Year 3 – Interlude – An Island in the Sun – Raven

“I’ve been dying to show you this since I’ve been alive.” Sara held her hands over Raven’s eyes from behind and trembled with excitement. She could feel Sara’s warm breath on her neck, and the butterflies remained present on Earth as well. She pulled her hands away revealing one of the most beautiful things Raven had ever seen. “I give you Lawson Fujikawaguchiko.”

A giant, majestic white-capped god of a volcano rose above a blue and white neon lit konbini. The lights glowed into the violet sky.

“Sara.” Raven took a step forward, tears rolling down her cheeks. “This…”

“Is the first time I’m seeing it in person, too.” She took Raven’s hand and snuggled into her chest looking at the sight. “I didn’t get to see it…before. I’m so fulfilled to see it with you.”

Raven wrapped an arm around her girl and drank it all in. “My little konbini trash queen.”

Sara squeed into her chest. Her warm coat keeping her cheeks warm from the whipping mountain winds. “Let’s go! I’m cold!”

Raven walked hand in hand, still transfixed by the tech. “I really want to try that hoto noodles place after!”

“Oh my god, yes!” Sara did a giddy dance as they entered and breathed in the wonderful konbini air.

Raven smiled and looked down in her eyes. “Consume, my garbage girlie.”

She lit up hearing her favorite pet name. Sara snuck down the chip aisle as Raven took her time and examined all the really cool things in the Lawson. They had only been here a month, and every one she had been in was so different, but exactly the same. She fell in love with them not only because of Sara’s konbini IV drip need, but a documentary she found about how rural konbini actually had delivery food trucks to service the elderly in the countryside who had little help as the younger generations fled to the cities.

“Irasshaimase!” The friendly clerk greeted her as she gawked into the karaage case.

Raven brightened and looked up to see a young woman smiling at her. She wore the standard Lawson uniform, but her aura and the pink zipper left slightly down, revealing a thin gold chain was telling on her. The shirt was deliberately too large with the sleeves folded to highlight her skin tone.

Raven wasn’t fluent, but she tried her best to speak to her in her native language.

“Konbanwa!” Raven continued in Japanese. “How long have you been working here?”

The girl looked surprised to have the conversation continue. She smiled as she blushed. “Oh. Me? Four months.”

“Thank you for your hard work.” She saw the wince she saw in all of the younger workers. “Are you from around here?”

“I live nearby.” She said. “I go to the Health Science University.”

Raven knew she felt a gentle soul. “Will you be a nurse?”

She blossomed. “Yes! I will become a nurse! I want to learn the skills to help people get well.”

Raven smiled. “That is amazing. I’m Raven and that feral goblin girl filling her third basket is my girlfriend, Sara.”

Her eyes pulled wide and she covered her mouth with a gasp, revealing something Sara would be all over. Raven had gotten used to that reaction. And the timing to deprogram it. “You…your girlfriend?”

“Yep!” Sara plonked down three baskets full of konbini snacks and drinks. “That’s me. I love your nails!”

Her eyes did the thing again and she covered her hands. “Oh. I’m…not…”

“Don’t worry,” Sara moved her bag aside and showed off her outfit. “Gyaru gotta stick together.”

The girl relaxed. “I’m Rin. Nice to meet you.”

“I love your blond hair.” Raven smiled. “Is it natural?”

“Yes! It is!” Her hair was very well manicured for a konbini job. “You know most Japanese women have dark hair!”

“My drinking buddy, and naked mud-wrestling partner Kaori has blonde hair, too!” Raven kept pushing.

Rin’s eyes didn’t go to shame, this time, they went to intrigue. “You…”

“We are pretty free where we’re from.” Raven smiled. “How about you? What do you do around here?”

Her face went slack. “Nothing. I just work and go home and then to university.”

Sara appraised her for a moment. “Come to dinner with us. I see your replacement getting ready back there.”

She froze and shrank back down, putting her head down. “I…I’m sorry. I can’t. I don’t have a lot of money.”

“Nonsense.” Raven dismissed. “We will pay for your dinner and drinks. If you have nothing to do, then we’ll give you something tonight.”

The fire in her eyes died instantly. “I…I can’t. I…” She paused and her face flushed of all color. “I have a child. I have to get home to take him from my brother. He has to get back home.”

Sara didn’t hesitate. Raven knew this was her lane. “Bring him. Bring your brother, too. We’re getting hoto! On us.”

She looked up, her shame not fading, but checking to see what the fuck just happened. “Ok. Are you sure?”

“We are absolutely sure.” Sara nodded and took five more things from the displays surrounding the register and put them in the baskets. “And, we need to pay our KEPCO, too!”

Rin’s eyes widened. “Oh! You live around here?”

“Osaka.” Raven grinned, loving hearing that for as long as she could. “We’re just trying to see every bit of this beautiful country while we can.”

“My brother is from Osaka.” She smiled. “He loves it there.”

“We live in Tsuruhashi.” Sara beamed. “In Ikuno-ku!”

Her eyes did the really cute thing again. “My brother lives in Tsuruhashi, too!”

“Really?” Sara gushed. “We’re by Tsuruhashi station. Right behind the market alleys!”

“He lives on the JR Loop Line side!” Rin returned the sunshine. “It always smells like yakiniku there! I want to move there too one day!”

“We would love to call you our neighbor!” Raven radiated.

Her nerves melted and her smile continued through getting all of Sara’s snacks and contraband. “Ok. Please give me a moment to finish my shift, and we can walk to my apartment.”

“We’ll wait outside!” Raven took two of the bags and walked out with Sara.

They came around the side corner, so they had a good look at Fujisan while they waited.

Sara snuggled up to Raven for warmth.

“You’re a magnet, babe.” Raven felt immense pride at the work Sara was doing despite being here on vacation. “You got dat rizz.”

Sara burst into a fit of laughter and pulled back before she choked. “Oh. My. Gash. You did not just say that.”

Raven shrugged, alternating her hands up and down in a juggling motion. “Six seven.”

“NO!” Sara took another step back and stomped, unable to wipe the grin off her face. “Not you, too! My girlfriend is not brainrot.”

Raven gave an exaggerated shrug. “I already got the gyat, so I’ma be me.”

Sara blushed and grinned so hard she was about to break when the back door cracked open and Rin came out in regular street clothes.

“Thank you for waiting.” She bowed and led on. “Just two streets down. This way, please.”

They followed Rin as she led them. She was closed off in the way she carried herself. Raven smelled the fear like it was pheromone radiating from her. She didn’t like when people were afraid.

“So, your brother came to visit you?” Raven saw how she puffed up when talking about him, instead of shrinking.

“Yes!” She chirped. “He comes as much as he can. He’s a musician.”

“That’s awesome!” Raven responded as they turned down a side street. “We’ve already seen two shows since we got here! We love live music.”

“Here we are.” She stopped in front of a small ground floor apartment door. “Please, come in.”

She unlocked the door and as soon as she opened it a young boy, no more than six jumped through the door and wrapped his arms around Rin’s waist. “Mommy!”

Rin looked embarrassed and walked him in the door. “Please. Come in. I’ve brought guests, ani.”

Raven followed Sara in and they both froze in place when they saw Rin’s brother. “Oh my gash. You’re MC Nicotine Poisoning! We just saw you two nights ago!”

He blushed and eased up instantly. “I remember you. Thank you for your support!”

“We love your music!” Sara gushed. “But we don’t want to smother you. You’re just a person like us. Your art moves us.”

“You’ve met them?” Rin was surprised, holding her little man against her leg.

“You’ve been to Jin Dogg’s show, too, haven’t you?” He asked.

“Fuck yeah!” Raven responded. “We’re Dirty Kansai girlies for life!”

He took a step forward and offered his hand out. Raven didn’t hesitate and landed a solid dap. “Such luck finding a friendly face here.”

“We’re practically neighbors.” She said. “I think I’ve seen you coming from that house over by Kim Wei’s shop.”

He looked genuinely surprised. “Oh?”

“We live right next to Mi-rae’s shop.” Raven said.

“Wait.” They both looked awestruck. “You’re Sara and Raven? Auntie has told us so much about what you’ve done since your last visit.”

Sara brightened. “Mi-rae is your aunt? Then you’re…Takashi?”

“Oh,” He blushed. “Auntie has talked about me?”

“No.” Sara responded. “I was here before. I met you when you were young. You’ve grown so big!”

The siblings relaxed. Rin knelt down to her son. “This is my son, Masaki.”

Sara and Raven knelt and maintained a distance for the shy boy.

“True hope.” Sara doted. “Hello. I’m Sara, and this is my friend Raven. Would you like to come to dinner with us, tonight?”

Masaki stared at her, gripping on to his mother’s neck.

“She’s safe, my brave boy.” She urged him forward, but he was clinging.

Sara held her hands up, palms out. “He doesn’t have to. I just wanted to say hello.”

They both stood and took a step back to give Masaki room to breathe.

“You said you come here often?” Raven asked Takashi. “Isn’t that expensive?”

He hung his head. “Yeah. But she has no one to help her with Masaki. I come when I can so she can work some more shifts.”

“Where are you trying to go?” Sara looked at Rin.

She paused and looked up at her brother who nodded. “Tsuruhashi. There are much better schools for myself and Masaki there. And I will have family to help much closer.”

Sara looked at Raven who was already there. She smiled. That’s all she needed to do. “Is money the only thing stopping you from going?”

They were confused.

“What do you mean?” Rin asked.

“Do you have family or friends or responsibilities here other than school and Lawson?” She clarified.

“Oh.” She said. “No. We have no one left here. Mother and Father passed and Takashi went to Osaka to make it big and bring us with him. Things are just…”

“We have an extra room.” Sara stood and put on her manager face. “Free of charge. Can you be packed in two days?”

They looked at each other in shock.

“We can’t…” As soon as the words came from Takashi’s mouth, Rin cracked. And pushed it down silently.

“No arguments.” Sara said. “The room is empty. You can get a job and get Masaki in school with other Zainichi. He should know about his culture.”

They looked at Sara as if they’d seen a miracle. “You know about us?”

“Not enough.” Sara said. “But every single one of you I meet, I love with my full heart. So, please. As a favor to me. All you have to worry about is living. No rent. Any food there is free to eat. Get into the school you want and take care of Masaki. Nurses are better when they aren’t studying burnt out.”

Tears flooded her eyes and she fell into her brother’s arms.

“Thank you.” Takashi said genuinely. “We owe you.”

Raven put a loving hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “No you don’t.”