Tokyo Love (24 page)

Kathleen suddenly stood. And, because standing meant Yuriko's head was just a little too close to certain private areas, Kathleen quickly sat on the edge of the pool, pulling her legs to the side so she was half turned away from Yuriko.

“You okay?” Yuriko asked.

Kathleen knew she probably looked very flushed. “Just getting a little hot.”

Kathleen wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Yuriko swallow and take a deep breath. Then she stood. “Me too. If I stay here any longer, I'll probably fall asleep. Let's head back, okay?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

They both quietly exited the
onsen
, only spending enough time in the dressing room to dry off. Kathleen kind of liked that they only had to slip on their robes and walk back to the room. Her skin felt soft and sort of smelled like the water. It wasn't a scent she would bottle, but it made her feel earthy and relaxed.

At the rooms, the table and seat pads and been moved aside and the
futon
beds were laid out for them. Ai was already lying in hers and it looked strange to Kathleen until she realized that she had never seen Ai in a bed before. She probably moved there so the staff wouldn't think she was not completely human.

As she settled into her
futon
, she found that Yuriko had been right. It did feel very soft and comfortable after a long day.

Yuriko looked up at the large canopy of trees that surrounded them. The early morning light seemed too weak to fully penetrate, so it streamed down gently between the leaves. The moss seemed thicker and brighter, perhaps because it had rained in the night again. The only people on the path were a couple of old women, who giggled and greeted Yuriko and Kathleen as they passed.

The path was a little steep, but Kathleen didn't seem to mind that she was sweating. She had her camera pointed at the impressive trees. “You know, my family was never into camping. But I think I could camp here. I think I could live here.”

Yuriko laughed. “Planning to become a
miko
?”

“A what?”

“Shinto priestess.”

Kathleen stared. “There are female priests too?”

Yuriko smiled. “Yeah, we saw them yesterday. Remember the girls wearing the red
hakama
and white
hori
? I mean, the red pants and white shirt? They are called shrine maidens.”

“Do you think they'd let me in?”

Yuriko shrugged. “You might have to be fluent in Japanese.”

Kathleen turned her camera to a waterfall as they passed. “For this view? Yeah, I think I could learn. Oh, look!”

After walking up a series of steep, stone steps, they came upon a stone
torii
that lay at the entrance of Tosho-gu shrine. Yuriko couldn't say that she was as enraptured as Kathleen by shrines, but this grey, moss covered gate was beautiful. It stood above the path, blending in with the rough stone path below. The damp moss growing on the sides made it seem not at all different from the trees growing beside it.

A small sign sat just before it.

“What does it say?” Kathleen asked.

“It says that any pilgrim that throws three stones through the center of the
torii
, the gate here, will have their wish granted, or have good luck or something like that.”

“A wish, eh?”

They both looked up to a small hole in the center of the
torii
. It was small, probably no more than seven centimeters, Yuriko guessed. With the
torii
standing at probably five meters, she wasn't sure how anyone could make the target once, or three times in a row. Kathleen was already rooting around the edges of the path selecting her stones.

Yuriko pulled out a water bottle, since they were obviously taking a break. “You think you can make it?”

“For any wish? Of course!”

“What are you going to wish for?”

Kathleen frowned at her. “If I tell you, it won't come true.”

Yuriko snorted. “This is a Japanese
torii
, not an American birthday cake.”

“Well, I
am
an American
in
Japan. So obviously I have to live by both rules.” She wound up her arm, eyes narrowing in concentration. She threw the stone, letting out a soft grunt.

It soared just about a meter below the target. Yuriko laughed into her water bottle and Kathleen glared at her.

“Well, maybe it will just grant me two thirds of a wish.”

The next stone flew right over the top. The last one managed to at least hit the top, though it wasn't near the hole. Yuriko was laughing now, mostly because Kathleen, in her desperation, was making louder and louder grunts. It hadn't helped.

Kathleen picked up another stone, throwing it at Yuriko. It actually managed to hit her arm, though it hadn't hurt. “All right, why don't
you
try?”

Yuriko picked up the stone that Kathleen had thrown at her. She threw it, not bothering to aim well. Without even touching the edges, it flew through the hole. She grinned at Kathleen. “Not so difficult.”

Kathleen was gaping. “Come on! Throw another!”

Yuriko waved a hand. “Nah, one third of a wish is just fine with me.”

Kathleen whined a bit more, but Yuriko stepped through the arch. There were a couple of main buildings and some signs pointing to interesting features. Yuriko stopped before a building, where one of the trees was heavily laden with tied pieces of paper, all sagging or falling apart from the recent rain. It read that any lovers who could tie the paper with one hand would enjoy a happy marriage.

Kathleen looked at the curiously. “More prayers?” she asked.

“Something like that,” Yuriko answered. For some reason, she didn't want to tell Kathleen that lovers traveling the same path as them tied them there. Just for the same reason she didn't want to make a wish on the
torii
, she supposed.

The area was wonderfully landscaped with a winding path and several ancient shrines. There was a shrine set up for three cedar trees that were four hundred years old. Then a small spring that was rumored to taste like
sake
. Kathleen had to go up to everything and take pictures, even the shrine that one could pray for an easy childbirth.

Only once did a couple of old women pass them on the path. Otherwise it was wonderfully empty. Yuriko knew that hours had passed since they had started their hike, but the sun could barely penetrate the trees so it was still shadowed and cool. She wished she could bottle the feeling for when they had to return to the stifling humidity of Tokyo.

They walked further into the forest, aimless as they wandered. The shrines or stone lanterns became sparse, fading into the trees. After a short walk from Tosho-gu shrine, they came upon another, almost entirely hidden in the woods.

The stone fence and path were covered in the thick moss. Parts of the path were slightly flooded from the rain the night before. A stone cliff arched over them, making the area shaded and cool. A red shrine building seemed unusually bright amongst the dark greens and grays, despite its faded appearance.

Kathleen ignored the building, however, moving toward the cliff instead. There, Yuriko could see, was a series of statues placed into a small shallow cave. A small pool of water surrounded the path, but Kathleen hopped across the stones that managed to poke out above the water. Yuriko followed her to see her crouching in front of the small statues.

These were not Jizo, the statues at the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, but looked like other gods. Yuriko wasn't sure who, exactly, and there was no sign to designate them. One wore a red hat, like those other statues, but it was very faded. All the offering plates in front of them were empty or filled with leafy water. Kathleen leaned forward, as if looking at some particular detail.

Kathleen suddenly looked up the cliff side. “It's like another world, isn't it?” She twisted, looking behind them. “Like, it kind of felt that way at the other shrines, but there is no one here now. It's so
quiet
.”

Yuriko looked around. It did kind of seem like they were in another world, or maybe back in time. She knew there was a road not too far away, but she couldn't hear any cars. The path and shrines were so well worn that it seemed like they sprung up from the ground, instead of being placed there.

Kathleen shivered and rubbed the sides of her bare arms.

“You okay?”

“Just a bit cold.” She smiled up to Yuriko. “It's a little brisk this morning.”

Yuriko took off her backpack, placing it on a dry patch of ground, then shrugged off her jacket. Kathleen made a noise of resistance, but Yuriko just dropped it on her shoulders. “I'm fine. I've heated up from the walk out here.”

Kathleen pulled the jacket a little closer. “Thanks,” she murmured.

“Why don't you try it in Japanese?” Yuriko knew she was being a little pedantic.

Kathleen sneered, but spoke, “
Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu
.”

Yuriko smirked. “Good enough.”

“What? Wasn't that right?”

Yuriko held out a hand so Kathleen could easily get to her feet. “Just a little formal. Try just
dōmo
next time, especially between us.”

Kathleen's hand was freezing in Yuriko's and she wondered just how cold she had been. She took her fingers and rubbed them between her palms. “
Daijōbu
?”

“Ah … ” Kathleen was staring at their hands, struggling to find the words. “
Hai
, um,
kimochi ii
.” She said it soft and sweet, as if she had heard it somewhere and mimicked the sound, but wasn't sure exactly what it meant. Then she looked up to Yuriko, cheeks just barely tinted pink. “
Dōmo
.”

Yuriko grinned. “
Shoganai.
”

They were standing close, forced by the pools of water. Yuriko could feel Kathleen's hands suddenly warm in hers, though she was no longer rubbing them. She was just holding them. Kathleen did not pull away.

If you reach out to Kathleen, she will undoubtedly reach back, even if she isn't sure why yet
. Yuriko remembered Ai's words, spoken to her just the day before.
Have you truly tried?

Yuriko hadn't tried to throw the stones at the
torii
. Because she knew exactly what she would wish for, and it seemed so hopeless to wish for it, that it would be a waste. However now they were both in a different space, a different world. It didn't seem so hopeless anymore.

Maybe the rules could be changed when the world around you wasn't familiar and you were alone together.

Kathleen was still looking at her, cheeks flushed and mouth slightly parted. Was she having a hard time breathing too? Was her heart beating just as fast as Yuriko's?

Yuriko found herself leaning forward, throat constricted in terror and anticipation and
want
. She wanted to kiss Kathleen while holding her hand, standing in a flooded shrine before the stone observations of forgotten gods. She wanted to kiss Kathleen with a feeling much more potent than when they were both drunk and unthinking. She wanted to
kiss
Kathleen.

She stopped, face mere breaths away from Kathleen, so close that she might have been resting her forehead on Kathleen's, noses just ghosting each other. She wasn't sure though, because all she could feel was her racing heart and thoughts blurring her vision.

Kathleen tilted her head, lifting her chin, and then they were kissing. Softly, gently, both of them terrified. There was no needy grabbing, no gasping into each other mouths. Yuriko's heart stopped.

Then it was over and Kathleen pulled away, eyes flickering everywhere but at Yuriko. Her hands went cold and she nearly tore them from Yuriko's. She stumbled from the cliff, feet nearly sliding into the water, not stopping until she was on higher, drier ground.

Yuriko wasn't sure how she had done it without falling. Her legs felt numb and she couldn't even feel her heart, which had sunk somewhere around her stomach. She cautiously followed, mind racing with a thousand things to say. Most of them were “I'm sorry.”

When she approached, Kathleen gave her a smile so fake that it looked painful. “Well, I'm starving. Also I bet Ai just can't wait to feed me some weird tofu. We should head back, yeah?” Her eyes didn't meet Yuriko's.

Yuriko nodded, not sure what to say. Were they going to ignore the fact that they just kissed? Both of them were completely sober and aware now. Was that for the best? Yuriko wasn't sure if she could handle a rejection. She wasn't sure if she could handle it if Kathleen decided to stop speaking to her again. A part of her would probably never rest if they just continued on like nothing happened. The rest of her was terrified.

They trip back to the
ryokan
was painfully silent and a few times Yuriko almost got the nerve to speak up. Then Kathleen would look away or turn from her and Yuriko's heart would sink a little lower. She always thought herself confident and unafraid of her own feelings. However expressing happiness or sadness was nothing compared to showing her own insecurity. Friends would often say that Yuriko was too American because she often spoke out.

Now, trying to avoid conflict, avoid concrete decisions, avoid something that could make or break her inside, she felt entirely Japanese.

She felt herself sinking into the crowds of Nikko, blending in, becoming part of the group, not an individual any longer.

Kathleen felt like an idiot. What was she doing? What was she
thinking
?

She wasn't thinking, hadn't been thinking. She had been seduced by ancient shrines and cool weather and had kissed Yuriko.

She only had eight more days to study Ai. Then the PLC would be broken down, parts examined for wear and functionality, and Kathleen would receive her data chip for future reference. She should be working harder than ever, finishing off any last tests of processing power or endurance. She should be excited, knowing that in about a week she wouldn't have to tow a love robot around Tokyo anymore. She would have her apartment to herself again. Her project would officially be in beta and Kathleen would start a whole new chapter at work.