CHAPTER 20

餓鬼 Gaki

Hungry Ghosts

Storm clouds gathered above the city as Jet played her role of begging monk. She wore robes and white tabi toe socks. She prayed that Uncle Soji wouldn’t make her shave her head as he’d joked, and her prayers were answered because, as he claimed, he needed a new flat razor to get through all of her hair. Hiro wasn’t so lucky.

For now, Jet kept her hair tucked into a black cap.

As night illuminated the city with neon, she walked the streets beyond the temple, chanting the sutras she’d memorized. Plastic bags swirled in the bone-chilling wind.

She had been standing in the sea of people for more than an hour, her robes flapping, her breath deep and slow to warm her body. Few people had noticed her, fewer still had stopped to put money in her begging bowl. She was about to turn in for the night when a five-hundred yen coin dropped in, then another. She looked up to meet the eyes of the benefactor. The lights of the plaza danced on the sculpted planes of his face. There was no mistaking him.

“Takumi!” Her heart raced faster now. “How did you…?”

“I wanted to see you again,” he said softly. His eyes flickered down to her clothes, but he didn’t ask why she was begging or dressed like a nun.

“Can we talk?”

“Yes. Of course…” she said, but there was something different about his expression. What had happened?

“Come with me,” he said, pulling her away from the plaza.

His brown eyes flashed in fear as he led her into the darkness of a back alley, looking over his shoulder. She turned as well. No one was behind them.

She knew she was putting herself in danger by not staying in public where her enemies couldn’t attack her openly, but she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t risk losing him again.

“Takumi…How did you find me?”

“Please.” He put his finger to her lips. “Don’t ask me questions. Just follow me.”

The alley bled into another, and another, a labyrinth in the city’s underbelly. He led her through a dark underpass near the station. A row of cardboard houses stood against the wall, old shoes lined up neatly outside them. Jet was surprised that the homeless adhered to ritual, taking their shoes off before entering their paper-box homes.

Takumi led her to a quiet part of the underpass, where they could stand in the shadows. Jet began to speak, but he turned and stared at her, and in his expression she saw anguish. He stepped forward and leaned into her, bringing his body close to hers.

“Wait,” she said, “we don’t really know each other.” But she knew that wasn’t quite the truth. She felt that she did—through her senses, her intuition.

He reached for her hand. For all his power and recklessness, his fingers were soft in hers, seeking out warmth. She wanted to protest, but her body awoke like fire under his touch.

“Jet,” he said, wrapping his arm around her. “You can’t imagine what it feels like to see you again.”

“I think I can,” she said, aching to be closer.

They stared at each other, hearts racing.

As if of its own volition, her body was being pulled inexorably toward him.

“Takumi, what do you want from me?” she asked.

He stared at her, hesitating.

Then, impetuously, daringly, she kissed him, their lips drawing together, warm and hungry. Her lips melted into his, his into hers. She was lost. She was on fire. Did he feel the same?

“I just wanted to see you… one last time,” he said, sadness shadowing his face.

“What do you mean, one last time?” she gazed into his eyes, seeing the well of loneliness there.

“I can’t be with you. That’s all.” He tried to back away, but her grip was firm.

“But you are! Here we are. What do you mean?” She felt his heart beating next to hers, almost leaping out of his body, though his breath was soft and quiet. Wind gusted into the underpass, wrapping around them.

“It’s not safe,” he whispered. “That’s all.”

“Safe for who?” A chill ran through her, even as she felt the heat wavering between them.

He sighed and closed his eyes. “If you knew who I was, you wouldn’t want me…”

“How can you say that?” she asked, fighting back fear.

“What if I told you that I came here… to… to capture you?” he said, not meeting her gaze.

She couldn’t breathe as her mind struggled to comprehend.

“You’re joking, right?” She tried to laugh.

His face flushed. “I’m serious. I wanted to warn you, but then I saw you, and I couldn’t stop….”

“Then why don’t you take me?” she said. “Here I am.” She held her arms open wide.

“Listen!” He said, intensity in his words. “I mean it!”

She tried to straighten her clothes, her hair, the jumble of thoughts that crowded her brain.

“Why would you want to capture me?”

“It’s not what I want. It’s what they want me to do,” he said, looking quickly over his shoulder.

She looked behind Takumi at what he was looking at, but there was nothing there.

Then she stepped away. “Is this your idea of a game?”

He shook his head.

“Then what is going on? Tell me! This isn’t making sense!” she said, frustration lacing her words.

“When we talked at the restaurant, I didn’t expect to feel this way. It’s that… you made sense to me. I felt something…”

“…I did, too,” she said softly, her face hot. Her heart hammered in her ribs as if it would burst.

“But I have a duty,” he stammered. “I have my life and my oaths.”

“To who? What oath is that important?”

“I work for the Matsumura family. I cannot break my oath to them. This is the best life I’ve had. If I don’t have this, I’ll have nothing.”

“Kidnapping innocent people? Is that the best life you could have? Somehow I doubt it.” Her eyes locked on his.

“I doubt it too,” he said, then spun and walked toward the street.

Her mother had trained her well, it was true, but the one part of her that couldn’t be trained was her heart. She wanted to be loved—wildly, fearlessly, dangerously. She wanted to be unsafe, to let down her guard.

“Wait!” she called out.

Takumi turned.

His hair shone in the faint light, and in his frustration, a force radiated from him more powerfully than anything she’d ever felt. But a force was also growing inside of her, too, determined and wild. A sudden understanding fell upon her, like a dark curtain.

“There’s something I need to ask you!” she grabbed his shoulder, spun him around. “Were you at the mountain?” She asked the question slowly, deliberately. If he had anything to do with Ojiisan’s death, I’ll…

He didn’t answer.

“Takumi,” she hissed. “Were you? I need to know.”

“...Come with me.” He shook his head.

“No! You must tell me!” she insisted.

“Jet,” he said with a desperate look in his eyes. “You just have to tell my boss where the treasure is, and then we’ll be free. Let’s go. It will be quick. Easy. You’ll see.”

“Your boss?” she spat. “Is he behind all of this? Is it that computer company?”

The conversation with Soji swirled in the far reaches of her brain as Takumi watched her, saying nothing.

“I would if I could,” she told him. “The problem is, I don’t know where it is…I really don’t!”

“Do you think I believe that?” He shot her a seething glare.

“You have to,” she said. “It’s the truth.”

Takumi scowled. “Look… if it’s some jewelry or an artifact, who cares? You’ll be free of it. You can have your life back.” He reached for her wrist.

“Honestly,” she said, trying to curb the panic in her voice, “I don’t know where the treasure is—or what it is. You have to believe me!” Her heart wavered, and she thought about making up some lie just to see what he’d do.

At the moment of her indecision, he caught her in his arms.

“I wish I could.” He stiffened.

She felt as if she’d always belonged with him, next to him. Her body leaned toward his, and she longed to touch the thick muscles of his chest, the hollow of his smooth, strong stomach. She let herself melt into this desire, despite her training.

Then, more quickly than she could have imagined, he bent at the knees and threw his arms around her, threw her over his shoulder like a hunted deer, and started to run carrying her. She was stunned by his speed. Automatically, the fight kicked in. She tried to knee his face, then flexed the ball of her foot to kick him.

He threw her down, but she jumped back up immediately and assumed a fighting stance. He paused, taking her posture in. Indecision flickered in his eyes, and for a moment, she thought he would fight her.

But he swung around, his back resolutely to hers, and moved away.

“I have to go,” he said.

“No. Not yet,” she begged.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Takumi!” she called out after him, but it was too late. He had already slipped away, back into the endless Tokyo night and out of her life once again.