Chapter 15: The Weekend Apart

The train from Tokyo to Nagano took about two hours. I stared out the window, watching the urban sprawl gradually give way to rural farmland, and thought about the last time I’d made this journey.

It had been for Asuko’s funeral.

I closed my eyes and let myself remember her face – not the pale, lifeless version in the casket, but the vibrant, laughing woman I’d loved for ten years. Her smile. Her eyes when she knelt before me. The way she’d say “Hai, Master” with such joy and devotion.

My chest tightened.

I’m sorry it took me so long to come back, I thought. I wasn’t ready before.

The countryside rolled past, and I wondered what I would say to her parents. They’d always been kind to me, accepting of our unconventional relationship even though I was a gaijin. They’d seen how happy Asuko was, and that had been enough for them.

But I hadn’t seen them since the funeral. A year of silence because I couldn’t bear to face them, couldn’t bear to see her childhood home without her in it.

Coward, I thought bitterly.

But Tanaka had been right. I couldn’t move forward with Mioko while still chained to the past. This visit wasn’t just courtesy – it was necessary. For them, but more importantly, for me.

The train pulled into the station, and I gathered my overnight bag. The platform was nearly empty, just a few elderly people and a young mother with a toddler.

Asuko’s father, Kenji, was waiting by the station entrance. He looked older than I remembered – more grey in his hair, deeper lines around his eyes. But his face brightened when he saw me.

“Daniel-san!” He bowed deeply, and I returned it. “Welcome. It’s good to see you.”

“Thank you for having me, Kenji-san. I know this is unexpected.”

“Nonsense. You’re always welcome in our home. Yuki is preparing dinner now.”

We walked to his small truck in companionable silence. The town looked exactly as I remembered – small shops, a shrine, the rice fields stretching toward the mountains.

“How have you been?” he asked as we drove.

“Surviving,” I answered honestly. “Until recently.”

He glanced at me but said nothing, just nodded.

The farmhouse sat at the edge of town, a traditional structure with a tiled roof and a small vegetable garden. Asuko had grown up here, running through these fields, helping her mother with the harvest.

She loved this place, I thought. She loved the simplicity of it.

Yuki met us at the door, wiping her hands on her apron. She was smaller than I remembered, more fragile-looking, but her hug was fierce.

“Daniel-san,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “We’ve missed you.”

“I’m sorry I stayed away so long.”

“You had your reasons. Come, come inside. Dinner is almost ready.”

MIOKO

I sat cross-legged on my bed, staring at the two thick packets Daniel-san had given me before he left.

BDSM CHECKLIST

HUMILIATION CHECKLIST

Each one was multiple pages long, with hundreds of activities listed, and a rating system from 0-5 for each:

0 = Hard limit (will not do)

1 = Soft limit (maybe with discussion)

2 = Willing but not enthusiastic

3 = Enjoy moderately

4 = Enjoy very much

5 = Desire intensely/can’t live without

Jesus, there’s so much here, I thought, flipping through the pages.

Some things were obvious:

Spanking: 5 (Hell yes, sign me up!)

Bondage/restraints: 5 (Already proven I love this)

Oral sex (giving): 5 (I literally just did this and loved it)