How Far Chapter 10: Flight of the Bumblebees

	*15 hours earlier*

	All it had took was one swing. One punch, one fiery moment of rage and self-hatred, and I had firmly planted my fist in the wall.

	I stared at it, dumbfounded that the action had actually taken place. I’m slightly amazed at the lack of pain, but only for an instant as I double over, my free hand clutches at my chest. A sudden heat screams in my chest as my elevated heart beat sends the wounded heart thumping rapidly. I shut my eyes against the pain, flexing my chest and feeling the pull of every muscle in my body as it tries to focus on not dying.

	Through the pain, I hear a slam out from the hallway, and much louder BANG against my door.

	Stop it! You can control this! Calm the fuck down!

	Another BANG

	I force air into my lungs at a steady pace, and can feel tension slowly ebbing out of my body. My heart rate must have not been that elevated, because I can already feel it coming down, which is all the more worrisome given that someone’s trying to bust in.

	It must be Kane, he must have heard on patrol and is coming-

	CRASH

	The door flies open, slamming into the opposite wall. The light from the hallway silhouettes the form of a slender guy, scarf flowing, as he tosses what looks like a battering ram aside and darts into the room.

	“Assassin!!” Screams Kenji, who comes forward while reaching into his overshirts pocket.

	Oh god, here we go

	“Kenji,” I say through gritted teeth. “I am not an assassin. It’s Hisao. This is my room.”

	Kenji’s whole body freezes. He stands completely still, and for a moment he looks as if he was made from stone. Then, with a leap, he pounces backwards into the threshold.

	“Let light look upon you, killer!” he shouts, and with a swift motion he slide his hand up the wall on the opposite side of the light switch.

	“It’s the other side, Kenji.”

	“Aha! I see you’ve studied you plan of attack!” With a flourish, he twists his hand up the other wall, eyes still locked on me. I can only stare and I realize that my chest no longer hurts.

	Part of me wishes it’d start back up and claim me.

	The light flicks on in the room.

	“Oh, it is you. What’s up, dude?”

	Kenji relaxes his stance, standing up straight and taking his hand out of his pocket, only to place it against his hip as he grins.

	“Hi Kenji.” I say, rolling my eyes. “You kinda broke my door down.”

	“Yea, and it’s a good thing I did!” he exclaims. “If I hadn’t shown up, an assassin- why are you standing so weird?” He asks, interrupting himself.

	It takes me a moment to realize that my hand is still stuck into the wall. I try to tug on it, but the drywall seems to dig into my fist and it hurts. “Ow, shit.” I mutter to myself. Kenji comes up behind me.

	“Oh, looking for recording devices?” He asks.

	“Yea,” I reply bitterly. “Lilly’s left, and I’m making sure she hasn’t bugged my room.”

	“Oh, don’t worry man. I checked it last week after you guys left it last time! I didn’t go into the walls, but I used my bug spray to make sure she didn’t leave nothing!” He goes into his uniforms other shirt pocket, and pulls out what looks like a can of actual bug spray, with a lightning bolt striking what looks like a cockroach.

	As much as I’d like to ask how he got in my room, I want my hand out of the wall even more. “Here, given me a hand with this.” I say, tugging on my arm.

	He comes over and together we pull it. The drywall scratches at my fist, but with Kenji pulling as well it pops free in a moment.

	Resisting the small urge to swing it into his face, I blow air onto the fist, and pat his shoulder with it. “Thank you, Kenji.”

	“Oooh, you put a nice little hole in your wall.” He says, my gesture going unnoticed. “Do you want some patch up stuff? I’ve had to put back a few pieces of my own. You know, bad days.”

	“Yea… I know bad days…” I say, looking at the fist sized chunk.

	“Hey, whats the matter with you? You look depressed.” I look at him and he’s about four inches from my own face, his beady eyes squinting through his glasses.

	A look of horror crosses his face. “You didn’t let her take it, did you!?”

	“What are you talking about?” I say, the irritation in my voice palpable.

	“The Welsh woman!” He says incorrectly. “She took it, didn’t she? She took it and left with it and now she’s gone with it!”

	“Gone with what? Kenji, what the hell are you on about?”

	“Your youness! I dated a woman once, and she took my myness away, and now you’ve fallen into the same pit trap! Is she already gone? Did she fly or is she driving?”

	“I’m pretty sure she’s flying… It’d be hard to drive to the UK from here.” I say sarcastically.

	In true Kenji fashion, it falls right off of him. “No, maybe she’s been talking with that other whale woman… Jonhana, or something.”

	“Kenji, she’s flying.” Direct response get direct results, I remember.

	“Oh, when? We can’t just let her leave with your youness! We have to get it back!”

	He brings up an interesting point… I don’t actually know what time her flight was. She might still not even be gone. She could even be at Shizune’s, still packing. “I don’t know,” I tell him truthfully.

	“Well then, let’s go get it back!” He exclaims, and turns and starts walking out the door.

	“Wait a second, where are you going?”

	“Where else would you go to see if a person has left on an airplane yet? The airport!”

	The simplicity of it catches me off-guard, and I feel like an idiot for not thinking of it myself. I grab my cellphone and key off of the table by my door, and book it after Kenji, leaving everything else behind. “Kenji, wait up!”
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	“Alright, were here. That’ll be 3,557.06 yen.”

	Kenji is out the door before the cab driver is done speaking, and I curse at him under my breath as I withdraw my wallet.

	“You’re a student, yea?” The cab driver asks. I look up to see him staring intently into the review mirror. “Your friend seemed to think you’ve got more than enough to cover.” He says, referencing the open door. I look out to see Kenji marching into the front doors with no hesitation.

	“Yea… He’s like that. Sorry.” I tell the cab guy, a bit abashed. The ride here had been a relatively quiet one, and we made it before 8:30.

	“You know what, let’s call it 3,000 even. Student discount.”

	It’s not much, but it’s enough to make me smile a bit as I withdraw the payment.

	“Thank you so much, I really appreciate that.” I tell him as I hand him the payment. He nods and I exit the car with exactly 600 yen in my wallet.

	I go after Kenji, entering through the electric doors I saw him go through. He’s standing in the entrance squinting at all the passers-by until he recognizes me and steps up, grabbing me my the arm and tugging me to the side.

	“Here, the terminals here list all the international flights and times. What airport is she landing at? Do you know the flight number? Even the airline would probably do.”

	It dawns on me that I know neither of these things, having been so bitter with her as to not even ask her flight number… She must think I don’t even care to check if she lands alright.

	I stare ahead at the terminals, looking instead for the city.

	Inverness.

	I scroll through them, listed in alphabetical order.

	F… G… H… I!

	There’s two flights for Inverness today! And one hasn’t left yet!! Yes! Okay, now what time…

	Where elation had lifted me, the misery of realization sinks me further still.

	Solemnly, I stare at the departcher/arrival times of both planes. One of them had left at 2:30pm, and would be arriving in Inverness at 3am, which the board listed would be 7pm for their local time.

	The other, which hadn’t left yet, didn’t leave until 11:30, and wasn’t supposed to arrive till noon tomorrow, which would be 4am in

	Inverness.

	There’s no way Lilly would be on that plane. She’s moving back into her family home, they must be on the one that already left… Her parents probably have a party set up for her and Akira. “The daughters return.” God damn it. She’s gone.

	“She’s gone.” Hearing it out loud makes my stomach twist even worse. The urge to swing something, to throw a punch, grows within me, but I force it down, balling my fist instead. I almost feel like crying.

	I notice the silence from Kenji, and turn to try and confide in him, only to notice that he’s walked off. Confusion takes prime spot as my emotional state, and I quickly spot him speaking with a man that’s standing at a small desk off to the side of the main passage way.

	Walking over, I hear the man ask “Is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Setou?”

	“No, Hoshiro, that’s all. Thanks.”

	Does Kenji know this guy?

	“Hey, man.” Kenji says as I walk up.

	“She’s gone, Kenji.” There’s nothing else to say.

	“Well then, we’re pretty lucky that today is today, and not tomorrow, then. Come on!”

	Before I can ask him what the hell he’s talking about, Kenji seizes my arm and firmly pulls me along beside him. Looking back, I see the man, Hoshiro, grinning embarrassedly as he waves.

	“What was that about? Where are we going? Let go, I can walk myself.” I pull my arm out of his grasp, but he continues forward without acknowledging my question until we reach a door marked Staff Only. Kenji goes into his pants pocket, pulling out a wallet, out of which he takes a card and slides it through a card checker. The door beeps, with the checker flicking from red to green, and Kenji pulls it open and leads me through.

	“Do you work here??” I ask, incredulously.

	“Shh, shut up. Follow my lead.” He says simply, and I just fall into step.

	“Good evening Mr. Setou.” Says a woman in a blue top and skirt, who I assume must be a flight attendant. Kenji just keeps walking, ignoring the greeting, and I follow along beside him.

	“Hey, Kenji. Good to see you. On escort duty again?” Asks a man that’s pushing a load of baggage.

	“Yup.” Kenji replies, not even turning.

	We walk on for a few more minutes until we reach a door marked ‘Pilot’s lounge.’

	“Alright,” he says, finally turning to me. “Don’t speak unless spoken to, don’t stare into his eyes, and for God’s sake fix your hair.” He says, while running his hands through his own. I raise my hand to my hair and sort of pat it, more amazed by Kenji’s odd behavior. “I know she stole your youness, so I get why you look like a lost puppy, but you have to put on a face for right now. Alright? Alright. Thank Christ you’re still in uniform.”

	Kenji opens the door and the scent of cigarettes washes out of the room. Inside are four men, all in various positions around the room. Two of them are leaning against a center table, smoking, whilst another is sitting on a plush leather chair drinking what looked like whiskey. The fourth man, who Kenji approaches, is in full uniform, sitting on a couch to the side, reading a magazine. He wears a pair of blue slacks, and a blue pilot’s jacket with gold buttons. On his head is a black captain’s hat, with a golden insignia on the front that I don’t recognize. He wears a pair of golden reading spectacles over his eyes, and his face is lined with age. He has to be over 50 years old.

	“Good evening, father.” Kenji says as he approaches.

	The man lowers his magazine and looks over towards us. He looks over his spectacles for a moment, looking slightly confused.

	“Kenji?” He asks. “I didn’t think I would see you until I picked you up tomorrow. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”

	I notice that the other men in the room are not paying the slightest bit of attention to us. The two that are smoking are laughing and joking about, and the pilot with the drink sits whilst staring ahead, oblivious to the world.

	“This is my friend, Hisao. I told you about him.”

	I snap back to attention as the man looks me over, and he smiles warmly. “It’s good to meet you, Hisao. Kenji tells me that you’re hall mates, and he’s told me what a wonderful friend you are.” He bows slightly, and I find myself doing the same.

	“Y-Yes sir.” I reply, stuttering. The man’s gaze is friendly and warm, but Kenji’s worry earlier has put me on edge.

	“So, what can I do for you two gentlemen?” Mr. Setou asks.

	“Hoshiro told me you’re chartered for London tonight, is that right?” Kenji asks. His tone is different, I notice, while talking to his father. More formal that the Kenji I’m used to, he sounds posh.

	“Yes, I will be. Why do you ask?”

	“Would you be able to take us along, and make a stop on the way back?”

	Oh. Oh god damn it.

	“Kenji,” I start, but Mr. Setou quiets me himself with a hand wave.

	“What exactly for?” he asks.

	“Hisao’s girlfriend left earlier today on a plane heading for-”

	“Scotland. Inverness, specifically.” I cut in before he can say something completely off like South Africa.

	Mr. Setou gives me a sideways glance. “Ah, so it’s a love story. Shame you didn’t catch her here. Do you intend to ask her to return with us?”

	I hadn’t honestly thought that over. I thought I might never see her again, and here was this family that seemed to be about to take me to Scotland. Scotland! I’ve barely ever been outside the city, let alone the country!

	I shake my head. “No. If she wants to go, then she should. But I need to tell her something. She’s done so much for me, shouldered such a burden, and it took me until now to realize that. I need to apologize to her.”

	Mr. Setou smiles at me. “That’s a good answer. I like that.” He stands up to his full height, only slightly above myself. “Tell me,

	Hisao, do you have a passport?”

	Here comes the disappointment.

	“No sir… I don’t.”

	Mr. Setou strokes his chin, thoughtfully. “You know, young man, you’re quite lucky that my son has spoken so highly of you. That, and that I am the owner of the plane.” He laughs, an infectious sound that raises my spirit. “I suppose that will do. We have no more scheduled flights after London, and I was going to need to fly to Inverness in the morning regardless to pick up some VIPs. Politicians,” he said, rolling his eyes, “that can’t decide whether or not Scotland should be independent from the UK. We can take you along. As long as you are on the plane back come next morning.”

	My heart soars. “Thank you so much sir. I really appreciate this.”

	“Ahahah, hang on a moment. Now, I have done this before, but the actions we will be taking aren’t exactly legal.” He pulls me in closely. “Most of the time, family and friends are given a special pass on these sorts of things, but you cannot go rubbing it into anyone’s face. Understand? If anyone asks, you’re the son of a Japanese official going to observe British politics, and you’ll just “happen” to fall asleep before we receive our destination. The other passengers aren’t to know. Half of them don’t speak Japanese anyways. How is your English?”

	I cringe, which he laughs at. “I hope you know enough to find your girl then. Whether or not you’re on the plane, we are leaving at noon local time. Understood?”

	“Yes, sir.” I say, nodding my head.

	He smiles. “I have a soft spot for love. If Mrs. Setou were still here, she’d never let me turn you away. After all-”

	“Thanks dad,” Kenji interrupts. “I’m going to take Hisao to the plane so he can get settled before the flight.”

	Kenji quickly grabs my arm and begins leading me away. A quick glance over my shoulder shows Mr. Setou chuckling as he picks his magazine back up and sits back against the couch.

	“Kenji.” I say, planting my feet once we exit the room. “Why didn’t you just tell me what you were doing?”

	He tugs on my arm, still trying to lead me down the passageway. “Do you honestly think you’d have gone along with it if I did?” he says.

	“Besides, I owe you.”

	Part of me wonders if he means for that pizza, but I keep silent because I don’t think I honestly want to hear that that’s the reason. I start walking along with him, and the further we get from the staff room, the less tense he seems to become. He lets out a sigh as we turn down another hallway, and we continue on walking.

	As we walk, multiple members of the staff greet Kenji. Many of them he simply ignores, but I notice that there are a few that he inclines his head to and mummers a greeting in return. It makes me wonder just what how much sway his father must have for all of these people to recognize his student son.

	Finally, we reach a door that is covered in red markings and printed at the top-center in big bold letters is the word, ‘CAUTION’. Beneath that is printed ‘You are exiting the terminal onto the tarmac. Please be wary of your surroundings.’ Kenji fishes into his pocket and scans the same card that I saw him use earlier, and the door pops open. Through the threshold is the sweet scent of fresh air, and the roaring sound of giant engines.

	“Come on, just follow me.” Kenji says, and strides confidentially out the door. I hurriedly follow along, probably appearing much less confident.

	The roaring of the airliners is more than a little off putting, but I must admit that they are quiet the spectacle. Giant man-made birds slowly move along the tarmac, crawling forward in a slow and unstoppable manner. I have never been on an airplane, never even seen one this closely in person, and the realization of just how small I am really takes hold as not even ten of me stacked end on end could reach the top of these metal beasts.

	To my right, I see work crews working in hangers on the nearest plane, scattered all across it like ants. To the left, Kenji is walking towards a strip of road that is much too small to be for the planes. I speed after him, and ahead I can see another section of hangers, as well as what appears to be a separate run-way.

	As I catch up to him, Kenji is excitedly talking. “-like this before flying. We normally take the passengers by car, but I can’t drive yet so we’ll have to walk.”

	Yet is the word that sticks in my brain, as I remember that this is the guy who thought I was an assassin in my own room this same night.

	Kenji raises his hand and I see that it’s shaking slightly. “See? Nervous, heh.” He laughs. “I just haven’t logged enough hours yet. Dad says it all comes with time.”

	Slowly, I piece together what he said. “Wait, you mean you’re flying?!?”

	“Nah, co-piloting. I couldn’t do it all myself, the landing and takeoff are more manual, but most everything else is computerized now. In a few years, even those processes will be automated!”

	I feel my own hands start to shake. “So, you dad is going to pilot us? How long has he been-”

	“Oh he’s been at this forever. My grandfather was a pilot too. ‘Aviation is in our blood,’ dad says. Of course, Grandpa flew a military plane, and the airliners are much different.”

	A quick flash of Kenji in a Japanese Zero enters my mind, unwillingly. I force myself not to ask what happened to Grandpa, and just hope beyond hope that it’s not the fate that I suspect.

	We walk along the side road towards the separate building, and I quickly realize it is bigger than I had thought, instead containing three separate hangers. There are people slowly patrolling the area, and one of them seems to take notice of us as a man approaches.

	Kenji identifies himself to the guard as the co-pilot for “Setou private airlines,” and shows the man his ID card. The man withdraws a pocket scanner and swipes the card. After a moment, he clears us for passage, but not before requesting we use transportation next time so as to appear not suspicious. Kenji just nods and walks along, and I follow.

	We enter into the nearest hanger, where three much smaller planes are sitting. Whereas the ones we saw earlier made me think of monsters, these were much more sleek and pointed. They could probably fit around twenty people in the passenger spots instead of the hundred or so the others. It was like comparing a hawk to a flying pig, and I feel a much less stressed around these.

	Kenji leads us up towards the nearest plane, which is entirely black. I notice that there are no identifying marks on the plane, and I determine that this must be for the clienteles’ privacy.

	A man in a black suit is sitting in a chair while reading a newspaper next to the plane looks up as our feet echo through the hanger. “Ahh, Mr. Setou. I wasn’t aware you’d be accompanying us. You’re about a half hour early.” He says, standing and folding the paper

	“Yes, I’ll be co-piloting. My father sent me to escort Mr.… Takahashi.” He says, and inclines his head towards me.

	The man nods his head, knowingly. “Ah, I understand.” He turns and sets the paper on the chair, and walks to the side of the plane. He slides back a panel and presses and holds a button, which causes a section of the plane begin to open outwards. Slowly, a staircase mechanically descends.

	Once the stairs finally stop folding out, Kenji nods to the man and him and I enter into the plane. It’s a bit smaller than I had expected, giving just about a foot of head room as I follow Kenji to the right and through a small curtain.

	Inside the cabin are 16 cushioned seats, and in the back is a curtain.

	“Bed’s back there if you need it,” Kenji says, pointing to the back of the plane. “The seats are comfortable enough, but first comers get dibs. The bathroom is the door right where we came in. Anything else, hit this little picture of the helper above the seat and our flight attendant will come and help you.”

	 I sigh as I sit down in one of the seats. The plushness of them is all enveloping, it feels like sitting on a comfy bed. There’s even a pillowed section on the head that I wouldn’t be surprised to find had actual feathers in them.

	Kenji still stands in the aisle, staring at me. “You ever flown before?”

	“No, not really.” I reply truthfully.

	“Hang on.” He says, and walks towards the front of the plane. I look out the window into the hanger. The orange of the setting sun gives the sense of peace, even though I can still feel bits of stress along my body at the prospect of being 50,000 feet in the air in a metal tube. Before I can think too much on it, Kenji returns with a pair of pills and a glass of water.

	“Here,” he says. “This’ll calm you down, hopefully even put you to sleep. You’ll sleep most of the flight if you do.”

	Gratefully, I take the pills and swallow them with the water. They go down easily given their comparative size to my… own… medication.

	My life saving medication.

	That I left back at Yamaku.

	“Shit.”

	“Oh come on, they don’t taste that bad. The flight will be quick.”

	“Not that, I left my medicine for my arrhythmia back at school. I didn’t exactly know I’d be hoping countries today.” I say, squinting accusingly at him.

	“Arrhythmia? Is that something with your lungs?” he asks.

	“No, it’s my heart.” I reply. “Just… don’t worry about it. I’ll take it when we get back.”

	“Alright.” Kenji says, shrugging. “Get some sleep then. That should help. The others will be here soon.” And with that he walks off.

	Part of me feels in debt to him for doing all of this for me. Another part still wants to punch him. I can already feel the drugs kicking in though, and my heart rate seems slow enough. As long as I keep you down, nothing will happen. I’ll be fine, just no running.

	I close my eyes and lean back, the tiredness of the day breaking over me like a wave, and it’s not long before I feel myself drifting off to sleep.
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	*Ding*

	“Alright folks, we have reached cruising altitude for the remaining leg of our journey to London. If you need any other sort of accommodations, please let Ms. Juniper know.”

	The soft voice permeated my mind and I slowly opened my eyes. Looking out the window, I see the bright lights of a city far far below, entirely lit up. In the distance, I see the Eiffel tower. The entirety of the structure is lit up and it looks as beautiful as people say. There’s a soft laugh from behind me, and I turn to look at a man in a navy blue suit. The man is Caucasian, mid-thirties, with dirty-blonde close cut hair. He holds a glass with only ice in his hand, but his eyes are focused on me.

	(First &#%@ *#&#&#%# Paris?)

	English. Of course. The way he frames the words seems to be a question, and I try to figure out the meaning of the words when he laughs.

	“Don’t speak English?” he asks, in perfect Japanese.

	“Ahh, no.” I respond sheepishly. “English is my worst subject, unfortunately.”

	The man laughs, but not in a mocking manner. It's more gentle, and kind. “I asked if it was your first time seeing Paris.”

	“Oh, yea.” I say, nodding.

	“I could tell.” He says, smiling. “The Japanese seem to have a special affection for this city.” He glances over my shoulder. “I’m glad that this could be your first image, then. I find cities are always there most beautiful when flying over them.”

	I don’t really know how to respond to the question, so I just look out the window. It’s true that I’ve always wanted to see Paris. I didn’t even know it was going to be a stop on the trip. A woman walks out into the cabin and notices me. “Oh, Mr. Takahashi.” She says. It takes me a moment before I remember that she is addressing me. “Good morning,” she says, bowing her head. “Would you like your dinner now?”

	“Uhh, good morning.” I reply, bowing in kind. The mention of food alerts my stomach, which growls in wanting. “Yes, please. That sounds really good.”

	She bows again and exists back to the front.

	“So, Mr. Takahashi,” the man says with a smile. “What’s a Japanese student that doesn’t know English heading to England for?”

	“Umm, my father. He wants me to observe some of the governmental processes. He works in the Japanese government, and wants me to follow.”

	I say, quickly reciting the lie.

	“Hmmm,” the man hums, still smiling. “And what position in the government is your father?”

	I didn’t plan for this. I squirm a bit before the man breaks out in a laugh.

	The woman re-enters the cabin with a delicious smelling dinner, and my stomach growls again. She places it in front of me, as well as a plastic cup with some form of bubbly drink.

	“And I’ve brought you another Scotch, Mr. White.” She says, placing the glass in front of the man.

	“Thank you, my dear. You’re ever too kind.” He says, toasting her. She giggles and curtseys before walking back to the front of the plane. He turns back to me. “As you can see, I also have a very common last name, however I’m afraid that mine is real.” He winks at me, and I feel my stomach turn. “You’d have to be pretty fast to pull one over on the MI5, security is out job after all. Don’t worry though, I’m off duty, and I couldn’t honestly care less what you’re doing.” He says, still smiling. “I doubt very much that the Japanese have any sort of terror plots towards us.”

	I feel my stomach unknot a little, but my appetite still isn’t strong enough to overcome the sudden thrust into the light. He reaches up and presses the aid icon, and the attendant comes back.

	“Yes, Mr. White?”

	“Please, bring my new friend here something a bit harder than coke. Tell me, son, ever have scotch?”

	“Uh… No, sir.” I say.

	“One scotch, then. On the rocks, and make it a bit weak for the lad. It’s his first time.”

	She looks at me hesitantly, but bows and does as he asks. “Go on, don’t let me interrupt your dinner.” He says, gesturing.

	I pick up the knife and fork and begin cutting the steak. It’s tender, and comes apart easily. I place it in my mouth, and my stomach nearly moans at how delicious it is. I haven’t eaten since lunch, and I have no idea what time it is. The attendant comes back with the glass and she hands it to me. I take it gingerly, and turn to see Mr. White raising his glass towards me.

	“To international friendships,” he says, still smiling. I toast him, and drink from the glass. It’s a bit strong, making me cough slightly after I put it down, but it does taste pretty good.

	Mr. White, on the other hand, takes it in stride, and downs half of the glass. “Ahh,” he says when he finishes. “So, what are you really doing in London? No lies.”

	“Well… I’m going to Scotland to look for my girlfriend.” I say. Is that what she is still? I mean we never really broke up… this is all still so confusing.

	“Girlfriend, eh? What’s she look like?” he asks, closing his eyes and leaning back.

	“Umm… Well…” I’m not used to being so forward with someone, but I can’t very well be rude to the man who has already caught me in a lie.

	“She’s got long blonde hair, is as tall as I am, and slender. She’s got blue eyes, but she’s blind.”

	Mr. White opens his eyes slowly, staring straight ahead. “That’s what I was doing in Japan.” He says slowly. “I was looking for my sister. She fits most of that description actually. She’s a bit short, though, and not blind of course.” He says as if I already knew that. “Catherine.” He says her name quietly, and I notice the entire tone of the conversation has flipped.

	“Is your sister missing?” I ask, curious now. I still proceed to continue eating the food, glad the focus of the conversation is off of me.

	“Yea. She disappeared in Japan a few months ago. She was an investigative journalist, told me she was on to something big… and then she vanished.”

	“I am very sorry to hear that.” I say, measuredly, still not comfortable with revealing all of myself to this man. If I can keep the question on him, though, it may be easier. “Did you find anything?”

	“I wish…” he says. He drinks deeply from his glass, finishing it. “Just her hotel room. She had one on reserve for her for every time she went to Japan that she told me about. The owner said she left one day and just didn’t return, but Catharine is like that, likes to follow leads, so he just assumed she meant to check out. It’s been two months since she’s last been seen.”

	Mr. White fishes around in his pocket, standing up. He takes out his wallet, and out from it he pulls a small white card. “It’s in English, and I know it’s a longshot, but if you ever hear anything when you head back, give me a call.”

	On the card reads Alexander White, along with a bunch of other information. I recognize the letters, and I know this must be his name, but I’m unsure how to pronounce it.

	“I’m going hit that bed in the back for a while. Good luck, kid. Hopefully at least one of us finds what we’re looking for.”

	With that, Alexander walks to the back of the plane and through the curtain. I’m left to enjoy the rest of my meal in silence as I reflect on just how weird traveling the world must be, and how content I was just to stay in one location.

	The image of a country house, sitting on the front porch with Lilly as we look over the Japanese countryside is a comforting one, and it gives me something to strive and hope for.

	Maybe, if everything plays out right, and god willing, that wish will come true.
******************************************************************************************************************************************

	“Hey, come on man, wake up.” A hand on my shoulder is the first feeling I have as my consciousness returns. I look over to where White had been sitting, but his seat is vacant. Kenji stands over me, his arms now crossed.

	“Are we in England?” I ask, yawning.

	“Damn, those pills worked wonders on you. We already left London, we’re circling Inverness now. We’ll be landing soon, so buckle up.”

	Kenji sits down across the aisle from me and buckles himself in.

	As I reach around the lower parts of the cushioned chair, pulling the seatbelt forward and buckling it on myself, I realize that this is the first time I’ve buckled it the whole flight. We’d landed and taken off multiple times, and I didn’t feel a thing. I glance out the window and see the bright lights of the airport lighting up a runway as we circle around. A slight tremor runs through the plane, and the view is obscured by clouds.

	“I must have been exhausted. I slept through practically everything.” I say.

	“Yea, well, you’ll have needed it. Remember, you only have about ten hours to find her. If you can’t do that… I’ll try to stop him, but it wouldn’t be the first time.” He says, ominously. The prospect of being stranded in a foreign country is not an exciting one, but I know that I’ll just have to pull through in time. Somewhere down there is Lilly. I just have to find her.

	A sudden jolt loudly shakes the plane, and another one, followed by another until they’re coming so fast that the plane vibrates as the radio dings “Sorry boys, she’s given me a rough time right now. We’ll be landing soon.” Mr. Setou speaks over the intercom. I look outside and can see nothing but the fog of cloud, and the image of a broken and burning wreck enters my mind. I close my eyes and try to shut it out, but that only makes it more vivid and worse.

	“I should have called my parents.” I say aloud, but if Kenji can hear it he doesn’t say anything. I squint my eyes shut and clutch at the airliners chair, and as suddenly as it had started the shaking ends.

	I find myself panting slightly as the radio dings once more. “Pretty fun for your first flight, right? Haha, we’re in final approach now, we’ll be unloaded right as soon as we land.” Mr. Setou sounds giddy, and I just know that he lives for this stuff.

	I’m still breathing a bit from the tension when I feel the plane start to change altitude as we slowly glide down towards the ground. I force myself not to watch as the plane descends, the image of the wreck still in my mind. The plane seems to bounce one, twice, and then I hear the rolling of the wheels on the ground as we gradually slow. I’m still gripping the seats as we pull off of the runway and into a docking hanger, and the background noise that I hadn’t even realized was the engines finally shuts down. Kenji unbuckles his seatbelt and stands, but my hands are still locked.

	For some reason, my breathing is still heavy. I can’t quite seem to catch a full breath, instead only shallow gulps of air are entering my lungs. I know it must be from the panic, but it’s over now. And that’s when I notice it. A noise that all of the sudden blasts in my ears.

	Lub-dub

	Lub-dub

	Lub-dub

	“Hey boys,” says Mr. Setou, walking back. “So Mr. Nakai, how was your fir-” he stops and goes pale, looking directly at me. My hands scrape off the armrests, gripping quickly at the buckle and tearing it loose. They tear my tie off of my neck, and I grip the button down shirt, pulling it apart as my chest screams in a panic.

	“Kenji, what’s going on!?

	“What? Oh, shit! Call the paramedics! It’s his heart, he’s having an attack!”

	I hear the voices, but I force them out of my head as I try to consciously manage my ever increasing heartrate.

	Lub-dub Lub-dub Lub-dub Lub-dub

	The pain that’s gripping my chest reaches a crescendo despite my attempts to control it, and I open my mouth in a silent scream.