Ch14: Empty Hands Extended

"And you let her come?" Katrina, Kassi and Kessi's step-mom, complained.
"Kessi is really nice. She won't be much of a bother. Besides, she'll only be here for a little bit." Sosuke said.
There was a knock on the front door.
"I'll get it!" Their youngest son, Tomi, yelled.
"That's probably Kessi." Sosuke said.
"Holy- There's a hot chick here!"
"Let me see!" Their oldest, Yukio, called.
Sosuke went out to the front door and found Kessi being gawked at.
"I see you've met Yukio and Tomi." Sosuke smiled at Kessi.
"Yeah. And if you two don't stop looking at me, I'll slap you straight to kingdom come," Kessi threatened.
"You will do no such thing!" Katrina came out and glared at Kessi.
"Dad, who is this?" Yukio asked.
"This is Kessi Miyazaki, your half-sister." Sosuke said.

~Kassi POV~

"You went to visit him?" I asked Kessi.
"Yeah. I mean, what the hell, we don't really even know him." Kessi leaned against the counter. "So, I figured I'd visit."
"Kessi, couldn't you have at least told me that you were gonna do that?"
"Sorry. I didn't really think about it."
I shook my head. "Kessi. What am I gonna do with you?"
"I dunno. But, guess what."
"Hm?"
"Dad invited us to a Christmas dinner. But I don't think we'd b completely welcome, and I wouldn't eat the food."
"Why?"
"Katrina, his wife, doesn't like or trust me. I think she'd either poison or spit in our food."

I laughed. "Meeting you could do that to any person."
"Heeey! I resent that!" Kessi whined.
"So, how old are his kids?"
"His oldest is 15. Youngest is 10."
"Huh. Not that much younger than us."
"The youngest is. Oldest is only like 2 years younger."

Kessi sighed. "I got a job today."
"What job?" I asked intrigued.
"I'm a waitress. Again." Kessi frowned.
I sighed. "You got too stressed during that job when you last had it."

"I know." Kessi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Maybe you shouldn't get a job. You're too delicate right now." I mumbled.
"I'm always delicate, Kas. I've never been not delicate. It's just something I have to deal with."
"I know, but-"
"Just! Drop it, Kas. Just drop it." Kessi walked out of the kitchen.
I sighed. Maybe I went too far. She doesn't like to be reminded.

"So, what are we gonna do for Christmas?" I asked Kessi.
"I dunno. Eiko and her family are on a vacation. Without inviting us. Dad asked us over for a dinner. Katrina would probably try to poison us. Our schedule is clear since we have no other options. Why not spend it like we usually do?" Kessi shrugged.
I sighed. "It seems like that's our only option."
She sighed as well. "Our holidays suck."
I nodded in agreement.

Kessi leaned back in her chair, when the oven beeped.
"I'm comin'!" Kessi said as she went into the kitchen to get our dinner.
I laughed. "The oven can't talk, sis."
"Then why is it yelling at me!?"
"It's beeping."
"Fine then, it's cussing!" Kessi came back with two plates of lasagna.

I laughed. "You would say that."
"Yup!" She smiled and handed me a plate.
I took it and started eating.
"Maybe we should accept dad's invitation" I said.
"Maybe. We still have, what, 3 days left 'til Chritmas Eve? We have time to get other options." Kessi stated.
"Yeah." We smiled at each other.

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve." Kassi sighed.
"And all we're gonna do is stay home, right?" I asked.
"I guess." She sighed again.
"Everyone is spending today, tomorrow, and the next day with their family." I mumbled.
"We have no family."
"No true family."
"We're loners, aren't we?"
I sighed. "We are."

"I miss having a family. It was always so great."
"Always there."
"We're sitll a family, we're just missing pieces." Kassi frowned.
"Who knows when it will be completed." We said in unison.

"Wait, you work here too?" Kassi gave me a look of disbelief.
"I didn't know you worked here." I sighed. "Oh well."
"I guess you're working tomorrow as well."
"Yup. There's nothing better to do on Christmas."
We sighed. "To work."

Kassi and I worked as waitresses in the same restaurant. Totally unplanned too.
And now we serve the same perverts in these...
What's the word? Showy? Sluty? Risque?
...One of those at least, outfits.
"Waitress." Someone called for me.
I walked over to him. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah. You can give me your number." He gave me a sick smile.
I gave him a mock smile. "One, I doubt your wife would appreciate that. Two, I'm 17. Three, I'm not a slut. And finally, if you try that again, you'll have to deal with the police. Now, can I get you anything else?"
"N-no."
I nodded and walked off.
Sick, twisted, horny, perverted man!

"Cho!" A girl called me from up front. Kassi and I were using our middle names since people could get them mixed up.
"Coming!" I went up to the front desk. "Yes?"
"One second. Aki!" She called for Kassi as well. This was odd.
"Here." Kassi came up.
"OK. In a few minutes, we're having a group come in and they're special guests. I want you two to take care of them." She said.
We nodded. "Alright."
"Wait up here for them."
We nodded again and she walked off.

"Probably more pervs that are gonna hit on us." Kassi said sourly.
"Probably." I sighed. "Oh well."
"Whose the reservation for?"
I checked the name. "Uh... Hitachiin."
"Wha!?" Kassi looked over at the book. "Well, fuck!"
"Let's hope the boys aren't coming as well."
"Let's."

Two men walked through the door. "We're here in the Hitachiin party." One of them informed us.
I checked what table they would go to. I smiled at them. "This way gentlemen." I walked them to their table. I guess this is a business dinner. But, on Christmas Eve? "Here is the table."
They sat down and I handed them their menus.
Kassi came over with a man and a woman.
I went back to the front desk to wait for the last three to show up.
Kassi joined me.

Within another minute, in walked Mrs. Hitachiin and her sons.
Well, FUCK!
"Good evening." Kassi and I said, only looking at Mrs. Hitachiin.
She gave us surprise looks.
"This way to your table." I smiled and walked to where their table was. Kassi followed.
When they were seated, our boss came over to the table. "Very good, Cho, Aki." We nodded and left.
I noticed Hikaru and Kaoru giving us weird looks.

When we had gotten far enough away, we both sighed.
"That was awkward." I grumbled.
Kassi nodded. "We were recognized."
"And we get to work for them for the rest of the night."
We groaned.