„Hikari" by GreatMarta
Episode 10: Just a little change
In the end, Kari decided to call Tsutomu after they get home. She felt, that the car wasn't a very comfortable setting for such a talk, and the Bennetts agreed with her. They suspected the girl would like to have some privacy when talking to her father, which was impossible on the way. Even if none of them spoke Japanese (accept for Bunji, of course), their presence might've been disturbing.
As soon as they arrived home, Kari went to a separate room and called Tsutomu. Meanwhile, the Bennetts were waiting in the living room. They were curious, what Mr. Mazaki's reaction would be. Especially Eric was worried. He imagined their guest returning to them crying or furious because of her father's lack of enthusiasm or open disappointment. As much as he found the girls, especially his sister, annoying, he believed they were just as much human as men were. He couldn't help it but hate Tsutomu, who treated his daughter like a trash. Such ignorance was beyond his understanding. What was weirder, Kari loved her father and claimed he loved her too. Eric knew love may be blind, but that was just ridiculous.
"Does anybody else think, that her father is a jerk?" the blond boy asked his family. Their attention went to him. His siblings seemed interested and his parents a little irritated.
"Eric, we shouldn't…" Helen wanted to scold him, but he didn't let her finish.
"We have the constitutional right to speak our mind, so that's what we'll do. I mean, just think. He dumps her on our heads all of a sudden, and instead of a goodbye, he tells her he might not be her father. What sort of a sick behavior is that?"
"Eric is right" Meg immediately supported her brother "That Tsutomu is a mega-monster! If he acts like this in front of people, and in a foreign country, he must be even worse in the daily life in Japan" she said, expressing anxiety "Poor Kari"
Bunji lowered his head. He should say something, he knew. But he was confused. On one hand, he remembered the indifference Tsutomu showed towards Kari, and how much pain it caused her. On the other hand, he couldn't ignore the fact that the man stood up to his entire family to be able to keep his daughter and raise her on his own. To make sure she doesn't grow up to be a blindly obedient servant of the clan. This made Bunji believe, that his mother's ex wasn't a bad man, and surely not the as bad father as he considered him to be. Should he tell his family? Would Kari mind if he did? He had no idea.
"Don't you think you're overdoing this?" JD asked suddenly, saving Bunji from entering the discussion, at least for now. It was a relief for the Asian boy to know, that his Afro-American brother found the discussion pointless and unnecessary. Unfortunately, his other brother did not.
"Oh come on" the blond boy turned to his dark skinned brother "Don't tell me you find the way he treats her okay"
"I do not" JD protested "But bragging about it isn't okay either. We have already agreed, that we don't like Mr. Mazaki, there is no need to keep pushing it. What good will it do if we keep on slandering him? Nothing at all. And it surely won't help Kari"
"Now that is the voice of reason" Jack praised his oldest son "It is not wise to judge somebody, whom we barely know"
"Especially since he's a foreigner" JD added "Remember what Kari said: being reserved is his way of dealing with pain. People from the East think in a different way than we do on the West and we have to try to understand them" JD's arguments were rational. Still, that didn't speak to Eric.
"I am willing to understand foreigners who are normal" the baseball fan went on "Take Momo, for example. She is a little crazy about traditions, self-discipline and respect for elders, not to mention believing in ghosts, but apart from that, she's perfectly likeable. My point is, that there are various kinds of people among all cultures, and that no culture is an excuse for inhuman behavior"
At this point, Bunji stood up. It was more than he could take!
"Alright, that's it!" he exclaimed suddenly, coming in front of Eric "One more word and I swear I'll get out of myself! I won't let anybody offend my family, not even you!" he threatened. Everybody was shocked with Bunji's annoyance. Of all of them, he had the most reasons to hate Tsutomu, and he didn't want to talk about it? He even seemed to be somehow defending him, which was a great surprise. Maybe he knew something they didn't? Or was it his Japanese blood showing?
"Geez, take it easy" Eric tried calming his brother down "I have nothing against Kari, it's just that her father…"
"Her father was born into a pathological family!" Bunji yelled "A family, who remains faithful to the feudal model! In which men hold all the power and women are nothing more than brainless slaves! Despite all of this, he raised his daughter to be a self-confident, self-sufficient person, who speaks her mind regardless of the possible consequences and has guts the size of Mexico!" he roared with more and more determination and his family was in greater and greater shock "He could've given her up after our mother left him, you know! His sister was willing to raise her for him, but he didn't allow her! He didn't want his daughter to become another sweet idiot! Everything she is she owes to him, so if you want to question his love for her, fire away! Then I'll show you just how inhuman a Japanese can be!" he shouted on top of his lungs, scarring the soul out Eric. The blond boy felt, as if he was standing in front of a mighty shogun, a fearless war lord, so much different than his careless, humorous brother. The change was so striking, that he couldn't believe it. He suddenly felt a desire to apologize for all his sins, for anything that might've enraged Bunji over their lifetime, regardless of whose fault it really was. He'd do everything just to escape from this gaze, this piercing, murderous gaze of an offended samurai. Even though he was taller than Bunji, he suddenly felt as small as a mouse.
The silence was broke by a sudden clapping . They've heard it. They turned in fear. They saw Kari, leaning against a wall, trying to clap, while holding a mobile phone in one hand. She seemed amused, maybe even proud. A soft smile brightened her face.
"Well done, Bunji" she spoke to her brother "That was the true spirit of Japan. I think I may start admitting you being my brother after all" the last remark was supposed to be humorous, but the Bennetts were far from amused.
"Since when were you eavesdropping?!" Bunji asked in a panicked voice "How much did you hear?!"
"Enough to be proud of you" she kept on smiling "Good thing my mobile phone has a dictaphone function. Your speech will make a perfect ringtone" she announced, waving her mobile phone in front of herself. It seemed that she wasn't hurt by anything she's heard from their argument, but they couldn't be sure. Japanese are good at hiding their true feelings.
"Geez, Kari, I'm sorry!" Eric preferred to apologize rather than risk another eruption of Japanese wrath "I didn't mean to offend you, I swear!"
"It's okay, Eric. I accept your apology" she assured him and turned to JD "JD, my father said he wants you to explain those genetics to him once he comes here. He is curious of the method that allowed to confirm his fatherhood without the DNA test"
"It will be my pleasure" JD stated, feeling a great pride of his knowledge "I'm glad I could help you"
"So, when can we expect your father?" Helen asked.
"In about two hours" Kari replied "There still is something he must do, but he said he will hurry"
"Perfect!" Meg exclaimed "That gives us enough time to prepare you!"
"Prepare me?" Kari was surprised. It seemed that Meg had something bigger upon her sleeve, cause she was extremely excited.
"Come with me!" she grabbed the guest's arm "I'm gonna show you some ultra-cool things that make the lives of women more enjoyable!" she announced. Kari was starting to worry about her safety. The adults and the boys seemed amused.
"Just make sure you don't kill her, Meg" Eric warned his sister, grinning at her "Or else Bunji will kill you"
"Well I'm gonna kill you if you dare to interrupt!" Meg growled at him, insulted "Come, Kari, we've got a lot to do!" with that, she pulled the Japanese girl and proceeded towards the exit. Before they disappeared from the room, they've heard Bunji shouting:
"We'll make sure to drop by at your funeral, Nee-san!" followed by the laughter of JD and Eric. Kari wished she knew what was coming.
Meg dragged her victim to one of the bathrooms and locked the door. The "fun" was about to begin.
"Undress yourself " she ordered.
"What for?"
"You've got some hair to remove"
"Well, excuse me" Kari protested "I DO shave my legs and armpits"
"Alright, but you don't do it carefully enough" Meg explained her point "What do you use for depilation?"
"My father's shaving machine"
"I hope it's not the same machine he shaves himself with. People mustn't share such a private device with anybody. You could be passing your bacteria onto each other" Meg scolded, taking the role of a strict teacher. Kari didn't like it.
"What exactly do you suggest I should do?"
"Undress yourself and then we'll talk" Meg demanded. Kari sighed and took her shirt and shorts off, remaining in underwear. Meanwhile, Meg pulled a brightly colored box from one of the numerous cupboards. The box contained o few long layers of salmon colored plasters.
"Sit down" Meg pointed a small, plastic chair. After her victim fulfilled the command, she sticked a plaster to each of her legs "This will remove ALL of the hair for a whole month!" she explained. Kari remained skeptic about the idea. She noticed that Meg was regarding her intimate area and it disturbed her.
"What now?" she demanded, blushing.
"We should take care of your bikini areas as well"
"No way in hell!" the Japanese revolted "I've done it once, and it itched so badly I thought I'll go crazy! Never again!"
"But it's for the esthetic values!" Meg tried to reason with her "It looks horrible when the hair is showing in there!"
"I don't care! Men don't shave their pubic hair, so why the hell should I do that?!"
"Well, maybe because you wouldn't stink so much if you did?"
"You're saying I stink?!"
"I'm saying you're a woman and it's about time you started to behave like one!"
"Get lost!"
"Get real!"
"Make me!"
"There you go!" with one sudden move, Meg pulled the plaster from Kari's right leg off, which resulted in an inhuman scream.
"WHAAAAAAAH!!!!" the victim cried as her eyes multiplied their size. The pain was unbearable! So sudden and so deep! As if Meg was ripping her apart!
"Perfect!" Meg cried triumphaly "No hair remained!" but Kari could barely hear anything different than her own heartbeat. She still had problems catching her breath. Dear God, that was a horror!
"That's crazy" she spoke, trembling "Who'd be crazy enough to do this more than once?"
"Now the other one!" Meg announced. Before her victim could protest, her throat was filled with another cry of pain, even louder than the first one. She shouldn't have asked!
Meanwhile, unknowingly to the girls, their brothers sat in front of the bathroom door and were enjoying the show they were providing.
"Seems they're having fun" Bunji concluded.
"Indeed they are" Eric agreed.
"Wonder who'll drive whom crazy first"
"Meg may be tough when she's pissed. Seems Kari's finally met her match"
"I bet Nee-san will freak out before they reach the make-up stage"
"Talking bets" JD entered the conversation "Let me remind you guys, that you still owe me money for the Kari-Sparky bet"
"We owe you nothing" Bunji told him "You didn't say how much money you were betting against us, so your prediction doesn't count"
"Well, at least I was right" JD reminded "As usual" he added with a smirk.
"You better watch it, genius" Eric warned him "Meg's not the only one who knows how to torture people"
"And just what do you think you're doing?!" a sudden shout demanded their attention. They saw their mother, standing in the hallway with folded arms. She wasn't very pleased.
"Nothing" Bunji told her. She didn't buy it.
"Meg told you not to interrupt" she reminded her sons.
"We're not interrupting" Eric assured "We're just sitting here" JD and Bunji nodded, smiling. It didn't help them much.
"Then go sit somewhere else" Helen remained firm "Your sisters need privacy. You have to respect it. Now, get moving" she demanded. Sighing, the boys got up and removed themselves from her view. They regretted having to miss all this fun, but knew better than to argue with their mother. She would always take the side of Meg. Women's solidarity.
Occasionally, the girls would yell so loud, that boys would be able to hear them despite the further distance, which made them happy. As least they got to hear some really juicy parts.
"Don't put that thing in my eye!"
"Stop blinking!"
"I can't help it! It's self defense!"
"I'm not going to hurt you!"
"I'm going to hurt you if you don't stop this madness!"
"Madness?! I'm trying to shape your eyelashes!"
"Shape your brain!"
"Shut up!"
Or:
"What the hell is this?!"
"That's a dress for you!"
"You gotta be kidding!"
"I know it's a little too big for you, but it's the best I…"
"I'd rather die than wear it!"
"Don't be silly!"
"Don't make me laugh!"
And so, the time went by. They were able to tell, that although Kari protested, Meg had somehow managed to force her to cooperate. It might've been hard for the Japanese to deal with the typically female stuff, but maybe that was exactly what she needed. To discover, that she was able to do it. That it wasn't as scary as it seemed. Probably, she kept on screaming just for the rule, to maintain her image as a tough person. Whatever her feelings were, she was not going to admit them anyway.
Finally, Meg invited the entire family to admire the results of her work. So, they all gathered in front of the bathroom door, excited and curious.
"Alright, Kari!" Meg called, knocking at the door "You can come out now!"
"Do I REALLY have to?" a desperate question answered her. Obviously, the victim was ashamed of becoming the centre of attention. Especially under those circumstances.
"You have no choice!" Meg confirmed. She enjoyed being the one with power. The one, who conquered the dragon and made it into a pet. This was really something.
A loud sigh reached their ears.
"Alright, here I go" announced Kari, as down as if she was getting ready for an execution. Finally, she opened the door and appeared in front of her hosts. They drew in a quick breath and stood still in amazement.
First thing that shouted for attention was the hair. A little rough before, it was perfectly clean and suspiciously shiny now. Meg left no matting, having combed it to the structure of delicate silk. The essence of full black color and subtle lighting effects, that could only be showed in the hair of the Asians, was reached and exposed.
Secondly, the face. Meg had somehow managed to put in some make-up, just enough to pour some color into Kari's pale face, making it look softer and healthier. The eyes, surrounded by longed, fattened eyelashes, seemed bigger and more expressive now. A bit of glimmering mascara created a wonderful background for the dark sparkling irises. The lips, barely visible before, have been painted juicy red and decorated with an extra layer of diamond-like glitter. Those were the lips, that encourage passionate kissing.
The whole was completed by a simple, red dress on thin shoulder straps. Finding the right clothing was a problem, since Kari was much shorter than Meg and had a generally delicate posture, but the American girl managed to shorten the straps and find a matching belt to shape the excess of material in the waist area. Overall, the effect was pleasant for the eye. On top of that, Kari was a little embarrassed and anxious, which only made her seem more feminine. A real, fragile, porcelain doll.
"So…" the doll whispered in a shy voice, so much different than her usual tone "How bad is this?"
"Are you kidding? You look great!" Bunji exclaimed in happiness.
"Terrific!" Eric supported him "Seriously, you look like a princess!"
"I second that vote!" JD agreed.
"Meg, you overwent yourself!" Helen congratulated her daughter "The result is astonishing!"
"It sure is! Well done!" Jack clapped his hands. His wife and sons followed, cheering up for the stylist and the model. The model blushed and the stylist was as proud as ever.
"See?" she turned to Kari "Your father's jaw is gonna drop when he sees you!"
"That's precisely what I'm worried about" replied Kari, regaining her usual control of emotions "He says it's idiotic to dress up like this"
"Oh, it can't be that bad" Helen assured "Men always appreciate beauty"
"Of course we do!" confirmed Jack "I'm always happy to see my daughter in some pretty clothes"
"Oh, really?" Meg turned on the daddy's little girl mode "Then maybe you could reconsider your decision concerning that mega-cute, mega-fashionable skirt I showed you last week?" she asked sweetly, presenting her most puppy eyes to Jack. He smirked at her, amused.
"Oh, you mean that ugly, tattered belt? Sorry, Pumpkin, but I'd sooner let you go out in pajamas than in that thing"
"But daddy!" Meg cried, switching to the begging tone "It's the latest fashion!"
"It may be so in your room, but nowhere else" Jack wasn't going to give up "I hope I won't have to repeat myself, Meg"
"Oh, that so mega-sucks!" the girl grumped, crossing her arms and using all the body language tricks to expose her irritation. Instead of gaining a serious appearance, she started to remind her family of a small, spoiled child. Everybody thought it was funny and laughed sincerely. Even Kari lost her uneasiness and giggled. Yes, that family wasn't as bad as she thought at the beginning. In fact, she was enjoying being with them. Even her brother wasn't as bad as she supposed he would be. Her brother, who has just turned to meet her sight. He was amused. It encouraged her to laugh openly with the rest of his adoptive family. But her laugh brought a change to his face. He looked at her with more attention. With curiosity and a pleasant surprise. It confused her.
"Nani?" she asked him. He smiled softly.
"Nee-san-wa Kaa-san-to onaji" he replied. She should feel insulted. At least disturbed. The same as their mother? That's how she looks like? That's what he thinks? No. She can't. Not the same as the Bitch. She still hates her. But maybe a little less than before… no. Some stupid vision won't change the entire life. It can't be that easy. Yet, she is not going to argue. Not now. Not when everybody's happy.
Not when she can hear the sound of the engine she knows so well.
Tsutomu has arrived.
…………………………………………………………………………………….
Author's Notes: At first, I was going to put the encounter with Tsutomu in here too, but that would make too much different themes in one chapter (you can tell, it's going to be harsh). Also, I just love to create the tension. One thing you can expect from the next chapter: a great secret concerning Tsutomu will be revealed.
BTW I totally forgot the translation from the previous chapter, so I'll place it here:
-kun – A Japanese suffix you add to the names of people, who are of the same or lower rank than you are, most commonly your friends. Usually used for boys, but can be used towards girls, who behave like boys.
Yakatta – Thanks God/ What a relief/ etc.
Nani? – What?
Nee-san-wa Kaa-san-to onaji – Sister is the same as mother (since Bunji used it talking to his own sister, it translates as "You are the same as mother")