“Foolish? I don’t know what you mean.”
She pursed her lips, refusing to say anything more. I heaved my shoulders and shook my head, perplexed by her strange behaviour.
“I’m hungry,” I said and went into the kitchen where the maid gave me rice balls and tea.
When Nakamura returned, we drank sake and talked of growing tensions with Korea. He ventured to suggest that war might be beneficial to certain enterprising individuals. I wrinkled my nose and said that I preferred a different market. Neither Yuki,Mr. Itoh or Mr. Ueda were mentioned by either of us.
I returned to the grove that night and waited. It was not long before I saw Akiko running as fast as her short legs would allow her. There was no sign of Yuki. I was instantly alarmed.
“Mr. Fukui!” she gasped, doubling over as she caught her breath.
“What is it? Where is Miss Yuki?”
“Mr. Itoh locked her in her room!”
“What?” I looked sharply in the direction of the house and took a step. “Then I will break through the screen!”
“No!” The girl jumped in front of me, blocking my path. “No. Miss Yuki says to wait. She apologises that she can’t make it tonight. She wanted me to tell you to please wait one more night.”
“One more night? What happened? Akiko, tell me everything.”
It turned out that Yuki had told her father that morning that she refused to marry Mr. Ueda. He was angry and demanded to know why she was being so stubborn. At first, she refused to answer him, but eventually it came out that she had chosen me to be her husband, and it was too late. Mr. Itoh had become enraged. How dare she sneak like a thief behind his back? She was ungrateful. He didn’t want to see her again until she had learned to behave. Akiko shook with emotion as she relayed this information. The poor girl was terribly worried for her mistress.
“But what should I do?” I asked when she was finished. “Miss Yuki says to wait. For what?”
Akiko shook her head. “Maybe she hopes that Mr. Itoh will change his mind?”
I grimaced. The old man’s pride had been wounded. I doubted he would embrace me as a son-in-law now. He probably saw me as an interloper. And after I had worked so hard to cultivate a good relationship with him. I hoped this would not affect his business with Nakamura.
“We should run away,” I told Akiko with grim determination.
“If you run away, will you take me with you?”
I raised my brows. “You want to come with us to Tokyo?”
“Miss Yuki needs me. And I don’t know what I would do without her. I can cook and clean. I promise I won’t be a burden!”
I thought this over. She had proven herself to be loyal, and I hated to think how she might be punished if she allowed her mistress to run off without alerting Mr. Itoh.
“Yes, you can come. Thank you.”
“No, thank you.” She bowed. “What should I tell Miss Yuki?”
I thought this over. “Tell her to pack a small bundle - nothing obvious! - with only what she thinks she will need. She should be ready. You, too! We may have to move quickly. I will tell my sister and brother-in-law that I intend to go to Tokyo to join my cousin so they won’t be alarmed by my leaving. I won’t tell them about Miss Yuki. They will find out soon enough, and I don’t want Mr. Itoh to blame them.”
“How will we know when it is time to leave?”
“Hmm. Not tomorrow. I will make my announcement then. In two, maybe three days. I’ll check the train schedule. Meet me here again tomorrow night. Can you do that?”
“I think so.”
“Good. Until tomorrow night.”
She bowed and ran back to the house. My sleep that night was restless. I hoped my sister was wrong about me being foolish. I think she was relieved the next day when I announced that I would be leaving. Nakamura protested, saying that I could not leave him alone with a pregnant wife. I laughed and answered that not only could I, but I would be happy to do it. When asked when I intended to depart, I answered that I would check the train schedules that day and make arrangements. Atsushi wanted me in Tokyo as soon as possible. This part was true, I had just intended to put him off until all things were settled with Yuki. Which, I supposed, they now were.
I did walk to the train station later that day. Since this was a small station, there was only one train. It arrived in three days. I wished it would come sooner, but such was fate. When I saw Akiko that night, I told the situation and asked how things fared at the Itoh residence.
“Miss Yuki is still confined to her room. Mr. Itoh refuses to see her.”
This disheartened me a little. I hated to see her leave without making peace with the old man.
“Did you do as I asked?”
Akiko nodded.
“Good. Since it’s a morning train, we should meet at sunrise to be there in time. It’s fortunate, you know. Nakamura wanted to take me to the station, but I insisted I go by myself so as not to disturb the household. I promised them that I would visit again soon so they wouldn’t feel too bad about it. It will be quite a while before I can safely return here, though, I suppose.”
Akiko nodded slowly, as if she were afraid her agreement might offend me. What conspirators we were! I felt like a criminal, meeting her every night and making our devious plans. And she was only a girl. Shouldn’t I have been setting a good example for her? But I didn’t care. All I could think was that in just two more days, Yuki and I would be together.
I was at Hamasaki’s Inn the next day saying my goodbyes when I encountered the last person on my mind, Mr. Ueda. He was a farmer. What was he doing in the village in the middle of the day? He must have seen my distaste on my face. He gave me a smug smile and asked if he might sit with me. I saw no reason to rebuff him, so I gave permission.
“I heard that you are leaving,” he began. “Going back to Tokyo?”
“That is correct. I’m going into business with my cousin.”
“Hamasaki’s nephew?”
“Yes.”
Mr. Ueda nodded approvingly, as if I cared for his opinion, then asked, “Have you heard of my good news?”
I tipped my head slightly, sensing a trap. “Good news? No. What is it?”
His lips spread into a terrible grin. “I’m getting married.”
“Married?” I wanted to rip out his tongue then and there, but I, of course, restrained myself and tried to hide my contempt. “To whom?”
“Why, Miss Itoh Yuki, naturally! Mr. Itoh and I came to an agreement yesterday.”
“Really?” I was shocked Mr. Itoh would move so quickly to send his daughter away without even speaking to her. I was certain he would have let the situation calm down before making a move. The train did not come until the day after tomorrow. So I asked Mr. Ueda, “When will this take place?”
“Tomorrow,” answered he, quite pleased with himself. “My household is currently making accommodations for her. Then tomorrow morning I will bring home my bride!”
I grimaced and congratulated him. He laughed heartily, announced that he needed to return home to help prepare, and left me there, glowering at his back. It has to be tonight, I thought to myself. But how would I let Yuki know? Did she know of her father’s plan? Did Akiko?
I left the inn and walked to the temple, where I hoped it would be peaceful and I could think. Inside, I prayed for guidance and patience. When my mind felt calmed, I went outside to sit in the garden and weigh my options. I could, of course, go to Mr. Itoh’s house and demand to see Yuki. He could also throw me out. Somehow, I didn’t see storming into the old man’s home as any way to win his forgiveness. Writing Yuki a note and tossing it into the garden outside her room wouldn’t work either because neither she nor Akiko could read. A drawing then? There was no guarantee they’d find it, though, or that they would be able to comp
rehend its meaning. Yuki may have been an artist, but I surely was not.
Wearily, I looked up and considered returning to my sister’s house when the most wondrous sight appeared before my eyes! Akiko was walking through the gate.
“Akiko!” I cried and jumped to my feet. Not only did I startle her, but a woman who was just exiting the temple. Both stared at me. I sheepishly bowed an apology to the older woman, then waved Akiko over. When we had walked a little ways for added privacy, I turned to her and smiled, saying with the utmost earnestness, “Truly, my prayers were heard today.”
“Oh?” Akiko looked at me with wide eyes. “Had something happened?”
“Then you don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“I’ve just recently spoken to Mr. Ueda. He told me that Mr. Itoh has promised him Miss Yuki for his wife. He intends to collect her tomorrow morning.”
Akiko’s jaw dropped and she covered her mouth with both hands. “What! I had no idea! Mr. Itoh has still not visited Miss Yuki. I have been the only one allowed to see her. I only left her today so that I could come and pray for our safe journey.”
“You’re a good girl,” I said, and she smiled. “After you have prayed, you must return and tell Miss Yuki that we will leave tonight. Can you be ready?”
“Tonight? But the train doesn’t come for another two days.”
“It doesn’t matter. If we don’t act now, Mr. Ueda will take Miss Yuki to his house, and don’t you think it will be harder to run away from there?”
“That’s true, but...” She bit her lower lip, still worried. “Where will we hide? Will we still take the train to Tokyo?”
I inhaled deeply and let out a slow breath. “I don’t know. The train is the fastest route, of course. If there were more time, I could check on boats in the port. Damn! Staying at an inn at the port is out of the question, too. It’s the first place Mr. Itoh would look, I’m sure.”
“It’s true that the port is the closest place after this village,” Akiko said slowly, thoughtfully. “But it isn’t the only one. If we travelled all night, I feel certain we could reach the monastery in the morning.”
“What? Which one? Where is it?”
“Straight west of the train station. The mountain shrine. Don’t you know it?”
Of course! I had completely forgotten. I wondered if the monks would shelter us for a night. If we walked all that way in the dark, we would need to rest most of the day. I instructed Akiko to pack food, if she could, and I would do the same. We agreed to meet in the grove that had so generously sheltered us before, then parted company with wishes of the best of luck to us all.
I did not tell Nakamura about my plan to leave early. Instead, I told him that I intended to get up early and walk to the port city.
He wagged his finger at me. “I hope you aren’t intending to cheat us out of spending time with you on your last day here.”
“No, no, of course not. This is why I want to go early, so I can be back with plenty of time remaining.”
I thought this was a good cover. My true absence wouldn’t be noted until the afternoon at the earliest. After dinner, I asked the maid for some rice balls so that I could have breakfast without troubling her. She wrapped them up for me and I took them to my room. I was sure to tell my sister and Nakamura good night, as I anticipated not seeing them again for some time. When I got to my room, I packed one set of modern suits of clothes and shoes along with the rice balls into a light blanket. I couldn’t bring my trunks with me if we were sneaking away, and I would need business clothes when we arrived in Tokyo.
I waited until I was certain the entire household was asleep before leaving. I tried not to think of how shocked my sister would be when she learned of my actions. I hoped she would understand.
To my dismay, the grove was empty when I arrived. I paced as I waited. After perhaps two hours had passed, I could stand it no longer. I grabbed my bundle and headed to the Itoh residence. When I saw that lamps were lit, I knew there was trouble. I ran the rest of the way. Rounding the side of the house to the back garden, I nearly ran straight into Akiko.
“Mr. Fukui! I was just coming to get you!” she panted.
“What’s wrong?” I cast my eyes around the garden frantically. We were alone. I pulled her around the side, out of sight. “Where is Miss Yuki? Where is Mr. Itoh?”
“Mr. Itoh has gone to Mr. Ueda’s. He came tonight to tell Miss Yuki about his plan. She said she would rather die! Mr. Itoh got so angry. He told everyone in the household not to let Miss Yuki out of her room until he got back.”
I felt uncertain. Was this some kind of trick? Why would he leave his daughter alone when she had threatened to kill herself?
“Is that why the lamps are still lit? In anticipation of his return?”
Akiko nodded. “He left a few hours ago. I overheard him say that he was leaving to make sure Mr. Ueda’s house was prepared.”
“Stupid!” I hissed. “If he left hours ago, why did you not come for me sooner?”
Akiko looked surprised. “We were being watched!”
“And we aren’t being watched now?” I looked around to confirm this.
“I don’t think so. I heard Sayo snoring.”
“We must hurry. Mr. Itoh could be back any moment. Where is Miss Yuki?”
“This way.”
I quietly followed Akiko to the porch outside Yuki’s room. There was a stick that prevented the sliding screen from opening. Akiko removed the stick, telling me that she had sneaked out through the kitchen. No one was worried about her. Everyone assumed she would do what Mr. Itoh said, and not help Yuki to hurt herself. Apparently, no one ever considered their mistress might run away.
Yuki fell into my arms as soon as she saw me. I kissed the top of her head, hugged her fiercely then released her.
“We must hurry,” I whispered. “Do you have your things?”
She nodded and motioned to Akiko. The girl slung a pack onto her back and nodded to indicate that she was ready. Very carefully and quietly, the three of us slipped out of the house and into the garden. I motioned to the women to stop while I scouted ahead to make certain the way out was clear. It was, and they followed me to the side of the house. Here the way became more difficult. The land was open with little cover for quite some ways. But no one had seen me arrive, so perhaps they would be equally ignorant of our departure. I whispered to the women to run for the trees and not the road.
When we were again under cover, I bade them continue while I stayed behind to make certain no alarm was being raised. After several minutes passed, I hurried to join Yuki and Akiko. We rested very little that night, all of us afraid of being pursued. We ate while we walked. Conversation was sparse, though when I perceived Yuki fading, I tried to bolster her spirits with promises of how wonderful our life would be in Tokyo. We’d have our own residence, and she would be surrounded by marvellous shops and exotic things to eat. There was the trolley to ride, and the air ships that would fly overhead. Had she brought her spyglass? She had. Then she could look out over the sea and watch the steamships come and go. And the people!
When the sky at last began to lighten, we were all weary and stumbling. Yuki tripped. I caught her and declared a rest. I asked Akiko if she was certain we were going the right way. She looked offended and offered to scout ahead, insisting we should be at the monks’ gate soon.
I sat next to Yuki. She curled her body against mine and I held her.
“You are very brave,” I said. “Akiko told me how you stood up to your father.”
“Did you think that women can’t be brave?”
“I would never think such a thing.” Our eyes met. She looked tired, but fiercely determined to go on. I couldn’t hold back my emotion and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you,” she answered.
“We’re here! We’re here!” the girl cried.
Yuki and I stood as one. “Where?” we demanded.
“Here! Here!” Akiko crowed, and we dashed after her, abandoning all stealth.
We came up over a ridge and through a line of trees. Akiko stopped and pointed, her face split by a triumphant grin. There, nestled in a shallow valley was the monastery. Yuki and I stared at each other.
“We did it,” she finally said, her voice soft, disbelieving.
“We did it,” I answered. And I, too, grinned. “We did it. We did it!”
I scooped her up into my arms and swung her around, laughing. The first part of our journey was complete. We would go down to the monastery and rest. I would consult with the monks and discover the best path to Tokyo from there. Most importantly, we would never be parted. Yuki had shown her determination to her father by fleeing with me. I would not let her down. Not ever. Her hand firm in mine, we walked together toward our waiting future.
The Musica
By J. T. Seate
To calm the condition known as Female Hysteria, turn-of-the-century doctors employed a manual pelvic message to provide relief until an invention of a vulva stimulation device called the Manipulator. Some believed the condition to be non-sexual in nature, but Jonathan Le Rue knew differently. No, he was not a doctor, but he didn’t need to be. Knowing an orgasmic release in both men and women was anything but clinical, he believed there should be a device more compatible to a total experience than the Manipulator, which was nothing more than an electrical probe placed along the walls beyond the vaginal petals.
As an inventor, Jonathan believed he had created a more satisfactory device. He called it the Musica, a kinder, gentler name than its forerunner. His inspiration came while being entertained at Madame Frazzetta’s house of pleasure in the Vieux Carre, the heart of old New Orleans. The establishment was appropriated with Victorian furnishings as might be found in the recreational hotbeds of Europe, but with an unmistakable decadence that was unique to the French Quarter. A Creole wench had managed to squeeze Jonathan’s entire ball sac in her mouth while humming a popular melody. It made Jonathan realise the shortcomings of Dr. Taylor’s Manipulator straight away. In only a few weeks, his alternative device was born and he pondered about its first test. One of the girls at Madame Frazzetta’s would be a likely choice, but their sexual sensitivities were in question. Surely he could find a better subject.
Valves & Vixens Page 7