Black Manga

CHAPTER 1 -- Two Gaijin at the Door

Osaka, Japan

The American father and his son stood outside the door of the apartment their real estate agent had recommended, grateful to feel the heat blasting from the heater into the hallway of this tony high rise.  Neither expected Osaka to be so cold in January. Both were well dressed, the father in a Brooks Brothers suit, and the son in khakis and a short-sleeved dress shirt.

"Lookin' sharp there, Kevin," the father said.  "We want to make a good impression, right?"

The 10 year old boy eagerly nodded his head.  "Dad, when can we go back home?" he asked in a slight Southern drawl.

"Not until the summer," the man said.  "Think of this as an adventure.  Maybe you'll learn some Japanese while we're here."

The boy nodded again and then turned his gaze towards the door.  "I miss Mom."

The father lovingly patted his son's head.  "I do, too, son.  But she would want us to get on with life.  You've been a real man this past year."

Kevin wiped away a tear as he heard the door being unlocked.

"Here we go," the father said as he straightened his tie.

When the door opened, a young Japanese girl stared at the Americans in amazement.  "Mom," she hollered in Japanese, "there are twogaijin standing outside!"  She then quickly shut the door.

The father looked down at Kevin and smiled.  "She's cute."  Kevin nodded his head vigorously in agreement before the door opened again.

"Yes?" asked a gorgeous thirty-something Japanese woman with round eyes and black hair that was short in the front but long down to the neck in back.  She then added in perfect English with only the slightest accent, "Can I help you?"

"Ms. Nakagawa?" the man said with his heart aflutter as he looked upon the sheer beauty of this woman.  "I'm Steven Lee.  We have an appointment today to see the rooms you are renting."  The man handed her his agent's references for her apartment.

"You're Steven Lee?" the woman asked in disbelief as she examined the papers.  She then looked up and gave him a radiant smile.  Steven knew at that moment that he was in love. 

"Forgive me," she said as she welcomed the two Americans into her home.  "With a name like Lee, I expected you to be Chinese or Korean."

"Believe me," he said with a chuckle as he and Kevin removed their shoes, "it's a common mistake where I'm from.  There are a lot of Korean families in my neighborhood."

"And where is that?" the woman said as she closed the door and walked her guests down a short hallway to the living room. Cigarette smoke hung thickly in the air.

"Georgia," he said, "in the American South."

"Koreans...in Georgia," the woman replied in wonderment.  "This is my daughter, Sara," she said when they reached the living room.  Sara gave a short bow as she was staring intently at Kevin.  She had never seen a foreigner up close before; and certainly not one as handsome as this boy.

"This is Kevin," Steven said as he patted his son's shoulders.

Kevin also gave a short bow as his father had instructed him to do before they arrived.

"Such a proper young man," the woman said with an affectionate smile as she crouched down so that their faces were at the same level. Kevin was enchanted by the floral fragrance of her perfume mixed with a smoky aroma. "Pleased to meet you, Kevin. I'm Akemi." She offered the boy her hand, and when he took it, his body tingled at the softness of her touch. "And how old are you?" she asked kindly.

"Ten," he answered nervously.

"Oh, my," she said softly touching his face, "you're practically a man!" Then she moved her face close to his, and Kevin was in absolute heaven as he felt his heart flutter. "You know, my daughter is almost ten. Just shy a few months." Then she said in a whisper, "I hope you two can be good friends." Akemi stood up. "Sara-chan, why don't you show Kevin your manga collection. Mr. Lee and I need to get acquainted."

"Please," he said as he walked towards a seat she pointed to, "call me Steven."

"Only if you call me Akemi," she responded as they both sat on separate couches facing one another. Kevin, meanwhile, followed Sara into her bedroom.

Steven immediately noticed a large crystal ashtray on the coffee table between them which had several crushed cigarettes in it. Next to it was a pack of VS menthol cigarettes. "I see you're a fan of Virginia Slims," he said as he watched her pull out a thin white cigarette and light it freehanded. She took a cheek-hollowed puff, snapped back the smoke, and cocked her head upwards for a slow, gloriously sensuous exhale.

"Virginia and I became acquainted during my university years in Las Vegas," she replied. "I actually prefer her taller sister, but 120's are difficult to get in Japan."

Steven was trying very hard not to reveal the boner in his pants.Why, oh why do I find the sight of a beautiful woman smoking so sexy? He cleared his throat. "What did you major in?" He watched Akemi hold her cigarette vertically just to the side of her cheek with a look that seemed to say, "Do you want to fuck me now or fuck me later?"Was she trying to seduce me, he wondered?

"Art," she replied, keeping the cigarette stationary, "with a minor in English."

"I didn't know that UNLV had an internationally recognized art program," he said as he shifted his legs.Must keep the boner down, he thought to himself.

"It doesn't," she replied. "I just wanted a school in an exciting city where cigarettes are cheap."

Steven looked at her quizzically, wondering if she was joking.

"I like to smoke," she said with a wicked smile. She then brought the all-white to the side of her mouth for a leisurely puff. She slowly French inhaled the contents from her mouth up through her nostrils.

Steven, who had been holding back his own urges, could hold back no longer. "Well then, we have something in common." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pack of Benson & Hedges 100s menthols. "May I?" he asked.

Akemi just smiled and gave a slow nod. Inside, however, she was exultant. Not only was this man in front of her drop-dead gorgeous with a boner so big he couldn't hide it no matter how often he shifted his legs, but he was also asmoker. She couldn't wait to get him into bed. But there was one more question to ask.

She reached over to the coffee table and tapped her cigarette above the ashtray. "So how long have you been a widower?" she asked nonchalantly.

Steven was dumbfounded by the question. "How did you know?" he asked in surprise before taking a puff on his B&H.

Akemi sat back on the couch, crossed her legs, and rested the hand holding her cigarette on her knee. She picked up the agent's references. "Says here a businessman and his assistant are looking for two rooms for six months. Yet it's an American father and his young son that show up at my door, and one of them is wearing a wedding ring."

Steven blushed. "Oh," he replied as he placed his cigarette in the ashtray and proceeded to take off his ring. "I often forget that it's there." He put the ring into his shirt pocket. "And in answer to your question," he said picking up his cigarette, "it's been over a year since my wife passed."

Akemi was not unsympathetic to the American"s loss, but she took it as a positive sign that the man removed his wedding ring.

"And you?" Steven asked after snapping back a puff. "Divorced or widowed?" He began an exhale and then snapped it all back, holding the smoke in his lungs before exhaling a thin stream in Akemi's direction.Two can play at this game of seduction, he thought to himself.

Akemi stared at Steven with a wry smile, smoke slowly cascading down through her nose. "Neither," she said with wisps of vapers emanating from between her lips. "I'm a single mom."

Steven nodded, assuming there was a story to be told there, but he didn't ask, nor did he judge. After all, he grew up in the South where teenage pregnancy was practically an epidemic. Still, it was unusual for a Japanese woman to be a single mom. Add it to the list of fascinating things about this woman sitting in front of him, along with studying abroad and living alone with a child in a spacious four bedroom apartment in the most expensive district in Osaka. Did she come from money? He had only just met her, but the more she talked, the more ravenous he was becoming for her.

"Your line of business?" she asked.

"Import/export," Steven answered confidently.

"The rent is not cheap," she said, wondering what his reaction would be.

"Not a problem," he replied without missing a beat. And of course it wasn't a problem. His line of work was quite lucrative. Moreover, he would pay any pay price to be close to this woman.

Staring at him intently, she brought the dwindling cigarette up to her mouth, cracked her lips into a smile and quickly nosehaled a ribbon of smoke. After several seconds, she pursed her lips and exhaled towards Steven. "So when can you move in?" she asked with a naughty smile.

Steven smiled back as he took a slow puff.

++++++++++++++++++++++

When Kevin walked into Sara's bedroom, he was stunned to see an entire wall of comic books. "Have you read all these?" he asked in awe.

"Uh-huh," she answered as she plopped down on the floor and leaned against the side of the bed. "Do you like Manga?" she asked in perfect English which she was learning at the International School she attended. She handed him a comic book.

Kevin opened up the book and found it was written in kanji. "I can't read Japanese," he replied as he flipped through the pages. "But I like to look at the pictures." He sat down alongside the bed and found that he enjoyed being close to her. "What's this story about?" he asked her.

She took the magazine and pointed to a kanji character on the cover. "This means 'love,'" she said. Then she looked into his eyes. She had never seen eyes that were so blue.

"What's wrong?" Kevin asked.

"I love your eyes," Sara replied boldly.

Kevin smiled with some amusement. "Oh...um, thanks," he replied. He didn't know what else to say. He went back to flipping through the pages and stopped when he came to a picture of a teenage girl smoking a cigarette. Butterflies began forming in his stomach as he continued to stare at the cartoon.

"Have you smoked before?" he heard Sara ask. He was embarrassed that she had seen him become mesmerized by the image, but he couldn't turn his eyes away. "No," he whispered softly.

"I have," Sara said mischievously.

The fluttering in Kevin's stomach suddenly felt like a tornado. This cute girl sitting next to him had done something that he had always wanted to do but never was brave enough to try. He put down the magazine. "What's it like?" he asked earnestly.

"It made me cough," Sara said as she flipped through the pages of her own magazine. Then she looked up at him and said in a hushed tone, "But I still liked it. When I grow up, I'm going to be a smoker just like my Mom."

Kevin imagined the girl sitting next to him holding a cigarette. He liked that thought. Maybe one day he, too, would try it. Maybe he would even become a smoker like his Dad.

Sara looked up at the clock on her dresser. "Mommy promised to take me to the playground. You want to come?"

"Sure," Kevin answered, still fantasizing about his new companion smoking a cigarette.

++++++++++++++++++++++

"So you say your daughter speaks fluent English?" Steven asked halfway through his second cigarette.

"It gives her more opportunities in life," Akemi said after exhaling a long cone of smoke, "both abroad and even here in Japan. I think Kevin will enjoy the International School in the neighborhood. Sara loves attending it."

"So they'll be classmates," Steven exclaimed. "That's great."

"Mommy," Sara said in English as she entered the living room with Kevin close behind her, "you said we could go downstairs to the playground at 2 pm."

Akemi looked up at the clock and stubbed her cigarette into the ashtray. "So I did," she said brightly, "but Mr. Lee and I have a few more things to discuss. How about you and Kevin go downstairs together?"

Kevin looked at his Dad, hoping he would agree to this. "Is it safe?" Steven asked Akemi. After all, he thought to himself, this ain't DeKalb County, Georgia. Osaka was a big city.

"Oh my, yes," Akemi said almost dismissively. "This is Japan. We have no crime here!" The father was still skeptical until Akemi added, "You'll find this neighborhood to be one of the safest in Osaka. There are plenty of Moms, Grandmas, and Grandpas at the playground that will look after the kids."

Satisfied that his son would be safe, he said, "Have fun."

"And Sara-chan," Akemi said with a wink, "come back in an hour."

When the front door closed, Akemi and Steven stared at each other in silence. What would happen next, she wondered. Concluding that this man was too polite to make the first move in her own home, she decided to take the initiative. She reached for her pack of Virginia Slims, pulled one out, and lit it freehanded, letting the tip get nice and hot. She then stood up from the couch.

"Shall I show you the rooms?'

Steven knew what they were about to engage in. He felt a connection with this stranger whom he had only just met. Words were no longer necessary, nor was there any point in hiding the erection in his pants. He stubbed out his B&H. "That would be nice," he said softly as he followed her down a separate hallway towards the bedrooms.

It was down that hallway that he noticed a series of framed Japanese comic books hanging on the wall. "You're a collector?" he asked as he paused to look at one of them.

"An author," she responded, bringing the cigarette up to her lips.

"These areyour works?" Steven asked in surprise, but when he turned to face her he found her still puffing on her cigarette. When she opened her mouth and revealed a thick, white ball of smoke, Steven was overcome with a sense of elation. He had to have her smoke in his body. Immediately he pressed his lips against hers, breathing in as much as he could before she inhaled what was left of the ball. Their tongues pressed together and joined as one.

Akemi brought the cigarette up to the side of their mouths, sucking hard on the filter while passionately kissing Steven. Both inhaled and felt as if their bodies were floating on air. Somehow Akemi managed to pull Steven into her bedroom and closed the door behind them.

+++++++++++++++++++

It was exactly one hour later when Sara and Kevin reentered the apartment. They found their parents sitting at the kitchen table with two glasses of red wine and two lit cigarettes in an ashtray between them. They were holding hands, looking longingly into each other's eyes.

"Dad, can we live here?" Kevin asked with excitement. "They have the coolest playground downstairs."

Steven smiled at Akemi. "How can I resist his request?" he said to her.

Agreeing to move-in the following day, the two Americans were soon on their way out of the apartment. Akemi felt at peace, knowing with absolute confidence that she had just met her soulmate. She sat down on the couch and lit a cigarette. As she slowly puffed on that Virginia Slims, she was reliving the moment of the powerful orgasm she experienced when Steven ejaculated into her vagina. She could still feel the remnants of his sperm slowly oozing from her pussy and seeping into her panties.

"I like Kevin, Mommy," Sara offered, waking Akemi from her fantasy. "I'm glad they're going to live with us."

The mother smiled broadly and lightly stroked her daughter's hair. "Me, too, honey. Me, too." She brought the Virginia Slims up to her mouth and gently puffed on it.

CHAPTER 2 -- Of Smoke, Love...and Ghosts

Atlanta International Airport

The American father and his son stood outside the Customs exit at Atlanta International. Passengers from the arriving All Nippon Airways were starting to stream through as was obvious from the many Asian faces coming out of the gate. Kevin knew that at any moment, Akemi and Sara would be among those faces.

It had been two months since Kevin and his Dad had moved back to their home in DeKalb County, Georgia. It took some getting used to the Southern summer weather again after living six months in Osaka, but he was glad to be among familiar surroundings and friends. Not that he had regretted a moment of his time in Japan; he and Sara had become close companions as she helped him to adapt to Japanese society. When she and her mother saw them off at the airport for their journey home, Sara had tears in her eyes.

"Will you forget about me?" she asked Kevin.

"How can I forget about you," he replied. "You're my best girl!"

Sara then kissed him on the cheek. He played that moment repeatedly in his mind since their last encounter. And now, with his heart beating like a bass drum as he waited in anticipation for her arrival, he stood at the gate eager to see her once again.

Of course, he knew that her mother would be with her. Kevin noticed how close his father had become to Akemi during their stay in Osaka. They kissed, held hands, and even slept in the same bedroom. These were signs that were difficult for a ten year old to process, but he assumed that they were more than just friends; much more.

"Dad?" Kevin asked his father who was eagerly craning his neck to look at the faces in the crowd.

"Yeah, son," Steven said.

"How long will Sara and her mom be staying?"

Steven looked down at the inquiring expression on his son's face. It was time to have the talk. He led him over to some seats along the wall and they both sat down.

"Kevin, I would like Akemi and Sara to stay with us forever."

The boy was sharp enough to understand what that meant. His father was going to marry Akemi.

"Does that mean Ms. Nakagawa -- I mean, Akemi -- will be my new Mom?"

"Well, that depends," Steven said sitting back with an exaggerated puzzled look on his face.

"On what?" the boy answered.

"On whether I have your permission."

Kevin thought for a minute. He liked Ms. Nakagwa very much. She was so kind and pretty. She smelled nice, too. She smoked a lot, but so did his biological mother before she died, so he didn't mind. Besides, for reasons he didn't understand, he actually liked watching her smoke. It gave him a funny feeling in his stomach and between his legs. Most important, Sara and he would be together again.

"Okay," Kevin said. "I think it's a good idea that you marry her."

"Me, too," Steven said with a smile as he put his hand around his son's shoulders.

And then out of the sea of Asian faces pouring through the Custom's gate, Kevin saw Sara's. "There they are!" he said repeatedly hitting his father's arm.

Upon seeing Steven, Akemi squealed as she threw down her bags and hugged her beau in a warm embrace. "I've missed you so much," she said stroking his face and kissing him repeatedly. "I'm also dying for a cigarette after that flight."

"Soon," Steven said with a wink as he revealed from his pocket a pack of VS120's which he then quickly slid into her purse.

"Oh, how I love you," Akemi said slowly as she placed both the palms of her hands on each side of his face and passionately kissed him. She had not smoked a 120 since her college days at UNLV. Being able to do so now was one of the tremendous benefits for her in moving to the States.

"Kev!" Akemi squealed, using the nickname she had given him back in Osaka. "Have you grown over the last two months?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around the boy.

Kevin had missed that floral smell of Akemi's perfume, and his body still tingled from her touch. "My Dad," he began, "said that you are going to become my new mom."

Akemi's radiant smile vanished as her visage became serious. She glanced up at Steven, who gave her an expression which clearly said, "We had the talk."