Chapter 9
Meet the Parent
"Akira, you're missing it," Takumi tried to share with her in his excitement. "This scenery is breathtaking."
Fast asleep since they departed the Kansai airport, Akira didn't seem to care as their cab drove through Japan's mountainous Iga province.
"I've seen it a million times before," she murmured under her breath.
"Oh. Well, I don't think I could ever tire of it. There are just some things that you never get tired of looking at."
Peeking through a small slit in her right eye, Akira noticed Takumi looking over at her with a complacent smile on his face, prompting her to blush as she then immediately shut her eye.
After a few minutes, the driver came upon a rather large and ancient castle-like structure situated on several acres of land. Pulling off to the side of the road, he glanced down at the address that Akira had written down for him earlier.
"Excuse me, sir," turning around to Takumi, "but is this the correct address?"
"Ehh… I'm not… sure," he responded a bit perplexed, looking out at the enormous gated property.
Not wishing to awaken her, Takumi didn't seem to have much of a choice as he then gently nudged Akira trying to get her attention. "Um, Akira?"
Slowly opening her eyes, Akira instantly recognized where they were as she quickly sat up and noted, "Oh, we're here already."
"You live here?" Takumi asked in astonishment.
"Yeah," she said rather nonchalantly, then leaned forward toward the driver. "There's an entrance just around the corner up ahead. When you get to the gate, just mention my name over the intercom and they'll let you in."
Following her direction, the driver approached an old-style gatehouse. The now unmanned three-roofed structure, consisting of a central roof and flanked by another two, was surrounded on both sides by a seven-foot tall stone wall. As he announced himself over the intercom, the wood and iron gate automatically swung open as they then made their way along a hilly tree-lined road leading up to the main house.
"Whoa," Takumi said in awe as the four-century-old castle now came into full view.
Coming to a full stop directly in front of the house, the driver came over and opened the door for his two passengers.
Takumi slowly emerged and began to gaze upwards, his eyes following the lines of the elegantly timber-framed pagoda-like tower that appeared to jut out of the center of the main building.
"Akira, this is extraordinary," he said in wonderment. "I mean look at the detailing in those cornice moldings. And the tiles on that irimoya roof are just…"
"Iri what?" Akira asked a bit puzzled.
"Irimoya," he explained. "It's a style of hip and gable roof that has multiple gables."
"Uh huh," she responded still a bit confused, then added, "I didn't know you were this into architecture."
"Well, not necessarily architecture per say. It's mainly the history that fascinates me."
"Come to think of it," she realized, "you did show more of an interest than I did to a lot of historical detail in America's history when we were in Philadelphia."
"I guess that's just the geek in me that's coming out."
"Not at all," an older woman's voice was heard saying.
Emerging from the house, a dark-haired woman in about her mid forties along with an older gray-haired gentleman now approached the two.
"It's actually rather encouraging to know that there are still people who have an appreciation for such things," the woman continued. "Unlike some people who are surrounded by such richness in history their entire life and tend to take it for granted."
"Misaki!" Akira shot back somewhat embarrassed as she then turned to Takumi and introduced the two. "Takumi, this is Kenji, our butler. And this person here who likes to give me a hard time," she said with a touch of sarcasm, "is Misaki, our maid."
"Pleased to meet you, Tokiha-sama," they both said in unison, bowing before him.
"Uh, nice to meet you too," Takumi said a bit taken aback by their politeness, "but please, just call me Takumi."
"Very well, Takumi-san," Misaki replied. "Your room is all ready for you in case you'd like to rest up after your long flight. It's just down the hall from Akira-sama's."
"Oh, thank you, but I'm actually not that tired."
"Not that tired?" Akira turned around a bit puzzled, as she proceeded to pay the cab driver. "I slept on the plane and in the cab on the way over here. You did neither. How can you not be tired?"
"I don't know, I'm just not."
"Perhaps you would like a tour of the grounds before dinner," Kenji offered. "This house has quite a history behind it as well as numerous stories to tell."
"That would be great, thank you," Takumi responded excitedly. "Oh, but I don't want to trouble you and take you away from your other work."
"No trouble at all, sir. It would be my pleasure."
"Go ahead, Takumi," Akira insisted. "Kenji can tell you all sorts of interesting things about this place that I think you'll find fascinating."
"Oh, alright then. You coming too?"
"Nah. I'm gonna go lie down for awhile. Besides, I know pretty much all the history of this place anyway. For instance, did you know that the Hattori clan built this place 450 years ago?"
"457," Misaki corrected her.
"Uh, right, 457," Akira replied somewhat annoyed.
"Hattori clan?" Takumi said rather enthralled. "As in Hattori Hanzo, the famous samurai?"
"That is correct, sir," Kenji confirmed.
"Wow."
"Have fun, Takumi," Akira said as she then mumbled under her breath in a worried tone, "At least one of us will. I've got to confront my father."
"Your father?" Takumi realized, overhearing her. "That's right, I almost forgot. We should both go see him together before we do anything else."
"Actually, Ojousama," Kenji began, addressing Akira, "your father is away on business and won't be returning until sometime tomorrow morning."
"Oh, I see."
"Don't worry, Akira," Takumi reassured her. "We'll talk to him first thing tomorrow when he gets back. I'm sure it'll go fine."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right."
As she watched Kenji begin to escort Takumi about the property, Akira couldn't help but feel a bit anxious about introducing Takumi to her father. Even though he agreed to their marriage weeks ago, she still worried that he might change his mind.
The next morning Takumi awoke to find himself in a most comfortable bed. Surrounded by very fine sateen sheets and a down comforter, he almost couldn't bring himself to pull his head away from the soft goose down pillow. Rubbing his eyes as he sat up, he looked over at a clock/radio on the nightstand next to the bed and immediately did a double take when he saw the time.
"Holy mackerel, it's 10 o'clock!" he said aloud.
Quickly getting up, he looked around the room and tried to acquaint himself with the place, not recalling much from the previous night. The last he remembered was having dinner with Akira after Kenji had given him the tour of the premises. The jet lag, he figured, must have finally caught up with him.
He noticed that the room was not a traditional Japanese style one considering the age of the place. Rather, it was more of a Western style room consisting of a modern bed as opposed to a futon. Also, wooden doors separated the rooms instead of shoji sliding doors that would be typical to such a structure. He recalled from his tour of the property that the architectural integrity had been maintained and reflected the look of a building from its time period. Once inside however, certain rooms took on a more modern look and featured the latest technologies. It was clear that there were definite Western influences. Still, certain rooms maintained their original appearance. It was a nice balance of the past and the present, Takumi thought.
Finally spying the bathroom that was connected to his room, he immediately showered and then got dressed. His clothes, he noticed, had been unpacked and neatly put away. Even his shirts and pants had been uniformly ironed and hung into the closet.
Walking over to the window, he opened it and stuck his head out. He was mesmerized by the exquisite panoramic view of the mountains off in the distance, while in the foreground he was captivated by a majestic waterfall that spanned about 200 feet in height and emptied into a river that flowed off into the horizon.
This would be a great place to have a picnic with Akira he figured. Already he started making plans in his head when he heard a knock at the door. As he opened it he saw Kenji standing there holding a tray in one hand.
"Good morning, sir, I hope you slept well."
"Good morning. Yes, very well thank you, Kenji-san. But I'm afraid I overslept. I suppose Akira got up hours ago."
"Yes, sir. In fact she went to the dojo early this morning to train."
"Oh," Takumi replied somewhat disappointed. "I wish she would have woken me up, I would like to have gone with her."
"Ojousama didn't wish to wake you because you hadn't gotten much sleep since you left Philadelphia. Also, she wanted me to remind you not to forget to take your medicine."
Setting down the tray onto the nightstand, Kenji poured Takumi a glass of water.
"Thank you, but I didn't forget."
"Misaki-san will have breakfast ready for you in a few minutes. Shall I bring it up to you when it's ready?"
"Huh? Uh, no, that won't be necessary," Takumi replied, still not used to being waited on like this as he proceeded to take his medicine.
"Also, after you've eaten, I could drive you over to the dojo where ojousama is at if you'd like."
"Really? That'd be great. Are you sure it's no trouble?"
"As I told you yesterday, it's no trouble at all. It'd be my pleasure, sir."
Following Kenji downstairs, he led Takumi to the dining room where Misaki had breakfast waiting for him.
In addition to steamed white rice and miso soup, Misaki had also prepared several side dishes for him which included grilled salmon, natto (fermented soy beans), seasoned seaweed and a side of pickles. Each dish represented a different color of the pallete and made the meal appear all the more appetizing.
After thanking Misaki for the meal, Takumi immediately went to look for Kenji as he was anxious to go and watch Akira train.
"Excuse me, sir," Takumi heard from behind as he turned and saw that Kenji had found him instead.
"Oh, Kenji-san, can you take me over to see Akira now?"
"Actually, sir, there's something else that requires your attention. Himuro-dono has returned from his trip and wishes to speak with you."
"Himuro-dono?" Takumi thought, then realized, "You mean Akira's father?"
"Yes, sir."
"But, we were going to talk to him together," Takumi said a bit nervously.
"Yes, sir, but he wishes to speak with you alone first."
Even though he had put on a strong front for Akira when she expressed her concern about confronting her father, Takumi now felt a bit apprehensive. Nevertheless, he knew he needed to make a good first impression.
"This way, sir," Kenji said as he began to lead Takumi down a hall until they came upon a shoji screen enclosed room.
Takumi took a deep breath and shook off any fear that he had.
"Okay, I'm ready, Kenji-san."
Sliding the door open for him revealed an elegant tatami mat room, which featured several antique swords that hung along the walls. Kneeling behind a low-slung table in the center of the room was Akira's father. Wearing a black full-length kimono and gray hakama pants, the middle-aged gentleman motioned for Takumi to enter.
"Come in, Takumi-san, come in."
Removing his slippers first, Takumi stepped into the room, bowed before his elder, then kneeled down in front of the table on the opposite side.
"It's an honor to finally meet you, Okuzaki-sama," Takumi humbly stated as he bowed his head, bestowing his respect.
"Thank you, Takumi-san. I've been rather looking forward to meeting you too. You're all my daughter seems to talk about lately."
Feeling somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this, Takumi quickly offered, "Before we begin I wanted to thank you for your generous donations to the hospital, Peter's operation and… mine as well."
"You're quite welcome. Although our organization donates to numerous charities, including hospitals, it's usually within the country. Akira, however, made a strong argument for your case and that other boy's along with the new children's ward. She was quite persuasive I must say. So really, she's the one you should thank."
Just then Himuro spied Kenji's figure opposite the screen and motioned for him to come in. Carrying a tray, he set it down on the table and proceeded to pour the two each a cup of tea.
"Thank you, Kenji-san," he replied as he watched his loyal servant depart, then directed his attention back toward Takumi.
"Now then, Takumi-san," he began, taking a sip of his tea first, "it appears you've created quite a commotion within our clan."
"I… I'm sorry. I assure you it was never my intention to cause your family any problems."
"Yes, I know. But regardless, there's no denying the fact that your engagement to my daughter has upset our traditional way of life. And not just our family, but Hiroki-san's as well. I'm sure you were aware of the arrangement our families had. However, having said that, there is one other indisputable fact that I can't ignore."
"Wh… what's that?" Takumi asked rather nervously.
"You make her happy," he said smiling at him. "I must say I've never seen Akira happier than she is now. And for that, I thank you."
Takumi felt a great sense of relief upon hearing that as he then admitted, "She means a great deal to me. I'd do anything to make her happy."
"I'm sure you would. So tell me, Takumi-san, how do you intend to support my daughter?"
"Support?"
"Yes, what do you plan to do with your life? I mean you don't intend to live off of Akira's inheritance I would hope."
"No, no of course not," he denied, then added, "Actually, I've been giving it a lot of thought lately and have decided to pursue a career in child psychology. A lot of people have told me that I have a knack for it, including my physician back in Philadelphia."
"Ah yes, Akira told me about what you did for that boy. That's very commendable and it's a very worthy profession. But tell me, have you ever given any thought to a career in business?"
"Business?"
"Yes, you see it's always been my intention that whoever marries Akira would one day take over as head of Okuzaki Industries. Naturally that person would need to have a vast understanding of the business world. Now Hiroki-san's family has already been grooming him for such a career, which the clan looks very highly upon. So naturally you can see the position that I'm in. Now it would make things a lot easier for me, and it would set the clan's mind at ease, if we knew for certain that you were serious about the position."
"I… I don't understand. I thought Akira was to take over…"
Shaking his head he replied, "I'm afraid it's not that simple. You see, ever since the company's inception, it's president and CEO has always been a man. Now don't get me wrong, there are numerous executive positions throughout our company that are held by women. However, if a woman were to be selected as its' president, well, it is the belief of the clan that she would not be taken seriously, and that in turn would be detrimental to the company."
"I see," Takumi slowly replied in disbelief. "And, is that what you believe too?"
"It doesn't matter what I believe. My job is to keep the peace by trying to satisfy the needs of our clan and maintaining a harmonious balance within. At the same time I need to try and run this company to the best of my ability. It's a very delicate balance."
Takumi wanted to speak out at that moment and let his thoughts be heard, but he held his tongue. He remembered that he had promised Akira a while back that he would not argue with her father so as not to upset him.
"I know it may not seem fair, but that's just the way things are in this world, Takumi-san. In any case, you now have an important decision to make."
Once again appearing worried, Takumi asked, "So, are you saying that if I don't change my career preference, then…"
"What I'm saying is that you should think about what's most important to you. I'm sure that once you realize that, you'll make the right decision. Just let me know before you leave."
Even though he didn't come out and directly say it, Takumi knew that he was basically being asked to choose between his career and Akira. While there was only one clear choice in his mind, he still didn't like the way in which all of this was transpiring.
Takumi now slowly got up and made his way toward the door, being careful not to turn his back on Himuro-sama. Bowing once more, he then let himself out.
As he made his way back up the hallway, he heard a familiar voice.
"We can leave whenever you're ready, sir."
"Huh?" Takumi reacted rather despondently. "Oh, Kenji-san. Yes, I'm ready."
Heading outside where Kenji had the car waiting for him, they immediately departed the premises.
"Is everything all right, sir?" Kenji inquired of his passenger, noticing that he was rather quiet and seemed troubled.
"Yeah, everything's just fine," he replied, seeming quite forlorn.
After about a minute of silence, Takumi could no longer contain the emotions that were building up within him as he suddenly just blurted out, "Kenji-san, what makes a person toss aside his beliefs and convictions just to appease a small minority?"
"Uh, I wouldn't know, sir."
"I mean, he seemed more concerned about doing what was in the best interest of the clan. But what about Akira? Does their well being mean more to him than his own daughter's?"
"Believe me, sir, ojousama's well being means a great deal to him. It's just that he has the difficult task of trying to do what's best for all parties involved."
"Yeah, I suppose. But still…"
"Perhaps it is not the clan as a group that he is trying to appease, but rather one particular individual within the group."
Surprised by his candor, Takumi didn't want to appear too inquisitive nor did he wish to put Kenji on the spot into revealing who this individual was. Instead, he thought for a moment and figured he would ask in a more roundabout way.
"I guess he does have a rather thankless job at trying to keep everyone happy. How many members are there in the clan anyway?"
"Including Himuro-sama, there are eight."
"And I take it that they are all family?"
"Yes, sir. They consist mainly of his brother, Taro-sama, as well as several relatives."
"He has a brother?" Takumi asked quite intrigued. "Older or younger?"
"Three years older, sir."
"Hmmm. And I take it that their father was the previous head of the clan?"
"That is correct, sir."
"I see. That's very interesting indeed."
Takumi now just sat silently as he pondered over these recent revelations.
"Must have been pretty hard on Taro-sama," Takumi theorized, "being passed over as the head of the clan in favor of his younger brother. I would imagine that he felt quite a bit of resentment toward him while the other may have felt somewhat guilty. Makes you wonder if they still harbor those feelings to this day."
Now noticing that their vehicle had come to a stop, Takumi looked out the window as he observed, "Oh, we're here."
Opening the door for his passenger, Kenji stood at attention as Takumi got out of the car.
"Thank you, Kenji-san," Takumi said, then added, "I feel much better now; thanks for listening. Sorry if I tended to ramble on."
"Not at all, sir. In fact, if I may say so, you are quite perceptive."
"Thank you, that's kind of you to say."
"My pleasure, sir."
"Takumi."
"Beg pardon?"
"It's Takumi. Please, call me Takumi. It feels kind of strange being called sir."
"As you wish, sir… uh, Takumi-san."
"Thank you," he gratefully replied, smiling up at the elderly gentleman who then reciprocated the gesture.
"Better watch your back, Akira, I almost got you that time," a young girl's voice warned who now stood facing Akira, both with wooden swords in their hands.
Sporting the traditional martial arts uniform of a white uwagi and a black hakama, the two stood sparing off against each other in a large matted room. In addition, there were three other groups also facing off against one another, all students of the Kendo dojo. Watching over them was their instructor, a white-bearded elderly gentleman who wore an all black uniform.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were going easy on me," the girl commented, as Akira's sword just missed hitting her shoulder.
"You think so, huh?" Akira shot back with a mischievous grin on her face, dodging the girl's attack.
Catching a glimpse of Takumi as he entered the dojo peaked the girl's curiosity, prompting her to remark, "Ooo, I wonder who that is. I've never seen him here before, but he sure looks cute."
"If I were you, Izumi, I'd watch my back instead of watching for cute guys," Akira cautioned, nearly landing a hit on her.
Making his way over to the instructor, Takumi bowed and introduced himself. Inquiring about Akira, the instructor then pointed over in her and Izumi's direction.
"He's coming this way," Izumi observed.
As Takumi approached, he stood along the outer edge of the mat and watched the two with intent battle it out.
"Did you see that? He waved at me!" Izumi excitedly pointed out to her friend as she noticed Takumi casually waving over in their direction.
Akira just rolled her eyes at her boy crazy friend as she began to reply, "Actually, I think he was waving at… never mind," she stopped herself short, deciding not to spoil Izumi's little fantasy.
"Hmmm, he looks interesting."
"Would you like me to introduce you?" Akira offered.
"Little less talking, ladies," their instructor called over to them.
His warning went unheeded as Izumi eagerly asked, "You know him?"
"Uh, you could say that. In fact, we're rather close."
"Close? How clo… wait a minute," Izumi began to comprehend as she looked back over to Takumi and realized who he actually had his eyes on. "Is he the one that you were telling me about?"
Akira just smiled and nodded at her friend.
"That figures," she said sounding rather disappointed. "You always did attract the cute guys. First Hiroki, and now…" Looking back over to him she observed, "So that's Takumi, huh? You know I'm extremely jealous of you right now. Oh well, that's just my luck I suppose."
"Ladies, please!" their instructor scolded them for their incessant chatting.
"Sorry, sensei," Akira apologized, then directed her attention back to Izumi. "Guess it's time to get serious. Oh well, sorry to have to do this to you, Izumi."
"Huh?"
Before Izumi could even react, she found herself flat on her back sprawled out on the mat. Looking up, she saw Akira standing over her with her wooden sword pointed directly at her, it's tip hovering within an inch of her throat.
Sighing heavily, knowing that she had been defeated, Izumi just casually commented, "Humph, I was right. You were going easy on me."
Smiling down at her, Akira offered her friend a hand, helping her up.
"Akira, that was amazing," Takumi congratulated her as the two now approached him.
"Thanks," Akira replied. "Oh, Takumi, this my best friend Izumi Sakamoto. We grew up together."
"Pleased to meet you, Sakamoto-sama," Takumi politely replied bowing before her, then introduced himself, "I am Takumi Tokiha."
Glancing over at Akira and giggling somewhat prompted Izumi to remark, "You were right, Akira, he is extremely polite. Please, we're all friends here, just call me Izumi. And, if you want, you could call me later sometime."
"Izumi!" Akira said, sounding somewhat annoyed at her friend.
"Just kidding, just kidding," she jokingly admitted, patting Takumi on the back to reassure him.
Akira just shook her head at her childish humor while Takumi just stood there feeling embarrassed and all red in the face.
"Akira, I wish you would have woken me up," Takumi said, now a bit more composed. "I really wanted to go with you to watch you train."
"Don't be ridiculous, you needed your sleep. You've been up since we left Philadelphia, so there's no way that I was going to wake you. By the way, I hope you remembered to take your medicine."
"Akira, you don't have to keep reminding me," Takumi said sounding a bit irked. "Of course I remembered."
"Okay, okay, just wanted to make sure."
Izumi looked on at the two rather amused as she asked, " Uh, you two have these little lover's quarrels often?"
"What? No, no, it's nothing like that," Takumi defensively replied.
"Of course not," Akira concurred. "And besides, whenever we do have these little spats, I usually win before they have a chance to escalate."
"Akira!"
"I love it when he gets all flustered like that," Akira confessed to Izumi.
"Yeah, I can tell," Izumi replied. "It's kind of cute the way his forehead gets all scrunched up like that when he's upset."
"Izumi-san!"
"Oh, we're just messing with you, Takumi," Akira admitted. "Don't get so worked up."
"Yeah, don't mind us," Izumi reassured him, "we don't mean anything by it."
"Well…" Takumi began.
"Still," Izumi jumped in looking to Akira, "I want to hear more about the two of you tonight."
"Tonight?" Takumi wondered.
"Oh, I meant to tell you," Akira explained. "Izumi and I have a lot of catching up to do so I invited her over to spend the night. Sort of a slumber party. Hope you don't mind."
"No, of course not. I'm sure I'll find something to do."
"Yeah, why would he mind, Akira?" Izumi added. "I'm sure he's looking forward to when we fall asleep so that he can sneak into our room and steal our panties."
"What?" Takumi said rather shocked. "No, I would never do something like…"
At this point Akira and Izumi were laughing hysterically at poor Takumi's expense.
"Can't believe I fell for that," Takumi said under his breath as he shook his head, unable to comprehend their girlish humor.
"Are you sure that's all he said to you?" Akira inquired of Takumi as they exited the car, having arrived back at the house.
"Akira, don't worry about it. Your father and I have an understanding, so everything's going to be fine. I have every reason to believe that he'll allow us to get married. Trust me, I know what I have to do."
"What do you mean? What do you have to do?"
"Uh, what I meant was is that I know what I'm doing."
"Takumi, please," Akira pleaded, knowing that he was keeping something from her. "We promised that we'd be honest with each other. So please…"
Knowing that he could no longer in good conscience withhold something like this from her, Takumi just stopped and sat down on one of the steps of the porch leading up to the house.
"All right," he conceded, sighing heavily as Akira sat down beside him. "The thing is, your father suggested that I consider a career in business. He said that the person who marries you would one day take over as the head of Okuzaki Industries."
"What?" she replied rather stunned. "But he told me that I was going to… I don't understand."
"It seems that he was more concerned in what the clan thought. And it's their belief that it would be harmful to the company's bottom line if a woman were to be placed in such a high position because they feel that she would not be taken seriously."
"But, that's crazy!"
"I know, I know. Believe me, I really wanted to say something but I knew you didn't want me to argue with him."
"Well, I appreciate that. So what did you say to him?"
"Not much really. I mainly listened to what he had to say. He basically told me to reconsider my career preference."
"Well you're not seriously going to consider it, right?"
"The thing is, I got the distinct impression that if I didn't, then he and the clan would not permit our marriage. So basically, that's what I meant when I said that I know what I have to do."
"Takumi, I can't let you do that. I don't want you throwing away your career just for my benefit."
"But it's all right, Akira," he reassured her. "After all, I only recently started thinking about what I want to do with my life. I still have time. It's not too late to change my mind. And a career in business doesn't sound all that bad. I'm sure I can make a go of it."
"Make a go of it? What are you talking about? Takumi, we discussed this and you said that you were serious about the field of child psychology."
"That was before I knew that I would be faced with this decision. If it means choosing between you and my career, then there's only one obvious choice."
"Oh, Takumi, you're a fool!" she cried.
"But, I thought you'd be happy," he reasoned, seeming rather confused by her reaction.
"Happy? You think you're doing me a favor by sacrificing something that means so much to you? Well you're not. Look, I know I can't tell you what to do with your life, so if you were really serious about a career in business then of course I would support you 100 percent. But I don't think you are. I know how much you enjoy helping children and the feeling of satisfaction that it gives you. Plus, you're good at it. No, you're really good at it."
"Akira."
"But to have you give all that up for me…" she replied rather emotionally and somewhat teary eyed. "I… I just won't let you do it, because I know you could never be truly happy. And if you're not happy then how can you possibly expect me to be happy?"
"Akira, I…"
"Look," she began a bit more composed, "you finally found the one thing that you're truly passionate about, so I'll be damned if I let you throw all that away."
"Two things actually," he corrected her, smiling as he took a hold of her hand.
"Huh?"
"There's something else that I'm even more passionate about."
Leaning over, his warm lips tenderly joined with hers as his arms then began to enfold her gentle figure.
"Ahem," came a voice from above as the two quickly broke off their embrace.
"Misaki!" Akira said sounding quite startled as she stood up. "How, how long have you been there?"
"Oh, not long," she cunningly replied with a grin. "Please forgive the intrusion, Akira-sama, but your father wishes to see you."
"My father? Oh well, I suppose it's just as well. I need to talk with him anyway."
"I'll go with you, Akira," Takumi offered as he stood up.
"I'm sorry, Takumi-san," Misaki replied, "but Himuro-sama wishes to speak with her in private."
"Don't worry, Takumi," Akira reassured him, "I'll straighten this all out and make sure that you won't have to give up a thing. I won't let him intimidate you."
"Akira-sama," Misaki commented, surprised at her bold attitude. "I've never seen you like this. But it's good to see that you've finally found something that you're passionate about too," she added, glancing over at Takumi and giving him an approving wink.
"Misaki!" Akira said sounding a bit annoyed. "You were eavesdropping!"
"Oh no, Akira-sama, I would never do that. I merely overheard a few things."
Takumi couldn't help but place a hand over his mouth to conceal his laughter.
Now noticing a large black vehicle parked off to the side of the house, Akira inquired, "Say, whose car is that? Do we have company?"
"That's the other thing I wanted to tell you," Misaki informed her.
Before she could explain, a young dark-haired boy around the same age as Takumi and Akira exited the house. As he came down the steps of the porch, Akira came over to greet him with a hug.
"Hiroki, it's good to see you again. What brings you here?"
"Your father asked me to come over," he replied, now gazing suspiciously over at Takumi.
"Oh, Takumi, this is Hiroki Nakajima," she began to introduce. "We went to school together and go to the same dojo along with Izumi."
"Pleased to meet you, Hiroki-san," Takumi politely bowed.
"Oh, so you're the one," Hiroki coldly remarked, looking upon him rather cynically.
"Uh, yeah," Takumi weakly replied.
"Do you realize how much trouble you've caused?" Hiroki accusingly said. "Our families went through a lot of trouble to arrange this marriage. Now you think you can just waltz in here and undo all their hard work."
"Hiroki!" Akira said, sounding quite startled at his attitude.
"Don't you think Akira should be the one to decide who she marries?" Takumi calmly reasoned.
"You just don't get it," Hiroki angrily shot back. "Nakajima Enterprises and Okuzaki Industries are two of the biggest corporations in Japan. So once we marry our two families combined would become even stronger."
"Sounds more like a business proposal rather than a marriage proposal."
"Look, I don't have to listen to…"
"Alright you two," Akira jumped in, "that's enough."
"Sorry, Akira," Hiroki apologized. "I should go now. I'll see you later tonight though."
"Tonight?"
"Oh that's right, you haven't spoken to your father yet," Hiroki realized. "Well, he'll explain everything to you."
Walking over to a waiting car, Hiroki was about to get in when he then stopped and looked back over at Takumi.
"Takumi-san," he called to him, standing behind the vehicle's open rear door.
As Takumi approached him, Akira just looked on curiously from the steps of the porch, unable to hear the two.
"What is it?" Takumi inquired.
"This isn't over," Hiroki insisted. "You haven't won yet."
"Won? I wasn't aware that this was a game and that Akira was the prize."
"Don't get smart with me. What are you really after anyway? Is it her money? You knew we were engaged to be married. What was it really that made you decide to want to marry her?"
"It's quite simple really," he candidly stated. "Because I fell in love."
"Because you fell in…" Hiroki trailed off in disbelief.
"Actually, I should say we fell in love," Takumi corrected himself as he then flashed a brief smile at Hiroki before walking off.
He continued to watch Takumi intently as he rejoined Akira, taking her by the hand and then walking together back into the house.
Though their conversation became quite heated at times, it was mainly Akira's voice that could be heard as it penetrated through the paper-thin shoji screens and traveled all the way down the hall.
"I can't believe you would make him choose between me and his career," Akira argued with her father as they sat kneeling on the tatami mats facing one another.
"I merely laid everything out for him so that he knows what the situation is. I can tell that he cares for you very much, so I'm sure that he'll make the right decision."
"That's just it! He's already made his decision but I don't want him to regret it later on! I know his heart's not in it!"
"Well if that's the case, then that only proves my point. If his heart's not in it then there's no way that I would want him running my company."
"I don't want him running it either! I thought it was supposed to be me anyway! What about what you promised me years ago? You said that I was to take your place one day!"
"I'm sorry, Akira," he said rather somberly, "but things just didn't work out the way I had planned. You must understand. The clan…"
"The clan, the clan, that's all I ever hear from you! You're only concerned about what they think. You don't have to listen to them all the time; you're above them. Your decision supersedes all of theirs."
"Even so, I can't in good conscience defy them. It would be disrespectful."
"Disrespectful? The only one being disrespected here is Takumi!"
"I'm sorry, Akira. I just don't think that he's right for you."
"That's not for you to say!"
"Akira, listen to me. You've had your fun. I agreed to pay for his operation along with that other boy's in addition to the new children's ward for the hospital. Now it's time to face reality. You need to do what is in the best interest of this family. Now I've asked Hiroki-san to come over this evening and…"
"Hiroki?"
"Yes. He's going to take you out to dinner this evening. I want you two to spend some time together; get to know each other better."
"You can't be serious! That won't change anything."
"Regardless, I want you to do this for me."
Shaking her head and then sighing heavily, Akira finally relented.
"Fine. I'll do it. But it still won't change the way I feel about Takumi."
"Look, Akira, I know that he means a lot to you. I like him too. But he comes across as, well, weak."
"Weak?"
"Yes. I mean I half expected him to contest what I had to say but he never said a word, never even gave me an argument."
"Of course he didn't argue with you; I asked him not to. He was just respecting my wishes."
"Oh, Akira. Why don't you let the boy make his own decisions? If you feel that strongly that he'll make the wrong choice then maybe you should let him go."
"What? No, I…"
"Akira, you said it yourself. His heart's not in it. And if that's so then he could never really be happy. So if you truly care about him, then you should let him live the life that he deserves, one that you could never possibly hope to give him."
Akira just looked at her father, worried that he was actually starting to make sense.
"Akira. Let him go."
