Eve was cold, and she was tired. It had been a long trek along the coast, and although this small cavern Tani had discovered sheltered them from the driving rain, she was shivering. Tani had gone to meet with his corporals, who had promised to bring supplies, and advise him of whatever transport arrangements they had managed to make. It was dark now, and the battery powered lamp Tani had brought with him was barely adequate, but it was all they had for the moment. She knew they had been left with no choice but to flee Tokyo, but uncertainty of the future almost overwhelmed her. With her husband determined to kill Tani and imprison her – no doubt so he could eventually execute her himself, she wondered where they could go to be safe. Takeshi had contacts everywhere. He would never stop until he found them. She hugged her knees for both warmth and comfort.
A sound at the cavern entrance startled her. Alarmed, she gasped and shrank back as a torch shone in her face.
"Eve, it’s okay, it’s just me." Tani assured her quickly, switching off the torch so she could see him in the lamplight.
She relaxed visibly, relieved to see him. He dumped a very large holdall on the ground, threw off his rain-sodden cloak and sat down, brushing his dripping wet hair back from his face. Unzipping the holdall, he paused for a moment to gaze at her with concern. She was trembling, either with cold or with fear. Probably both.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you." He told her, quietly.
"It’s okay, Hayato, I’m just getting a little jumpy. And I was getting really worried about you." She replied.
Tani gave her a reassuring smile.
"It took Kirsty and Lee longer to get here than they anticipated, they had to make sure they weren’t being followed, but everything’s okay. I promise you, we’ll be safe here till morning." He began to unpack the holdall "Kirsty made contact with Yayoi. She told Kirsty she can borrow her boyfriend’s motor boat and she’ll pick us up tomorrow morning…she’ll get us away from here."
"Thank God." Eve replied.
"Kirsty and Lee have brought us food, water, blankets, a lamp and extra batteries, some clothes….what else have we got here? False travel documents and some money." Tani picked up a blanket, came over to her and gently wrapped it around her. "Thank you." She smiled up at him.
He smiled back and returned to the holdall and its contents. Kneeling down, he wrapped a blanket around himself, and began studying the documents the Corporals had provided. Eve watched him silently, marvelling at the fact that he didn’t seem fazed by everything that had happened to them in the last couple of days. They were fleeing for their lives and yet he remained composed and certain. Not that he’d been composed the other night when they’d made love at Yayoi’s house. If only her husband had shown her that much passion. He didn’t even show her the consideration with which Tani had treated her. Even so, she felt shame that she’d been unable to remain faithful to Takeshi. Gazing at Tani’s handsome face, she sighed, wishing she’d met him years ago before she’d married Takeshi. Tani heard the sigh, glanced up and caught her looking wistfully at him.
"Nan desu ka?" he asked gently. What is it?
"Nothing. Everything." She looked down " Oh, I don’t know. I’m just tired, I guess."
He knew there was more to it than fatigue. Putting down the documents, he moved a little closer to her.
"Talk to me." He reached for her hand "Tell me what you’re feeling. You look so sad."
"Takeshi never loved me. Not really." She said.
"But he married you…he must have loved you once." Tani caressed her fingers gently.
Eve gave a short, bitter laugh.
"I was the trophy Western wife." She responded, her voice full of disdain and regret "It gave him prestige amongst his peers, having a blonde, English wife. Don’t ask me why, but it did. Once the novelty wore off – which it did, very quickly – I realised he didn’t care. I was devastated….when we got married I really loved him. He was charming, funny, thoughtful. How he changed. Most of the time he ignored me. Unless, of course, he wanted sex….how I felt about that was irrelevant to him, when he wanted sex he just got it, rolled over and went to sleep. I’m nothing more than a piece of property to him, just something he owns and can use as he wishes. The love I felt for him died, instead I felt resentful, then I began to despise him. That’s awful, isn’t it? I tried not to hate him, but I couldn’t help it."
"You’re not superhuman," Tani felt so sad for her "You have needs too, you have feelings and he treated you with contempt. It would take a saint not to hate him for that."
"The other night, when we…" she stopped, trying not to break down. Tears burned her eyes.
"….When we made love.." Tani added, softly.
"I never felt like that before." She admitted, tearfully "I never felt desired before. And I never wanted anyone the way I wanted you that night. I knew it was wrong but when I felt you kiss my neck I just couldn’t stop myself."
Tani understood. He drew her into his arms as she really began to weep. He understood perfectly.
"I knew it was wrong too," he sighed, stroking her hair, trying to still her trembling "but I wanted you from the moment I saw you at the Castle."
He felt Eve’s arms holding him gently.
"And now my husband wants to kill you because of me."
"Eve, he’s been trying to destroy me for years, he hasn’t done it yet." Tani held her a little tighter "I’m more worried about what he’d do to you. I’m sorry I got you into this mess, baby."
"You didn’t," she looked up at him "I did. I was stupid enough to marry him in the first place. He’s not angry about my infidelity because he has any feelings for me…he’s angry because his pride has been hurt."
"That’s a cruel way to treat a woman."
He held her slightly away from him for a moment, gazing deeply into her blue eyes, stroking the tears from her cheeks with gentle fingers.
"Eve, don’t worry about me. It’ll take a better man than Takeshi to get me," he assured her "And I won’t let him hurt you."
"He can’t hurt me any more than he already has," she touched his face, tenderly "and how can I not worry about you?"
Tani smiled, touched by her caring for him. He drew her closer again, so close she could feel the beating of his heart, and her arms slipped around him once more as their lips met. Tani leaned into the kiss, losing himself in it, feeling her hands caress him as the kiss became hungry and passionate.
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