A Japanese World

I was entering a hotel lobby with one of my cousins; we were attending a seminar conducted by a group of Japanese about preparing Japanese food and beverages. I was wearing a somewhat frilly dress, while my cousin wore a sort of corporate suit. As we stood in the lobby, trying to decide where to go, she told me to leave my bag behind (because it was a little big and heavy, and she felt that it might “get in the way” as we interact with other people in the seminar) and we can just go back for it later on. I hesitated, but thought that it might be better not to be hindered by it later on if I needed to go around and mingle. 

So I left my bag (it’s a brown bag I actually have in real life) under one of the couches. There were many people nearby and we knew it was safe as long as they were there, because no one would take it. So, we went upstairs to the function room. 

There were rows of seats and I was a little surprised that it was a classroom setting, because I was expecting it to be more relaxed. So, we sat at the front row, and right in front of us were mini stoves and cooking counters. There were only a few people since most of them were hanging out at the lobby. 

After a while, a group of Japanese chefs marched in, and they all looked stern and serious, and I suddenly felt afraid of them. They were impatient and expected everyone to understand immediately what they were saying, even if their English was hard to understand. Later on, one of the chefs showed a dessert or soup, and I reacted, suddenly excited, because it looked so nice. He looked at me sharply because he got distracted, then asked me a question in Japanese, which I answered in Japanese too. He seemed to realize that we all do appreciate what they are teaching us, so his face softened a bit. 

After a while, the seminar was finished, and I ran into another Japanese guy who smiled at me, and then I said “Ohayou!” and he replied back, waving at me. I suddenly realized that I could understand all of them even if they spoke in Japanese, but it was more like I understood it on a different level, like I didn’t really understand the actual terms, but I knew what they meant.

Next scenario was a party wherein the food they served were the ones prepared by the chefs during the seminar. I was starting to think about my bag, and was worrying that it might get lost. I told my cousin that we should get it and she said it can wait. I told her my mobile phone and wallet were there, and I can’t afford to lose them. I knew she won’t be convinced, so I decided to go and get it myself. 

I then ran into another Japanese guy, and before I could say hi, he led me outside of the party hall and said we should take a walk. I said sure, but that I should get my bag first. He agreed, and then we went down to the lobby. Oddly, the entire hotel was closed, and the party people were the only ones left in the building. The entire lobby was dark. I worried that my things might be lost, but I found my bag. I carried it and we walked out the door.

Later on as we reached the busier parts of the street, he held my hand and I wanted to break free, but he held tightly and I realized that he has defined the walk as my agreement to be his girlfriend. I was getting confused because I knew I liked another Japanese guy, but his name kept fading and I would almost remember it but my mind wanders as I start to do so. 

In the next scenario, we were walking on a grassy park and he suddenly stopped dead so I did too. As I slowly turned my head towards him beside me, he gently squeezed my hand as if telling me not to move. Then I understood why - out of the corner of my eye, we were surrounded by killer ninjas. They were after him, but they would kill me too for being with him. Once again, he squeezed my hand and “reminded” me that I have powers too, and can get away, and that I will be able to deal with the one or two ninjas who choose to follow me. He assured me that he would deal with the rest surrounding him. So, slowly, I walked forward, and pushed myself off the ground, and started to jump-fly towards a nearby building, as one or two ninjas ran after me. My intention was to get inside the building and blend in with the people in it so that they can’t simply grab me and create a scene. 

Once inside, I found some previous workmates in some kind of party, and I felt so bored being around them that the everything started to fade. 

A Strange Family

It was a long series of events, and I remember feeling like I’ve lost all hope about finding happiness in any possible or dreamed of relationship. Then I found two women, and one of them said she can give me to a family who lives in seclusion, and they are looking for a partner for their son, and she said she is sure I will not have anything to worry about anymore. She told me though, that if I get it, I should never try to get out or change my mind because they will hunt me down and kill me, for the son and his mom are very possessive people. For a moment I was scared, but then I decided that I’m not going anywhere anyway so might as well disappear into their secluded house. 

So, one of the women led me inside a normal looking house, then we came into a room with a big wooden dresser. She asked me to climb up and when I get to the top of it, I should push open the ceiling right above it, and I’ll be able to enter the home of the strange family. 

I had a hard time climbing up, because I only slightly opened each drawer and used them as steps. They were very easily broken though, and I kept falling back to the floor. I eventually managed to get up though, and I would myself in a dark place with several steps leading to different rooms. 

Next thing I remember, I was lead to some kind of receiving room which was connected to a dirty kitchen, and a lady assistant told me to wait. There were several other people waiting, but I realized they were there for “screening” if they would be good for anything. Later on, I discovered that those who have no use for the family were killed, and some body parts were preserved and piled horribly in one of the rooms. I remember seeing piles of lower jaws and pelvises and male private organs and gums and lungs and hearts, all dried up and still very red and shiny. I knew I was not going to be harmed in that way though, because there was an air of excitement which announced that there is finally a partner for the son. Suddenly, the woman who lead me inside told me not to mind if the son is a short man, and that I am slightly taller than he is. I thought of a midget, though I said to myself it can’t be that bad. Besides, I can always choose to die, or try to escape and die.

So finally, I was brought into a room, and it was the son’s room. It had thick floral rugs a polished walls, but the furniture inside were broken like the drawers I stepped on to get there, though apparently the son was using them as they are. Beds, couches, tables, and chairs all had shaky and almost destroyed legs, huge splinters sticking out of them. Suddenly, the son came, and he was really short, like he only reached up to my shoulders, but he looked scary as hell. He was pale and had slightly long straigh hair, with a mad look in his eyes. I wanted to run away immediately, but I was way inside the secluded home already, and told myself I want to see how things would go. As he closed the door behind him, I heard murmurs outside of excitement of how the son and I will get along. When we sat down to talk, his mother came in - she was a huge, fat, dressed up woman with short wavy blond hair, in a tight long floral dress. She looked at me and sized me up, then told the son to leave so that she and I can talk instead. Then we were suddenly in a huge study room with big dark shelves and big musty couches. She gave me some bags because she said she likes me for her son. She warned me though, not to want to get away, because I might have to pay for it in ways I can’t imagine, and I thought about the body parts. I learned somehow that they cut up the person alive and just let him or her bleed to death or die in pain. 

Later on she said she has to go somewhere and shop, and that she will buy me more things if I want them. I told her I didn’t anything as of the moment so she set off and said she will bring me back something I might like. Then I went to the bathroom which was a very huge but plain one, full of small green tiles, and I went to one side where the shower, a faucet, and a small basin was. Suddenly it became a public shower room for girls, and Ururu-chan was there, in a shirt and shorts, carrying some clothes for changing. She was so excited to see me and said that Hollow, Toshirou, and my sister were waiting outside. After we take a shower, we should go see them outside so we can go to dinner. 

I immediately found a way to get out, by going with them and acting like I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to leave.I decided to just see how things will turn out, because I realized I didn’t want to stay with the family because I felt trapped and like I would never see the outside world again, and the son was too scary, and the mom was too overpowering. And somehow, I knew that Toshirou would fight them off as best as he can, though it wasn’t anything romantic in nature. I just knew he’d fight because it was the right thing to do. So, later on, Ururu-chan I were stepping out, and then the mom came back. She saw us leaving the room, and she told me or us to come back again and visit often. It was like suddenly, I was free to go, though I know I was still being carefully watched, and I can’t even think about totally cutting off my ties from them. I could feel the tension growing in the house already as we stepped out, because the mom has given me bags which means I’m tied to them in some way, yet they will have to tell the son that I have chosen to live a free life, though not totally free. It was like, I was still tied to them, yet I was given the opportunity to step out with my friends, which totally makes the role of the son insignificant, as my supposed partner. So anyway, as I carefully stepped out with them, Ururu-chan found an object of some sort which she found very cute, and I whispered to her to put it back. I wanted to warn her because I knew that if they gave it to her, she would be tied to the family in some way too. However, she seemed not to hear me and expressed to the mom how cute the object was, then the mom said she can have it. She exclaimed her delight then continued to walk on, while I worried that someday we will both have to “pay our dues” to the family in the secluded house. I had so much in my mind. I wanted to talk to all of them about what was happening. but I knew there would be no time or opportunity for a long conversation as that, and that I might have to be back soon.I want to tell Toshirou so he can at least talk to them when I or we (Ururu chan and I) are back in the house, or he can plan how to get us out. My fear was quickly growing, and I woke up, my relief beyond words.