A Demon's Lapse

The light of dawn cast a rosy hue over the sky as the group returned to the island. Walking into the foyer, the group was met with Kiyohira wielding an ominous expression.

"Where the hell have you been?" he shouted, setting his sights on Nora.

"And you," he said, glaring at Matsuda.

Nora stood in front of Matsuda, "Don't be angry at him. Punish me, but leave him out of this." Kiyohira seethed. He ordered everyone to leave except for her.

"You really enjoy getting a rise out of me, don't you? Do you realize that you could've put the entire mission and my men in jeopardy, not to mention you could've gotten yourself killed again?" he yelled, lowering his face to meet hers.

"I wanted to know about his intentions with my sister. I wasn't trying to run away or anything. I knew you wouldn't let me go if I asked, so I thought 'why bother?'," she explained herself. Kiyohira was at a loss for words.

He barked at her, "Get out of my sight!"

Nora, unfazed at his anger, went to her room.

Matsuda had debriefed Kiyohira on the mission in his office.

"Nakano sold the designs to a shadow organization called Zubriga. Apparently, they operate out of Singapore and have claimed regions in neighbouring countries," he explained. Kiyohira hadn't heard of this Zubriga but it obviously was a threat.

"When pressed about it, he claimed not to know anything about it except that he was just a seller to them. Sir, I believe he was telling the truth," he added. Kiyohira had his arms on his desk, resting his chin on his hands.

"What was that stupid girl doing?" he asked. Matsuda explained how it was she who had caught Nakano. When they had entered the club, someone had tipped him off and he ran. "If it weren't for her, sir, we wouldn't have caught him," he added.

Kiyohira couldn't lie to himself; he was impressed with the girl. She would really do anything for her beloved sister. The concept was foreign to him.

"With all due respect, sir, maybe you should grant her some leniency," Matsuda said. Instead of reprimanding him for defying him, Kiyohira just sat and grumbled. He was right.

Kiyohira crossed his arms and cleared his throat. "How would you go about granting 'leniency'," he asked.

The next day, Nora was informed by Matsuda that Kiyohira wanted to have dinner with her that evening.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked Nora with a confused expression.

"No, the master simply wants to have dinner; you must get ready because I was instructed to take you to the capital for shopping," he said.

"To Tokyo? Shopping for what? Mr. Matsuda, this is too much," she said.

"You must do as you're told unless you want the master to really get angry," he asserted. Why was Kiyohira doing all this? It was definitely out of character for him, she wondered if he had any ulterior motives.

After getting ready, Nora met Matsuda in the entrance hall to go on their trip. As they were airborne, Nora remained silent and pensive. Now that Nakano had been dealt with, she hoped that Rosie would be in the clear. As for her, who knew if Kiyohira would ever let her go? She didn't want to press him on it, or anything for that matter. The dinner wasn't even the first thing on her mind; it was Rosie. She hadn't told her about Nakano yet because she didn't want to have that conversation. She owed her the truth, though.

Arriving in Tokyo, Nora was amazed at how large the city was from the plane window. It was much bigger than San Francisco. At the airport, a limousine had been waiting for them.

Taking in the sights, Nora asked, "Mr. Matsuda, do you have any siblings?" He was slightly taken aback by the question. He noticed the girl's disposition and, rather than scold her for engaging in mindless chatter, he indulged her.

"One brother, he lives by himself in a cabin in the mountains, but I don't talk to him," he answered plainly. The thought saddened her, she couldn't ever imagine being so distant from Rosie.

The limousine pulled into an underground parking structure underneath a fancy department store. Nora simply followed Matsuda and the other men out of the car and into an elevator. The walls were varnished would with golden trims. She could see her reflection in the shiny marble floors. When the doors opened, she saw a boutique filled with tons of designer clothes. Two women, elegantly dressed, stood there.

"Mr. Matsuda, it is nice to see you," one of them spoke. They bowed, prompting Nora to do the same.

"Master Kimura wishes to have dinner this evening with this young lady, please see to it that she looks presentable," said Matsuda. Presentable? The comment made Nora frown.

"This way," one of the women took Nora's hand and led her into the boutique. She felt so out of place, especially with these beautiful ladies. They looked like royalty while she felt like a peasant.

They went into a room where a bespectacled man with a measuring tape waited.

"Hmm, this won't do," he said looking at Nora. She was confused.

"Excuse me, what won't do," she said.

"Honey, the whole thing! Ladies, please take her to the salon and fix her up," he told them.

"What's wrong with the way I look," Nora asked.

"Darling, firstly those nails! Do you live in a barn," he said, grabbing one of her hands. She instantly pulled it away.

"No, I don't live in a barn!"

"I can't work like this! Take her away!"

Nora scowled at the tailor as she was led out. Matsuda sat on the couch outside, looking puzzled. She was taken to another floor where there was a full-service salon and spa. Groups of workers huddled over her, talking about her as if she weren't even there. First, she was taken to a mud bath, then a massage, which she actually enjoyed, and then got her hair and nails done. Nora had never been pampered like this before and she wished she could do it more often. She felt guilty because she remembered her sister and the conversation she would have to have with her when they returned.

The makeup artist was putting the last touches on Nora's lips when she saw herself in the mirror. She felt like a new woman and she felt pretty. She thanked and bowed to everyone who helped her in this transformation. The two women from before returned to lead her back to the tailor.

The tailor looked at her with a smile, "I knew there was something underneath." Nora wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not but didn't say anything. He measured her and then worked with some fabrics he had. While he was working on the dress, the two ladies had the boutique workers bring shoes and jewelry that would go with it.

When the dress was finished, Nora had put it on and looked at herself in the mirror again. Now the outfit was complete. The tailor had made a beautiful shoulderless burgundy cocktail dress.

"Spin for me, darling," the tailor said. Nora did so, albeit awkwardly.

"We'll have to work on that," he remarked. Ignoring that comment, she thanked him for the dress. The outfit was matched with diamond earrings and black heels with a small black crocodile skin clutch purse. When she stepped out to show Matsuda, he smiled.

"I believe the Master will be very pleased," he said.

The trip to Tokyo was nice. Nora felt like she had a somewhat normal life again, except with all the expensive shopping. She felt so antsy on the way back because she wanted to talk to Rosie. When they returned to the island, Nora quickly went into her room with shopping bags in tow. She went over to the phone, took a deep breath and dialled.

"Hello," answered Rosie. She was honest with her and recounted everything that had happened. She explained to her what Nakano had told her during the interrogation. She also told her about her hesitation to call her.

"I am so sorry, sis," Nora wept.

Rosie was quiet for a while and when she finally spoke, her voice broke. "Thank you for telling me, Nora. I know it wasn't easy. I'm more mad at myself, though, for falling for some jerk, again," she said.

"Listen to me, sis, those men don't reflect anything about you. You're the most kind and pure-hearted woman I know. Unfortunately, we've been surrounded by horrible men but I believe that one day you'll find a guy who will be perfect for you," Nora told her, wiping tears from her face. Rosie thanked her but told her she would hold off on love for the time being.

"Sis, if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone for now," Rosie said.

"Sure," she replied, hearing the phone click.

Nora couldn't help but cry even though it ruined her makeup. She couldn't bear that her sister was suffering, once more, because of some jerk. She didn't envy Rosie but she did wonder what it would be like to have a man be interested in her. A man would never openly want to be with Nora. She had never been on a date or in a relationship. The men who did approach her always wanted to have a hidden situation going on. Rather than dealing with their shame, she decided to be alone.

Right now, she just wanted to be with her sister more than anything. Instead, she was trapped here on an island with the devil himself.