Nik held Anri's hand tightly as they walked through the park. A crisp wind blew through making the leaves rustle above them, trying to whip around Anri's painstakingly put together hairdo. Their shotgun romance burned bright with romantic dinners and even hotter nights of passionate love making.
"Thanks for coming to see me on short notice. I know you were busy this week with stuff at your school job and a modeling gig, but something important came up we need to talk about," Anri calmly stated, clinging tightly to Nik's hand.
"Is it about the vacation we planned together? Something happen with work or your folks to put it on hold?" Nik asked.
"No, no, the vacation is still good. I don't want to miss that for anything. Where else am I going to see my man in a speedo?" she giggled.
"Only because I lost the wager," Nik laughed back.
"It is about us. I don't want to drag it out so I'm going to just come out with it. I'm pregnant, Nik. I got it double confirmed."
Nik stopped walking suddenly, dead in his tracks. He kept holding her hand tightly but his stomach felt like he took an uppercut right in the gut.
"Pregnant? Are you sure? Of course you're sure, you just said that," he said in disbelief.
"You're not mad are you?" she asked.
"No...no...I'm just...I don't know what to think right now, babe. Last week we're talking about a vacation, and now suddenly I'm going to be a father. It is...wow...just wow..."
He pulled her along as he walked directly to the nearest bench to sit down. He did not trust his legs from collapsing. They did not plan on kids nor talked about it. This is why they say the pill is not 100%, there is always that 1% chance.
"You found yourself a real stud," he joked, taking a deep breath. "We beat the pill."
"I want to know you're going to stick with me, Nik. I don't want to be a foreign toy stereotype, forgotten when you head back home."
"Shhhh...don't talk like that, Anri," he replied, pulling her in close to kiss her forehead. "I told you I love you. I could never leave you. Until death do us part..."
Nik kissed her forehead again but felt confused. His lips touched something wet and sticky. Pulling away he saw blood smeared all over her face, dripping from every orifice. It startled and scared him, plainly shown on his face for Anri to see.
"What? Until death do us part..."
Nik screamed out in horror as his upper body sat up quickly. A cold sweat covered his naked body, breathing haphazardly like he finished running a marathon. His fists tighten, punching the mattress hard, repeatedly, before throwing the pillow across the room.
The nightmare woke him from his deep slumber, and not for the first time. Resting his face in his hands, he tried to catch his breath.
"Fuck...fuck...fuck!" he screamed out. "Not again...not again...why again?"
The scream turned to sobs as the memory of his kidnapping and torture flashed into his mind's eye. Seconds passed and the tears turned to anger, cracking his fist against the headboard of his bed. The anger nullified the pain from gashing open his knuckle from breaking the wood.
"I'm going to kill them. Every last one of them," he stated through gritted teeth. "I'll ruin them. I'll end them."
Knowing he would not be getting any sleep in this state, Nik got out of bed and searched for his gym clothes. Now would be a better time than any to go get some fresh air and make use of his rage while it lasted. Still, he ignored the blood that dripped down his knuckle, not caring about the wound. The emerging pain made him feel more whole.
X
The neon street lights hung from the sky, illuminating the streets below with its welcoming glow. People slowly walked around from shop to shop, scattering to the wind like refuse in the wind as the night died down. A typical Saturday night in one of the city's more legitimate shopping districts. As the people wandered around, soaking in every moment, one man ran through the streets in a hoodie. Face partially hidden under the hot cotton garb, he kept running without a purpose, simply going forward while listening to the beat through hidden headphones.
Nik huffed and puffed, slipping by the random passersby, trying to keep his rhythm going. The music sustained his physical output, and the hoodie kept the cool, night chill from aggravating his healed, physical wounds. It took a year of rehab and lifting to get back his physical look from before the torture, but regaining a modicum of his physical endurance would take a lot more effort.
He suddenly stopped at a red walk light, sucking in air heavily. The cool air helped refresh his tired lungs and leg muscles as he slowly paced in place while waiting for the light to change. He looked around at the people walking by, a mixture of humanity at its finest and worst. A couple walked hand-in-hand, hanging onto each other's every word and moments away from needing a room for a very private conversation. A salaryman looked glued to his phone, thumbing through something to his amusement. Without seeing the screen it could be anything from a random manga to a phone game to a dating app. A homeless man scuffled about with a bottle of cheap, convenience store sake in his hand, heading to his cardboard bed positioned underneath the overpass ahead of them. The perfect spot to stay dry when it became typhoon season, and with enough space to stay out of the walker's way.
All these people and more were a part of Nik's nightly jogging environment. After the park fight he realized he did not have the stamina to keep up with his desire for revenge. He went blow-to-blow with the crew from Osaka but he relied on rage to get him through it. When would that rage fail to ignite? The next fight? Against a real, grizzled tough guy? He did not know so he needed to sand off as many weaknesses as possible, and soon.
It also did not help that Musashi wanted him to perform more in front of the camera. The video he did with the 'schoolgirl' got good reviews from some major AV sites, despite the masked gaijin motif. Musashi wanted to strike while the iron was hot and make the sequel as soon as possible. He also wanted Nik to keep directing it, giving him full-reign of the production.
Nik kept jogging, turning a corner to a long pathway covered in trees and benches. Some nights he'd see couples and groups hanging out on the benches like it were a beach. All spread out, some would have drinks and food, some books to read, and some just tried to be affectionate without breaking the social taboos of the local culture. Despite the random people, the view and rustle of the trees mixed in with the street lights helped calm Nik's nerves. It felt serene to find a small piece of nature inside a bustling, concrete jungle.
Other joggers occasionally ran by the long pathway, as well as bikers. Nik stopped again to sit on a bench, pulling down his hood to stare up at some of the trees. He fixated on the rustling and the chorus created by the breeze. Calm, serene, it helped focus him. Pulling off his headphones, he looked around, breathing heavily. He had been jogging for an hour and despite the cool breeze, this was still Japan. It only knocked the heat down a degree or two. Sweat dripped from his brow. Droplets hit his hoodie, mixing into the soaked fabric. He wore nothing underneath.
"I'll be happy when I'm back to 100%. I hate cardio," he sighed, sucking in a large breath.
He trained this way for a secondary purpose. He wanted to observe humanity again, raw and unfiltered. At night, especially on the designated party nights, he could see the true face of humanity. During the day in Japan, everyone acted prim and proper, respecting their hierarchical roles. All the businessmen in their generic suits and ties crowded into the subways to their desk jobs. All the manual laborers shuffled to whatever building went up that week. All the immigrants manned the convenience stores, selling coffee and store food to other workers on the way to their jobs. Everyone colored between the lines.
Here though, at this time, those same people colored outside the lines. In the far view of his eyesight, Nik caught movement on one of the benches. Two people were passionately making out, indulging in a social taboo. This was no simple kiss, they were sucking face thanks to the slight veil of darkness covering the pathway. They did this all while others walked by and others on a nearby bench listened to music on a boombox.
These moments gave him time to reflect on life. Only a year ago he colored in those lines, happily dressing in his cheap, generic suit to play tape recorder to a bunch of high schoolers who barely had an interest in learning English outside of passing a government mandatory test. Being tortured to the brink of death erased his line and he wondered if there was a point to redrawing it, and how?
He stood up and started jogging again. He kept going until he reached a small convenience store a couple blocks from his apartment building. Slowing down as he reached the glow of the store sign, he walked inside, ignoring the small gang sitting around outside drinking beers.
Inside the chill of air conditioning cooled his hot face. His feet walked him straight to the drinks section, and his hands sought out the coldest bottle of water he could find to help quench his earned thirst. After buying the drink, Nik slowly walked out while downing the water quickly. He took a moment to find a spot to sit down near the corner, away from the ruckus.
"Why do you have Tomoe calling you this time of night?" one of the women shouted at one of the men.
