Susumu wasn't having a typical day. Then again, Susumu hardly ever had a typical day by the standards of most people. It could be the fact that the other students at Eirin were treating him with more awe than before. His fan club had arrived early to set up a meeting that changed the protocol of how the rest of the student body was to act towards him.
The new rules included a change of how to address him and how to approach him. As usual, Susumu was virtually unaware of the ruckus he was causing. He came to school to find everyone in the hall quieting down upon his arrival. He was sure that the news of his sister's identity had spread throughout the school. He didn't really care. At least now, they would stop pestering him about his family.
Most of the students were even more fascinated at the news than before. Susumu was a walking enigma. He came from a family full of talented people. His sister was an international super star. He came up to the hall. People were quickly moving out of his way as if they were welcoming royalty.
This is strange. He thought to himself. He walked around for a bit before asking out loud, "Does anyone know where Ogata Mariko is?"
"Um...she's by her shoe cabinet. Would you like us to go and get her for you?" asked one of the girls.
"No. I can do that myself," said Susumu as he walked off.
Mariko looked up at him with a surprised look. "What's going on?" asked Mariko. "I'm sorry that I couldn't make--"
"Don't talk here. Would you mind coming with me for a moment?" asked Susumu.
"Okay," agreed Mariko. She followed him until they were in the library. Anybody who was there took a one look at Susumu and high tailed it out of there. "Look, I wasn't the one who said anything yesterday. I didn't tell my sisters anything. It was hard to stop them from asking so many questions, but I just locked my room."
"I know. Stupid Nishikado shouted it out loud yesterday," said Susumu with a sigh. "But, I am wondering about something."
"What?"
"Why is everyone acting weirder than usual?"
"Um...I think it was the change of protocol this morning."
"What do you mean 'change of protocol?'"
"The president of your fan club had a meeting that was sponsored by the student council president. They change the protocol regarding how we're all supposed to act towards you."
"Wait...go back. There's a protocol? What protocol? Tell me about it," said Susumu as he pulled a chair out for Mariko to take a seat. Mariko sighed and told him the whole thing. She told him about the original protocol and how the meeting was filled with so many people. She explained the new protocol to him.
At the end, Susumu looked at her for a moment. He rubbed the space between his eyes just at the bridge of his nose. "Susumu, are you okay?" asked Mariko with concerned.
Susumu was laughing softly. "Unbelievable. You rich people are unbelievable. Imagine, going nuts over poor people," he muttered. "Such hypocrites. What shallow people."
Mariko looked at him before blinking. So, that's why he doesn't like it here. There are rich people. He would never like a person like me. She bit her lip before looking out the window. "What's so wrong about rich people? Your sister is worth billions," she said.
"New money, Mariko-chan. New money," said Susumu with a sigh. Mariko froze at his words. He never called her by her first name before. "What's wrong?" he asked when he noticed how she seized up.
"You called me by my name," she said as she looked at him.
"So? We're friends, aren't we?" he asked.
"Um...yes, Makino-san," agreed Mariko.
"You can call me Susumu then," he told her quietly. "Let's go to class. I've been amused enough for the day." He walked her back to class. Mariko was quiet as she walked next to him. She could hear her heartbeat pounding her ears as she looked at him from time to time.
"I'm sorry for making her late," said Susumu to Mariko's homeroom teacher.
"It's all right, Makino-sama," said the teacher very quickly. Susumu looked at him and rolled his eyes before turning around and stalking off. That pretty much described Susumu's day. Everyone kept congratulating his win at the track meet. Many thought of asking him to get an autograph of his sister, but they were afraid to ask. That was not without good reason.
By lunch, Susumu had decided to ditch school. He left to go and hang out at Kin-san's restaurant for the rest of the day. Kin-san was laughing at his plight. "It's not funny, Kin-san," muttered Susumu.
"You shouldn't think that way of them. They're only interested because you don't reveal that much about yourself," said Kin-san.
"Why would I reveal myself to a bunch of morons?" asked Susumu.
"It's not bad to let people get to know you. In the end, it's the number of people who know and understand you, Susumu-kun," said Kin-san.
"Right. So, millions will care if anything really happens to my sister?" asked Susumu with a laugh. "The world is filled with idiots. They don't really know her at all."
Kin-san smiled. He knew how much Susumu really admired his sister, but he was a teenager. He would never admit it to anyone out loud.
Later on, Susumu returned to the school just to meet with Mariko. "I decided to quit my job. I didn't get a chance to show up that often because all the stuff that's been going on ever since my sister came back," he told her after she asked about his job.
"Oh, do you want to come over to my house?" asked Mariko.
"Sure," replied Susumu.
"Maybe, you should call your sister first. She might worry about you," suggested Mariko.
"I don't live with my sister. She went to Okinawa today," said Susumu.
"Wait, you said that your parents were Osaka, do you live alone?" asked Mariko as she stopped for a moment.
"Yes, I live alone. My sister is the one who pays for everything," replied Susumu, unabashed. "You have to show me the way to your house."
"Oh, yeah," said Mariko. She couldn't believe that anyone would live alone in such a large city like Tokyo. She looked at him briefly before walking next to him. The rest of the time they discussed what had happened in school after Susumu left early. The school was up in arms because Susumu had mysteriously disappeared.
"I can't believe that people cared whether or not I was there," said Susumu, annoyed.
They walked into a very wealth looking neighborhood. The houses were huge and expansive, covering so much land. Susumu privately thought it was a waste of space. That was his poor person's common sense speaking up again. He had too much of that like his sister.
"This is my house," said Mariko as she showed him to one of the large houses. "My parents are out for the day, but my sisters should be home. This way."
Susumu nodded. Mariko was wondering what he really was thinking. He really wasn't talking much as he looked around him. "It's a very nice house," he said finally. His compliment was genuine. Mariko smiled for a little bit because she had learned that any praise from Susumu was high praise.
"Mariko-chan, you're home early," said Hikaru as she entered the room. She stopped when she looked at Susumu. "Oh, my God! It's Makino Susumu. What are you doing in our house?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you," he said, using the typical greeting that Japanese people used when they visited others' homes.
"It's all right," said Hikaru. "Don't just stand there, Mariko. Get us something to drink and eat."
Susumu's hands clutched into fists at Hikaru's words. He gritted his teeth to stop himself from saying something rude. It was hard for him to do. He didn't even look at Mariko. He knew that she'd do exactly as her sister had said because she was the youngest and she had no backbone. Susumu immediately regretted paying a visit to the house.
"Yes," said Mariko as she went to the kitchen.
"I'm going to help her," said Susumu quickly. He would rather not talk to Mariko's sister. He took an instant dislike to her.
"You don't have to do that. Mariko-chan is just going to tell the servants to get us something," said Hikaru. "She doesn't mind."
"I insist," said Susumu as he took Mariko by the arm, not knowing where the kitchen was. Hikaru looked at them with surprise as Susumu led Mariko out of the room.
"What's wrong?" asked Mariko in a whisper.
"I came here to visit with you. I see that you've been pushed around all your life," whispered Susumu.
"It's not that really," said Mariko in defense of her sisters.
"Then, what is it?" asked Susumu, forcing her to think about it.
Don't look at me with those intense eyes. How could his sister have the same eyes be so kind? I don't understand Susumu at all. He's kind, but it's buried deep inside. How deep does he go? How deep?
*
Tsukasa arrived at his house. He was having a horribly day. He wondered whether or not to try and call Tsukushi. He still had her phone number to her flat, but he didn't know if he should try. Tsukasa didn't know that she had left for Okinawa.
He thought of what just happened in the office. Hardly anyone would understand how much the thought of people losing their jobs affected him. He knew that his mother was harping on him to get married. Tsukasa wanted the one person in the world to understand him to be his wife.
Tsukasa still didn't really care what the rest of high society thought of him. At this point, many thought he was infatuated with Ringo Arisu. They couldn't blame him. Ringo Arisu was considered to be one of the most sought after women in the world. She was considered more of a siren than a diva. However, they didn't know her the way that Tsukasa did.
He wondered what he could do to improve relations with her. He spent so much time trying to gain her trust. Now, that was all lost. He wanted to rebuild the trust. She told him that he hadn't changed. Tsukasa had grown up a bit since the last time Tsukushi had seen him. It was a different time back when they were in high school.
Tsukushi always wanted to be on equal ground with Tsukasa. He never really understood it. He wanted her to need him. This was the central conflict of their relationship. This was something they had to rise above otherwise they had no future.
Tsukasa was at his office doing some paperwork. He looked out the window. He always wondered what other people did in their houses. Tsukasa's family was spread out all over the world. His father conducted business in London, Paris, and Berlin. Tsukasa's mother did business in New York City. His sister was in Beverly Hills with her family. Tsukasa was alone in Tokyo. He would rather be there than with his mother in New York City.
Tsukasa was only allowed to return to Tokyo because his mother had deemed it safe enough for him. He knew that his mother had considered Tsukushi a threat. Tsukasa really wanted to know what was really going on in Tsukushi's life.
If he knew what was going on, he'd know that there was a threat that was edging over the horizon. A threat that would destroy her world, taking away essential parts of her. The threat was something that Tsukasa couldn't fix once it happened.
*
Hikaru was very annoyed at Susumu. She thought he was very rude for someone who had a sister like Ringo Arisu. Susumu and Mariko had barricaded themselves in the sitting room. Hikaru was forced to figure out what they were talking about, hoping to catch them in the act of something.
"You seem so different from your sister," said Mariko quietly as she looked out the window.
"What do you mean?" asked Susumu as he took a sip of tea.
"I don't know," replied Mariko shyly. After what had happened earlier, she was feeling uncomfortable in his presence. She felt like she was exposed as if he could see all her vulnerable parts.
"My sister isn't like everyone else, Mariko-chan. She's always been different," said Susumu quietly.
Mariko smiled. She could hear the bit of pride in his voice. "You really admire her, don't you?" she asked.
"She's the only person I really respect. I respect her more than my parents. I mean I love my parents more than her, but I still respect her more. My parents are good people. Not very responsible people, but good people," said Susumu.
Mariko couldn't quite understand what Susumu meant. "I love my sisters, but I don't respect them as much as you respect yours," she admitted.
"My sister has always taken care of me, even when we were younger. She'd do things for me, even though she didn't really want to. She never shirked her responsibilities."
"I wish I was more like her," admitted Mariko.
"You can't be. You can only be yourself," said Susumu.
"Who told you that?" asked Mariko.
"My sister."
The sound of footsteps approaching. Mariko seized up, thinking that it was her sisters. Instead, a tall man with salt and pepper hair opened door. Susumu immediately noticed that the man had Mariko's cheekbones and eyes. He stood up and greeted him, "I am sorry to disturb your home, Ogata-san." Susumu gave a formal, low bow.
"Ah, you must me Makino-san. Welcome to our home," said the man with a smile. This man was a member of the Diet. "I didn't know you brought a guest home, Mariko-chan. This is unexpected."
"Otousan, I did not know you would be home so soon," said Mariko nervously, going into very formal speech.
"It's quite all right. I really wanted to meet this young man. I have heard many great things about you," said Ogata-san.
"Most are exaggerated, Ogata-san."
"You are very humble indeed. I also heard that your sister is an international star."
"Yes, she is."
"Very impressive," said Ogata-san with a smile.
Susumu knew what was going on. He knew that Mariko's father was judging him based on his accomplishments, but he also mentioned Susumu's sister. It was a way of judging Susumu's family background. Susumu wanted to smile to himself because most people assumed that the rest of his family was just as accomplished as his sister, but he didn't say anything.
Susumu ended up staying for dinner and meeting the rest of the Ogata family. It was a very formal dinner. It was something that Susumu wasn't used to, but tolerated. Most people thought that Susumu came from an upper class family with good bloodlines. He knew that most rich people were superficial. His sister used to say it all the time, but he never believed it before.
Susumu lived alone in Tokyo in a wonderful penthouse apartment. He had a maid that came in every week to stock the kitchen, clean the apartment, and do his laundry. He knew how to cook because of Kin-san, but sometimes Yuki dropped by with food for him. The neighbors thought that he was an heir to some large fortune. That was true. Susumu was Tsukushi's heir according to her will. Most people didn't know that, even Susumu.
"Good night, Makino-san. Are you sure you do not want a ride back?" asked Mariko's father.
"It is fine, Ogata-san. Thank you for you hospitality. It was a pleasure to meet you all," said Susumu at the close of the evening. Mariko's parents were very impressed with him. She spent most of the dinner not talking, but she did notice that Susumu didn't really give away much information.
Susumu was walking outside. The cool air felt good after being around so many stuffy people for so long. He looked around and notice the grand estates. Part of him wondered what was going on behind the closed door.
"What are you doing here?" asked a voice that sounded almost familiar. Susumu looked up and saw who it was. It was Hanazawa Rui.
"Excuse me?" asked Susumu. "I can walk wherever I wish."
Rui gave him a slight smile. "I see." He recognized Tsukushi's weed power in her brother. "Did you know that was Doumyouji Tsukasa's house."
"Is that so?" asked Susumu as he looked at the large house. Rui nodded. "Then, I may have some business with him." Susumu wasn't sure what was coming over him, but he felt a need to do something. He was sick and tired of rich people getting away with things and judging others like gods. In his opinion, Doumyouji Tsukasa was the worst of them.
Rui walked with him, but noticed how tense Susumu was. Rui wondered what was on his mind. The boy was hard to read, much harder to read than Tsukushi. Susumu stopped at the door and knocked on it.
A maid opened the door. "Hello? Oh, Master Hanazawa, would you like to come in?" she asked. "And may I ask who you are?"
"My name is Makino Susumu," replied Susumu.
"Oh! Are you related to Makino-sama?" asked the maid, using the highest honorific. She was one of the maids who remember Tsukushi. Many of the staff at the house adored her. There was a time where they had hoped that she would have become their mistress.
"Yes. I would like to speak to your boss," replied Susumu. Rui was slightly concerned. He wondered what he was going to say, remembering how Tsukasa had grabbed him at the cafe before.
"Yes. I will go and inform him, Makino-san," said the maid. "Please wait in the foyer."
"I would rather not," said Susumu calmly, but Rui could tell there was something brewing.
"What's going on?" asked Rui as soon as the maid went to fetch Tsukasa.
"There is something I need to discuss with him. Something I should have said earlier," said Susumu quietly. Tsukasa came up to them in a hurry.
"It's good to see you," said Tsukasa to him. "Why don't you come inside?"
"I would rather not accept any of your false hospitality," said Susumu, dropping his calm facade for a colder one. He locked his brown eyes into Tsukasa's, starling him.
"What's wrong? Where's your sister?" asked Tsukasa, getting angry. He didn't like how Susumu was addressing him.
"None of your business. There is something I would like to tell you. A little story," said Susumu without removing his penetrating gaze. "Long ago, there was an emperor. A ruler who could have anything his heart desired. One day, there was a nightingale that came to him. It sang the sweetest song the emperor had ever heard. However, the nightingale was a creature that yearned for its freedom. The emperor would not let it leave. Eventually it die because it was imprisoned by the emperor."
Susumu's tone was low. Rui watched with amazement as Susumu held Tsukasa's attention. "I never did anything before for her. I was not strong enough. Now, I am. I will not let you hurt my sister. Not again. If you wish to harm her, you'll have to go through me," said Susumu.
Tsukasa was the first to break his gaze. "I would never hurt your sister," said Tsukasa.
"Really? I remember before about more than five years ago. She came home one day. She was a mess. Her uniform was ripped. There was blood on her collar. She claimed she had fallen, but my mother knew better. She started crying. Don't tell me you didn't have anything to do with that," said Susumu.
Tsukasa froze. He remembered that incident. It was back when he was still trying to figure out his feelings for her. He almost did something to her, but he stopped. He stopped because of her tears. "My sister was never the same after you came into her life. If you really love her, then you'd understand. But, you don't know her at all."
"I love her. You have to believe me," admitted Tsukasa.
"I don't believe you. Someone like you is incapable of thinking of others," said Susumu. "I remembered another thing. The company that my father had worked for years in as a salary man was bought out by the Doumyouji Corporation. He lost his job. That's what caused all that moving that nearly broke our family apart. But, our family was broken apart anyway because of you."
Tsukasa couldn't believe that Tsukushi's little brother, the boy he thought was such a nice boy before, was capable of being so cold. "I doubt that your sister would approve of you fighting her battles for her," said Tsukasa.
"Perhaps, but then again we are Makino. My sister is far too kind towards you," said Susumu. "That's really all I have to say. Good evening to you, Hanazawa-san." He nodded before walking off.
As soon as he was gone Rui said, "That was interesting."
"Yes. It is. I didn't expect him to get that strong. He used to really like me before," said Tsukasa thoughtfully. Another thought came to his head. Susumu liked him before because he was the one who was capable of protecting and taking care of his sister.
Rui walked with him inside. "It's really us against them, isn't it?" asked Rui out loud.
Tsukasa shook his head. "No, we're on the same side. He and I have the same goal. He just doesn't trust me. Just like his sister. He's a lot like her."
"Yes. What just happened wasn't just interesting. It was a demonstration of power," agreed Rui. "But, I would have thought you would have beaten him up."
"He looks like he could stand his own now. Besides, he reminds me of me," admitted Tsukasa, realizing for the first time what made Susumu's gaze so potent for him.
It was like starting into Tsukushi's eyes and being judged by them.
AN: Will the men in Tsukushi's life ever come to an understanding? Susumu is delightfully complex, isn't he though? He tends to see things very black and white with very little gray in between. He outright hates Tsukasa. Susumu is definitely very strong like his sister. Later on, he plays an essential role in the climax of the story. So, this is just a really good set up for him. Anyway, the next part will be about the Nishikado brothers, Yuki, and Takeo. This maybe in two parts.
Tsukasa doesn't beat the crap out of Susumu, but he has his reasons. At first, he was extremely eager to regain his relationship with Tsukushi, but he's now switching strategies. For more info go to: http://ayane.blurty.com.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hana Yori Dango. The Emperor and the Nightingale belongs to Hans Christian Anderson. I own this story. ^^