Shizuma's Vette - 1989 one, updated to today's standards.
Hallo everyone,
Sorry for a bit of a delay, but Dragon Age 2 got in the way. I really love that game and, if I am perfectly honest, I'm getting rather sick of all the vitriol being spouted about it. Ah, well, haters gonna hate, right? Though, I feel I can blow any criticism of the game right out of the water with a single, one-word argument.
Varric.
That is all.
Right, now that I've gotten that off my chest, there's two anonymous comments I feel I should reply to-
Green-eyes – Ah, yes, Shizuma's Vette. That is an important question. Shizuma's Vette is a silver colored version of the '86 Corvette Indy Pace car, with a hard top. Of course, that's what it looks on the outside only, as Shizuma has had the insides modernized completely to fit her wishes (nice stuff like leather seats, GPS system, computerized dashboard, reffed up engine). Of course, she herself knows very little about cars. I think she mostly told the people at the garage 'Here's an endless supply of money. Put in the coolest stuff'. :D I picked that car design because back in the 80's, I thought it was the coolest car I'd ever seen.
Kamakazi Anon – Uh, wow. That's some seriously high praise. I just hope the rest of the story can live up to the expectations. Thank you.
Ah, enough talk. Time to start the story – Hope you like it. Btw, the Yaya and Tsubomi storyline might stick out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the story, but it will intersect with the main story later on. Besides, it serves as a good humor injection.
Strawberry Weddings
Chapter 3 – Doubtful heart
Nagisa's eyes fluttered open and could immediately smell the lovely aroma of wet forest after a long rain wafting through the open window. Even in the mornings, the summer heat was pushing the borders of comfort, but the smell made up for a lot.
Nagisa stretched and found Shizuma still sleeping next to her. She giggled for a moment, as her beloved wife made a rather comical sight laying on her stomach with her face smushed into the pillow and her dishevelled silver hair spread all over her body.
A mischievous grin crossed Nagisa's features as she decided to tease Shizuma a bit. Being very careful not to wake her, Nagisa gently pushed the silver hair from Shizuma's face and leaned in close. Ever so gently, Nagisa blew some air across her wife's cheek.
Shizuma gave immediate response by scrunching up her nose and groaning a little.
Nagisa giggled some more before catching herself. She blew another load of air across her cheek. Shizuma responded by slapping herself in the face and rolling to her other side while muttering something about 'damn mosquitoes' in her sleep.
Nagisa pressed her assault and gently blew in Shizuma's ear. Shizuma groaned even louder and shifted away from Nagisa. Of course, Nagisa didn't stop there. However, she hadn't noticed that Shizuma had inched rather close to the edge of the bed. Nagisa giggled as she blew in her ear for a second time. Shizuma let out an annoyed croak and shifted again... right out of bed and onto the floor, dragging the duvet with her and knocking over the lamp on the night-stand.
Shizuma yelped as she landed on the ground with a thud, suddenly wide awake.
"Shizuma!" Nagisa panted as she looked over the side of the bed at the downed Shizuma, with hair dishevelled and limbs sprawled all over the duvet. "Shizuma, I'm so sorry!"
The groggily Shizuma blinked as she tried to figure out what the hell had happened to her. But from her own position next to the bed and Nagisa's concern in her eyes, it was quite easy for her to put two and two together.
A playful grin crossed Shizuma's features. "Why you saucy little minx..." she whispered and, quick as lightning, made a grab for her wife. The smaller girl yelped as she was yanked off the bed and landed on top of Shizuma. The elder girl quickly flipped her over and pinned her down.
"My, my, my," Shizuma shook her head. "My Nagisa has been a very naughty girl. She's going to have to be punished."
"Shizuma!" Nagisa giggled and squirmed as Shizuma started to mercilessly tickle her sides. "S-stop it!" she yelped between giggles. "Please stop it!"
"Never!" Shizuma proclaimed. "Suffer, my dear Nagisa! Suffer!"
"Noooooo!" Nagisa giggled merrily, just before Shizuma moved in to kiss her on the lips.
A sharp, faked cough sounded from the doorway. There, in full maid uniform, stood Sharon, looking upon the spectacle as if she were a scientist taking note of the behaviour of her lab rats. "If I might interrupt your mutual pawings..."
Nagisa realized she was, in fact, quite naked and this strange maid was looking at her as if she was being appraised. She quickly pulled the duvet around her body in response.
"My, my, Shizuma-sama is naked and frolicking around with another naked girl. Such a surprise," Sharon spoke softly.
"Good morning, Sharon," grinned Shizuma.
"Not to worry, Aoi-san," spoke Sharon. "I have seen it all before and more."
"You don't usually barge into my bedroom," said Shizuma as she rose from her floor and walked across the room to fetch some clean underwear from her toiletry dresser. "Is there a specific reason why you do so now?"
After Shizuma had clipped on a bra and slipped into a pair of panties, she brought a bathrobe to Nagisa so that her wife could cover up her embarrassment. Nagisa gladly took it and quickly wrapped it around her body.
"Your father requests the presence of both you and Aoi-san at the breakfast table in about half an hour," said Sharon. "I have taken the liberty to preparing a bath for the both of you. Members of the maid team are standing by to wash your hair and give you additional manicures. The both of your should make it in time, provided you do not continue your... frolicking in the bathtub."
"Awww, you're no fun," Shizuma mock-pouted.
"Half an hour," Sharon bowed and left the room.
"I swear," Shizuma said while Nagisa went to look for her clothes. "That woman is a bigger buzzkill than Buzz Killington."
"Where have I heard that name before?" Nagisa bit her finger as she tried to recall.
Nagisa had recovered from the tickle attack and had happily joined the rest of the family at the breakfast table. Compared to the rest of the estate, the family dining room was rather cosy. She had figured it was chosen this way to give the few family gatherings an air of closeness.
Nagisa was sitting next to Shizuma, while her father, Midori and Maaya were sitting opposite to them. She was happy to notice that, other than the occasional glare in Midori's direction, Shizuma was calm and well-behaved. The food itself was quite nice.
"Ah, Nagisa-chan," said Hito. "Before I forget. Victor, would you please?"
Nagisa was startled to suddenly find Victor standing next to her. "Eeeeeh?" she called out. "Where did you come from, Victor-san?"
"Apologies, ma'am," said Victor. "But I move very fast."
Nagisa gasped when she saw the contents of the plate with which Victor presented her. On it was a delicious looking slice of pie. "Ma'am," Victor said. "This cake contains 30 kinds of chocolate, truffle toppings, marzipan finish and strawberry filling."
Nagisa blinked. "I have seen the face of God... right in this piece of cake."
Shizuma frowned. "Dad? Any particular reason why you're fattening up my wife?"
"Hey!" Nagisa narrowed her eyes and playfully jabbed an elbow in her wife's side.
"Ow!" Shizuma hissed in a horribly fake way. "Kidney shot!"
"Just a small token of my appreciation for her kind words to me yesterday when I needed it," Hito nodded. "I hope you like it, Nagisa-chan."
"Hmmm," Nagisa said, with her mouth full. "Remind me say nice things to you more often."
"Meh," Shizuma said while adjusting her pinned up hair. "Excuse me for a moment."
"Problem?" asked Hito.
"No," Shizuma replied. "It's just that haven't had much time to go to the salon lately and my hair has been growing out of control somewhat. I need to have it trimmed a little."
"Oh," Hito grinned. "Remember that time at LAX airport?"
Shizuma blinked, then giggled slightly. "Oh, dear, oh dear..."
"What?" Nagisa asked with curiosity before taking another bite from her cake.
"Shall I tell it, or will you?" Hito asked.
"Please," Shizuma smiled and turned to Nagisa. "Okay, this happened... some 7 years ago, before I met Kaori. I must have been fifteen at the time. I was on leave from Astraea to accompany dad on one of his business trips to America."
"And spent liberal amount of time in the arms of local girls, I shouldn't wonder," Hito winked.
"Well, that goes without saying," Shizuma shrugged. "In any case, we were about to return home and were waiting for the private jet to arrive when I decided for a quick visit to the airport salon. And the salon was run by the gayest man I have ever see. He was nice enough, sure, but to give you a clue as to how gay this guy was - if you took the village people and rolled them into one person, that one person still wouldn't be half as gay as that hairdresser."
"Wow, that's pretty gay," Nagisa blinked.
"The guy almost had an orgasm on the spot when he saw my hair," Shizuma said.
Maaya, who had been quietly eating her breakfast, suddenly looked up. "What's an orgasm?"
"Uhm," Hito thought quickly. "It's those cranes you fold, Maaya-chan," he said before biting his lip and whispering to Shizuma. "Zuma-chan... Watch it."
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Shizuma held up her hands. "Anyway, he yanks the guy already having his hair cut from the barber chair, throws me in it and starts working like a mad hamster on coffee. He didn't even ask me how I wanted my hair done, he just let his hands do the work. He styled, cut and washed my hair for hours, all the time saying how FABULOUS my mane is and how blessed I am."
"We had to wait until the guy was done," Hito chuckled. "His hands moved so fast, I was afraid to approach him. Our plane left 3 hours late. And Zuma-chan was sitting on cloud 9 all the way back to Japan."
"I'd never felt so warm and fuzzy before," said Shizuma. "I never had my hair done better than that day. He claimed my hairdo was his masterpiece. I can't disagree with that."
"My daughter is such a vain creature," Hito laughed, and Nagisa soon fell in with it. It was going well compared with the day before yesterday, though Midori had been very quiet.
As if on cue, Hito turned to her. "Midori-chan?" she said. "You've been awfully quiet all morning. Are you feeling alright?"
Midori smiled at him. "Oh, thank you for worrying about me. I am fine. It's just that this is a family gathering and I feel like I'm intruding."
"You're right about that," Shizuma muttered under her breath, just so Midori wouldn't hear. Nagisa shot her an admonishing look, but thankfully Midori had not noticed. Acting quick to change the subject, Nagisa piped up. "Well," said Nagisa, "you're going to be part of the family soon enough. And don't worry about it. I felt like an intruder too when Shizuma first introduced me to her family."
Midori smiled gently. "Would you indulge me? Hito tells me the circumstances of how you and Shizuma-san met and became involved is quite the tale. I would love to hear it."
"May I?" Nagisa asked Shizuma, who nodded gently. This was a tale which Nagisa gladly told to whomever asked her. While her family ate their breakfast and drank their tea, Nagisa regaled then - how she and Shizuma first met at the tree, about settling in at Astraea Hill, about growing closer to Shizuma, their time studying French, their kiss in the pool, their sad parting, the Etoile election, Shizuma snatching her away from the Cathedral, falling in love, dealing with still being at Astraea while Shizuma was off to college, living together at the summer house in the weekends until Nagisa's graduation. Going to college, living together in their apartment and finally their wedding.
Midori hung at every word, often sighing wistfully when Nagisa regaled her with one or other romantic event happening to them.
"I hope you don't have a problem with us... being two girls in love," Shizuma suddenly piped up, the first words coming out of her mouth since the beginning of the tale. Nagisa found the remark rather strange as Midori had never shown any hostility towards their sexual preference. If anything, it sounded as if Shizuma was challenging Midori to disagree with her.
"Oh, no, no, not at all," Midori smiled gently. "I just think... you both have fought for love and triumphed, even though a lot of people out there won't accept two women together. And now you two are in love, married and happy. I think it's inspiring."
Nagisa looked at Shizuma and saw from her wife's expression that she didn't quite know what to make of this sincerely meant compliment. But it didn't surprise Nagisa - though Shizuma was an extremely open and easy-going person, when it came to friends and loved ones, there was no room for shades of grey in Shizuma's world. Then there was only black and white.
The fact that Shizuma was now confused meant she was coming around. Though it might still take some time for her to actually like Midori, Nagisa was certain she might come to at least accept her soonish. This irrational dislike for Midori was something Nagisa hoped her beloved wife would let go off.
"Well," Nagisa said, hoping to lighten the mood. "I've told you our story. Why don't you tell us yours? How did you and Hito-san meet?"
Just as Midori was to open her mouth, Maaya slipped out of her seat, strolled over Shizuma and tugged on her sleeve. "Shizuma nee-san?" Maaya asked. "Can I sit in your lap?"
"Uh?" Shizuma blinked.
"Oh, come on," Nagisa giggled. "This can't be the first time a girl asked if she could sit in your lap."
"I know that," Shizuma smirked. "But usually those girls were a lot older than Maaya."
"Oonnnnneeeeegaaaaaiiiiii," Maaya said with eyes as bit as pleading watery saucers.
"Oh, alright," Shizuma sighed and picked up the happy girl. Once Maaya had settled in and leaned back against Shizuma, the silver-haired girl wrapped her arms around Maaya's waist.
Nagisa smiled warmly when she saw Shizuma snuggle against the giggling Maaya. Oh, yes, Shizuma was definitely coming around. And Nagisa could tell from the happy expression on Hito's face that he was seeing the same thing.
"It started when I landed my first job as a company nurse," Midori started telling. "I was grateful for it, because at the time me and my little sister were struggling. The company I was hired by was the Hanazono Industry group and I was assigned to the Head Office. I was expecting to work in a team, but instead I was given my own office."
"We have a couple of nurses who cover several floors of the office each," Hito clarified. "Usually they work alone."
"It was a bit lonely, but I wasn't complaining," Midori said. "I had a good job and it put food on the table for me and Maaya. I didn't meet Hito until I had worked there for about two months."
"Well, one day," Hito said as he wiped his mouth and sat back a little to tell the tale. "I was chewing out the upper management."
"Business as usual, then," Shizuma winked. "What was the decibel level?"
"Higher than usual," Hito laughed. "But the manager in question had been especially incompetent. In any case, I slammed my fist down on the board table and hit a letter opener. Sliced my palm open quite badly."
"Ouch," Nagisa hissed.
"It hurt, it bled, but I had a busy schedule, so I just wrapped a cloth around my hand and kept going with the meeting," Hito shrugged. "In retrospect, not the smartest thing I have ever done, but there you go. When the meeting ended however, and my hand was still hurting and bleeding, I decided visiting the nurse was probably a good idea."
"So, I first met nurse Midori," Hito smiled. "I told her what happened and then... she gave me biggest chewing out I've ever receiving in my life while treating my hand."
"I take patient care quite seriously," Midori said, slightly embarrassed. "I mean, a wound like that could get horribly infected if not treated immediately. Did you know your father tried to refuse a tetanus shot?" she directed at Shizuma.
"You always were afraid of needles," said Shizuma.
"I was blown away," Hito laughed. "I'm used to getting it from Zuma-chan, but I never had anyone on my staff stand up like that to me before. And so fierce. I think I left her office quite stunned. But I was intrigued. I kept making excuses to go visit her from time to time. Arranged quite a bit of little accidents."
"Mostly stapler accidents," Midori frowned. "The number of times I had to pull staples from your hand..."
Nagisa blinked. "You... stapled your own hand?"
"Oh, dear lord," Shizuma double-facepalmed.
"Again. Not the smartest thing I've ever done," Hito shrugged.
"Ugh, men," Shizuma chuckled.
"By then, I still had no idea who Hito was," Midori said. "I didn't find out he owned the company until much, much later."
"Whenever I visited her, we talked," Hito said. "About deep things, about not so deep things. I finally asked her out to lunch."
"One thing let to another," Midori said. "And now we're here. It's not exactly as exciting as your story, Nagisa-chan, but there it is."
In the meantime, Maaya had fallen asleep in Shizuma's lap. Nagisa watched the spectacle and saw Shizuma smiling at the tiny girl in her arms.
"What do your parents think of all this?" Nagisa asked.
Midori sighed briefly. "Our parents are dead. No other family. My sister and I are all alone."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Nagisa gasped.
Oddly enough, Nagisa didn't see Shizuma react to this dire news at all. There was neither shock nor surprise in her expression.
"Life hasn't been kind to us," Midori said. "I hope that will now change."
After the breakfast table, the family had dispersed. Midori had taken the sleeping Maaya from Shizuma to bring the tiny girl back to her room. Shizuma excused herself from the table and Nagisa had lost track of her in this massive mansion, while Hanazono Hito had left for one of the sitting rooms.
It would still be a couple of hours until Shion and Chikaru would arrive, so Nagisa had a little time to kill. She decided that, since she had had little chance to explore, she would do so now. She trekked through the halls, stopping at some interesting artwork or another or to chat with one of the servants. Eventually, she passed though a corridor near the kitchen and, after stopping for a moment to enjoy the smell of a freshly baked pie meant for tea-hour later on after Chikaru and Shion would arrive and stepped through another corridor.
What she saw when she exited the double doors took her breath away. Attached to the house, next to an equally massive outdoor garden, was a gigantic greenhouse. It was even bigger than the one at Astraea Hill and filled to the brim with colourful flowers and even trees. Several ponds containing koi carps were spread liberally among the soil, and a series of stone paths led to a gazebo in the center.
Sitting on a chair in the gazebo was Midori, looking upon it all in awe.
"Hello, Midori-san," Nagisa greeted.
"Ah, Nagisa-san," Midori smiled. "Please, will you join me?"
"Certainly," Nagisa said as she did so. "Amazing isn't it?"
"Hito told me he had it built for his wife Hoshi-sama," Midori said. "And that Shizuma-san tended it until she left the mansion for school."
"Shizuma never told me that," Nagisa rubbed her chin. "There's so much about Shizuma I still don't know, even after almost fours years."
Nagisa could see Midori was still trying to take everything in and make sense of it. "It's all a bit overwhelming isn't it?" Nagisa smiled.
Midori nodded. "You can say that again. One moment I'm scraping every yen together so that Maaya-chan and I can eat. The next, I'm engaged to one of the richest men in Japan."
"I never really fully understood what kind of life Shizuma lead until I first saw it with my own eyes," Nagisa said. "I'm just a normal run-of-the-mill middle-class girl, after all. Then suddenly I'm part of Shizuma's extravagant lifestyle. I felt like a leech with all the money Shizuma was spending on me. It took me a long time to get to terms with that. Fairly recent, in fact."
"And then there's the, you know, two girls thing," Midori said. "That's not something everybody will accept."
Nagisa said. "It's funny really. I had a lot of things to deal with. A lot of things to think about at the time. I didn't really think about it all that much before Shizuma and I became a couple. Then suddenly - boom, it hits you. Almost like an afterthought. 'Well, Nagisa. You've been snatched away from the cathedral, you have to explain what has happened to the Sister, to Rokujou-sama, to the entire school, you have to tell your parents you're in love, you have to meet Shizuma's family, you have to explain to your friends that you're in love. And, oh yeah, you're also a lesbian. Good luck with that'."
Nagisa and Midori both giggled for a moment. "With all the other things that were happening, it sorta got snowed under. I just didn't have time to think about it," Nagisa said.
"But it was worth it all, wasn't it?" Midori asked.
Nagisa nodded vigorously. "Definitely," she said. Then she held her chin slightly higher. "I am proud to be a lesbian. And I'm proud to be Shizuma's wife."
Midori looked away and sighed. "I don't think Shizuma-san likes me very much."
"Oh, don't think that," Nagisa smiled. "She... well, let's just say that Shizuma doesn't adjust to changes very well. But trust me, Shizuma is fiercely protective of her friends and family. And once she comes around, she'll be fiercely protective of you and Maaya-chan as well."
"Hito-san told me Shizuma might have difficulties... adjusting," Midori sighed. "He wasn't exaggerating."
"If you want, I'll talk to her. But if you really want to win her over, you should go talk to her yourself," Nagisa said. "Seeing how she and Maaya-chan were at breakfast, I think there's very little to worry about, though."
"Maaya-chan is usually a good judge of character," Midori smiled. "And she can win someone over with her innate cuteness. Yeah, you're right, I should think positive."
"Yep," Nagisa smiled. "Hanazono Midori. Has a nice ring to it."
"It'll be strange to be a member of such a prestigious family," Midori said. "Hito let me read some of his father's research. He was a hobbyist genealogy student and found out quite a lot of the Hanazono history. The earliest Hanazono was a woman named Hanazono Aiko. She was the favoured concubine of emperor in the later Kamakura period over seven hundred years ago. She became the power behind the throne and basically ran the entire empire from the shadows. The Emperor never took any action without her consent. And even though her children were born out of wedlock, it still means the Hanazono family has Imperial blood."
Nagisa gasped. "I never knew that!"
"Hito doesn't mind it much, but I think it's amazing," Midori said.
"I should ask Shizuma about it," Nagisa rubbed her chin.
"Not only that, but... there's a great deal of documentation about Hanazono Aiko's sexual prowess, with both men and women," Midori bit her lip. "Kind of documentation that would put a blush on the face of even the most open-minded person."
"Hah," Nagisa giggled. "It figures that the first Hanazono would be a sort of proto-Shizuma."
"The Hanazono family has a history of being incredible lovers," said Midori. Through subsequent deep blushes on both their faces following that statement, they let each other know that both of them had absolutely no complaints in that department.
A slightly awkward silence followed.
"He talks about you a lot, you know?" Midori said.
"Does he?" Nagisa frowned.
"Yes, he thinks the world of you," Midori said. "He's the nicest man I have ever met, and very attractive."
"I always thought he was a bit goofy, especially when he's around Shizuma," Nagisa said.
"There is definitely that side of him, yes. His workers call him a merciless tyrant. There's that side of him too. It's just… he carries a lot of guilt with him. And he needs to let go of that if he ever wants to be happy."
"Well," Nagisa said. "Our friends should be arriving soon. It's been nice talking to you, Midori-san."
"And to you, Nagisa-san," said Midori. "I hope I'll be having these kinds of pleasant conversations with Shizuma too."
"I'm sure you will," Nagisa smiled. "Just give it some time. And give me and our friend Chikaru some time to convince Shizuma. Chikaru-chan is the wisest person I know. She'll help."
A thousand and one thoughts shot through Shizuma's mind. The breakfast this morning was still fresh on her mind. Midori seemed... nice.
Funny. It would have been easier for her if Midori had been a spiteful homophobic bitch. But so far, she seemed genuine. And Maaya was one of the cutest and nicest little girls she had ever met.
Maybe she was wrong about her all along. Maybe Midori wasn't necessarily as bad as she had led herself to believe. Still, there was another matter to contend to.
"Dad," Shizuma said as she found her father in the main sitting room, ironically the same room from which had ran out a few days ago after first finding out about Midori.
"Hm?" her father smiled when looking up from his book. "What is it, honey?"
For Shizuma, this was a strange spectacle indeed. Normally, she'd find her father either on the phone, piddling on his laptop or reading some sort of financial magazine. But today, she found her father wearing a casual outfit and sitting on the couch reading a novel of all things.
"Do you have a moment?" she asked.
"Certainly," Hito smiled. "Is this about your friends? Will they be arriving later than expected?"
"Oh, no," Shizuma said. "I expect them to be here in about an hour or so. Which gives us some time to talk."
"Oh?"
Shizuma sat down on the couch opposite to him after closing the door. "Dad, I had a talk with Nagisa yesterday and... she mentioned that..."
"Ah," Hito broke in with a half-smile. "I think I know what that's about. I... I've been meaning to talk to you about this for some time now and I guess I've just been afraid to. It'd good of you to force the issue."
Shizuma cocked her head sideways. The tone of voice, the choice of words... it felt so strange to her, as if her father had been replaced by one of those pod persons from Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
"Dad," Shizuma started slowly. "What's this nonsense about you thinking you've been a bad father to me? That's just not true."
Hito closed his eyes. "It's something I've been struggling with a long time now, Zuma-chan. But I didn't realize it fully until recently."
"Don't be silly, dad," Shizuma scoffed. "I know you love me. You've always given me everything. I've been luckier than most girls my age."
Hito shook his head. "No, Zuma-chan," he said calmly, but with a clear sense of remorse in his voice. "You haven't."
"I never had want for anything. You gave me presents, treated me to trips, I saw the entire world! When I was a child, I was always there with you! You gave me everything! How can you say…"
"Time," said Hito. A simple word, but with the tone of his voice he gave that simple word such an emotional load it silenced Shizuma immediately.
"I beg your pardon?" Shizuma blinked.
"I never gave you my time," Hito repeated.
Shizuma was stunned. She had no answer to give.
"Don't you see?" Hito said. "We were together, but yet we never were… I ran off to some meeting or whatever I needed to do and left you with Victor or nannies. Even with those fabulous trips abroad, I never really saw you or spent time with you unless I specifically made plans to do so. And be honest... how many times did I make plans for us to spend time together?"
"D-dad," Shizuma whispered.
"Zuma-chan," Hito said, but Shizuma could tell from his eyes that what he was going to say weighed heavily on him. "Look me in the eye. Really, look me in the eye, and tell me you wouldn't rather have had me simply spending time with you."
Shizuma fell silent for a moment, an agonizingly long moment, but then looked away. "Look, we can't change the past! It's irrelevant!"
"Zuma-chan," her father said softly. "That wasn't an answer to my question. Look me in the eye, darling."
He knew her well enough that she could not lie while looking her father in the eye. Her amber eyes met her father's. Again silence and looking away. Shizuma was feeling more uncomfortable by the second.
"You're trying to spare my feelings, but your silence just now was telling enough," Hito said sadly. "Please, I need to hear it, Shizuma."
"Would I rather have had you spend time with me than expensive gifts, fancy trips and seeing the world?" Shizuma repeated.
She tried to lie. She really did because she really wanted to. But in the end, she simply couldn't.
"I… I can't deny that," she said as diplomatically as possible, yet feeling her heart rip in two.
Hito sank back on the couch and closed his eyes. Shizuma was shocked to see tears running over his cheeks and immediately rushed up to him.
"Stop this!" she stressed. "You're not a bad father! That's not true! You always accepted me for who I am. I am a lesbian to the bone, dad. You could have made my life very difficult for me if you hadn't accepted that."
Hito nodded briefly. "I didn't at first. I arranged a marriage for you, you know?"
"You wised up and got better," Shizuma smiled and laid a hand on Hito's shoulder, hoping to cheer up her father. "Don't think I'm not grateful for that. It might sound like a simple thing, but that acceptance alone has done so much for me."
"I'm glad I did something right then at least," he smiled genuinely. "But there are still so many other things I..."
"Dad," she hissed. "*She* did this to you, didn't she? She filled your head with all this nonsense!"
"No, Zuma-chan," he smiled despite his tears. "My eyes are finally open. I'm a rich man made poor for having ignored so much of his greatest treasure."
Shizuma gritted her teeth and shook her head. "Go back to being the way you were, dad! I… I don't know how to deal with you when you're this way!"
"Maybe I'd rather not go back to the way I was…"
Shizuma's mind was reeling - all she had ever known in her life was fast being deconstructed in front of her eyes. She knew her father as a kind but stern man focused completely on his work and having no time for regrets or other nonsense of that kind. And that was fine. Because she was Shizuma and he was her father. And she had always had peace with how things were.
Her father's regrets, now out in the open, brought back to the surface old wounds which Shizuma had left behind her long ago because there had never had any been any reason to dwell upon them. She had known he was not perfect, but neither was she. She had her life and freedoms, he had his.
It was all fine how it was! Why suddenly these concerns? This melancholy?
"I never told you this," Hito said. "Zuma-chan, you have become a strong, smart, capable and beautiful young woman, if not a little headstrong and fierce."
"Dad," Shizuma shook her head, not wanting to hear anything else.
"Let me finish, sweetheart," Hito smiled softly. "What I mean to say is this - Hoshi... she would have been so proud of you. And so am I."
And with this, Shizuma had reached her breaking point. Invoking her mother's name was just too much for her. Currently, her dad was killing her with kindness. Her emotions were overflowing, she had no idea how to deal with it and she just had to get out of there right now.
As she rushed to the door, she almost knocked over Midori. "What's happening?" asked Midori with concern in her eyes. "I heard crying and..."
"Out of my way!" Shizuma hissed and shot a glare in Midori's direction which was so intense that if looks could kill, Midori's head would have exploded from the force of sheer directed hatred.
Yaya and Tsubomi were standing in the bathroom next to their bedroom, observing the faucet hanging over the sink. The bathroom itself was spacious, like the rest of the apartment. It had a shower and rather than the regular bathtub, Yaya had ordered to have a jacuzzi put in when she had bought it.
Yaya was wearing a toolbelt and put her hands on her sides. "Well, there's your problem," she pointed at the leaky faucet. Every 10 seconds or so, a drop fell down and plopped into the sink. "There's the little bastard that's been keeping me up all night. That is, when the moans and gasps of stupendously awesome sex in our new bed didn't drown it out."
Tsubomi blushed and scowled at the same time and looked away. "Ecchi."
"A girl who can use her tongue like she did last night does not have the right to use that word," Yaya smirked. "I mean, wow, talk about a tongue-twister."
"Yaya-chan!" Tsubomi slugged Yaya in the arm.
"Ow, oww, owwww!" Yaya giggled. "Okay, okay, okay, I surrender!"
Tsubomi left the sexual innuendo for what it was and turned to the faucet. "Are you sure this is wise, Yaya-chan?"
"Oh, it's just a little twist of a bolt. What can go wrong?" Yaya shrugged.
"I'll make you a list," Tsubomi crossed her arms. "Why don't we just call in a professional?"
"Because we only have a bed and we need to get more furniture! And we need to decide how we're going to paint the living room!" Yaya replied with a wink.
"I don't see how the two are related," said Tsubomi.
"It's really quite simple," Yaya said. "If we call a plumber, they'll arrive between 12.00 and 18.00. And knowing our luck, he'll arrive in 17.59, give it a good twist and leave at 18.00. Which meant we stayed her all day waiting for something which could be done in a minute. That's six hours we could spend on buying more furniture."
"There is one flaw in your master plan, Yaya-chan."
"And what would that be."
"You are not a plumber and you are going to destroy our faucet," Tsubomi said resolutely.
"Oh ye of little faith," Yaya said. "I'll have you know I attended many of Lulim's DIY clubs when I was still at Astraea Hill."
"Was this before or after you hit yourself in the head with a hammer?"
"Hey, that only happened once!" Yaya scowled. "And, to be honest, my memory about that incident is more than a little fuzzy."
"I don't think Yaya-chan should mess with it," Tsubomi said.
"I don't think Tsubomi-chan has any choice," Yaya said and put the pliers around the bolt keeping the faucet in place. "Just... a... tiny... twist."
"I don't think it moved, Yaya-chan."
"No shit," Yaya groaned as she put her weight into it. "Come on... come on... you know you want to... come on... MOVE!"
A harsh clank followed. Yaya yelped as she shot down and hit her chin on the porcelain sink. Her head reeling from the impact, it took a while for Yaya's vision to return. The first thing she saw was the faucet... now loosened and snugly fitting in her pair of pliers. The sound of rushing water mixed with Tsubomi's yelps.
The force of the water now spewing out of the wall had forced Tsubomi backwards into the jacuzzi, where she now lay drenched.
"Oh, crap!" Yaya said as she futilely tried to close the waterspout by pressing the faucet against it. "Oh, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!"
"YAYA-CHAN, YOU IDIOT!"
"Call a plumber! Call the fire department! Call the police! Call the JSDF! Call Chikaru! She knows how to do everything!"
"The mains! Shut down the mains!"
"Where are the mains? I don't know that!"
"Check the apartment blueprints!"
"Oh, hell, there's water everywhere!"
And so, after some searching, they found and shut down the mains. A plumber was called and would arrive between 12.00 and 18.00. Both girls stood drenched as they were mopping up the excess water. And because they had not moved in officially yet, none of their spare clothes were actually in the apartment yet.
"This is all your fault, you know?" Yaya said.
"My fault! How is any of this *my* fault?" Tsubomi protested.
"You're supposed to stop me when I'm about to do something stupid! Seriously, how long have you known me?"
"BITCH!" Shizuma shouted out as she picked up a vase from a nearby pedestal. A shrill yell sounded from the depths of her lungs as she shattered it on the floor.
Shizuma couldn't believe herself. Midori almost had her fooled. Almost... But after seeing how she had brain-washed her father, her intent was clear.
She had... changed him somehow.
Made him weak.
Susceptible.
Oh, she was good. She was so good. Midori was a predator of the highest order. Her father was in danger. Her family was in danger.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Shizuma did her best to calm the torrent of emotions raging through her mind as she stomped through the house.
She couldn't think clearly, she felt like crying, she was angry at Midori, she was sad for her father, she was happy that she had been vindicated... all at the same time. In an attempt to discharge, she stopped next to a room, let out a shrill cry and kicked the wall several times with all her might.
Shizuma panted as she leaned against the wall, trying to make sense of the whole situation. Kicking the wall had helped somewhat at least, though she had to make sure she hadn't, in fact, broken her big toe. Thankfully she had only hurt it a bit.
She tried to think back, dig in her memories to earlier conversations with her father. Oh, there were times when she and her father had had violent shouting matches... especially that time when her father revealed that she would be sent away to Miator so long ago now.
But try as she might, she could not recall any memories of having a heart-to-heart with her father like she had had just now.
Then, it hit her.
They, in fact, *never* had that kind of conversation before.
Oh, they talked, certainly. About the world, about life, about love, about writers and movies and all manner of things. But to talk about feelings? Regrets? Wishes? Hopes?
Never.
It was a funny thing. Shizuma wondered for a moment if those were the kind of conversations usually took place between a father and a child, but she had no frame of reference. She resolved to ask this question to Nagisa and her friends at a later time. Now, she had to make sense of what hat happened.
As soon as Shizuma was alone, she flipped open her phone and dialled Kaname. Forcing to calm herself, she told Kaname what had just happened.
"Dammit, Shizuma-sama," said Kaname. "Didn't I tell you to always keep your cool? Snapping at your enemy like that is a show of weakness from which you'll have to recover!"
"I know, I know I messed up," Shizuma was angry at herself. "It... you weren't in the room with him just now. It was like I was talking to a completely different person and yet not. It's like he wanted me to admit to him that I thought he could have been a better father to me. It was... so strange, so awkward, so... unlike him!"
"Hhhhmmmmm," mulled Kaname on the other end of the line. "It sounds to me like she's manipulating his fears and regrets to her own end."
"But why?" Shizuma asked.
"Could be multiple reasons. She could simply be trying to drive you two apart so you can't form a united front against her. Or it could be the lightning rod."
"Lightning rod?"
"Simply playing you both so that your minds will be so occupied that her master plan goes unnoticed," Kaname replied. "Hm, she's a crafty one, alright. She has your father wrapped around her little finger but good. In either case, you have to make sure that she can't get to you as well. You'll have to keep a strong resolve and try to break your father out of her spell."
"My god, you're right," Shizuma gasped. "I... all talk about respect and love during breakfast was..."
"All part of an act," Kaname replied. "Quite elaborate too. I have respect for this one."
"And to think I was actually starting to believe that I was wrong about her," Shizuma sighed, getting quite angry at herself.
"Don't feel bad about that," Kaname replied. "It's how people like her operate. They hold out the lure, but the moment you bite down on that big juicy worm, BAM, you're got a hook through your lip and are on your way to the dinner table."
"You're right, I need to break her hold over my father. Can you help me with that?"
"Try to make your father snap out of it," Kaname replied. "Keep pushing that you think these melancholic talks about regrets and the past are unnecessary and unwanted. You're going to have to be cruel here, Shizuma-sama. But don't hold back. Whenever your father starts a conversation of this kind, cut him off immediately."
"This is my father we're talking about," Shizuma closed her eyes. "But... he can take it, I guess. And it's for a good cause."
"Stay strong, Shizuma-sama," Kaname replied. "Fatboy Slim over here might have some interesting stuff on Midori later today. I'll keep in touch."
"Thank you, Kaname."
Shizuma flipped her phone shut and found herself in the big entrance hall of the Hanazono estate. She hesitantly approached the big painting of her mother hanging in the center of the room. Almost against her will, she could hear her father's words in her mind. Hoshi... she would have been so proud of you. Tears sprang from her eyes as she looked upon the beautiful woman who was her mother.
"It's not fair," she whispered to the painting. "Why were you taken away from us?"
A flash went through her mind. A memory long past, so far away that it all appeared as a blur. All she could feel was falling.
"Shizuma?" she heard behind her. The voice of Nagisa with concern. Two arms embraced her waist. "Why are you crying? Are you alright? What happened?"
"Tell me," asked Shizuma softly. "Catholics believe in a divine plan, don't they?"
Shizuma saw Nagisa thinking about her questions. She knew Nagisa was devout, yet very liberal in her beliefs, but she still valued her wife's opinion more than any clergyman or monk in the world.
She saw Nagisa look at the painting, than at her again. There was understanding in her eyes. "Sometimes... bad things just happen, Shizuma," Nagisa said. "And they're out of our control, no matter how badly we want it to be different. It's nice to think there's a reason for everything, but... I'm not so sure there always is."
"We Shinto don't believe in a divine plan," Shizuma replied. "In fact, I'm not sure I'd want to believe in any God who'd take away both my Mother and Kaori."
"Shizuma..." Nagisa said. "I don't know if your mother is in heaven or has taken her place among the Kami, but her love for you will never die."
"Tomorrow morning or maybe this evening, I'd like to go to a shrine to say a prayer for my mother," Shizuma smiled softly. "Will you go with me?"
"Of course," Nagisa embraced her wife. "I will say a prayer for her as well."
"I am a lucky woman, Nagisa," said Shizuma softly. "I am never alone. I have you."
As Nagisa and Shizuma kissed, they were startled by a woman scraping her throat. Maid Sharon looked upon them with indifference. "Shizuma-sama," said Sharon. "If you are quite done breaking priceless artefacts and heirlooms during a childish tantrum, you can greet your friends at the door who have just arrived."
Shizuma just came running to the entry hall and Shion and Chikaru had come through the door. Nagisa was already there and embraced first Shion and then Chikaru.
Between the two of them, they had only a small suitcase with them. They did leave the Toumori estate in a hurry, it seemed. Thankfully, the Hanazono estate was well-stocked and would provide any of the needs her friends would have.
"Ah, there you are," Shizuma said as she embraced Shion and then moved on to Chikaru. When she did so, she was shocked to see how pale and tired Chikaru looked.
"I won't ask you how your trip was," Nagisa said. "I'm just glad you're here now."
While Nagisa and Shion chatted briefly, Shizuma took Chikaru aside a little. She was about to say something when Chikaru cocked her head slightly as she regarded Shizuma. "Shizuma-chan?" said Chikaru softly. "Something has greatly distressed you. Would you like to talk about it? "
Shizuma was slightly alarmed by the fact that her dear friend had picked up on her mood so quickly and easily. "I'll tell you later," she said. "I'm more worried about you, Chikaru. And you need rest."
"Everybody keeps saying that," the raven-haired girl half-smiled.
"It's true," Shizuma said. "Seriously, Chikaru? Meds? That's not like you."
Chikaru sighed. "You're probably right about that. I've been worried about a lot of things lately, and Shion is probably right when she says I need to... let go."
"You didn't used to be such a worry-wort," Shizuma chuckled.
Chikaru smirked. "I have *always* been a worry-wort. I just managed to hide it better in the past."
The raven-haired girl looked at Shion for a moment. "Shion disobeyed her grandmother, went against her wishes and, in her eyes, showed great disrespect... for my sake."
Though she expected it, Shizuma didn't see as much worry in Chikaru's eyes as she expected when she looked at Shion. Rather, she saw deep love.
"Chikaru?"
"Hm?"
"You're being worried again."
"Am I?" Chikaru frowned.
"Chikaru," Shizuma placed her hands on her friend's shoulders. "You've helped all of us so many times. Give us a chance to return the favour, even if it's just for one time."
A warm smiled crossed Chikaru's gentle features. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"We'll get you two down the aisle yet," Shizuma winked as she guided Chikaru back to Shion and Nagisa. In the meantime, Victor had came back from parking Shion's car into the garage and picked up their suitcase. "Come on, let's get you two settled in."
Next time – Even though Chikaru and Shion have arrived and will provide a distraction, it might not be enough to keep the situation from escalating. Meanwhile, Yaya and Tsubomi have adventures with IKEA furniture.