Where have you gone to?.Volume 14.

KENJI

Out of breath is not acceptable right now,I can't wait on my lungs to catch up and get in shape enough.

Faster.
Just get faster.

"Which room is she in?!"

My uncle,he looks stricken like someone just slapped him hard enough to smart.
I don't like that look one bit,not at all.

He guides me to a small little room in his clinic,the quietest one since there are only a few children recovering from this or that minor case and I see her.
Kokoro,wearing this pretty long white dress with cherry blossoms all over and her long waves of obsidian hair all around her pillow making it like a crown in a way.

My heart is absolutely sunken in,deep beneath all the layers of walls I have built up and all I am left with is hurt.

"What were you thinking?Do you know how awful the environment is there for a lone young woman?There are three hidden hostess clubs in this area,THREE!I have read numerous stories about this spot you led her too.These clubs do not ask you to work they take you,TAKE.Fool...."

That young man,the Korean reporter,loudly whispers at me and if I were not in this clinic and if Kokoro were not in the shape she were in I would reply wordlessly but my fist is too much attention she does not need so I bury it.
Eriika stands by the doorway watching the young man,Hwan,walk away and then her eyes turn to me.
As gentle and kindly as ever but with a question in her eyes.

"What is going on with you?Why would you tell her to go there at all?You never knew about that street turn at all?Really..."
"What are you both saying to me?I did not tell her to go to that street at all,I tried to call her but it was always busy and I texted her to find out when to pick her up.When did I ever tell you to meet me somewhere alone?Come on Eriika I am not that guy,never have been."

Her doe eyes are on mine,she knows I may not speak much but my words are true.

Always.

"I know Ken,I know...."
"What happened to her?"

I ask her,Eriika looks from me to Kokoro like it is a blow to her very heart to think about what happened.
It looks like they have become friends but that is not a concern right now,I need to know what happened.

"Tell me.....Please."

KOKORO

TWO HOURS AGO

"Maybe it is a typo?"

I look up at the restaurant sign above me on the door and find it is only slightly incorrect but am still confused as to why I don't see Kenji.
He does not strike me as a untimely sort of guy and he basically swore he is no liar so why isn't he here?

My phone is working overtime as I type in traffic reports,listen for news about any accidents and I laugh at myself for being such a worrying little girl rather than a grown woman only now just realizing that he is a busy college student who has final exams coming up and he could be struck in class or late for any other reason and simply can't message me back yet.

Before I decide to walk away and into a small cafe by the restaurant I am wondering if is the right one my phone beeps again.

"A few minutes late.Just walk towards the golden and pink scaled dragon sign.My phone is acting weird so I may have given you the wrong name earlier sorry about that."

Fighting off a smirk is proving too hard right now and maybe..
Maybe I shouldn't fight it.

As my sneakers walk along the road,down past the restaurant and a convenience store into a thinner and darker alley where I see the gold and pink dragon sign I enjoy the thought of actually wanting to be on this date to be.

I cannot wait.

ERIIKA

"Someone got your number Kenji,I don't know who,and tricked her into going there.She did not know what was there and I hadn't either.Joseph knew because a number of his friends told him the girls are great there but the practice always bothered him,like they had no choice and he found out proof of that but being only a travel reporter he needed more proof before he would believe him.
"Joseph saw her,she was really kind to him and he knew that she was alone,got worried so we both followed her and found three young men tailing her,they pushed her into the building.Joesph ran in and I called authorities,he was pushed around and he fought hard but those three were watched by bouncers.Kenji,they threw that girl around and she hit her head,hard.Before the police got there one of the guys....

Kenji looks grief stricken,on fire furious and like he could vomit all at once and for all the love I once and still have for him it hurts me to see this,him like this.

"She is truly a pure war maiden,gentle soul who fought hard but when one of the young guys tried to rip her dress up she punched his privates in and he...the friends of his beat her,hard enough that she has not woken up yet.You can guess the rest."

Only now does Kenji look behind him and see how much of a beating Joesph took in trying to rescue Kokoro.

I wish I had not so quickly judged his book by the cover and blurb I had heard on him.

I put a hand to Kenjis shoulder,try to settle him and he just freezes.Shuts me out as he does everytime he feels too much emotion.


KOKORO

"Why does everyone look so upset?"

All of the people in the room.
All of them look so scared and upset.

Crying movie,sad scene material that I am puzzled by.

"What movie am I in and what award am I trying to receive if I play this right?"

There is rushing towards me a tall,kind of swimmer built hot guy with shoulder length hair in a half ponytail that has this chocolate eyes I am swimming in although I think my mind is swimming for some reason anyway because I have no idea why I want to laugh so much but I am.

"Kokoro...How are you feeling?"
"With my hands,my arms or my feet.Sense of touch obviously handsome."

He is so hot.

"Do you remember me at all?"

A kind little taller than me young woman walks closer,takes my other side by the bed I am on.
Why does it smell like chemicals in here?
She has big brown eyes and is wearing a sunflower short blouse and black skirt that is so,so cute enough that I want to buy an exact copy except not exact enough because it needs cherry blossoms to be perfect.

So,so cute cute cute.

"Sounds funny...so so cute cute cute..."

"Do you recognize my face or this?"

Handsome guy asks me.
I look at the thin red thread knot on his finger and feel something strong towards it but no idea why so I just lean back and giggle,enjoying the view of this guy.

"No and nope but I am more than happy to get to the point where I recognize you handsome."

He looks so scared for some reason but covers it up a little as he nears me top fluff up a pillow.

Wonder why.