Nathan Pedde - Tokyo Tempest

“A door that we just piled boxes in front of,” Sakiko said.

“The piles of crap buys us time to move those boxes of crap out of the way and for us to make our way out of here.”

“I like it, let’s do it,” Yuki said.

Darren, Yuki, and Sakiko worked late into the night moving boxes and piling it into a large pile in front of the garage door. Darren thought he could still get more stuff on the heap, but if he got much more, then he wouldn’t be able to access the bathroom. When they were done, they were too tired to do anything else. They dragged themselves back to the storage unit to sleep for the night.

The next day, Darren leaned against the wall. In his hands were a small bowl of porridge that Yuki had made. He wore only his boxers. Sakiko leaned against his shoulder, still asleep. She was wearing her panties and a t-shirt.

Yuki walked to Darren holding a bowl for Sakiko. Yuki was dressed in a tank top and short shorts. Darren was trying not to stare at her.

Sakiko opened one eye, then closed it again. She burrowed her way closer against Darren.

“Give me five more minutes.” Sakiko said, “I slept poorly, and Darren is comfy.”

“That’s fine,” Yuki said, and she walked up and sat beside Darren.

“I just realized something,” Darren said.

“What?” Yuki said.

“I just realized how little I know about my dad,” Darren said.

“What do you mean?” Yuki said.

“He’s been over here for six years.” Darren said, “And friends with your dad for five them?”

“Something like that,” Yuki said.

“After my dad divorced my mom and moved,” Darren said, “I hadn’t seen him in person at all. I only talked to him over the Internet maybe a dozen times. I’ve been living here a year, but my dad works too much. Some months, I only see him a few times for a few meals.”

“That is sad.” Sakiko said, “My parents are nature photographers and always jetting to exotic locations, leaving me here to study. But at least I saw them regularly.”

“Exactly,” Darren said.

“What brought up those thoughts?” Sakiko asked.

“I realized that I might never get to know him very well.” Darren said, “That I might have missed my chance.”

“For one.” Yuki said, “Your dad has embraced the Japanese culture. I personally think he was born into the wrong culture.”

“What does the term Gaijin mean?” Darren asked, “You guys keep calling me one, and I don’t understand.”

“A Gaijin is anyone that’s not Japanese,” Yuki said.

“Is it bad being a Gaijin?” Darren asked.

“You’re not Japanese.” Yuki said, “You will never be Japanese, even if you embrace our ways as much as your dad has. It still won’t make you Japanese.”

“So that means I’m a Gaijin.”

“Yes,” Yuki said.

“There are three types of Gaijin’s,” Sakiko said.

“Three?”

“Yes,” Yuki said, “you can embrace the Japanese culture, you can become Japanese in everything, but name. It is hard, but you will make some good friends like you dad has.”

“Or?” Darren said.

“Embrace being a Gaijin.” Sakiko said, “Its harder in some ways, and you’ll make some people angry at you for being so silly.”

“Or?” Darren said.

“Reject being anything, be friends with other Gaijin and then when you leave Japan, whenever that is, you won’t have made a single Japanese friend.”

“So those are the same choices my dad had to make as well?”

“Yes, but most people make them unconsciously. Just as I’m sure, you have too.”

“The first one.”

Yuki nodded, “We’ll see.”

Sakiko kissed Darren on the cheek and got up. She sauntered over to the pot and dished her out a bowl of food.

“My body hurts today,” Sakiko said.

“Well.” Darren said, “We have more to do today.”

“What’s the plan?” Sakiko said.

“I want to go through some of the other lockers.” Darren said, “See if there’s anything else that we can use.”

Sakiko nodded.

For three days, Darren, Yuki, and Sakiko worked around the storage unit. They broke into lockers and dug through the contents. Darren didn’t have anyplace to put the stuff, so he moved things out of the way. Unfortunately, they didn’t find stashes of money or weapons. Most items they found were baby pictures, furniture, and other useless things.

The first day, they had heard no signs of life from the outside world. They felt a few aftershocks, but nothing to even suggest that there was an outside world.

Sometime during the middle of the second day, gunshots rang out from around the building. The metallic crunch of a car crash echoed through the building as it shook from the impact.

For the day, more and more noise and chaos could be heard from the other side of the brick walls. The chaos rose and sank like waves in the ocean.

In the early morning hours of the third day, Darren was looking through a large locker on the ground floor. The locker seemed to be full of large furniture. Which was all made of solid hardwood and was coated with many layers of glossy lacquer. Darren thought that the furniture had to be expensive.

Darren was currently trying to figure out how to drag the large items out of the locker by himself. He knew that Yuki and Sakiko weren’t going to want to help him with the task. He hoped there was something useful in this locker. He had seen a sign that said, ‘Yum yum’s.’ He hoped it was a sign from a fast food restaurant and that there was some canned food in a box.

In the constant darkness of the storage unit, a series of loud bangs echoed across the building.

Darren jerked upright as he tensed. He knew that it had to be a door somewhere.

He threw a box to the floor. The fine china that filled it smashed to pieces.

Darren ran down the hallway towards their locker.

Standing in the door of it was Yuki. She wore a pair of dirty clothes.

“Was that a door?” Yuki asked.

“Yes.” Darren said, “Where’s my gun?”

Darren lifted off a box as the echoes from the door rang out once more.

Sitting underneath the box was the gun. Darren grabbed it and ran towards the door. Yuki grabbed a pry-bar and followed close behind.

Darren ran across the storage building to the back door.

The banging echoed again. To Darren, it sounded like someone was trying to break into the door.

Sakiko stood next to the door. In her hand was a giant hammer.

“Shh,” Sakiko said.

Darren crept beside her and stopped against the concrete.

“Hurry up.” A male voice said in Japanese, “The JDF will be here soon.”

“I don’t know what’s worse, going to a JDF Shelter or joining a color gang.” A female voice said, “I think we need to keep moving.”

“Shut it will you two.” A third Japanese voice said, “This door isn’t wanting to budge. I know the building. A pry-bar on the latch and a kick should open it up.”

Another loud bang echoed from the door, the boxes of books moved back a hair. Darren, Yuki, and Sakiko stood behind some boxes. Panic filled Darren. Whoever was behind the door was trying to get in. They would already be in if they hadn’t blocked the door with boxes of books.

Multiple footsteps echoed from the other side of the door.

“Shit.” The female voice yelled.

“JDF! Stop right there!” A male JDF Soldier said, “ Stop!”

“Halt.” A female JDF Solider’s voice said, “A shelter is a safe place. Stop running.”

Darren, Yuki, and Sakiko huddled behind the wall. He didn’t know what was going on and that worried him.

“What was that…” Sakiko began, but Darren held his hand to her lips.