“I mean we needed it, so I got it.” Sayuri answered flippantly with a subdued smile. Though the money was needed, she perhaps didn’t need a disguise/costume change, but it was beneficial. She did not need to steal the sunglasses that she took, they definitely belonged to the teen girl working the counter. Sayuri only figured that out when she realized later that they were prescription sunglasses, after her eyes were hurting and she made an effort to peek over the top of the lenses instead of looking straight through them. “I can’t wait to be spoiled or whatever, in return.” Sayuri teased him back, of course referring to their conversation at the onsen.
"I am, if anything else, a man of his word." Sasha said with a grin as he went ahead and draped the towel around his shoulders and scooted so that he could sprawl on the bed beside Sayuri. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
“I can’t wait, I got big plans.” Sayuri said simply, she rolled onto her side then to face Sasha better. The flying saucer bed was silly, but all in all not uncomfortable. Sayuri was not someone who got embarrassed easy, sleeping with Sasha was never going to feel awkward to her. It almost felt natural, it was comfortable.
"The bigger, the better. I have deep pockets, you know?" Sasha said as he mirrored Sayuri and rolled onto his side as well to face her. While he was often pink in the face when Sayuri razzed him, in this quiet moment on the bed next to her, he felt at ease. "I'll get you whatever you want." He said, smiling. He meant what he said, of course, but he recalled Sayuri's earlier sentiment, how all she really wanted was to be free of her debts and worries. He wondered what that entailed, how he could fulfill that. "Where do you want to go? After all is said and done?" He asked. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
“Well,” Sayuri began thoughtfully about how she would answer. “I don’t have my parents obviously. But, I supposedly have a grandma in Gifu. My parents didn’t talk about her a lot, they didn’t get along I guess. I’ve never met her, but for some reason I think we would get along? She’s supposed to be a wolf too, my parents said she runs her own onsen.” Sayuri explained, eyes going somewhere else as she thought about what that future might look like. “My mom would complain about having miso soup for breakfast with my grandma, that she would make her sweep and carry buckets of water. She didn’t like soaking either in the onsen, she said it was bad for her skin. But I think I would like it? Having miso soup with someone who loves me…I don’t mind the hard work either, or helping. It wouldn’t be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I do hope she’s real, that she’s alive and she’ll accept me.” Sayuri finished. It was a bit of a ramble, but it was a wish Sayuri how only dreamt about, never spoke aloud. But even at the start of their journey still, the end felt so tangible. She could be reunited with some kind of family, live a decent life and be at peace.
Sasha’s mouth turned into a soft smile as he listened to Sayuri. Once again, his chest ached just a little for her to have been denied a life so simple as the one she described. He felt a little guilty too, realizing that even beyond his lavish lifestyle, he was so fortunate to have had his family and their love. Comparing that wealth to Sayuri’s lack thereof made him feel immensely ungrateful, though that made him want to give Sayuri a shot at a family and love that much more.
“That sounds nice.” He nodded, then, without thinking, he reached out to push back a lock of still damp hair from her forehead. “I’ll make sure you get there then.” _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Sayuri slept like a rock in the river. She was used to sleeping on a futon, sandwiched between Mio and Joe, in a room with a dozen or so other girls. The room was always sort of humid with body heat, and the slept in the attic above the bar, so all the warmth would rise to their room. There was one window at one end of the room, it opened and sometimes the girls smoked out of it. But if Mio or Joe were around, Sayuri wasn’t allowed. During the night, it would be hard to sneak around their bodies and tiptoe to the window. Whether it was for a cigarette or just to get fresh air, it was not something she was permitted to do. On their shared futon it was impossible to stretch out, she often felt trapped in the wee hours of the night until morning. She couldn’t really sleep like that, wedged between the two people who she despised the most. When sleep escaped her, she would remember her old neighborhood. Sometimes she didn’t even need to close her eyes to visualize it, she could clearly see the steps leading up to her and her dad’s apartment. She could see the path she walked to school, her friends walking beside her. She could even see the same pathway past the school that they would follow if they were skipping. In her mind, she could walk to the arcade, or the strip mall. She could play on the machines, and eat McDonald’s at the food court. Then the sun would come up, and her friends would continue walking ahead of her and disappear into whatever future they had. And Sayuri would be left behind, in the cold light of day, she was a prisoner of the yakuza again.
This sleep wasn’t like that. It crept up on her quietly, slowly, and then she fell asleep all at once. She dreamt of a blue sky stretching over Mt. Kinka, and fireworks over the Nagara River. When she awoke, she was renewed with new vigor, emboldened by a salvation not too far away.
Sayuri had counted and recounted their money before leaving for the train station. Sayuri would try to pocket tips at the bar, even steal explicitly, but Joe always found her out. She would often visit her hiding spots where she kept money and find it gone or short, asking Joe about it directly was an admission of fault. But whether or not he accused her outright, or if she confronted him about it, she would pay for it with her body. But no one came in the night and stole from them, all the cash was accounted for.
“I have good news.” Sayuri declared, bouncing over to Sasha in her stolen sneakers. She looked extra pleased, like she was going to tell Sasha they had won the lottery, and in her mind they basically had. She had gone over to the train stations self service machines and returned with two tickets and held them up to Sasha. “We’re going straight to Tokyo!” She exclaimed excitedly, doing a little dance in celebration. The expectation was that they would probably walk most of the way, hitch hike if they were lucky. But now they could put their feet up and relax the rest of the journey.
The act of sharing a bed was not something foreign to Sasha. In his life, he'd had plenty of casual and not-so-casual romps in beds all across New York City and even Russia. However, there was something far more intimate about having shared a bed with Sayuri despite the fact that they hadn't done anything other than the fleeting touch of his fingers brushing against her temple. He couldn't really explain it, other than it left a warm and soft feeling in his chest. Being in close proximity to Sayuri of course stirred up feelings of lust, but that sort of desire took a backseat to the fluttering sensation he got in his belly when she looked at him with an expression that was so soft and unguarded that he felt sure that it was only for him. The dewiness he saw in her gaze when she told him her deepest desire left him feeling raw in a way that he'd never felt before. Even though they did "nothing", it felt like he had shared so much more than anything they could have done if either of them had conceded to their baser instincts. His mind had felt like a whorl of emotions that he couldn't quite put a name to, but the minute Sayuri quietly closed her eyes and drifted off, he couldn't help but feel at ease watching her until he dared to withdraw his hand from her face and closed his eyes as well. Despite the complicated feelings he could not yet parse, he fell into a peaceful sleep beside her.
The next morning, they rose early as they had planned to do the night before. Being that they were on the run, neither of them had any of their normal amenities like hair products or makeup, so getting ready mostly consisted of washing their faces and smoothing out their hair as best as they could before getting dressed and heading out to the train station.
Despite it being early, the train station was busier than Sasha had expected it to be. There were plenty of people bustling about, but Sasha didn't see anyone who seemed to be out of place or looking for them, so he was at ease as Sayuri left him at a nearby pillar to stand and wait at while she got their tickets. When she came back with a cheeky grin on her face, he could hardly contain a smile of his own even before she gave him the good news.
"Wait, all the way to Tokyo?" He asked, eyes lighting up and his grin growing boisterous as he tilted his head to scan over the tickets. Most of the text was in Japanese, but there was some text presumably for English speaking tourists that indicated that Tokyo was the final destination. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
“Yes! We had enough so I went for it!” Sayuri exclaimed proudly before tucking the tickets on the inside breast pocket of her (Sasha’s) jacket for safekeeping. “There’s nothing left, but as long as we make it to Tokyo, I think it will be worth it.” Sayuri added. Sayuri had dropped her guard a little bit, she hadn’t seen any individuals of interest in their proximity. She felt like as long as they kept their heads down on the train, there should be no problems; at least she hoped.
—
It took a little time for the train to arrive, but when it did, things moved quickly. The crowds of people commuting for work packing into the train, but things were almost automated. The way the people moved, slotting luggage into compartments that seemed to be molded to their shape. People found their seats without searching for them, routine engrained in their movements. Sayuri and Sasha didn’t have luggage, so they didn’t follow the same process. Sayuri led the way through the throngs of people to find their seats, in attempt to not lose him, Sayuri reached behind her and took his hands. It wasn’t something Sayuri thought about, if she had she might not have done it at all. She didn’t hold his hand long, they passed through a couple of sliding doors that separated the different cars before reaching their own. This section of the train was a little more spacious and fewer bodies presently occupying the space. There were four seats to a row, with a little table centered in the middle. Sayuri checked the lettering above the seats to confirm they were in the right place, before plopping down in the window seat, releasing Sasha’s hands when she did so.
Sasha was certain that he wouldn't have lost Sayuri in the throngs of people regardless of how crowded the train cars were. He was certainly amongst the tallest, allowing him an easy view of Sayuri as she weaved through the people, and even if he didn't have that going for him, he had the keen sense of smell that, if they'd been separated, would have brought him to her as easily as it could bring him home. Still, despite that, he allowed his hand to be grabbed by her because even though he wasn't worried about being lost, it was still nice to be held by her.
When they reached their seats and Sayuri let his hand go, he smiled at how carelessly she flopped into the seat and he followed suit in the seat next to hers.
"How long is the train ride?" He asked, looking out the window to watch the the rest of the thinning crowd make their way onto the train. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
“About an hour and ten minutes. You could even nap if you want.” Sayuri said, still grinning cheekily as she settled into her seat; tucked against the window and stretching her legs out across the neighboring seat and slouching down. “I don’t know how many stops are in between though, maybe three or four? But you’ll know when we’re in Tokyo by the look of it for sure.” She went on to explain, folding her arms behind her head for support.
“I just thought you might want to relax after all the walking we’ve been doing.” Sayuri began, shutting her eyes after feeling the easy jolt of the train as it began to roll. “When you work as hard as I do, you could always use more sleep.” Opening her eyes again just to wink, and poke her tongue out at Sasha.
"Ah, I guess I'm just not as hard of a worker as you." Sasha puffed out a laugh. "If you want, you can rest awhile. I can wake you up as soon as it stops looking rural outside or whatever." He said, sinking to get more comfortable in his own seat. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Sayuri shut her eyes again, resting her head between her seat’s headrest and against the window. Sayuri was always tired, not specifically because she legitimately worked harder than Sasha or anyone else. But her nights were long, sometimes the days felt even longer. With her dream of Gifu on her mind, falling asleep was easy, she hoped she would dream of it again.
“I think I will take you up on that.” Sayuri answered without opening her eyes. “Wake me if there’s trouble.” She added.
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