We walked into the main beat of Ueno and I waved at the university as we passed. Aki laughed at my antics as I did so, but I could see on his face that he was proud of me and excited to share the experience with me. We took the train two stops into Harajuku where Daichi-san's shop was located, and Aki called ahead to see if his friend was willing to see us. The shop looked different during the day, and my nerves were beginning to wake up as Daichi-san greeted us outside the door, ushering us into the shop excitedly. It was empty, but the black leather chair was poised and ready, a small silver cart next to it.
"What perfect timing when you called, Aki." Daichi-san said. "I just finished my other client. What are we doing for you today on such short notice? That's not really like you to call on a whim."
Aki shook his head. "Not me, Daichi-san, it's for Natsuko."
He looked at me as if studying a specimen. "Natsuko-san? What can I do for you?"
"I've been thinking about the character for 'power'." I began to explain. "I can't get it out of my head." I pointed to my side. "Somewhere here."
I saw Aki fake a shudder out of the corner of my eye. "What a nasty place for a first tattoo." He said almost under his breath. I looked to him for an explanation, half worried that he didn't like the placement I had chosen. "Very painful." He explained.
Daichi-san laughed at our banter, waving me over to the chair and indicating that I could have a seat. "Don't listen to him. Let me draw this up for you so you can have exactly the right style that you want." He said, taking a seat on a small stool with wheels. He turned his attention to Aki. "I'll have to have the lady remove her shirt for this one, so you better do a coffee run for us."
I wasn't sure if Daichi-san was serious with his request, but Aki made a move, ready to turn and exit the shop. I grabbed his wrist to prevent him from going anywhere, obedient as he was, and as much as he loved coffee. "He's already seen everything." I said, to Daichi-san's mildly amused expression. "I'd prefer he stay."
Daichi-san motioned quickly as he set up a machine. "Aki, lock the door. We don't want any uninvited guests during this session." He smiled to me.
He put a stencil on my skin, and the three of us looked at it, and back and forth to each other for approval. Daichi-san instructed me to look at it, walk around the shop, then look at it again to decide once and for all if the placement was correct. I stretched out on the chair on my side, my knees curled up, resting my head on the little leather pillow. I had crossed my arm over my chest to cover myself with respect to Daichi-san, though in anticipation of the event, I had worn a sports bra to give myself a little more decency. He pulled up his stool behind me anyway, and Aki sat in front of me, holding my hand.
"Ready?" Daichi-san asked, placing his hand on my skin. I nodded over my shoulder to him. I heard a low buzz as the machine turned on, quieter than I expected it to be, just a hum. "It will feel a little like a scratch. Just one line first." There was a sharp, burning sensation on my skin in the next instant. It lasted only a beat, but I felt my eyes widen in surprise. "See, just a scratch, right?" Daichi-san said. "Let's keep going now."
I squeezed Aki's hand hard, but he didn't complain. "Just focus on me." He said, just like before we sang together. It had become a way for him to draw my attention away from my nerves, giving me something else to think about and allow myself to relax. He motioned to his arm without letting go of my hand. "The phoenix was my first tattoo. I knew myself back then and I knew if I took the leap into the world of tattooed people, I would go head first. I planned my whole sleeve at once."
"What was your most painful tattoo?" I asked him, trying to ignore the continuous burning scratching sensation on my skin. It was a feeling like nothing I had experienced before.
Aki turned his arm so I could see the inside. "The parts closest to my armpit." He said. "But the ribs were no walk in the park."
"I guess it takes a brave person to get a tattoo, knowing the places that hurt the most." I commented.
"Look at you." Aki said. "Getting your first tattoo on your ribs. You're the bravest one here."
It was finished quickly, and once the machine lifted from my skin, any irritation lifted with it. I stood in front of the mirror to look at it before Daichi-san covered it with a small bandage and tape. "Aki, you'll take care of it for her?" Aki nodded to Daichi-san's request. He turned his attention to me. "Listen to his instruction about aftercare, he's done this once or twice before." Daichi-san winked at me.
I pulled my shirt back over my head, glad to cover up again in the presence of someone other than Aki. He strolled to the front of the shop to Daichi-san's counter. "Let me cover this for Natsuko." I heard him say as I joined him.
I grabbed his arm to interrupt, but Daichi-san held up a hand and smiled. "No need." He said. "This is a gift to Natsuko-san from me. A 'welcome to the family' gift. I admit I was skeptical if I would have the chance to give this gift to her, but I had a feeling after being with you, Aki, her interest would be piqued."
My hand covered my mouth without thinking, and I bowed quickly. "Thank you so much, Daichi-san." I said.
Aki shook Daichi-san's hand and nodded a bow to him. "Thank you, old friend." He said.
"Now that you both live in Tokyo, I hope you will come to see me often. Please bring coffee." Daichi-san bowed back to us as well, smiling in his monk-like demeanour. The energy surrounding him was always calm and collected. I enjoyed his company immensely.
The evening carried on and we tested the furniture placement in the apartment that we had settled on, turning on the table lamps and settling on the couch. I looked around and assessed the work we had accomplished in only a few days in our new home. The kitchen and bedroom were complete, and while we were still refining the small details, it felt like home.
We sat a moment, until Aki slapped my thigh and got up. He held out his hand to me. "Let's get you cleaned up and go to bed."
He brought me into the bathroom, standing me in front of the mirror with his hands on my shoulders, and washed his hands. He opened the cupboard and pulled out two bottles, setting them on the counter. "Watch what I do here, I'll teach you how to take care of a tattoo." He looked at me in the mirror as he lifted my shirt off. "This way in case I get another tattoo, you can help take care of me too." He smiled.
He placed his palm flat against my skin beside the bandage and carefully pulled it off. He held it out to show me, an almost perfect mirror image of faded ink. "A new tattoo will seep ink and plasma just a little bit. That's why it's a good idea to keep it covered for a couple hours, because it can get messy. Also the bandage soaks it all up, which prevents the tattoo from getting a nasty thick scab." I made a face, my expression changing from fascination to disgust. "What? You wanted a tattoo, and I've got a lot of experience. So I'm going to teach you about everything."
He ran the water, testing the temperature with his fingers. He opened one bottle, squeezing some of the contents into his hand and lathering it with the water. He smoothed it over my tattoo gently, barely touching me. "This is the best cleanser I've found so far to clean new tattoos. You're going to want to use this for a couple days while the wound is still fresh. Anything with scent is going to sting."
The water felt fresh and cool as he used his hands to gather the lather of the cleanser from my skin. He pat it dry with a towel, then reached for the other bottle. "After you wash it, you have to moisturize it. This prevents the scab from getting dry and cracking before the skin underneath is healed."
"Scab?" I asked, becoming nervous of the healing process.
He laughed with his breath as he gingerly smoothed the moisturizer over the tattoo. "A new tattoo is just a wound. It scabs to heal just like any other wound. Then when the skin underneath is healed and ready, the scab comes off. A little thing like this won't be anything, but when you get big pieces, they get itchy and make you wish you were dead."
"Aki! Then how do you have so many tattoos if that's the case?"
He shrugged, and it seemed he only half thought of the answer. "I forgot how annoying the healing is in between. Then by the time I remembered it was too late."
We climbed into bed for the night, and Aki instructed me to lay on my side opposite the tattoo. He pressed his body to my back, using his hands to guide me against him, finding the best fit to maximize the amount of our skin that touched. He draped his arm over my hip and sighed deeply, and I felt his body sink into the bed. "Best not to accidentally roll onto your fresh tattoo in your sleep." He said. "I've got you though. No need to worry about it." I felt his kiss on the back of my shoulder, and one on the back of my neck. "Good night, Natsu. Wake me up if you need anything."
I smiled to myself, content against Aki's body, in his warmth, breathing in the scent he left on the bed. I lost myself in his sentiments, taking such great care of the tiniest of things. My new tattoo took less than thirty minutes from start to finish, and was only two inches square. Aki had sat for hours getting tattooed before, covering his body, in places that were sensitive and difficult to reach, to clean, painful to sleep on. He poured as much love into the aftercare of mine as he would have one of his own, treating it like it was an equally large and difficult piece. "Thank you, Aki. Good night."