Disclaimer: Please see Part I for the usual statement
Author's note: To avoid any confusion, in this story, I am referring to the Japanese names in the order they are usually given in that culture: Sir names first, then the given name. Please give me some feedback on how well this part is received.
Memory Ronin
Part IX
By Callisto
Otsu Compound—early Winter 1973
Mie-ken Prefecture, Japan
As the last days of the year wound down, Parker watched the slow changes nature brought to the surrounding landscape of the trails she usually haunted. Observing the changes, she could not forestall the melancholy, which continued to envelop her despite all her efforts to keep it at bay. She had received an abrupt and somewhat distracted phone call from her father. He wished her a merry Christmas and told her that he missed her without much conviction. He left her with a feeling of having been a distraction and an interloper who had become an impediment to his work and even to his life. Regardless, she still missed him terribly, he was her sole remaining parent, the only other person on the planet, she thought, who cared for her and to whom she had a connection. She hid her lonely tears from Mrs. Oishi and to hide her emotions she further immersed and pushed herself in her training almost unreasonably, so Sensei wouldn't sense any changes or her low mood.
Mrs. Oishi saw the girl's depression and was momentarily confused by it until when in conversation with a friend who had American friends visiting was told that the season held a special significance for Westerners. The season was closely tied to the major religion of the region and was a time when their families usually came together to celebrate and exchange gifts.
Realizing her own attachment to the lonely child, Mrs. Oishi wanted to alleviate the sharpness of what she perceived as a form of homesickness and quickly went shopping for gifts for her young friend. With some further instruction, Mrs. Oishi had all the presents wrapped in cheerfully patterned paper and hid them away until the appropriate day. Reading further about the customs of Americans she realized that an important holiday, Thanksgiving, had already passed but Christmas was quickly approaching. After some extensive shopping, Mrs. Oishi had the main ingredients for a feast made especially for her friend.
One day in mid-December, Mrs. Oishi decided to talk Parker out of the black cloud of melancholy that had enveloped her after the cold phone call she received from her father.
"Flower, did your father give you any news of your friends at the Centre?"
"No, I asked him but he wouldn't answer. He turned everything I said around and made it seem like I didn't miss him at all," Parker responded miserably. "He became so angry, I doubt I'll hear from him on my birthday."
Perking up immediately, Mrs. Oishi asked as nonchalantly as possible, "Really? When is you're birthday?"
"January 3rd. You don't have to do anything for me. Daddy usually remembers because his secretary reminds him," Parker said offhandedly, taking note of Mrs. Oishi's sudden interest.
"Who said I planned on doing anything for you, you ungrateful brat? Why should I care for such a child who neglects me and forgets to give me one of her bone-crushing hugs before she goes to bed?" Mrs. Oishi said jokingly, hoping to elicit a smile from her companion.
Parker looked up at first startled and hurt but seeing the amused expression in Mrs. Oishi's eyes coaxed a small smile from Parker's lips which quickly disappeared as she tried to control the wave of emotions that were threatening to break through her weak stoicism. To show her appreciation to her friend, Parker swiftly got up and gently hugged the older woman, who returned the affection strongly by holding the girl until her tears slowly abated.
The morning of Christmas Eve, Mrs. Oishi got up early and taking half the presents she brought, arranged them at Parker's usual place at the table and awaited the teenager's arrival. Soon after Parker breezed in from her morning training, she gracefully took her seat and stared at the wrapped parcels sitting where her plate usually rested. Looking up in anticipation, she stared at Mrs. Oishi who went about her duties as though nothing unusual had occurred. Sensei entered the dining room and solemnly placed a wrapped parcel on top of Mrs. Oishi's presents.
Parker was outdone. She never suspected either adult would care so much about her as to help her observe a holiday which only she celebrated. Turning around, Mrs. Oishi presented Parker with a large mound of buttermilk pancakes, a small bowl of syrup and a glass of milk. Deeply touched, unbidden tears of friendship and love spilled from her eyes. Quickly deciding to thank them both in a manner which they both could accept, Parker bowed deeply, first to her Sensei and then to Mrs. Oishi for their kindness.
"You are welcome but it is no more than I would do for any other member of my family, which is what you have become for me," Mrs. Oishi said. Then in atrociously accented English said haltingly, "Enjoy, Flower and Merry Christmas."
Returning to Japanese she said, "Eat the pancakes before they get cold. I hope they are the kind you like."
"I love them, thank you so much," Parker replied as she slowly picked up her fork. Glancing surreptitiously for any evidence of butter and finding none, she smiled indulgently. Pouring a generous amount of syrup over the pancakes, she enjoyed the meal immensely.
Once she was finished with breakfast and had opened her presents, Sensei informed her that the rest of the day and all of tomorrow were hers to enjoy. He then treated Parker to a rare smile and left the two women alone. This had been the been the best Christmas she had enjoyed since her mother's death and she happily told this to Mrs. Oishi as she handed the woman a wrapped present of her own.
"I suspected that you would do something for my birthday. You both completely surprised me today; it had been my intention to surprise you. It's nothing grand but I hope you like it," Parker said shyly.
Laughing delightedly, Mrs. Oishi carefully unwrapped the present and found a beautiful hairclip studded with semi-precious and mother-of-pearl stones in the shape of multicolored butterfly. Looking at the tastefully expensive present, Mrs. Oishi was in her turn deeply touched. The present showed the extent of her own influence on the girl and that the girl had become as attached to her as she had become to the child.
Several weeks later, Sensei Otsu was walking through the darkened garden. Winter still held an iron grip on the weather but the cold and snow only changed the beauty instead of eliminating it. Breathing the chill air deeply, Sensei released the tensions of the day from his spirit. Parker-san was developing well, she was adapting to his stern training and the progress she was making was almost startling. Between his training and Mrs. Oishi's mentoring, his plans for the child were coming along nicely. Her tutors were also encouraged by her progress and continued to push her further in her academics. Though she was only fourteen years of age, she was already studying college level courses. A low moan caught the Sensei's attention, interrupting his thoughts.
Cutting across the lawn and surreptitiously entering the wooded garden area he had brought his shinai, a bamboo practice sword, with him because he initially intended on practicing when his pensive mood distracted him. The sight which greeted him, deeply shocked than angered him. Sitting on one of the stone benches was Parker-san and what appeared to be the head student from the Saito Academy. The two teens were necking eagerly and the boy's amorous hands were roaming boldly over the girl's body. Holding the shinai up into a ready position to strike, Sensei Otsu said in a loud voice, "Hey, what are you doing there? Let her go at once!"
Both teens separated instantly in shock. Their nighttime tryst had been discovered and both felt the embarrassment of their secret being found out. Parker had discovered what Mrs. Oishi meant by having certain 'needs' once she had started seeing Hideaki Naizen.
A week or two after the tournament she ran into him when she went with Mrs. Oishi into Kyoto for some shopping. His interest in her was sharpened by their shared circumstances at the Saito Academy. Since the tournament he had to practice doubly hard to maintain his position and standing among his fellow students. His thoughts had been often preoccupied by the strange and pretty gaijin or foreign girl who had pounded her opponent almost into dust in silent protest to what her former fellow Otsu student, Eiji, had arranged to be done to him. When he approached her in the shop, she had been surprised to see him and inquired after her former classmates, avoiding the subject of his own defeat. Her sensibilities about his culture intrigued him and he became drawn to her. Soon they began seeing each other and the relationship rapidly took a more romantic turn, to both teens delight. Riding on the train for over an hour to see her added to his anticipation.
Hideaki quickly came to his feet and faced the older man unable to hide his fear. Sensei Otsu had intended on scaring the youth away. He brought the shinai down towards the teen in a manner which was intended to completely avoid striking the boy. Parker, fearing for her new boyfriend's well being, sprang in front of her Sensei and pushed Hideaki backwards and completely out of way of her Sensei's shinai. Sensei belatedly saw that Parker-san was in the way of his sword strike and the shinai bore down on her small, wiry frame. Parker instantly crumpled into a small heap onto the cold, snow-covered ground.
Seeing what he had done, Sensei Otsu, instantly kneeled down and gently turned over Parker's still form. Her face had turned ashen and she was unconscious. To his credit, Hideaki did not run away. Instead he cautiously approached his stricken girlfriend and her Sensei and took one of her hands into his own hoping to see those intense gray eyes open at his touch. Sensei Otsu was devastated, he had never intended on hurting Parker or the boy; she was the daughter he had always wanted. Sensei Otsu quickly regaining his equilibrium gingerly gathered Parker into his arms and started towards the house. He had only taken a few steps when he felt Hideaki begin to follow him.
"You have caused enough trouble for one night. Leave now before I lose my temper again," Sensei said without turning around. He then continued walking with Parker in his arms into the house. Hideaki stood alone in the cold and snow watching as Sensei Otsu carried the first girl to capture his heart into the house.
Jarod's family home
Franconia, NH
Settling back in his chair, Jarod fixed his gaze on the last of the three files he pilfered from the Centre's Biotech facility in Pennsylvania. Just as he suspected, Raines and company had intended on using his sperm to create a child with his abilities. What surprised him was the means they were intending to use in order to reproduce this child. Apparently, Mr. Parker had at least cared for Miss Parker. He had prohibited the harvestation of raw genetic material from his daughter. Raines now wanted to put a fresh wrinkle into the problem of the best way to use her. He had wanted to impregnate Miss Parker with Jarod's sperm and then imprison her until she had the baby. Further efforts would be employed to brainwash her into their way of thinking. The horror of this scenario was the expectance of its failure. They didn't believe they could adequately brainwash Miss Parker, they just thought it was a good idea to try. It seemed the main goal was to emotionally lobotomize Parker so fuller access to her inner sense could be attempted and hopefully make controlling the gift possible. The whole thing made Jarod want to puke. What further worried and horrified him was the parentage of the child Brigitte had carried. The child was never Brigitte's to begin with; she had been used as a human incubator to carry the experimental embryo to term. That experiment had proven to be an unexpected success. Still angry with her attempts to first kill him then seduce him, Mr. Parker knew that carrying a child would be a death sentence for Brigitte.
Jarod wearily rubbed his head; the debasedness of all those involved was revolting. There would never be an easy way to tell Miss Parker about these current discoveries into the corruption and evil of her own father. Now that they had become lovers, Jarod didn't want to do anything to jeopardize their new status. Emotionally, Parker had always been important to him. He enjoyed her company, liked the way her mind worked—especially when she wasn't trying to think up new ways to capture him. He understood the closeness they had quickly developed wasn't an accident; he knew if given a reasonable chance it would eventually happen. Jarod wanted only what was best for Parker and wanted to be figured into the equation if at all possible. He reluctantly decided to wait to tell her what he had discovered.