“So this is a memory from where you work?”
“A borrowed one. A colleague at the detector recorded a video of the tank during maintenance work and sent it to me. There was a chance that the maintenance would finish early and that the tank would be filled before I reported for my job atSuper-K, and he didn’t want me to miss out on seeing this. Very few people get to see the tank this way. I thought that it was the most peaceful, otherworldly place I had ever seen. Of course, that was before I stumbled into your pawnshop,” Keishin said. “And yes, I do see the irony in escaping to a place that is essentially an elaborate trap.”
“A beautiful one,” Hana said. “As the best traps should be. I’d hide away here too. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a calmer place. Thank you for bringing me here.” Hana studied her face in the water. A thousand bulbs shimmered around it like silver moons. She did not recognize herself. For the first time in her life, she looked almost content. She reached over the side of the rubber boat to touch her reflection.
Keishin grabbed her hand. “It’s not the kind of water you want to touch. It’s extremely pure water. It’s corrosive. It sucks the minerals out of anything it comes in contact with. Someone accidentally dropped a metal hammer into the tank, and when they found it years later, all that was left of it was an eggshell-thin chrome shell. The water had hollowed it out.”
“This water can eat flesh?”
“If you made the mistake of taking a leisurely soak in it.”
“Then it is not just in my world that things are not always as they seem.” Hana stretched out over the bottom of the boat. “Still, I’m glad we’re here. It’s best to get all the rest we can, while we can. The next part of our journey may not be as peaceful.”
Keishin lay next to her, their fingers almost touching. “You never told me the end of the story.”
“What story?”
“The story about Urashima Taro and the turtle. What happened to Taro after he opened the box?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
“Of course. You can’t tell someone a story and not tell them how it ends.”
“But isn’t that what life is like in your world? A story whose ending has yet to be written? I have often wondered what it would be like to live like that. To me, that would be the greatest of luxuries. I imagine that it is that very uncertainty that makes working in a place such as this worthwhile. The excitement of discovery. The prospect of learning something that could change the course of your world.”
“You aren’t wrong. But it is also a life that comes without the smallest guarantee. There are so many choices pulling you left one second, right the next. People stray from commitments and paths. It’s easy to get lost.”
“You would prefer that a map of your life be written on your skin?”
“I can’t help but wonder if things would have turned out differently if my mother had a map. If her fate had been clear, then perhaps she wouldn’t have been so restless; maybe she would have…”
“Stayed with you and your father?”
Keishin turned to face Hana. “The honest answer is I don’t know. The answer I want to believe is yes.”
“Duty isn’t the same as love.”
“Do reasons even matter if you can’t tell the difference?”
“Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Do you trust me?”
Keishin lowered his eyelids.
Hana pressed her lips against Keishin’s mouth, rocking the boat beneath them.
“Hana?” Keishin jerked his head back.
Hana cupped his face, guiding his lips to hers. Keishin’s shoulders tensed, but he did not break away. He folded her in his arms and deepened the kiss, melting into the warmth of her mouth. Hana pulled back and sat up.
Keishin stared at her, breathing hard. “What was that?”
“A kiss.”
“I know that was a kiss. I want to know why you kissed me.”
