<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Where are we going?â€ Akira asked again.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“It’s a surprise,â€ Akiko repeated, as her stomach turned somersaults and her mouth went dry. It took all her effort to keep her voice steady and stop her limbs from trembling.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Down here?â€ he asked, sounding a bit sceptical, and this time Akiko just nodded. The love hotels were visible now, and Akira was looking around, as if trying to work out where they could be going. Akiko knew she was starting to blush, but relied on the darkness to hide it, as she headed for the hotel where she had stayed. It wasn’t too bad.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">A few moments later, Akira realised where they were going, and stopped in his tracks. Akiko was sure her heart stopped for several seconds.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Akiko… That’s… a…â€ Akira seemed to be having trouble speaking. Akiko just nodded, not trusting herself to say anything, certainly not trusting herself to look directly at him. She took a deep breath, and then walked inside and up to the machine for booking rooms, taking the one she had stayed in before.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">She held the key in her hand, gripping it tightly, very aware that Akira wasn’t beside her, hoping that he would appear.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">There were footsteps, hurrying, and he came in, standing beside her, but not, she thought, looking at her. She wasn’t looking at him as she turned and made her way to the lift, either, so she could hardly blame him. She didn’t think he was saying anything, either, but then she could hardly hear anything apart from her heart, pounding in her ears.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;"><em>He’s come in with me,</em> she told herself. <em>He knows what this place is. He knows what that means. That must mean he wants to.</em> She was painfully aware that she was trying to convince herself.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The room looked much as she remembered it, except that Akira’s presence made everything completely different.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The door closed behind them, and they both stood silently in the room. Akiko was painfully aware of not looking at Akira, of looking everywhere but at him, of desperately hoping that he would do something <em>now</em>. When the silence got too long for her to bear, she walked further into the room, into the bathroom, looking at Akira in the huge mirrors as she turned the water on to fill the bath. Even as she did it, she realised she didn’t know why. They weren’t here to wash.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Ah, Akiko…â€ Akira faltered and fell silent. Akiko took a deep breath and turned to face him. He was still standing in the entrance, and he looked almost as nervous as Akiko felt.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">That realisation suddenly made her feel a lot better.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Akira, come into the room,â€ she said, actually managing to smile slightly. He did, but he still looked very unsure.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“This…â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Akiko took a deep breath.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“This is a love hotel,â€ she said. “I stayed here alone when I was homeless, but that’s not what it’s for.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“I… When you were homeless?â€ Akira suddenly sounded very concerned. Her tension draining away, Akiko smiled.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“That sounds really dramatic, doesn’t it? I got thrown out of my flat, and it was a little while before I moved into the shrine. This is just one of the places I stayed.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Oh. Oh yes. I remember now.â€ He walked further into the room, carefully avoiding touching the furniture. He glanced down at one of the tables, spotted the bowl full of condoms, and recoiled, bumping into the bed, which made him recoil again. Akiko found herself smiling.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Akira, relax. The bath is nearly ready.â€ As she said that, Akiko suddenly found herself getting nervous again. The bath. Together. With Akira. He blushed furiously, and Akiko, aware that she was doing the same, looked away again, into the mirror.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The bath really was ready, and she turned the taps off. She tested the water temperature with her hand, and stood there for a long moment. There was only one sensible thing to do next, she knew. It was a vital part of her whole reason for coming here.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;"><em>Kazumi would be naked already,</em> she chided herself, straightening up and drying her hand before turning to face Akira.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Will you join me?â€ Her voice wavered on the last word, and Akira seemed too stunned to respond. Akiko reached up and started to unbutton her blouse. She was half way down, and could feel the pounding of her heart through her chest, before Akira reached for his tie, and started to undo it.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Akiko stopped when she was down to her underwear, waiting for Akira, unwilling to take the final step alone. Akira also stopped, facing her in his boxer shorts. Akiko glanced down, and felt herself blushing again. <em>Sexy underwear was a good choice, then.</em></p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Taking another deep breath, she reached behind her back, and unhooked her bra.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">As it fell to the floor, Akira seemed to come out of his trance, and reached for the waistband of his shorts. <em>This is really happening,</em> Akiko thought, as she slipped her knickers off and then stepped into the bath. Akira came up beside her, and then they were standing next to each other in the bath, both looking in the mirror, neither looking at their own reflection.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The mirror rippled, like the surface of a pool, and then churned, darkness and light within it, until it quickly settled again. But now they could no longer see themselves. Instead, the bath formed one edge of a pool in a forest clearing, stones completing the circumference, stars twinkling in a dark sky while the light from the bathroom</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“What…â€ Akira gasped, and Akiko reached out to grasp his arm.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“It’s all right,â€ she said. “This happened last time I was here, as well. Come on, it’s safe.â€ Still holding his arm, she took a step forwards, her foot coming down on stones rather than the plastic base of the bath. She looked back at Akira, at the bathroom as it appeared beyond a wooden frame. “Come on,â€ she repeated, gently insistent, and Akira stepped after her, still looking at the trees and stars.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Akiko inhaled the fresh air, the scent of the pine, the slight hint of sulphur from the hot spring water. The air was pleasant, with a gentle breeze that played over her skin, and she could hear nothing but the flow of the water and the wind in the trees. Her nervousness slowly drained away. Was this a present from Tamao, she wondered.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">She turned back to Akira, and reached out, putting her arms around him and pulling him close.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Look at <em>me</em>!â€ she said, her voice low. Akira looked down, and then bent a little lower to kiss her.</p>