Disclaimer: We do not own Inuyasha or any of its components. We do, however, own the characters of Camilla, Mariko, and their families. We do not own Washington, DC, or Tokyo, or the Lincoln Memorial. We do own the characters of the Kawayamas, and Arisu and her friends. I think you get the idea.
"Meet me at the Lincoln Memorial in an hour!" Mariko yelled into the phone before hanging up and dancing around her hotel room, hugging a packet of papers to her chest, ignoring the looks her siblings were giving her from their seats. After spinning a few more times she grabbed her jacket from the chair it had been laying over and the red tote bag sitting next to it, before the seventeen year old hurried out the door after writing a brief note to her parents on where she was going and that her cell phone would be turned on if they needed her. By-passing the elevators Mariko headed for the stairs as she began plotting which stores she wanted to hit before meeting Camilla at the monument.
Normally, when Mariko Takashi's family was on vacation, she would've drug her older sister Emi or their younger brother Aidan to a museum, but they both breathed a sigh of relief when she hurried off alone. Their parents, Hiroshi and Ceara, had made plans to take Aidan to the FBI building that day. Emi had plans of her own with a local boy she had made "friends" with.
"She scares me sometimes acting like that, Emi." The eight years older girl looked over at her brother. He was sitting with his laptop computer on her bed; she could see him from her perch in front of the mirror where she was skillfully doing her make-up. Emi looked exactly like their Japanese father's mother Akemi, when she was her age with long, shiny, stick-straight black hair and olive skin. The only inclination that there was blood other than Japanese in the family was Emi's emerald green eyes. This only made her more beautiful, a fact of which Mariko was often jealous.
"Really Aidan?" Emi asked.
"Yeah! She always looks like she's gonna do something to someone and it's not going to be anything good," he replied. Emi smiled as she heard this.
"Well let me let you in on a little secret. You ready?" At his nod of agreement she continued. "When you are older, you are going to look back on this time and see it as if it were a pleasant dream. Do you know why?"
"No. Why?"
"Because by the time you are older, she is going to be MUCH worse than she is now. In our family, Aidan, the crazy people do NOT get better. They only get worse. Look at Baasan! She just gets crazier and crazier!"
"Hey, I like Baasan! She always gives us nice presents when she comes to visit. And she doesn't check our teeth the way Gaisobo does."
"I didn't say you shouldn't like Baasan. I'm just saying she is crazy. And Gaisobo only checks our teeth on major occasions to see if the stress is bringing out any of our youkai. You know that, silly."
"Oh yeah." And so the temporary truce continued on in silence broken only by the sounds of Emi's humming as she finished getting ready for her 'non-date' and Aidan's clicking keyboard.
Far away and not too much later Mariko was hitting the hot shops, not really wanting to buy anything yet but itching to spend money. Eying herself in one of the store's large mirrors, she held up a green tank top to herself and compared it against her eyes to see if the color would clash. Unlike her sister, Mariko had thick, wavy, flame-red hair and cat-green eyes. If it weren't for the almond shape of her eyes and her olive complexion, she might have been considered entirely Irish. Her slight build and Japanese features made people think she dyed her hair and wore colored contacts to resemble her half Irish mother more. This never ceased to annoyed her.
Deciding that the shirt wouldn't clash with neither her hair nor eyes, she took it up to the cash register to pay for it and a silver bracelet she had found while browsing the aisles. As the clerk handed her the receipt for her purchases and her change, her thoughts began drifting to the papers in her oversized red messenger bag, and a purely diabolical smile crept across her face. She couldn't wait to see Camilla's face when she opened up her 'gift'.
~*~
Camilla Nicostrato looked at the phone in her hand. Her friend Mariko had just called to arrange a meeting. Camilla had no idea why. The two girls, both seventeen, had met through a web site message board four years ago and talked on AOL instant messenger ever since. They'd met when Camilla was sixteen and Mariko still fifteen. They had many similarities that made them fast friends, but it was their differences that had sparked their interest in each other.
While Mariko's heritage was mostly Japanese/Irish, Camilla's was Italian/Japanese, though the Japanese blood in Camilla's family was a few generations back. Camilla had long curly black hair and blue-grey eyes. She was the sixth child of Leonardo and Aurelia Nicostrato.
The Nicostratos had ten children: Giovanna, Michael, twins Isabella and Robert, Christopher, Camilla, Elisabeth, and triplets Vincenzo, Giacomo, and Antonio. Their ages ranged from twenty-four to ten, with Camilla being the middle child at seventeen.
Camilla loved being part of such a large family, though it made privacy difficult at times. Camilla checked her watch- she had to go if she was going to meet Mariko in time. Grabbing her jacket and sneakers from the closet next to the door, she yelled a quick good-bye to her mother who was in the kitchen making lunch for the triplets.
Since Camilla's family was so large, her money-conserving father had decided that renting hotel rooms would be too expensive and had talked around with some friends at work. He made plans to 'apartment sit' for his co-worker's friend. He had made the effort only because of how badly Camilla insisted that this year's vacation be to the capital. Mr. Nicostrato was glad to see his daughter take such an interest in her own culture for a change. One reason Camilla had petitioned so hard for the capital was because Mariko's family was considering vacationing there at the same time, and the girls managed to talk both of their families into going simultaneously.
By the time Camilla reached the monument, Mariko was already sitting on the top steps, with her red bag sitting next to her. On first glance Camilla could tell something was up; Mariko was fidgeting with her grey pleated skirt and her eyes were shifting back and forth at a hurried pace. Camilla noticed with a smirk, that she was even biting her fingernails. When Mariko caught sight of Camilla, she smiled and waved, but said nothing. Camilla waved back and sat down next to her moments later.
"So what's this 'major-ly important info, babe'?" Camilla teased. Mariko rolled her eyes, stuck out her tongue and threw a packet of papers at Camilla. "What's all this then?" she asked before opening it.
Mariko laughed and replied, "It's the papers you need to fill out to be sent to the same home as me when we both go to Japan at the end of July."
"WHAT?!" Camilla shrieked.
"I decided that since you were afraid to go alone, I'd go with you."
"You're joking right? You have to be. Are you crazy?"
"No, no, and yes. You're my friend, I couldn't just let you give up an opportunity like that over some irrational fear that I'm sure you would have forgotten once you'd been there for a week or two."
It had been a lifelong dream of both girls to study in Japan and learn more of the culture. The web-site they'd met on was actually one about Japanese culture. From there, complaints about siblings had made them sympathetic and friendship grew. Mariko was interested in life with nine siblings and Camilla's interest in Kabuki, Japanese drama; Camilla wanted to know more about Mariko's heritage and her lessons in ninjitsu.
"I can't believe it!" Camilla exclaimed, staring in shock at her friend, the papers in her hand coming close to being scattered by the wind as her hands began to loosen their grip on the folder.
"Believe it. We're going to Japan!"
The girls began to dance around the monument celebrating their upcoming journey, earning them angry looks from tourists. Neither girl noticed them though; they were too wrapped up in each other and their excitement. The girls spent the rest of the afternoon together, talking excitedly about Japan and the trip. Their trip to Washington was already half over, and they wanted to make every minute count.
When the time finally came for their vacations to end, there were tears all around as the girls said their good-byes. Hugging Camilla one last time, Mariko whispered a reminder to her friend to get her mother to say "yes" to the trip first and that way she could help convince Leo as well. Mariko already had permission and had submitted her paperwork for housing, but Camilla had the major problem of her father. She knew her mother would help her do the paperwork after she found out about the scholarship Camilla had won, because there would be no issues over money. Aurelia had always encouraged her children to strive for anything and everything they wanted and believed in. Leo Nicostrato, however, felt his children should want to learn about their own heritage first before traveling to learn about another's, and he always complained about the money. While both Leo and Aurelia had well-paying jobs, ten children was enough to strain any family's income, though Leo worried incessantly and sometimes unnecessarily about money.
When the girls finally returned to their respective homes, Camilla to New Orleans and Mariko to New York City, they made it a point of talking daily on their computers, making plans on what they wanted to do and see while in Japan, and generally getting more and more excited. Camilla's father finally gave his permission for her to go abroad when she reminded him for the tenth time that she had received a full ride. They sent the confirmation information back and worked on arranging flight plans with Mariko's family. In the end it was decided that Camilla would fly to NYC and stay overnight with the Takashi family, and then both girls would fly from JFK to Tokyo the following evening.
Days and weeks passed until it was finally July and there was no stopping for either girl. They were about to embark on a journey of a lifetime.
Neither Camilla nor Mariko could sleep that night. In less than thirteen hours, they would be on a plane, going on a trip that they were sure would change their lives. Mariko's mother Ceara was taking the girls to JFK on her way to the theatre the next evening. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
~*~
When the girls got to Tokyo they didn't see anything telling them where to go. Shrugging, they claimed their baggage and headed for the lobby of the airport. As they entered the lobby, they saw a man holding signs saying "Takashi Mariko" and "Nicostrato Camilla." He was standing with a tiny woman and a young boy of around five years old.
"That must be them," Mariko grinned. Camilla nodded. "The Kawayamas."
"Mari, why aren't they smiling?" Camilla asked worriedly as she saw the frowning faces of their host family. Most people that hosted students were happy when they arrived, not angry or annoyed as the Kawayamas appeared to be.
"I don't know. Maybe they didn't see us yet. Well, come on," Mariko said. She hauled her bags towards the signs. The man and woman looked down at the girl in shock as she dropped her bags and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Mariko."
"I'm Camilla," Camilla said, coming up behind her friend and bowing. "We're so pleased to be staying with you, Kawayama-san."
"Yes, thank you very much for allowing us to stay with you," Mariko said, retracting her hand. She bowed. The Kawayamas finally spoke.
"It's a wonderful thing that you study here," Mrs. Kawayama said. She saw Camilla talking to her son and added, "His name is Akira."
"Hello Akira-san." The girls chorused together. The little boy responded with a nod and a shy smile.
"Well, come on, let's go," Mr. Kawayama said. The ride to the Kawayama house was peaceful to the girls whose ears had been ringing from all the noise in the airport terminal. The silence in the car was filled only with a few polite questions from their host parents. When the reached the house Mrs. Kawayama immediately showed the girls to their room and left them to settle in while she went to start dinner.
"This is a nice room," Camilla said. Mariko didn't reply. "Mariko? What do you think? You like it so far?"
"I LOVE Japan, of course. The Kawayamas are nice, I guess," she replied.
"You guess?" Camilla pressed. Mariko shrugged.
"They aren't very enthusiastic. I guess I just expected something different," she said. Camilla smiled. "We won't be here very long anyway."
"Oh yeah. When does your grandmother get back from her trip? In two weeks, right?" Camilla asked. Her friend nodded. Mariko's grandmother, Akemi, lived in Tokyo and the girls would be staying with her. However she was out of town for two weeks and the Kawayamas were their temporary placement. The girls were called a few moments later to help set the table for dinner.
After dinner, the girls talked to Mr. Kawayama in the living room while Akira was put to bed. When his wife came back into the living room, Mr. Kawayama excused himself to talk to his wife, so the girls went to their own room. They changed into their pajamas and went about unpacking more of their things. Mariko wanted a drink and so the two girls tiptoed towards the kitchen. They paused outside the living room to make sure both Kawayamas were in there. They had a feeling they were supposed to stay in their room for the night.
"I know they're a good agency, Amaya," Mr. Kawayama was saying to his wife. "But I refuse to do business with them again if they're going to make such mistakes."
"What mistake was that?" She countered. "We asked specifically for a Japanese girl and we got one. We made no such request for both girls."
Mariko and Camilla looked at each other. The Kawayamas were fighting over them? The girls decided to conveniently eavesdrop as Mariko got her drink.
"I know that, too," Mr. Kawayama scowled. "They should've known to send two Japanese girls though. Or at least ones that look like it!"
"Her mother is half Irish, that's why she looks like that," Amaya said, indignant.
"Don't defend the girl. You thought Camilla-san was the Japanese student at first too."
The girls looked at each other, horrified, and snuck back to their room. They tried to put what they heard out of their minds and went to bed- they started classes tomorrow.
~*~
The girls were seniors at Kita School, the local high school. It was within walking distance of both the Kawayamas' house and Mariko's grandmother's though the houses were in different directions, which was good since public transportation was not provided to school. High school itself was not mandatory in Japan, so Mariko had to pay tuition, however Camilla had her scholarship.
When the girls got to school, they took their shoes off and put on slippers: red ones for Mariko and green for Camilla. Their first class of the day was ironically English. Because they were fluent, they wanted to use the period more as a study hall and practiced their Japanese, but the teacher made them assist her in teaching English since not only were the girls fluent, they knew their grammar very well. After English the girls had computer class. No one had really talked to them yet, but it had been a hectic morning so far. They figured they'd be able to chat during Japanese, which was next. They would be practicing their kanji.
"Gomen, but I can't get this one right, could you help me?" Mariko asked the teacher. She was having a problem with 'peace.' Their teacher demonstrated the proper brush stroke, which Mariko struggled to duplicate. The girl next to her snickered, then glanced at Camilla's paper. Now she laughed out loud. The teacher reprimanded her, then asked Mariko if she was okay. Mariko nodded, "Arigato."
After class, the girls headed for the hallway. It was lunchtime and they had to get their lunches. They ate together in their homeroom classes; there was no cafeteria. Mrs. Kawayama had made them sandwiches and given them each a piece of fruit and bottle of water. The rude girl who sat next to Mariko in Japanese was also in their homeroom and she sat down across from them as the girls were unpacking their lunches. Her friends joined her shortly after.
"Hello," Camilla smiled. "I'm Camilla, and this is Mariko." Camilla indicated her friend, who had just taken a big bite of sandwich. She waved and quickly swallowed.
"Konnichiwa. I am Arisu," the first girl replied. "So, Camilla was it, why are you here?"
"What do you mean?" Mariko asked, wiping her mouth. Arisu ignored her.
"Why did you come to Japan? What's it like in the US?"
"My great-great-grandmother was Japanese. So I've always been interested in the history and culture here," Camilla explained. The girls got into a conversation that Mariko tried to join, but the Japanese girls ignored her. Camilla noticed and tried to include her, but whenever she tried to get Mariko to say something, someone else cut her off or redirected the comment back onto Camilla.
"The boys here are awfully cute," Camilla commented. She was still unsuccessfully trying to incorporate Mariko. Arisu beamed and pointed out her boyfriend, a rather cute boy in their homeroom.
"He's such a great guy," she gushed. "He always puts me first, and he's a real gentleman. He holds the door for me and everything."
"That's nice. He sounds like just the kind of guy I want," Camilla said wistfully. "Only, no offence to you, Arisu-san, but someone with a bit more muscle. The strong but silent type."
"Oh, none taken, I like my Shiro-kun just the way he is." Arisu smiled. "What else do you want? That can't be the only thing you look for in a guy, I hope!"
"She-" Mariko began, but Arisu's friend cut in with, "Yah, tell us more!"
"Well, he'd have to be handsome," Camilla blushed. "A real gentleman, too. I want a man like the old world samurais used to be. Intimidating, but sweet and tender around me. Oh! And he should have impeccable manners. You know anyone like that?"
"Those are some pretty high standards, Camilla-san. Good luck finding a guy like that!" Arisu laughed. "And no, I can't say that I know anyone."
By then lunch was over, and the girls bounded off, saying they'd talk to Camilla later. They had to clean the school now.
"That was weird," Camilla commented to a sullen Mariko. "What's wrong?"
"They wouldn't talk to me because I look like this," she replied.
"What do you mean, Mariko? I mean, I noticed they ignored you but I'm sure that's not the reason!" Camilla said. Mariko shook her head and started down the hall. They'd been assigned different chores. Mariko groaned when she saw Arisu and her friends working near her. She hoped they didn't see her. Camilla might be friends with them now- and why, Mariko couldn't understand- but she wasn't.
"Oh, it's you," Arisu said snidely. Mariko ignored her now. "Hey, look at me when I talk to you."
Mariko turned around slowly. "Do you need anything, or can I finish my work, Arisu-san?" she said, her tone bored. She stressed the 'san' sarcastically.
"Don't talk to me like that. You don't have the right to use that tone of voice with me," Arisu screeched. "What are you, anyway?"
"Japanese," Mariko said, her voice clipped. She was trying not to get very angry and do something very regrettable. "My mother is half Irish, half Japanese. My father is full-blooded Japanese and is descended from a long and noble line. Do you have a problem with that?"
The girls laughed. "No, no problem, Mariko, but really. You do know how silly you look, don't you? Why don't you dye your hair black, at least? Maybe you wouldn't be such an eyesore then!"
"I am not an eyesore, and you should be working. I'm not about to get in trouble because I'm speaking with the likes of you. It's a waste of my time to even associate with someone so close-minded," Mariko huffed and walked away.
They had been so NICE to Camilla. It made Mariko sick to think they didn't mind having an American friend, but not someone who should be Japanese but wasn't entirely.
Everybody was always captivated by the foreign exchange student, no? So Arisu and her friends would want to be friends with Camilla, the "glamorous" American girl, Mariko thought. But they knew that Mariko was only part Japanese, which made her more like one of them than Camilla. They didn't see her as an exchange student. They saw her as someone whose Japanese parent couldn't find love with another Japanese person and resorted to marrying whatever s/he could find, in Mariko's case, an Irishwoman. Quite racist, and rather backwards to Mariko, and she was sure to Camilla once she told her friend.
After they were done cleaning, the girls had their respective activities- ninjitsu for Mariko and dance for Camilla. Mariko took her aggression out in class, earning her praise from their teacher. Even the boys were impressed with the foreigner's skill. Camilla was in awe of the dance and enjoyed her activity period so much she couldn't believe the time went so quickly. She looked forward to school the next day since she liked it that much.
"So, how was your dance class?" Mariko asked as they walked home.
"So, so, so, so, SO much fun. Ninjitsu?" Camilla grinned.
"The same," Mariko laughed. She grew quiet then. "Camilla? Do you remember me telling you about my family? Why we have green eyes?"
"Because you're Irish?" Camilla laughed. Seeing how serious her friend was, she stopped. "No, it's because you're… not quite human." She said the last bit as quietly as she could so only Mariko could here it. When Mariko had first told her about her family's secret she had been sworn to keep silent about it. And she had.
"My mother's a hanyou, a half-demon, right, which makes me part demon as well. We're kitsune, and kitsunes are KNOWN for their red hair and that's why my hair's red and my eyes are green. If my mother wasn't Irish I don't know how we'd cover it up. But the thing is, I don't want to dye my hair or wear contacts to fit in. I shouldn't have to. This is my heritage and I'm proud of it. I'm proud that my gaisobo's kind still exists."
"Mariko, what happened that's got you so upset over this?" Camilla asked, hugging her friend. Mariko told her what Arisu had said to her. Camilla's jaw dropped. "Mari, I'm so sorry! I can't believe I thought I could be friends with them. But I can't. I wont! Not if they are as prejudiced as they are. Not if they're going to treat you like that. It's so wrong! It's horrible that anyone would say that to you! Or to anyone, really."
"Thank you, Camilla," Mariko smiled slightly. "I just wish people could look past what I look like and accept me anyway. That's why I opened up to you online- you didn't care what I looked like; you couldn't see me."
"Don't worry, Mariko. If they're stuck-up enough that they do care, then you wouldn't want to associate with them, anyway!"
By now they had reached the Kawayamas. Mrs. Kawayama asked how their first day had gone. The girls merely yelled "Fine!" and darted to their rooms to change out of their uniforms.
As the days passed, the girls noticed that Mr. Kawayama pretty much ignored them. When he did speak with them he was gruffly polite. Mrs. Kawayama tried to make up for it, but her effort was rather half-hearted. The only person the girls didn't mind living with was five-year-old Akira, though it seemed to them that the child learned more and more how to insult them than to compliment them. Judging from the smiles his father covertly gave him after any given slur, the girls were sure he was not learning them on his own. Luckily there wasn't even a full week left until Akemi arrived to get them. They had already begun packing.
Camilla stopped talking to Arisu and her friends the second day of class, and now she was treated as poorly as Mariko. Mariko was almost beaten up one day, except Camilla heard about it and managed to convince Mariko to walk back to the Kawayamas a different way. She knew that Mariko could've inflicted a lot of damage on her would-be attackers, but she would've been sorely outnumbered and probably hurt fairly badly. Finally, obaasan Akemi would be there to pick them up the next morning, a Saturday. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
Terms you may not know but should for future reference!
Youkai- demon
Obaasan- grandmother/ older senior citizen female
Gaisobo- maternal grandmother (Mariko's family use the Japanese terms for most of their family and her mom's mom is no different.)
Kitsune- fox-demon
Hanyou- half-demon
Authors' Notes: Rowan here! Hope you enjoyed chapter one of Kazuki Ai. The title means "New generation of love," roughly translated. (I LOVE this title, savvy? To borrow Moriko's new favorite word.) It gets more related to Inuyasha in the next chapter, but we needed to get our characters to Japan first! Don't worry, this is no Mary Sue, and I ask that you keep reading to see that. Thanks. Oh! And if this chapter isn't review-worthy, I blame Moriko and will thusly hurt her and take over Sorelle DiAnima myself! ^_^ *bounces away*
~*Moriko watches from her position dangling over an open fire* Help me!~
Did I mention I'm a pyro? ;-)
"Meet me at the Lincoln Memorial in an hour!" Mariko yelled into the phone before hanging up and dancing around her hotel room, hugging a packet of papers to her chest, ignoring the looks her siblings were giving her from their seats. After spinning a few more times she grabbed her jacket from the chair it had been laying over and the red tote bag sitting next to it, before the seventeen year old hurried out the door after writing a brief note to her parents on where she was going and that her cell phone would be turned on if they needed her. By-passing the elevators Mariko headed for the stairs as she began plotting which stores she wanted to hit before meeting Camilla at the monument.
Normally, when Mariko Takashi's family was on vacation, she would've drug her older sister Emi or their younger brother Aidan to a museum, but they both breathed a sigh of relief when she hurried off alone. Their parents, Hiroshi and Ceara, had made plans to take Aidan to the FBI building that day. Emi had plans of her own with a local boy she had made "friends" with.
"She scares me sometimes acting like that, Emi." The eight years older girl looked over at her brother. He was sitting with his laptop computer on her bed; she could see him from her perch in front of the mirror where she was skillfully doing her make-up. Emi looked exactly like their Japanese father's mother Akemi, when she was her age with long, shiny, stick-straight black hair and olive skin. The only inclination that there was blood other than Japanese in the family was Emi's emerald green eyes. This only made her more beautiful, a fact of which Mariko was often jealous.
"Really Aidan?" Emi asked.
"Yeah! She always looks like she's gonna do something to someone and it's not going to be anything good," he replied. Emi smiled as she heard this.
"Well let me let you in on a little secret. You ready?" At his nod of agreement she continued. "When you are older, you are going to look back on this time and see it as if it were a pleasant dream. Do you know why?"
"No. Why?"
"Because by the time you are older, she is going to be MUCH worse than she is now. In our family, Aidan, the crazy people do NOT get better. They only get worse. Look at Baasan! She just gets crazier and crazier!"
"Hey, I like Baasan! She always gives us nice presents when she comes to visit. And she doesn't check our teeth the way Gaisobo does."
"I didn't say you shouldn't like Baasan. I'm just saying she is crazy. And Gaisobo only checks our teeth on major occasions to see if the stress is bringing out any of our youkai. You know that, silly."
"Oh yeah." And so the temporary truce continued on in silence broken only by the sounds of Emi's humming as she finished getting ready for her 'non-date' and Aidan's clicking keyboard.
Far away and not too much later Mariko was hitting the hot shops, not really wanting to buy anything yet but itching to spend money. Eying herself in one of the store's large mirrors, she held up a green tank top to herself and compared it against her eyes to see if the color would clash. Unlike her sister, Mariko had thick, wavy, flame-red hair and cat-green eyes. If it weren't for the almond shape of her eyes and her olive complexion, she might have been considered entirely Irish. Her slight build and Japanese features made people think she dyed her hair and wore colored contacts to resemble her half Irish mother more. This never ceased to annoyed her.
Deciding that the shirt wouldn't clash with neither her hair nor eyes, she took it up to the cash register to pay for it and a silver bracelet she had found while browsing the aisles. As the clerk handed her the receipt for her purchases and her change, her thoughts began drifting to the papers in her oversized red messenger bag, and a purely diabolical smile crept across her face. She couldn't wait to see Camilla's face when she opened up her 'gift'.
~*~
Camilla Nicostrato looked at the phone in her hand. Her friend Mariko had just called to arrange a meeting. Camilla had no idea why. The two girls, both seventeen, had met through a web site message board four years ago and talked on AOL instant messenger ever since. They'd met when Camilla was sixteen and Mariko still fifteen. They had many similarities that made them fast friends, but it was their differences that had sparked their interest in each other.
While Mariko's heritage was mostly Japanese/Irish, Camilla's was Italian/Japanese, though the Japanese blood in Camilla's family was a few generations back. Camilla had long curly black hair and blue-grey eyes. She was the sixth child of Leonardo and Aurelia Nicostrato.
The Nicostratos had ten children: Giovanna, Michael, twins Isabella and Robert, Christopher, Camilla, Elisabeth, and triplets Vincenzo, Giacomo, and Antonio. Their ages ranged from twenty-four to ten, with Camilla being the middle child at seventeen.
Camilla loved being part of such a large family, though it made privacy difficult at times. Camilla checked her watch- she had to go if she was going to meet Mariko in time. Grabbing her jacket and sneakers from the closet next to the door, she yelled a quick good-bye to her mother who was in the kitchen making lunch for the triplets.
Since Camilla's family was so large, her money-conserving father had decided that renting hotel rooms would be too expensive and had talked around with some friends at work. He made plans to 'apartment sit' for his co-worker's friend. He had made the effort only because of how badly Camilla insisted that this year's vacation be to the capital. Mr. Nicostrato was glad to see his daughter take such an interest in her own culture for a change. One reason Camilla had petitioned so hard for the capital was because Mariko's family was considering vacationing there at the same time, and the girls managed to talk both of their families into going simultaneously.
By the time Camilla reached the monument, Mariko was already sitting on the top steps, with her red bag sitting next to her. On first glance Camilla could tell something was up; Mariko was fidgeting with her grey pleated skirt and her eyes were shifting back and forth at a hurried pace. Camilla noticed with a smirk, that she was even biting her fingernails. When Mariko caught sight of Camilla, she smiled and waved, but said nothing. Camilla waved back and sat down next to her moments later.
"So what's this 'major-ly important info, babe'?" Camilla teased. Mariko rolled her eyes, stuck out her tongue and threw a packet of papers at Camilla. "What's all this then?" she asked before opening it.
Mariko laughed and replied, "It's the papers you need to fill out to be sent to the same home as me when we both go to Japan at the end of July."
"WHAT?!" Camilla shrieked.
"I decided that since you were afraid to go alone, I'd go with you."
"You're joking right? You have to be. Are you crazy?"
"No, no, and yes. You're my friend, I couldn't just let you give up an opportunity like that over some irrational fear that I'm sure you would have forgotten once you'd been there for a week or two."
It had been a lifelong dream of both girls to study in Japan and learn more of the culture. The web-site they'd met on was actually one about Japanese culture. From there, complaints about siblings had made them sympathetic and friendship grew. Mariko was interested in life with nine siblings and Camilla's interest in Kabuki, Japanese drama; Camilla wanted to know more about Mariko's heritage and her lessons in ninjitsu.
"I can't believe it!" Camilla exclaimed, staring in shock at her friend, the papers in her hand coming close to being scattered by the wind as her hands began to loosen their grip on the folder.
"Believe it. We're going to Japan!"
The girls began to dance around the monument celebrating their upcoming journey, earning them angry looks from tourists. Neither girl noticed them though; they were too wrapped up in each other and their excitement. The girls spent the rest of the afternoon together, talking excitedly about Japan and the trip. Their trip to Washington was already half over, and they wanted to make every minute count.
When the time finally came for their vacations to end, there were tears all around as the girls said their good-byes. Hugging Camilla one last time, Mariko whispered a reminder to her friend to get her mother to say "yes" to the trip first and that way she could help convince Leo as well. Mariko already had permission and had submitted her paperwork for housing, but Camilla had the major problem of her father. She knew her mother would help her do the paperwork after she found out about the scholarship Camilla had won, because there would be no issues over money. Aurelia had always encouraged her children to strive for anything and everything they wanted and believed in. Leo Nicostrato, however, felt his children should want to learn about their own heritage first before traveling to learn about another's, and he always complained about the money. While both Leo and Aurelia had well-paying jobs, ten children was enough to strain any family's income, though Leo worried incessantly and sometimes unnecessarily about money.
When the girls finally returned to their respective homes, Camilla to New Orleans and Mariko to New York City, they made it a point of talking daily on their computers, making plans on what they wanted to do and see while in Japan, and generally getting more and more excited. Camilla's father finally gave his permission for her to go abroad when she reminded him for the tenth time that she had received a full ride. They sent the confirmation information back and worked on arranging flight plans with Mariko's family. In the end it was decided that Camilla would fly to NYC and stay overnight with the Takashi family, and then both girls would fly from JFK to Tokyo the following evening.
Days and weeks passed until it was finally July and there was no stopping for either girl. They were about to embark on a journey of a lifetime.
Neither Camilla nor Mariko could sleep that night. In less than thirteen hours, they would be on a plane, going on a trip that they were sure would change their lives. Mariko's mother Ceara was taking the girls to JFK on her way to the theatre the next evening. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
~*~
When the girls got to Tokyo they didn't see anything telling them where to go. Shrugging, they claimed their baggage and headed for the lobby of the airport. As they entered the lobby, they saw a man holding signs saying "Takashi Mariko" and "Nicostrato Camilla." He was standing with a tiny woman and a young boy of around five years old.
"That must be them," Mariko grinned. Camilla nodded. "The Kawayamas."
"Mari, why aren't they smiling?" Camilla asked worriedly as she saw the frowning faces of their host family. Most people that hosted students were happy when they arrived, not angry or annoyed as the Kawayamas appeared to be.
"I don't know. Maybe they didn't see us yet. Well, come on," Mariko said. She hauled her bags towards the signs. The man and woman looked down at the girl in shock as she dropped her bags and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Mariko."
"I'm Camilla," Camilla said, coming up behind her friend and bowing. "We're so pleased to be staying with you, Kawayama-san."
"Yes, thank you very much for allowing us to stay with you," Mariko said, retracting her hand. She bowed. The Kawayamas finally spoke.
"It's a wonderful thing that you study here," Mrs. Kawayama said. She saw Camilla talking to her son and added, "His name is Akira."
"Hello Akira-san." The girls chorused together. The little boy responded with a nod and a shy smile.
"Well, come on, let's go," Mr. Kawayama said. The ride to the Kawayama house was peaceful to the girls whose ears had been ringing from all the noise in the airport terminal. The silence in the car was filled only with a few polite questions from their host parents. When the reached the house Mrs. Kawayama immediately showed the girls to their room and left them to settle in while she went to start dinner.
"This is a nice room," Camilla said. Mariko didn't reply. "Mariko? What do you think? You like it so far?"
"I LOVE Japan, of course. The Kawayamas are nice, I guess," she replied.
"You guess?" Camilla pressed. Mariko shrugged.
"They aren't very enthusiastic. I guess I just expected something different," she said. Camilla smiled. "We won't be here very long anyway."
"Oh yeah. When does your grandmother get back from her trip? In two weeks, right?" Camilla asked. Her friend nodded. Mariko's grandmother, Akemi, lived in Tokyo and the girls would be staying with her. However she was out of town for two weeks and the Kawayamas were their temporary placement. The girls were called a few moments later to help set the table for dinner.
After dinner, the girls talked to Mr. Kawayama in the living room while Akira was put to bed. When his wife came back into the living room, Mr. Kawayama excused himself to talk to his wife, so the girls went to their own room. They changed into their pajamas and went about unpacking more of their things. Mariko wanted a drink and so the two girls tiptoed towards the kitchen. They paused outside the living room to make sure both Kawayamas were in there. They had a feeling they were supposed to stay in their room for the night.
"I know they're a good agency, Amaya," Mr. Kawayama was saying to his wife. "But I refuse to do business with them again if they're going to make such mistakes."
"What mistake was that?" She countered. "We asked specifically for a Japanese girl and we got one. We made no such request for both girls."
Mariko and Camilla looked at each other. The Kawayamas were fighting over them? The girls decided to conveniently eavesdrop as Mariko got her drink.
"I know that, too," Mr. Kawayama scowled. "They should've known to send two Japanese girls though. Or at least ones that look like it!"
"Her mother is half Irish, that's why she looks like that," Amaya said, indignant.
"Don't defend the girl. You thought Camilla-san was the Japanese student at first too."
The girls looked at each other, horrified, and snuck back to their room. They tried to put what they heard out of their minds and went to bed- they started classes tomorrow.
~*~
The girls were seniors at Kita School, the local high school. It was within walking distance of both the Kawayamas' house and Mariko's grandmother's though the houses were in different directions, which was good since public transportation was not provided to school. High school itself was not mandatory in Japan, so Mariko had to pay tuition, however Camilla had her scholarship.
When the girls got to school, they took their shoes off and put on slippers: red ones for Mariko and green for Camilla. Their first class of the day was ironically English. Because they were fluent, they wanted to use the period more as a study hall and practiced their Japanese, but the teacher made them assist her in teaching English since not only were the girls fluent, they knew their grammar very well. After English the girls had computer class. No one had really talked to them yet, but it had been a hectic morning so far. They figured they'd be able to chat during Japanese, which was next. They would be practicing their kanji.
"Gomen, but I can't get this one right, could you help me?" Mariko asked the teacher. She was having a problem with 'peace.' Their teacher demonstrated the proper brush stroke, which Mariko struggled to duplicate. The girl next to her snickered, then glanced at Camilla's paper. Now she laughed out loud. The teacher reprimanded her, then asked Mariko if she was okay. Mariko nodded, "Arigato."
After class, the girls headed for the hallway. It was lunchtime and they had to get their lunches. They ate together in their homeroom classes; there was no cafeteria. Mrs. Kawayama had made them sandwiches and given them each a piece of fruit and bottle of water. The rude girl who sat next to Mariko in Japanese was also in their homeroom and she sat down across from them as the girls were unpacking their lunches. Her friends joined her shortly after.
"Hello," Camilla smiled. "I'm Camilla, and this is Mariko." Camilla indicated her friend, who had just taken a big bite of sandwich. She waved and quickly swallowed.
"Konnichiwa. I am Arisu," the first girl replied. "So, Camilla was it, why are you here?"
"What do you mean?" Mariko asked, wiping her mouth. Arisu ignored her.
"Why did you come to Japan? What's it like in the US?"
"My great-great-grandmother was Japanese. So I've always been interested in the history and culture here," Camilla explained. The girls got into a conversation that Mariko tried to join, but the Japanese girls ignored her. Camilla noticed and tried to include her, but whenever she tried to get Mariko to say something, someone else cut her off or redirected the comment back onto Camilla.
"The boys here are awfully cute," Camilla commented. She was still unsuccessfully trying to incorporate Mariko. Arisu beamed and pointed out her boyfriend, a rather cute boy in their homeroom.
"He's such a great guy," she gushed. "He always puts me first, and he's a real gentleman. He holds the door for me and everything."
"That's nice. He sounds like just the kind of guy I want," Camilla said wistfully. "Only, no offence to you, Arisu-san, but someone with a bit more muscle. The strong but silent type."
"Oh, none taken, I like my Shiro-kun just the way he is." Arisu smiled. "What else do you want? That can't be the only thing you look for in a guy, I hope!"
"She-" Mariko began, but Arisu's friend cut in with, "Yah, tell us more!"
"Well, he'd have to be handsome," Camilla blushed. "A real gentleman, too. I want a man like the old world samurais used to be. Intimidating, but sweet and tender around me. Oh! And he should have impeccable manners. You know anyone like that?"
"Those are some pretty high standards, Camilla-san. Good luck finding a guy like that!" Arisu laughed. "And no, I can't say that I know anyone."
By then lunch was over, and the girls bounded off, saying they'd talk to Camilla later. They had to clean the school now.
"That was weird," Camilla commented to a sullen Mariko. "What's wrong?"
"They wouldn't talk to me because I look like this," she replied.
"What do you mean, Mariko? I mean, I noticed they ignored you but I'm sure that's not the reason!" Camilla said. Mariko shook her head and started down the hall. They'd been assigned different chores. Mariko groaned when she saw Arisu and her friends working near her. She hoped they didn't see her. Camilla might be friends with them now- and why, Mariko couldn't understand- but she wasn't.
"Oh, it's you," Arisu said snidely. Mariko ignored her now. "Hey, look at me when I talk to you."
Mariko turned around slowly. "Do you need anything, or can I finish my work, Arisu-san?" she said, her tone bored. She stressed the 'san' sarcastically.
"Don't talk to me like that. You don't have the right to use that tone of voice with me," Arisu screeched. "What are you, anyway?"
"Japanese," Mariko said, her voice clipped. She was trying not to get very angry and do something very regrettable. "My mother is half Irish, half Japanese. My father is full-blooded Japanese and is descended from a long and noble line. Do you have a problem with that?"
The girls laughed. "No, no problem, Mariko, but really. You do know how silly you look, don't you? Why don't you dye your hair black, at least? Maybe you wouldn't be such an eyesore then!"
"I am not an eyesore, and you should be working. I'm not about to get in trouble because I'm speaking with the likes of you. It's a waste of my time to even associate with someone so close-minded," Mariko huffed and walked away.
They had been so NICE to Camilla. It made Mariko sick to think they didn't mind having an American friend, but not someone who should be Japanese but wasn't entirely.
Everybody was always captivated by the foreign exchange student, no? So Arisu and her friends would want to be friends with Camilla, the "glamorous" American girl, Mariko thought. But they knew that Mariko was only part Japanese, which made her more like one of them than Camilla. They didn't see her as an exchange student. They saw her as someone whose Japanese parent couldn't find love with another Japanese person and resorted to marrying whatever s/he could find, in Mariko's case, an Irishwoman. Quite racist, and rather backwards to Mariko, and she was sure to Camilla once she told her friend.
After they were done cleaning, the girls had their respective activities- ninjitsu for Mariko and dance for Camilla. Mariko took her aggression out in class, earning her praise from their teacher. Even the boys were impressed with the foreigner's skill. Camilla was in awe of the dance and enjoyed her activity period so much she couldn't believe the time went so quickly. She looked forward to school the next day since she liked it that much.
"So, how was your dance class?" Mariko asked as they walked home.
"So, so, so, so, SO much fun. Ninjitsu?" Camilla grinned.
"The same," Mariko laughed. She grew quiet then. "Camilla? Do you remember me telling you about my family? Why we have green eyes?"
"Because you're Irish?" Camilla laughed. Seeing how serious her friend was, she stopped. "No, it's because you're… not quite human." She said the last bit as quietly as she could so only Mariko could here it. When Mariko had first told her about her family's secret she had been sworn to keep silent about it. And she had.
"My mother's a hanyou, a half-demon, right, which makes me part demon as well. We're kitsune, and kitsunes are KNOWN for their red hair and that's why my hair's red and my eyes are green. If my mother wasn't Irish I don't know how we'd cover it up. But the thing is, I don't want to dye my hair or wear contacts to fit in. I shouldn't have to. This is my heritage and I'm proud of it. I'm proud that my gaisobo's kind still exists."
"Mariko, what happened that's got you so upset over this?" Camilla asked, hugging her friend. Mariko told her what Arisu had said to her. Camilla's jaw dropped. "Mari, I'm so sorry! I can't believe I thought I could be friends with them. But I can't. I wont! Not if they are as prejudiced as they are. Not if they're going to treat you like that. It's so wrong! It's horrible that anyone would say that to you! Or to anyone, really."
"Thank you, Camilla," Mariko smiled slightly. "I just wish people could look past what I look like and accept me anyway. That's why I opened up to you online- you didn't care what I looked like; you couldn't see me."
"Don't worry, Mariko. If they're stuck-up enough that they do care, then you wouldn't want to associate with them, anyway!"
By now they had reached the Kawayamas. Mrs. Kawayama asked how their first day had gone. The girls merely yelled "Fine!" and darted to their rooms to change out of their uniforms.
As the days passed, the girls noticed that Mr. Kawayama pretty much ignored them. When he did speak with them he was gruffly polite. Mrs. Kawayama tried to make up for it, but her effort was rather half-hearted. The only person the girls didn't mind living with was five-year-old Akira, though it seemed to them that the child learned more and more how to insult them than to compliment them. Judging from the smiles his father covertly gave him after any given slur, the girls were sure he was not learning them on his own. Luckily there wasn't even a full week left until Akemi arrived to get them. They had already begun packing.
Camilla stopped talking to Arisu and her friends the second day of class, and now she was treated as poorly as Mariko. Mariko was almost beaten up one day, except Camilla heard about it and managed to convince Mariko to walk back to the Kawayamas a different way. She knew that Mariko could've inflicted a lot of damage on her would-be attackers, but she would've been sorely outnumbered and probably hurt fairly badly. Finally, obaasan Akemi would be there to pick them up the next morning, a Saturday. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
Terms you may not know but should for future reference!
Youkai- demon
Obaasan- grandmother/ older senior citizen female
Gaisobo- maternal grandmother (Mariko's family use the Japanese terms for most of their family and her mom's mom is no different.)
Kitsune- fox-demon
Hanyou- half-demon
Authors' Notes: Rowan here! Hope you enjoyed chapter one of Kazuki Ai. The title means "New generation of love," roughly translated. (I LOVE this title, savvy? To borrow Moriko's new favorite word.) It gets more related to Inuyasha in the next chapter, but we needed to get our characters to Japan first! Don't worry, this is no Mary Sue, and I ask that you keep reading to see that. Thanks. Oh! And if this chapter isn't review-worthy, I blame Moriko and will thusly hurt her and take over Sorelle DiAnima myself! ^_^ *bounces away*
~*Moriko watches from her position dangling over an open fire* Help me!~
Did I mention I'm a pyro? ;-)