Released – Chapter 7

6:10am. I can’t sleep anymore. Jiro is passed out next to me. What to do, what to do.

Lying in bed for another fifteen minutes, I try and force myself back to sleep like I did at the house, but all I can do is stare at Jiro’s chest rising and falling peacefully. I want that kind of peace. My mind, though, wants to be awake and thinking, planning strategies, and researching.

I wonder if Sakai is up. Now is the time for me to visit him the way he visited me before the concert. Perhaps he’s always an early riser.

I get dressed, brush my hair and clip the long strands back over my ear with some pins Aunt Lomo left in the makeup bag she gifted me. Slipping on my shoes, I send Jiro a note on my tablet and close the apartment door quietly behind me.

Two flights up the stairs is Mariko’s apartment and Sakai said he was in the penthouse above her. Mmmm, the heady scent of onions and garlic cooking is getting stronger, so I climb the stairs even faster. When I reach the landing, two large caucasian men stand on either side of the only door in the hallway.

“Can we help you, miss?” asks the man on the right.

“Ummm, I’m here to see Mark Sakai. Who are you?”

The one on the left reaches into his bag sitting on the floor and pulls out his tablet. “Please scan your hand, miss.”

I examine them both before stepping up to his tablet and placing my hand on the screen. Is this some new security Sakai has hired? The man examines my credentials and puts his tablet away. “You’re cleared. You may scan your hand at the door to request entrance.”

The man to the right of the door steps to the side. I watch both warily as I palm the scanner, and the chimes ring inside.

Maybe I should have thought to message Sakai before I came up? The door opens, and he stands shirtless with his hair down. It’s about time I got to see those tattoos of his, but I have to admit I’m a little embarrassed by his informality.

“Jet lagged?” he asks.

“Yes, sorry. Jiro is still sleeping.”

“Come in.” He doesn’t acknowledge the men standing on either side of the door, and they don’t acknowledge him. “Are you hungry? We were about to eat breakfast.”

“Yeah, sure. I could eat. What’s with the guys, Mark?”

His apartment is huge. A loft-style design with lots of open space and high ceilings sprawls out in front of me. His bedroom door is ajar on the right, and another door to a large bathroom is open next to it. The living room area is immediately to my left, and on the couch is a woman’s bag and jacket. Did he just say ‘we’ were about to have breakfast?

“They’re security. Why don’t you come in and sit down at the kitchen table with us? I’d like you to meet Lucy.”

Shit. I’ve intruded on some private time Sakai is having with a lady friend, or girlfriend, or something. Turning to walk to the opposite side of the apartment, his tattoos face me, and all over his back and up over his shoulders to his neck is a large samurai warrior entangled with a dragon. Damn, that’s hot.

Just as the embarrassed blush rises to my cheeks for thinking anything about Sakai is hot, I’m stopped by the sight of a woman seated at the kitchen table. She’s in her late thirties, fair-skinned, bright green eyes, her red hair messy and pulled into a quick knot at the back of her head.

Oh my gods, it’s Coen. The Lucinda Coen, Chief Administrator of Nishikyō. The woman I’ve watched on video countless times inform Nishikyō of our plans for Yūsei. I don’t believe it.

She smiles, sets down her mug, and stands up. “Hello, Miss Itami. It’s so nice to meet you.”

I don’t know what else to do but laugh. Laugh and bow, that is. Yes, I should definitely bow.

“Chief Administrator Coen, I’m so sorry to interrupt your morning. I didn’t know you were here.”

“How could you? And stop bowing,” Sakai says to me. “Lucy, this is Sanaa. Sanaa, Lucy.”

Lucinda Coen stretches out her hand to me, and I shake her slim fingers, forcing some strength into my limp-with-shock hand.

Mark Sakai, you certainly do prefer redheads.

“Breakfast, ladies? Sanaa, I have coffee. Lucy drinks it. Want some?”

“Yes, yes, I’ll have some. Thanks.”

Wow. Sakai is sleeping with Coen, I mean, Lucy. So those men outside are here for her, not Sakai. Now I’m remembering Jiro’s sly smile at the house when he mentioned Coen, and said, “You’ll see.” I wonder how long he’s known about this relationship. I wonder how long this relationship has been going on! Sakai and Coen have spent a whole lot of time together. I remember once, back in theater 3B, I questioned Sakai about meeting with Coen, and he froze up like a statue. I think they’ve been dating for a while.

Sakai pulls out a chair at the table for me, and I sit down. His kitchen is part of the loft, and on the island stove, he is sautéing tofu scramble with onion and fake bacon, and toast sits on a plate to the side. A wholly un-Japanese breakfast. His hair is tucked behind his ears, and he must still exercise because he doesn’t look like he’s let himself go at all. There are so many things I don’t know about Sakai. I’m learning more each day. He turns off the stove and pours coffee, delivering the large, white ceramic mug to the table.

“Here. I’ll be right back.” He walks to the bedroom, and I watch him go becoming increasingly nervous about being left alone with Lucy.

“You’re up early this morning,” Lucy says, blowing on her coffee cradled in her hands. “You just got back in the city yesterday.”

“Uh, yeah, but I slept most of the flight and most of my time away so I wasn’t too tired.” I pick up the mug and hold it in both hands like her, grateful it exists so I don’t fidget.

“What did you think of our colonization houses in the desert?”

“They were… well-built and functional… And escape-proof.”

Lucy huffs a small laugh. “We rarely have to lock people up there. You weren’t the first. I doubt you’ll be the last.”

I stay silent even though I’m so uncomfortable I’m starting to sweat, but after a minute, I can’t help myself. “How long have you two been…?”

“Me and Mark? Two years,” she replies.

“Two years? You’ve kept that rather hidden.”

She smiles at me. “I have, for obvious reasons, but that’s not really necessary anymore.”

Sakai returns from the bedroom, his hair pulled back, a shirt on. I’m immediately relieved.

“Why?” I ask.

“Have you caught up on news that happened while you were gone?”

“No, I, um…” I cough, too embarrassed to admit I read fiction instead of checking the news. I just wanted things to be normal for a little longer. “What happened?”

She smiles at Sakai, and he smiles back. Sakai’s usually passive face is happy when he looks at her.

“Lucy stepped down as Chief Administrator three weeks ago,” Sakai explains, grabbing three plates from a cabinet. “One of your old bosses is now in her place as interim Chief until elections can be held. Robert Starr.”

“Robert Starr is running all of Nishikyō? That seems… unsuitable.” He doesn’t have the same experience Lucy does.

“He’s my best candidate right now. Emiko Matsuda stepped down as the Colonization chairwoman when Nishikyō News Service reported her husband was involved in a kidnapping attempt and no longer had his head anymore.”

I look away from her stare. Technically, I’m a murderer now, but she’s not jumping up and calling for my arrest.

“Don’t worry, Sanaa. Only we know you killed him. Everyone else thinks he died in the quake. But Emiko is now ‘mourning’ at home, so I asked Robert to step up to interim Chief. No one is running the Colonization Committee, but it can pretty much run itself now. Robert does both jobs.”

“Why did you resign? You’ve been an exemplary leader.” My statement is not just flattery. I’m sure most in the city would agree with me.

Sakai has been listening to our conversation from the stove, and he steps around the counter island with two plates of food, then reaches back for a third and sits down.

“It was time. I’ve been Chief Administrator for ages now…” She waves her hand and makes a phsaw noise before rolling her eyes. Wow, Lucinda Coen is joking about her job like it’s just any other job. I’m in awe. “I have other important matters that require my attention. And now Mark has asked me to marry him, and I’ve said yes.”

My breath catches in my chest.

“Really?” Tears fill my eyes as they each confirm with head nods. “I’m so happy for you both.” I wipe the tears from my face quickly before I become too emotional. “Congratulations.”

Mark Sakai, married. Finally. No more regrets.

“Thank you. We’re very happy. It’s nice to be out in the open after all this time.” She reaches over, and Sakai holds her hand. Seeing Sakai intimate with someone right in front of me is going to take getting used to.

“So now that Lucy is retired from being head of Nishikyō, she’s going to help you, Sanaa. You know nothing about politics, government, and ruling, and you’re going to need that knowledge for Yūsei.”

She nods her head. “I hope that’s okay with you.”

Lucy has been in charge of Nishikyō for as long as I can remember, and meeting her like this, at Sakai’s table? I’m pleased that, in private, she’s just as personable, smart, and diplomatic as I thought she was. She’s more than qualified to be my advisor, but maybe this is what she wants right now, a quiet married life helping someone else make the decisions, not making them herself.

“It’s more than okay; your offer is extremely generous.” I bow forward to her in my seat to show my respect.

“I’ve been aware of your situation for years now, and I think I can be of help to you. Feel free to ask me anything.”

As Sakai has a big forkful of food lifted to his mouth, the door chimes, and he sighs, putting it down. “I bet I know who this is.”

It’s Jiro, of course. I probably disturbed his sleep when I got out of bed.

Jiro comes to the table, kisses me, then Lucy on the cheek. As he passes behind Lucy, he smiles and raises his eyebrows at me twice which causes me to laugh. Sakai goes back into the kitchen to make up another plate, and we sit down and eat together like there’s nothing odd about this at all.