note: some drunkenness. a very slow-paced chapter. I actually had to cut it short and spill over the rest into the next chapter. at any rate, Rika & Tanaka are made up characters, who play minor roles. Rika, being the only other female that Ayame encounters on a daily basis (with the exception of Kaede), will have some influence on the girl, but not a whole lot.
Kazuma concentrated hard on the papers in front of him. "This is the report, Hanakoji-hakushaku?" He looked to the serious-looking count, wearily nodding his head. Kazuma then slowly turned towards the other members of the Tai Kouma Butai, all in uniform for this special meeting called at the military base in Ueno.
"Dammit," Yoneda sighed, holding his head in his hands, "Who had any idea that the enemy had moved in so close to us. We're sitting on a goddamn volcano that's ready to blow..."
Ayame read the reports over and over, her own face full of disbelief. 'The site in Shibuya, a half of a block, which the demons struck just two days ago has been closed off due to unusual fumes in the air. A crack, approximately 10 feet wide, in which the demons had emerged, contains high contents of the unidentified fumes and has an unknown depth...'
These words sent chills down her spine; Ayame found herself reaching for Yamazaki's hand. Yamazaki was still reading the report and looking as concerned as she. Unbuttoning his collar, he started thinking about what to do. He finally noticed Ayame's hand and gave it a little squeeze of reassurance, then stood before everyone. "Minna, I think I should go over there and investigate the area. I'll try to come up with as much as I can on what's going on."
"Good idea, Yamazaki-kun," Hanakoji replied, "As soon as we find out more information, we can formulate some kind of solution. We're not expecting the enemy to move for another couple days due to the cold conditions, so we'll use this time to regroup and prepare for further contact."
"Aa," Kazuma uttered, putting aside the stack of papers with the same strained look on his face, "Let's regroup..."
Hanakoji started to show some charts of where the military were predicting the next attack while Yamazaki gathered up his things to get going. "Can I come with you?" Ayame asked, stilling holding onto his hand. He merely shook his head and pulled away. "Demo," she argued, "It's too dangerous for you to go alone."
"Daijoubu," he replied, "Thus far, only a five people have gotten sick from it, but no one has died. I'll get to the bottom of this without causing any harm to myself. Don't you trust me?"
"Of course I do," she said, "Just please take care of yourself." Yamazaki nodded and touched her cheek ever so briefly before turning for the door. Sighing, Ayame turned back to the meeting. 'I want to do something too...'
* * * * * * * *
The rest of the Tai Kouma Butai returned home after the meeting. Ayame watched as Kazuma settled himself outside in the garden to meditate. "Leave him alone for now," Yoneda noted, patting her on the shoulder.
'Taisa...' Ayame moved away from the door, still feeling worried. She then watched as Yoneda headed upstairs to change out of uniform. She simply unzipped her jacket and threw it onto a chair, stretching her arms. She was wearing a white polo underneath, which she untucked, then removed the nylons that she was wearing. 'It's been a long day; everyone is tired. I better go cook something for dinner...'
Just then, she heard the doorbell. "Hai!" she called, rushing to answer the door. "Aa! Rika-san!"
"Ayame-san, it's good to see you again," the older woman said, as she came inside. The two proceeded into one of the sitting rooms and Ayame quickly made some tea for her guest. "Sumimasen," Rika uttered, accepting the hot cup, "Tanaka-kun went with Yamazaki-san today so I thought I'd come here and wait for them to return."
"Sou desu ka," Ayame uttered, a little disappointed that Yamazaki chose to take Tanaka instead of her. She quickly made a cheerful face and started to go for the door. "Please make yourself at home, Rika-san. I'm sure they'll be back before it gets dark. I'll get started on dinner right away."
"Could I help you?" Rika asked, standing up to catch her before she left. "There's actually something... I need to talk to you about..."
Ayame slowly nodded her head and led the way to the kitchen. There, the two rolled up their sleeves and started to gather up the ingredients for tonight's meal. Ayame watched Rika chop up some vegetables, noticing the uneasiness in her face. "Rika-san..."
"It's Tanaka-kun," Rika finally said, stopping what she was doing, "He asked me to marry him."
"That's wonderful!" Ayame cried.
"Iie, chigau!" Rika exclaimed, "We have no money - how could we possibly get married?! We're barely holding onto the apartment and who knows where our next paycheck is coming in! Although I admit I don't want to be an old maid - I don't want to live in this kind of situation?!"
"S-Sou desu ka," Ayame backed away from the distraught-looking woman who seemed pretty scary holding a knife. "Jaa... what are you going to do?"
"I don't know..." Rika sighed, "I just wish that Tanaka-kun and I were better off. We had high hopes working with Yamazaki-san, but it's just becoming harder and harder. Just like that, all our plans and goals were taken from us... I truly respect Yamazaki-san - so much that I call him "sensei" when I'm older than him - but, I don't know how much longer I can believe in him..."
Ayame rested her hands on the table and bowed her head. "Rika-san, I know it seems a bit hopeless right now, but I'm going to keep believing in Yamazaki-shousa. I decided that no matter happens I'm going to stand by him. Rika-san, if you really care about Tanaka-san, wouldn't you stay by him in any situation?"
Rika looked reluctant. "I don't know... It seemed like an easy answer when we started... Demo... it's been three years since then. I don't know if I'm the same person anymore, or if he's the same person. Don't you worry about the same thing, Ayame-san? Years from now, will it be same between you and Yamazaki-san?"
Ayame stared back at her, unable to answer. She hadn't considered this idea before, but the more she thought about it the more it scared her. "Oh, I just remembered - we're out of miso! I better run to the market and get some." She then scrambled for the door. "I'm be right back, Rika-san."
"H-Hai!" Rika stammered, very surprised by this sudden change of behavior. But before she could ask, the girl was gone. Shrugging, Rika turned back to the half-chopped radish and wondered when Tanaka would be coming back.
* * * * * * * *
"Yo..." uttered a voice. Kazuma opened his eyes and lifted his head, turning towards the door. Yoneda approached him, holding up a bottle of champagne. "Since we're back to war, I figured we'd celebrate our final days alive in style."
Kazuma chuckled as his friend popped the cork and let the foam spew out. "Stop trying to cheer me up. There's nothing fun about going back to war. Honestly, I wish that peace would continue, but we both know that isn't possible."
"Guys like us live for war, huh?" Yoneda said, sitting down in the grass next to him and offering the entire bottle, "It's the reason we exist... Sad, isn't it?"
"But, it's the truth." Kazuma replied, before taking a big gulp. He swallowed down the alcohol, leaning his head back against the tree - his melancholy brown eyes looking into the clouds. "Truth..."
"Kazuma, why don't you give this up and retire?" Yoneda suddenly said, gazing at him with concern, "You're different... You've got something to live for. You've got a daughter at home who needs a father..."
"I am Sakura's father - nothing will ever change that." Kazuma uttered, "Even if I'm gone, all she has to do is look in the mirror. I'm going to be with her always."
"I know that, but...!" Yoneda grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a little shake. "It's not the same! Five or ten years from now, Sakura-chan will go through a lot and she's going to want her father there! People don't come back, Kazuma - it's not the same!"
Kazuma stared into the glassy eyes of a man who had seen far more lost than he had ever. "Yoneda-chuujou... I already decided..."
"Baka yarou!! You decided to chose dying over the one you love most?!"
"No... I chose this FOR Sakura."
A gust of wind blew pass them as they stared each other in the eye. But as leaves fell around his face, Kazuma didn't show any change in his expression. Yoneda, realizing his words weren't going to reach his friend, leaned his forehead onto his shoulder. "Kazuma... it isn't fair..."
"But it's the truth..." was the only response he could get.
* * * * * * * *
Ayame walked down the sidewalk, holding the bag of groceries she had picked up from the market. 'Why do I feel uneasy? Yamazaki-san is different from other guys. He's devoted in everything he does and he doesn't seem interested in other women... Maybe... it's me...' Clutching at her chest, she let out a sigh and gazed up at the sky. 'I don't really trust myself.'
"There she is," uttered the man who had been following since she left the house. He removed his sunglasses and nibbled on the handle. "She sure looks better in the flesh."
Ayame was halfway home when she noticed that she was being followed. It wasn't the young man, but a group of scary looking ruffians. "Ano, could I help you??" she calmly asked as they started to surround her.
"Sure, Neechan, you can help us plenty. Heheheh!"
Ayame didn't lose any time and immediately retaliated, putting aside her bags and giving the gang a couple of nasty kicks and punches. After a good martial arts demonstration, the beaten guys took into a run and disappeared down the street.
"Daijoubu desu ka?!" exclaimed a stranger who had suddenly arrived on the scene. Inside he was thinking, 'Damn! She could kick butt!'
"I'm fine. Thanks for worrying." Ayame replied, dusting herself off and picking up her bags, "Jaa..." She then went on her way as though nothing happened.
The young man left behind smiled slightly, slipping her wallet into his coat. "Iya, thank you, Ayame-san."
* * * * * * * *
"Tadaima~!" Ayame called, closing the door behind her and slipping off her shoes.
"Okaeri," replied Yamazaki as he passed her on the hallway.
"Aa!" she exclaimed. She put down her bags and rushed over to him. "Shousa, you're back already? But dinner isn't ready yet!"
"Sure it is," he said, wiping his glasses as he turned for the stairs, "Rika-san made something while you were out. It seemed we had miso after all." He was about to go up, but she quickly grabbed hold of his sleeve. "Nan da??"
"Yamazaki-shousa..." she uttered, her face still weary about the dilemma that Rika had raised. She slowly moved closer, aiming to hug him. He suddenly pushed her away. "Aaa?! Shousa!!"
"Sorry," he uttered, bowing his head, "I just came back from that closed-off site and it isn't a good idea for you to get close to me. I'm going to go take a quick bath and change."
"Sou desu ka..."
"Oh, by the way, Tanaka!!" he called over her shoulder, "You should change and burn those clothes too!"
"D-Demo, Sensei!! This is my favorite shirt!" Tanaka gasped. He then let out a sigh, "I'm also getting a headache, Sensei."
"That's one of the symptoms that they talked about after exposure. Just drink lots of fluids." Yamazaki replied, turning for the stairs, "I'll be right back."
"Hai hai," Ayame pouted, watching him go. She then looked around to see Yoneda and Kazuma coming inside. "Looks like we can all eat together. I'll set the table." But then she realized that they were drunk. "A-Ano, Taisa... Shirei..." Laughing, the two drunken guys collapsed on the floor. Ayame covered her face, sighing, "Minna..."
* * * * * * * *
Tanaka and Rika couldn't wait and had to eat their dinner so they could leave before it got dark. Ayame watched Yoneda and Kazuma lie in the middle of the room passed out drunk, while waiting for Yamazaki to come. Her stomach growling, she glanced at her watch. It was over an hour.
"Shousa??" she asked, going upstairs to see what was taking him so long. She found him sitting in his room, scribbling away at a notebook. Frowning, she walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Your hair's still wet; you'll catch cold."
"Would you not nag me right now? I'm on to something." he replied, shrugging her hands off. Ayame crossed her arms, watching him for a moment as he mumbled some equations out loud. She then took the towel that was hanging around his neck and started to rub it against his damp hair. "AYAME!!" he exclaimed, breaking away, "What are you doing?!? Knock it off!!"
"DATTE!!" she cried, "You're going to get sick! If you don't want to take care of yourself - then at least cut your hair!!"
"W-what's your problem?!" he stammered, getting up on his feet to face her, "I'm just trying to get some work done! Can't you see how important this is?!"
Ayame clenched her fists, not sure what exactly the problem was. But for some reason, she was angry. "Fine! Do your work - if it's so important to you!"
Yamazaki was confused as ever. "Ayame..." She turned to leave and slammed the door shut. "Ayame!!" he exclaimed, going after her. In the hallway, he caught her by the arm and got her to finally stop from storming off. "It's not as important... as you are."
Ayame slowly turned towards him. One look into his blue eyes and she started to calm down. "I'm sorry," she uttered, bowing her head, "I didn't mean to be so upset. It's just... your dinner is getting cold."
Yamazaki took off his glasses and reached for her hand. "Ayame, sorry… I’ve been so occupied with work lately, I… I didn’t mean to push you away.”
”I understand,” she said, as they walked down the stairs hand in hand. “Still, you’ve got to eat something. I worry if you don’t take care of yourself.” He nodded and pressed a kiss atop her head, then broke free and ran ahead to the table. Ayame stopped and smiled after him. ‘Why am I so worried…? There isn’t any reason to be… but I...’
* * * * * * *
The next day, Yoneda and Kazuma met in the dark hallway, both with head splitting hangovers. “Gaaah, what time did we both pass out??” Yoneda uttered, rubbing his blood-shot eyes, “The last thing I remember was Ayame-kuntelling me to sober up.”
”Aa… I remember that too… and something about ‘keeping hands to yourself’.” Kazuma murmured, buttoning his collar, “You weren’t doing anything to Ayame-kun, were you??”
Yoneda blinked. ”Oi, w-were you, Kazuma??” The two of them nervously stared at each other, not able to remember. “Maa maa… it’s nothing to worry about… I think…”
”Ohayou~!” chimed Ayame’s sweet voice, startling them both. Pale-faced, they turned to the girl standing behind them on the stairs in a khaki suit and skirt. “Taisa, Shirei… did you two spend the entire night down here? It was extremely cold last night.”
”Aa…” Kazuma stammered, as she curiously eyed the two military men over. He proceeded to tuck his shirt in and tie back his hair, trying to look like his usual presentable self. “Tonikaku, let’s have breakfast.”
”It’ll be ready in a minute!” Yamazaki called from down the hall. Wearing an apron, he walked over to the two ailing men. “You two looked so cute sleeping together, I didn’t have the heart to wake you.”
”TEME…” Yoneda growled, glaring at the smug-looking boy. Kazuma quickly restrained him before it could get out of hand. “Oi! Lemme at that kid!!”
”Calm down,” Ayame said, coming between the two. “Shousa, please tell them about what you found out yesterday at the site."
"Oh, right..." Yamazaki said, "Yesterday, I ran some tests on samples I got from the site. The area was emitting exceptional amounts of toxins, but it isn't fatal towards humans. The effects of nausea don't last an entire day and the military have started to seal up the crack."
"What do you mean - 'nothing to worry about'?!" Yoneda exclaimed, "Dark spiritual energy is coming out of the ground! We're on a hotbed of damn demons from Hell!!"
"Sou da yo, but they cannot come out all at once. Sure they feed off the corrupt feelings above them, but there's enough protection from the surrounding sacred shrines to hold them in check."
"Yamazaki," Kazuma said, bowing his head, "I'm counting on you to use this time to work hard on your research. We sure could use an edge the next time we meet the enemy."
"I understand..."
A moment of silence passed. Ayame finally broke it up with her cheerful presense. "Shousa, please go finish up breakfast. I’ll set the table. Shirei, Taisa – breakfast will be ready soon.”
“Hai, hai!” Yoneda grumbled as Kazuma dragged him up the stairs.
Ayame watched them go and Yamazaki return down the hall to towards the kitchen. She was about to follow, but heard the doorbell. “Hai?” she asked, answering the door. She didn’t recognize who was at the door and politely smiled. “Could I help you?”
”Are you Fujieda Ayame-san?” asked the man at the door, “Did you lose your wallet yesterday?”
”I don’t recall… You must be mistaken.” Ayame replied. He was a bit astonished that she hadn’t realized that it was gone, so he quickly took it out. “Aa! That’s mine!”
”I found it yesterday,” he replied, moving forward, “I hope you know everything is as I had found it. If there’s anything missing, I’d be happy to escort you to the police station to make a report.”
”That’s not necessary. Everything is here.” she replied, after searching through it, “Thank you for your honesty.”
”Helping others is my policy…” he started to say, but paused to notice the photograph hanging on the wall behind her. “Masaka, is this the house where Yamazaki Shinnosuke resides??”
”H-Hai,” Ayame uttered as the man somehow without being rude pushed his way inside, “Are you an acquaintance of Yamazaki-shousa’s?”
“Iie, but I’ve heard about him. By any chance, could I speak to him about a job proposal…?”
* * * * * * * *
Moments later, Ayame stood in the doorway of the kitchen. Disoriented in her thoughts, she stared at the man hard at work in measuring the bowls of rice proportionally. ‘How should I say this? Yamazaki-shousa doesn’t like charity, but this person is really resolute. I should at least mention it.’
“Ya, Ayame,” Yamazaki cheerfully turned towards her. “Is the table set yet? I’m almost finished.” He then saw the uneasiness in her face. “Doushita? Is something wrong?”
”There’s a man outside who wants to talk to you,” she explained, walking over and untying his apron. She folded and put it aside, going to fix his tie as well. “It’s about your work.”
Yamazaki grimaced slightly. “I don’t have to do anything special for this guy. He’s going to have to deal with me the way I am. I’m not changing my style for anybody. If he has a problem with it, then he should go else where.”
”Datte,” Ayame argued, dragging him towards the hallway, “It’s an opportunity – please don’t throw it away. He seems like a very nice person.”
Sighing, Yamazaki broke free from her and saw the man at the door. “That’s the guy? Fine, I’ll talk to him.” He walked over to the well-dressed man and crossed his arms. “Yamazaki desu. What can I do for you?”
”I was wondering if you would mind it if I funded your research.” replied the stranger, “I know you dislike any outside help and have heard that you’ve turned down Kanzaki industries several times.”
”Usou da. Those bastards turned me down. They threw me off their property like some kind of a bum. What I ever did to them – I haven’t any idea.”
“Maa, I guess you can’t believe everything you heard. Anyways, we can show those bastards that they made a mistake.”
”What’s in it for you??” Yamazaki said, sounding suspicious. Ayame quickly grabbed his arm and gave him a reprimanding face. He sighed and corrected himself. “What will I owe you for your help? There’s no way I could ever repay you.”
”Pay me? No sir, there’ll be none of that! What’s more honorable than doing something to protect Teito? I intend to be an anonymous benefactor and take no credit in this project. So, what do you say??”
Yamazaki looked to Ayame for answers, but they both felt unsure. Still, he could sense that she wanted him to take this. He knew he couldn’t deny her; she had him already so in love that he would surely do anything for her. Slowly he held out his hand. “You’ve got a deal… ano, I didn’t catch your name…”
”Yagami,” replied the grinning man, going to shake his hand, “Yagami Shuichirou.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Next Episode: “A Night in Yokohama”
To Ayame-neesan,
Thank you sending such wonderful news. I’m so glad that Yamazaki-san has gotten this opportunity to work on his research and that everyone has good health. To think that you have been invited to an elegant party - wah, I wish I could be there. (I could do something about that.) But, you said you haven’t been sleeping well? Please take care.
I wish I could be with you. Love, Kaede
