How Far Chapter 14: Woman and wine, swords and song

	When I was flying over Paris, the sound of the private jet was a noise like I had never experienced. The sound was ever present and all encompassing, a loud howl as we sailed through the air kilometers above the streets below. The noise was one of the loudest things I’d ever heard, a true testament to the technological advances of mankind.

	This sound, the sound of silence, was much, MUCH, more piercing. It surrounds us, and I can feel the veritable weight of it weighing down upon me. Like Atlas, I stand holding up the weight of the sky. Slowly, it crushes down, and after a minute, two minutes, three, I can feel my posture begin to crack. Five minutes pass, and I feel myself wanting to break, to walk over to the position where Coward had sat and sit myself. Satou stares on at the paper, blinking ever so often. His red eyes are a deeper red than Akira’s, and they gaze at the paper in an almost bored like fashion. He sits casually in his chair, reading the… wait… no.

	His eyes remain locked on a position of the paper, a position close towards the corner, closest to where I stand. He isn’t reading at all. He, like me, is waiting. Waiting for what? Waiting for me to crack? Waiting for me to say something? Does he want me to say something? Does he want me to wait? Maybe this is a test of my patience, then again maybe it’s one of my courage. I keep my face blank, mulling over what to do. I’m more than a bit angry, and the bottling of the emotion is beginning to grow out of check, though I remain. This is a battle of wills, I decide. I set my jaw and stare forwards.

	I will not be outdone.
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	I will not be outdone.

	The words flash in my mind, right alongside the stars. Shouting from the surrounding area gives me energy, and I struggle back to my feet.

	I taste blood in my mouth, my arms ache, my stomach more, and a part of me wants to crumple on the floor and let the darkness take me.

	A low gruff voice, the instructor or the referee, barks what sounds like an order, but I can’t hear what he says. Too focused, am I, on the twin tailed girl, hopping back and forth on plastic springs, wooden sword gripped tightly in her hands with a cocky grin. I feel my own hands tighten around the handle of my blunted wooden blade, and the irritation of that smirk, that I’m better than you look, fills me like a hot fire.

	‘Live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds.’

	I stride forward, the long black robe billowing around me legs, and pull the sword back and to the right. Darting to the left, I bring the blade horizontally directly towards her center. She blocks it, using both hands, but the force is enough to push her own blade directly towards her face. Quickly sliding the blade with me, I turn, bringing my leg out and kicking at the mechanical prosthetic. I catch her directly in the knee, and her leg sweeps out from beneath her. She falls with a look of surprise and hits the ground hard.

	Quickly, I place my blade to her throat, horizontally, with just enough pressure to be uncomfortable. She blinks her eyes, having hit her head, and peers down at the blade at her neck. The gong sounds, signaling the end of the match.

	She scowls at the wooden sword. “That’s cheating.” Said Emi Ibarazaki.

	The sound of clapping interrupts my reply, and the class instructor approaches us. “In Kendo, yes.” He says, nodding his head. “But this is not a Kendo class. Nor is it even a sword fighting class, or your friend Ms. Tezuka would be at an extreme disadvantage. This is a self-defense fighting course, and if you are faced with life and death, you must be willing to do anything to survive. Sometimes the best way to be defensive, is to be offensive, as Ms. Enomoto just showed.”

	There’s a small applause from the surrounding group, and I draw my blade back from Emi’s throat. I extend a hand to her. She takes it, though with a notable scowl. We both move to the center of the circle, and bow. Then, we move to take our seats.

	Normally, I’d sit by myself and meditate whilst the next round went on, but instead I go over to Emi. Rin, who normally sat with her, is currently up for her own duel. I take her vacated seat, as Emi prys the prosthetic from her leg that I had kicked out. She rubs her hand gingerly over the stump.

	“Any damage?” I ask, sitting down.

	She’s silent for a moment, but sighs. “No. Luckily. Mom would kill me if I had. She’d kill me if she knew I was here.” She reaches into her bag and takes out a bottle of some sort of lotion. She palms the substance, and rubs it on the stump awkwardly.

	“Here, let me do that.” I say. Before she can protest, I move closer to her, gripping her leg. I run my hand over the already applied lotion, rubbing it in, as she uses the ground behind her to stabilize herself. I rub the lotion in, and she lets out a small groan as I do.

	“That feels really nice…” She says.

	“I imagine it would.” I reply. “You’re always hopping about, it’s surprising there’s anything left here.” Her leg feels almost callused, the skin rough against my touch.

	“Well, I gotta. I’m the fastest thing on no legs. Now I just gotta try to add best fighter to that list of titles.” She said, with a smirk.

	“Best sword fighter, maybe. But I don’t think you could beat-”

	The sound of a gong interrupts me, and I turn to see the fight has begun. This round was strictly for unarmed combat, and I watch as Rin Tezuka stands motionless, her black robes covering most of her body. Her opponent, a boy named Toshin, comes forward at her with his fists held up, like a boxer. He quickly hops forwards on the balls of his feet, intent on closing the distance. Rin simply stands still, staring straight ahead like a statue.

	The boy was stood quite a bit taller than her, and held much more upper power. He obviously intended on using her disadvantage at being able to block to his own.

	Rapidly, he closed the distance, just as Rin twirled and lifted herself into the air. With a sickening crack, Rin’s foot shot out, slamming into the boys head as he brought up his arm to try and block it. It’s probably all what kept him from having his neck snapped. He’s sent sprawling to the side, and falls outside of the ring. The official gong rings, instructing that the match has ended.

	She looks over at the teacher as he approaches, the same impassive look on her face. He applauds her as well, and the class follows.

	The instructor turns and addresses the class. “Many of you have weaknesses, let Ms. Tezuka here remind you that some of those weaknesses may be your greatest strength.” Rin walked over to Toshin and cocked her head as he struggled to his feet. He waggled his head back and forth dizzily, and stuck out his arm to shake. Rin grinned, and raised the stump of her arm, placing it in the boy’s hand. He quickly dropped it, backing away and bowing, rapidly apologizing as Rin let out a small “Heh.”
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	A boiling point. That’s what this is. That’s what Dad used to call it when Mom had gotten so mad that she clamped shut. I too, seem to have reached that. My mind knows that I couldn’t have been standing here more than 5 minutes, though it feels more like twenty.
60 seconds in a minute. 60 times 5 is 300. Three hundred seconds, standing here doing nothing.

	Finally, Mr. Satou clears his throat. He sets down the paper, and nods in apparent approval.

	(You are a ^!&#@%& man. @#&#@^ &#!&, or you are a &@^*#%# man. @#&#@^ one will do.) He says. His voice is deep, gruff. If he is the head lawyer of a corporation, he must speak often… I wonder if he talks to everyone in such a manner.

	Honestly unsure of what he says, I stand still, looking at him now. I don’t let anything show on my face. Still, the anger festers inside me, that he’d waste my time like this. But, then again, I suppose I have nothing but time to waste.

	He stands from his desk, his finger sliding against the roof of where his legs were, which I can’t help but notice. He motions to my right, towards the European side of the room. For a moment, I think that we’ll be sitting on the couch, but instead the a Red door pops out of the wall, held by a man that looked more like a bouncer than anything else. Behind him, I hear laughter and the sound of music, and can see that the room beyond glows with a soft red.

	“Now, Mr. Nakai. Hisao.” Satou says, in Japanese. “Would you join me for a drink in our Redwood room?”

	Something I learned from Lilly, is that sometimes silence is the best answer. I do not know what to say, so I say nothing as Satou extends his arm towards the room, simply advancing. The bouncer ahead of us nods his head in greeting to me, and closes the door behind us as we enter the room.

	It’s not an especially large room, rather it’s honestly a bit cramped. Yet the feeling of enclosure adds more to a sense of coziness rather than a sense of discomfort. The room seems to be made from, well, red wood. Polished well, it shines with the warmth of a circular fireplace that takes up the corner of the room. The gray sky and rain against the window are a constant reminder of the storm outside, which makes the room all the more appealing. Across from the entrance is a bar, a man in dressed serving gear standing behind it pouring a glass. To our right is a small stage, with a few guys in tuxedos playing a sort of… jazz music? I’ve heard it before, but never live. A black man playing a saxophone seems to be the group’s leader. He does well, the music invites a soft and calm atmosphere. A small table of men with drinks are chatting loudly next to the stage, not really paying attention to the music but no doubt enjoying the ambience.
Satou walks past me, beckoning for me to follow. We approach the bar as the group lets out a howl of laughter at a something, but Satou ignores them.

	“Here you are, sir. Saw you coming.” Says the server. He slides the drink to Satou, who holds it up. In the firelight, the alcohol has a maple like look to it. A light and appetizing bronze, which surrounds the ice that clinks in the glass.

	“Have you ever had brandy, Hisao?” Satou asks, once again, in Japanese. I shake my head in way of response.

	(No.) I say, in English.

	Satou smiles. It looks more like a wolf than it does someone that’s happy. “I do admire the effort, really.” He says. “However, I need to speak with you on a personal level. I will permit the usage of our native tongue with me, this time. Between the two of us.”

	I wait for a moment, and do my best to hide the hesitation. “Y-yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

	Satou nods, pleased. “What is your drink of choice?” He asks. The bar tender stands at the ready.

	“Umm, well, I was underage back in Japan, sir. I’ve only really ever had wine.”

	Satou nods his head, and orders a drink from the bar tender on my behalf. The server quickly rushes off.

	“He’ll be back in a moment.” Satou says.

	He gestures towards the fire side, where a few chairs are. We sit in front of the sparkling flame, and I find myself enthralled with it. Staring into the fire, it only seems a moment before the bar tender returns and places a tray on the side table of a bottle of wine and a glass, as well as an ice bucket. He uncorks the bottle and pours a tad bit into the glass. It’s a deep dark red color, with hints of violet. He pulls back and waits… Assuming he’s waiting for me, I pick the glass up, cupping the bowl, and drink it.

	It’s less than a mouthful, and goes down easily. For the few moments it passed through my mouth, the fruity taste of the alcohol was pleasant. “Mhmm, that’s good.”

	The waiter smirks, nods his head, and I place the glass back down. He fills the cup to about half of what it can hold, and the pulls back again. “If I may suggest, sir, holding the glass by its steam is generally how you would go about this. Holding the bowl will warm the glass with your hands, thereby spoiling the wine. And do try to savor the taste. This liquid is older than you are.”

	“Oh… umm… sure?” I say, trying to remember that. I knew there were tricks to it, but wine has always just been wine to me. It’s just a drink, after all.

	A pang in my chest sends my hand worriedly rubbing it, and a warmth spreads through my ears. It’s not pain though, not like I’ve ever felt in my heart… I think Lilly just heard my thoughts.

	Satou has sat silently through the exchange, staring out the window. As I take another sip of the wine, this time holding the glass, I swish it around slightly in my mouth. The server was right, it is better this way.

	“My daughter.” Mr. Satou says, pausing. “My daughter is… important to me. To us.” No doubt, he means his wife. “She means the world to Akira, and it is extraordinarily self-evident that she means more to her than myself or her mother ever could.”

	I’m about to nod my head, before I catch myself and realize just how much agreeing with that could cause an issue, even if it is correct.

	“She’s a Satou by blood, but her nature is… different. She is rebellious, whilst Akira knows the effort that we must go through and that it is better to sometimes bend knee. I am glad that you already know this.” He says. He lifts his glass up to his face, and takes another drink. His crimson eyes still focus on the window, the rain falling against it. A reminder of standing, waiting for him as he tested my patience, sets a scowl on my face. He either doesn’t notice it, or ignores is.

	“I will be blunt, Hisao. Lilly does not and cannot serve our family in the way Akira does. She is limited by her lack of sight, and by her… attitude.”

	You just don’t like that she stood up to you. I bite my tongue.

	“However, if anything were to happen to her, Akira would also be lost to us. To ensure us happiness, we must ensure hers. Do you understand?”

	I don’t know whether he wants a true response to the question. Frankly, I don’t care.

	“Actually sir, I’m afraid I don’t.”

	A part of me shouts in my mind, asking what I’m doing, that I’m relying on these people. But the trickle has turned into a flood. “
I do not understand what you mean by limited. Lilly has never let her sight limit her, and you imposing those limits on her when you’ve barely interacted with her in unjustified. If she knew what you just told me-”

	“If she knew, it’d break her. Which is why you won’t tell her.” Satou said. His crimson eye daring me to say differently, his brow furrowed.

	“If she knew, she’d be disgusted.” I say. I can feel nervousness in my body, but I force myself on. “Lilly does not become broken. She could carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, and you’d never notice. She’s not this weak delicate flower, and pardon ME for being blunt, but I will not let you insult the woman I love.”

	Satou simply looks at me. His crimson eyes threaten, but he makes no sign of responding.

	I continue on. “If your name and business is so important, than that’s what it is. I will pay you back as quickly as I can. And once I do, once I complete this and Lilly graduates, we will leave. And don’t expect us to come back.”

	Satou just looks on. It’s not anger in his face so much as disdain.

	“I owe you my life. I get that, I know that. But Lilly is not just a figure. She’s a hell of a lot more than anything you seem to have expected.”

	Satou says nothing for a moment, his gaze shifting towards the fire. “I am seeing that.” He said after a moment. “You are not wrong, Hisao. I am happy that she has someone willing to stand up for her.” A smile tugging at the corner of his mouth shows that he’s smiling. Immediately, I know I’ve been played.

	I let out a tense laugh, and Satou turns, eyebrow cocked with a smirk on his face. “Yea, I will. Though her actions will speak more for herself than I ever could.”

	“We shall see.” He says.

	The lights suddenly dim, and a metal cover slowly rises to cover the fireplaces open mouth. Satou turns towards the stage as his guests let out a few whoops. A spotlight that’d been over the fire pit gives light, and illuminates a door to the side of the stage.

	Satou stands, making his way over, and I follow curiously. Satou waves me to a seat and walks to the door as it opens.

	When I had first laid eyes on Lilly, I couldn’t help but compare her to an Angel. The woman that steps through that door inspires the complete opposite thought. The spotlight pans as a tall woman, long dark blonde wavy hair over her shoulder. Her lips shine bright red, same as her eyes, and the color is complimented by her sparkling red dress. All bright reds, all shining in the spotlight. The dress hugs her body, outlining every curve. Its strapless, pulled tight over her large breasts, showing off her skinny waist, and flaring out with her hips. The woman is… well-endowed. She shows off a fair amount of cleavage as she bends over to kiss her husband on the cheek, to the pleasure of a few men in the audience.

	Mrs. Satou looks much different than she had in her portrait, but no less beauteous. She is dressed in something akin that what I’d imagine that only the devil could create, to tempt even the most celibate of men.

	The dress is long and flowing, except of a cut at her hip, flowing down her long ivory skin. She saunters over to the stage, approaching a central microphone. A few people whistle as she walks up the short step.

	She stands at center stage, gripping the microphone with her hands with her eyes closed, as the band behind her begins to play.
The song opens up with the strumming of the bass. The repetition of the cords setting a low and quick tone. The percussion blows, three quick notes, and stops. The bass keeps strumming, rhythmically. Again, they blow, the same three notes.

	'Little boy, accept what you see.
	This burning light, inside of me.
	Little boy, accept what you see.
	Stand your ground, now don’t you flee.'

	She steps forward, down the step, and off of the stage. The spotlight tracks her every move.

	'These gears are always turning,
	And I’m not just hot, I’m burning'

	She passes a hand over her chest and down her thin waist, sauntering towards the table of men.

	'For a little taste, a nibble
	So stop with your senseless drivel'

	She leans forwards towards a man, who leans towards her. She snatches his glass from his hand, and downs it, throwing her head back. She wipes her lips with the back of her hand, placing the glass back on the table. The rest of the men laugh, and Satou himself looks amused. Mrs. Satou continues, but I space out on the next lyric as I gaze at him. His deep red eyes shine in the darkness, and the image of a wolf comes back to me. A hunter in the dark.

	'Little boy, look at me
	I feel like you, must agree.'

	My eyes dart back to Mrs. Satou, who is staring directly at me. With her free hand she points at me, as she advances over.

	'We’re a pair, we’re a mess
	We stand on this wave, up on its crest'

	She walks closer, closer, her hand brushing against the side of my face. The heat of the spotlight spreads across my skin as she brings her face close to me. She’s bent over, and I have to fight my eyes back from looking upon her chest.

	'Little boy, feel my breath
	Whilst at you back, stands Mr. Death.'

	She smiles, wickedly. Twisting quickly enough that her dress flairs up and I catch a glimpse of a Red sparkling thong as she saunters back to the stage. The men howl like dogs at the display of her shaking her hips whilst she walks.

	'Little boy, grasp my hand.
	And I’ll lead you, to the Promised Land
	Little boy, follow me.
	I promise I will set you free.'

	She elongates the last two words, posing seductively back upon her stage with her head tilted backwards and her chest sticking out into the air. The music reaches a crescendo, and the spotlight cuts out, darkness consuming the stage. The men and Mr. Satou all rise, giving applause and cheers.
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	Karla. That was her name. That’s what the men had said to Mr. Satou, congratulations and envy written on their faces. After the number, Satou had declared the night to be finished, and thanked everyone for coming out. He led them to the door of his office, and exited in the front of the pack. Karla stood on her stage as the band packed up around her. She waved to the party goers as they all exited, and I found himself at the end of the line. I turned back to look at the woman, who smiled and blew me a kiss. Blushing furiously, I walk out of the room.

	Satou bids his guests farewell at the stairs, and holds one of the men by the shoulder who looked more than a bit intoxicated.

	I walk past quickly. The fire in me against the man had gone out, as I did my best to clear my… over imaginative mind.

	I round the corner to the hall where Lilly and I were staying. Walking down the length of the hallway, I hear a door open. Out of the door just across from our room comes Akira herself.  She exits her room wrapped only in a towel, her slender body otherwise naked. She looks over at me as she closes the door behind her and grins.

	“Hey hey, how ya doin buddy? What’d the old man want to talk to you about?”

	The blush on my face deepens as Akira stretches her arm back over her head, flicking her hair to the side. I silently thank God that Lilly was the one who inherited her mother’s… asset.

	“Uh, hey. He wanted to just talk. Um, is there a shower in there?” I say, motioning towards the bathroom

	“Oh yea, I was just… You know what, you go ahead and use it. Lilly told me to let you know she was going to get to sleep. It’s a bit early, but she said you two had some plans early tomorrow.”

	A look down at my watch shows it’s just past ten. I nod though. She’d been pretty tired.

	“Are you sure?

	“Of course, I don’t need to be up till noon. You and me will start working after that.”

	“Okay. Yea. Thanks, Akira.”

	“Hey, don’t abuse it. You get some shut eye too, okay? You’ve got a fun morning ahead of you.” She said with a wink. I remember that Lilly wanted to go for a walk in the morning and nod. Akira trecks across the hall and back into her room.

	I turn and enter the bathroom. It’s immaculate. There a marble sink, with a yellow and black pattern etched into it. A whirlpool bathtub that looks more like a Jacuzzi takes up the entire back wall, though I just really want a nice shower right now. A nice, cold, shower. I strip my clothes off, grabbing a towel out of the closet and hanging it on the grip of the shower. I enter to see there are multiple different nozzles coming out of a few different places, but some laminated instructions help to keep me from freaking out. I turn the shower on, and water begins shooting out from the four separate nozzles and onto my body. I let out a sigh of relief as the water washes over me.

	A loud groan, like the sound of a big wounded cat, comes through the southern wall.