The Kagaijin Chronicles: Kentama

Sanji was about as unlike Kenji as could be in nearly every way, aside from being very nice to her, that is. He was loud, outgoing, and extremely jocular, as he was always cracking jokes to try to get her to laugh. He was certainly good looking, as his short, curly blond hair framed a face that could easily have been made for modeling, and his blue eyes and perfect smile made him a charming sight to behold. There was no way he could be pure blooded Japanese, but he spoke her language effortlessly and completely without a foreign accent, which was intriguing, to say the least. As for height, he wasn't as tall as Kenji, but he was close. He couldn't have been less than two or three inches shorter, and it put him at about the same height as Hatoko. He seemed to take a liking to her right away, and he made a point of coming to check in on her when he didn't really need to, and to strike up conversations with her about anything and everything that struck his fancy.

Naturally, Hatoko liked Sanji very much, and she appreciated the way he was always trying to make her comfortable and free of boredom, but for some reason, being alone with him always made her a little uneasy. She could never quite put her finger on why, although the way he was always staring at her made her a bit self-conscious, and she always had this odd sense of relief when he wasn't the one changing her bandages or checking her vitals. Something about the way it felt when he touched her skin just made her shiver, like something was just off somehow. Conversely, when Kenji did it, she got all googly-eyed and silly.

In her talks with Sanji, she had learned that neither he nor Kenji were married, and that they were both bachelors by "choice against their will," as he put it, with both of them having little time to devote to dating, what with the hectic schedule of their jobs. When she heard that, she felt rather badly for them, as she was sure they could find wonderful partners with their ample good qualities. She even told Sanji so, and he had beamed radiantly at her to hear it. Apparently he was really happy to receive such compliments, because he began paying more attention to her after she had said it.

Before she knew it, it was nearing the end of her second week at the clinic, and she had almost reached the point where Kenji would allow her to try using crutches to walk on her own. He had said he wanted to give it one or two more days first, as rushing these things could be disastrous. Naturally, she was aching to get off of her rear and do some self-driven moving, but she had resolved herself to be completely obedient to him when it came to medical matters, out of gratitude and respect for him and what he'd done for her. Although she felt at times that she would go crazy if she didn't get up and move around, she only needed to console herself with thoughts of how happy he'd be that she was healing nicely, and how he'd compliment her on her self-restraint.

By this time, she had built up a very congenial relationship with him, and she had done everything she could to make him smile. It seemed so rare for him to wear one, and she could never figure out why. What she did know, however, was that he looked ten times more handsome when he did smile, and she loved to see it. She was constantly cracking jokes for him, and paying him silly compliments and attention, and slowly but surely, she thought she was winning him over. He was laughing more nowadays, and he had definitely begun to smile more on his own than before. She liked to think it was her actions that were bringing about this attractive change, but she forced herself to remain objective, and to just enjoy his company in any way she could get it. He was very kind to her though, and he was constantly bringing her new books from the library, as well as puzzles and games for them to enjoy when he was off-duty. If she had known that being laid-up in the hospital would be this fun, she would have broken a leg a long time ago!

Sanji was also brightening up, and although he still made her uneasy, she was equally kind and jovial with him, and offered as much of her time to him as he could accept, because she knew that he had been a big part of their effort to save her leg, and she didn't want to be ungrateful. However, Sanji's change was quite different from Kenji's. Although she didn't realize it at first, his reaction to the time spent with her was much more aggressive. By the time she had realized what he really wanted from her, it was too late to simply curb his enthusiasm. She began to drop subtle hints in an effort to get the point across to him that all she wanted from him was his friendship, but he never seemed to catch on. She felt awkward about their different expectations, but she didn't want to embarrass him, and she certainly didn't want to hurt his feelings, so she made the mistake of remaining passive. After two weeks had come and gone, and Kenji had finally allowed her to make a few short trips around her room in her crutches, something very unpleasant happened between her and Sanji.

It was late in the evening, and Kenji had left the clinic to buy groceries to restock their pantry. He'd left Sanji in charge in his absence, as he often did when such occasions arose, so naturally, Hatoko thought nothing of it. She was immersed in a fascinating book about the geology of Mars when she sensed that she was being watched. She looked up from her book to see Sanji lounging in the doorway, watching her intently.

"Hi Sanji," she greeted him affably. "Was there something you needed?"

"Yes," he replied, strolling up to the bed and reaching for the book. She looked puzzled, but she handed it to him, wondering what on earth he would want with a book on Martian geology. He took it and set it down on the counter. Then he came over to the side of the bed and sat on it, his hip against hers, and his body facing her. He had never done this before, so she was understandably rather confused and nervous about his forward actions. She wriggled away from him just enough to remove the contact from between their hips, and she stared at him expectantly, as though she hadn't been bothered by his maneuver, and was simply waiting to hear what he had to say.

"There is something I need," he repeated, gazing at her with a piercing look in his blue eyes. "There's something I've needed for a while now. I think I've waited long enough."

"Er... I don't really follow you," she stammered, feeling an unwelcome chill run through her body. "I don't have anything I can give you, Sanji. I'm sorry."

"Oh, you have plenty. Maybe Kentama can't see it, and hell, maybe you can't either, but I sure can. You're a beautiful woman, Hatoko. You have something far more valuable than anything else in this entire cold, sterile building - and I want it. I want it so bad that I can't think straight anymore. You're a smart girl; I think you know what I'm talking about."

"Look, Sanji," she sighed, shaking her head and deciding that this had gone way too far. "I'm sorry if I've given you the wrong impression here, but I'm not interested in starting anything with you. I like you, but I don't feel the same way about you that you do about me. I'm sorry."

"I thought you might say that," he laughed, waving it away and scratching the back of his head. "It's all right. Just the same, though... I wondered if you'd be willing to try a little experiment with me. You're familiar with the scientific method, right? Well, I wanted to put a bit of unexplored chemistry to the test."

Before she had a chance to react, he leaned forward and grasped her face on either side, pulling her toward him and kissing her. He kissed her with a great deal of force, and she was not used to being handled so roughly by anybody, much less a man she hadn't even invited. She squealed in surprise and protest, and she pushed against his chest to get him to stop. He did break off the kiss, but only long enough to laugh and grab her arms by the wrists, pinning them against the bed on either side of her. She yelled angrily for him to let go of her, but he only muffled her cries with his mouth as he forced his way inside it with his tongue. His grip on her hands was like iron, and although she was pretty strong in her own right, she was completely unable to budge him off of her, despite her angry struggling and squirming. He hopped up onto the bed and straddled her midsection to get a better hold, and he pulled his lips from hers and began kissing her neck.

"Sanji stop it!" she yelled. "I'm telling you, I don't want this! Now, knock it off!"

"Call me Sanjima," he replied thickly. "And I'm sure you think I'm not good enough for you, but you don't have a lot of choice in the matter, I'm afraid. Besides, you don't know me nearly as well as you might think you do. I'm not what you think I am, you know. I'm a hell of a lot stronger than you, and I know more about what turns you on than even you do. So why don't you just lie back and enjoy yourself? I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised by just what I can do for you."

"Sanji, I can't," she replied, beginning to feel desperate. "I don't care for you that way! Can't you please just stop this and leave me be? You're scaring me!"

"It's too late now," he groaned, gripping the neckline of her disposable smock in his teeth and tugging sharply at it, causing it to rip down the front. "I can't hold back any longer. I've been waiting for a chance for us to be alone for a while now; I'm not going to wait anymore. Don't worry, Hatoko. I'll be gentle so that your leg doesn't bother you."

"Dammit, I said no!" she screamed, feeling her eyes well up with frustrated, frightened tears. "Please, just stop it!"

But Sanjima didn't stop it. He let go of her wrists and grasped either end of the flimsy hospital gown before ripping it apart, barely seeming to exert even the slightest bit of effort. Screaming and shaking her head, Hatoko covered her exposed breasts with one arm while she tried to push Sanjima away from her with the other. He let her keep her modesty for a few moments, as he turned his attention to his own clothes, tugging at his button-down shirt and roughly pulling it over his head, popping a few buttons in the process. "We don't have a lot of time," he muttered, more to himself than to her. "Kentama won't be gone long. I'll just have to cut right to the chase. We'll save the most of the foreplay for next time."

"Please no," she sobbed, desperately trying to push him off of her as he slid back and yanked at her gauze-like panties, tearing the stretchy fabric as it dug into her flesh and left painful welts in the places where it gathered and clung. She screamed in agony as he accidentally slid backwards a little too far, resting his backside on her shins and sending jagged pains shooting up her injured leg. The earsplitting scream startled him, and he dove forward, clamping his hand over her mouth and staring at her with a wild, wide-eyed look.

"Sorry! Sorry!" he panted. "I got a little carried away. It won't happen again. Now just keep quiet and this will be much easier on you. I don't want to hurt you, Hatoko, but if you make this hard for me, I can't make it easy for you."

She shook her head at him and screamed into his hand as he plunged his hand between her legs and began roughly prodding her most delicate area, forcing his thick fingers inside her, and grunting as he tried to wiggle them around in an effort to stimulate her into producing a little lubricant. The rough way he was treating her was very painful, but even that couldn't compare to the feeling of panic that was beginning to overcome all her other emotions. She cried and flung her head, desperately trying to struggle free, but he was sitting dangerously close to her injured leg, and all it took was a single jerk of it to send agonizing pain shooting throughout her body.

"You're just not going to get wet for me, are you, sweetie?" he laughed, shaking his head and withdrawing his fingers from her sore, violated pussy. "Well, I'll take whatever I can get for now. Like I said, we'll save the foreplay for another day."

He removed his hand from her mouth and began fumbling with his belt, so that he could remove his jeans and get started. She screamed again, this time out of desperation and fear. "Oh, please no!" she wailed. "I don't want this! Somebody, please help me!"

"What the devil?!" cried an enraged voice from the doorway. They looked up just in time to see Kentama lunge into the room and seize Sanjima by an arm in one hand and his short, blond hair in the other. He flung the half-clothed, surprised Sanjima against the far wall, and he leaped over the bed, barring the way between him and Hatoko.

"You verminous slime!" he spat at him. "Cowardly filth! How dare you force yourself on her like that! I ought to skin you alive!"

Hatoko had seized the nearest fold of blanket and used it to cover herself, and she now watched fearfully as the two men faced off against one another. Sanjima picked himself up off the floor and shook his head angrily.

"Don't you give me that tripe!" he shot back at Kentama, baring his teeth. "You said yourself that your interest in her was purely professional! Well mine isn't! So I'll thank you to butt out of my business, all right?"

"I'm making it my business now," Kentama growled, taking a step forward. "I'm not going to let you do as you please with her, Sanjima. She's under my care, and I intend to protect her from you if I have to. You won't be touching her again. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing! Do you really mean to say that you're willing to invoke the ancient law over this? You know you can't beat me in combat. You stupid fool; you're honestly prepared to throw your life away over a girl you have absolutely no romantic interest in?!" Although he spoke doubtfully, he could see the conviction in Kentama's eyes, and was surprised by how utterly unwavering he was in the face of such danger. It couldn't be... was it possible that he had missed something? He glared silently at his potential adversary, and he realized with no small amount of frustration that not only had he missed something, but so had Kentama. All his stern looks and rebukes -- they had all been made not only to convince Sanjima of his intentions toward Hatoko, but also to convince himself. He had been in denial all this time, and he was only now beginning to act on his instincts.

Shaking his head angrily, Sanjima relaxed his tensed muscles and shot an irritated glance at Kentama before rolling his eyes skyward. "What fools we've both been," he chuckled wryly. "I think I understand now, Boss. You shouldn't have fought against it so much; I'm not able to read your thoughts, you know. If I had known, I wouldn't have... well, there's no need to talk about what might have been. What's done is done, and I've made a fine mess of things, haven't I? Maybe it's time for me to take a vacation now too. I doubt it'd help Miss Hatoko's healing processes any if I stuck around while she was here. I'm sorry. To both of you," he added, glancing at Hatoko and shuffling miserably. "I guess I just got a little carried away."

Although Hatoko was quite bewildered by all the talk of ancient laws and combat, she could easily see that there was now a large rift between two men who had before been very good friends. Although she was still very upset about what had happened, she didn't like the way she felt as though it was her fault that they were now at odds. She didn't exactly blame herself for what Sanjima had done, but she knew that if she hadn't been brought here, they would still be good friends as they had been before.

"I think a vacation is a good idea," Kentama snarled, seizing the damaged shirt from the floor and flinging it at him. "Why don't you go find yourself a woman who actually wants what you're offering instead of taking advantage of our invalid patients? A sensible woman might do you some good, you stupid fool!"

"Yeah, you could be right," he laughed softly. "Goodbye then. I'll give you a call in a week or two. If... if I need to find another job, though, I'd like to know that now."

Kentama blinked in surprise, and he lowered his head as the gravity of his position hit him all at once. It was a terrible thing to have to decide. Fortunately, Hatoko made the choice for him.

"Please... Kenji," she interjected timidly, hoping to repair at least some of the damage her presence had caused. "Don't fire him because of me. I'm sure I'm partly to blame for this, because I wasn't clear enough with him in the beginning. I suppose I waited until it was too late to tell him no. It's not all his fault."

"That's absolutely no excuse," he snapped, glaring with contempt at Sanjima, who looked away uncomfortably. "If he can't control himself even when his partner is screaming and begging for him to stop, he has no business being around her at all. This is in no way your fault, Hatoko. I won't have you blaming yourself for his idiocy."

"He's right, Hatoko," Sanjima sighed. "I knew you didn't want me to do what I was doing, but I did it anyway. It was wrong of me to force myself on you like that, and I'll regret it for the rest of my life. I'll regret it even more if you blame yourself for it, though. Maybe I just wanted so desperately for you to want me back that I had convinced myself that you were just being coy. Either way, it's not your fault, and you don't have to try to protect me. I can take responsibility for my own actions."

Hatoko didn't want to talk to Sanjima. She wasn't sure yet if she could ever forgive him, but she was still unwilling to let Kenji suffer the pain of losing his best friend because of this whole stupid mess. "I'm not defending you," she replied stiffly. "I just don't want Kenji to lose his assistant because of one mistake. I can't tell you how to run your clinic, Kenji, and I wouldn't try. I'm just saying that if it were left to me, I'd give him a second chance."

Kentama sighed. "Since you're the one he did this to, Hatoko, you should have a say in this too. I suppose that if you think he deserves another chance, then I'll give him one. But only one," he added, glaring at Sanjima contemptuously. "Never again, Sanjima. You understand me? Never again."

"You've got it, Boss. This is the only time I'll ever make this mistake. From now on, I'll keep things professional, just like you." He would have grinned at the irony of his statement if he weren't so miserable about the whole state of affairs. He offered them a bow of apology and silently left the room. Hatoko and Kentama listened without saying anything as after a few moments, they heard the familiar, muffled whoosh and snap of the clinic door closing behind him. When he had gone, they remained in uncomfortable silence, each one unsure of what to say to the other. Finally, Kentama decided to break the silence.

"I am so very sorry for my assistant's behavior," he sighed, allowing his shoulders to sag and walking over to the wheeled chair and sitting down wearily. "This is partly my fault, because I've known for some time that he was, er... overly amorous. By bringing you here, I knew that I might be putting you at risk. He has a bit of a soft spot for beautiful women, you see."

Hatoko was going to rebut his apology, but she stopped as she realized that Kenji, or Kentama, as Sanjima had called him, had just called her beautiful. "You... you think I'm beautiful?" she asked timidly.

Kentama's eyes widened, and he leapt to his feet, throwing his hands up defensively. "No, I didn't mean it like that!" he stammered. "That is, I do, but I'm not trying to come on to you or anything! I'm just saying that he must have thought so, or he wouldn't have been so aggressive. Ugh," he muttered shaking his head in disgust. "I'm so pissed off that I can't even seem to make sense with what I'm saying."