91 Chapter two, 2016, southbound: 8 (1/2)

'Damn, why did he have to crash again?' Christina fetched a couple of water bottles, and then she went after some tea for good measure.

A few tables away Ryu sat entertaining his court of fans, and the sound of stupid jokes dimmed and rose as the wind carried the voices on and off. If not for Ulf's apathy it would have been a welcome break before they started making food and prepare camp.

Late morning, closer to midday, the weather had all but cleared up, and not even the breeze managed to keep the temperature down to acceptable levels. The sun baked anyone stubborn enough to leave the shaded tables.

She saw Ko-chan and Yukio standing with water bottles of their own staring uncertainly between tables and decided to wave them to hers.

”It's OK,” Christina said when Ko-chan fidgeted. ”He's been like this since breakfast.” 'Since I made an arse of myself.' ”You're not disturbing, and I could use a friend right now. We both could,” she added and shot Yukio a glare.

”It's my fault,” Ko-chan said defensively. ”I kept him from Urufu, so please don't blame him Kuri-chan.”

Christina waved the self-accusation away. It wasn't like Ko-chan to go all on the defensive like this. ”You just met, and I know what it's like to want to share every waking moment with someone. Trust me.” With these two she could afford to show how much she needed Ulf. They were the same. ”Besides I was the one who turned my phone off when he needed me.”

There, it was out in the open. She had betrayed him. No-one else had. Ulf was her responsibility.

”What are we going to do?” Yukio asked and pointed at his friend. He took the last steps to her table and sat down. Ko-chan followed soon after.

Christina poured some tea into her mug, and as an afterthought she rose, fetched two more and poured for her friends as well. ”I don't know,” she admitted after she had sat down again. ”I'm going to take a risk here, and I want you two to listen and to stop me if I go too far. OK?”

They nodded.

”Ulf, Ulf can you hear me?”

”I'm unwell, not dead,” he answered from his place on the bench. There was a weak glimmer of his grin showing. Not much, but still something of his old self.

Christina looked at her friends and began. ”Ulf there's something that's been bugging me for a while now.” It felt uncomfortable speaking with him in Japanese, but she needed the other two to understand as well.

”Uhum?”

”I'd been at building the company, you know Chag, for some fifteen years, and we were expanding like mad. Something went down back home in Sweden when I was in the states.” Christina stared ahead of her. He had hinted at it early on during summer break.

Across the table Ulf just nodded and slumped back on the bench. It was as if he wasn't present. Hadn't been the last days but for the short time during breakfast when he felt a need to protect her.

Something hurt inside her like a thorn stuck in her throat, but she had to know. ”Ulf, that was you, wasn't it? I got you involved in my life before we transited here, didn't I?”

Once more he nodded slowly. On the table, just by his right hand, a mug of tea stood slowly cooling. He hadn't taken a single sip since they sat down. Christina watched the printed kanji on it. An ad for the resort they visited.

And Ulf kept his silence. At least he shook his head when she asked him questions she knew he should answer in the negative.

”Your daughter. Someone went after you and she got shot and didn't survive?” Just asking the questions burned holes in her heart, but she had to do something to wake Ulf from his apathy. 'I love you so much. I can hurt for you if it helps. Please come back to me!'

After he gave her the nod she had feared she would receive she slowly continued her one sided interrogation. ”She didn't die right away, did she?”

Ulf shook his head, and Christina could hear Yukio and Ko-chan gasp. 'I need you here to stop me if I hurt him too much.'

”How long?”

When she didn't get a reaction she tried guessing.