Chapter 67: Diplomatic Uncertainty

I used my cell phone to find an e-mail address for the US consulate in Tokyo. I sent an e-mail before we slept that night. At the time I figured I would have to call in the morning.

Miki asked if she could sleep alone. I noticed that she was blushing when she did and finally asked her how much experience she had. I think Ashley and Lenore both gasped when she told us that she had never had a real boyfriend, and her only experience with sex had been when she had been forced to use her body as currency while she was homeless. The poor girl was terrified of sex and not really comfortable around men.

I backed away a bit when she admitted this. Miki noticed and burst out laughing. "Not you. I can't explain it, but I feel safe around you."

Lenore nodded. "It's like you know he'll never force you or pressure you. He waited quite a while before taking me. My only regret was that I made him wait as long as I did."

"It was worth it," I said with a shrug. "And I can wait. It's not like I'll die if Miki doesn't fall into my arms in the next hour."

All three ladies giggled. We decided that Miki would head into the room with Matti, Erica, and Angelique. She hugged Ashley and Lenore and then walked over to me. She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. "I need time," she said.

"I'll give you that time if I can," I replied.

Miki put her arms around my neck. She pulled my head down to hers and kissed me lightly on the lips. It was a tentative and yet loving kiss from a shy lady. I held her tenderly and returned the kiss with as much gentleness as I could manage.

Ashley and Lenore both started coughing a few minutes later. Miki backed away in surprise. She was looking at the floor. "Sorry," she said in a whisper.

"Oh, it looked like you might be a bit more interested in him than you think," Ashley sang out. "That was a loving kiss."

"It was," Miki agreed. "I never imagined I'd do that. But I have to go for now."

Miki ran out of the room through the doorway that connected our room with the room used by the children. Lenore followed and closed the door. "We don't want any interruptions," she said as Ashley dragged me to the bed. It was clear that I was not falling asleep for another couple of hours.

The next morning I checked my e-mail and discovered that I had received a response from the US consulate. The message said that someone could meet me at nine-thirty in the morning if I came in today. Ashley and Lenore were happy to find that I had a response.

The e-mail was discussed over breakfast. Miki seemed surprised that I had received any reply, and wanted to stay away. Morgan was the one who finally spoke up.

"You need to go," he said. "I guess we can head over to Ueno Park and visit the museums. It might also be nice to see the cherry blossoms during the day."

"Fewer drunks will be around hopefully," Beatrice said.

"Can we also head over to Harajuku?" Jessica asked.

"Oh, please no," Kathy said. "The Victorian and Steampunk outfits are bad enough, but Gothic Lolita?"

"What?" Jason asked.

"There are people who dress up in Victorian inspired clothing and stand around. Most are female and one of the popular styles is mostly black clothing that looks young, but also gothic," Kathy said. "It's not for me."

"I'd rather dress you up as more a sweet Lolita type," Jessica said with a smile.

Milli laughed. "Oh, pastels and lots of pink. I think you lost this one."

Miki giggled. "I can see her in that kind of outfit. She'd look nice. But if Mark and I are to go to the consulate we need to leave now."

"Ashley? Lenore?" I asked.

"We'll watch Erica and Angelique," Lenore affirmed. "Hopefully this will be fast."

I got up and held out a hand to Miki. She took my hand and accepted my support as she stood up. The young woman was wearing heels and a rather short skirt. I frowned as we headed for the exit to the hotel restaurant.

"Will you be fine? That's a short skirt," I said.

Miki shook her head. "I can't say I'm not used to problems on the subway. There are signs warning women to watch for perverts. And I do trust you to protect me."

I gave a final wave to the rest of the group, and we left the restaurant and headed towards the subway. Our route took us down the street where the Udon shop stood. The barrier field was gone, but there was some blood on the sidewalk.

"Why?" Miki asked.

"They are desperate to leave Earth. Or they are desperate to get involved in the pickup," I said.

"Involved?" Miki asked.

"I've heard stories that say the pickups are basically orgies. Supposedly you can't participate if you don't have a good score, but I'm sure some people believe they'll manage to get involved," I said.

Miki shivered. "I'm glad I wasn't in there last night."

"You want to stay on Earth?" I asked.

"No," Miki said firmly. "I know that even if humanity manages to defeat these Sa'arm things, the planet won't be the same. I'd much rather be elsewhere when that happens. However, we have time, and I really don't like the idea of being a participant in an orgy."

I stopped. We were on the platform, and several people complained as they had to walk around me. "Ogimi-san..."

Miki's face turned pale. She brought her right hand to her mouth as her eyes widened. "Oh, I didn't mean that I'd never accept Lenore and Ashley. Please, I'm not ready for that, but its not that. I was thinking more about how impersonal it must have been for those people last night."

I looked Miki in the eye. She smiled timidly and reached out to grab my right hand. "Please," she whispered. "Don't give up on me."

"Let's go then," I said as the next subway train entered the station.

Miki rushed towards the train, forcing me to jog to keep up with her. We boarded the train and she quickly found a corner to stand in as more people packed into the car.

"I hate this," I said as I tried to shield her from the crowd.

Miki just reached out to put a hand on my shoulder. She used it to steady herself as the subway train rattled down the line.

An hour later we reached the station closest to the US Consulate. Miki breathed a huge sigh of relief as we stepped onto the platform and started to walk away from the train. It was still early morning, so we joined the flood of people leaving the station and heading to their jobs.

I had no idea where to go, but Miki could read the signs, and fifteen minutes later we walked up to the main doors of the consulate. A marine stood at attention at the entrance. He looked at us, but said nothing as I reached to open the door.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" a man asked as we stepped through the doorway.

"I hope you can," I replied as Miki moved to stand to my left. "I sent an e-mail about this yesterday and was told to come by this morning."

"What is this?" the man asked condescendingly.

I put an arm around Miki's shoulders. She shivered, but then moved in closer, pressing her hip against mine. "Well, I met this wonderful woman yesterday and was hoping she could come live with me in the States when my vacation is over."

"At your age?" the man asked.

"Love knows no age," I said knowingly. I schooled my face to look more serious. "And there are considerations involved. I've been tapped for a potential job that might remove my opportunity to ever see her again if she doesn't stay near me."

The man looked at me. He muttered someone and then held up a hand. "Wait here," he said before turning and walking deeper into the building.

I looked around the lobby and noticed a pair of comfortable looking chairs next to a low table. There was a pile of newspapers on the table. I nudged Miki and pointed to the chairs. "Let's sit. I get a feeling this might be a while."

Miki smiled and then walked over to the chairs. She remained standing as I choose one chair and sat down. Once I was sitting she climbed into my lap and reached for the newspapers.

"Miki?" I asked.

"Don't you enjoy this?" Miki asked. "Or was Ashley lying to me?"

"I do, but its usually something intimate lovers do," I said carefully.

"Are you saying you don't have the goal of making me into an intimate lover?" Miki asked. "I thought the whole idea you had was to get to know your ladies early so you could fall in love with them."

I laughed. "I thought you wanted to wait. You were far more timid last night."

Miki gave me a shy smile. "Angelique loves to talk about her Daddy and all he's done for her. And Erica had an interesting tale to tell. Something about how she used to have burn scars all over her body, but you got them removed."

"Erica isn't supposed to tell anyone that," I muttered. I smiled at Miki to show I wasn't mad and then kissed her on the forehead.

"Your sister told me that. You didn't tell me that Matti was your sister," Miki said poking me in the chest.

"She'd rather be Jessica's companion," I replied.

A man wearing a dark brown suit strode into the room. He was wearing a red power tie. He scanned the lobby and then noticed us sitting in the chair.

He walked up to us. His steps were measured and appear to be full of fury. "You are the man who sent the e-mail last night?" he demanded as he approached.

Miki jumped out of my lap. I stood up and held out my right hand. "Mark Parker, sir."

He took my hand and clenched it between both of his. "So I didn't entirely understand your e-mail."

I used my free hand to indicate Miki. "This here is Ogimi Miki. I met her just recently and we have found that we have a lot of interests. We want to stay together, but my vacation will end, and I'll return to the states."

The man looked surprised. "Oh, I'm William Warrington-Smythe. If you come with me, we can discuss this in private."

"Lead the way," I said.

Mister Warrington-Smythe turned and strode back towards the office area. I had to move quickly to keep up with him. The man seemed angry about something. We left the lobby. As we entered the hall, he growled at a man who failed to get out of the way as we entered a dimly lit hallway.

The man appeared to be counting doors. We passed four on our left before he stopped and grabbed the knob at an unlabeled door. He pulled it open and indicated that we should enter.

Miki moved ahead of me and peeked into the room. She stood in the entrance and looked back at me. "I see a couch, a desk and a chair. There are no books and no computer. Why this room?" she asked.

I looked over at Mister Warrington-Smythe. He was looking at a section of the ceiling. I sighed and nudged Miki forward. "Let's just sit in the couch for a moment or two. I don't think he's going to try to arrest us. We haven't committed a crime, and the optics would be horrible."

I watched Mister Warrington-Smythe as I entered the room. He kept his eyes on the ceiling until I had passed through the doorway and was walking toward the couch.