Category: Seiryu Spirit

The World is Surely Small

Chapter 8 – Koji’s First Kiss

Koji dropped the drawing pen on the table and flexed his arms, to relieve tension from his shoulders. The borrowed office was dark, save for the small lamp on the corner of the desk. It cast a yellow shadow over the hardwood table he was using. Koji studied the drawings spread out on the table. Each one a true render of the scenes from Maki’s memory. Every blade of grass, nails on benches, the swings in motion, kids running, parents talking, the drop of ice cream falling from a little kid’s cone…many scenes.

A moment stopped and immortalized on the sheets of paper on the table, approached from different angles, as Maki’s gaze swept the park. Before Sakura’s disappearance, then right after the realization of her disappearance.

A soft knock on the office door broke into his bubble, then the door swung open without his response. Koji blinked when the lights came on and he looked up to see Tomoyo standing right at the desk.

“You need sleep.”

“I’m missing something. I’ve refined Maki’s memory, drawn it a few times until it is just right. Something out of the ordinary should have appeared already.  I can’t see it, I’m too close. ”

Koji shifted drawing sheets, seeking matching scenes. He tried to align them on the desk, but he didn’t have enough space.  Koji stood and gathered the drawing sheets, heading out of the private office.

“Koji?”

“Saya’s investigators brought fancy equipment with them, didn’t they?”

Koji hurried toward the dining room.

“Do you think they have something that can project these sheets on the wall?”

“It’s late. We can do this in the morning. You should get some sleep,” Tomoyo said, when they reached the dining room.

He couldn’t sleep right now. He felt so close to the breaking point. So close.

Hisao sat at the dining table, busy typing at his laptop, uncaring that it was almost two in the morning. Beside him, his partner sat at a chair, head resting on his arms, deep asleep.

Koji ignored Hisao’s curious gaze, and headed for the table laden with office equipment. He rarely spent time in offices, so all of it looked complicated. Tomoyo was no better. Her specialty was the kitchen, present her with the most advanced kitchen equipment and she took to it like water. Office equipment, not so much.

They both stood staring, stumped.

“What do you need?” Hisao asked, coming up behind Koji.

Grateful that he had thought to put in his earplugs earlier, so he read nothing from Hisao. Koji handed over the drawings to the amused Inspector.

“Place them in order and project them on the wall,” Koji said, moving to lean on the large dining table.

Hisao worked fast, the drawings appeared on the wall, and Koji sighed in relief.

Koji folded his arms against his chest, moving closer to the lighted wall, pointing at drawings, so that Hisao arranged them as he wanted.

The result was a panorama of the park as Maki saw it the day Sakura disappeared.

Koji searched the scene, taking in each face, each movement and action.

“This is incredible,” Hisao said, coming to stand next to him. “Look, there is Sakura, playing on the jungle gym. How is this possible?”

“It’s a memory,” Tomoyo said, standing next to Hisao. “Maki’s memory, as she sat to answer her phone. Look, everyone in the park is dressed down, laid back, enjoying the day.”

“What about the two men in combat boots and green jackets.”

Hisao pointed them out on the screen. They were walking into the park as Maki sat. They carried gym bags, as though they were walking across the park to their destination.  The shoes were wrong though for a gym session.

Koji had noted the two men, but he had seen them in the memory after Sakura’s disappearance. Never paying them mind because those two—

Koji moved around Hisao, finding the two men in combat boots, in the memory where Sakura has disappeared. They were crouched over a manhole in the middle of the park. The duffel bags missing.

“Hisao-san,” Koji touched the two men in the drawing.

“Yes?”

“Where do you think their duffel bags went?” Koji asked, studying the two men.

They were crouched on the ground, their heads bent, and their bags missing. Nothing in the vicinity to suggest they had placed them down on the ground.

Hisao hissed and hurried back to the dining table. Getting his phone, he dialed the team leader and in minutes, most of the investigating inspectors came into the dining room.

Tomoyo’s phone beeped and she hurried off to answer it, after giving Koji’s left shoulder a squeeze. Koji listened as the investigation now focused on the two men in the middle of the park. Their identities, the reasons why they were in the park. The manhole.

“We’ll take it from here,” Hisao said to Koji when the team leader finished with assignments and the investigators left the dining room with renewed energy.

Tired, Koji sat on the closest armchair, and closed his eyes. Tension drained from his shoulders, and he was asleep in a millisecond.

***

Andre and Leon tried to get a room at Hotel Mume, only to discover that the hotel was fully booked. Desperate to stay close to the investigation, Andre talked Tomoyo into finding them space for the night. Leon bunked in with Ogun, while Andre got the couch in Koji’s suite.

Andre fell asleep waiting for Koji to come upstairs to rest, and only woke up when the suite door opened with a small bang at around five in the morning.

Sitting up, he stretched his arms above his head, and stared at Ogun who looked frantic, his gaze on Koji’s empty bed.

“Where is he?” Ogun asked, staring at him.

“I—I don’t think he came up.”

Andre got to his feet, when Ogun left as fast as he had arrived.

Wiping sleep from his eyes, he grabbed his jacket from the armchair and hurried after Ogun. Taking a stick of gum from his jacket pocket, he popped it into his mouth, the taste of mint chasing away his morning breath.

Downstairs was chaos. Investigators hurrying in and out of the dining room, excitement heavy in the room. Ogun had stopped in the reception hall, talking to Tomoyo who was still in the clothes from yesterday. They looked deep in conversation, so Andre ignored them and entered the dining room.

His gaze found Koji the second he entered the dining room. Sleeping in an armchair set by the wall, undisturbed by the jumble of activity around him. Andre walked to his side, and crouched before him, staring.

Dark hair a mess, falling over his forehead. Andre reached up and gently pushed it away from a smooth forehead. Eyes closed, eyelashes forming a half-moon on soft skin. There were dark shadows on the delicate skin there. Koji was not getting enough rest. Andre’s gaze dropped to parted lips, a smile filling him up at the soft breaths Koji took. In and out, his chest moving in gentle motion.

Koji shifted, and brought his hand up to rub at his nose before settling in again. Andre frowned when a dark smudge was left on the tip of Koji’s nose. Wiping it off with a finger, Andre took Koji’s left hand and stared at the black charcoal coating Koji’s fingers.

“From the drawing,” Tomoyo said, startling Andre.

He looked up to find her leaning on the wall a step away from the armchair. Her arms folded against her chest. He had not seen her join him.

She nodded to her right, and he followed her gaze to a panoramic drawing of a park on the overhead screen.

“He found the culprits,” Tomoyo said.

“Did he draw that?” Andre stood, staring at the picture. The details so clear, it felt as though the swings the kids were using would start moving in a minute. Was this–,

“When did he do this?”

“Through the night,” Tomoyo answered. “He’s obsessed with Sakura and after talking to Maki, he thought putting her memories on paper would help him find a clue.”

“Is she found?” Andre asked, hope blooming wide.

“She will be.” Tomoyo winced when Koji shifted in the armchair, trying to get comfortable. “We can’t move him. He always wakes up with one touch from Ogun or me. How you’re able to touch him without waking him is a mystery.”

“I can take him upstairs,” Andre offered.

Tomoyo frowned, her gaze on Koji as he shifted again to get comfortable. She looked indecisive, and then with a sigh, she nodded and walked away as though trying to stop herself from refusing him.

Andre’s gaze returned to the drawing on the overhead. The details so clear, almost as though he could step into the scene and listen to the children playing. To have done all this so quickly, and from just talking to Maki, Andre looked at Koji a bit stunned. Andre leaned down and picked up Koji into his arms. Koji’s head resting on his shoulder as he carried him out of the busy dining room.

Ogun and Tomoyo followed him, hovering, Andre paid them no attention as he headed to Koji’s room. Upstairs, he laid Koji on the large bed. Glancing at his hands, Andre hurried to the bathroom and returned with a wash cloth wet with warm water.

Ogun and Tomoyo sat at the chairs in the small living area. Andre frowned at their over concern. Well, he hoped they would leave him alone with Koji, if only for a moment. Taking Koji’s left hand, he concentrated on wiping away black charcoal from Koji’s hands.

Andre took Koji’s right hand, cleaning black charcoal from his palms, then his fingers, smallest to index finger. He passed the damp cloth over a gold ring with blue stones intricately embedded on its surface. Light shimmered over the large blue/green stone set as the centerpiece and Andre frowned, leaning over it, turning Koji’s hand to the light. When the shimmer disappeared, he thought it a play of light.

Finishing with the cloth, he placed it on the bedside table, pulling the covers over Koji, he sat on the side of the bed, simply watching Koji sleep.

***

Koji woke to silence. A first in his life. Even with every device Saya and Tama had installed into the house to help him cope, there were always distant whispers. Distant, niggling at the back of his head, so very consistent.  The silence was a welcome blessing.

Opening his eyes, he stared at Andre. The French man was comfortably sitting on his bed, reading an English copy of Norwegian Wood. Koji shifted on the bed, so that he lay facing Andre, openly studying him.

Andre was handsome in an enticing, aristocratic way. His features calm as he read away, quite comfortable leaning on the headboard in his tailored slacks and shirt. His hair combed away from his face, Koji wondered what it looked like disheveled. What did Andre look like without his neat, tailored clothes? Koji thought he would love to paint that. Andre in dishabille. Did Andre ever lose his temper? Koji imagined he would love to see that too. Would that be the time when Koji would get to see what Andre was thinking?

Andre turned the page, clearly immersed in the book, and Koji closed his eyes, enjoying the silence. It was so effortless, so unexpected, he never wanted it to end.

His stomach growled and Koji rubbed it opening his eyes to find Andre watching him.

“Hungry?” Andre smiled.

“A bit,” Koji answered, not wanting to move.

Andre closed the book and placed it on the bedside table. Koji wondered if Tomoyo and Ogun were in the little living area. That he wondered was a marvel, not knowing was new.

“Tomoyo and Ogun are downstairs,” Andre said, as though reading his thoughts.

Koji smiled.

“I’m sure they’ll be up here soon. They rarely leave me alone.”

“It’s very inconvenient.”

“Is it?”

Andre shifted, sliding down on the bed until they both lay facing each other. Andre’s eyes were brown. Koji stared into them, wanting to commit them to canvas. Their color deep, he would have to mix paints to get the right shade.

His fingers moved to trace the dark stubble on Andre’s chin before he knew what he was doing. His index finger tracing Andre’s chiseled chin, the stubble rough against his fingers, up to the sides, and right under Andre’s bottom lip. Even with touch, the silence remained, no whispers, no inner thoughts, no images, Koji met amused brown eyes and his fingers stilled.

“You are tempting me,” Andre said, taking Koji’s hand. “Don’t fault me for this.”

“What?”

Andre leaned closer and before Koji realized what he was up to, soft lips brushed his in a soft, gentle kiss. His eyes wide in shock, Koji almost forgot to breathe. Warmth spread through him, and Koji leaned into the kiss, wanting more, his heart racing when Andre sealed their lips into a proper kiss.

Koji clutched Andre’s shirt, eyes closed, his body tingling with sparks and heat. Andre’s kiss tasted of mint, and dark chocolate. Koji pressed closer, wanting more, only to have Andre end their kiss, leaving them both breathing hard. Koji hid his face into Andre’s shoulder, and tried to still his heart. His body trembling, he closed his eyes when Andre held him tight, offering comfort.

His first kiss left him shaken.

***

Andre was unhappy when Ogun and Tomoyo returned to Koji’s room. The door opened and Koji pulled away from him too fast, not giving him time to accept that he could let go. He sat up with a scowl, watching Koji hurry to the bathroom. Clearly running away.

Andre sighed and slid out of bed, his socked feet firmly on the floor, yet he felt he needed to hold on to the bed. His heart still racing with the thrill of kissing Koji. How he wanted more, how he wanted to feel Koji shift into his arms, how he wanted to wrap Koji in his arms and not let go.

“Andre? Are you alright?” Tomoyo asked. She was busy arranging plates of food on the coffee table. Ogun, already seated, held the day’s newspaper, a frown playing on his forehead.

“I’m fine.”

Andre straightened to his full height, adjusting his shirt. His gaze on the closed bathroom. Koji was hiding. He smiled. He wondered how long his baby would stay in there.

“Any news?” he asked, moving to join Tomoyo and Ogun at the table.

Koji had slept for five hours since this morning. Glancing at his watch, it was ten-thirty.  He nodded in satisfaction.  Koji would at least look rested now.

“Yes.” Ogun picked up his cup of coffee. “Investigators found the two men in Koji’s drawing. One is dead after trying to put up a fight with police, the other is in custody. He says an unknown man hired him for the afternoon. His job was to get the girl, Sakura, to a storehouse a few blocks away from the park. They’re checking out the storehouse.  We think he is lying about knowing who hired him.”

“Koji will want to talk to him.” Tomoyo shook her head. “I wish this ends quickly. He’s overworking. We can’t expect Andre to watch over him as he sleeps each time.”

“I don’t mind it,” Andre said, taking the cup of coffee Tomoyo placed before him and sipping it without looking at them.

When they both stayed silent, Andre glanced up to find Ogun and Tomoyo looking at him. They shared a glance, then Tomoyo sat opposite him, her gaze on her own coffee. Ogun cleared his throat and smiled at Andre.

“Once the investigation is over, we’ll leave first, and head back to Koji’s home. You two will not see each other again.”

“Who says?” Andre asked, not sure what Ogun was trying to say.

He liked Koji.

After their kiss on the bed, he imagined Koji liked him too. It was a long time since he felt this kind of attraction. Truthfully, he tended to be very choosy with his partners. Always wanting more from his partners than they dared give, when they did give the more, it felt flat and he was disappointed. So he tended to walk away first.

Yet with Koji, he felt caught in a web, unable to cut away. Two days of knowing Koji and he wanted to unravel the mystery of him. Each part he discovered only led him deeper into a bigger puzzle. Koji was intriguing, and enticing…Andre doubted he could walk away now.

The bathroom door opened and Koji came out looking refreshed. He had taken a shower, his hair still damp. Dressed in jeans and a grey t-shirt, Koji walked to them, rubbing his head with a towel. Andre placed his coffee mug down, and started to get up to help, only to have Tomoyo beat him to the task. She took the towel from Koji and went to the bathroom. She returned with a hairdryer.

Koji stole a glance at Andre, and he shrugged as Tomoyo got to work drying his hair.

Andre was surprised by the surge of jealousy that filled his chest. He sipped his coffee watching Koji fit hearing aids into his ears, carefully pressing a tiny button to turn them on.

“Koji, I noticed those hearing aids before. Not to sound rude, but can I ask why you are hard of hearing?” Andre asked.

“You can,” Koji said with a grin.

Andre grinned.

“I’m asking,” Andre insisted.

“He was too young to remember,” Tomoyo answered for Koji, after turning off the blow dryer. She returned it to the bathroom, and Koji grinned back at Andre.

“It’s not something to worry about,” Koji said to Andre. “They are now part of me, so I don’t think about why I need to wear them.”

Andre frowned, wanting to know, but clearly, this was a topic no one wanted to discuss. He would have to wait until later to know the truth. Until Koji trusted him.

“Why don’t you tell me more about this man they found, Ogun-san?” Andre asked instead. “Why would he agree to take Sakura?”

“Money,” Koji answered before Ogun could, staring into his coffee. “I’ll find Sakura today.”

“You sound sure,” Andre said with a frown.

“Yes.”

Koji looked up then, a small smile on his lips, though it hardly reached his eyes.

Tomoyo sighed, and arranged dishes before Koji. She knocked his head with her knuckles, and Koji reached up to rub his hair.

“Before you go overworking, have food. Your stomach is probably growling in protest. One of these days, it will jump out and eat you in revenge.”

“You’re so frightening,” Koji said in response.

Andre couldn’t help the chuckle watching Tomoyo push chopsticks into Koji’s right hand. The bowl before him had chicken and eggs on rice, a bowl of miso soup to the side. Andre was still getting used to the idea of eating full on meals in the morning. Tomoyo was a great cook, and Andre loved her food, so maybe he didn’t mind a huge breakfast too much.

Although, Tomoyo bulldozing Koji into eating all his food was infinitely more entertaining.

An hour later, Andre sat in a waiting room at the police station they had first visited, with Leon keeping him busy authorizing various project payments. Koji was inside talking to the arrested suspect. Andre paused in the middle of authorizing repairs for a warehouse in Manila, his gaze shifting to the door.

“He’s only been gone twenty minutes,” Leon said, with a chuckle. “You should be worried about what he’s going to say about you finding Sakura for her mother. Do you think Seiren will keep her promise?”

“Even if she doesn’t, I got Koji to promise to help clear Leon’s name,” Andre said, with a sigh. “I’m more concerned with what happens after.”

“After?” Leon frowned.

Andre looked at Leon.

“I want him.”

“Who?” Leon asked, confused.

“Koji,” Andre said with a small blush. “He—

“Lives in Japan, and you live in the French Riviera,” Leon said. “Worlds apart, Andre. Don’t get your heart broken. Now, let’s concentrate on work.”

Andre sighed, and returned his attention to his business.

***

Koji sat in the interview room with the man named Tonsu. Early thirties, fit, he looked like he worked hard for the look. His hair cut close to his head. His hands in fists on the table. Koji kept his gaze on the tight fists, his thoughts on Andre and their kiss this morning.

The pleasure that exploded through him at the simple touch of lips, it was like nothing he had ever experienced. Clinging to that warmth, he reached into his ears and pulled out the hearing aids, turning them off and slipping them into their box. He held it tight and focused on Tonsu.

Tonsu’s thoughts were a mass of fear, anger. Refined anger, so profound it made Koji shudder under its onslaught. Bordering on rage, he thought, trying to push it off. Tonsu’s anger was born from a struggle to survive. He was responsible for the care of his mother, and five siblings. Their father unknown. Tonsu was the sole source of income. The number of jobs he had tried since he turned sixteen staggered Koji. Fourteen years of working double time, not ever doing what he wanted, the money earned ending up with the family.

Tonsu was exhausted. So, when his friends asked him for a simple favor, and gain a large chunk of money, Tonsu did not hesitate.

“Your choices led you here,” Koji noted, meeting Tonsu’s dark gaze. “You could have walked away.”

“You look like a rich brat to me. What would you understand about me?”

“A lot,” Koji said. “You have spent so much time being angry that you don’t take time to enjoy what’s important. Tonsu-san, your anger will be the end of you.”

Koji closed his eyes, focusing on the day Tonsu and his friend stole Sakura from the park. Tonsu was the one to stuff her into his duffel bag and lower it into the manhole where his friends waited to take the bag. They closed the manhole and walked out of the park minutes later.

Koji saw Tonsu follow his friend into a black sedan. They drove to a storehouse near Katsura River. The meeting point. There were five others on the team. Their conversation spotty as Tonsu’s nervous nature kept him from paying attention. Koji heard them discuss fourteen children on a list, and realized Tonsu had been assimilated into the team last. The team leader needing a new face, after suspicion arose as the fourteen children went missing in the same area.

Koji grabbed a pencil from his pocket and pulled the drawing book Tomoyo placed on the table for him. It took a moment to get a clear picture of the storehouse where Tonsu and his friends took Sakura.

Koji leaned closer to Tonsu, and touched Tonsu’s fists with his left hand. Koji’s right hand moved fast over the drawing book, sketching the dozen faces in the storehouse. When he was done, he sat back and Tonsu gave a startled shout at the color of Koji’s brilliant blue eyes.

On the drawing book, Koji had drawn Tonsu, talking to his friends after they received their share of money from a man with a scar on his left cheek.

The door into the interview room opened, ushering in Tomoyo, Ogun and Hisao. They all stared down at the drawing book.

“Daye Chang,” Ogun said in shock, touching the scarred man’s face. “Why is his face damaged?”

“Are you sure this is him?” Tomoyo asked, looking at Koji.

“I cut him in Kobe.” Koji dropped his pencil on the table, his gaze still on Tonsu. “When I was helping you save the children and diverted to escape on the motorcycle. He attacked me, and I swiped his face with my dagger.”

“You didn’t mention this,” Ogun said, in irritation.

“It was a small thing,” Koji said. “Tonsu’s buddies were responsible for the other fourteen too. They took them to the storehouse, and Daye took over from there. Now we know who has the children. If we don’t find them first, they’ll end up on the black market.”

“How did you know?” Tonsu asked, also staring at the drawing book. “No one knows—

“Sakura is eight.” Koji stated. “Her grandmother is worried sick. The girl who took her to the park is breaking apart because of you. You have much to be sorry for, not to mention your family that will now have to do without you. How will you atone for this?”

Tonsu looked away, his fists clenching tighter.

“They said she would not be harmed. Sakura was a bonus. She was going to be used to keep her mother in line—

“Her mother?” Koji frowned, studying Tonsu. “A bonus?”

“She was not in the original list,” Tonsu elaborated.

Koji blinked and stood. Andre’s presence in this investigation finally making sense. Koji left the interview room and hurried to the waiting room where Andre and Leon worked. Flinging the door open, Koji stared at Andre.

“Sakura’s mother,” Koji said, his gaze on Andre, his heart beating too fast. “What is her name?”

“Seiren,” Andre answered, handing the tablet he was using to Leon. He stood up, facing Koji full on. “She works at an underground club called the Blue Dragon. She asked us to find Sakura so that she would give us information to clear my brother, Henri.”

“Do you know Daye Chang?” Koji asked.

“I met him once, when he was looking for investors. I declined his offer, but Henri jumped in and that is how he is now tangled in with Daye Chang’s terrible business. Why?”

“Daye Chang has the children,” Koji said, studying him. “If only you had told me Seiren’s identity when we first met. We would have found those children much faster.

“It—

“Secrets,” Koji sighed in disappointment. “More harmful than actual poison. It is your turn to make a statement, Andre Lacome.”

“Koji—

“The faster you get it done, and you take us to this club, the faster we can end this,” Koji snapped.

Andre sighed as Koji left the waiting room angry.

Koji hurried out of the police station, needing to be outside. Needing to breathe unrestricted. He wished for the open grounds of the Sukiyama Estate. What he wouldn’t give for a run right now. Just to clear his head. This wasn’t Andre’s fault. It wasn’t, yet, after their kiss, he felt Andre should have told him the truth. Told him why he was looking into Sakura, and his involvement with Daye Chang.

Why was the world so small?

What were the odds that the man who could silence his mind, fill his head with peace, also knew Daye Chang, that devil who loved to enslave the innocent?

Koji slid down the side of the building and sat on the pavement, his head filling with whispers of Gion city.

***

Eyes Filled with the Bluest Water

Scratching his day-old beard, Andre shifted on the bench at the police station, and watched Leon talk to a police officer.

They were working on the premise that if Sakura was missing, as Seiren said, her caretaker would have filed a missing person’s report.  It was a guess, based on…the natural order of events if this were a normal case.  Andre frowned.  There was the chance that because Sakura’s mother was a hooker, she might have asked the person taking care of Sakura not to report to the police.  God, he hoped not.  It would make the situation more difficult.

“Yes, we have Sakura listed in our missing persons’ case,” the police officer said to Leon in heavily accented English.

Relief flooded Andre at the positive starting point.

“Her guardian reported her missing, then withdrew the case, before she filed a second time.  Her full name is Sakura Akino, she’s eight years old.”

“From where?” Leon asked.

“Gion area,” the police officer said.  “She has been missing for three weeks now.  We’re doing the best we can to find her, to find all of them.  Why do you ask?  Do you have information we can use?”

“All of them?” Leon asked with a frown.

The police officer launched into rapid Japanese to answer Leon’s question.  What would he do without Leon who spoke fluent Japanese?  Whatever the police officer said, had Leon turning to look at Andre, his gaze alarmed.  Andre smiled, giving Leon thumbs up, encouraging him.  Leon’s alarmed gaze turned into an amused sigh and he turned back to finish with the police officer.

Leon came to sit next to Andre after a few minutes.

“They have fourteen other children missing,” Leon said.  “A huge case that has a special investigation team working it.  He says to wait, and we can meet the team.”

“More missing children,” Andre frowned.  “We’re not looking to get involved with anything flashy, Leon.  We just need to talk to Sakura’s guardian, and figure this out.”

“Hard to do when Sakura’s name is on a list with fourteen others,” Leon said, leaning his head back on the wall behind him.

They hadn’t gone back to their hotel yet.  After escaping their tail, Leon had suggested visiting the police station to ask about Sakura.

Leon looked tired.  Momentary guilt flooded him looking at Leon, but then a short man in a long dark coat entered the police station, drawing his attention.   All thoughts of getting Leon back to the hotel disappeared when the police officer Leon had been talking to stood up to meet the man.  They talked a few minutes, and then the police officer pointed in their direction.

“Leon,” Andre said, prompting Leon to sit up.

They stood when the police officer motioned for them.

Andre wondered at the nervous energy that suddenly coursed through him when the man in question indicated for them to follow him out of the police station.

***

Ogun entered the flower room at the charming Hotel Mume and took the suitcase he carried to the corner of the room.  Koji sat in the living room area surrounded by police files, reading glasses perched on his nose.  He looked like he might be studying for exams.  Ogun sometimes hoped Koji would be burdened with such regular expectations, instead of the crazy life he lived.

“Tomoyo is coming up in a bit,” Ogun said, coming to sit in the chair across Koji.  “She has taken control of the kitchen.”

“Hmm…,” Koji said, going through the last file.  The one with Sakura Akino.  “What does the staff here know?”

“They think we are on an assignment from an office,” Ogun shrugged.  “I wasn’t specific on the project.  The owner is very helpful, as we booked all the rooms for the week.  Tomoyo has charmed her way into the kitchen.”

Koji removed his reading glasses and placed them on top of the documents on the coffee table.  He rubbed his eyes, and then stretched his arms above his head.

“Sakura-chan is the easiest to follow,” Koji announced, sitting back in his chair.  “Her guardian is clearly worried for her.  There is fear in her statements, as it is with all the others, but Sakura’s guardian withdrew the report two days in, and then filed again a day after.  Curious.”

“The police questioned her on that,” Ogun said.  “She wanted to withdraw the case when she thought Sakura was with her birth mother.  When it was clear that Sakura was not with her mother, she hurried to the police station and asked help to find her.  Obviously, the investigators hadn’t stopped searching, but her actions are suspicious.”

“Makes me more curious,” Koji murmured, rubbing his forehead with his right index finger.  “Sakura-chan doesn’t fit.  Why is she included in our list?”

“Other than she’s missing in the same time frame as all the other fourteen, there’s no other connection,” Ogun replied.

The door opened and Tomoyo came in carrying a tray laden with green tea and neat sandwiches.  She placed the tray on the coffee table, moving Koji’s papers to the side.  She handed Koji a cup and Ogun smiled when Koji brought the cup to his lips when she scowled at him.

Tomoyo nodded in satisfaction when Koji took two healthy sips and sat next to Koji.  Easy access for her to force-feed him, Ogun mused.  The woman was obsessed with feeding Koji.

“I want to visit the Akino home,” Koji said, placing his cup on the coffee table.

“Right now?” Tomoyo asked, glancing at the time.  It was thirty minutes after midnight.  “It’s kind of late for that.  Why not in the morning?”

“I didn’t say I was going now,” Koji replied.  “Besides, don’t we need to meet the rest of the team?”

Tomoyo nodded, and turned to give Ogun his mug of coffee.

“They are having a late meal downstairs,” Tomoyo said.  “Discussions are always more productive on a full stomach.  I made sure they had a delicious meal.  We need to make a good impression before they all meet Koji.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Koji scowled at her.

“That Tomoyo will need to break out her cooking skills more than once this trip,” Ogun said, standing when his phone buzzed a message.  “Looks like they are ready, we should head downstairs.”

Koji started to stand but Tomoyo grabbed his arm, forcing him to sit.

“After Koji has eaten,” Tomoyo stated her tone enough to keep Ogun from arguing.

He hid a laugh when Koji scowled at him, as if he was a traitor.  Reaching for his own cup of coffee, Ogun took a sip, enjoying the start of a new adventure with Koji.

***

Andre realized following a man they didn’t know into a dark parking lot in the middle of the night was taking a mad risk.  They should have asked for more information before they blindly got into their car and followed the small Mazda now parked across them.  Yet they hadn’t.  Too eager for answers, too eager for progress.

Andre couldn’t help the chuckle when he and Leon stopped to make a stand.  They stood leaning on their rental car refusing to take another step to follow the mysterious short man in a black coat.  Andre folded his arms against his chest caught between irritation and amusement by the whole scene.

Leon spoke in Japanese as he delivered their refusal to continue without more information.  It was refreshing when the short man spoke English in reply.

“I’m sorry for the cloak and dagger,” the short man said.  “I’ve always wanted to act out a James Bond movie and wanted to see how long I could push it.”

“Depends on which one you’re acting out?” Andre said, deciding to be amused.

“Of course, the dark haired one…hmm…Pierce Brosnan,” short man answered with a snap of his fingers.  “I love his Bond.”

Leon cursed softly.  “What’s your name, Bond?”

“Hisao.”

“Hisao,” Andre said.  “Where are we going?”

“You are asking about Sakura-chan,” Hisao answered, and waved toward the exit.  “I am taking you where you can get answers.”

“This late at night?” Leon questioned.  “Why don’t we just—

“The team works twenty-four hours, seven days a week,” Hisao explained.  “Thanks to a special team created by officials above, we are well-funded and have the will to keep searching.  No worries about overtime.”

Andre frowned.  “Private funding?  From powerful political allies?”

Hisao grinned.

“I’m a low-paid police officer who wouldn’t know these complicated matters.  Please, let me lead you to investigation team.  I need to catch a few hours of sleep tonight.  It’s been a tough week.”

Hisao started walking to the exit forcing both Andre and Leon to hurry after him.

“Why are we leaving the car?” Andre asked, when they stepped into the cool night.

“No parking space, and we’re going to need more than two hours in the meeting,” Hisao answered.  “I hope you don’t mind the walk.  It’s only three minutes.”

“Not at all,” Leon said, though his tone sounded like he did.

Andre on the other hand hoped that they’d done this during the day instead of late in the night.  He itched to take photos, but he’d left his camera at the Hyatt when he’d left to go meet Seiren.

Hisao was right on the walk time. It took them exactly three minutes.  Their destination turned out to be a charcoal grey building tucked in between a row of houses.  The door into the building was blood red with a gorgeous black seal for a knocker.  A single name on the top floor of the building read ‘Mume’.

Hisao led the way to the red door and rang the doorbell.  A cheerful young woman opened the door, ushering them into an elegant bright reception area.

“Welcome to Hotel Mume,” she said.  “Are you here for the team meeting?”

“Yes,” Hisao nodded.

She smiled and led them to the right into a neat dining room and sitting area with floor length windows showing off the lighted river in the back of the hotel.

Andre took in the elegance and enchanting mood, finding it hard to reconcile it with the number of serious people sitting at the long dining table.  Their expressions solemn, the screens projected on the wall full of children’s faces and scenes.  Gloom in splendor.

The woman who had led them in left.  Leon touched Andre’s arm when the picture of a sweet smiling eight-year-old girl came up on the screen.

“Sakura Akino,” the team leader was saying, and then paused, his gaze resting on Andre and Leon.  The momentary pause attracted attention, and Hisao smiled lifting his hands in apology.

“Sorry for being late.  These two gentlemen are looking for Sakura-chan,” Hisao said.  “Our man at the desk thought they would get more information here.  No Japanese for the taller one.”

“Welcome,” the team leader said, “Take a seat.  The briefing continues as is, we can talk after.”

Andre nodded, and Leon moved to take the only empty seat at the long table.  Satisfied, the team leader continued his briefing.  While Andre headed to the sitting area, removed away from the intense group.  One other person sat at the wicker chairs by the windows.  A young man in a pale green jersey with the hood pulled over his head.  His hands folded against his chest, his right leg resting on his left knee.

Andre sat in the chair next to him, curious.  Glancing at his wristwatch, Andre frowned when he saw the time.

“How odd to have a briefing at this hour,” Andre murmured. 

“It’s only one o’clock,” the young man answered, his tone low, so that he wouldn’t interrupt the ongoing discussion.

“You speak English,” Andre said.  “What a relief.”

“Most of us can,” the younger man said.

“Then why is it so hard to get into a good conversation here?” Andre asked, thinking apart from Seiren, he had relied on Leon to get around.

“Your accent sounds French,” the younger man said.  “In France, does everyone speak English at will?”

“I suppose it depends who you are with.”

“As it is here,” the answer came and Andre found himself smiling.

“Andre Lacome,” he said, extending his hand out to the youth.

There was hesitation, and then long elegant fingers closed over his. 

“Koji Sukiyama.”

“May I call you Koji?  Your surname is a mouthful.”

“It’s a burden to me too,” Koji said, with a small chuckle.  “Yes, Koji is fine.”

Andre shifted in his seat to face Koji.

“As happy as I am to have been invited to such a briefing, why is it happening at this hour?” Andre asked, his gaze sliding to the long table, and the screens showing off information ahead.

“During the day, they are out chasing leads,” Koji said.  “This is the only hour to regroup and share what has been discovered.  They have been at it for almost two weeks.  Now it’s about reviewing the data they’ve amassed and looking at it through fresh eyes.”

“Two weeks,” Andre frowned.

That was a long time to go missing.  He had hoped they’d find Sakura fast, and get to saving Henri.  He had a week to find the child, if there was any hope of getting help from Seiren.  If the police had been on the job for two weeks, how were he and Leon to pull this off?

“Your sigh sounds disappointed,” Koji said beside him. 

Andre wiped a hand down his face, suddenly tired.  “It’s been a long week.”

“You make me curious,” Koji murmured, and pushed back his hood to reveal a head full of messy silky hair.

Andre watched Koji reach to his ears, removing what looked like hearing aids.  Then Koji turned to meet his gaze, and he stared into the deepest azure eyes he’d ever seen.  Surely, his heart had no defense against this kind of assault.  No escape from the depths of those blue pools, so beautifully rendered, he never wanted to look away.  How beautiful Koji’s eyes were, filled with the bluest water, Andre could not look away.

***

Koji’s presence in the large dining room slash sitting area was not to listen to the team leader repeat the case details.  No, he had wanted to poke at their thoughts as they had been chasing down leads for weeks.  Sitting in the corner, no one paid attention to him, too involved in the puzzle of this case.

Tomoyo sat at the long table getting to know the investigators.  Ogun leaned on the wall closest to Koji, never too far, just in case.  The hood over his head was more to hide his eyes, as he allowed his senses free reign.  When he was twelve, he had needed to touch a person to know their thoughts, get a feel of their mood.  His teenage growth spurt had evolved his gift though, now all he needed to do was stand in a room and allow everything to sip into his thoughts.  People thought loudly, and it was always easier in a focused group like this.

Sitting alone in the corner, Koji sifted through passing thoughts as the briefing started.  Whispered words, frustration, closing his eyes, he concentrated on the frustration.

‘She said she thought she saw a black van on the edge of the park.  If only she could remember…we would have a solid lead.’

Koji frowned, wishing he knew the investigators well.

‘So many kids missing, the residents don’t even want to talk to us because they’re afraid.’

Koji opened his eyes then, his thoughts on the woman who might have seen something on the edge of the park.  If he could meet the woman in question, maybe he would get more insight from her.  Pushing his noise canceling hearing aids in, he was about to stand and leave the room when the two white men walked in with Hisao.

Sitting back, Koji watched the room turn to stare at both men.  Hisao smiled and made apologies for the interruption.  When Koji heard they were looking for Sakura, he gave up on the idea of leaving.  Sakura was the way to crack the case, so it was curious that two foreigners were also interested in her.

The shorter one chose to sit next to Tomoyo, while the taller man came to sit beside him.  Koji crossed his arms against his chest, and wondered if he shouldn’t just read their thoughts.  He was tired from all the traveling and should really rest, still—, it was good to know what the tourists wanted to learn here.

Curiosity had him sitting through Andre’s conversation.  He was glad for the years Saya had insisted he learn English as it came in useful now.  Andre’s voice was soothing, calm.  He reminded Koji of a man who would not panic in the middle of a storm.  Then, Andre sighed, the sound of it heavy.  The kind of sigh one would give if the weight of the world rested on the shoulders.  Heavy and full of meaning.

Koji found he wanted to listen to Andre’s thoughts.  He wanted to know what would make a man like Andre sigh so deeply, so—

Removing his hearing aids again, eager to listen.

Only to be met with absolute silence.  The complete stillness in the room surprised him.  Koji gaped when all he

heard was the intense discussion at the long table.  No internal thoughts flooded him, not a stray emotion filled him that wasn’t his.  It was absolute quiet.  The kind he only found with the use of the hearing aids he held.

Koji turned to stare at Andre in shock.

“Your eyes are stunning,” Andre said, the awe in his voice clear.

Koji tried to find his voice, but he couldn’t formulate a word.  He didn’t know what to say, this complete silence so unfamiliar, he didn’t know how to bear it.

Andre leaned closer and Koji blinked, shock bringing him to his feet fast.

Ogun pushed off the wall, but Koji ignored him and instead rushed out into the lobby. In the bright reception hall, Koji took in a deep breath, then another, and almost cried in relief when the receptionist turned to him and her internal appreciative sigh filled his head.

“Koji?” Ogun hurried to his side, concern on his face.

“I’m fine,” Koji said, breathing out his surprise.  “Just tired.”

“Are you sure?”

Koji rubbed his forehead.  No, he was freaking out.

“I—,”

Koji broke off, not sure what he wanted to say.  Maybe foreigners were wired wrong.  Andre Lacome was a fluke.  One he had not expected, once they got used to each other, he’d get to hear Andre’s thoughts.

This was nothing.  He was just tired.

“I’m heading upstairs,” Koji murmured.  “The foreigners, find out why they’re looking for Sakura.”

“Koji?”

“It’s been a tiring day,” Koji said, forcing a smile for Ogun.  “I’m going to sleep first, goodnight, Ogun.”

Koji ran up the stairs to his suite grateful for every soft whisper he heard in his head on the way upstairs.  He had spent so much time wishing he didn’t have this gift, yet in that moment, facing Andre Lacome, hearing nothing had almost undone him.  He wondered if he shouldn’t stay away from the gaijin altogether.

****

gaijin – foreigner