Disclaimer: All rights to the name "Lucky Star" belong solely to Kagami Yoshimizu. I neither own this franchise nor do I profit from the writing of this story.
Author's Note: Well...Baltimore lost to New England. Meh there's always next year I suppose though this team was old and this was pretty much their last hoorah.
Aside from that I want to thank everyone for your kind reviews. I was really worried that my last chapter wouldn't be that well received but I'm glad that I was wrong. Here's hoping that I live up to expectations and do as well in this one. Enjoy.
Tsukasa could only hear the soft sounds of her sister's light snoring as she woke up feeling the call of nature.
Slowly Tsukasa crawled out of the warmth of their bed and silently tiptoed her way through the darkness taking care to not step on Konata, who laid sprawled on the ground with a bit of drool coming from her mouth.
The younger twin soon made her way out of the room and made her way to the bathroom. All the while many thoughts were going through her head. Today had been a great success there was no doubt about that.
Ever since Kagami had made it known that she was willing to take their relationship deeper Tsukasa had noticed that her twin had been going through many pains...pains that Kagami was not willing to share.
Tsukasa knew that there was something deeper going on but could not know what. Some of her suspicions were confirmed as she saw Inori suddenly slam Kagami to the wall the night before.
The very image made Tsukasa growl in anger.
It took a great deal to make Tsukasa angry but this took it. She had looked up to Kagami all her life. Her older twin was like her guardian, her rock, the one who always stood strong despite the circumstances. Seeing Kagami so helpless against Inori really rocked Tsukasa's world.
This was made worse due to the fact that Inori was normally such a passive, meek woman. Never in Tsukasa's wildest dreams would she think that Inori would go so far as physical violence.
Tsukasa soon finished her business and proceeded to wash her hands and face. As she did so she looked at the reflection across herself.
How long has this been going on? Has sis been hiding this secret for a long time and it is only now that she is beginning to break? Why haven't told me anything yet? I-I thought that we never kept secrets from each other. You should know that I will always be there for you no matter what.
This last thought made Tsukasa frown. She didn't know anything and the lack of knowledge seemed to perturb her. But she trusted that Kagami had her reasons for not saying anything.
With that the Tsukasa soon made her way out of the bathroom and into her sister's room. It was pitch black inside due to her eyes having adjusted to the light in the bathroom. Still she walked across to the bed where her sister laid no problem and managed to neither rouse Kagami nor Konata.
The clock only read eleven PM but even so Tsukasa felt tired. She laid next to her sleeping sister. The sleeping face of Kagami looked so utterly peaceful, devoid of the worries and cares that she had in her waking conscious. Her long, violet hair was in a mess of tangles that covered her face.
Even so Tsukasa could not help but look in awe at just how beautiful her older sister was. Without even thinking Tsukasa soon start to move the stands of hair from Kagami's face, fixing it up for her so that it wouldn't be in her way when she woke up.
There was a seemingly therapeutic quality in doing this and Tsukasa could not help but feel so content just fixing and stroking her older sister's long hair. It was quite soft, almost silky in texture with the slight scent of lavender, Kagami's favorite shampoo.
Tsukasa soon stroked her own, short hair and frowned that it was nowhere as pleasant to the touch. Her own hair was actually quite coarse and for the first time in quite a while Tsukasa actually envied Kagami a bit.
As the younger twin once again admired her sister, her hair now much neater, Tsukasa could not help but wonder as to why anyone would want to hurt her older sister. It was not like Kagami had done anything wrong to anybody.
Soon Tsukasa scooted forward and felt the warm body heat emanating from her older sister and at once embraced her tightly, almost as if wanting to protect her.
It had been such a long time since they had had such contact with each other like this. Tsukasa was almost sad that they didn't share moments like this as often as they used to before. But the bond was still there, she was sure of it.
Tsukasa soon started to close her eyes.
"M-Matsuri..."
At once Tsukasa's eyes snapped open as she suddenly felt Kagami withdraw from her embrace and start trembling.
The younger twin did not know what to make out of this but she was clearly worried. Her older sister had her arms around herself, almost as if shielding herself. Her body trembled and her face had contorted to that of fear.
Tsukasa placed a reassuring hand on Kagami's arm hoping to perhaps quell this nightmare of her's but imagine her shock when she heard Kagami's next words.
"P-Please don't touch...not now."
Tsukasa was now very concerned.
Why is she acting this way? Could it be due to-
Tsukas never finished her train of thought as Kagami suddenly spoke, now quite audible, though she was still asleep.
"J-Just leave me alone Matsuri..."
At once Tsukasa's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of her older sister's name.
Matsuri? But what does she have to do with any of this?
"Please...don't hurt me...not anymore."
This episode continued as Tsukasa could only watch in disbelief.
No...don't tell me. A-Are both Inori AND Matsuri hurting Kagami? B-But why? Why would they want to hurt you like this? Oh sis what are they doing to you? I feel so worthless I can't even help you in your time of suffering.
For a moment Tsukasa felt like crying and normally she would. She would lament on her worthlessness and leave it at that. But it was at that moment that Tsukasa started to put two and two together and the realization of this suddenly made her quite angry.
So that's why Matsuri told me not to tell mom anything. It wasn't because she cared for Kagami's privacy but because she didn't want mom and dad to know what was happening. I can't believe this! I-I was so stupid to believe Matsuri without even questioning her. Have both Matsuri and Inori been hurting Kagami this entire time?
I-I'm so sorry sis. Sorry for being too stupid to not know what was going on and too scared not to tell mom when I should have. But no longer. I will protect you. First thing tomorrow morning I'm going to tell mom exactly what's going on here. How Inori seems to beat you up and how Matsuri is trying to keep everything quiet by pretending to be the good one. I-It's so mean. So cruel. Don't they realize how much they're hurting you?
Without even knowing it herself Tsukasa held Kagami close to her. The trembling was quite intense to Tsukasa's dismay.
Tsukasa soon started to stroke Kagami's hair while cooing to her softly.
"There, there don't be afraid anymore. No one will hurt you while I'm here."
Kagami soon started to relax and was less tense. She stopped trembling and her mindless mutterings stopped. Her breathing ceased to be so rapid and soon Kagami regained some sort of peaceful sleep once more.
And as Kagami lay in the comforting arms of her younger sister Tsukasa soon made her resolve.
They think I'm too dumb to realize what they are doing but this time I won't let it happen. I-I-I won't be stupid and weak anymore! I-I won't let them scare me! Not anymore. Not if I want to save sis.
I'll be brave for you just as you were for me. It's my turn to be strong and...and...I promise that I won't fail.
Tsukasa soon felt her eyelids grow heavy and soon she felt herself succumb to sleep once more.
I won't fail.
There was nothing but silence as Tadao drove quietly in his vehicle as he made his way back home.
His thoughts were in a complete jumble giving Tadao an incoming headache. There were so many pressing matters and concerns but one thing stood out amongst the whole lot of them.
The shrine.
Now that he had quit his job Tadao knew that he would not be able to afford the shrine. It was obvious that he would have to sell it but it was not as easy as it sounded.
For one he did not know of anyone who would be willing to buy the shrine.
No it was not the price that concerned him. He would sell the shrine at a reasonable price. The problem laid in maintenance. Tadao simply did know of anyone who would be willing to care and maintain the shrine.
He also thought of relinquishing the shrine to the city but he doubted if the city would be willing to take the shrine off his hands. Even if they did chances were that they would literally steal it from him. They would find some sort of defect or problem and force him to sell it at a much lower price than it was initially valued. And while Tadao wanted to get rid of the shrine he also wanted to get something out of it. The city would not compromise once they made up their mind on a price.
However there something else that was bothering him even more.
If he ever did sell the shrine his family would surely disown him.
Especially his father.
The thought of Hiiragi Taka made Tadao scowl openly.
His father had been the definition of a hypocrite. He was a 'holier than thou art' personality who would scorn anyone he deemed below him.
Yet despite that his father had two terrible vices. Hiiragi Taka was a gambler and drinker who would spend enormous sums of his money. When the time came for him to pay for the bills his father would no longer have the money for it.
It was because of Hiiragi Taka that the shrine had been lost to creditors and tied away to a third party. His father had borrowed a lump sum on the shrine in order to 'pay bills' though he ended up using the majority of that money for gambling.
Tadao scorned the fact that he had actually looked up to his father at one time. His father had instilled the values of hard-work, purity and such into him. It was always the two of them however. Tadao never knew the presence of having a mother in the family. When Tadao would ask about his mother his father would scorn her, saying that she was an unfaithful woman who was lazy and refused to care for her son.
His entire life Tadao had been told that his mother was some sort of villain and Tadao hated the fact that he actually believed his old man.
It was not until he had turned twenty that he started to question his father. He took notice of strange things happening, such as their money suddenly disappearing and such.
Tadao started to pry deeper yet Taka was adamant. The two of them started to fight more often and Tadao knew that his father was hiding some terrible secrets.
It was then that Tadao put it in his mind to find his mother. He started to suspect his father and he was now suspecting that what his father had told him of his mother had been completely wrong.
Tadao had soon got his birth certificate and found the name of the woman who had given birth to him.
Yameda Siyo.
So Tadao had searched for his mother all the while living away from his father and the shrine. Their relationship had started to crumble and Tadao did not want to live under the same roof of his father.
After a month of looking he had finally found her.
Tadao felt his heart beating so hard that he swore that it would burst through his sternum. However he looked up at this apartment complex and knew that this was where she lived.
His mother.
One could not know what his thoughts were at this moment. He had never knew that he had a mother. His life constituted of the shrine and his father.
But now there would be another piece added to the puzzle. Tadao soon entered the apartment complex and started to climb up the flight of stairs.
"Let me see...room 203...203...here."
The door stood before him and Tadao soon started to feel his stomach turn. He was so nervous. He knew that with a couple of knocks on the door he would finally meet her. He would finally meet his mother.
Taking a slightly trembling hand Tadao knocked on the door twice and held his breath. At once he heard a feminine voice calling from the inside.
"Honey I'm busy here in the kitchen. Can you get the door?"
"Okay dear."
The door opened to reveal a strong looking man about two inches taller than Tadao. He looked to be in his forties.
"Who are you? Are you a salesman cause if you are I told you we are not interested in-"
"I'm sorry to interrupt but does a woman by the name of Siyo Yameda live here?" asked Tadao somewhat meekly.
The man before him seemed somewhat surprised to hear this. He grumbled a bit and Tadao was afraid that perhaps he had gotten the wrong address.
"W-What business do you have with her?" asked the man.
"I'm sorry but it is only something I can tell her. Please understand I need to speak with her." replied Tadao.
"I don't know kid. How can I know that you aren't just pulling my leg and-"
The man was interrupted as his wife came forward and joined him at the door, wondering why he was taking so long.
"Oh Shiro I told you not keep our guests outside otherwise they'll-"
The woman immediately stopped talking as she saw the young man outside. Amber eyes met amber eyes and there was an awkward silence.
Tadao observed the woman and could hardly believe what he was seeing. The woman had long, red hair that went down to the small of her back. She was shorter than he was but was slim. Her face had a wrinkle here and there, one next to her mouth and a couple on her forehead.
She looked to be in her thirties...too young to be his mother.
However it was the eyes that entranced him.
Those amber eyes...just like his.
He knew that he had to ask even if it meant that he would be let down.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you and your husband but would you happen to be Yameda Siyo?" asked Tadao nervously.
"S-Speaking." replied Siyo nervously though she did not know why she was feeling so nervous in the face of some twenty year old kid in front of her.
"I-I don't know how to say this...I'm sure that you'll probably won't believe me but...I-I..."
Tadao was losing his nerve. He was so frightened. He knew that after this admission his world would change dramatically. He thought of walking away and leaving it at that but he knew that he had to press forward. He was so close he would not let his nerve fail him.
However before he could continue the woman suddenly spoke.
"T-Tadao?"
The young man's eyes suddenly opened wide as heard the older woman say his name. He looked up and could start to see the woman's eyes starting to twinkle a bit in unshed tears.
"Y-Yes. My name is Tadao...Hiiragi Tadao and I'm here because I-I believe you to be m-my-"
Tadao never finished as he suddenly felt Siyo suddenly embrace him, holding him tight and close to her as she started to sob.
"M-My baby!"
Tadao could feel the woman sobbing on his person and could literally feel the sorrow and anguish pouring out of her.
However there something quite odd that he could not place.
It was strange feeling. A warm yet strange feeling that he never felt around his father, even while they were still getting along.
The feeling of unconditional love...a love that only a mother would have for her offspring. A love that did not need conditions or boundaries. Just love...pure and simple.
It was at that moment that Tadao realized that his father had lied to him about his mother.
The thought of Yameda Siyo brought an unconscious tear coming to Tadao's eye and he shook it off furiously. Now was not the time to be thinking of that.
With that in mind his thoughts soon continued.
His father had remarried soon after Tadao had left home. Tadao had only met his step mother a few times over the years yet he hated her.
She, like his father, was a pious hypocrite and found it appropriate to scorn those she felt deserving of it.
How he still remembered the time when that old witch had called his wife a whore. Never did he feel so angry in his life, so much so that he wanted to strike the older woman consequences be damned.
After that event he had not spoken to his father since. Neither his father nor his step mother had taken the time to visit him nor his grandchildren but even if he did Tadao was sure that he wouldn't allow them. He no longer trusted his father not after what he had done. He would never let his father near his children.
Tadao knew that the fallout from the shrine being sold would probably create a schism between him and his father's family but at this point he could hardly care less. His grandfather aside, the majority of them were terribly pious, intolerable people. If they chose to no longer have any association with him then that was fine with Tadao. His true family was his wife and kids. The rest of them could go to hell for all he cared.
His family.
Tadao knew that he was not always there for them but no longer. He was going to do whatever it took to be there for them.
As soon as he got home he was going to go straight to bed and place his arm about his wife's waist and bring her close to him.
He was never going to let go of her ever again.
Fusashi Sumitomo could only shake his head in complete disbelief as he heard the story coming out of Izayoi and Yoshimoto.
"So what you are telling me is that Hiiragi felt jealous of you and decided to leave once you got your promotion?" asked Fusashi Sumitomo harshly.
"Y-Yes sir." replied Izayoi meekly.
"Interesting. Then perhaps I should let you know that I heard the entire thing. What was it called again? 'Secretary duty?" asked Sumitomo harshly.
Izayoi cringed as she heard the older man scolding her. She knew that she was in big trouble for this. Chances were that she could get fired at this very moment despite all the hard work she had put in to get to where she was.
"I'm sorry but if half the claims from what I have heard are true then perhaps you are not truly qualified to be Senior Exectutive. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to let you go." said Sumitomo sternly.
"Now wait just a second here."
Fusashi Sumitomo turned to find a group of men and women all dressed in business attire. At once Fusashi wanted to scowl.
"What is it that you all want?" asked Sumitomo harshly.
"This is quite a rash action that you are taking here. To completely let go of an employee that has led us into this union is quite harsh of you. What is the loss of one executive in the face of all the prosperity that we are soon to enjoy?" asked a thin, pointed man.
His name was Minase Takeo, CEO of Sumitomo Domestic Goods and Supply.
"I would not say that this is rash my good Takeo. I'm merely punishing an employee that has overstepped her boundaries." replied Sumitomo with a bit of venom in his voice. He never did like Minase Takeo.
"And that is completely understandable but to completely eliminate an employee of her caliber for such a...minor action begs for some more consideration. Even though you are the founder and owner of the company we here as the Board of Trustees still have think of the company irregardless of the actions of the owner. So we shall take a vote. All in favor of Izayoi Izanami's termination please raise your hand and say yay." said Minase Takeo.
None of the board members had risen their hands.
"All in favor of Izayoi Izanami retaining her newly acquired position and be punished with a non-paid one week suspension?"
At once all the hands of the Board rose to the delight of Izayoi, who was now beginning to grin maliciously.
Fushashi Sumitomo was steaming as he saw this. He knew that if the entire Board voted against him he could do nothing to overrule their decision.
"As you can see this is the will of the company. Perhaps you should be a bit more prudent and consult us before making such a rash decision." smiled Minase Takeo.
The only thing Fusashi Sumitomo could do was slam his fist on the desk table as the board heckled him and his waning power.
Author's Note: A bit of a filler chapter more than anything. I really wanted to get into Tadao's history as it will be important for the later chapters. Anyway thanks for reading and hope you all enjoyed.