to catch her breath.
"Yes, it happened a lot after our debut," Takumijo explained. "The girls would go crazy, pulling at our clothes and hair, and a few of them have even thrown themselves at the hood of our vans."
"Sorry," Shaundra apologized. "This wouldn't have happened to you if I hadn't been with you."
"Don't be," Yori said. "Without those fans, we'd be nothing."
"True," Satoshi agreed. "They are our fan club, they buy our records, and they care for us better than our parents. They just get a little crazy at times when they think we're in danger."
"So they're attacking me because they think I'm a threat?"
"Yes," Satoshi explained. "Each and every one of those girls dream of being that special one to us. Now they think you've stolen Yori away from them."
"That's crazy," Shaundra replied. "It's a one in a trillion chance that one of them will end up with one of you."
"Didn't you have someone you idolized when you were their age?"
Takumijo asked.
"Yes, I dreamed of marrying one of the Jackson Five, but as you can tell, that didn't happen."
"Which one?" Ichiro asked.
"Never mind."
"Sooner or later, they will realize that you aren't a threat," Harper replied after listening to them talk for a while.
"I doubt that," Shaundra replied. "You don't know women. We are prone to jealousy and we're very vindictive."
"Really?" Yori asked, acting like he didn't believe her.
"Yes, haven't you heard the old adage, „hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'?"
"No, and I don't like it. Why is it used?"
"It's usually used when a man breaks the heart of the woman he loves."
"Oh, oh, Yori," Satoshi teased. "You're going to be in so much trouble with Amaya."
Yori feigned indifference. "Amaya is not the vindictive type. Why would you think she would do something to harm me? We've been friends for years."
"Has another woman come between you before?"
Yori stared at him with eyes that just wanted to kill.
"Let me rephrase that. You better watch your back."
Ichiro squeezed her hand. "He'll be all right as long as I'm by your side."
The look Yori gave him could have soured milk.
Shaundra winked at Yori, forcing a smile out of him. "Don't worry, Yori. I won't let her get to you."
Takumijo was right. Osaka was very beautiful with lots of tall buildings similar to Tokyo, but with less people milling about. Aomori didn't exactly live in town. They lived in an area called Sumiyoshi, a rural ward that reminded her of down south in places like Mississippi and Alabama. The hotel Kenshin took her and Harper to was located just down the road from where the band members stayed. Ichiro offered to give her his room at their home, but Shaundra politely declined for all the obvious and right reasons. After an exhilarating nap, Shaundra got dressed, met up with Harper in the lobby and then went outside to wait on Kenshin to take them to Aomori's place for dinner.
Kenshin arrived and she and Harper climbed inside a utility vehicle this time, which she thought made sense since the band lived nearby. He drove away from the hotel and down a long highway road for about ten minutes, turning onto a dirt road. The house sat behind a secured gate manned by two guards. The gate opened and Kenshin drove up to a large farm house. There were lush lawns, a little bonsai tree, and on the front door was big letter A.
Harper got out of the car, helped her out and then Kenshin drove the car around to the side to park. She followed him up the stairs and waited while he knocked. A few minutes later, Yori appeared and welcomed them in.
In typical Japanese fashion, she and Harper removed their shoes and put on slippers that Yori provided them. They followed him through the foyer. The house was immaculately clean, she discovered, as she peeked into rooms with modern furniture and brightly painted walls.
The tantalizing aroma of food greeted her somewhere in the middle of the house.
"Ichiro has been busy in the kitchen all evening," Yori explained. "He made us stop at the store so he could have all the right ingredients." He escorted them to the back of the house where they found Satoshi and Takumijo huddled around a video game while Masaaki watched a soccer game on a big screen television. They looked so much like a true family with Masaaki watching over them like a big brother. He turned off the game and walked over to greet them.