Forager (17 page)

As she had promised, Nanako made udon when she returned an hour later. It was a Japanese soup with thick white noodles, tofu, seaweed, her hand-made fish cakes, radish, and deep-fried prawns. (I invited Councillor Okada to join us again, but this time he politely but firmly refused my invitation, bowed and made his exit.)

Nanako served the udon in breakfast bowls, with salad and bread rolls served alongside it. “Sorry, the noodles aren’t the correct ones,” she said as we sat down to eat together, “but they are the closest thing I could find.”

“Smells fantastic.” I picked up my chopsticks to eat. And while I sucked down the thick noodles with as much decorum as possible, Nanako slurped hers down quite noisily. I was surprised at this sudden display of bad manners, but hid my reaction.

“You like it?” she asked between loud slurps.

“Love it,” I replied. “You know, I wish you could cook for me every day.”

“You never know, maybe I will.” She locked her beautiful eyes upon mine.

My face suddenly became hot, and I don’t think it was from the soup. I got the impression yet again that she was interested in me. Yet, that niggling doubt that she was only doing these things to repay a debt for saving her life refused to go away.

"Nanako, there's something I've been wanting to tell you.” It was time to get these doubts out in the open. “I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything."

"You mean for saving me from the Skel?" she asked, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Yes."

"Is that why you think I'm making these meals and spending time with you?"

"Well...no, that’s not what I meant. I just want to make sure you don’t think you owe me anything.”

She leaned forward, smiling broadly. "That's not why I'm doing these things."

"Then why are you?"

"Because I like you," she replied, and then, looking down at her dinner, she muttered softly under her breath, “
Anata o aishite iru kara.
”

I wasn’t supposed to hear that phrase whispered in Japanese, but to my ears, it was as clear as if she had spoken it aloud in English. She had said; “It’s because I love you.”

Now that was the one answer I hadn’t expected to hear. To be honest, that such a beautiful, mysterious girl should profess she loved me, made me feel special and privileged. But it also confused, because we barely knew each other. Not to mention that a relationship between us would never be allowed, thanks to my town’s rigid customs.

"But you've known me for less than a week," was all I could think to say.

"As soon as I saw you on Monday – after you had helped Councillor Okada from the car, I knew you."

"What do you mean?"

She reached across the table and laid her small left hand on my right. A thrill raced up my arm and down the back of my spine, melting more of the walls I had built around my heart. "When I saw you, I saw an upright, honest man with a heart for others – a man of passion and capable of greatness."

"I…don’t know what to say. No-one’s ever said anything like that to me before.”

“Then don’t say anything.” She smiled.

I thought of Father’s attempt to marry me off to Sienna King, and once again wished he would contact Nanako’s parents to arrange a marriage between the two of us instead. I wished this blossoming friendship could continue yet on a much deeper level. But sadly, it was impossible. My father would never allow it, since he considered it his duty to pick my wife. He also made it clear he was only interested in me marrying a girl who could advance my social standing in the town. Being an outsider, Nanako could not meet either of those hurdle requirements.

It was also just as likely that Nanako’s father would not approve of me. This made me wonder what her goals were in pursuing me so openly. I refused to think it was a merely physical attraction, since she said she loved me.

Searching for answers, I decided to try the bold approach. "Nanako, are marriages in Hamamachi arranged by the fathers like here in Newhome, with the children having no say in the matter?"

She shook her head emphatically, her pink fringe swinging from side to side. "In Hamamachi a couple either meets through an introduction arranged by the parents – with no obligation to marry, or they meet and decide to marry entirely on their own, with no input from their parents."

"You're kidding!"

"I'm serious," she said, before lowering her voice and continuing, "Ethan, I've visited several Victorian towns and none of them are even remotely like Newhome. None of them have twelve-foot walls. Their residents are free to come and go as they please. There are no exclusive upper class districts like your North End, and I've never seen anything like your Custodians. They seem more interested in controlling the people than in providing security against external threats."

I tried to absorb what she shared and to be honest I wasn't overly surprised. I had long considered Newhome a prison for a population with very few freedoms.

"Do you know who established this town? Because I'd bet it wasn't someone from Australia."

Now that was a thought that had never occurred to me. "Who else could have established it? We are at the southern end of the Australian continent. What foreign power would have come all the way down here to set up a town?"

“It's a mystery, that's for sure. Councillor Okada is stumped by it too. He believes the submarine moored in the river beside the town may be the answer.”

"The submarine’s nuclear reactor provides Newhome with its electricity. Do you think it isn’t from the Australian navy?”

"The councillor says it's a Soviet built, Whiskey Twin-Cylinder, but that doesn't mean it's from Russia, since they sold them to a number of nations. And are you sure it has a nuclear reactor? The councillor said the Whiskey-class subs had diesel-electric engines."

"All of Newhome's power comes from the sub," I answered. "There's an entire department here devoted to the maintenance of the nuclear reactor. From time to time, they disconnect it from the city's power supply to replace or repair a component. My friend David said it's to make sure no parts of the reactor ever develop cracks."

"So someone down the line must have replaced the sub’s engine with a nuclear reactor. Still, our guess is that whoever came here in that sub established this town."

"Interesting." I wondered if there was some way I could find out what nation the sub originally belonged to. I decided to file that topic for later consideration and returned to what we were discussing previously – a topic that was of much greater significance to me personally. "Forgetting about submarines for a moment, I was wondering, at what age you are permitted to marry in Hamamachi? It's eighteen here."

"It’s twenty for us," she replied. "However, the age can be lowered to eighteen with parental consent and a magistrate's approval."

I pondered the mindboggling implications of Nanako having the freedom of choosing her own husband. The implications filled me with nervous excitement.

There was one more question I absolutely had to ask. "Nanako, do you have...you know, a guy back home?" I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

Her confidence faltered and she broke eye contact, her hand from mine. "No. I did have, a couple of years ago, but he...he said he never wanted to see me again."

I looked at her downcast face, and felt sorry for her. I reached out and lifted her chin so that she met my gaze again. "Nanako, if I had a girl like you, I'd never ever, for any reason whatsoever, let her go."

Her eyes filling with tears, Nanako suddenly stood to her feet. "Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom."

She practically ran to the bathroom and shut the door behind her

Great, I screwed up again. I really needed to stop putting my foot in my mouth. As I stood to follow her, with my enhanced hearing I heard her slide down the bathroom wall to the floor and sob quietly. She mumbled the same phrase over and over, "I can't go through this again, I just can't."

And then I knew what weighed so heavily on her heart, why she sat crying so dejectedly on the apartments' roof her first night here. Some fool guy had broken her heart.

I knocked softly on the bathroom door.

“Nanako, please don’t cry. Not in there, all by yourself.” I wanted nothing more than to help her forget about the guy that hurt her so badly.

There was no response, other than continued sobbing. I didn’t want to go barging in there. Determined to give her privacy, I collected the dirty dishes and washed them rather noisily. I put the leftover udon back on the stove and covered it.

Nanako emerged from the bathroom five minutes later, her eyes puffy from crying. Outwardly composed, she bowed. "I'm sorry. We were having such a lovely evening. I’m sorry for spoiling it by getting all emotional."

I reached out and took her left hand awkwardly in mine. "You have nothing to apologise for."

"Shall we watch some TV?" she asked, tugging me after her as she headed for the sofa.

I popped on the TV and we dropped onto the threadbare sofa, which only just barely accommodated two. She sat on my right, turned towards me, and draped her slim, shapely legs on top of mine. The way her thighs flattened out upon mine was simply mesmerising. She laid her head on my shoulder and snuggled her arms against my chest. I hesitantly put my right arm around her, and simply enjoyed being with her. As we cuddled, a serene peace filled me, driving away the disturbing sense of emptiness that had been with me ever since I woke in the hospital back in December 2120.

It was strange. I had never seen my parents cuddle, hug or even touch, but holding Nanako like this felt like the most natural thing in the world. I ran my fingers through her hair and then jerked them back in surprise. "You're wearing a wig!"

"You didn't know?" she giggled.

"I had no idea," I laughed. "Can I see your real hair?"

"Alright." She carefully lifted off the pink and black wig and removed a stocking cap that held her hair flat. That done, she shook her hair out until it fell naturally around her face.

The result was stunning. Her real hair was naturally black and worn in a bob-cut that was short at the back and long at the front. And like the wig, her fringe hung below her eyebrows, which, if anything, further enhanced the effect of the thick eyeliner around her eyes.

"Why the wig? You look just as pretty without it," I declared as I ran my fingers through her hair, which was as smooth as silk.

"I like it, besides, it’s part of the fashion," she answered. Then she hesitated before she asked, "Hey, can you give me a leg massage?"

I looked at her in surprise. "A what?"

"You know, massage the muscles in my legs."

"How do I do that?"

"Just start at the ankles and work your way up," she said.

I looked at her legs draped over mine, and at the exposed length of thigh showing between her over-knee socks and shorts, and it seemed to me that what she was asking was quite improper. "Sorry, I really can't."

"Sure you can," she assured me as she rested her head on my shoulder again.

"It...doesn’t feel right. I mean, just us being alone together is against the law..."

"Ethan, it’s only a massage."

“Right.”

Buffeted by guilt because she was an unmarried girl and I was raised to believe this was wrong – a crime even, I hesitated. But the intimacy of her embrace and the giddy realisation that she liked me – loved me, even – sent those thoughts fleeing from my mind. Before I knew what I was doing, my left hand was out of the sling and massaging her ankle and then her shapely calf. All the while, the feel of her body against mine was exhilarating.

I worked my hand up to the back of her knee (and there was no way I was gonna go higher than her knee) when her legs and arms began to twitch. I felt her grow limp against my chest and looked down at her in surprise. She was fast asleep.

I ceased massaging her legs since I felt uncomfortable touching them, and pondered all the things she had done since I met her. Her meaningful glances, making obento for my lunch, the oden and udon for dinner, her gentleness in caring for me when I got wounded, even standing up to my father.  All of these things captured my attention and interest. But this! To be so innocent and trusting as to fall asleep in my arms – now she had gone and captured my heart as well.

I knew then that I wanted to be with her forever. And as I held her in my arms, I wanted to scream in frustration because of our rigid customs regarding marriage. I spent my life expecting to be locked in a loveless marriage: it never occurred to me that I would meet a girl like Nanako. Was there anything I could do to be with her?

It occurred to me that if she went back to Hamamachi, I could abscond while foraging and make the dangerous trek alone to be with her there. But with all foraging trips on hold, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to leave any time soon. In fact, with the Skel besieging Newhome, I may never have the opportunity again.

Of course, if I did manage to run away, it would be a one-way trip. I would never see my family again, for to return would mean a lengthy prison term. And though I’d miss my younger sister and mother, I would willing pay that price if it meant I could be with Nanako.