In Deep Kimchi - By Imari Jade Page 0,80

going on. Yori walked over with Amaya. She'd bet the two of them had been together getting busy when the alarm had gone off.

The firemen exited and told them that it had been a small electrical fire in the restaurant and that it was safe for them to return to the room. She walked back inside with Ichiro and the others, stopping just outside her door. He looked at his watch. "It's very late."

"Yeah, I know."

"Do you need me to come tuck you in?"

"No," Satoshi answered for her. "It is very late. Time for you to go to bed."

Shaundra rolled her eyes at Satoshi, knowing there was no way she could invite Ichiro back in without drawing suspicions. Masaaki had probably ordered them to keep a close eye on him. Ichiro smiled one of those devastating smiles at her.

She nodded and used her key to go inside her room. Her phone rang shortly after she undressed and crawled into bed. "Yes, Ich."

"It's not Ich."

"Yori?"

"Yes, I just wanted to make sure that you're back into your room safe and sound."

"Yes, thank you."

"And alone."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I saw the way Ichiro was looking at you while we were outside."

"So what does that mean?"

"Nothing, good night."

"Good night." She hung up. That man, she decided, was so strange.
Chapter Eighteen
"You see, that wasn't so bad," Harper said as he unstrapped her seatbelt when the plane landed in Osaka.

Shaundra opened her eyes and unglued her hands from the seat rest.

Ichiro sat at her right, smiling at her discomfort. "See, flying's really not bad. You have made it here alive and in one piece."

"This time," she muttered as she stared down at her white knuckles.

Ichiro had convinced her not to take the anti-anxiety medication before she flew. The knots in her stomach began to ease.

Ichiro rose first, giving her a delightful view of his behind encased in a pair of khaki shorts. She slid out of the seat next, and Harper slid out after her. Their group had lessened by three. Riley, Jackson and Dorothy had returned to the United States, leaving her to fend for herself with Harper.

Of course, Juanda had a fit once she learned that Shaundra wouldn't be returning for another two weeks.

"What's wrong with her?" Takumijo asked as he walked up from the back of the plane.

"She's afraid of flying," Yori explained.

"Crazy fear. There's nothing to it and it's the fastest way to get around."

"That's easy for you to say. You are always having concerts all over the world," Shaundra replied.

The Kansai Airport was just as busy as the one in Tokyo with businessmen, tourists and daily commuters. It didn't take quite as long to get their luggage or get through Customs as it had when they'd first arrived in Japan. The only thing that was really different was the scores of screaming girls and young women who were there for the arrival of Aomori and the security guards who kept the crowds at bay while the band entered and left the airport. Throughout it all, Ichiro held her hand, ignoring the calls and shouting of his name. Like the other three, he now donned a hat and sunglasses, as if their six-foot frames could slip by unnoticed. A few of the girls brazenly took pictures and videos with their digital cameras and cell phones, and a few even tried to touch them.

"Look, it's her, Shaundra Morrison," someone shouted. "Yori's new girlfriend."

The crowd pushed forward, knocked down the barricade and headed directly for her. Ichiro and Yori jumped in front of her like they could stop a crowd of charging women. "Get her out of here," Yori shouted at Ichiro.

Ichiro forced her to run the rest of the way through the airport and out into the waiting limousine van while the guards held back the mobbing fans. Satoshi, Yori, and Takumijo arrived next, followed by Harper, Mr.

Niigata and Masaaki. John Sampson and Kenshin were the last to arrive.

Kenshin changed places with the young man who had arrived with the van. The other young man jumped out and helped stack the luggage and instruments in a second van, then they climbed into the other van while the guards continued to hold back the crowd. Ten or fifteen minutes later, both vans moved out of the parking spots and drove out the airport.

"Man, that was close," Takumijo said, removing his cap and sunglasses. "It hasn't been this bad in a long time."

"Do you mean you've been through this before?" Shaundra asked, still trying