Twilight Express, Chapter Four: The Moon Watching Platform

Revised from the original December 12, 2006.

Shinichi felt as if he was in charge of transporting a rare and fragile antique. As usual, when he visited his country home, his car and driver waited for him just outside the station. He exchanged seats with his driver, took him home.

He felt odd driving with his new acquaintance in the back seat like a taxi fare. Thankfully she agreed with him and moved to the front seat. He watched her carefully swing both legs inside, knees together like a visiting princess. He helped her with the seat belt which had become stuck behind the seat from lack of use.

She was quiet during the journey to his house. Her silence worried Shinichi. Was she already regretting her decision? Finally they arrived at the short gravel path that led to his house.

Carrying her suitcase, he unlocked the door, opened it for her.

He watched her walk slowly around the living room, stopping to study the framed blueprint of the home. When planning the house, Shinichi had carefully utilized a certain amount of space to each room according to its function. The guest bedroom was almost as big as his own bedroom, as he knew he would only invite his closest friends. The kitchen was small as he rarely cooked for himself. The bathroom was luxurious and large, with a deep marble bath for prolonged soaks.

The bath and sofa had been the two largest expenditures, as he had ordered the sofa to be unusually large. It was a plain, L-shaped sofa, but the seating area was slightly wider than a single bed and the sofa's remaining dimensions were larger than average. Shinichi had figured that since he often fell asleep on the sofa, he might as well have one that could double as a bed, and the width also made ottomans unnecessary.

Shinichi gathered up the tea service and took it to the kitchen. He returned to the living room to see that Melina was gone. He felt a sudden panic. Had she decided to leave? He checked the front door and saw her shoes parked next to his, her black Tumi suitcase stil there.

He found her outside the sliding doors of the living room, standing on the back porch. A full moon illuminated the area. She smiled at him. “Is this what you call tsukimi, sir? Moon viewing? And is this the harvest moon – chushu-no-meigetsu?”

She looked a little mischievous. “I understood that the first moon-viewing party was held in the year 909, when Kyoto was the capital of Japan.”

Shinichi bowed deeply to her. “I bow to your superior knowledge, Melina-sama.” After joining her in the bar car, he had completely forgotten why he had decided to take three days off to work at home: it was because of the harvest moon.

She leaned back on the railing, her auburn hair framed by moonlight. She had removed her hosiery and stood barefoot on the smooth wood. Shinichi imagined her as having just landed on the porch a minute before, magically delivered by some unseen, kindly god in response to a prayer often repeated.

He joined her at the railing, explained that the season was why he'd initially made the decision to visit his country home mid-week. "How do you plan to celebrate?", she asked. "I understand it's traditional to write waka poetry." "I'm afraid I'm not much of a poet," he admitted. Then he added quietly, "I cannot think of any better celebration than your accepting my invitation. Thank you."

His words had the effect he'd hoped for. She looked up at him with wide eyes, looking for the right response but not finding the words. He reached out and stroked her hair.

Suddenly the events of the last weeks flooded his mind: his first sight of Melina weeks ago, her disappearance, his failed search, his initial disbelief when meeting her on the train. He moved in closer, took her face in both hands and kissed her gently. He felt her hesitate for a few seconds, then she began to kiss him back, tilting her head slightly and standing on her tiptoes. He felt a sudden warmth course through his body as he pulled her close.

They stood on the porch for several minutes, eventually leaning against a vertical rail to keep their balance. Melina unbuttoned the top three buttons on his shirt, sliding her hands across his shoulders and down his upper arms, tracing the muscles with her fingers. She put her face gently on his chest, then slid her mouth across it: a primal gesture that said volumes.

Shinichi could wait no longer. He led her to the leather sofa, sat down next to her. He felt as clumsy and desperate as a schoolboy as he unbuttoned the top buttons on her blouse, exposing her shoulders. She wore a saint's medal on a fine silver necklace - a saint he didn't recognize. He leaned over her, caressing her neck, then pushing the blouse down and over her upper arms to expose the plain black slip underneath. He slid the shoulder straps down a couple of inches, ran his lips down her neck and slightly further down.

He could feel her pulse racing. He pushed the slip down further and gently touched her pink nipples with his fingers, watching them as they responded to his touch.

She seemed to be torn between shyness and desire, as she kept averting her eyes from him while her breathing quickened. He caressed her for several minutes, touching and licking each nipple, feeling as if he were drowning. He carefully arranged several pillows behind her before slowly lowering her to them. Her half-unbuttoned blouse's sleeves held her arms at her sides while the slip pushed her breasts up and forward, but she made no attempt to remove them.

He carefully removed her wispy lace panties, then ran his hands over her thighs, gradually working his way between them until she finally relaxed enough to let him slide both hands between them. Shinichi felt his rainbow blood flowing in and out of his heart. He still felt disbelief that the same mysterious woman who had been lost to him was now giving herself to him, offering him the control he had fantasized.

He slid two fingers upwards and against her, her warm wetness like petals. He traced slightly upwards and rubbed her slowly, gradually increasing the pressure until she began to cry out quietly and her body arched to meet him. Kirei dayo, he whispered.

He wanted to penetrate her as slowly and thoroughly as possible. Slowly he positioned himself between her thighs and began to enter her, whispering still, please, holding her hips. She was tight as a virgin and he found it almost impossible to control himself. Shinichi gently spread her legs even further apart and upwards, eventually pinning them under his arms. Finally he was completely inside her.

He leaned over her and slowly began moving inside her, savoring her wetness and warmth, watching as she dug her nails into the sofa's leather. Her arms were still trapped by her sides by her half-buttoned blouse but she made no move to free herself. He kissed her neck, her mouth. Finally she opened her eyes, buried her face in his shoulder. He could feel her tongue on his skin as she gently licked the sweat from his collarbone.

Melina looked up at him with wet eyes, whispered his name. A single tear slid sideways and disappeared into her hair. Her surrender to him was complete.