The Wild, Wild East
                        By G.L. Sandborn


                    2 - Arrested Developments


     Tina sighed contentedly.  It was certainly comfortable in her 
futon this morning.  All warm and snuggly, she could almost convince 
herself to stay in bed a little longer.  She couldn't remember her 
futon being so comfortable.  Of course, after stopping at her favorite 
bar on the way home from work last night, she really couldn't remember 
much of anything.
     Snuggling back against the source of additional warmth.  Whatever
it was, it felt firm and cozy.  A contented sigh escaped her lips as
she tucked the comforter closer around her body and wiggled her butt
to find the perfect position.
     She was just dozing off when a soft groan sounded almost in her
ear.  Her eyes popped open.  That wasn't right.  The groan certainly
didn't come from her.
     Slowly, she reached behind her.  Her fingers brushed against soft
fabric before encountering what could only be a firm, warm body.
     In a flash, she was out of the futon and on her knees a few feet
away from whatever or whoever it was in her bed.  Silently gasping for
breath, she blinked at the lump still under the comforter.  Who or
what was in her bed?
     She tried to think back to what happened the night before.  She
remembered being in a small bar with some guy, maybe an American.  At
least, he spoke English like an American.  She recalled that much.
     Pulling her rumpled nightshirt tighter around her chest, she
blinked and tried to remember what happened after that.  As hard as
she tried, it always came back to that black hole in what should have
been a critical part of her evening.  There were lots of drinks, a few
noisy patrons, foul-smelling cigarette smoke hanging heavily in the
air, and a quiet but generous companion buying the drinks.  Was it
possible that she did the unthinkable?  Did she bring a stranger home
to her room and the two of them...?
     Her eyes went wide.  She couldn't have.  Even drunk, she wouldn't
have brought a man home to her bed.
     Her hand trembled as she again reached for the comforter.
Terrified that he was one of those 'closing time Romeos' she had heard
so much about, she swallowed hard and gripped the cover.  Slowly
lifting it, she bent her head over to see better.
     "Oh, it's you," she mumbled in relief, dropping the comforter and
sitting back on her shapely butt.  Like the mist evaporating in the
morning, the previous night's activities came slowly into focus.
     The bar.  The reason she was there had more to do with caution
than celebration.  She shook her head and blew out a deep breath.
They had ducked into the bar to make certain they weren't being
followed.  When Steven told her to just act natural, she naturally
tried to drink the place dry.  The fact he kept paying for the drinks
only meant she could make a serious run at doing just that.
     Once he was satisfied they were no longer being followed, he
helped her back out to the street.  She remembered how the cool
evening air made the alcohol buzz in her head just a little better
than on a warm night.  They hadn't gone far before HE passed out.
Probably from loss of blood or shock or something, she remembered
thinking.  It certainly wasn't from his drinking.  He had barely
touched the one she insisted he have.  In any case, it wasn't easy
getting him home.  He kept passing out.  She almost ended up throwing
him over her shoulder.  They would have probably made better time that
way.
     Once she got him back to her room in the servants' quarters of
the mansion, it was really late.  Nobody was still awake.  She
remembered dumping him on the floor over by her desk and throwing a
blanket over his body.  How he got in her bed, she'd rather not think
about.
     She was still deciding what to do with him when she heard the
doorknob rattle as someone turned it from the other side.
     The door slowly opened on squeaky hinges.  In a flash, the futon
seemed to erupt, the comforter flying one way and Steven the other.
There was a loud 'click' and everything in the room seemed to freeze.
     Taeko Minazuki found herself nose-to-business end of Steven's
handgun.  Her eyes quickly filled her glasses and then crossed to look
directly down the barrel.  Her mouth dropped open allowing a tiny
squeak to escape.  The pile of Tina's freshly washed laundry tumbled
from her arms.  Before Tina could say or do anything, Taeko stumbled
backwards, landing on her butt, her mouth working but nothing coming
out but a few random squeaks.  Eventually, one unearthly screech
worked its way free as the girl scrambled on all fours down the hall
towards the nearest exit.
     "Who was that?" Steven demanded, wobbling a bit as fresh blood
trickled down his left arm.  The sound of the door to their building
crashing off its track echoed down the hallway.
     "That," Tina said, pointing to the now empty doorway,  "was our
maid, Taeko."  Tina surveyed the disorderly pile that only moments
before had been her neatly folded clean clothes.  "And what's with
sticking that cannon of yours in her face?"
     Sheepishly, the man eyed the mess.  "A person in my business
can't be too careful."  He blinked and shook his head like he was
trying to clear his vision.  "I think... I think I got up too fast."
His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed with a loud 'thud'
in the middle of Tina's formally clean laundry.
     "I wish you'd stop doing that," she said with a heavy sigh.

     Fifteen minutes later, after much confusion and running around,
Steve Hunter's unconscious body was resting on the couch in the
mansion's living room.  Aoi knelt next to him, pacing a cool, wet
cloth on his head.  She approached her task with all the care and
concern she had often shown others in their little impromptu 'family.'
Kaoru frowned at the stranger from behind the couch looking like a man
unsure of just where he should be.  Taeko, now recovered from her
fright, had no such uncertainties.  She hovered nervously in a nearby
corner, apparently convinced the man was going to spring off the couch
and poke a pistol in her nose again.
     "Miss Tina!" Miyabi Kagurazaki scolded in her best schoolteacher
voice.  "How could you bring a strange man into this house?  Do you
realize the danger to Lady Aoi, not to mention the rest of us?  You
don't know a thing about him."
     "He tried to shoot me," Taeko whined.
     "It was probably an accident.  I doubt Tina would do anything to
place our lives in danger," Kaoru said, though his expression
suggested he had questions as well.
     "Well..."  Tina half-turned away from Kaoru, blushing madly.  Her
index fingers nervously circled each other as she tried to think of
how to explain Steven.
     "Of course she wouldn't," Aoi said calmly as she stood up.
Holding her hands together down the front of her, she turned to her
governess.  "I'm quite certain there is a logical explanation."
     Tina swallowed hard when everyone turned her direction.  Her tale
came in a single rush of words.  "I was just eating lunch at work and
my stupid boss radioed me to bring the stupid wheelbarrow to the
stupid bear exhibit only when I went to get it, I found a bunch of
guys shooting at each other and they would have shot me but this man
saved my life but got shot in the process and we had to make a run for
it until we got to my favorite hiding place in the tunnels under the
zoo where I bandaged his arm and he told me he was a government agent
so I brought him here."
     A heavy silence fell over the room, as if her audience was trying
to digest her story.  It was the kind of tale guaranteed to give a
person heartburn.
     "There," Aoi said with a pained smile, "I knew she had an
explanation."
     "You believe her?" Kaoru asked.
     "Of course not.  However, I am certain she believes what she told
us is the truth and that is almost as good as the truth itself."
     Kaoru opened his mouth as if to reply, then closed again.  His
grimace suggested he was at a loss to fathom Aoi's logic.
     Miyabi, however, shook her head.  "Whatever the case, he's here
now and we need to deal with that.  First of all, where is the weapon
he used on Miss Taeko?"
     Tina pulled it out of the waistband of her shorts and held it up.
"Got it right here," she said with pride.
     "Please be careful with that," Miyabi said.
     "Oh, come on, Miss Manager.  I'm an American.  We know how to
handle guns.  It's in our genes."  As if to prove her claim, she
struck a Lupin-like pose and winked at Kaoru.
     The entire room, minus the unconscious Steve, jumped when the
pistol discharged towards the ceiling.  Aoi covered her face with her
hands, Kaoru half ducked with his arms wrapped over his head, and
Taeko fainted in the corner.
     "Gimmie that!" Miyabi snapped, grabbing the pistol out of Tina's
limp hand.
     "Ooops," Tina said weakly, looking at the ceiling and squinting
to see where the bullet had gone.  "I wonder where it went."
     "Probably my office," Miyabi said with a sigh.  "It is directly
above this room."
     Tina tried a nervous giggle but it wasn't working.  Miyabi glared
at her like she was calculating how long it would take to throw all of
Tina's valuables along with the girl herself out on the lawn.
     "I'm locking this up where it will be safe," Miyabi growled,
holding up the pistol and removing the magazine like a veteran.
Pumping the slide, she ejected the remaining round.  Engaging the
slide lock with her thumb, she caught the ejected round in her other
hand without looking.  "In the mean time, we need to consider what to
do with your Mr. Hunter."
     "Maybe we should turn him over to the police," Kaoru said,
helping the groggy Taeko to her feet.
     "Or take him to a hospital," Aoi added.  "His arm is still
bleeding."
     "Improper first aid," Miyabi said flatly, casting a frown Tina's
way.  "We can take care of his arm but I'm not certain turning him
over to the police is such a good idea."
     "Why?" Kaoru asked, leading the woozy Taeko back over to the
group.  When she saw the gun in Miyabi's hand, her eyes rolled back
and she fainted again.
     "A police investigation would surely mention Lady Aoi.  That
would cause embarrassment to the Sakuraba Group.  We must avoid that
at all costs."
     "Then..."  Kaoru's voice faded as he considered what they could
do that wouldn't involve Aoi's family name.
     Miyabi, however, had her own ideas.  "Miss Tina, since you are
the one responsible for Mr. Hunter being here, he is your
responsibility.  He will be moved to your room where he will remain
until well enough to leave on his own."
     Tina was about to complain about the unfairness of it all but
stopped herself under the property manager's steely glare.  "Yes,
ma'am," she said, hanging her head.  She really didn't want to share a
room with a man.  Well, she might if it was Kaoru, but that really
wasn't a reasonable option.
     "In the mean time," Miyabi said, casting her eyes towards the
hole in their living room ceiling, "I'm going to see what damage Miss
Tina did to my office and lock up this... weapon."  She turned over in
her hand with a hint of a wistful expression, like she was admiring a
beautiful work of art.  It was almost as if she wanted to keep it for
herself.  It was obvious the woman knew her firearms.  "Lady Aoi will
properly bind his wound.  Miss Minazuki will assist her.  Miss Tina
will clean the mess he made back in the other building."
     "What should I do?" Kaoru asked.  Tina desperately wanted to
suggest he go with her but knew Miss Manager wasn't in the mood to
take suggestions.
     "You had best come with me," Miyabi said firmly.  "If that bullet
went all the way through the ceiling of my office, I will require
someone to check for a hole in the roof."
     With a sigh, Tina turned towards her room.  It wasn't her fault
the big goof drew a gun on their maid.  Sure, she knew he HAD a gun
but who knew he'd use it on Taeko?  It was all so unfair.
     It took almost an hour to clean her room, put the servants'
quarters door back on its track and tidy up the hallway.  She even
spent a little time cleaning herself up before returning to the main
house.
     She noticed right away that Steven was no longer on the couch in
the living room.  Curious, she followed the sounds in the kitchen but
found only Aoi and Taeko busy preparing breakfast.
     "You guys need any help?" she offered, hoping it would somehow
make them forget her error in judgment.
     "No but thank you for offering," Aoi replied as she gently
flipped over a small omelette in the skillet.  "You can set the table,
if you like."
     Eager to do anything to get back in everyone's good graces, Tina
started pulling plates off the shelf.  "By the way, when did you move
Mr. Hunter to another room?" she asked, almost as if in passing.
     Aoi and Taeko froze before slowly looking at each other.  "We
didn't," Aoi said, her eyes wide with surprise.
     "Then..."  Tina set the plates back on the counter and frowned at
the living room.
     Three heads poked around the corner of the doorway to see an
empty couch and no sign of Mr. Hunter.  They slowly retreated back
inside the kitchen.
     "Where did he go?" Aoi asked in a hushed voice.
     "Maybe he's stalking around somewhere in the house," Taeko added,
her voice barely a squeak as she held balled fists held in front of
her face.
     "What are you guys doing?"  Kaoru's voice from the stairs caused
the three girls to squeal in fright, each striking a startled pose.
When Tina saw who it was, she sagged against the kitchen wall in
relief.  Aoi practically ran to Kaoru's side, quickly followed by
Taeko.  Kaoru found himself sandwiched between two trembling young
ladies.
     "Karou-sama, please tell me you moved Mr. Hunter to another
room," Aoi gasped, her wide eyes begging for an answer.
     "I was upstairs helping Miss Miyabi.  Is he missing?"  Kaoru
glanced around the living room confirming their unwanted 'guest' was
indeed absent.
     "He's gone," came Miyabi's voice from the top of the stairs.  "I
saw him slip out the servant's door and run into the trees behind the
house."
     Aoi and Taeko released Karou with obvious relief before shyly
returning to the kitchen.  Tina sighed and shook her head.  "He
probably doesn't know I live here.  All he saw was the room I live in
and he didn't get a very good look at anything else last night because
he kept passing out on me."
     "In any case, it is just as well he is gone."  Miyabi descended
the stairs, herding Kaoru ahead of her.  "It solves our problem about
what to do with him."

     Breakfast went quickly and much more quietly than usual.  While
everyone was relieved that the strange American was gone, it was
difficult for some to banish the horrible thought that he might just
come back.  Tina couldn't care less.  He had been nothing but trouble
since they met.
     Tina called in sick to work, figuring that way she would avoid
having to answer any questions about what happened and why there were
so many dead bodies back in the Animal Waste Recovery Facility.  The
one under the pile of poop would have been tough enough.  The ones
with bullet wounds would have been impossible.
     The day passed quickly for Tina.  She helped Taeko clean house,
mostly by performing damage control in the maid's wake.  Aoi in
particular seemed happy to have the extra help.
     By evening, Kaoru returned from class in time for dinner.  Tina
could tell by the more relaxed atmosphere that all were confident that
Mr. Hunter was gone for good and nothing more would come from the
incident.
     After dinner, while Taeko and Aoi cleaned the dishes, Tina
convinced Kaoru to join her on the couch to watch a little television.
There was a particular nature show she was anxious for him to see
because it was filmed in the same general area where she had been
taking pictures three years ago.
     "Do you like sitting together like this on the sofa?" she asked,
sliding lightly against him.  Teasing Kaoru was one of the side
benefits of living there.  He always blushed in such a cute way.
     "Uh... sure, Tina."  Kaoru wiggled a bit as if to gain a little
breathing room, something Tina wasn't going to let happen.
     She was just snuggling against Kaoru's arm when her show was
interrupted by a news flash.
     "We have further information in the area's top story tonight,"
the reporter said with a grave expression.  "Yesterday's shootout at
the Nageyama Zoo left five people dead, one American and four other
yet unidentified men.  Police are still investigating the incident and
are anxious to interview one of the zoo employees."  Tina's zoo
employee photograph filled the screen.  "Police wish to talk to this
woman, Tina Foster, an American living in Japan who was known to be in
the area when the shootout occurred.  She has not been seen since.  We
will have more information as the story develops."
     Tina and Kaoru sat frozen on the sofa, their eyes wide.
     "But I didn't do anything," Tina gasped before throwing her arms
around Kaoru's neck and burying her face in his chest.  She couldn't
control her trembling.  Being a gaijin wanted by the police was the
worst thing that had happened to her in Japan.
     She felt a soothing hand on her trembling shoulder.  "The
reporter said they just want to ask you a few questions.  I'm sure
you're not in any trouble.  After all, you said all you did was escape
the shooting.  You couldn't help it if that man forced you."
     Tina's head shot up, her relief clear.  "That's right!  I was
forced by that horrible man to help him escape the guys who killed his
partner.  How was I to know he's a secret agent for the Americans?"
     "Uh... Tina.  I don't think you should tell them all that," Kaoru
replied, still patting her shoulder.
     They both flinched when the doorbell rang.
     "I'll get it," Miyabi said as she descended the stairs.  She
quickly crossed to the door and opened it.  For a few moments she just
stared at three large men in suits.  "Can I help you?"
     One of the men held up a picture of Tina and a police
identification card.  "Police.  Is she here?"
     Tina noticed Miyabi's grimace at the man's bad Japanese.  Of
course, policemen often came from the lower classes and that probably
accounted for his poor language skills.
     "Yes," Miyabi replied in an even voice.  When none of the men
responded, she asked, "Should I get her?"
     "Yes," the man with the picture said.
     Tina slowly disengaged herself from Kaoru's arms and drifted
towards the door, her face downcast.  She glanced up a couple of times
but only noticed that the two other men looked like attack dogs
anxious to be let loose.
     Miyabi, however, wore an expression extreme uneasiness.  It
wasn't hard to guess why.  Police visiting one of the Sakuraba homes
was certain to get reported.  That report could eventually end up in
the hands of elements hoping to use it against Aoi's family.
     Tina almost felt sorry for her friend's governess.  The woman was
in a 'no win' situation.  She couldn't refuse the police.  They were
authorized to enter whatever residence they wanted in pursuit of
criminals.  Just their being here was bound to cause trouble for Aoi's
parents; exactly the thing the woman was tasked to prevent.
     Miyabi seemed to recover her composure.  "Can I get you some tea?
You are welcome to use our living room, if you want."  She indicated
the large room with her hand.  Tina couldn't be sure but it sounded to
her like Miss Manager was stalling.
     "No, we are taking her to..."  The first man's voice trailed off
like he was searching for the proper words.
     "Headquarters," one of the other men finished.
     "Yes, headquarters where she will be interrogated--"
     "Questioned," the other man corrected.
     "Questioned, yes.  Only questioned, nothing else.  No beating,
torture, or hot things shoved up her--"
     He was stopped by the other man jabbing him in the ribs.
"Questioned.  That is all."
     Miyabi only reaction was a single raised eyebrow.  "I see," she
said slowly.  Her eyes went from the frightened Tina to the three
expressionless men and back again, like she was deciding how best to
handle this considering her primary responsibility to Lady Aoi and the
fact that there were only four females and Kaoru in the house, not
something likely to deter the three hulks standing at their door.
     Tina made the decision for her.  "I'll go," she said in a soft
voice.  "I've already caused you enough trouble."
     "Don't worry, Tina," Kaoru said as he came up behind her.
"You'll be home in no time.  Just tell them the truth."
     Tina forced a sad smile his way, her hand rising as if to touch
him only to be quickly snatched away.  "Let's go," she said firmly,
starting for the doorway.  The man in the middle stepped back to make
room for her to pass.

     As the four trudged towards a plain black car waiting in front of
the mansion, Miyabi slowly shut the door and frowned.
     "What's the matter?" Kaoru asked.
     Miyabi glanced at him and at Lady Aoi, standing just outside the
kitchen holding a hand over her mouth in shock.  "This is wrong," she
declared flatly.  "This is all wrong."
     "How do you mean?"  Kaoru leaned over to look out one of the
windows at the darkness, trying to pick out Tina's blond head among
the three massive policemen hovering over her.  "The police just want
to ask her a few questions.  I guess it is only proper they do that
down at the police station."
     "That's just it," Miyabi replied with a frown.  "Those policemen
acted in a most unusual manner."
     "How?" Aoi asked as she drifted towards the same window Kaoru was
looking through.
     "They didn't sound right.  They didn't act right. Whenever the
police deal with a gaijin, they always ask to see the gaijin's alien
registration card first.  And if they take a gaijin into custody, they
hang on to the card to discourage the prisoner from escaping."  She
paused to look at the solid door in front of her.  "These men didn't
even ask about her card."
     "Do you suspect...?"  Aoi gasped and gripped Kaoru's arm.
     "I don't know but I think I better make a phone call," Miyabi
replied, turning on her heel and starting for the stairs.

     Kaoru looked again out the window in time to see the sedan's tail
lights disappearing as it turned onto the street.  With a sigh, he
started to turn away only to be drawn back the sight of another
vehicle turning off the street and coming up the approach to the
mansion.  As it got closer, it bore the unmistakable markings of a
police cruiser.
     "Now what?" he muttered as it pulled to a stop in front of the
building.
     "What is it?" Aoi asked.
     "The police are back."
     "But why?  They have already taken Tina.  What else could they
want?"  Her eyes went wide.  "You don't think they now want one of us,
do you?"
     Kaoru sighed.  "I guess I'll just have to ask them."
     He opened the front door just as the three men reached the front
porch.  The leader was wearing a suit, much like the three who where
there only moments ago, but the other two were uniformed police
officers.
     The man in the suit pulled out a small leather case and held it
up for Kaoru to see it contained a police ID.
     "Good evening," the man said using as precise Japanese as Miyabi.
"I'm Inspector Toshikawa.  I wonder if I might speak with Miss Tina
Foster?"
     Kaoru's jaw dropped.  He looked at Aoi only to see her own
expression of fear.  "Didn't... Didn't she just leave with three of
your officers?"
     The man glanced at one of the uniformed officers.  "We were sent
to pick her up.  Is she not here?"
     Kaoru seemed to sag against the door.  "I've got a bad feeling
about this."