He remembered that he had a haircut machine somewhere. It took some digging, but he finally found it. Setting the machine on #3, not too short, not too long, he chopped off those long ugly strands. Looking at himself in the mirror, he could not believe what he saw. A young man, averagely looking, but not broken. Not ashamed. Not a hikikkomori any more.
***
“Nyoko, wake up. We need to go now.”
Nyoko opened her eyes. For the first time, she saw Daichi’s face in the daylight. It was just as she remembered from high school, a bit stoic, but handsome in its own way. Handsome to her, for sure. “Hey. Hi… You don’t hate me anymore?”
“Girl, how can I hate you? You saved my life.” And he hugged her.
Year 2046.
Osaka. Ono-Ha Itto-Ryu Kenjutsu Temple
A year had passed.
Nyoko and Daichi were glued to the window outside the Shinto temple building, watching five kenjutsuka monks practicing. Their moves were captivating. Although they resembled classic ryu styles, they had freedom and fluidity to them, unlike anything the couple had ever seen.
“Did you see this, did you just see?” whispered Daichi to Nyoko. “Let’s try this one.”
The two took the formation and attempted replicating the move with wooden katanas in their hands. Daichi stood with his back to the window of the temple and
received the strike, while Nyoko attempted a vertical cut. By blocking the move, Daichi clumsily threw Nyoko to the side and she flew through the window, inside the training room. A huge stained glass mosaic came crushing down, and only because Daichi’s strength threw Nyoko far and fast enough, did she avoid being pierced by loose shards. Nyoko landed at the feet of the Shinto priest and Kenjutsu sensei Hideyo Ittosai. Daichi froze, not knowing if he should run and try to break Nyoko out later, or follow her inside. That ancient stained glass must have been worth a fortune! Daichi’s dilemma resolved itself when the two monks grabbed him by the arms and dragged him inside.
“So, what do we have here? Two warriors, apparently,” suggested sensei Ittosai. The monks around him burst out laughing so hard, they could not stop for a few minutes. “Alright, enough guys, they’ve been embarrassed enough. Let’s see how these two will pay for replacement of a 400-year-old window! Who are you two? Why are you snooping around my windows?”
“I am sorry,” said Daichi first. “It was my idea. We have an important mission…”
Nyoko painfully kicked Daichi to the side before he finished his sentence and continued: “We want to learn the ways of samurai. The window… it was an accident. Here.” She got out a small scroll of cash from her pocket. “That’s all we have.”
The sight of the petty cash got the monks in stitches.
“Well that amount could probably buy us some good sake, to help us forget what you’ve destroyed here. But to restore this stained glass would take 100 times as much money. Maybe a 1000 times. So, what are we going to do?”
The two looked as guilty as the original sin, but did not say a word.
“I have an idea!” suggested sensei. “You two will work in the temple. Keep your change, you’ll need it.”
***
“What did we get ourselves into?” grieved Nyoko, sitting on a tiny bed in one of the monk’s quarters, while Daichi looked outside the tiny window. There, monks were mowing the lawn, cutting the hedge, and sweeping the trails.
“Maybe it’s for the best. We can learn from them.”
“Daichi, they don’t want to teach us. They want our free work. We don’t have time for that. We have a mission, remember?”
“You are right. Sometimes it feels like we’ve gone crazy and the whole world around us is just a game.” Daichi sat next to Nyoko and kissed her forehead.
329 Years Awake Page 18