Sui Writes

Tag: Boyxboy stories

  • Seiryu Spirit – 8

    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, BvtPDRFCcAAwaz6but 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.

    ***

  • Seiryu Spirit – 7

    The Truth about Koji Sukiyama

    Koji insisted on taking Maki back to Hotel Mume.  He didn’t trust her alone, and frankly, Andre didn’t either.  Maki needed an appointment with a psychiatrist, and her mother around her.  Andre’s gaze shifted to Koji.

    Koji looked tired, exhausted.

    When they entered the dining room, Tomoyo ordered a cup of hot tea for her, and settled Maki at the dining table.  The place was quiet, investigators already out chasing leads.  Koji sat at the head of the table and rested his head on his folded arms.  Andre frowned when Tomoyo patted Koji’s shoulders.

    “I’m going to the kitchen,” Tomoyo said.  “Koji, you need food, to restore your energy.  Rest for now before you talk to Maki.”

    Koji nodded his head but didn’t raise his head.

    Andre frowned; Koji really did look too tired.  Andre thought of the traces of blood on Koji’s nose earlier and wondered if they shouldn’t take him to a doctor.  Leon touched his elbow, and Andre turned to him.

    “There’s a call from Lacome Villa.  Confusion with a supplier, I’ll deal with it.”

    Andre nodded, watching Leon hurry out of the dining room to find a private place.  He hoped it was nothing too serious.

    Ogun followed Tomoyo to what Andre assumed was the kitchen.

    Andre watched Maki sipping her tea; she looked drained too, tear tracks staining her cheeks.  Left in a room with a young man with a mysterious identity and a woman who clearly wasn’t sure about living, Andre could only sigh.

    Fantastic turn of events.

    Koji lifted his head from the table, his attention on Maki.

    “Maki,” Koji started.

    “Koji, I thought Tomoyo said to rest?” Andre asked.  “Are you sure you shouldn’t take a nap?”

    “There are children missing.  Who has time?” Koji asked, his gaze still on Maki.

    “But—,” Andre started.

    “Andre, help out and get Maki a sandwich from the kitchen.  It is way past lunchtime, and I’m sure she’s starving.  Tomoyo only knows to worry about me.”

    Andre knew Koji was sending him away, and wanted to protest, but then Koji turned his blue eyes on him.  Oh, what did he know?  He decided to find Tomoyo and bring her back to deal with her strong-willed charge.

    “Maki, why don’t you tell me your version of the day Sakura disappeared?”

    Andre heard Koji prompt Maki as he headed to the kitchen.  Maki spoke in a low tone, so Andre was unable to hear her answer.  He hurried to the kitchen wanting to get Maki’s sandwich fast and stopped short when he found Ogun and Tomoyo arguing in the kitchen.

    “Don’t include the suicidal witness in your report to Tama,” Tomoyo said, her tone severe.  “One word and you’ll have him coming here to take Koji back home.  Ogun—

    “I don’t need you to tell me what to keep out of my reports,” Ogun snapped.  “I’ve looked out for Koji a long time.  I know what to say and what not to.”

    “Yeah, then how come he ended up in a shootout that day?”

    “That’s a low shot,” Ogun said with a scowl, he leaned on the counter, watching Tomoyo slice egg sandwiches.  “Anyway, why is Koji so tired today?  I thought I saw a nosebleed.  Is something wrong with him?”

    Tomoyo kept silent, and Andre leaned on the wall outside the kitchen doors, curiosity turning him into an eavesdropper.

    “This Seiryu jobs drain him too fast.  Anyway, I think his abilities are growing stronger.  Or have grown stronger, and he has hidden it from Saya and Tama.  We were in a small shop today, and he stood there for a few minutes.  I could tell he was doing his mind-reading thing.  His eye color changed too fast, and I had to shove dark glasses at him to hide them.”

    “The eyes are always a surprise,” Ogun agreed.

    Andre bit back a laugh at the conversation in the kitchen.  Mind-reading thing?  Did they know he was eavesdropping?  It seemed like a thing to makeup if you thought someone was eavesdropping on you.  Yet, he couldn’t stop eavesdropping, watching the two through a gap on the door.

    “How does it work?” Ogun asked, taking a small slice of egg sandwich and taking a bite.

    Ogun started to sit on to the counter but Tomoyo smacked his arm, stopping him.  He sighed and concentrated on eating the sandwich.

    “I mean, I know what he is capable of doing, but not how or why.  Tomoyo, is he really possessed by some sort of dragon?  Does it come out when he’s sleeping and haunt the house?  I wouldn’t be surprised you know.  Weird things happen in that house, you know.  And who can ignore Saya, she’s creepier than everything else.”

    Tomoyo burst out laughing.

    “She better not hear you say that,” Tomoyo said, shaking her head.  “No, Koji doesn’t have a dragon that comes out when he’s sleeping.  That’s absurd.”

    “Everyone in the Seiryu Academy sure thinks so.  It’s the freaky blue eyes,” Ogun said, finishing his sandwich.  He leaned closer to Tomoyo and in a dramatic whisper, begged.  “Please…tell me.  I don’t want to freak out every time his eyes turn.  It hurts him, but I can’t help it.  It’s weird thinking that a dragon is looking back at me.”

    Tomoyo finished with the sandwiches, and placed them on two large plates.  She took the kettle and went to the sink to fill it with water.  When she placed it on its pad and turned it on, she stared at the red button.

    “Let’s just say that Koji is blessed with great genes.  His mother’s bloodline guards what they call the Seiryu spirit.  A guardian spirit, or will, a serious large force of good karma.  If you have Koji on your side, you will always have good fortune.  This is why the Sukiyama clan is so prosperous no matter the era.  One like Koji is born as a second child in each generation.”

    Tomoyo turned to face Ogun, her dark gaze seeing through him, and resting on the kitchen door.  For a second, Andre imagined she had seen him, when she didn’t speak, but then she shrugged and continued.

    “But the gift of sight comes from his father’s bloodline,” Tomoyo said, with a bit of reverence.  “Coupled with the Seiryu spirit, it turned Koji into a very powerful telepath.  With a touch, Koji will tell you your past, what you’ve been up to today, or might do tomorrow.  That’s why he is perfect for these types of cases, though they tend to wipe him out.  Koji overextends himself in an urgency to solve the case.  I imagine using your brain to invade thousands of minds for too long, will take a toll.”

    Andre stepped back, remembering Koji sitting on the ledge, his hand on Maki’s leg, blood running down his nose, Koji turning away from to hide it.

    “That makes sense,” Andre heard Ogun say, as though it was perfectly normal to discuss a man who can read thoughts.  “No wonder Tama-san is always worried.  This case, I wish it ends fast.”

    “We just need to find Sakura,” Tomoyo stated as the water kettle stopped.

    Andre stepped back from the door, thinking them crazy.

    Koji, a telepath?

    An unbelievable explanation, what was crazy was that he believed it.  Or wanted to, somehow, wouldn’t it make clearing Henri’s name easy?

    Deciding Tomoyo would bring out the food when she was ready, Andre returned to the dining room to find Maki alone with Leon.

    “Where is Koji?” Andre asked, wanting to talk to Koji alone.

    “He went upstairs, something about washing up,” Leon said.

    How perfect.

    “I’ll be right back,” Andre said, heading out of the dining room.

    “The flower room is on the third floor,” Leon called after him, and Andre gave him a thankful grin.

    Andre took the stairs one at a time.  It wasn’t until he reached outside the flower room that he wondered how he was to get in to Koji’s room.  The door was closed, and for a moment, he hesitated.  Then he tried the lock, and the door opened easily.

    Entering Koji’s room, he paused taking in the subtle elegance.  Papers scattered on the glass coffee table at the small living area.  The bed was neat, and beyond that was a small balcony with a view of the river below.

    No Koji…Andre started to turn, thinking he had missed him on the way up, then he heard water running in the bathroom.  Andre let a soft sigh of relief escape and moved to the balcony to wait for Koji.

    ***

    Koji washed off blood from his nose.  When it was clean, he cupped his hands under the water and splashed cold water on his face, hoping to clear his head.  Shutting the water, he stared into the mirror.  His eyes were back to normal, the dry blood gone.  His headache was still present, though manageable.  Maybe a nap was in order, and a pair of painkillers.

    He thought about Maki waiting downstairs, and the missing Sakura, and sighed.  Maybe just the painkillers he thought opening the cabinet above the sink.  He found the bottle he had brought with him and swallowed two with water directly from the tap.

    Wiping his face with a small face towel, he closed the cabinet, meeting his gaze in the mirror.  He wanted this case to end fast.  Wanted to head back to Tokyo and talk to the woman who knew his mother.  The woman who might give him some small insight into his mother.

    He spent so much time doing what other people wanted: what Saya wanted, what Tama wanted…what about what he wanted?

    “Okaasan,” Koji murmured.  “I only want to know who you were, and where I fit.”

    Such a simple want. Why was it so hard to achieve?

    Koji dropped the face towel into the laundry basket in the corner and paused when he heard movement in his m_pic1suite.  He couldn’t seem to get a minute to himself on this trip.  If it wasn’t Ogun, it was Tomoyo, or one of the academy staff bringing him information.

    He needed to finish with this case.

    Opening the bathroom door, Koji paused when he saw Andre sitting in the chairs by the balcony windows.

    “Feeling better?” Andre asked, looking him up and down.

    Koji slipped his hands into his trouser pockets and stared at Andre Lacome.  While he couldn’t read anything from Andre, Leon Baptiste was easy prey.  Leon had returned while Andre was in the kitchen looking for Tomoyo.  All it had taken was a handshake, and Koji discovered all there was about Andre Lacome and his dear small brother, Henri.

    Looking at Andre now, he wondered what he should do about a suspect’s brother meddling in a missing person’s case.

    “Koji?”

    “Much better,” Koji answered Andre’s question, looking around his suite.  They were quite alone.

    “Ogun and Tomoyo are still in the kitchen.  I snuck up here.”

    Andre confessed with a playful grin.

    “You also forgot to lock your door,” Andre provided.

    There was no point locking his door with all the traffic that passed through it.  Koji shrugged and went to sit in the chair on Andre’s left.  The silence in his head was welcome, it was blissful to sit and simply watch the river flow, no stray thoughts intruding in his head.  Andre was both a treasure and a torture.

    Andre cleared his throat when Koji settled and broke the silence.

    “I think we should get to know each other.  I have many questions about you, and this case—

    “Andre Lacome.”  Koji stated, his gaze still on the flowing river below.  Thinking it was better to set boundaries with this one.  Koji did not want to rely on Andre and the comfort he clearly represented.

    “Your younger brother is Henri Lacome, owner of HL Capital, an investment firm involved with the child trafficking mess in Kobe.  The warehouse where the children were found is said to be owned by your brother.”

    Andre stilled, shifting to face Koji.

    “Why are you in Kyoto?” Koji asked.

    Koji lifted his hand to stop Andre when he started to talk.

    “Henri is framed by Daye Chang,” Koji said.  “Daye Chang is using HL Capital as a shield.  You should be worried.  The people behind Daye Chang are quite capable.  You want to clear your brother’s name, and the Lacome name, and then return to your Lacome Villa in the French Riviera and tend to your many family businesses.”

    Koji smiled.

    “Your friend downstairs, Leon Baptiste, is your business manager/cum lawyer.  He is quite capable and very loyal to you and your family.  I’m inclined to like you, as your favorite investment preference is art.  You own a painting named A Woman’s Heart, auctioned at a private function in New York.  It didn’t come cheap, but you love art so you bought it.”

    “For someone I met last night, you know an awful lot about me,” Andre said, chilled by Koji’s speech.

    Thinking about Tomoyo’s explanation downstairs, Andre found he didn’t like not having any defenses against Koji.  The absolute lack of privacy unsettled him.

    “You walked into a high profile investigation, asking questions about a victim.  If we can’t figure you out, we have no business finding missing children.”

    Andre folded his arms against his chest unable to argue with that logic.

    “What is intriguing is why you are so curious about Sakura Akino.  Why is a man here to prove his brother innocent, interested in a local girl’s disappearance?” Koji continued.  “I should pursue it, but not yet.”

    “Why?” Andre asked.

    “Because, you’re a piece that doesn’t fit the puzzle, yet. So, I will let you stay close.”

    “Hmm..,” Andre frowned.  “What about you, Koji Sukiyama?”

    “What about me?” Koji asked, finally looking at him.

    “You seem to know everything about me,” Andre said, unable to keep accusation out of his voice.  “Won’t you tell me about you?  What do you gain from being here?”

    “I gain nothing here.  I’m helping find lost children,” Koji answered, his voice thoughtful.  “Sometimes, I find people and things.”

    Andre narrowed his gaze.  “Do you like it?”

    “Like what?”

    “Finding people and things?”

    “I—

    Koji broke off, thinking.  Then he stood up from his chair and gave Andre a small smile.

    “I’ll tell you when I find little Sakura,” Koji said, moving to take a green sweater over a suitcase in the corner.  He seemed to favor the color green.

    As Koji wore the sweater, Andre stood too.

    “Will you help me clear my brother’s name?” Andre asked, knowing this was the request he had meant to ask.  The request that had brought him up here to find Koji.

    “Henri,” Koji said, testing out the name.  “Is he innocent?”

    “Henri is many things, but he is no child trafficker.”

    “You love him.”

    “He’s my brother.”

    Koji smiled.

    “You remind me of someone.”

    “So…” Andre prompted when Koji remained standing without answering his question.

    “Will you help me?”

    “Depends,” Koji said, stretching his arms above his head.

    “On what?” Andre asked, frowning again.

    “On where this case takes us,” Koji said, dropping his arms and heading to the door.

    “I’ve made a gamble focusing on Sakura, while there are fourteen other children missing.  It could be the wrong choice.  I might be on the wrong track, and have to start again.  I won’t know until I talk to Maki.  If I’m wrong, then this will take longer—,”

    “You think following Sakura’s last day will lead you to the rest of the children.”

    Koji flashed him a smile as he stepped out of his suite.

    “You catch on fast.”

    “You still haven’t told me about you,” Andre noted, watching Koji lock his door this time, and then they headed to the stairs.  “Only that you find people.”

    “What more is there?” Koji asked, taking the lead down the stairs.

    Is it true you can read people’s thoughts? Andre wanted to ask.  For a second the words were at the tip of his tongue.  He swallowed the question though.  It seemed too crazy, even for this situation.  Tomoyo and Ogun must have been putting him on for eavesdropping on them.

    “Where are you from?” Andre asked instead.

    “Japan.”

    “Ok, I deserve that.” Andre chuckled. “You seem too young to be involved in a police investigation.”

    “I’m a child genius.”

    “Really?” Andre stopped.  Koji was clearly playing with him.  “That’s not an answer.”

    “Isn’t it?” Koji asked, looking at him, as he continued down the stairs.  “I’m twenty.  Of course, only elites are allowed into Special Investigations.  I’m helping seasoned police officers solve a case.  Don’t you think that makes me a genius?”

    “Way to be modest,” Andre scoffed, and followed the child prodigy down the stairs.  “All the twenty year olds I know are neck deep in college, and getting hammered in underground clubs.”

    “Depends on which twenty year olds you know,” Koji answered.

    “You’re frustrating,” Andre decided.

    “I’m told that often.”

    They got to the ground floor and Koji reached for the stairs door.

    “Hey, there is a thing to know about me since you’re so curious.  I’m a frustrating child genius.”

    Andre grabbed Koji’s left wrist, stopping him from opening the door.  Koji’s gaze fell on the spot where Andre held his hand.  His gaze shining brilliant blue for a moment, but then it could have been a play of light, Andre couldn’t tell.

    “Koji.”

    “Don’t,” Koji said, meeting Andre’s gaze then.  “Don’t try to jump into the deep end.  The deep end is full of sharks.  Where you are now is safe.  Stay in the shallow waters, Andre.  I’ll do what I can for your Henri; get you out as fast as I can.  Then you can go back to Lacome Villa.  It feels like a happy, warm place.”

    With that speech, Koji pulled his arm out of Andre’s hold, opened the door and headed to the dining room.

    Andre followed him at a much slower pace, his heart uneasy at the clear rejection in Koji’s eyes.  So intriguing and frustrating at the same time.  Andre sighed, then stopped in the middle of the hallway.

    If he were to believe Tomoyo about Koji reading people’s thoughts with a touch—

    Andre gaped, his hand covering his mouth.

    What had Koji read in that moment Andre grabbed his hand just now? 

    For a millisecond, his heartbeat sped up, but then a laugh bubbled out of him in the next minute at the ridiculous thought.

     Tomoyo had gotten him good.

    ***

  • Seiryu Spirit – 6

    The man offering silence and relief

    “Koji Sukiyama.  What is his role in all this?” Andre paced his hotel room.  “And the way he ran off, as though he couldn’t stand me.  How maddening, n’est-ce pas?”

    “What’s maddening is watching you wear a hole on the carpet,” Leon replied.  “Please forget him, and focus on the problem at hand, Andre.  We’re in a clusterfuck.”

    “What else is new?”

    Andre moved to the coffee table where Leon sat, gadgets of all kinds cluttered before him.

    They had finally made it back to their hotel.  Leon insisted on a few hours of sleep before they could talk about the briefing at Hotel Mume.  Too tired, Andre agreed.  Leon woke him eight hours later, with a knock on his bedroom door, and the scent of coffee from a cart laden with food.

    Andre sat now across Leon.  It was almost one o’clock during the day.  Leon was sliding his finger over the tablet screen.

    “Sakura’s case is bigger than we thought.  We can’t meddle from the outside; it will make us look suspicious.  We have to help the investigators at Hotel Mume,” Leon said, when Andre had a few sips of his coffee.  “I know you wanted quiet, but that’s not going to be possible.”

    Andre met Leon’s gaze.

    “Henri’s case is progressing too fast.”  Leon sighed.  “They’re going to start a search for him, soon.  The amount of money poured into the shipping business allows for it.  The children found in Kobe were to be shipped out of the country, probably to Europe.  The case is career-making for any investigator.”

    “You never have good news for me,” Andre complained.

    Leon lifted the tablet with a slight smile.

    “I got information from one of the investigators last night,” Leon said.  “It seems that once Koji Sukiyama is involved in a case, resolution comes in very fast.”

    “Why?” Andre asked, curious about the man with eyes so blue they haunted him.

    “Don’t know, great intuition?” Leon asked.  “Anyway, we have a date in an hour with an Ogun Sato.  They are all very curious as to why we are interest in Sakura.  I think we should tell them a bit of the truth.”

    Andre nodded.

    “Not all of it though, it will be hard to explain why a suspect’s brother is involved in the search.”

    Leon took his own cup of coffee and sipped.

    “We can say Sakura’s mother asked us to help find her daughter.”

    “That is true.”

    Leon grinned.

    “We can include an incentive.  Are you willing to go all in?”

    Andre narrowed his gaze at Leon.  This whole trip to Japan was costing him money.  Each day spent searching for a solution for Henri kept him away from the family business.

    “I suppose pouring funds into such a vital investigation is essential,” Andre said.

    Andre stared into his coffee.  Well, at least it would buy him time with the mysterious Koji.

    Leon studied him.

    “Still thinking about Koji?” Leon asked.

    Andre couldn’t help it.  The sight of Koji hurrying out as though Andre had done something bothered him.  He wanted to know why.  Wanted to look into those blue eyes again.  There was something so ethereal about them.  Ethereal…was that the right word?

    “He makes me wonder,” Andre mused.

    ***

    Gion was busy during the day.  Tourists browsing the many shops and museums, Koji followed an English couple into a wood block museum.  He paused to admire the pieces on display, using the tranquil setting to anchor

    gion
    Gion

    himself.  His gift was getting stronger, and though he hadn’t told Saya, the effects were getting harder to hide.

    Pausing by a set of wood block prints depicting stars in the sky over a turbulent sea, Koji allowed in all the noise in Gion.  Conversations filled his head, people doing business, tourists asking for directions, their excitement and anxiety on equal level.  Whispered words, a sense of fear in them, Koji closed his eyes, concentrating on the fear.

    “Did you see what they looked like?”

    “They were dressed in black, hoods over their heads.  It seemed like army, but who can tell?  Children are going missing.  I don’t let mine out carelessly.”

    Koji opened his eyes and wasn’t surprised when Tomoyo shoved a pair of dark glasses at him.  Putting them on, Koji looked around the shop hoping no one had noticed.  Nodding to Tomoyo that it was time to leave, she smiled at the owner of the shop and nodded to the woodblock print he’d touched.

    Koji left her purchasing the print, and stepped out into the warm day.  Taking in a deep breath, a throb already developing in his head.  He wondered how long he could keep this up.

    “What did you hear?” Tomoyo asked, when she came out of the shop.

    “Someone saw a kidnapping, but they couldn’t see the faces.  Let’s go to the Akino home.”

    “They run a sushi shop,” Tomoyo said, as they started down the street.  “Your eyes might startle them, Koji.”

    “You do the talking then, pretend I’m blind,” Koji joked with a small grin.

    Tomoyo adjusted the bag she now carried from the little museum shop.

    “Koji, this is exhaustive for you.  Do you see why Tama worries?”

    Koji sighed.

    “I know he worries, but it’s also tiring for me when he treats me like his little prisoner.”

    “I’ve known you two for ten years now,” Tomoyo said.  “Ever since Saya brought me to the estate and gave me a home.  You’re my family and the last thing I want is you unhappy, Koji.  You’re a brother to me, you know that.”

    “I know.”  Koji gave her a sideways glance.  He valued Tomoyo’s constant support.  She made life with Tama easier to handle.  So, he owed her a bit of truth.  “When I was younger, Nii-san’s protectiveness was endearing.  It meant a great deal to me, and still does, but now—,”

    Koji broke off as they approached the sushi shop belonging to the Akino family.

    “I have a lot of questions about our past; our parents and how they died.  I need information.  The only way to get it is out here.  Tama does his best to stop it, he won’t tell me the truth but his attempts to stop me won’t make me give up my search.”

    “But you know how your parents died,” Tomoyo said, puzzled.  “Yuki Takino murdered them, with the help of his black-market organizations.  For money, Tama and Saya have both explained.  You have read the police reports.”

    Koji stopped in the middle of the street, turning to Tomoyo.

    “Why would he need to murder our parents for money when he has tons of it?  What about the barrier over the estate?  Why would mother make it?  Why can’t I remember her?  I know her from pictures, but I don’t remember her, when I should—,”

    “Koji,” Tomoyo frowned.

    “I can’t remember her.  She is a blank space in my head and it frustrates me.  I—I sometimes feel like she is alive.”

    Koji swept fingers through his hair, gripping soft strands tight for a minute, feeling insane.  He breathed out then glad to have his thoughts out in the open.

    Tomoyo gaped and the expression on her face was enough for Koji to guess she thought him certifiable.  Koji regretted his confession instantly.

    “Don’t look at me that way.  I shouldn’t have told you.  Look, forget I said it.”

    “Why would you think that, Koji?”

    “I said forget it,” Koji said, dropping his hands to his side.  Pedestrians walked around them, their gazes curious.  Koji sighed and shook his head.  “Don’t go telling Tama what I just said.  He might really lock me up in my room.  Let’s just concentrate on the task at hand.”

    Koji started toward the sushi shop, shaking his head.  He couldn’t imagine why he had blurted that out.  It was a thought that had filled him of late, and it bothered him more than he could define.  After all, he knew where his parents were buried.  He visited their graves everyday he was home.

    Coming to a stop at the sushi shop entrance, Koji allowed Tomoyo to go in first.  The place was busy with customers.  Tomoyo recruited help from one of the shop’s assistants.  The young man smiled and led them through the back to the Akino main house.  Most shops in the Gion area were family owned.  Koji loved the set-up, and imagined he would have loved growing up in such an open setting, instead of the gilded cage that was home.

    Kaede Akino came hurrying out of her house to the courtyard when the assistant called her.  She looked eager, no doubt thinking they were here to bring her good news.  The assistant hurried back to the shop and Tomoyo took Koji’s right hand.

    The gesture surprised him.  He hadn’t thought she would take his joke seriously.

    He was to play the part of a blind man.

    Kaede reacted accordingly.  She helped Tomoyo lead him into the Akino house, and helped settle him on a comfortable cushion at the low table in the middle of the living room.  Kaede rushed off to get refreshments while Tomoyo sat beside Koji.

    When Kaede came back with a tray laden with sweet cakes and green tea, Koji allowed Tomoyo to do all the talking.

    “Kaede-san,” Tomoyo started, lifting the bag of woodprints.  “Please accept this.”

    Kaede took the bag, placing it aside, without looking inside.

    “Thank you.  Please, have some tea.” Kaede urged.

    “Thank you.”

    Tomoyo pressed a cup into Koji’s right hand, and he brought it up to his lips for a sip.

    “We’re here about the investigation into your granddaughter’s disappearance,” Tomoyo said, keeping her tone gentle.  “The police thought we might be able to help find her.  I hope you don’t mind our intrusion.”

    “But who are you?” Kaede asked, her gaze turning wary.

    “We’re from a private organization that specializes on investigating difficult cases,” Koji said.  “We are here to help.”

    Kaede looked at them conflicted, but her worry for Sakura won.  She didn’t care who found her granddaughter, as long as Sakura was found.  Kaede nodded her acceptance, and Tomoyo prompted her into talking about Sakura.

    Koji used the easy flow of conversation to explore Kaede’s memories.  His eyes safely hidden behind dark glasses, he had no fear that their changing color would surprise Kaede.

    Worry weighed on Kaede, a heavy rock on her soul; she found it hard to breathe.  She blamed herself, and thought there was something she could have done to stop her granddaughter’s kidnapping.

    Koji frowned, following the thread of guilt to the day Sakura disappeared.  Kaede woke up, made breakfast as usual for Sakura.  Sakura’s tutor came to help her with homework.  Kaede left them working and went to the shop to help.  After the tutor left, Kaede asked one of the girls at the shop to take Sakura on a walk because the day was lovely.  Sakura disappeared in the park.  Kaede regretted the decision to let Sakura go out that day.

    Koji touched Tomoyo’s right arm.  Tomoyo paused in her easy questions to allow Koji to talk.

    “Kaede-san,” Koji said.  “Tell me about the girl who was with Sakura when she disappeared in the park.”

    “Oh,” Kaede’s tone faltered.  “She won’t come to work anymore.  I’m unable to comfort her until we find Sakura.”

    Koji understood her regret.

    “What is her name?  Can we talk to her?”

    Kaede got up and moved to a small desk in the corner.  She wrote out the girl’s name and her address and brought back the card.  She handed it to Tomoyo.

    “Don’t be hard on her,” Kaede said, wringing her hands on her lap.  “I have tried not to be, but—, it’s difficult to keep my wits about.  I worry about my Sakura.  It’s too hard to look at Maki and not blame her.”

    Koji frowned when a wave of anger flooded Kaede.  Anger was always too strong, so defeating, he breathed out and closed his eyes.

    “Where is Sakura’s mother?” Koji asked.

    Kaede’s eyes filled with alarm that was then carefully hidden.

    “She’s always working,” Kaede answered, her tone careful.  “Her job does not allow her to come home often.”

    “Would she take Sakura without telling you?” Koji asked, curious about this absentee mother.

    Kaede hesitated, and then shook her head.

    “No.  She would tell me.”

    Koji felt doubt fill her and he wondered even more about the mother who wasn’t here worrying about her missing child.

    “Is she still at work?” Tomoyo asked.

    Kaede sighed.

    “Yes.  I have asked her to come home, but she says it’s easier for her to keep busy.”

    “Understandable,” Tomoyo said, though Koji doubted she thought so.  “Well, Kaede-san, thank you for your time.  I promise that we will do the best we can to find your granddaughter.”

    “But—,” Kaede started to protest, and then stopped.

    “Will you keep me informed?” Kaede asked.  “The police keep saying they are looking.  There is no news on Sakura and it’s very frustrating.”

    Tomoyo stood, taking Koji’s arm to help him to his feet.

    “We will do the best we can to keep you informed,” Tomoyo assured Kaede.

    After a quick goodbye, Tomoyo led Koji out of the shop and to the street.

    “An unavailable mother,” Koji frowned.  “Does that strike you as weird?”

    “Maybe her company is strict, it happens,” Tomoyo said, reading the address on the card Kaede handed her.  “Life is hard on career women, Koji.  Too much time off and they may lose the job.  I hope you get more from Maki Kiyamoto.”

    Koji watched Tomoyo search for the address on her phone.  She found it in less half a second. Koji smiled and followed her into a busy street, filled with tourists.  His thoughts on a woman who still worked despite her missing daughter.

    ***

    Maki Kiyamoto lived in a small apartment tucked into a hostel unit.  She was attending Kyoto University, training to be a teacher.  She worked at the Akino sushi shop, but all that mattered to Andre, Leon, Hisao and Ogun was that Sakura disappeared while under her care.

    “Have the police questioned her?” Andre asked.  “Why do we need to do it again?”

    “We’re not here to question her,” Ogun replied, his answer too cryptic even for Andre.

    Andre met Leon’s gaze, shaking his head.  Ogun was trying his patience, since the moment they had met him.

    “Why are you looking for Sakura?”

    That was Ogun’s first question when they met him and Hisao at a small jewelry shop in an alley.

    Leon answered Ogun, telling him Sakura’s mother had asked them to find Sakura.

    One single piercing gaze leveled at Leon, and then Andre and Ogun had shrugged and urged them to follow him.  That was the extent of their talk.

    “Then what are we doing here?” Andre felt compelled to ask, as they climbed short stairs to Maki’s front door.

    Ogun opened the door without knocking, leading the way into a messy tiny house.  Dishes piled on counters and in the sink.  Clothes on the single couch, and the floor.  The bed was unmade.  Maki had obviously not cared about chores in a while.

    “To get this,” Hisao said, taking a framed photograph with two smiling women.  “Is this it, Ogun-san?”

    “Yes.”

    Ogun took the photo frame and led the way out the back kitchen door into the back of the building.  Andre stopped short when he looked up and saw a woman standing on the ledge of the five-floor hostel building.  She looked ready to jump.  The fall would be fatal.

    Surprised, Andre felt fear fill him when he saw Koji perched on the ledge beside Maki.

    “Shit,” Andre said, already running, following Ogun and Hisao up the fire escape to the top of the building.

    They found a woman in black jeans and a green t-shirt connected with pins standing at the entrance.  She held out a hand when Ogun started to head toward the two on the ledge.

    “Stop,” she said.  “You will spoil it.”

    “We need to help—

    “You will complicate the situation,” the woman said.

    “Tomoyo?” Ogun asked.

    “Koji’s almost talked her off the edge.”  Tomoyo took the photo frame from Ogun and handed it to Andre.  “He said you should take it to him.”

    “Why?” Andre asked, taking the photo frame.

    “I don’t know,” Tomoyo said.  “Go.”

    Andre gave Leon who had come up behind him a skeptical glance.  Gripping the photo frame in his right hand, he walked up to the slender man seated on the ledge of the building, and the girl who looked ready to jump.

    ***

    Koji pushed through Maki’s dark resolution, willing her to stop.  Not to choose the fall, but to think of her mother.  Finding that spark of hope was hard when all Maki felt was that she had failed everyone.  Failed herself.

    “Maki, remember your mum.  Her smile when you go home to visit her,” Koji said, keeping his tone conversational.  “You don’t have to worry about what she will say.  I will make sure you have nothing to be ashamed of, Maki.”

    Koji felt a small tinge of hope start but it was faint.  His head hurt from trying to take on some of Maki’s pain.  So heavy was the burden on her heart, he could barely breathe at the weight of it.  Maki’s emotions were chocking.  Her despair hard to take.

    Then silence enveloped him, pulling him out of the dark, bringing him relief.

    Andre.

    “Koji,” Andre said, in a soft voice, as though afraid if he spoke louder, they might jump.

    Koji hid a laugh and held out his hand to Andre.

    “Give me the photograph,” he said in English.

    Andre pressed it into his hands, and didn’t leave.  Koji was grateful for it.  He needed reprieve from Maki’s dark pain.  Turning to Maki, Koji showed her the picture of her and her mother smiling into the camera.

    “Do you remember this day, Maki?” Koji asked.  “Tell me about this picture.  Isn’t it beautiful?”

    Maki sighed, her gaze on the picture.  Tears spilling down her cheeks.

    “It was the day I entered university,” Maki said.  “She was so happy, so proud…”

    “She still is,” Koji soothed.  “I think that we should get off this ledge, so that you can help us find Sakura.  Don’t you think so?”

    “We’ve tried everything,” Maki said, her voice ringing with frustration.  “Everyone thinks it’s my fault—

    “It’s not,” Koji said.  “And I will help find Sakura, Maki.  Please trust me, can you do that?”

    She held his gaze for a full minute, judging his sincerity.  Koji smiled at her then reached out with care and wrapped his fingers around her left ankle.

    Koji closed his eyes, testing the silence still enveloping him.  He pushed through it, wanting to read Maki’s memory of the day at the park.  The silence opened like a veil, taking him specifically into Maki’s memory.  Keeping the noise out.

    For a moment, a clear picture filled his head of Maki and Sakura playing in the Gion Park.  Sakura had gone to slide with the other kids when Maki got a message on her phone.  Maki sat on a bench to read her message, and when she looked up from her phone, Sakura was gone.

    The silence slid back pulling him away from Maki’s memory.

    Koji let go of Maki’s leg feeling drained.

    “Andre, help Maki off the ledge?”

    Andre wrapped a strong arm around her waist, lifting Maki off the ledge to place her on solid ground.  Ogun and Tomoyo hurried forward to take Maki, and Andre turned to Koji.

    “What about you?” Andre asked, moving to stand right behind Koji.  ‘Do you like the view?”

    “I need a minute,” Koji said.  Liquid slid down his left nostril and he reached up to wipe it off.  His fingers came away with blood and he sighed.  “I might have overdone it.”

    “Overdone what?” Andre asked, leaning over his shoulder to peer at Koji’s face.

    Koji turned his head away to hide the blood.

    “Do you have a handkerchief?”

    Andre reached into his pocket and held out a blue one, with an L embroidered on the corner.  Koji took it fast, and pressed it to his nose.  He pressed hard, hoping the nosebleed would stop.

    When it felt under control, he turned to Andre, only to have Andre wrap a strong arm around his shoulders.  One moment he was sitting on the ledge, the next, he was lifted up and standing, looking up at Andre Lacome.

    Andre tilted Koji’s face up, a frown appearing when he saw the blood on Koji’s left nostril.

    “What did you overdo?” Andre asked, his eyes stormy.

    Koji pushed Andre’s hand away from his chin and shook his head.

    “You wouldn’t understand,” Koji said, taking a step away from Andre.

    He was starting to like the silence in his head.  The relief of not having other people’s thoughts in his head was so tantalizing.

    “What are you?” Andre asked, his gaze intent on Koji.

    What a question, Koji thought.

    “Even I don’t know sometimes,” Koji answered, with a slight smile.  “Thank you for coming here.”

    He started to turn away, but Andre held on to his left arm.

    “Are you running again?”

    Koji glanced at the spot where Andre held his arm.  Heat sipped into his skin, Andre’s heat.

    “I still need to talk to Maki,” Koji said.

    “Right,” Andre let go of his arm.  “I—

    “You may come along if you want.”

    Koji headed for the fire escape, a part of him hoping that Andre would follow.

    ***

  • Seiryu Spirit – 5

    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 IMG_7363grey 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

    large
    photo courtesy of B.E.I.

    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

     

  • Seiryu Spirit – 2

    2. The Present –A Gilded Cage

    Twelve Years Later

    Sweet Taste of Escape

    The world was a cluttered, noisy massive weapon, constant and unrelenting.  Filling his mind, his brain, his thoughts, he craved silence, loved absolute quiet.  Or in exchange…a constant loud noise that drove away everything else.

    Koji stood still in the middle of a dance floor at the GZ club in Osaka, eyes closed as music pulsed around him.  Loud, driving…sending a delicious thrill down his spine, he swayed to the beat, letting it flow through him.

    The club was so loud, that despite the throngs of people dancing around him, not one intruded into the blessed peace of the moment.

    Koji smiled wider, every atom in his body celebrating to the freedom.  Clubs were his favorite places.  Each city had at least one that played its music at the highest decibel possible, pushing the limits.  He made it a habit to find the perfect club no matter the assignment.

    “Koji-kun,” a gentle voice intruded.

    Koji brought his hand up to his ear, touching the ear bud lodged there.  He didn’t reply, the static from his touch was enough to let them know he was listening.

    “Our target has left the building.  This is our only window, any later and they’ll be back.”

    Koji set the timer on his wristwatch.  The map to the next building showed up on his reading glasses as he made his way off the dance floor.  Instead of heading to the exit, he turned toward the stairs that would take him to the third floor of the building.  Koji shadowed his way up to the roof, avoiding contact with club staff.  He took a set of stairs used by maintenance to the roof of the building.

    The cold air filled his lungs: a heady mixture of fumes, cooling tar and exhaust, city’s best perfume.  Koji breathed out a small cloud.  The temperatures were low; spring was still a few weeks away.

    Walking to the edge of the building, Koji climbed up onto the ledge and stared at the bus road below.  The club was in full swing, people walking in and out of adjacent buildings, laughing and having a good time.  It was only ten p.m., and the city was just tuning up.

    The building across the club was a go-down, one that held an eclectic list of clients.  Koji only cared about one name on that list.  Daye Chang.  He was a man the authorities had been following for three months now without progress.  Ten suspected cases of kidnapping, drug trafficking allegations, three missing person’s cases directly related to Daye.  The worst of those charges was a report on five missing children between the ages of eight and twelve.

    The only reason why Koji stood on top of this building now.  The only reason why he was able to leave his usual world, and step into this…torturous freedom.

    Koji looked up at the dark sky and sighed.  There were no stars in the city, not like the ones he watched at home.

    “Five men leaving the building now,” that gentle voice spoke into Koji’s ear, and he returned his attention to the building across the club.  “Your timer is at twenty minutes.  Our team is moving into position.  Go in with the least amount of disturbance.”

    “The police?” Koji asked.

    “I’ll send them what they need once the package is secure.”

    “Okay,” Koji said, stretching his arms above his head.

    Dropping his arms to his side, he retrieved a round rod from a holder on his hip and aimed at the building across.  He pressed his finger on a small button on the rod and shot out a line.  The expensive metal hook clamped into the wall, extending into a strong star lock.  Koji tagged on it to test and dropped the end he held on the club’s roof floor.  Lodging it under a thick drainage pipe.

    Wearing black gloves, he took a metal bar from his boot designed to move over the wire, allowing him to glide in the sky unnoticed.  He reached the go-down roof fast, and climbed onto the rooftop.

    “Start tracking,” Koji murmured, “accessing the building from the top.  I hope you got the alarm.”

    Koji broke the lock on the access door, and crouched as he opened the door to peer down the stairs.

    “Security systems hijacked,” the answer came.  “If the alarm accidentally goes off, our team will show up first.  You just need to watch out for security guards.  There might be one or two.”

    Koji went down the stairs with confidence making sure to close the maintenance door.

    “Should we rob banks instead?” Koji asked, adjusting the glasses he wore.  His team watched what he saw, a small consolation in case he missed a bogey.

    “Is life only about money?”

    “Isn’t it?” Koji asked, as he hurried down a flight of stairs to the second floor.

    “Do you really want to rob banks?”

    Koji chuckled under his breath.

    “Do you know how many people think about robbing banks in a day?”

    “I bet you know.”

    “Yes.  If we started a service, we’d get rich,” Koji teased, moving to take the rest of the stairs down to the main floor.

    He felt the intrusion before his partner alerted him.

    “Security guard.”

    Koji hurried back up the steps and moved to crouch behind a large flower vase.  Pressing his body into the small space between the floor, he stayed still and watched the guard lazily climb the stairs.  The man gave the corridor on his side a cursory glance, yawned and headed in the opposite direction.  He looked tired, his inspection lazy and routine.

    Koji got up and hurried to the staircase when the man turned his back on him.  He skipped down the stairs on silent steps and reached the main floor.  The main floor was a stunning collection of crates ready for shipment, and service desks.

    “Your goal is a corridor in the back.  The secure room you’re looking for is at the end of the corridor.”

    Koji gave up banter and concentrated on sneaking between crates and shipping boxes, desks and packing stations.  He caught a glimpse of a camera mounted on the wall, and grimaced.

    “I’m camera-shy,” Koji murmured.  “I hope I’m not starring in an episode of ‘Thief who got caught’.”

    “You’re safe,” the answer came.  “I’ll tell you when you’re not.”

    “You words make my heart flutter,” Koji mumbled, finally reaching the designated corridor.  He walked with confidence, as it was clear of any security guards.  When he reached the secure door, he touched the security pad on the lock.

    “Nine-two-five-six,” the numbers came before he could ask.

    Koji punched in the numbers and the lock beeped once, flashing red without unlocking.

    “Are you sure?” Koji asked, glancing down the corridor, worried about the guard who might have come down to the main floor.

    “Oops,” the gentle voice chuckled, “punch them in again.”

    Koji pressed the numbers in faster this time.  The lock flashed green and the door hissed open.  He entered the room closing the door behind him fast, and took in a deep breath at the darkness that greeted him.  This secure room seemed without the slightest sliver of light.

    Taking a torch from his pocket, Koji shone it around the room, the single light cutting through the thick darkness.  His breath held when he saw frightened wide eyes looking at him from the farthest corner of the room.

    Switching off his torch, Koji took in a deep breath and stepped back to the door, afraid.

    “Did you find them?”

    Koji swallowed hard, and extended his hand to touch the wall, his fingers searching for the light switch.  When he found it, he flooded the room and his heart filled with apprehension.

    The five children huddled in the corner watched him.  Their anxious gazes enough to undo him.

    “How long?” he murmured, unable to take a step closer to the children.

    “Two minutes,” the answer came.  “You don’t have to engage.  You’ve done enough, Koji-kun.  Wait for us.”

    Koji wished he could remain by the door, but those children…

    Their fear so real, it filled the room, like a giant dark cloud.

    Koji closed his eyes and forced his own fear back.

    “Don’t be late,” Koji said and pushed off the door.

    The hit was instantaneous.  Panic, fear…such fear…paralyzing…Koji tasted bile in his mouth.  He took it in and tried to disperse as much of it as he could, but his soul felt steeped in their fear.  Tears stung his eyes and he stopped before he reached the five children.

    Three girls, and two boys, crouching down to their level, he held out his hands and worked on taking in as much of their fear to ease the tenstion.

    “I’m here to help,” he said, his voice wavering.  “I promise, nothing will happen to you.  I’ll protect you.”

    Koji knelt on the floor, his hands still held out.  “My name is—

    “You can’t.”

    Koji bit his lip hard, his gaze moving from one worried gaze to another.

    “My name is Seiryu,” he murmured.  “I’ll take you away from this dark place.”

    He knelt for a full minute before the youngest of the girls rushed him, and wrapped her arms around him.

    Koji held her, rubbing her back to infuse warmth.  She wore thin clothes and it was cold.  The others moved closer, though their wary gazes constantly returned to the door he’d used.

    “We’re going to start.”

    Koji moved to stand up, picking up the little girl in his arms.  He took a step back and the remaining four, grabbed on to his jacket and moved with him.

    “It’s going to get a little noisy,” Koji said, keeping his tone calm.  “We won’t use the door, we’ll make our own.”

    He kept a steady stream of conversation as a red line appeared on the outer wall.  Continuing up to make an entrance large enough to accommodate an adult.  In the next minute, concrete crumbled into pieces and cold air swept into the room.

    “Hi,” Ogun Sato waved at him, and Koji glared at the gentle voice that spoke in his head.

    “You’re late,” Koji complained.  “They’re cold.”

    A van appeared at the make shift entrance and Koji hurried the children towards the open doors.  Ogun moved to take the girl he held and Koji winced when she clung to him, refusing to let go.

    “It’s okay, sweetie,” Koji soothed, moving closer to the van to help her in.  “You’re safe now, I promise.”

    She shook her head, still clinging to him.

    Standing her on the van, he took a step back to look into her eyes.

    Finding a smile, Koji touched her messy hair.

    “I promise you are safe,” he said.  “You’ll meet your grandmother soon.  Trust me.”

    She let go with reluctance, and Ogun helped her sit close to the eldest girl, wrapping a blanket around her.

    Koji checked the timer on his watch and sighed when he saw the numbers turn to zeros.  The men who had left were back.  He grabbed the doors and moved to close them.

    “Get in here,” Ogun ordered, hurrying to stop him.

    “No time,” Koji said, slamming the van doors closed and rapping on the top to signal the driver to go.

    The van took off at top speed.

    “I’m going to pinch you for this,” Ogun warned in his ear.

    Koji chuckled at the threat, looking back in to the lighted room behind him.  The door he’d closed earlier swung open.

    “Oops,” Koji took off in a run, heading to the front of the building.  He’d left a motorcycle parked down the street.  He would divert attention from the van. He took the corner at the front too fast and didn’t see the man walking to the front entrance in time.  They collided into each other hard.

    When the man on the ground heard the shouts from the security team, he reached for Koji determined to stop him. 

    Koji dropped a thin dagger hidden in his right sleeve into his hand and swiped it across the man’s cheek.  The man gave a short cry and stumbled back, giving Koji time to escape.

    Running at full speed, Koji reached his motorcycle, swung on to the comfortable seat and turned over the engine.  He took off down the street with a grin, and started an intricate detour back to the hangar they’d rented out for this particular mission.

    One hour later, Koji drove the motorcycle into a secure parking lot, going straight to a plane waiting to take off on the runway.  He parked the motorcycle, and threw the keys at the guard who met him.  Koji removed his gloves as he boarded the plane and sank into a comfortable seat with a relieved sigh.

    “Sir.”

    Koji looked at the pilot who had come in from the cockpit.

    “We’re ready for take-off,” the pilot said.  “We’re heading to Tokyo, request from headquarters.”

    Koji nodded his approval and the pilot hurried away.

    Alone, Koji unzipped his jacket, removed it and placed it on the chair beside him.  Sinking his fingers into his hair, he massaged his head and tried to ease the tension growing in his head.

    “You gave me a fright,” Ogun said, coming from the back of the plane.  “I’m not including your little stunt in my report, but don’t do it again.”

    “The children?” Koji asked.

    “Safe with their families,” Ogun said.  “Left local authorities to handle the aftermath.  Saya-san will be happy.”

    “I’m glad it’s over,” Koji murmured, knowing the struggle those children would face returning back home.  His head throbbed.  He’d tried to absorb as much of their fear, take it away, but he knew they would remember it for a while.  Removing his glasses, he placed them on the coffee table, and rubbed his temple avoiding Ogun’s searching gaze.

    Ogun watched Koji, concern rolling off him, and then he sat on the chair across.

    “About your other project,” Ogun hesitated, checking toward the back of the plane, making sure they were alone.

    “Your staff is preoccupied,” Koji said, finally meeting Ogun’s gaze.

    He didn’t miss Ogun’s intake of breath.  No doubt, his eyes were extra bright tonight, he still felt raw from dealing with the children.

    “I’m sorry,” Koji said, lowering his gaze to the coffee table between them.

    He started to reach for his dark glasses but Ogun stopped him.

    “No,” Ogun protested, clearly apologetic.  “I should be used to it by now.”

    Koji knew his eyes unnerved many, especially when he was extra sensitive like tonight.

    “What have you found?” Koji asked, hoping returning to the topic would draw Ogun’s attention away.  

    “Your mother’s investigation is a steep climb uphill,” Ogun said.  “Are you sure it’s not easier to ask Tama or even Saya-san?”

    “I’m twenty-one in six months,” Koji murmured.  “I’ve tried every trick in the book since I was eight.  They refuse to tell me about her.  I have to do this on my own, otherwise I will live a life never having known who my mother is, why she died.”

    Ogun sighed and nodded.

    “I understand, but it’s very difficult to find people who knew your mother.  There are no files on her in any database in the country, including her schooling, not even her medical records. She’s wiped clean.  We’re relying on witnesses.”

    “The last six people I’ve met were dead ends.  All they could say was that Misato became a teacher,” Koji complained, his tone tinged with bitterness.  “Their memories held no clear picture of her.  I read nothing from them.”

    “There is a lady living in Kamakura.  She says she attended the same high school as your mother.  They were friends, but not too close,” Ogun gave him a small smile.  “I figure if you meet her, you might get more than I would.”

    Koji felt hope spring.

    “Are you sure she is legit?”

    “Yes, I checked out her details.  Her sister still lives in Shinjuku where they both went to school.  It is the same school Saya-san attended.  Meet the lady to confirm the rest,” Ogun said.  He placed a tablet on the coffee table.

    “I’ve uploaded all her information on there.  We have a week to meet her, she’s headed out of the country to see her daughter in Malaysia after that.” Ogun stood.  “Look it over when you’re feeling better.  For now, try and get some sleep.  You don’t look good.”

    “Do you know why we’re going to Tokyo?” Koji asked, staring at the dark tablet on the table, wanting to read the files on this woman.

    His head though…gosh he felt like it was going to explode.

    “Your brother insisted,” Ogun said.  “Saya told him you’re out here finding the kids and he wasn’t happy.  He said he wanted to see you in Tokyo first thing tomorrow.”

    Koji let his head fall back on the headrest and closed his eyes, needing relief.

    “Thanks, Ogun,” Koji said.  “Let me know when we get there.”

    Ogun laid a blanket over him and squeezed his shoulder.

    Koji was glad when Ogun closed the door separating the rest of the plane from him.  The absolute silence in the room was enough to ease some of the pressure in his head.  He stretched out on the comfortable chair and allowed his mind to rest.

    Heading to Tokyo, he thought, drifting between consciousness and oblivion.

    His brother would be angry.  Tama hated it when Koji left the Sukiyama Estate in Enoshima.  They would argue, Koji didn’t like arguing with Tama, but he couldn’t help it.  He needed answers, and the only way to get them was out here.  The only way to get out was to join cases like the one he’d just finished.  Otherwise, he stayed locked up at the Sukiyama estate.

    If only he could persuade his hardheaded brother to give up the truth.

    Koji sighed.

    If wishes were cars…he’d own the roads by now, his last thought before slipping into oblivion.

    ***

    Koji startled awake on a large bed.  The screeching sound of a car’s brakes filled his head, followed fast by a screaming wife, a crying child, and dogs barking.  Koji pressed his fingers to his ears, curling up on his bed as the onslaught continued.

    The last thing he remembered was falling asleep on the flight to Tokyo.  Ogun must have helped him up here, and forgotten the most important part.

    Koji groaned when the off note voice of a woman singing in the shower filled his head.  So painfully offbeat, it hurt.  He stumbled out of bed, and headed out of his bedroom.

    Hands braced on the wall, he made his way to the living room.

    A laugh filled his head, coupled with excited conversation, Koji stopped, feeling like he might double over with all the stimulation.

    Tokyo, this city was so hard on him.

    His head filled with noise one moment, then the next, blessed silence flooded him and he let out a grateful gasp, sliding to the floor.

    “Is it better?” Tama came to crouch beside him.  “I’ll remind Ogun not to forget to engage the active noise controls.  Koji, can you walk?”

    Before he could answer, his brother lifted him up and carried him into the living room placing him on the couch.

    Tama perched on the glass coffee table, his gaze unreadable.

    Everyone Koji met, brought him noise, yet his brother remained a silent, private entity. 

    Saya had worked overtime closing off Tama’s thoughts, hers as well and parts of Ogun.

    It was a blessing, since Koji didn’t think it would be good to know everything about the people living with him.  Still, in some cases, like knowing the truth about his mother, he rather wished he could read Tama’s mind.

    “You’re not at home,” Tama stated, his dark gaze enough to let Koji know he wasn’t happy.

    “Neither are you,” Koji replied.  “Where were you?”

    “Working, you?”

    “Working,” Koji said, giving his brother a small smile.

    Tama scoffed, and shook his head.

    “You look drained.”  Tama reached out and brushed hair out of Koji’s eyes.  “Was it hard?”

    Extremely, Koji wanted to say.  Instead, he shook his head and forced a smile.

    “A walk in the park,” he lied.

    Tama studied him too closely, those dark eyes seeing too much.

    Koji clutched a throw pillow on the couch, ready for a lecture.

    Tama surprised him when he stood up and moved away.

    “I’ll make you breakfast.”

    Koji watched him head to the kitchen, and sat on the couch feeling cheated.  It worried him when Tama acted nice.  Like now, he frowned.

    “Tama?”

    “I’ll make you fried eggs on toast,” Tama said, his voice muffled in the kitchen.  “I need you to come with me later.”

    Koji nodded his head at this statement.

    Yep, Tama would never give without taking.  Escape a lecture for a service, Koji sighed and closed his eyes.

    “Where to?” he asked.

    “The offices, there is a board meeting.”

    “I don’t appear for those.”

    “I know.”

    “Tama, you know I only follow what you want, so why do you need me there?”

    Koji hated board meetings.  The two times he attended, he’d hated listening to the thoughts of men and women meant to be loyal to Sukiyama, but were not.  It was better to let Tama handle that level of betrayal.

    He opened his eyes when Tama didn’t reply and found his brother looking at him from the kitchen entrance.

    When he lifted a brow, Tama gave him a small smile.

    “Would you prefer to talk about last night, and why you were out in Kobe instead of home?” Tama asked.  “I clearly asked Saya not to send you on those cases.”

    Koji got off the couch fast, and stretched his arms above his head.

    “Fried eggs on toast sound wonderful,” Koji said, dropping his arms down.  “Should I wear a suit too?  Wow, I wonder how the company’s stocks are doing.  I should check that right now.”

    Tama chuckled when Koji picked up his phone from the coffee table and got to searching.  Koji stopped when Tama returned to the kitchen, and let out a soft sigh.

    Shaking his head, he threw his phone on the couch and headed to his bedroom for a shower.  The faster he did what Tama wanted, the better.  Then he would get to meet the woman who might know his mother.

    What a day this was turning out to be…

    ****

    Seiryu Spirit Chapter 1