Fukusha Model Eight – Chapter 6

Ugh. I finally went too far. If Narumi could see me now, she’d laugh her ass off. So would Akikazé if he was still alive. I’m right back where they wanted me when they tried to auction me off on Kurai.

This has to be a mistake. Has to. There’s no way I’m owned by Haku, is there?

Okay, regardless of whether or not Haku is lying or Atsumi gave me up or any one of the other things Haku just preached as gospel, I’m now stuck with two goons on my tail, and I don’t have the muscle to just walk away from them.

Basically, I’m screwed unless I play along until a better opportunity to escape comes through.

I climb down the bleachers and give the two men watching me a wide berth. There’ll be no reasoning with Haku. He couldn’t see reason if it were on the tip of his nose, and now that I’ve pissed him off, he won’t change his mind. So somehow, though my mission was to lie low and stay out of trouble, I planted myself right in a pile of shit.

It’s way past one in the morning, and the crowd is energized with alcohol, adrenaline, and sleep deprivation. Men and women, drinking, laughing, and shouting over the chanting of the current match, give off enough heat to power a sauna for several days. The floor is sticky with discarded drinks, and herbal smoke hangs in the air. The abandoned warehouse is jam-packed tonight, and I could lose myself in this crowd. If I had more energy left in me, I’d make a run for it. I’d hightail it to the apartment, grab my dog and the data device, and get the hell out. But knowing Haku, he has men waiting for me there. He planned ahead.

I approach Saki as she waits for her turn in the ring. She’s up next in the final women’s bout of the evening. If she wins this, she goes home with a lot of credits in her account. My hands and knees shake as I sidle up next to her.

“Saki, I need to talk to you,” I insist, whispering in her ear.

She doesn’t tear her eyes from the current fight. “Can’t. I’m up next. You know I have to get my head in the game.”

I look past her to the man she’s been talking to for the last twenty minutes. His eyes are also on the match. The profile of his face is a tangle of sharp angles, and his full lips part to heckle the guy struggling to pull himself up from the mats. Have I seen him before? Saki said he was someone she works with, so possibly. I try to place him, but his face feels just out of reach. I close my eyes and press on my forehead with the palm of my hand. Is it my memory or is it an oncoming migraine?

I’m full of questions tonight.

“I’m in a lot of trouble, and I could really use some backup. Really.” I attempt to communicate the magnitude of my situation through my wide eyes, but she doesn’t look at me.

Instead, she laughs. “Haku again? Yumi, when are you not in trouble? God, you are so full of drama at all times.”

She squats down to go through her bag at the feet of the guy standing next to her. He makes eye contact with me before walking away, and my instincts prick up again. I do know him.

“You’re not going to help me?” If I have to count her out, then I will.

“Well, not right this minute.” She jerks her head at the ring. “Whatever it is, I’ll help you as soon as I’m done, okay?” She finds her medical tape and proceeds to wrap up a few fingers.

Behind me, Haku’s men continue to watch my every move.

“Wish me luck?” she asks, her eyes lifting up to mine.

“Sure,” I say, my voice shaking. “Good luck.”

She pops up from her spot as the announcer calls her name. With her hands in the air, she bounces on her toes before ducking into the ring.

I swallow, watching her get to her corner. She’s about to beat the crap out of someone and probably take a walloping herself. But I’m not worried about her.

I’m worried about me.

I try to search out the guy she was with. Saki knows him, so maybe he’ll be game for a free night on my futon while I sleep in the corner. Haku doesn’t have to know I didn’t sleep with him. He only cares about the money and humiliating me.

Pushing myself away from the ring, I swim through the people clamoring to get closer and watch Saki kick the ass of another opponent tonight. Where did the guy go?

The crowd parts and all of my breath leaves my body in a hurried huff.

It’s Rin.

Rin.

He stands close to the doorway, his eyes searching the crowds. My god, he hasn’t changed since I last saw him.

Not one bit.

My heart is in my throat, and my thoughts are racing through every memory I’ve ever had of him. I step out of the crowd of people between us and approach him slowly before he realizes I’m there.

This is how I pictured him the last few months when I closed my eyes and conjured up his image in my brain. He’s dressed in casual clothes like he did during our trip to Club Seiun. His long-sleeved shirt hugs all his muscles, and his charcoal gray pants sit loosely on his hips. I remember how that asshole Gen Miyazawa said he couldn’t believe I slept with Rin. Why the hell wouldn’t I? I know he’s not heart-stoppingly handsome like so many men are here, but his rugged elegance is enough to make my heart sing.

Ah. There. He’s caught sight of me now. The surrounding crowds dissolve away, and he’s the only one in the room. I push the thoughts of Haku, his men following me, and the situation I’m in to the back of my mind. Here is what I’ve been waiting for, and none of that stuff matters anymore.

His lip curls in a smile as I approach him. I imagine our first words after so much time apart, and I’m sure he’ll have something silly to say. That’s just his way. He’s serious and businesslike to everyone but me.

“Hey stranger,” I say as I finally reach him.

He pauses for a long moment. “Hey yourself.”

My heart constricts, and I note how long he takes to acknowledge me back. Did something happen to him while he was gone?

“You look… different,” he says, hesitantly reaching out to touch my hair. The moment is awkward for two people who were entwined for weeks before we were apart.

I intercept his hand and slip mine into it. “Do you like it?”

“I don’t hate it.”

I laugh, feeling my eyes ready to burst forth with a heavy rain of tears. “Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t,” he says, relaxing some. “It was just unexpected.”

The crowd erupts into cheers, and I spin around to see Saki standing over another defeated fighter. Her lip is bloodied, and she’s soaked with sweat, but otherwise, she looks like a champion. Her arms are raised in the air, and she’s walking the periphery of the ring while people scream and whistle.

I add my own whistles to the cacophony, pumping my fist in the air for Saki. She sees me from her spot and smiles, jumping up and waving. I wave back.

“Isn’t she a waitress?” Rin asks, leaning closer to me.

“Yeah, I work with her at a noodle shop.” I turn my attention to Rin and slip my arms around his waist. His eyes are on the ring. “And she takes shifts at an Italian restaurant when their staff calls in sick.”

Rin’s arms are limp, and disappointment surfaces like a fog rolling in from the mountains. No special quips about our relationship. No excitement over being reunited. Saki’s previous statement about him being at the restaurant with another woman resurfaces.

“What’s going on with you? Are you here to fix everything Atsumi broke?” I ask, raising my face to his and remembering all the little bits of him that I’ve tested before. The pupils of his eyes widen. The pulse in his temple stays steady. But his gaze doesn’t lock on mine. Usually, he’s the type to stare deep down into me, pulling and tugging at my soul with his. Instead, it’s like he’s staring at my eyebrows, just off from dead center.

“Nothing’s going on, and yes,” he says, smiling and finally tightening his arms around me. “I’m happy to see you.” He leans over, touches my cheek, and seals his lips with mine.

I should love this kiss, want this kiss, but the connection between us has soured. Why is this kiss different from the others? Stiff and awkward.

I pull away and frown at him. “What’s going on in your head?”

“A lot, Yumi,” he replies, sighing. I recognize his sigh, at least. “Think we can get out of here? We need to talk.”

Those are the dreaded words no one wants to hear in a relationship. Something’s just not right with him, but he wants to talk about it. Now’s my chance to leave.

Over to my right, Haku’s men whisper to each other, ignoring me now that I’m with someone, someone they believe to be a paying customer. Will they follow me back to Haku’s building?

I don’t care if Rin is about to dump me or he’s somehow distracted by his mission and can’t show me affection after all the time we’ve spent apart. I’m safer with him than some stranger.

“Let’s go back to my place.”

I grab his arm and pull him to the door.

“Yumi!” Saki’s voice rises above the crowd, but when I turn around, she’s still ringside, chatting with people and drinking. The man in the baseball hat tugs at her shirt and points in my direction.

I’m too tired and now nervous about Rin to stop, go back, and congratulate Saki on her win. It doesn’t matter anyway because she’ll chatter endlessly and boast about it for the next week, and I’ll be forced to sit and listen to it.

Because I have a feeling this night is going to end up with me single, alone, and out of options.