Chapter 05

NATSUO SAT ALONE IN A PARK, feeling the breeze brush by him. Since he woke up this morning, there was something that felt different and he couldn’t put his finger on it. The day was normal enough, with meetings and recording sessions. When he got home after work, he waited until his manager was gone and headed out to the park behind his apartment building to relax. The park was simple with a slide, swings, and benches around it. This place, so close to his home, was a sanctuary for him.

He closed his eyes, listening to the wind rustle through the trees. Usually once the sun went down, he’d be alone in the park, but there was a mother and son playing with sparklers. He heard the boy’s laughter as he swung the sparkler around in the air. His eyes opened as the boy called out for his mother to watch. When the sparklers finally died out, his mother told him it was time to go home.

A pang of jealousy hit him as he thought how innocent the little boy was. He watched the boy run after his mother and hoped the little boy wouldn’t lose that innocence.

With the park empty, he sat down on the swing and started to swing. He hummed to himself, working on a melody for a song.

He put his legs out to bring the swing to a stop, reaching into his pocket to answer his ringing cellphone.

“Natsuo!” He could hear Kenji’s voice from the phone before it even got to his ear.

“That’s who you called,” he replied, hearing loud music and girls in the background.

“Natsuo!” The slurring of his name made it apparent that Kenji was drunk again. “Come here! It’s been toooo long. I want to see you. There’s this girl, right? She has a friend. Her friend is your fan. I promised I’d introduce you-”

Natsuo let out a sigh, hanging up on him. When his phone rang again, he turned it to silent, letting it ring. He started to swing again as he felt the phone vibrating in his pocket. He stopped counting every time the vibrating stopped then started again, when he reached double digits.

Natsuo slowed the swing to a stop when the phone stopped vibrating. Guilt filled him. He should head to whatever bar Kenji was at and take him home. He was falling, and he needed someone to reach out to catch him.

He let out a sigh as he remembered the last time he followed his gut and reached out to pull Kenji up. He had pulled him over with him. Natsuo didn’t trust himself that it wouldn’t happen again.

“It was his fault…” he mumbled to remind himself. “It was his fault. This is who he really is…”

The clock in the park caught his eye, and realizing how late it was, he headed back home to sleep.

* * *

Natsuo stood on the train station platform again. Something felt different this time. He knew she was there, but he didn’t see her. He headed out to the front of the train station. She was standing outside the north exit of the station. The blonde guy from before was with her.

He felt his blood bubbling inside as the guy brushed her hair behind her ear. She swatted his hand away. Her head jerked up as she felt his presence. Happiness lit up her face as she turned to him.

“He’s here. You can go,” she said to the blonde guy. He looked at Natsuo with a confused look on his face as he faded away. “I was waiting for you.”

“Who was that?” the jealousy in him asked.

“No one. I got bored,” she said, looking up at him with sadness in her eyes.

“Wait for me,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “I’ll find you. Wait for me.”

“I can’t stay...” She pulled away from him.

“I just got here!” he protested.

“We’ll be together.” She placed a finger to his lips and smiled. “Someday.”

“Itsuka?” he breathed in irritation. “Itsuka issho ni?”

“Itsuka?” She tilted her head, not understanding him.

“It means someday,” he explained. “And issho ni means together.”

“Someday together…” she whispered, reaching for him.

He turned from her, trying to keep the frustration in him from pouring out of him. It leaked into his voice, coming out as anger. “When’s someday? Are you really out there? Who was that guy? Are you even waiting for me anymore? Is waiting for you pointless?”

“Itsuka issho ni,” she whispered.

He turned back to her and the hurt in her eyes wounded him. Her hand shook as she reached for him. Leaning forward, she pulled him in for a kiss. As he felt the faint touch of her lips on his, she faded away.

* * *

Seven took a gasp of air as her eyes shot open. The room was already filled with light. She squinted to read the time on the alarm clock on the nightstand next to the bed. Seeing it was five in the morning, she let out a sigh and laid back. At least it was five instead of four. Not being able to get back to sleep, she got out of bed feeling weak. She guessed the last few days of running around Tokyo had taken its toll on her.

She looked at the purple dress hanging on a hook on the wall. Aya had ordered her to wear it today. She let out a sigh.

She showered, dressed, and, being the first one awake, started the coffeemaker. As she finished pouring herself a cup of coffee, she heard a door in the apartment open.

“Is that coffee I smell?” David walked into the kitchen with a yawn. He was still in baggy shorts, a shirt, and his hair was ruffled from sleep.

“It just finished brewing.” She smiled.

He stood there at the door, not moving further into the room, staring at her.

“W-what is it?” She let out a nervous laugh.

“Damn Sev, that dress looks great on you.” He held his stare on her.

“T-thanks,” she stammered, looking away from him. The heaviness of his stare caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up.

The sound of another door opening broke his stare. Aya stepped out of her room, still in her pajamas.

“Crazy, isn’t it? Waking up this early. We didn’t come here to sleep, though.” Aya brushed against David as she walked into the kitchen and to the coffee pot. She pulled out two cups from the cabinet. “Want coffee David?”

“Uh, sure. Let me help,” he offered, walking over to Aya.

Seven nervously took a sip of her coffee, burning her mouth a bit. She took the opportunity of David being focused on Aya and escaped into the living room. She took a seat on the couch and blew on her coffee to cool it.

“You’re wearing the dress!” Aya chirped happily, walking into the room. “Told you it’d look good! Doesn’t it look good on her, David?”

“Yeah, it does…” He took a sip of his coffee and walked over to the window to look out at the city.

“What are we doing today?” Seven took a sip.

“We’re going to have lunch in Yokoyama with some of my friends. They’re going to bring some guys with them...” Her voice trailed off in a mumble as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Guys?” David turned quickly from the window.

“Don’t worry, us girls will be there too,” Aya assured him with a wink.

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Seven also let out a sigh, understanding why she was in the dress today. “It’s going to be a long day…”

* * *

The day was filled with sightseeing in Yokohama. They went to Landmark Tower, walked around Chinatown, and had lunch with Aya’s friends. It was decided that they would meet up with them again this evening, this time for karaoke. The three of them settled down at a little cafe near a train station a few train-stops away from the apartment.

Seven stared at her drink, thinking about the trip ending the day after tomorrow. She didn’t want to leave. Something changed in her when she landed in Japan. Going home now would be like a caged bird being set free for a little while, then being put back in its cage.

Seven looked over at David. He was watching her and he smiled when her eyes met his. His blue eyes pulled her in again. He was nice to look at and he had an amazing body.

‘Could I make myself love him?’ she asked herself, feeling heat rise in her face.

Are you even waiting for me anymore?

The voice of the man in her dreams replayed in her mind.

She her body shake as guilt and regret surged through her. She pulled her gaze from David’s, looking down at the table again.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s nothing,” she replied quickly.

“No really, what’s wrong? You can talk to me,” he coaxed softly.

“It’s just-”

“What are you going to sing at karaoke tonight?” Aya asked, interrupting Seven. “I don’t know how many English songs they’ll have. Maybe some Disney songs.”

“I think I’ll be passing on karaoke,” Seven said quietly.

At lunch, David and she had been swarmed by Aya’s friends who wanted to practice their English. Seven drained quickly as they asked millions of questions about California. She didn’t think she could handle a night of that with loud background music. She had reached her daily humanity quota and wanted to relax alone. She still had books she hadn’t read in her suitcase. Maybe she’d even have a long, quiet bath. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to go back to the apartment.

“Actually, I’m not feeling a hundred percent. I think I’ll just head back to the apartment now and maybe get some sleep.” Seven grabbed her bag and stood up.

“Wait, we’ll go back with you.” David took a last sip of his melon soda and grabbed the check from the table.

“She’ll be fine,” Aya said, handing Seven one of the spare keys to the apartment.

“Sev…” Worry filled David’s face.

“I know how to get back,” she assured him. “You guys have fun. I’m just going to go to sleep when I get back.”

David stood to follow her, but Aya grabbed his wrist.

Walking into the apartment, Seven felt relieved to be out of the sea of humanity on the streets of Tokyo. She forgot which station was hers and ended up getting off at a few unfamiliar stops. Thinking she was at the right one, she walked out of the station but there was a statue of a fish jumping out of water outside she didn’t recognize. She gave up and gathered her courage to ask a police officer with a scar on his cheek near the station for help. Thanks to Aya insisting that they always carried the address for the apartment with them, their communication went smoothly.

She filled a glass of water and walked into her room, throwing her sweater on the bed. She put down the water on the nightstand as she looked through her luggage for medication. The view outside the window stole her attention. She walked over to the window and looked out at the city nightscape. Tokyo Tower was lit up, it stood strong against the other city lights.

“What a beautiful sight,” David said, standing in the bedroom doorway staring at her standing at the window.

“W-what are you doing back?” she stammered. Why hadn’t she heard him come back?

“I was worried about you,” he said.

“Worried about me? W-why?” she replied. The idea of someone worrying about her didn’t compute.

“At dinner, it looked like something was bothering you. What was it?” He sat down on the bed. “You haven’t been the same this whole trip.”

“I’m sorry for worrying you. You should be enjoying the trip,” she said, guilt filling her. He shouldn’t be ruining his trip because of her.

“I was feeling like a third wheel with Aya and her friends, anyway. They were singing song after song by some Japanese group called Scared Boys.” He chuckled.

“Scared boys?” She furrowed her brow and chuckled. “That’s an interesting name for a group.”

She looked back out the window.

“So, what’s up?” he asked, not giving up.

“I don’t really want to talk about it if that’s okay,” she replied.

“Sev…” he coaxed, crossing the room to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and a chill surged through her body.

“Don’t!” she exclaimed. Her breath quickened as she pulled away from his touch, taking a couple of steps to the side to put space between them.

“Don’t pull away from me now.” There was hurt in his voice. “You were going to tell me what was wrong at dinner, but Aya interrupted you.”

“I’d prefer not to talk about it now.” She sat on the other side of the bed, putting more distance and the bed between them. “I’d like to be alone if that’s alright,” she said, trying to make her tone sound forceful.

“I’m not leaving till you talk. Aya won’t be back till the first train, so we’ve got all night.” David sat down on the bed.

She turned to him, seeing the seriousness in his face. She let out a sigh. Her problems were not worth his or anyone else’s time. Maybe she should tell him. He was worried about her and...

He’s worrying about her…

She smiled, feeling a light in the gloom that wrapped around her. Just knowing that someone cared about her was enough.

“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” She grabbed the pillow next to her and hit him hard on the head. She laughed and stuck her tongue out as he grabbed his head.

“Oh, it’s game time!” He grabbed the other pillow on the bed and threw it at her with all his strength.

She fell off the bed to the floor. “Ow! David! I was only playing! That hurt! I think I’m bleeding...” she said, pretending he had really hurt her.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” He rushed over to her.

She grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and poured it over his head.

“Got you!” She ran across the room as she laughed.

“You’re going to pay!” he shouted, playfully chasing after her.

He chased her from one side of the room and back. With one quick leap over the bed, he caught up with her. He grabbed her, pulling her back on the bed, pinning her down by her arms.

“Got you where I want you!” he said as water dripped on her from his hair. He looked down at her. Her normally dull eyes were filled with light as she laughed. He had never seen her this happy before, this beautiful, and it took his breath away.

“Get off me! You’re dripping water on my dress!” She laughed.

David looked down at her dress. He hadn’t meant to look, but it was too late. The way he had her pinned and the angle he had gave a perfect view of her breasts. Raising and shaking as she struggled to breathe while she laughed. The sight of the skin of that sweet valley between them and the silk lavender bra she wore, mixing with her scent and the sound of her laugh caused the leash on him to snap.

He felt the need to kiss her boiling up in him and there was no stopping it. He climbed on the bed, placing himself on top of her and pinning her down more. As he leaned in, he tightened his grip on her.

“Sev…” he whispered. He pressed his lips against hers as her eyes filled with terror.

Her body squirmed in opposition underneath him. He tightened his hold on her wrists even more as a new sensation surged through him. He and the bulge screaming for release from his pants wanted more.

He continued kissing her, trying to make her allow access to his tongue. As she gasped for a breath, it found its way in for a moment, but was quickly evicted. He settled for just having the feel of her lips against his.

The kisses silenced her as he maneuvered her arms together and aligned his waist with hers. Her body was moving less in protest now, and he wondered if was acceptance of what was happening or his weight being fully on her. Either way, he pushed on. His right hand firmly held down both of her arms, while his left moved south, pulling up the skirt of her dress.

He held her arms tight as he moved his free hand up her thighs. She jerked, causing his nails to dig into her thigh. The sound she made was too much. His free hand undid the button of his pants and pulled them back to set his erection free.

He returned his hand quickly up her thigh and pulled at her underwear. It was the only thing keeping him from the goal that drove him.

Her body jumped up underneath him violently, and his free hand darted to her breast, slamming her back down into the bed.

The lust driving him tricked him into believing her whimper of pain was one of pleasure. He pulled at the neckline of her dress, slipping it down past her breast. Pulling at her exposed bra, he continued kissing her. He worked his hand into it, cupping her breast. He let out a moan, feeling her peaked nipple against his finger.

Suddenly, he felt warmth against his lips and the metallic taste of blood greeted him when he licked them.

“DAVID! STOP IT!” Seven pulled her mouth away enough to shout as he faltered.

“Oh god…” he murmured.

His grip lightened around her wrists as he realized what he was doing. With the lightened grip, she freed her hands, pushing him off her to the ground.

“GET OUT!” she screamed at him, shooting off the bed to the other side of the room against the window. She pulled up the top of her dress and brushed her skirt down.

“Sev… I…” He walked towards her, trying to find an explanation for something that had none.

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!” she shouted.

She lunged for the door, but he reached for her, grabbing the strap of her dress. It tore as he forcefully pulled her back towards him. She grabbed the glass from the nightstand next to her and smashed it against his head. While he fell back on the bed, grabbing his head, she ran.

She ran out of the room, continuing right out of the apartment, and kept running when she made it out on the street. People stared at her in her ripped dress that she tried to hold up to cover her bra. She ran towards the brightly lit train station ahead of her. She stood outside the station, tears streaming down her face as she tried to catch her breath. Her arms shook as she wrapped them around her for both cover and comfort.

She spotted David running down the street in her direction. Thanking God her dress had pockets, she reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out the prepaid train fare card from it. She ran for the ticket gate, slipping it into the ticket gate. Collecting it from the other side, she ran up the stairs to the platform, where she heard the music announcing the arrival of a train. She just made it onto the train as the doors closed.

Even on the train, she couldn’t make herself stop. She hurried through the train, needing to get away from the stares of the other passengers. She couldn’t turn off her need to run.

When the train pulled into the next station, she ran off the train to the ticket gate. She slipped the card through the gate again. This time it took longer to spit out the other side as it printed the station and fare information on the back of the card and punched a hole into the card to show the new card balance. She slipped it back into her pocket and ran out of the station’s north exit. She ran out onto the street in front of the station, not wanting to stop, but her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees in the middle of the street.

“OI!” a man behind her called, making her look up to see a motorcycle racing at her.

She struggled to stand as someone wrapped their arms around her. Suddenly, she was spun and flung out of the way, hurtling toward the ground. Her head slammed into the pavement, bouncing a couple of times before everything went black.