Once she was out of sight of the shop and her friends, she slipped into a space between a pair of buildings and pulled out her phone, pretending to make a phone call. When the three approached, she nodded to herself and smiled.
“Hello! I am Ikeda Akane. May I know your names?”
The three looked at each other. The taller woman spoke softly. “I am Sato Chizuru, this is Takahashi Kaori and Takashi Hide. My apologies, but why can’t we leave this street? Every time we try, we just wind up at the other entrance. What’s going on?”
Akane’s smile dropped slightly. “My friends, I am sorry to be the bearer of unpleasant news, but you three seem to be dead. My boyfriend and I saw you when the others did not. I can help you, if you’ll let me. Will you allow me to assist?”
Hide looked wild-eyed at Akane. “No! We can’t be dead! Our children have school in the morning! Who will get them up?” He grabbed Kaori’s hand and started weeping.
Akane felt a hot tear sliding down her cheek. These poor people. “Takahashi-san? What is the date?”
“March eighth, 1987. Why do you ask?”
“What is the name of your oldest?”
“Futoshi. His name is Futoshi. He goes to Goshominami Elementary. Why?”
“Thank you, sir. One moment while I look him up.” She punched in the name of the child and cross-referenced to make sure it was the same man. Finding a picture of the man as a child, she turned the phone around. “Is this your son?”
Hide nodded in wonder. “That’s him. How did you…?” Akane held up a finger, and the man waited a moment.
She pulled up a picture of the boy -now a man of over forty- and once again showed Hide the photo.
“This is him now. Your sister took over the duty of raising him. He turned out to be a fine man, and owns a tea shop in Tokyo. He’s done quite well for himself, sir. Let me message my manager, see what can be done for you three?”
Hide had started crying and buried his face in his wife’s shoulder, who simply nodded as she too, wept silently. Chizuru seemed to be somewhat downcast. Akane messaged Seraphi and detailed the situation, receiving a reply almost immediately, telling her to sit tight and wait for one of her coworkers to arrive and take over.
“If the three of you would be so kind as to wait with me, I have a coworker on their way. They will guide you to the next stage in your lives. I’m sorry to have to be the bearer of sad tidings.”
Chizuru shook her head ruefully. “No, Ikeda-san. You are the bearer of Truth. We may not like the truth, but facts care not for our feelings. I am ready to move on.”
Akane nodded, and a moment later, saw a young man heading their way, a cheerful smile on his face.
“Hello! You must be Ikeda-san! I’m Abe Jubei. We’ll be working together in the future. You’ve done a fine job in helping these three souls. I’ll handle it from here, as this is a special case for my specific division.”
Turning to the three souls beside him, he bowed low. “If you three would follow me, please. We will get you situated in your next stage. Ikeda-san? Would you check the women’s restroom for me? Make sure nobody is in there?”
Akane nodded and walked to the restroom. Peeking her head in, she saw all the stall doors were open. Looking back, she relayed the information to Jubei, who smiled.
“Excellent! Now, please guard us from sight. Just make something up if someone comes. I’ll not be returning, so once we have left, you are free to go about your business.”
Akane nodded and waved goodbye to the three souls. Turning away from the door, she kept watch on the relatively empty corridor until she heard the door close behind her. Looking back, she saw nobody, and went to rejoin Markus and their friends in the pottery store.
When she arrived, she walked over to Markus and lay her head on his arm. Markus kissed the top of her head and continued to inspect the tea set he had found.
“So, you helped them, huh?” he murmured softly.
Startled, she looked up into his eyes. “How did you know?”
He smirked and handed her the dark blue teacup he had. “Because it isn’t in your nature to let people suffer. How bad was it?”
“They passed in 87. Just…lost. I messaged Seraphi and he sent a coworker from a special division to get them. It’s just sad.” She turned the teacup over and over in her hands idly.
Markus shook his head. Thirty-six years. Wow. A long time to be stuck in limbo. He sighed. Happy that he had someone who cared so much, but slightly concerned about her impulse control. Still, he couldn’t really blame her. She was just holding true to her nature. He gently took the teacup from her and placed it with the rest of the set.
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“I can’t be upset with you over it. It’s who you are. Just… Don’t hide it from me next time, yeah?”
Akane gave him a half smile and nodded. “I’ll do one better. If it happens again and you’re here, I’ll take you with me. You’re nice. You can also protect me.” She bumped him gently with her hip, bringing a smile to his face.
“True. That I will.” He sighed, then looked around at the different sets. “So, do you see one that you like?”
Akane looked around thoughtfully, tapping her lower lip. Her eyes felt drawn to a set over in a corner, almost as if the owner tried to keep it hidden. She slowly approached it, her eyes tracing over the dancing raccoon and fox on the lid of the teapot. She let her fingers glide over the raised figures, feeling the details in the casting. Marcus approached her from behind, kneeling to get a better look at the accompanying teacups.
They were almost whimsical in their design, a collection of woodland animals featured, one to a cup. A raccoon, a fox, a bear and a rabbit. He looked up, smiling at Akane.
“I like these, Usagi-chan. What do you think?”
Somewhat startled by the intrusion of his voice, Akane looked around, then down at Markus, kneeling on the ground there. Her heart skipped a beat, seeing him offer her the teacup. A flash of a fantasy superimposed another, tremendously meaningful item in his hand for just a moment. She brought her hand to her lips, then closed her eyes tightly, shaking the cobwebs from her head.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw Markus in the same position, a half-smile on his lips. She cleared her throat and gingerly reached out for the cup with both hands, feeling the weight of the cast iron.
Examining the cup, she saw a rabbit on it, caught in mid-bound for all time, and smiled. Of course he’d like these. She looked down at him and nodded with a smile. Markus stood slowly, his knees popping. He smiled and took the cup from her, packing it in with its siblings, then took the box to the counter and paid.
A few minutes later, the rest of the group joined them outside. “I wish I could get some of those tea sets. I really liked the blue glaze on the one with daisies.” Genkai sighed softly.
“Give me some time to get set up, little brother. I’ll make sure you can get the tea set you like, okay?” Markus smiled at him.
Genkai nodded excitedly. “I can wait for as long as it takes. I have my Gentle Breeze here, and we have much to discuss and plan.”
Markus smiled and checked the time again. Four PM. The trip to Hafuu would take around forty-five minutes with traffic. They could eat dinner around five-thirty, and the trip to Kumonocha would take about twenty minutes. There wasn’t much chance of them getting to Kumonocha before they closed at seven. Damn.
“Hey guys? Looks like we won’t be able to get to Kumonocha before they close tonight. I’m sorry. Any other ideas for dessert?”
The group was crestfallen, but took it in stride. Hanako tapped her chin thoughtfully. “If I recall, Hafuu has a decent dessert?”
“Yeah, that sounds fine. I don’t mind missing out on Kumonocha tonight. You’ll just have to make sure you come back and try it, bro!” Atsuki grinned at Markus.
“Oh, I will. In fact, I think that once I’ve done my training period at my new job and have enough money put back, I’ll just move here. I have some things to take care of back home, but I really enjoy Japan, and I think I’ll just make a home here. There will be plenty of opportunities to enjoy everything this country has to offer.”
Hanako and Yamato smiled broadly. While a cloud cake at Kumonocha would be a great way to end the night, time was what it was. The most important thing was the fact that Markus would be returning to Akane as soon as he had the money and availability to travel.
They went to the bus stop and soon, they were on their way to Hafuu. After a short wait at the door, they went in and were seated at a large square table in the back.
“So, Markus? What will you do when you get home?” Genkai looked across the table at his friend.
Markus sighed softly. “Probably go see my mother. She’s in a facility that can more closely keep an eye on her than I could. I hope nobody here ever has to deal with a loved one that has Alzheimer’s. It’s hard. Incredibly so. Most days, she doesn’t remember me. Usually thinks that Dad is still alive.” He shook his head sadly. “But, you just have to play the hand you’re given. I visit her at least once a week.”
Akane rubbed his thigh gently, causing him to favor her with a grin. “I also have to tell my job that I will no longer work for them. It’s not a bad place to work, but it sure isn’t good.”
Atsuki nodded. “I understand that. My job at the taxi place isn’t bad. I mean, it pays the bills, but that’s about it. If something better came along, I’d certainly jump at the opportunity.”
Genkai shook his head. “I love what I do. I just wish I could have more clients. You know, I don’t think we’ve ever found out what you do for a living, Yamato-chan. So? What is it?”
Hiroshi Yamato looked down and mumbled something under his breath. Hanako elbowed him gently. The look of venom he gave her was met with an impish grin. “Speak up, Nīsan. We can’t hear you,” she said in a sing-song voice.
Yamato huffed in irritation and looked away. “Fine. I teach ikebana.”
Markus tilted his head. “What’s ikebana?”
Yamato looked over at him, sorrow marring his delicate features. “A dying art, my friend. That’s what it is. It’s the practice of flower arranging. I teach both the moribana and nageire style. A skilled practitioner can create works of art with flowers that look effortless, yet transport the viewer to their most cherished memories.”
“Wow. I had no idea Japan had something like that. Such a rich culture. Can you tell us more?”
Yamato smiled and nodded. “I could be persuaded.”
Hanako laughed and playfully swatted his arm. “Don’t let him start, Barton-san! He’ll never stop!”
Their server showed up while they shared a laugh, and took their order. A fine start to a dinner, indeed.