Tina meets the bad guys.  I'll try to catch what C&C you kind people
post while on the road.  (This damn job is killing me.)


**********************************************************************

This story has been written without the knowledge or approval of Kou 
Fumizuki - Hakusensha/ AIAO Project and Pioneer Animation.  It is for 
the enjoyment of Ai Yori Aoshi fans and written with respect for its
original creators and copyright holders.

**********************************************************************


			Wild, Wild East
			by G.L. Sandborn



		Chapter 3 - Just Hanging Around


     "So, you guys want to stop for a drink?" Tina Foster asked
as she glanced between the two giant men in suits flanking her in
the crowded back seat.  "I know a really neat bar not far from
here."
     Despite her offer, her two seat companions continued to
stare stony-faced straight ahead, their hands clasped in their
laps.  She felt like a pamphlet squished between two massive
bookends.  "Yeah, I guess you guys don't drink while on duty."
     As the district police station came into sight, Tina
squirmed in her seat.  She didn't really care anymore about being
questioned.  It was getting hot in the car and she just wanted
out.  They were almost to the underground parking entrance.  Soon
she'd be able to breathe again.
     Fanning herself with her hands, she watched as the parking
entrance approached.  Her fanning slowed as she watched it pass.
     "I hate to break it to you but I think you missed your
turn," she said to the driver.  When he didn't respond, she
turned to the man on her left.  "Are you taking me to a different
police station?"
     The man never responded.  He didn't have to.  Before she
could ask again, a hand slapped a smelly rag over her face.  A
second hand held her head in place.  With a whimper, she
struggled to escape.  Elbowing her attacker as hard as she could
proved ineffective.  It had no more effect than striking a tree
trunk.
     Her struggles became weaker as the sharp metallic odor of
chemicals flooded her senses.  The passing lights of the city
began to swim and recede in the darkness as her muffled cries of
distress sounded further and further away.  Soon, everything
slowly faded into darkness.

     Kaoru's fingers lightly traced their way over her cheek,
down her neck, and softly across her chest.   She felt wrapped in
an invisible warmth that caused her body to tingle as his fingers
danced across her breasts, tantalizing her tender buds which
quickly swelled to their fullest.  He paused to kiss her,
whispering his love for each part of her body.  As one hand slid
down her taut stomach to the swell of her hips, she could feel
herself giving in to the need of consummating their marriage.
His gentile massage of her most secret spot sent currents of
desire through her body.  She snuggled against him as their legs
intertwined, his desire hard against her naked thigh.  She wanted
him.  She NEEDED him.  She--
     "Herroooo?"
     She frowned.  Why the odd voice?  Why speak at all?  Less
talk and more action was what she wanted.
     "Wakeie-wakeie"
     This time the sing-song voice was positively annoying.  What
was the deal?  This was their wedding night.  Why was Kaoru
hesitating to make her a woman?
     "Wake up, Miss Foster"
     Forcing open one eye, she quickly closed it again at the
intense brightness before her.  She tried to move her hands to
shield her eyes but they were caught on something.
     "Oh Kaoru, why did you stop?" she mumbled as she squirmed on
a hard wood chair.  "Please take me."
     "Oooh, Miss Foster have nice dreams," came the annoying
voice.
     WHAT?  How dare...?  She forced her eyes open despite the
bright light.  Whomever had replaced her darling Kaoru was gonna
pay for interrupting their honeymoon.
     The room swam into focus, black and white focus at that.
She recoiled back into the chair at the sight of a chubby little
face framed in square wire-rimmed glasses only inches from her
own.  She blinked and blinked some more.  Instead of her darling
Kaoru, there was a little man wearing a gray high-necked jacket.
The light coming from a goose-necked table lamp behind him
reflected off a strip of bald skin on his head.  No doubt about
it, her honeymoon was over.
     "You wake now?" the man asked with a satisfied smirk on his
disgusting little face.
     "What?  Where...?  Who...?"  She tried but couldn't seem to
form a cohesive sentence.  The room swam around her.  Shaking her
head to clear the scene, only added nausea to her confusion.
     "Good.  You wake.  We talk," the man said.
     She tried again to move her arms but found they were bound
together behind the chair.
     "Comfy?" he asked, turning away towards the table that
contained the annoying lamp.
     "No," she said, trying again to free her hands.  Whatever
was holding them together dug painfully into her wrists.
     "Good.  Plisoners should not be comfy," he replied holding
up a small black book.  "It say so in manuao."  He opened the
book and read.  "Plisoners not be comfy.  See?  I light."
     "I don't know anything about anything.  Can I go home?" she
snapped, adding a little sniff at the end.  She couldn't figure
out what was with the man's lousy English.  With everything in
black and white, she felt like she was stuck in a bad Charlie
Chan movie.
     "Ah, you get light to point.  Good."  He flipped a few pages
I his little black book.  "When plisoner wake, ask impoltant
question."  He turned to regard Tina with a look that made her
skin crawl.  "Okay, I ask.  Where is man you with?"
     "Man?  What...?  Oh, you mean that government guy.  He ran
away somewhere early this morning.  I really don't know where he
is.  Can I go home now?"
     "Lan away?"  The little man mumbled something unintelligible
and flipped through a few pages in his book.  "NO!  That is not
acceptable.  It say so light here."  He pointed to a page.
"Plartner of seclet agent never lun away!"
     "This one did," Tina insisted.  "WAITAMINUTE!  He's NOT my
partner!  I only met him once.  At the zoo.  He was hurt.  I took
him home because he said he didn't have anywhere else to go.  I
thought it was a little strange.  I mean, a single guy in Japan
and no place to stay.  And how many good looking guys do you meet
in a zoo?  Anyway, I don't know how it happened but somehow he
ended up in my bed--"
     The little man made a disgusted face and snorted.  "You sex
rife not intelesting."
     "I DIDN'T SLEEP WITH HIM!"  She shook her head.  "I mean,
yes, he somehow got in my bed but I wasn't because I invited him.
I don't know how he got there."
     The little man tisk-tisked.  "You know, that is how you get
nasty disease.  Must be vely careful.  You no want get THAT, I
can tell you."
     "You sound like my father," she said wrinkling her nose.
"Save yourself for marriage, wear clean underwear, don't get a
tattoo.  Why can't I have a little fun while I'm still young?  Do
you know how tough it is to find a Laundromat in the Amazon?  And
that little tattoo I...  Ooops, I shouldn't have said that.  You
didn't hear me say that."
     With a sigh, the little man turned away and raised his hands
high.  "Daddy always say boys no tlouble compared to girls.  Boy
never buy milk when girl give away free.  So sad.  So sad."
     "Milk?  What milk?  What are you talking about?" she
snapped, again shaking her head.  When the previous case of
vertigo failed to return, she drew a deep breath and tried to
glare at her captor.
     With his back to her, the little man sighed.  "No matter.
You talk now.  You seclet agent.  Where is partner?"
     With a frustrated shake of her shoulders, she squeezed her
eyes shut and rolled her head back.  "I am NOT a seclet... I
mean, secret agent!  I've already told you everything I know."
     The man spun around.  With hands on his chubby hips, he
regarded her like an angry father.  "I see.  Amelikans tlain you
good."  He picked up his little book again and flipped through a
couple of pages.  "What to do, what to do.  Ah, I rike this one,"
he crowed.  Gesturing to a couple of his goons, they slowly
advanced on the helpless Tina.

*****

     "Kaoru-sama?" Aoi called softly from the front door.
     Kaoru said nothing in response.  Standing alone on the front
porch of the mansion, he was staring blankly at the front gate.
     "Kaoru-sama?" Aoi said again.  The sound of her feet on the
cold front porch stone told him she was coming.
     His eyes dropped before turning towards his fiancee.  "I'm
sorry, Aoi-chan.  It's just... It's just I feel so stupid not
knowing those men were phony police officers."
     "Nonsense."  Aoi drew up beside him, her sweet face turned
towards the gate.  "None of us have ever really dealt with the
police.  So it is not unreasonable to expect we would be taken in
by imposters."  Aoi lightly pressed against his shoulder.  The
warmth of her body reminding him of how cool the evening had
become.
     "I should have tried to help her."
     "You were just thinking of the rest of us.  They were many
large men.  I know your heart was in the right place but you did
the right thing," she insisted.
     "I just hope she's all right," he said, casting a shy glance
her way.
     Aoi linked her arm with his and drew him tighter.  Even in
through her kimono, he could feel her heart beating.  "I believe
she will return, Kaoru-sama.  She has always returned before.
Even when she had gone home to America, she came back to us."
     "I know," he said with a sigh.  "But she looked so tiny and
helpless surrounded by those men.  I'm just afraid she won't..."
He swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut.  Scenes of Tina
being tortured or worse kept playing themselves over and over.
Every time, he wanted to cry in frustration at his inability to
help her in any way.
     As if reading his thoughts, Aoi rested her head on his
shoulder.  "The best thing we can do for her now is to remain
strong and hope the real police can do something.  I'm sure they
will find her."
     "I hope you're right, Aoi-chan."

*****

     Tina swung slightly from a rope tied to her ankles.
Suspended some ten feet above what appeared to her to be a
livestock watering tank, she struggled with the twin problems of
her still tied hands and all the blood pooling in her head.
"Look, I know you Japanese cops do things a little different but
is this really necessary?"
     The little man, flanked by four of his goons, ignored her
question and flipped a few more pages in his little book.  "Okay,
plisoner tied above water.  Check.  Water in tank deep."  He
paused to lean over to look in the watering tank.  "Check.  Begin
questioning plisoner."
     Snapping shut his book, he regarded Tina with a satisfied
expression.
     "Why are you doing this?  I told you before, I don't know
ANYTHING!"  Tina wiggled like a fish on a stringer, trying to get
her hands free.  That just made her swing a little more, the
movement added vertigo to her pounding head.
     "So you say now," the little man said.  "Soon you say what I
want to hear."
     "What's the matter with you people?  Don't I get a Miranda
Warning or something?  All I know is that guy ran off and left
me.  Try SoapLand.  He had a gift card."
     The little man blinked.  "SoapRand?"  Turning to one of his
goons, he listened as the man leaned over and whispered an
explanation.  He reacted with obvious frustration.  "Sex, sex,
sex.  Is that all you Amelicans think about?"
     "If you don't let me down right now, I'm going to report you
to your supervisor.  Even the cops in Argentina were nicer than
this."
     "Cops?  What cops?" the little man asked as he looked
between his men and Tina.
     "You're not police?" she gasped.  "Yakuza?"
     "No, we better than that."
     She sighed in resignation.  "If you're not cops and you're
not Yakuza, what are you?"
     "People who what your plartner," the little man insisted.
     Tina's eyes went wide.  "He, are you the guys who were
shooting at him at the zoo?"
     One of the henchmen shyly held up his hand.  The other three
sheepishly copied him.
     "Boy, you guys are lousy shots," Tina said.  The men just
pouted.
     "ENOUGH!"  The little man's arms were flapping in
frustration before he stopped and pointed directly at her.
"Where is plartner?  Answer question or you go in water!"
     "I told you everything I know.  Now, let me go."  She stared
at the murky water below.  This guy was serious.  He was going to
drown her if she didn't tell him what he wanted to hear.
     But she didn't know any thing other than drowning in a
livestock tank in the middle of Tokyo wasn't how she wanted to
end her life.  She had so much to live for.  She had photographs
to take.  She had places she wanted to see.  She was still a
virgin, for crying out loud.
     "Perhaps you need croser rook," he said before nodding to
one of his henchmen.  A turn of a crank and Tina felt herself
drop a couple of feet before jerking to a halt.  "See?  Scared,
yes?  Chinese have hell like this.  I believe it called Hell of
Upside Down Drowning.  Vely unpreasant."
     Tina's frustration bubbled over.  "I don't know anything!
Is your English so bad you can't understand?"
     "That hurt, naughty girl.  In the water you go."
     Before he could give the signal to his henchman, another of
his goons tugged at his sleeve.  With a look of irritation he
tilted his head to listen as the man whispered something in his
ear.  His surprise at what he heard was evident in the way he
jerked away and frowned.  "You kidding," he gasped.
     Stepping up to the tank, he leaned over and looked both ways
in the water.  Stepping back, he frowned again.  "Where you get?"
     The goon leaned over and whispered his answer.  The little
man's reaction was swift.  Slapping the larger man's face, he
glared at his men.  "IDIOTS!  You steal fish in Tokyo?  You
danger mission with petty theft?  What if caught?  Uncle say you
best.  I think you best blockheads."
     With a sigh, the little man shook his head and turned back
to Tina.  "Velly solly, Miss Foster.  My men do something vely
stupid.  They steal fish for tank."
     "Fish?" Tina asked, not certain she really wanted to know.
After all, drowning was bad enough.  What could be worse?
     "Yes, piranha fish.  Ten of them."
     A cold knot formed in Tina's previously upset stomach.  She
had seen what a school of those little fish could do in the
Amazon.  The fear of drowning quickly became less important.
     Pulling out his black book, the little man flipped through a
few pages, paused and then flipped through more pages.  Soon, he
was frantically going backwards and forwards through the book
before suddenly throwing it on the floor in disgust.  "Book no
talk about piranha fish.  This vely compricated."
     He was just beginning to pace, considering Tina's fate when
a voice boomed in precise Japanese from somewhere behind the
warehouse.
     "This is the police.  You are surrounded.  Put down your
weapons and come out with your hands up."
     The effect on the men in the warehouse was electric.
Shouting orders in a language Tina didn't understand, the little
man launched his men into action.  In an instant, men in dark
suits were running every which way; gathering items in the
makeshift office, getting into cars, and totally forgetting about
their captive.  When the man in charge of the winch that
controlled Tina's rope abandoned his post, Tina was plunged
towards the murky water below.
     Her scream of terror was cut off as she jerked to a halt.
Forcing open one eye, she found herself only two feet above the
water with the piranha anxiously swirling about beneath her head.
She cautiously looked towards the winch.  Her life was spared, or
at least her death delayed, because the rope had become entangled
in the winch crank.
     "Nice fishie," she said in a high-pitched voice.  "You don't
want to eat me."  Moving only her eyes, she slowly looked around
for help.  Unfortunately, everyone was piling into cars and
stuffing things into the vehicles' trunks.  Two paused only long
enough to throw a couple of bear can-sized objects at the stacks
of wooden crates along the back wall.
     With loud bangs, the crates burst into flames.  The fire
quickly began to spread to other debris shoved haphazardly along
the side walls.  In seconds, Tina was surrounded on three sides
by fire.
     A roar of engines and squealing tires accompanied the small
caravan of cars as they burst through the warehouse doors and
quickly disappeared into the night.
     In seconds, Tina was alone.  "I don't want to drown.  I
don't want to be eaten by piranha.  I don't want to burn.  I just
want to go home," she whined.
     Seconds passed as the fire grew.  Smoke began to fill the
air and the heat was causing her to sweat.  Only the sounds of
burning crates broke the silence.
     She coughed a few times on the fouling air, the act causing
her head to pound.  Glancing around for some way of saving
herself, she caught sight of a figure moving swiftly through the
warehouse, heading for the office.  She didn't know who it was.
She didn't really care.
     "Help me!" she called before a coughing fit overwhelmed her.
     The figure stopped.  "Tina?"
     She knew that voice.  "STEVEN?"
     "What are you doing up there?" Steven said, as he walked up
to the stock tank.
     Tina coughed again.  "Hanging around," she snapped.  "Get me
down!"
     "Sure thing."  He looked around as if trying to find some
way of reaching her.  "Ummm, how did you get up there?"
     A loud 'pop' and hiss drew their attention to her rope.
Burning debris had fallen on it.  The old rope burst into flame.
     "That's not good," Steven said as she started to climb over
the steel wall of the stock tank.
     "I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Tina warned.  "Your
friends stocked the tank with piranha."
     Steven froze.  "And that's worse.  How on earth did you get
yourself into this?"
     The burning rope slipped, dropping her another few inches.
"I met YOU!  Now, get me down!"
     "Okay.  Ummmm, I better drain the tank first."  He pulled
out a handful of change and started sorting through the coins.
     "What are you doing?  You can't buy off piranha," she
yelled.
     "Patience, I'm looking for something."  He sorted through a
few more coins before finding the one he was looking for.
Pocketing the rest, he held up what looked to be a 500 yen coin.
     She cast another glance at the burning rope.  Strands had
already begun to separate as the fire worked its way through the
old rope.
     Before she could admonish him to hurry up, he peeled
something off one side of the coin and knelt down by the tank.
"Cover your eyes," he said.  When she gave him a frustrated look,
he sheepishly nodded.  "Or just close them."
     Slapping the coin on the outside of the tank, he jumped
aside.  A few seconds later, there was a loud 'bang' that caused
ripples to race across the water's surface, irritating the
piranha and causing them to jump disturbingly close to Tina's
face.
     Steven stepped forward and bent over to examine the spot
where he had planted the coin.  "I don't understand it," he said,
running a hand through his dark hair.  "They said in training the
500 yen explosive would blow a one foot wide hole in inch thick
steel."
     Tina squealed as the rope slipped again, this time causing
her blond hair to touch the water.  One enterprising piranha
began nibbling on the exposed hair.  "Stay away from my split
ends!  Steven, DO something!"
     In frustration, Steven stood up and kicked the side of the
tank.  There came a crack followed by loud rumble.  "Uh oh," he
said before diving aside.
     With a sound like thunder, the entire side of the tank gave
way, spilling hundreds of gallons of water across the warehouse
floor and leaving piranha flopping in its wake.
     Steven was just admiring his handiwork when the rope holding
Tina gave way with a loud 'snap'.  She screamed and closed her
eyes as she fell.  Her previous fears of drowning or being eaten
by piranha were replaced by the very real possibility of breaking
her neck.
     Her scream was cut off when she felt herself collide with
another body before landing in the wet bottom of the stock tank.
     She rolled over to see Steven laying on his back partway
underneath her.  He tilted his head up and smiled.  "You okay?"
he asked.
     Tina forced a tired smile and rested her head on his thigh.
"I thought I was dead."
     When she looked up again, he was examining the ceiling of
the burning warehouse.  "You know, I always thought these places
had sprinkler --"  His observation was cut off by a loud 'pop'
and an even louder alarm bell.  In seconds, they were both
thoroughly soaked by the fire suppression system.  "Oh, there it
is," he said.
     Tina didn't know whether to laugh or hit him.  The situation
was so absurd, both laying in the bottom of a destroyed stock
tank surrounded by flopping piranha and he's making some crazy
observation about the sprinklers.  Her relief at being rescued
finally won out.  Her laughter bubbled up and soon echoed his as
they lay there in their impromptu shower.
     Sounds of approaching sirens slowed their mirth.
     "Can you stand?" he asked.
     "I can't even feel my feet."  She rolled off him and tried
to sit up.  It wasn't easy considering her hands were still tied
behind her back.
     "We can't wait until you can walk," he said, standing up.
"I better carry you."
     He helped her up as much as she could stand, the pain from
her abused ankles causing her to cry out.  Bending over, he
hefted her onto his shoulder and quickly worked his way around
the flopping fish and through the shattered door.
     Outside, he darted left and into the welcoming darkness only
to turn right again into an alley that paralleled the road.
Trying a few doors as he went, he finally found one unlocked.
Pushing it open, he carried Tina inside and kicked it shut, just
as the fire and police vehicles reached the warehouse.  It took a
few moments for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.  She felt
herself being carried over to a wall and then set down on a stack
of old burlap bags.  Steven quickly set about removing her bonds.
     Once untied, she rubbed her wrists and ankles, trying to
restore circulation.  Between listening for prowling police, he
helped as best he dared.
     "You have nice legs," he said, running his fingers over a
tortured ankle.  "I'll bet you were a runner in college."
     She paused and looked him in the eyes. "No, I was a swimmer
in high school."
     "Well, swimmers have nice legs, too," he replied.  She
couldn't be sure but it appeared to her in the darkened room that
he was blushing.
     "That's the first nice thing you've said to me."  Lowering
her eyes, she went back to rubbing her wrists.  It was hard for
her to not blush in response.  She had to admit, her first
impression about him was correct; he was good looking and
probably would make some girl very happy.  Still, something
wouldn't allow her to look at him that way.  Every time she
glanced at him, all she could see was Kaoru and feel Kaoru's
hands on her legs.  It was almost a dream come true, despite the
tacky location and the fact they were hiding from the police.
     "Once you're able to walk again, I think it best we put as
much distance between us and that warehouse as we can," he said
with a serious expression.
     Tina shook her hands and wiggled her fingers as the needle-like
pains signifying returning circulation roamed across her
hands.  "Why did you come back?" she asked, remembering how he
had deserted her before.
     "To tell the truth, I wasn't looking for you," he replied,
his hands stopping their gentle massage of her ankles.  His eyes
refused to meet hers.  "I was trying to find out more about what
those guys have planned and traced them to the warehouse.  You
just happened to be there."
     She regarded him with a mixture of curiosity and irritation.
"Is that why you ran out on me at the house?"
     His hands left her ankles and he sat back on the dusty
floor.  Drawing a deep breath, he looked up at the ceiling.  "No,
that was panic.  I'm really sorry about that.  I didn't know
where I was and fear of what those guys might do with me, if I
was captured...," he finally admitted with an embarrassed shake
of his head.  "I shouldn't even be doing this kind of work.  I'm
not cut out for all this espionage stuff."
     Tina drew a deep breath and flexed her fingers again.  They
were almost beginning to feel normal.  "Steven, what's going on?
Who are those guys?" she asked softly.
     Steven sighed.  "I guess you deserve an answer.  You've
certainly earned the right to know," he said adding a painful
smile as his eyes captured hers.  Even in the subdued light of
the room, she could see how difficult this was for him.  Maybe he
was just trying to protect her from something worse than what
she'd already been through.  Maybe he didn't really know what was
going on.  In any case, she wanted the truth.
     Returning to her ankles, his strong hands gently massaged
the bruises caused by the rope.  "Those guys are Koreans, the bad
kind.  They're in this country with some new kind of weapon.  I
don't know much about it, my partner was the expert on that sort
of stuff but I could tell by his expression when we saw what they
had, it scared him."
     "Weapon?  Like a bomb?" she asked, leaning forward and
dropping her voice as if someone else might be close enough to
listen.
     "Not a bomb in the sense you're thinking.  It's something
radically new.  All I know is what he told me; something about it
makes your hair fall out," he admitted.
     Tina drew back and frowned.  "That doesn't sound like
something those guys would kill someone for.  In fact, it doesn't
sound very dangerous at all."
     "That's the problem," he said, his hands working their way
up the calf of her left leg.  He didn't appear to be paying
attention to what he was doing but his hands were beginning to
have an effect on her.  "I don't know WHY it makes your hair fall
out.  It could be radiation or it could be something else
entirely.  It must be pretty powerful or they wouldn't be going
through all this trouble to get the key code back," he said, a
hand leaving her leg and patting a spot behind his tie just under
his throat.
     As his hands returned to massaging their way up to her knee,
she slowly reached out and slapped them away while still looking
him in the eyes.  That was as far as she was going to allow.
"Why would they bring something like that to Japan?  The worst
they could do with it would be embarrass a bunch of people and
boost the wig sales."
     Steven stood up and looked towards the room's only window.
"Yeah, maybe they've cornered the market in artificial hair and
are looking to make a killing before going home," he said with
just a touch of sarcasm in his voice.  "And maybe it's a lot more
powerful than we know.  All I have to go on is my partner's
reaction to seeing it and the fact the Koreans are still hunting
for the key."
     Tina tested her feet by wiggling them slightly.  Feeling
only a little pain, leaned back on the pile of bags and regarded
Steven with a frown.  "Well, this is all too much for me.  I'm
going home."
     "You can't do that," Steven said in a flat voice.
     "Why not?"
     "Because that house is the first place the Koreans are going
to look for you.  If you go back there, you'll be putting
everyone who lives there with you in danger."
     His expression and tone of voice caused Tina to shiver.  She
certainly didn't want to put anyone else in through what she had
experienced this evening, especially Aoi and Kaoru.  There was
also Taeko and Chika-chan to consider.  They certainly didn't
deserve that kind of treatment.  Maya, maybe, but not the others.
Miss Manager could probably take care of herself, remembering how
the woman handled Steve's pistol like she had been doing it all
her life.  There was obviously more to Miyabi Kagurazaki that
Tina had been able to detect.  "But won't everyone be in danger
just because they live there?" she asked with a grimace.
     "I don't think so," he said, kneeling down and checking her
bruised ankles.  "The Koreans already know you're on the run.
They might watch the house in case you return but I doubt they
will do anything.  They probably knew this was their only chance
to grab you.  If you don't go back, I doubt they will do anything
more than watch."
     "Why don't I just go to the police?  They'll protect me,"
Tina said.
     Steve nodded.  "Until the police are finished questioning
you.  Then what?"
     Tina shrugged.  "I go... home."  The realization of what
that meant struck her like a baseball bat to the head.  She'd be
right back where she was before and this time, she'd probably be
putting everyone else in danger.
     Steve seemed to read her mind.  "Right now, you are the only
link the Koreans have to me.  If you go back home, they'll just
come to get you again.  This time, they won't have to pretend
they're police."
     Images of the Koreans torturing everyone to find out about
Steven reran themselves in her head.  She wouldn't be able to
live with herself, if she were the cause of that.  Well, maybe if
they tortured Maya... just a little.
     "The only safe place for you right now is with me.  I know
of one place we can go.  Because I'm the only one who knows about
it, we'll probably be safe there.  If we leave now and travel by
night, we can be there before dawn.  Then we can figure out what
to do next.  Can you walk?"   He held out a hand to help her up.
     "I suppose I better," she replied, gathering her still sore
feet under her to stand.  "I can't have you carrying me
everywhere."
     "Oh, about that," he said as he began to rummage through his
suit coat.  After a few abortive tries, he finally found what he
was looking for.  Holding a small box, he opened it and pulled
out a couple of rings.  Sliding one on the ring finger of his
left hand, he offered the other to Tina.  "If we are going to
travel together, it would be easier if people think we are
husband and wife."
     "WHAT?" she gasped, dropping back on the pile of burlap
bags.  "I can't do that!"  She stared at the tiny ring like it
was a horrible little creature.
     "Look, we need the cover.  This will allow us to blend in as
we travel.  I have a military ID that says I'm an Air Force
Captain.  We can pretend you're my wife and we're on vacation
touring Japan."
     "I'm NOT sleeping with you!" she growled.
     "And I'm not asking you to," he insisted in a calm voice.
"This is just for show.  We don't have to do anything to prove we
are married.  It'll be a lot easier than sleeping in the woods
every night."
     Tina frowned at the little gold band with its tiny diamond.
The only person she ever wanted to receive one of those from was
Kaoru.  Her eyes went from the ring to Steven's face and back
again.  Despite her reservations, she had to admit he was right
about how it would be better sleeping at an inn than a tent or
something.  Still, she wanted one thing understood.  "I've seen
how you secret agents act.  I've seen all the James Bond movies.
You gotta promise, no hankie-pankie."
     "I promise," he said with a light chuckle.  "I won't do
anything to compromise your honor."
     "Well..."  She looked at the ring again.  It wasn't a bad
wedding ring.  Actually, it looked a bit like the one she hoped
she would wear some day.  It wasn't as if they were going to do
anything married people would do, she certainly wasn't going to
let him have THAT.  "I suppose you're right," she said taking the
ring in her hand.
     "Don't worry.  It's a fake diamond," he said, holding out
his hand again to help her to her feet.  "You just have to do a
little playacting when in public.  Just act like you think a
married woman would and you'll do fine."
     "The diamond isn't real?" she asked, more disappointment in
her voice than she intended.
     "No more than the marriage."
     "Oh that's just great," she grumped.  Slipping the ring on
her own finger, she held her hand out flat to examine it.  The
phony diamond sparkled in the room's dim light.  Running her
thumb along its smooth bottom, she had to admit it looked like it
belonged on her finger. "Don't look that bad," she finally said.
     His hand closed over hers and he gently helped her to her
wobbly feet.  "We better be on our way, Mrs. Lawrence."
     "Lawrence?" she asked with a frown.
     "Remember?  That's my cover name, Jeffrey Lawrence."  He
grinned as his arm went around her waist when she almost lost her
balance from one of her sore ankles giving out.
     "I can't remember all that," she said trying to disengage
herself from his arm.  He allowed it but hovered close as she
tried out her wobbly legs.  "Can't I just call you Steven?"
     "Well, my ID says I'm Jeffrey S. Lawrence.  I guess we can
get by with you calling me by my middle name.  I'll just tell
people I'm J. Steven Lawrence.  That'll work," he said with a
nod.
     Gently taking her arm, he guided her towards the door.
Cracking it open enough to see back up the alley, he paused
before pushing it completely open.  She was only slightly
bothered that his touch no longer annoyed her.  "It looks like
everyone is busy with the fire.  Come on," he said.
     Together, they stepped into the alley and turned away from
the burning warehouse.  It wasn't easy, Tina's ankles were
anything but ready to travel.  With his help, they soon reached a
sidewalk leading away from the warehouse and into town.  A subway
station wasn't far and it had a stop at the right train station.
"This is a lousy way to start a marriage," she grumped.
     "If it'll make you any happier, I'll carry you over the
threshold of the first inn we stay at," he replied, his voice
sounding tired.
     Tina didn't respond.  Her ankles hurt, her head was
pounding, and all she could think about was how she got herself
into this mess.




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