How Far Chapter 13: Beneath a crimson glare

	A week has passed since that day. Lilly and I have spent nearly every moment together, even a few that, if you believed the doctors word, were a biiiit too strenuous in the shower. A smile graces my face, and I turn to look out the window of the Limo.

	We’re on our way to the Satou estate, which seems to be surrounded by green hills. Rain pours down, darkening the mid-day sky, and not helping me get the image of Lilly “making sure I could reach my back” out of my head. My hand tightens, squeezing hers. She sits alongside me, and hums happily when I do. She leans against me, laying her head against my shoulder.

	“I’ve never been in a limo.” I mutter into her hair. It smells of fresh flowers.

	“Truly?” She says. “I suppose that makes sense. It’s been a time since I have as well, even longer before I had returned here."

	I laugh softly. “Life must have been so hard.” She picks her head up and pouts at me, but I pinch her side and she giggles. I try to banish the growing image from my head as I feel the beast inside me pick its head up in interest, and focus on something else that has been plaguing my mind.

	“What in the hell were you thinking!?” He had shouted. “You could have been killed, you could have died!”

	My father was, understandably, irate. Well, irate is what Lilly had called him. What he actually was was so goddamned furious that I had to hold the phone away from my ears so as to not damage my hearing.

	Repeatedly, throughout the conversation, he had threatened to come up to Scotland himself and bring me home, and I, repeatedly, had to tell him that he couldn’t. The doctor had warned me that another airplane trip would kill me... which only now occurred to me might be a bit hypocritical to accept that certain form of advice while ignoring another.

	It’s not like we did anything, though. We really did just shower with one another, nothing more. Okay, maybe a few kisses… nothing past that though. Lilly’s teasing had been… relentless. She insisted on keeping ourselves at a manageable pace.

	I flick my mind to my father again. Mom had come up and calmed him down, and they both understood the circumstances. I had to get better before I could try to get a plane ride home… and I might never even do that.

	Lilly leans against me once more, and her long hair bunching up against me. She kept hinting throughout the week of some sort of plan, but she’s kept her lips tightly closed. Her hair really has grown long, it reaches to her waist when she lets it down. I pick my left arm up and around her, leaning her into my chest as I run my hand through her long hair affectionately. I look forward to see the driver’s compartment, but the blackout of the window prevents me from seeing the man, Arthur.

	A random thought occurs to me. I wonder if Alexander had somehow heard of what occurred. I mean, technically he has access to any sort of information… But Mr. Satou doesn’t exactly seem to be the type of man to leave a paper trail. ‘You will have charged me medical bills, living expenses, as well more than a few favors with the department to keep you “vacation” off record’ he had said…

	“You’re thinking about something.”

	I can tell she meant it as a question, but it comes out more as a statement.

	“I’m thinking about a lot of somethings.” I say. “One of the top being how happy I’ll be able to sleep in a normal bed, finally.” I pull myself closer to her, tightening my hold.

	The rain outside pounds against the windows, and soaks the fields. A bit longer, and I can see a bit of house outside of them. As we get closer, the house expands far more than I’d expected. Even knowing that it must be huge, experiencing it is entirely different. Coming from a city where everybody lived packed together, the Satou mansion could easily house an entire buildings worth of people. We drive up towards the front, circling a fountain which spouts water upwards even now in the pouring rain.

	The building looks as if it were a king’s castle. The architecture is something easily European, with fine tans and browns populating the walls and windowsills. I imagine that even the Palace of Versailles would not able to measure up to a higher level of eloquence than this.

	Stone lions flank the front steps as we pull up and park, which seems an extremely odd thing to me, as if we were about to enter a museum. The front door thumps as Arthur exits.

	“Okay, hold my hand. We’ll dash through the rain. Are you ready?” I grip her right hand in my left, scooching towards the door.

	“Huh? Hisao-” Lilly starts, looking confused.

	“Come on!” I fling the door open, which thwacks and bounces back, smacking my arms as I catch it. A loud ‘Oomph!’ from the other side of the door tells me that the other person wasn't as lucky.

	“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!” I say, getting out of the car embarrassed. Rain pours down atop me as Arthur rights himself, standing with his umbrella held up. The front of his suit is soaked from the door smacking him. “I didn’t see you.”

	“Ahem, yes.” Arthur says. “A bit obvious. Well, come along. You and Ms. Lilly will have use of this umbrella.” He stretches it to me, glaring at me in only the way someone who can’t shout at someone may.

	“Oh, no, it’s just-” I say, beginning to motion for the 15 feet towards the front door.

	He clears his throat again, and nods towards Lilly, who is just exiting the vehicle. His eyes dare me to refuse.

	“Yea… okay… sorry again.” I say, taking it. I hold it over Lilly, who says nothing.

	“Quite alright.” He says, his blue eyes saying it was anything but. He stalks off, marching back to the front of the car.

	Lilly takes my arm and whispers to me. “It’s a limo driver’s job to open the door and escort passengers.” She informs me. “I’m sorry, I should have said something sooner.”

	“Oh… Uh, it’s no problem.” I reply, hearing Arthur emphatically closing the door before starting to drive away. “Ugh. Not even in the door and I'm making a terrible impression.”

	Lilly laughs. “Arthur has endured worse than a car door, I assure you.”

	As we walk up the remaining steps, a thought occurs to me. “Oh, hey. He spoke Japanese!”

	Lilly lets out a cute little giggle, and the grand entrance doors open before us. Two people, a man and a woman, pull the doors back without a sound. Lilly enters without greeting, and I follow her.

	The inside of the manor is even more glamorously decorated than that of the outside. A red carpet stretches down towards the door from a long hallway with off branching doors. Suits of armor are on either side of the first doors, one decorated as a knight and the other as a samurai. The archways have a shimmer to them, as if they were golden. Artwork populates the walls, and my earlier idea of a museum floats back to my mind...

	(#^@@&#%#& Ms. Satou and Mr. Nakai. Welcome two the Satou @&&!&@.) Says the woman in English, bowing her head with her hand across her chest. I nod my head to her as Lilly responds in English. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time being quiet for a while, as I hadn’t even understood the word (welcome) until Lilly practiced with me in the hospital.

	She really will be a wonderful teacher someday.

	Now it’s Lilly’s turn to lead me forward. In Japanese, she directs to a few important rooms, but it’s a bit overwhelming as I take in some of the beautiful paintings that the Satou’s have gracing their main hall. At the end of the hall is a portrait of a man and woman, which takes up practically the entire wall and is framed by what looks to be two ascending staircases on either side.  The portrait image seems to be of Mr. Satou, standing alongside a beautiful looking woman who I can only assume is his wife. The woman is sitting in a red velvet seat, with a golden frame, more a throne than a chair. She has short cropped golden blonde hair that is done up in a businesslike manner. It gives her a look that is remarkably Akira like, and even from here I can see the redness of her eyes. It’s more than a bit unsettling.

	A thought strikes me, as Lilly leads the way forwards towards the portrait. She addresses the rooms off to our left and right, but it just goes over my head as I look at the image.

	“Lilly?” I say, interrupting her. I stop and stare ahead at the painting.

	“Hmm? Yes?” She asks.

	“Your parents.” I say, measuredly as I look at the portrait. “They both have red eyes. You have blue eyes.”

	It’s more a question than a statement, which hangs in the air. Lilly tilts her head to the side.

	“Red eyes? Hisao, I may be blind, but I did take elementary science. But… I can also tell you’re not playing around with me.”

	“Wait, did you not know? Akira has red eyes as well.” I say to her, slightly in disbelief.

	“What did I hear about Akira’s pretty eyes?” Interrupts a voice, and we both turn towards the portrait to face Akira as she comes down the stairs. She wears a wide smile on her face, and raises her arm up in greeting. “Hisao, please, you shouldn’t be talking about how I’m the prettier sister.”

	“Ha ha.” Lilly says, with a pout on her face. “Akira, you are very hilarious.” Her voice drips with sarcasm.

	“It’s wonderful to be with you again as well.” Akira says, evidently happy. I notice her lack of the word ‘see.’ Maybe it was something she learned over time, or maybe she’d done it since she was a child with Lilly. I hope my natural reliance on the word would fade like that.

	Lilly puts on a legitimate smile and tips her head towards her sister, who ignores the motion and approaches her giving her a hug. “I missed you this past week.” She said, muffled by Lilly’s shoulder.

	Lilly hugs her back in earnest. “I missed you. Truly. I hope things have been going well here, though.”

	“Ehhh, work.” Akira says, she breaks off the hug and shrugs at me. “I’ll be happy to put my new little assistant to work though.” She says, winking at me. “How ya feelin, champ?”

	“Well, the surgery scar is healing, but it looks like I’ve been slashed with a sword.” I say jokingly. Akira laughs, though I notice Lilly’s slight downcast look.

	“Aha, a hero of war then? Well, sir knight, allow me to welcome you to the home of the Satou’s. Where the unofficial motto is ‘You couldn’t afford the dirt off our shoes.’”

	“Akira.” Lilly says, reproachfully.

	“Oh, you know I’m joking. Like dad would sell the dirt instead of putting it with the other ‘artifacts.’” She laughs, and Lilly also lets her guard down and softly giggles at her sister.

	“Artifacts?” I ask.

	“You haven’t taken him through dad’s collection?” Akira asks Lilly.

	“No, I don’t exactly have a key. We just arrived.”

	“Ah, yea. Well, allow me to take you on the grand tour before mom comes and harps on me for not showing off how much better we are.”

	Akira walks off, and I’m about to follow when I see Lilly biting her lip. “Come on, it’ll be fine.” I whisper to her. She reaches out and grips my arm.

	After a pause, she opens her mouth. Then closes it, mulling her words over in her mind. “Please don’t let this place affect your opinion of us. I’m still just who I am.” She says.

	I feel my eyebrow cock in question before I realize the futileness. “Uh, sure?” I say

	“Come on, (&$%* ^%$@&)!” Akira shouts from towards the entrance. She’s opened a door just to the side of it, and is waving at us.

	Lilly starts walking and I follow her step, arm in arm. “Don’t worry, you’ll always be my Angel.” I say. She smiles, but there’s a hint of anxiety to her look.

	We approach the doorway, and Akira motions inwards.

	“Ta – da!” she exclaims, and the sight of the room catches me more than a little off guard. There’s multiple display cases set up towards the back, with the closer section having bits of wall put up that display multiple different styles of artwork. Beneath each piece is a small golden plaque, which must be its label.

	“Welcome to the Satou gallery of fine arts.” Akira says, mocking in tone and in gesture. “Where we have more pieces and better paintings than even the University of London.”

	“Unless the University of London has an art museum built inside, I think it might…”

	“Oh, it does, but this still is. Dad took us when we came back last time.” Akira says in exasperation. I look over at Lilly, who’s bitten her lip. He took his blind daughter to an art gallery? To what? Show off?

	“Yup.” Akira continues. I look over at her and see her motion to Lilly with her head, as if making a point that she’d read my mind. She scoffs and raises her hand. “What you see before you is the finest artwork in the nation. Many famous artists grace these halls, and it would be our pleasure for you to inspect them.” She says with a mockingly snobby accent.

	“Akira… You mustn’t-” Lilly starts.

	“It’s alright, Lilly. I should see this stuff, if your parents love it all so much.”

	“It’s just pictures…” she says, but she follows along as I walk forwards.

	I have never felt so awkward. Being berated by Mr. Satou would be easier than this, as I walk down a center lane of paintings that all have various labels and swashes of paint. Most of the artwork seem European, Renaissance if I had to guess, although I recognize a few Eastern pieces’ style from classes and history books long forgotten. None of them really catch my eye, as I’m intent on hurrying through this as quickly as possible.

	Why am I even doing this? A look backwards at Akira as she inspects a painting that is actually rather beautiful. The image is done almost entirely in a light orange, and brings forth feelings of a morning sun, whilst the image itself depicts a winged woman reaching through an open window towards a human child. The image is titled ‘The Fairy Thief: by Pascal Hervé. Recovered from the Louvre.’ I pray a silent thank you that my ability to understand written English is better than hearing the odd pronunciations. Akira looks upon the image with a smirk that doesn’t reach her eyes. Instead, they look tense, and rueful. “Heh.” She laughs to herself. She looks over at me. “Fitting, isn’t it?”

	I shrug, not entirely sure of what she means. She just nods to herself and looks back from the painting, whilst I’m more wondering how someone ‘Recovers’ a piece of art from one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world.

	“Come on.” Akira says, apparently darker in her mood, the smile no longer gracing her face. The rain from outside makes it seem extremely fitting, but worrying all the same.

	“Akira…” Lilly trails off. Apparently, she too was at a loss for words over her sister’s apparent mood shift.

	“And this, Mr. Nakai, is our display area.” Says Akira, ignoring her sister as she leads us to the next section. Glass cases rise to almost double my height, where two suits of armor stand on raised pedestals. Another set of Samurai armor, but I can see that the armor is dinged and slashed with marks in areas. The other set of armor is leathery, with a long wig placed upon the manikin instead of a helmet. Scottish, it must be.

	Behind that, a long row of display cases sits at waist level. Akira approaches it and looks down upon a collection that would make a jeweler salivate. Sparkling gems of all colors glisten, lit by a backlight. The greyness of the outside light somehow compliments it, the darker ambiance making the jewels shine even more attractively. Once again, they’re all labeled. I find myself much more enthralled by the beautiful trinkets than I had the art, but a small sigh besides me reminds me of what is happening… I look over at Lilly, whose blind eyes are shut as she faces the beautiful trinkets that she’ll never see.

	“Beautiful, right?” Akira asks. But she’s not looking at the jewelry. She’s looking at me.

	“Yea. She is.” I squeeze Lilly’s hand, and her face tilts for in question, twisting toward my own. After a moment, she smiles and squeezes my hand back.

	“If your father has a pride and joy, it should be you two.” I say, the words coming from my mouth as the enter my mind.

	Akira nods, a small smile on her face.

	“My my, Hisao. You mustn’t say such things.” Lilly says. The small smile on her own face as she cups it with her free hand, as well as her the light red tinge to her cheeks, betray her true feelings.

	“I think that’s enough artwork for today.” Akira says, a bit lighter now. “The old man’s in a meeting, so I’ll let you two get situated. Arthur has probably brought your stuff to your room by now, so go head on up. I’ll call you when we’re ready to start working.” She begins walking off without another word, and Lilly and I are left in a priceless art gallery by ourselves.

	“Oh man…” I whine softly to myself.

	“What is it, Hisao?” Lilly asks, a flash of concern crossing over her face.

	“I am so totally going to accidentally break something in here…”
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	“So, your father…” I say, trailing off.

	“Yes?” Lilly asks.

	“He’s not exactly the most modest guy, is he?”

	Lilly and I are walking down the hall towards the staircases. The giant portrait looms over us, as if both the elder Satous were watching us. Lilly hums in thought, characteristically picking her words before she spoke as we walk ever nearer to the image. As we approach, it is clear that neither of the Satou parents had chosen to really smile for their portrait. Instead, Mr. Satou looks as if he were simply tolerating that he was taking part in the act. Mrs. Satou has a smirk that again makes me think of Akira, as it radiates confidence. I can see now though that her hair is lighter than Akira’s, something she must share with Lilly… Or maybe she dyes it that way? Whatever it is, it suits her. For clothing, they’d both wore black and red for the image. Mr. Satou in a black suit with red tie, and Mrs. with a black shirt and skirt with a red business jacket with golden buttons.

	“I wouldn’t say that he’s very modest, no. He’s exceptionally proud of all he’s achieved, though that hasn’t changed his ambition either.” Ever the cover answer. She’d make a good politician.

	“I just ask because the portrait.” I say. Lilly directs us right, and we start up the stairs.

	“Portrait?” Lilly asks.

	“Yea.” I quickly realize that nobody's told her about it. “Oh, umm, your parents have a giant portrait of themselves in-between the staircases.”

	“Oh…” Lilly says. We walk up the rest of the stairs, and Lilly slightly tugs me to the right. “Not very modest indeed.”

	We walk along, passing a pillar and a set of double doors on the right that look as if they were guarding a bank vault. I decide to not point out how little people seem to have informed her of her home by asking about it. We continue on to the end of the hall, passing a man in a suit that bids us hello.

	The wing of the house that we enter starts making me think of hotels. It’s a nice spot, a long carpet stretches down the center and there’s gold colored lanterns giving of a soft light to the deep red and brown surroundings but it doesn’t have a homey feel. A table with expensive looking pottery reminds me that this place will most likely be the financial death of me.

	Then, I remember that I’m walking along with a blind woman, and I once again close my mouth. It’s then that I notice just how close she walks arm in arm with me, and I realize just how much she likely desires to have her cane in hand.

	“It’s nice that your parents kept you and Akira rooms here.” I say, trying to get the topic out of my mind.

	“Hmm, sort of. We never lived here, Akira and I, until now.” She replies.

	“Oh. Well we must be staying somewhere?”

	She giggles. “Of course, we won’t be staying on the floor. There are a multitude of guest rooms that my parents keep. I assume that we’ll be staying in-”

	She’s cut off as I yank her back, as a figure that had quickly rounded the corner surprises us as much as we apparently surprise him.

	“Ah, hello Ms. Satou. Mr. Nakai.” Says Arthur, bowing to each of us respectively.

	“Good evening, Arthur.” She says formally. “We were just heading to our room.

	“Mmm, yes. You’ll both be staying in guest room number three, at the end of the hall on the left.”

	Lilly tilts her head in question. “Number three? But that only has a single bed…”

	“Yes.” Arthur replies. Lilly waits for him to continue, but the man seems as buttoned up as his jacket on the topic.

	“Why will we not be in Guest room one?”

	Arthur, looking past her, replies. “Mr. Coward and his wife are currently staying there. That is the only room with a queen sized bed, after all. Your father had intended to divide you into multiple rooms, but he tells me that you insist on bedding together.”

	Lilly sets her face, a scowl taking place of her normally glad look. “And will we be permitted to move to room one after the Cowards disembark back to their own abode?”

	“Your father has said that after the Cowards leave, that I must keep the room clear in case anyone else will be in need of it. To be fair to him, he didn’t plan on you bringing a…” Arthur breaks his forward stare and looks directly at me. His icy blue glare rakes me over. “Guest.”

	My fist clenches. “Look man, I’m sorry I didn’t see-”

	“Arthur, you will address my ‘Guest’ with the proper respect afforded to a member of this household, because for all intents and purposes he IS one. If I hear you so much as grumble about it, I do not care how much of Mother’s pet you are, I will have you on the street. Is that understood?” I look over at Lilly in slight amazement. Her soft angelic features look as hard and as sharp as if hewn from stone.

	I expect Arthur to bark back at her, for anger to mask his face, but instead it goes blank in its entity. “Yes Ms. I apologize for my rude behavior.” His voice is as natural as his face, which even I know as a sign that he disagrees with her. I also know, though, that it also means that he will still follow it.

	“Excellent.” Lilly smiles, the bitter smile of the cobra that has a mouse walk into it’s den. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like for you to go before father and tell him that his daughter asks that he and her future husband be allowed to migrate to the larger room once it has been vacated.”

	“Yes, Ms. Right away.”

	Arthur bows his head towards us and moves off. As she leaves, it’s very apparent that Lilly is listening carefully to him, just waiting to hear a whispered complaint.

	“Woof.” I say.

	Lilly quickly rounds on me, her hair whipping behind her as she does so and a scowl set into her hard face. She says nothing for a moment, and her look of anger slightly cracks. She bites her cheek, but a smile starts to grace her face, and she giggles. Then she lets out a soft laugh, which last much longer than it probably deserved. “Yes, hehehe. Woof. That describes that quite well. Come on, let’s find out just how… intimate, we will become.”

	“Hey, don’t threaten me with a good time.” I say jokingly, which she lightly laughs at once more as we walk down the hall. She pulls herself closer to me, her head placed into my shoulder.

	“Oh Hisao. What would I ever do without you?”

	“Me? What would I ever do without you?” I ask, playing on her good mood. “Without you, I might have actually been forced to join the student councill.”

	Lilly giggles, placing her hand to her face. “Truly, a worrisome fate.” Her smile fades as we walk, with something apparently taking hold of her mind. “Shizune is often right though.” She said, seemingly out of nowhere.

	“What do you mean?” I ask. Admitting defeat is something entirely unlike Lilly.

	“Oh, just something her and her brother spoke to me about. Before I left. Before I never thought we’d be together again.” With the last sentence, she squeezes my arm, pulling herself to me. It makes it a bit harder to walk, but I’m not about to start complaining.

	A part of me feels like I should just leave it here, but I feel the ever growing need to know taking hold as we approach the room. “Last on the left. We’re here.” I say. I reach forward and twist the knob, which gives way easily. The room is… well, it’s not short, at least. The ceiling towers above us, with a large window on the right letting in the shine of the… gray murky weather. The rain thunks against it, but it’s not as loud as it could be. I guess.

	The room itself is, honestly, small. A single sized bed off in the back right corner, with a side table to the left of it. There is two long dressers, one to the left and one to the right, and a wardrobe in the back left. There’s a pile of male clothing stacked neatly on the left dresser, and feminine clothing on the right, along with a few bags. I step forward to the wardrobe, and see a mixture of dress shirts as well as dress… dresses. Arthur had evidentially sorted these into their spots. I should probably try on the clothing… just to make sure it fit.

	“Hisao?” Lilly asks.

	“Yea, sorry. Just looking around. Well, it’s not too bad. We’ll spend a lot of time cuddling, it seems.” She smiles at that.

	“Can you help me sort through my bags?”

	“Of course, Angel.” I say. I move over to her spot, and begin unpacking. I quickly realize that the Satou family doesn’t give a damn about airline weight fees, as she had apparently packed her entire room into her bag. There’s at least two stacks worth of braille books, including a few smaller looking ones that I can tell are plays by the name William Shakespeare. Even in Japan, his work was well known. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did Shizune say?” I ask as I pile it all up on top of her dresser.

	“It’s not… well…” The question seems to take her off guard, and she needs a moment to mull it over. “Ugh, I wish we had a book case…” she says, as she runs her hands over the books. I know she’s still thinking about the question, and after her chillyness earlier I’m a bit hesitant to rush her. Finally, she starts. “She asked me why I was leaving. Why I was leaving you.” Lilly says.

	“Oh…” I reply lamely. “Well, what did you say?”

	Lilly sits down heavily on the bed, drawing my attention to her instead of the clothes I’d been placing in a drawer. Her face is as downcast as the weather, and I can see her eyes starting to tear.

	“I-it’s not like I wanted to.” She says, her voice cracking. “I wanted to stay, I did. I’ve always loved you, but I just… I just.”

	Music fills the room, and she stops. The familiar chiming of a small tune obviously takes her by surprise. I approach the bed, music box in hand, and place it in hers. She places it to the side and grips for my shirt, grabbing the air before she pulls me to her. She burries her face into my waist, and I grip her back as I hug her. Silently this time, I feel her cry.

	“Hey… Hey… I’m here now, aren’t I? I’m not going anywhere. I told you I’d be with you, always, and here I am now. Here I’ll always be.”

	She silently heaves. “It’s not that… I left you. I left Japan. I left Hanako. People were counting on me and I… and I…”

	“And you did what you thought was right.” I finish for her, solidly. I grip her head and pull her back, placing my face directly in front of hers. I have no idea if the feeling of eye contact will work, but I try it. “You did what you thought was right, and I came after you. We’re together now, that’s all that matters.”

	“B-but-”

	“That is all that matters.” I say, firmly.

	The girl that looked made of stone earlier now looks like she’s made of glass. A fine structure, a beautiful one, but one that may shatter if you so much as breathe on it. She sniffles and wipes at her. “You’re right… you’re right… I’m sorry. My father’s such a… such a…”

	“Jerk?” I suggest.

	“Asshole!” She exclaims. I flinch at hearing the rare curse from her mouth, and she whips her head back and forth, her long hair flying about and landing messily in her face. “This room is meant for drunks to sleep off their hang over at one of their parties, not for two young adults to live in. We can probably barely stand together in here without bumping into something. I have to memorize the entire structure to this house again, taking in each step and counting through, and chances are I’ll still end up walking into the bathroom when I’m trying to find our room.”

	I begin looking around, a new thought striking me. “Oh hey, where IS the bathroom?”

	“It’s the room right next door. Through that wall. If we can hear the shower going when someone uses it, I swear, I might start screaming.”

	“Wait, how often do your parents throw parties?” I ask her.

	“When we were here last, they hadn’t thrown a one. Arthur told us offhandedly how odd it was having just a few days without one, so I imagine there is normally one every week.”

	“Well… I mean, at least we’re at the end of the hall.” I say, trying to find a bright side. “There won’t be anyone around us.”

	She groans. “… I suppose. God, I am so glad you’re here with me.” I pick up the music box and move it over to the bedside table, leaving it open.

	“Mhmm, we’ll get through this together. After all, it’s not like we’ll be here forever. And you’ll be going to school or something, right? For your teaching license?”

	“Yes… I still need to cross that bridge. There are accommodating universities in the area. Prestigious, in fact. Though, teaching English speakers English is a bit different than teaching Japanese students…” She begins laughing. “Scottish speakers can probably use the assistance though.”

	I laugh too, though the joke is about a mile over my head. “See?” I quickly bite my own tongue, and luckily she doesn’t seem to notice. “We’ll get through this.”

	“Yea… yes, you’re right.” She replies. She smiles at me, and it warms my heart. “I love you, Hisao.”

	“I love you too, Lilly.” I take her hand and pick her up off the bed. We clasp at one another in a hug.

	“Oh, I almost forgot.” She says, breaking the embrace. “With your new clothing, is there a pair of red shorts and a white t-shirt?”

	I go over to the pile. Sure enough, mixed in with all the nice dress shirts and dress pants, is 3 normal plain white t-shirts and two pairs of red running shorts.

	“There’s a few pairs,” I say back to her “but yea.”

	“Hmm, I must thank Akira, then. She’s the one who picked those up for me.” She saunters over to me, a sway to her hips as she switches to her matriarch side. She pushes her hair back behind her, and then wraps her hands around my head in a sort of hug. “You, my love, are going to be making use of those clothing. The doctor told me that you would need to start light, but that if you were to have any chance at a long life, you would need to have proper exercise. Something that somebody,” she says, emphasizing the word, “left out when they first told me.”

	“Well… I mean…” I start to say.

	“Upupup, no excuses. Hisao, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have children with you, to grow for decades with you. You made it plain and clear to me over these past few weeks, I am not living my life and you are not living yours anymore. We are living our life, together. I will not have that cut short if I can help it, and I assure you that if there is one thing I can control here it is this.”

	I laugh a bit, more of a self-depreciating one than anything. “I guess you have me there.” I say.

	“You will not be in this alone,” she continues. “I have my own clothing, and will be joining you for daily walks until you can get up to running, which I will still stay outside with you waiting. We have our own path in the back that is rarely used, and a small sitting area. I can’t exactly run along with you,” she blinks her eyes for emphasis, “but I will still be with you.”

	I groan, but it’s for show. “Yes mother.” I say. She pouts, but I grab her by the waist and kiss her lips.

	She kisses me back, again and again. Our lips part, and we envelop one another, pulling tightly and ferociously. Neither of us have had any sexual release, it’s all been pent up, and I can feel the beast screaming for me to hurry, faster, to tear her clothing from her and lay her on the bed. I feel my heart starting to beat faster, but I don’t care. I want, I need Lilly. I need her long hair draped over my face as she is on top of me, to feel her smooth bare skin beneath my-

	A loud buzz interrupts us, and I jump, looking wildly towards the door. The buzz comes again, and it turns out to be from a black box in the wall that I hadn’t noticed.

	“Phooey.” Lilly says. “That’s the intercom. Someone’s trying to get ahold of us.”

	I get up and walk over to the intercom, which buzzes a third time impatiently. “Phooey?”

	She sticks her tongue out at me as I press the button, answering. “Hello?”

	“Mr. Nakai.” Arthur’s voice rings out from the intercom. “Master Satou requests your presence in his office.”

	“Uh, sure. I’ll be right there.” I reply. A sharp crack indicates that the intercom is no longer transmitting. “Huh, this is a pretty handy thing.” I say, looking over the black box. There are a series of buttons at the bottom, each labeled with different room names. Kitchen, Security, and the other guest rooms are labeled. My guess is that the more important intercoms can contact more rooms.

	“I’ll be able to escort you.” Lilly says, standing from the bed.

	“Nah, that’s alright. I think I saw it earlier, off of the staircase.” I say. “You’ve had a long day, and we still have to unpack. Here.” I say, going to her bag. I pull her shortened cane from it, and bring it to her. “In case you need to get around. We can both use a rest for tonight. I’ll be back soon.”

	Lilly bites her lip. “You’re sure?”

	“Of course.” I say, trying my best to sound cheerful. I lean down and kiss her on the cheek. “I’ll return shortly, and we can cuddle nice and close tonight.” I say. She giggles, and a slight red blush appears on her face.

	“Maybe a little more than cuddle, if we continue where we left off.” She says.

	I laugh happily, and kiss her again. “I love you. Be right back.”

	She smiles and nods, and I walk out of the room. I make a right and head down the hall. The suited man from earlier is standing at the end, next to a door. (Mr. Nakai. %!&&@^ Satou #!& &@%& me two @%&&^@ you @#%@ your *!*)

	I try to shrug at him, which I’m not sure it gets the message across. (I do not speak English very well. I am sorry.) I repeat the rehearsed line that Lilly had taught me in the hospital. He nods, and extends his hand to the left, and begins walking. He must want me to follow him.

	We walk on, past where I had thought the office might be, with the large steel doors. We approach the staircase and make a right, turning a small corner into a long hallway. Sliding doors to the right are Japanese in style, and the man pulls one open for me. Mr. Satou is sitting inside, directly behind the door at a desk. He has a paper in his hand, and is wearing a pair of reading glasses as he skims over it with his dark red eyes. I approach the desk, saying nothing as to not interrupt.

	While the doors are Japanese, the room seems to be an odd mixture of the two. The walls of the room are a brownish yellow, which compliments either of the sides. To the left is a sitting area, with what looks like a bamboo floor and a table placed upon the ground, in a traditionalist Japanese way. To the right is a leather couch, where upon sits a tanned Caucasian man, with thinning brown hair swept backwards from his forehead. He stands up, and I determine he must be a bit under 2 meters tall, but still quite a few centimeters larger than me. He’s a bit bulky as well, a mixture of strength and obvious pleasure from a rich lifestyle. He wears a dark blue suit with a white undershirt. He smiles warmly at me. “Mr. Nakai.” He says in Japanese. “My name is John Coward. I’m the CEO of Angelo Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Satou says you’ll be working with us now?”

	(Oh. Yes. Sir.) I attempt to speak in English. Satou still is reading the paper, apparently oblivious to the usage of either language.

	“It’s alright, son.” Coward says. “Until recently, we had a large operation in Japan. I speak the language well enough. I’m glad to hear that you’ll be working under our head lawyer. He’s a fine man.”

	Angelo Pharmaceuticals… I could swear I’d heard that name before. My mind knows better than to wander right now though.

	(Mr. Satou has re-re… Mr. Satou has asked dat I say English in hss home.) I say. I mentally kick myself at forgetting the word for request.

	“Ahh, I understand.” He says, and gives Mr. Satou a sly look. “Well, I will leave you two to it. Have fun, Hisao. It’s good to meet you.”

	(You as well.) I say. I bow my head to the man, who pulls the door open, and slides it shut behind him. I look ahead at Mr. Satou, and silently wait until he is ready to speak.