harper opened the door to the condo, entered, and turned on the light. the fluorescent lighting lit up the room. "come on in, darling."

shaundra hesitated momentarily, nodded, and then slowly entered the condo. harper had offered to carry her once they left the hospital but she declined. she had to start using her legs sooner or later. she blinked. the walls were awash in brilliant white and the contemporary furniture was black.

"i just had the place refurnished," harper announced as he shut the door and carried her small piece of luggage in.

"there's two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, and a little study."

"it's very beautiful," shaundra said walking over to the window and looking out at the seaside not too far away. it reminded her of that day in kyoto when she and ichiro went to see a piece of property where he wanted to open his seafood restaurant.

"the bedroom is this way," harper said to her.

shaundra turned to face him. "fresh guy."

harper chuckled. "that was the furthest thing from my mind. i thought you might like to rest."

shaundra shook her head. "rest is all i've been doing for months."

"but the doctor said..."

"and i fully intend to follow his instructions to the letter but right now i'd just like to sit down and talk with an old friend."

"okay," harper said. "let me put your things away." he walked into one of the bedrooms and reappeared several minutes later. "are you hungry?"

"a little," she said. "but i can fix something later."

"nonsense," he said. "it's already prepared. all i have to do is heat it."

shaundra followed him into the small kitchen and eyed the plates of food by the microwave. "did you do all of this?"

"i wish i could take the credit for it but i had a friend prepare it." he removed the cover. "all salt-free."

"it looks delicious. his friend had prepared traditional japanese cuisine...rice, soup and lots of vegetables.

harper heated the food and sent her to the little black- and-white dinette set to sit down. moments later the two of them sat across from each other catching up on the last few months.

"of course everyone at both publishing companies is very worried. i heard that poor jackson cries every time your name is mentioned."

dear jackson. "has he found a permanent boyfriend yet?"

"he hadn't the last time i spoke to him. you know he likes variety."

did she ever. no adorable gay man was safe around him.

"and poor dorothy is inconsolable. she's offered to fly back here and help look for you."

"i'll make sure she's one of the first people i call."

"and that will be?" harper asked. he stopped eating.

"soon," shaundra said, noncommittal. what was the rush?

she'd been missing four months already. what was one more week?

"the refrigerator is stocked with enough food for a week,"

he told her. "you do remember how to cook, don't you?"

"don't think i've gone stupid just because i married a chef.

i can still manage to feed myself."

"you won't find any salt in the place. i made sure of that,"

harper told her.

"thank you. one temptation in the kitchen is enough."

"if i thought you were serious, i'd have my lawyers drawing up your divorce papers for you."

shaundra smirked. "how is the family?"

"they're okay," harper said. "my ex-wife has stopped trying to get me to raise her alimony payments. kevin is doing well in his first year in college, and damien, well he's raising all kinds of hell, going out drinking with his friends, skipping classes like an education at that prestigious new york college is free, and he's dating some girl."

"look at it this way, he could be dating some guy."

"true," harper said. "i don't know what i am going to do with him. i've got a good mind to bring him over here and put him to work at the publishing company."

"how old is he now?" shaundra asked.

"twenty-three."

"maybe you should. he's about to graduate anyway. he should learn the business from the bottom up. i'd keep an eye on him if you decide to."

harper chuckled. "no thank you. i want you as a woman, not as a daughter-in-law."

shaundra smirked at the reference to her liking younger men. "aw come on, i won't hurt him. i'd just baby him a bit."

harper grew silent.

"i was only teasing."

"yes, i know. it's just that..."

"it happened and there's nothing i can do about it," she told him.

"yes, i know. if we had known earlier, maybe we could have done something."

"i don't play with the lord," shaundra said. "my mother once told me that he doesn't put anything on your shoulders you can't bear. and it's not the end of the world. it is just an adjustment."

"you're right," he said picking up his glass of wine. "here's to starting over and new adventures."

shaundra picked up her glass of milk. "and new partnerships."

satoshi left the farmhouse without telling anyone his destination. he also drove his own car, a nifty red two-seater he'd purchase about a year ago. it had been sitting in the garage collecting dust because kenshin almost always drove then wherever they had to go. he decided not to let the top down even though it was early july and the temperature was warm. he didn't want to mess his hair or sweat out his suit.

he had camouflaged himself the best he could in dark shades and a hat. the last thing he needed was to be recognized by the fangirls. he wanted to appear to be a businessman, and he even had a briefcase.

the traffic was excessive as usual but not quite as bad as beijing but coming in a close second. he finally spotted the hospital and drove in its direction. satoshi parked the car a safe distance away from other cars and out of the path of ambulances. he got out and walked into the hospital. he remembered where the elevator was located, took it to the third floor, and then walked over to the nurse's station once the door opened.

the young woman behind the desk did a double take when he approached, like she recognized him but wasn't sure.

maybe he should had have tried wearing a wig or changing his hair color. he bowed. "good afternoon. i'm looking for keiichi wantanabe."

"he just went down to the cafeteria," the nurse said.

"aren't you...?"

"yes," satoshi said putting his finger to his lips. "i am here on business and would appreciate a little privacy."

"i understand," she said rewarding him with a big smile.

"you're very pretty," he told her.

the woman blushed.

"i'm supposed to meet mr. wantanabe. can you tell me what he looks like?"

the nurse described him.

easy to find, satoshi thought. "and the location of the cafeteria?"

"second floor, to the right of the elevators."

satoshi bowed again. "it was nice meeting you miss yang,"

he said reading her nametag.

the young woman blushed again.

satoshi hurried away. business before pleasure. he sighed.

i wonder if she's single. he boarded the elevator again and rode down to the second floor and followed his nose to the cafeteria. he spotted keiichi wantanabe in the crowded eatery. satoshi grabbed a tray and went through the food line, paid for his meal, and then walked over to wantanabe's table. "do you mind if i join you mr. wantanabe."

the man looked up. "please be seated. are you a doctor?"

"no," satoshi said. "a piano player."

"then how do you know me?"

"i think you saved the life of a friend of mine during the earthquake. an african american female about fifty years old."

keiichi nodded. "mrs. yoshida."

was it his imagination or did the man smile and his eyes twinkle? shit another one. "yes, mrs. yoshida. her family has been quite worried. we thought she died."

"she would have," keiichi replied. "lucky for her i was there. i had to carry her out."

satoshi checked him out. keiichi was tall, muscular, about forty or fifty years old, with short, thick black hair and dark brown eyes. "when was the last time you saw her?"

"about four months ago," keiichi replied. "we were flown to tokyo after we were rescued. she was unconscious but otherwise in pretty good shape. i made sure of it. she was just too pretty and all the way in miyagi with no family. poor thing could not even speak japanese."

yup. he'd met shaundra. "and could you tell me if she's still in tokyo. her family is trying to find her."

he nodded. "i checked on her from time to time.

unfortunately she is still in a coma?"

"a coma?" satoshi asked.

"yes."

"what hospital is she at?"

"tokyo general," keiichi said. "are you her husband?"

"no, her brother-in-law." satoshi rose. "thank you for saving shaundra's life. she means the world to us."

"she's a very special lady," keiichi said. "i just wish she would wake up."

"do you happen to know why she's in a coma?"

"it was from the tsunami. she saw some pretty terrible stuff. the doctor said her body just shut down from the stress."

oh, no not again. at this rate they were surely going to lose her. "can you tell me what kind of procedure she was having in miyagi?"

"i'm afraid i can't. doctor-patient confidentiality. but i kind of figure she didn't want anyone to know since she showed up at the hospital alone."

"i understand," satoshi said. what could have been so bad that she couldn't even tell ich? "we just need to find her. her kids are very worried."

"she has kids?"

satoshi nodded. "four."

"i didn't know that."

satoshi nodded. "please accept my thanks again for rescuing her. i shall be forever grateful." he bowed.

"are you going to tokyo to see her?" keiichi asked.

satoshi nodded.

"please tell her hello for me when she awakens."

"i'll do more than that. i'll bring her to see you. i'm sure she'd like to thank you personally." he walked away from the table, emptied his trash, and left the cafeteria. he took the elevator down to the lobby and walked to his car. once inside he pulled out his cell phone and dialed yori.

"hello."

"it's me, satoshi. what are you doing?"

"watching television. why?"

"how would you like to go on a little road trip tomorrow?"

"where to?" yori asked.

"tokyo."

"sure, what time?"

"around eight." he paused. "aren't you going to ask why?"

"no. you wouldn't be asking unless it is important."

"oh, it is. let's just say things are going to get interesting."

ichiro stepped out of the shower with his hair plastered to his face, shoulders and back. what use to be his pride and joy now irritated the hell of him? he scooped his hair up and wrapped a towel around it while drying off his body with a second towel. afterward he walked over to the mirror. the week's growth of hair on his face made him look older and his eyes appeared duller. satoshi was right. he needed to get his ass in gear. if shaundra were, still alive she would have found some way to contact him or her family by now.

he reached for his razor and shaving cream and removed the hair from most of his face leaving a little mustache and peach fuzz on his chin. he didn't even need to shave last year, now he was growing it like a wolf. he went back to his work on his hair, toweling it dry, adding leave-in conditioner, and then blowing it dry with a diffuser. then he went through the long slow process of braiding it into a plat.

why'd he agree to go clubbing with them he didn't know, but he guessed it was better than sitting in the house where everything in his bedroom reminded him of her. he even sunk so low as to read one of her novels for kinii, and unfortunately it hadn't grossed him out reading about two men coupling. shaundra had made it sound so innocent, capturing more of the love story and focusing on the romance. the actual sex act was treated with finesse, graphic but not sleazy. he sighed. he really fucked up with her, didn't try to understand her spontaneity about her life and blamed her for the males in their lives reaction to her. instead of blaming her, he should have accepted the fact that she hadn't done anything to disrespect him. and it had been just a dance with yori. if she wanted yori in her bed, she'd had plenty of opportunities to do so, which she didn't.

a few minutes later he was dressed in a crisp new charcoal gray linen suit he purchased while in beijing and a black shirt with a gray stripe down the center. he picked up his slip-on leather shoes and his wallet and left his bedroom. he met up with satoshi and takumijo in the foyer.

satoshi had decided on a more conservative look, a brown business suit, a tan shirt and a brown tie. takumijo, always frocked in the current club gear had decided on a two-pieced denim outfit with a scoop-neck white pullover shirt. silver chain, rings and bracelets accented his outfit.

a car horn sounded outside.

"that must be kenny," takumijo said. "yori is meeting us at the club."

ichiro nodded. it felt strange not having their lead singer or any of the women accompany them.

they climbed into the town car instead of the limousine since it was just going to be four of them. kenshin was dressed in a navy blue suit with a light blue shirt, minus a tie.

all of them donned dark glasses but didn't really care if they were recognized or not. they had even left the bodyguards at home. no one planned to get into trouble...they never did.

they were just going out to enjoy some good music and do some drinking and dancing.

less than fifteen minutes later they drove into a parking lot of a new club that had just opened a couple of months ago. it featured a disc jockey like their usual hangout but the patrons had to be at least twenty-one to enter, which kept out the trouble-making youngsters.

"this place is nice," takumijo said, already dancing as he entered. the person at the door stamped their hands, ushered them in, and wished them a pleasant stay.

"i see a table big enough for us," kenshin said moving to the front and leading the way. it was far enough away from the crowd.

a waitress arrived for their drink order and they all agreed on beer. the evening was just starting and they didn't want to get too drunk so early. kenshin ordered a non-alcoholic beer since he was the designated driver.

yori arrived shortly afterward in a yellow double-breasted suit that only he could pull off. ichiro noticed that he had put on a bit of weight, which looked good on him, and his hair had been died a dark brown and was cut shorter at the back.

women gravitated to him the moment he stepped inside and he didn't exactly make it to the table before one pulled him to the dance floor.

"there's osamu," takumijo said and pointed. he waved to get his friend's attention.

ichiro frowned, wondering who'd invited him, but he decided to act cordial since he was takumijo's friend. osamu was a couple of years older than them, tall and lean with short brown hair. he sauntered over toward the table dressed elegantly in a black tieless suit with a red scooped-neck shirt similar to the one takumijo wore. around his neck hung a silver chain with one side of the heart missing and one matching earring in his right ear. he bowed respectfully when he reached the table, shaking everyone's hand. yori joined them after the song ended. the waitress returned, and they sent her off for more beer.

the place started jumping about an hour later when droves of young japanese women flocked into the club donned in sexy outfits and dangerously high-heeled shoes.

one of them, a bleached blonde with green contacts in her eyes brazenly walked over to the table and asked him to dance. ichiro didn't want to at first but decided to give it a go.

a raven-haired beauty pulled takumijo to the dance floor, and before long the others joined them, leaving kenshin to guard their drinks. kenny didn't mind since he was in a relationship and didn't feel right about dancing with anyone except his current girlfriend.

the young woman ichiro danced with was cute. with heels she came up just to his chest, and she really could dance.

another young woman, a striking brunette, latched on to him next for a slow dance. ichiro panicked. he didn't really like to be touched by others. he took a couple of deep breaths and relaxed. yori had no such qualms. ichiro spotted yori near a corner of the room slow dancing with some girl, while satoshi danced with one in the center of the room.

takumijo and osamu had returned to the table together, giving kenshin some time to use the toilet.

the young woman smelled nice and her hair looked bouncy, ichiro noted as he took her into his arms. his body responded instantly on contact with hers. guilt bit at his heart and the pit of his stomach for a moment but he refused to succumb to it. shaundra had left him. was he supposed to just lie down and die?

a couple of young women came over to the table to join them during the dj's intermission. the brunette cozied up to him, rewarding him with a smile and trying to engage him in conversation. ichiro was a little rusty in that department but managed a few intelligent sentences under the scrutiny of the others, who'd been watching him like a hawk from the moment they entered the club.

the dj returned and ichiro excused himself to use the men's room. a few minutes later satoshi followed him in.

"enjoying yourself?" satoshi asked standing next to him using another urinal.

"i've pissed before," ichiro replied.

"you know what i mean."

at least satoshi had the decency this time not to check out his package. "she's okay," ichiro replied knowing full well what the fellows were trying to do. "but i won't be taking her home tonight."

satoshi chuckled. "no, i didn't expect you to. i didn't invite you out for you to pick up on some strange chick, just to get you out of the farmhouse for a change of scenery." he finish, zipped, and joined ichiro over by the sinks washed and dried his hands. ichiro used some of the free lotion on his hands and then the two of them left the men's room. the brunette was still at the table and staring at both of them when they returned.

another slow song came on and she jumped out of her sat and pulled ichiro with her to the dance floor. ichiro moved her around the floor to jyj's "still in love," and before long ichiro knew he had made a big mistake by joining them tonight as yoochun's words about still loving the woman he'd lost rang true in his head. after the music ended he excused himself and walked out of the club hoping the young woman would latch onto someone else, because it was too soon for him to start anything new.

both takumijo and osmau were both noticeably missing from the table when ichiro reentered the club a few minutes later. ichiro spotted them at the bar tossing back gelatin shots. they'd probably have to carry takumijo's crazy ass home tonight if he kept that up. the brunette had latched on to another guy but kept looking over his way. ichiro averted his glance.

yori chuckled. "what's wrong? she's not pretty enough?"

"she's okay," ichiro said.

"then why are you trying to avoid her? there's nothing wrong with sampling."

before ichiro had a chance to answer the dj put on silk's "freak me baby" and the brunette headed straight for him.

yori got out of his seat. "don't forget that you owe me one," he told ichiro. yori intercepted the brunette before she made it to the table.

"this is interesting," satoshi said taking his attention off the pretty japanese girl at his side.

"hopefully the outcome will be different this time," kenshin said.

ichiro's gaze locked on the couple. the young woman clung to yori as they danced slow japanese style. he noted that it was not quite like how he danced with shaundra to that song, but just as effective. yori had some pretty serious moves and the young woman couldn't do anything but follow.

the song ended and the young woman hurried back over to her friends happy and squealing.

yori walked back over to the table. "see, ich, just a dance, no more, no less."

ichiro picked up his beer realizing that yori was right. he had overreacted.

"where's tak?" yori asked.

satoshi pointed toward the bar. all of them looked over.

osamu was toying with the chain around takumijo's neck.

"my guess is that takumijo won't be coming home with us."

some other guys joined takumijo and osamu at the bar.

ichiro doubted it too. he'd probably go bar hopping with them and he'd camp out with osamu until the sun came out.

and then he would sleep most of the day away. ichiro frowned, hating the situation. takumijo's personality changed whenever that man came to town. one day that association was going to get him in some serious hot water.

things began to cool and slow down around midnight. the fellows had gotten rid of their female attachments, and kenshin had received a phone call from his girlfriend to pick her up. takumijo, as all of they expected, had left with osamu and some of the guys at the bar.

"let's get the hell out of here," satoshi said. "clubbing, i've discovered, now leaves a lot to be desired."

ichiro already knew this but didn't comment. the only thing that had been accomplished was it got him out of the house but left him more depressed than ever.

"where the hell are we going?" takumijo asked half reclined and half seated in the back of the expedition.

"tokyo," yori said as he wheeled the suv with perfection.

"the freaking sun isn't up yet," takumijo complained.

yori ignored him. "nobody told you to go barhopping with your friends."

takumijo groaned. "never drink tequila on an empty stomach."

"if you throw up in here, i'm going to dump your ass on the side of the road," yori warned. "i just got this thing washed and detailed."

"where's ichiro?" takumijo said suddenly realizing that yori wasn't kidding.

"at his restaurant. he went in early to give daichi a hand,"

satoshi answered. "there's a convention for doctors in town and they're expecting a crowd of them to come to the restaurant for lunch."

which worked out perfectly for them, yori reasoned. why get him involved?

"i think i'll take a nap," takumijo said. "wake me when we get there."

another good plan. he and satoshi could talk without takumijo's groaning and moaning recovery. let him sleep it off. he was more effective sober.

amaya luckily had gone into work with her parents and wouldn't be home for another day or so. and kenshin had to drive their manager masaaki into the office and had already been briefed to lie to masaaki if he asked any questions about their whereabouts.

satoshi's cell phone rang. he pulled it out of his pocket.

"hello." satoshi turned on the speaker.

"hello troublemaker."

"hello ms. gentry," he said nonchalantly. "how is california?"

"too busy," cristal replied. "and full of pretentious people."

satoshi laughed. "but it's a great place to be if you want to be an actor. how's yi-jun?"

"i guess he's okay. i haven't seen him in a couple of days.

he's been busy on the set so we haven't had much time to see each other."

"has he met the folks yet?"

"yes. mom thinks he's great and dad liked him too."

"that's nice," satoshi replied.

"what are you doofuses doing?"

yori looked over him and smirked.

"we're out joyriding," satoshi answered.

"so early in the morning? does masaaki know you're out?"

"sure," satoshi lied.

"how come i don't believe you?" cristal asked.

yori chuckled. "that's our cristal. we missed you last night at the club."

"you guys went clubbing? who went to jail?"

both yori and satoshi laughed.

"no one this time," satoshi answered.

yori could tell that satoshi had mixed feelings about the call. things were left unsettled when cristal announced that she was going to the united states. of course satoshi had other things on his mind at the time.

"we just needed to get ichiro out of the house for a breather," satoshi continued.

"how is he?" cristal asked.

"depressed."

"have you guys had any word?"

"no," satoshi answered quickly. "nothing yet."

yori looked over at him and satoshi shook his head.

"when are you due back?"

"next saturday," cristal answered.

"give me a call when you get in," satoshi told her. "i'll meet you at the airport."

"okay, i'll talk to you later." cristal hung up.

"that has got to be the shortest conversation ever between you two," yori said.

satoshi swept his bangs aside with his fingers. "the less i say to her the better."

"i'm not even going to ask you to explain."

"she chose yi-jun," satoshi replied. "no other explanation necessary."

yori shook his head. satoshi wouldn't know a good woman if she kicked him in the teeth.

tokyo metropolis came into view as yori drove over the rainbow bridge...a suspension bridge that ran across tokyo bay between shibaura pier and the odaiba waterfront. he looked down to check the navigation system. the hospital was located about three point five miles from the foot of the bridge.

takumijo continued to snore peacefully in the back seat.

yori found the hospital and drove into a parking spot. he turned off the car, got out, and walked to the rear and woke up takumijo. satoshi scooted out of the passenger seat and closed the door.

"why are we at a hospital?" takumijo asked getting out of the car, stretching and trying to fix his clothes.

"shaundra's here," yori said.

"what?" takumijo said stumbling behind them as they walked to the door.

"she didn't die in the earthquake?"

"no, she didn't. she was rescued and brought here," yori told him.

"are you sure?" takumijo asked.

"yes," satoshi said. "i hired an investigator and met with the guy who rescued her." he paused. "this is a story within itself."

they entered the hospital and hurried to the triage desk.

the nurse looked up startled. "how can i help you gentlemen?"

yori bowed. "we are looking for our sister-in-law. she was brought here right after the earthquake in miyagi and apparently has been in a coma."

"what is the patient's name?"

"shaundra yoshida," satoshi replied.

the nurse checked the computer. "ah, yes, the sleeping beauty."

"that's her," yori said.

"i'm sorry," the nurse said. "she checked out two days ago."

satoshi slumped against the desk. "how can a comatose patient sign herself out?"

"the records say she was discharged, which means she woke up."

"do they say who she left with?" yori asked in typical yori fashion.

"no," the nurse said fanning herself and fighting off his glare. "but you might want to speak to one of the nursing staff on the fourth floor. one of them might remember."

"thank you," yori said bowing gallantly.

the three of them ran toward the elevator. yori pushed the button. the elevator arrived and they hurried inside. satoshi pushed the fourth floor button and the doors closed.

yori sighed. where has she gone?

the doors opened on the fourth floor and they stepped out. the area was very busy. they hurried over to the desk getting more than one curious glance from the patients and nurses.

"we're trying to find our sister-in-law," yori began. "her name is shaundra yoshida."

"the sleeping beauty," the nurse behind the desk replied.

"i'm sorry, she checked out two days ago."

"when did she wake up?" satoshi asked impatiently.

"three days ago."

"do you remember if she left under her own ability or did someone come for her?"

"an american gentleman, about forty, with blond hair came for her. he dressed real nice."

"harper," yori and satoshi said together.

takumijo looked at them blankly. "i'm so lost, and still hung over," he reminded them.

"harper has shaundra and has known where she was since she disappeared," yori replied angrily. "thank you," he said to the nurse. he led then away from the desk.

"how are we going to find them?" takumijo asked.

"harper has a place here in tokyo," satoshi replied. he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "mr. sato. get me the address of harper kehoe, tokyo, japan." he pulled out a pad and pen, leaned against the wall by the elevator and took the information down. he got off the phone. "he has two places. one close by and the other near the sea shore."

"sea shore," both takumijo and yori said.

satoshi agreed. "let's go."

the sun felt good on her face.

>

next page