Crash Land on Kurai – Chapter 36

The infirmary at the temple is not the quietest of places, but I don’t want to be left alone. I gave up my room after the first day back, surrendering it to people who needed more privacy than me, and moved upstairs. Besides, I got the corner bed with views of the greenery and sunshades outside. Can’t beat that.

I roll over, putting my back to the twenty beds in the room, most of them unoccupied, and stare out the window at my new home coming over the crest of the horizon, just below the sunshades. Hikari overtakes the sky, its surface a patchwork of blues and browns, lazy swirls of clouds racing over the landmasses and sea. In a few more days, I’ll take the shuttle with Rin, Shintaro, Kazuo, José, and anyone else who’s prepared to start their new life. Others will follow as they heal up. Soon, I’ll be there, looking up at Kurai.

I’m nervous and scared and excited all at once. One moment, I’m brimming with questions, seeking answers on the native tablet Tamura gave me. The next, I want to hide under the covers. I’m usually the risk-taker, the adventurous one, but after seeing how many people want me dead under two meters of cold earth, I have reservations about this whole thing.

“Ah, you’re awake,” Shintaro says, circling the foot of my bed and sitting next to me. He leans forward and stares at Hikari as well, his overgrown bangs falling over his face. “Doing a little planet watching?”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? They have so much land.” I sigh, pulling the covers up to my chin. “I was wondering if I could parlay planet watching into an actual job. But something tells me it won’t earn me any credits.”

He draws his feet up to the bed and sits cross-legged. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to live, one that’ll satisfy your need for answers and hopefully not get you into major trouble.” He laughs as I roll my eyes. “I feel bad that I have all the opportunities here, and you have none.”

I kick him from under the covers. “I’m not completely useless, asshole. I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”

“I’m sure you and Rin will figure something out.” He waggles his eyebrows at me. “Nice catch, Yumi. You should be proud.”

“He’s not some fish from the sea. If you hadn’t noticed, he now owns me like someone owns a dog or cat. It’s not romantic in the slightest.”

“I’m sure that’s what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night.”

My whole body heats with annoyance. I love Shintaro and would go to the ends of the galaxy for him, but the way he teases me drives me insane. Probably because he knows just where to poke to get me flustered. I prepare to ignore him when he chuckles and shakes his head.

“Okay then.” He sighs and rests back on his elbows. “I’ve been thinking a lot about our life at home and our unexpected life here…”

“Until the rescue mission comes,” I remind him.

“Yeah, we can hope.”

I push myself up in bed and catalog his mood. His faraway eyes and subtle frown can only mean one thing. He’s uncertain.

“What do you mean?”

He hesitates for a moment as a breeze curls through the window. “I’ve been eating in the cafeteria a lot, thinking I should get to know these people, the way they speak, the way they act, the things they find valuable. Since I’m mostly recovered.” He shrugs his injured shoulder and only winces a little.

“That’s probably the smart thing to do.” I’ve spent most of my time in bed, recovering. The doctors have asked me to rest, detailing a list of all of my injuries including almost drowning twice, almost being choked to death, three broken ribs, a slightly sprained ankle, and the loss of a few of the stitches on my leg, not to mention the three solid bumps on my head. Plus, witnessing the murder of my best friend. Fixing these things have taken up all of my time and energy.

“These people are the opposite of us. Smaller families, more hours spent in the office, fewer relationships, fewer children. You remember what Mom always said about the three-legged chair, right?”

“Yeah, that life is a three-legged chair: family, work, and play. And while one leg of the chair could be longer for a short time, life will collapse if any leg is out of balance for too long.”

Shintaro brings up his hand and mimics a chair falling over. “That’s where this society is heading. The work leg is way too long. And with no real ways to remove stress long term, they’ll topple over soon.”

“What did you hear in the cafeteria?” I sit up, eager for his gossip.

“Lots of stories of work. Their jobs, how long they work at them, their bosses. Short term stress relief is mainly drinking, going to movies, clubbing. No one takes vacations, only the super wealthy. There are no weekends. No trips to the beach or hot springs. Days off come sporadically. The overwhelming emotion is bitterness.”

“Wow,” I breathe out, stunned. “That can’t be good for a society.”

“No time for getting it on either. Those that do visit prostitutes, men and women. Probably androids too but I was afraid to ask.” Shintaro shakes his head. He’s a family man, through and through. He loves our family and wants one of his own someday too. “What would they call them? Sexdroids? Sexbots? FakeFucks?”

I slap him on his arm, but we both laugh.

“I feel like we have a huge opportunity here, though. Many people want what we have. They just don’t know how to get it. And we now know there are Minamoto relations in Shiroi Nami.”

“Tell me more about them again,” I say, leaning closer. We’ve talked a few times since returning, but I was in and out of pain-killer land. It’s been two weeks, and I’m ready to hear more.

“They didn’t give me any details because they were afraid of divulging too much, but that corporation seemed more family oriented, more willing to discuss change. But they talked of experiments on the Southern Continent and returning to those they left behind. I have no idea what that really means.”

Experiments?

“One woman was especially nice, though. And Hayashi was fair. They’d be good allies, if only I knew more about them.”

“And Aka Matsuba is willing to work with us. Kiiroi Yama may not be that far behind.”

“But there’s the rub of this whole situation,” he says, sitting back up. “Aka Matsuba and Kiiroi Yama are the hardest working corporations. Their profits are sky high, and their employees work night and day. Changing them? I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

“You’re probably right.” And now I’m owned by both. “I feel like we’re playing with fire, and it’ll burn us all down if we’re not careful.”

He raises his eyebrows at me. “That’s unexpected. Has this world finally tempered your recklessness?”

I chuckle and shake my head. “Unlikely.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling. Well, so far I’ve been pretty proud of you, Yumi. You did the right thing, getting people rescued and securing placements for them on Hikari.”

I blow out a short breath. “I’m not doing the right thing. I sold out our greatest asset to save my ass.” And I lost my tablet too, which is worse than anything. We still have Chiéko’s data device, but now I must depend on Tamura to get anything off of it until we salvage another tablet from the life pods. “I’ll probably end up in jail by the time I get home. If I ever get home.” I turn back to the view outside. I doubt everything. I doubt my alliance with Aka Matsuba. I regret selling the animal translation chip technology. But then I look at Shintaro, my twin, my family, and remember that I did it all for him, for them, for the people from home.

“Right. So, I heard something in the cafeteria…” His face loses its healthy color, turning milky white.

“What did you hear?”

He presses his eyes closed. “They destroyed our emergency beacon before it could leave the solar system.”

Shit. This was supposed to be a three- to twelve-month mission. And allowing for extra time, our people back home weren’t going to panic until the fifteen-month mark. A lot can happen in a year. Hell, a lot happened in less than a week. Backup will come eventually, but many of us may not live to see Orihimé again.

I fold forward and rest my face in my hands. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to think.

“Try not to worry too much,” Shintaro says, squeezing my foot under the blankets.

I rub my face, trying to keep the frown away. “That’s usually my line.”

“Am I interrupting anything?” Rin asks, approaching my bed. He’s dressed casually today, a black shirt and loose black pants. I’m not sure if he wears any other color. This is the first time I’m seeing him in three days. The last time, we sat together on the bed and talked for an hour of the rescue efforts I was missing before he got up and left.

“Of course not,” Shintaro says, standing and bowing. “I was just leaving.”

No, wait! I don’t want him to go. But before I can protest, he raises his eyebrows at me and walks away.

“Am I catching you at a bad time?” Rin asks, his hands clasped behind his back, the picture of gentility and easiness. But I remember him holding a knife to my neck or the sheer terror of watching him deactivate androids. I play back the last moments of our conversation in the shuttle, what went through my head, and how I reacted to his show of concern.

I know those feelings, and I haven’t had them since I was sixteen.

“No. It’s not a bad time, and you’re not interrupting anything.” I remove myself from under the covers, grateful that I’m fully dressed, and swing my feet over the side of the bed to sit up. “Please, sit.”

“I have something for you,” he says, bringing his hands around to his front.

The flash of shining metal makes my heart leap.

“My knife.” I lunge for it, and he lets it go with a smile on his face. “I thought I’d never see it again.” Holding the knife to my chest, I’m filled with gratitude for this gift. I remember standing over my bed and looking at the two things I had left, my tablet and my knife. Now, I only have the knife. “How did you find it?”

He takes the invitation and sits next to me softly, both of us staring out the window at Hikari.

“I went back to investigate the scene and help recover the ship.” He shrugs his shoulders. “So I dove until I found it. I know how much it means to you.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, setting the knife to the side. He went back and found it for me. I don’t think anyone’s ever cared enough about me to do something like that, except Kazuo. I wonder if he put Rin up to this.

Would it make a difference in my heart if he had?

I have to change the subject before my feelings, those feelings I deny I have, come and ruin everything.

“Shintaro and I were just looking at Hikari and wondering what it’ll be like there.” I gesture at the window. “He’s looking forward to his new job.”

I cringe at my line of conversation. I’m sure Shintaro doesn’t mind me talking about him, but it’s a poor excuse for not wanting to talk about myself. My thoughts shift to Ayamé and how she would’ve loved to investigate all the plant life on Hikari. I miss her.

“Is that so? I hope he finds the work with Aka Matsuba challenging and fulfilling.”

I hear that a lot, the hope for challenging and fulfilling work. It bothers me in a way it shouldn’t now that I know what’s going on with their society.

Rin rubs his head, his index finger lingering on the scar wrapped around his skull. I glance down at his left hand and remind myself to ask how he lost the tip of his pinkie finger.

“So… I know things have been awkward between us,” he begins.

I snort out a laugh and then look behind me to make sure I haven’t woken anyone else, but there’s no one around.

“Beyond awkward,” I say, dropping my voice to a whisper. “I’m sorry. I don’t try to make things difficult on purpose. I’m just…” I shrug my shoulders, not sure how to articulate that I’m a pain in the ass and a bitch without calling myself those names.

“You’re you.” Rin shrugs his shoulders too. “Your brother seems to love you very much. I can see why you fought so hard to get him back. We’ve had a few nights of hanging out with the monks.” He smiles at me, nudging me with his elbow. “I came to ask you to join us, but you were asleep.”

I imagine Rin and Shintaro bonding over alcohol, and I’m both amused and horrified. Kazuo has done this too with Rin. I’m the only one left out. I wish that didn’t bother me.

“You’ve been talking to Shintaro?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it talking. It’s been more of me sitting and listening than anything. That, and your brother is just a wee bit flirtatious.” He rolls his eyes and smiles, and I’m reminded of Takéji, being sixteen, and in love, and how my brother gets everything he wants. Everything.

A bubble of jealousy pops in my stomach. This is Rin, not Takéji. I’m not in love, and my brother may be flirtatious, but he’s got someone at home. I don’t.

Not that it matters.

“I’m sure you can handle it,” I say, losing the warmth in my voice.

“It’s fine. It’s not the first time it’s ever happened to me. Shintaro had so much to say about you. He just went on and on and on.”

I groan as Rin laughs. I can only imagine, except…

“He says you’re adventurous, bold, and loyal to a fault. That you’ve been in jail more times than he could count, but you always went there for a good reason. That you fought hard for your job and then fought even harder to stay there when other people tried to take it away from you. That your parents love you, but you test that love every second of every day.”

I turn my face from him, alarmed by the tears at the back of my eyes. Why does it hurt so much to hear this when I know it’s all true?

“I’ve given our situation a lot of thought the last few days since I was here last. I… I’m prepared to let you go, Yumi. If that’s what you really want.”

I sniff up, take a deep breath, and turn my face back to him, the gravity of his words slowly sinking in. “Let me go? Can you do that?”

He makes steady eye contact with me, and I can feel his regret. “Yes, I can, but you will still owe Aka Matsuba a lot of money, unfortunately. That won’t go away. But if you’re not comfortable with me, we can find someone else to manage your contract and your debt. I can talk to Tamura, convince him I’m not the right person for the job. He’ll be upset and probably find some way to knock me down a level, but I’ll take the fall for it. I forced this situation on us, and I don’t feel it’s fair to you when you had no say. I delivered you to Narumi.” He clenches his fist tight, his jaw hardening. “I put you there in the first place. It’s my fault. So I’ll do whatever you want, to make you feel more comfortable.”

He wants to help me. He regrets what happened. Though I would make money for him, he’s willing to give that up so I can be more comfortable. But then, where would I end up? I’d be someone else’s property with someone I don’t know or understand. Not that I know or understand him, but he’s no longer a stranger.

He’s Rin.

I look back out at Hikari and wonder what it’s like there. If I stay with Rin, I’d have shelter, food, and someone to help me through the transition. He never said I’d have to be a slave. In fact, he rescued me from having to be that to other people. I could ask him questions. I could get introductions. I could actually do my job of investigation. Of course, I’d have to make money too somehow, but I could do both.

Rin waits patiently, and I’m struck by how similar we are in this. When I was on a stakeout, I would wait for hours in one position for movement from my target.

Maybe spending time with him won’t be all that bad.

“No.”

“No?” He blinks at me.

“No. It’s not what I really want.”

He smiles, a brief jerk of his lips before becoming mock serious. “Please, go on.”

“I want to get to know you, your planet, and your people. And I think we’ll be stronger together, as a team, than we will be apart.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“My gut tells me this is the right thing to do.”

“Your gut?” His gut told him to rescue me. Now it’s time to trust mine too.

I hold out my hand. “Let’s start over from the beginning. Well, almost the beginning.” I smile, putting as much of my confidence and charm into it, and for the first time in ages, it’s easy. I actually feel good about this. “Hi. I’m Yumi Minamoto.” I grasp his warm, strong hand and shake it like I was taught by Kazuo, firm and with eye contact. “I’m from Orihimé, and I come from a big family. I have an older brother and a twin brother, too. They’re both completely obnoxious. I love cooking, dogs, long walks in the woods, and watching a good fight on a Friday night.”

Rin laughs, a genuine chuckle with bright, shining eyes, and my heart constricts. This is much better.

“Hi,” he responds, trying to calm his wide smile. “I’m Rin Hara. I’m from Hikari and work for Kiiroi Yama Corporation. I’m an orphan who grew up on the streets and made the city my family. I like fried noodles, going to the movies, running races, and slaying malfunctioning androids.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” I squeeze his hand and let go, my fingers sliding slowly out of his.

“Same. So, Yumi Minamoto, what’s the first thing you want to do when you get to Hikari?” He leans back on his elbows, and I turn to sit cross-legged on the bed. “The sky’s the limit, quite literally.”

“Hmmm.” I tap my chin with my index finger. “I know! Get rip-roaring drunk.”

He throws his head back and laughs, and my smile grows by ten times.

“We will do just that.”