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Revealed: The Nogiku Series, #5
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316 pages4 hours
Summary
Come back to the Nogiku world with Jiro Itō and Mark Sakai as they live the events of Removed from their perspective.
Secrets, lies, and cover-ups are all in a day's work for Jiro and Mark, but when Sanaa Griffin enters their world, truths emerge, plans fall by the wayside, and enemies come out of the shadows. How does Mark veer so far off course while training Sanaa? And how does Jiro win back his family's loyalty after losing their trust?
If you loved the Nogiku Series, Revealed will uncover the details behind all the action and reveal the future life of Sanaa and Jiro on Yūsei. Don't miss this companion novel to the four books of The Nogiku Series!
Publisher: Onigiri PressReleased: Nov 18, 2015ISBN: 9781524254476Format: book
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Revealed - S. J. Pajonas
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Chapter One
It’s New Year’s Eve 3103, and Jiro is bored out of his mind. He really hates New Year’s Eve. Getting dressed up in formal kimono and making the rounds of all the major clan heads before settling into a night at the okiya is such a pain, and he is tasked to do this every year for the rest of his life. Every year he’ll be required to sit silently, nod or smile at jokes, and be serious about negotiations or indiscretions. Every year he’ll walk all over the city at the beck and call of his peers instead of the other way around. It’s work — not a good time like a holiday should be — and the evening is always a lot more trouble than it’s worth. He’d rather skip the rounds altogether and head straight to the okiya where his family will eat and drink until it’s time to go out again. At least then he can flirt as much as he wants and the geisha won’t throw themselves at him. He doesn’t want to take girls home anymore. They’re nothing but trouble.
Will you please stop brooding, Jiro? Or get the hell out of the apartment.
Yoichi, his older brother by two years, actually likes New Year’s Eve which is why he’s massaging every last hair into place on his head. This is one of the few holidays when Yoichi isn’t involved in the family business because money doesn’t change hands. He’s the prized son, the family’s accountant and sōdanyaku. He takes care of the finances for their uncle, Mark Sakai, head of their family, Sakai clan, and advises on how to keep the family businesses afloat and in the black. He watches the money that comes in, arranges permits for properties they own, and balances the bank accounts, but he doesn’t deal with people. Yoichi is strictly a back-office man and has been handling the books since he was seventeen, seven years now.
Jiro, on the other hand, is never not involved in the family business. Every time he steps out the door, every time he turns on his tablet, there is another person to deal with, another meeting to arrange, another crook to face with his sword on his back. The way things work around here is Sakai arranges the deals and Jiro and his father, Koichi, enforce them either with strong words or their katanas. Leaving the building tonight without his katana makes him nervous. It’s tradition not to carry weapons on this night. He paces the floor behind his brother, bouncing on his toes, until Yoichi turns from the mirror and levels an icy stare at him.
Fine. He throws himself on the couch and taps his long fingers on its arm while Yoichi adjusts his obi again.
Thank you,
Yoichi says, and Jiro is tempted to give him the finger while his back is turned. Yoichi is so annoyingly careful about his appearance. Jiro just brushes his chin-length hair, tucks the white strand he’s had since he was born behind his ear, and wears a clean kimono. He has no one to impress anyway.
Where are we going tonight, again?
The usual routine is to visit Noboru Maeda, head of clan Maeda, at Akaboshi, his main casino, then Tomio Miura, the head of clan Taira, before going to the okiya for dinner and drinks at midnight. Then, since Sakai clan is close to Minamoto clan, Jiro and Yoichi, their mother and father, and Sakai will all spend the rest of the evening and into the morning with Yoshinori Minamoto and his family at their restaurant.
But plans have changed.
Izakaya Tanaka in Ku 7. Mother seems to think the owner’s daughter is a good match for me… Whatever that means.
Yoichi shrugs and sips at a cup of coffee. ’Twenty-four is too old to be without a girlfriend, fiancé, or wife, Yoichi!’,
he mocks in a high voice and nails Mariko, their mother, so perfectly that Jiro laughs. I’m glad I never introduced her to Jessie.
Jessie was Yoichi’s last girlfriend, a sweet and shy girl from the Polish quarters in Ku 4. An outsider. Outsiders never last. Goodness knows Jiro’s last two girlfriends proved that point to the extreme. He dated a girl in school for a bit before he met tall, blonde and gorgeous, Melanie. She spoke only basic Japanese, lived in Ku 3 and worked with textiles in a shop handed down through generations of Turks. It was a wonder they ever met. But he had run an errand to the shop one day with Sakai for Minamoto and Melanie flirted heavily with him while Sakai spoke with the owners. He should have known better. People who don’t live in his world just do not understand the duties. Even Eriko, a born and bred one hundred percent Japanese girl from Ku 6, and his last girlfriend dalliance, couldn’t handle this life.
You didn’t introduce mother to Jessie because, for the first time ever, you learned from my mistakes, instead of me learning from yours.
Yeah, well, Jessie didn’t want kids,
Yoichi says, smoothing out the front of his black kimono. Yoichi wants a wife and a family. If Sakai is any indication, Jiro will have a string of girlfriends until he dies alone.
Jiro rolls his eyes at Yoichi, plucking at the black fabric of his kimono. I thought, for once, New Year’s Eve was going to be without surprises. This girl you’re going to see tonight, she wants to get married?
Yoichi nods, dumping the rest of his coffee in the sink and placing his mug in the auto-washer. Her family owns this izakaya. She wants to run it. That’s all the info I have. Well, you know mother… This girl, Miko, is a Scorpio. ‘A great match for you, Yoichi!’ Ugh. I wish she’d quit with the astrology.
"Never gonna happen. I think she dismissed Melanie more for the fact that she was a Gemini than she was gaijin. So, just nod and smile like you always do. If you don’t like this Miko or her family, then go out on a date, make up an excuse, and be done with her."
I don’t need my younger brother to tell me what to do.
Yoichi’s back is turned to Jiro, but his shoulders are hunched in annoyance. They’ve been fighting more and more lately. With no outlet to burn his anger and frustration, Jiro’s been snappy and commanding — on the edge of his sword’s blade. Probably where he’ll be for some time.
Jiro bites down, his teeth grinding a slow dance in his head. "Gomen." He breathes the apology so softly Yoichi takes a moment to turn and nod his head.
Jiro rises from his place on the couch and automatically reaches for his sword before stopping and clenching his fist. Not tonight.
Ping! A new message pops up on Jiro’s tablet from their mother, Mariko Itō. Her timing is uncanny. You’re late, and your father and Mark are waiting for you downstairs. Go on to Ku 7 without me. I already met Miko’s mother, and I have to visit Matsuo before meeting you at the casino.
Mark Sakai stands quietly, his hands clasped behind his back, dressed and ready to go. The black, Sakai clan kimono is like a second skin to him he wears it so often. Negotiations, formal tea ceremonies, and holiday parties means the garment is never at the cleaners for long. The rest of his appearance is easy enough. He trimmed his own hair the other day because he holds it back in a tail everyday anyway, and he never grows a beard anymore. His brother, Koichi, always sports a five o’clock shadow. His wife, Mariko, likes him rough around the edges.
Why are these sons of mine late when they know we need to be someplace early?
Koichi glances up at the clock in the lobby of Sakai building. 6:05pm. He rubs his hand along the scar on his jaw and up to his close-cropped gray hair. The lobby is packed with people tonight and crowds stream past the glass doors leading outside. Two little boys dressed in kimono run up to Mark Sakai and pull on his sleeve, laughing, their faces red with glee.
"Akemashite omedetō, Sakai-san!" They chime, three decibels louder than they should. Both Sakai and Koichi lean back and laugh.
"Arigatō, Sakai says, bowing formally to them, the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.
Happy New Year to you and your family."
The little boys run off to their parents leaving the building with a wave, and Sakai checks the clock again. They had promised to be at Izakaya Tanaka at 6:30pm before the rush of New Year’s Eve, and they’re cutting it close. It might be best to walk to the outer transitway line and take the express train instead of the local.
Mr. Tanaka, Miko’s father, arranged the evening. Sakai spoke to him two days ago and agreed to a short meeting at the izakaya before they visit Noboru Maeda at Akaboshi, Maeda’s largest casino in Ku 6. Sakai didn’t want to sandwich another thing into this day, but after seeing how excited Mariko was about this match for Yoichi, he relented. He was already resigned to not seeing Lucy for the next few days. No need to deny other people the chance at happiness.
They’re late because they’re gabbing about something. They never stop talking.
Not since they were born,
Koichi says with a laugh. Jiro arrived, and we could see Yoichi sigh with gratitude. Someone to talk to other than us.
Please stop talking about us behind our backs,
Yoichi says, taking the stairs two-at-a-time with Jiro right behind him. We can hear you all the way up on the second floor.
Sound travels in this building.
Sakai would love to add extra insulation to prevent the sounds of his downstairs neighbors fighting, but there’s no point in doing that kind of work so close to colonization. Sweeping his critical gaze over Koichi, Yoichi, and Jiro, he nods, satisfied everyone is put together. This could be the start of a long business arrangement with the Tanakas. It’s best to go in professional and launch relations on the right foot.
Streams of colorful kimonos exit and enter the transitway station three blocks from Sakai building. The crowds are heading in every direction tonight. If Sakai had his way, he’d never leave the house on New Year’s Eve. So many things could go wrong this evening. Noburu Maeda is always fine, willing to invite them to his casino at a moment’s notice. He’s the easiest of the clan leaders to deal with as long as his business is never interrupted. Clan Taira has been openly hostile lately with Tomio Miura denying meetings left and right. Minamoto has been quiet and quiet is never good. He won the latest negotiation against Miura to provide a replacement for the head of the Colonization Committee, and Sakai was sure this would make Minamoto gloat, but it didn’t. Something’s going on with Minamoto he’s not aware of.
The ride to Ku 7 is hot and sweaty, cars packed with kimonos and the tang of alcohol from revelers who decided to start celebrating early. Sakai’s eyes skip over the tops of everyone around him and land on an old woman sitting with a gift box of oranges on her lap. The transitway car jostles, and she clutches the box so the oranges don’t tumble out. He sent a similar box to Lucy to wish her a happy New Year. She messaged that she was saving them for their next dinner date. Sakai smiles, remembering her laugh. They don’t spend nearly enough time together.
When they arrive at Izakaya Tanaka, Sakai’s brain is so filled with Lucy, what-ifs and backup plans about Minamoto and Taira, he doesn’t recognize the restaurant until they’re all ducking under the noren curtains.
Wait a minute. He followed Sanaa here a week ago when he started tracking her again. She met two girls on Christmas Eve, and they exchanged presents, ate dinner and had drinks before Sanaa went home to her aunts in Ku 9. Maybe it was just a coincidence?
"Irrashiamase!" a sweet voice calls from behind the bar, and Sakai’s stomach twists. It most definitely wasn’t a coincidence.
From behind the bar, a gorgeous girl in her early twenties, her hair cut in a sleek bob with a line of bangs across her forehead, emerges and approaches them. She politely smooths out the front of her jade green kimono before bowing.
Are you here for the private room?
she asks, her eyes on Koichi at the front.
Koichi bows back. We’re here to meet Tanaka-san, the owner.
Oh,
she smiles again and straightens her shoulders, her eyes darting to Yoichi first, then Jiro and Sakai. Sakai holds back a sigh. Her eyes lingered on Yoichi a half second longer than anyone else. Ten minutes ago, before he knew Miko Tanaka was connected to Sanaa Griffin, Sakai would have been happy. Now, this is nothing but trouble.
Miko waves her hand and leads them back to the private room.
Once they’re all seated, Sakai glances over at Yoichi to gauge his expression. Yoichi’s eyes are smiling, and he leans back to open the shōji screen door and watch Miko walk away. Maybe Mariko is a better matchmaker than he gave her credit for, even though every match for Jiro was a failure. Jiro and Yoichi are chatting and wiping their hands with hot towels, so Sakai leans over to whisper to Koichi.
I was here on Christmas Eve.
"Really? Nan desu ka?"
I don’t even want to admit it.
Sakai straightens up and taps his fingers on his knee, but before Koichi can ask why, the door slides open and Mr. Tanaka enters with a smile, his daughter right behind him with sake. Time to get to know each other.
Chapter Two
Five days earlier.
Sakai took a deep breath and placed his hand on the door palm scanner outside Kimie Itami and Lomo Nakamura’s Ku 9 apartment. Sanaa wasn’t at home. Her aunts had taken the week off between Christmas and New Year’s but not Sanaa. Sakai had studied her work logs. She never took time off, though she had the opportunity, and worked extra shifts even when she didn’t need to. So like her father, especially in the end, when he was avoiding Junko all of the time.
Sakai had watched the apartment via surveillance in the morning. Sanaa left for work as always, but her aunts stayed home. He hoped he wouldn’t be interrupting anything, but it was now or never. The day after Christmas was as long as he was willing to wait.
He scanned his hand at the door, the chimes rang inside, and he was able to breathe in and out four times before the door opened. In fact, he was worried it might not open at all, that they would ignore him and pretend he never came by. Kimie stood in front of him, her eyes wide in shock and horror. She hadn’t seen him in almost fifteen years, though he had seen her.
"Konnichiwa, Kimie. I hope I’m not interrupting anything, Sakai said, bowing slightly, but she didn’t move. Her hair was tied back in a twist, the same way she’d worn it since she was in her twenties, and her Nishikyō grays sat firmly on her body. She was still in good shape.
Kimie?" Sakai prompted when she made no move to do anything.
Mark… Mark Sakai, what in gods’ names are you doing here?
From behind Kimie, Lomo, Kimie’s wife of twenty years, approached, a kitchen towel thrown over her shoulder and a plastic spoon drenched in tomato sauce dripping from her right hand. Oh no…
she said, dropping the spoon on the floor, red spatters hit the floor and the nearby wall. Shit.
She leaned over to wipe up her mess. Mark, you should really call first.
It’s good to see you both.
Sakai smiled and clasped his hands in front of him. May I come in?
Without responding, Kimie backed away from the door and he entered, taking off his shoes in the doorway and setting them aside politely.
You can probably guess why I’m here,
he said, pausing to gauge their response. Lomo narrowed her eyes at him; Kimie visibly reddened.
I don’t like what I’m guessing,
she replied, steadily. I have half a mind to kick you out of this house right now.
I hope you won’t. And I don’t want to interrupt your day too badly.
He inhaled and smiled. Italian dinner tonight?
Sanaa…
Lomo’s voice cracked, and she turned to go back to the kitchen. Sanaa loves pasta. Boxing Day tradition.
Sanaa is, of course, why I’m here. She turned twenty two days ago…
Her birthday is the first,
Kimie bit out.
Sakai stayed silent. Sanaa’s actual birthday was debatable.
Regardless, she’s twenty, and the agreement still stands. She’ll need to come forward soon.
Sakai had been waiting for this day for seventeen years and was never sure how it would go over. Would Kimie be understanding? Or would she be obstinate? He ran through every possible situation in his head and with Lucy for the past two years. Together, they had planned for every possible outcome. Plan A was their best-case scenario, a long shot.
Are you insane? She’s not ready. She’s just a little girl.
Look at your little girl, Kimie. Sanaa’s a woman now, and she understands less about her family and her role in the colonization than her mother did at the age of ten.
Mark, no,
Kimie pleaded. She even clasped her hands together at her heart, and he squashed down the guilt and sadness, buried them in the same grave with all the other feelings he killed years ago. She’s happy, content even. She likes her job, loves her friends. You can’t come in here and take her away from all of that.
He shook his head. Coen-sama expects to meet her soon. We would like for her unveiling to happen discretely amongst the highest clan members first, before revealing the government structure we have planned for Yūsei that puts her almost at the top.
Soft, muffled crying filtered from the kitchen and Sakai regretted that he had made sweet and caring Lomo upset. They all knew this day would come, but he was the only one truly prepared.
I’m sorry. I had to come here, and I waited as long as possible. I didn’t want to ruin your holiday.
It’s a little late for that.
Kimie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. She never did fear him. She even called him a manipulator once. Well, she was right.
Sanaa’s busy at her job. It was my original plan for you to introduce me after she comes home. We’ll show her the videos and documents Junko stored away, and then she’ll be released from her work to concentrate on this. We’ll move her to Ku 6, and Koichi and Mariko will watch after her welfare.
Plan A. He liked it a lot. There were fewer things that could go wrong…
No. No way. Get out of my house right now, Mark Sakai. There’s no way that’s ever going to happen, ever. You’re going to leave her alone for good. Find some other way to keep those bastards in line that doesn’t involve our family and a twenty-year-old girl.
Plan B, then. Sakai stopped himself from sighing.
She won’t be twenty forever, and this business is out of our hands, you know that, Kimie. It’s part of the original laws written when Japan was dissolved as a country. We cannot turn our backs on her destiny now.
Screw you and the laws. I’m not letting you touch my baby.
Sakai’s eyes focused on a photo on the wall of Kimie, Lomo, and Sanaa at Sanaa’s graduation. She was far from a baby, a young woman, and so much like her mother, it was eerie to Sakai. The skin on the back of his neck prickled with dread. He had slept with Sanaa’s mother, Junko, far too many times to count. This was like looking at a happier version of her ghost.
Please, Kimie. Be reasonable. She’s more than capable of handling all of this…
Wait. How do you know anything about her? Have you been watching her?
Her voice climbed almost an entire octave, and Sakai took a step back. Kimie shouldn’t be provoked. She was already on the precipice.
"Stay away from her, Mark. Stay far away. If I even suspect you’ve been near her, I’ll go straight to Coen myself. I’m sure she’d listen to me, Sanaa’s legal guardian." She punctuated with two jabs of her index finger, slicing through the air at him. It was all his idea from the get-go.
Don’t make this hard on Sanaa. It’s going to happen one way or another. Wouldn’t you rather she has plenty of time to get used to the idea?
It doesn’t have to happen. She can continue to grow up happy, and no one ever has to know.
Sakai sighed and his shoulders fell. I won’t lie to you. Relations are sketchy at best amongst the clans. They fight with each other all the time, sometimes in broad daylight. I’m constantly pulled in a dozen different directions. Hell, I only sleep three hours per night. I’ve heard rumors Tomio Miura plans to wipe out all the minor clans, one by one. He’s eager to cement his power. Minamoto and Maeda are constantly at each other’s throats, and I strongly suspect one of them poisoned the Colonization Chief. They’ll never get along. But with a ruling head over them, we may see peace.
Kimie sat down in the armchair across from the couch, placed her hands on her knees and turned from Sakai to stare at the family pictures on the end table. She thought about it, tapping her fingers and humming quietly. Kimie rarely showed any emotion other than anger. She was always a private person. It took forever for anyone to figure out that she even liked women over men. She was hard to read and get along with, difficult to manipulate because she was so stubborn and set in her ways.
I just can’t do it to her. We’ll take our chances and hope they work things out without her,
she said, standing up and smoothing out the front of her shirt.
I understand your position — really — but please reconsider. You know how to contact me.
He leaned forward and peered into the kitchen. Lomo was standing at the stove, spoon poised over the pot of sauce, staring blankly as the red tomatoes boiled away. He stepped into the kitchen and squeezed her around the shoulders, kissing her on the temple. You were always my favorite, Lomo,
he whispered in her ear, knowing the compliment would make her smile.
Thanks. Why don’t you come back in a few weeks and try again? I don’t want this either, but I know how important it is.
He wouldn’t come back here because Kimie would never budge. At the very least, come back for dinner, and we’ll all get to know each other again?
She lowered her voice. I saw you at Sanaa’s graduation. Thank you for coming.
She looked at him hopefully, nodding her head, and he decided to save face. It was the least I could do. I’ll come again. In the spring?
Lomo nodded at him, he slipped into his shoes and left without acknowledging Kimie. One way or another, Sakai would get his way.
Mr. Tanaka seems a nice enough man, chatty and warm, with a good-natured smile. He explains his wife is at home dealing with a busted sink but would be in later to help with the crowds. His daughter, Miko, enters the room twice to distribute food and sake. On her last trip in, she sized up everyone. She looked to each person and memorized them in a heartbeat, taking an extra moment for both Yoichi and Jiro. The way she crinkled her eyes at both the boys confused him though. Which one does she like? Technically, they were both the right age for her. But he didn’t get a chance to read her
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