By : Naki
Chapter Three
As Mitsuko rose to answer the phone in the kitchen, Jiro was left alone on the couch. He stretched out on his back and a rare smile graced his face. This feeling...he couldn't explain it but it made him feel so good inside. The door that led into the hallway creaked open slowly and Masaru cautiously sidled in. He watched Jiro from the corners of his eyes as he made his way over to the chair across from the couch.
Jiro sat up as Masaru sat down. Jiro shifted uneasily. Why is he glaring at me?
Masaru wasn't sure what to think. He had just walked in and caught the two of them kissing. If it had been any other guy, Masaru would have been insanely jealous. But this was Jiro...maybe if Jiro liked his sister enough he wouldn't leave no matter what.
Masaru smiled at Jiro, catching the android by surprise. "Don't look so worried, Jiro-niichan. I'll make sure to knock on the door next time."
Jiro seemed to understand that being in a situation like the one he and Mitsuko were just in was considered inappropriate for those of Masaru's age. He relaxed a bit and it showed on his face.
"Hold on," Masaru's face was about as serious as he could get it. "I'm not through with you yet, buster."
Buster?
"About my sister," the boy went on, not skipping a beat, "you'd better be good to her. Do you love her?"
Jiro looked to the floor and then back up to Masaru. "I'm not sure I truly understand what all love is but being with Mitsuko makes me feel good inside."
Masaru smiled. He liked where this was going. Oh yeah.
Jiro continued with his usual curious questions and the look to match. "What makes you feel good inside, Masaru?"
The boy looked thoughtful. "Mmm..." he said after a moment. "I think it would have to be...chocolate ice cream!"
Up popped the eyebrow and Masaru could practically hear the gears turning in Jiro's head. "Chocolate ice cream?"
Jiro fell silent as he tried to find a way to relate Mitsuko to chocolate ice cream. He failed miserably. Well, as they say, to each his own... He told himself to ask Mitsuko about it later.
Speaking of which she walked into the room looking, in so many words, displeased. Masaru knew this look all too well and knew to avoid his sister when she was in this particular mood. Not asking about the caller, Masaru slid off the chair and hightailed it to his bedroom.
Mitsuko sat down next to Jiro heavily. He knew right off that she was in a foul mood. He cautiously slipped his arm around her shoulders. Despite her mood, Mitsuko found herself leaning against him.
"Who was on the phone?" Darn it! I just had to say something, didn't I?
Her response was one word, spoken tersely. "Tou-san."
"Is that a bad thing?" Can't I keep my mouth quiet for once? She doesn't seem like she wants to talk!
"No," Mitsuko answered, glad to be talking to someone. Someone she knew would listen. "I was glad he called, but...he said it would still be about another week until he can come home. He was invited to speak at some robotics convention on the other side of the country." She looked at him. "Are you planning on staying?"
Jiro could hear the hope in her voice. "As long as your father doesn't try to destroy me again."
"So, does this mean you are enjoying life now?"
"If you can call what I have a 'life.'"
"Fine. Existence. Answer my question."
"So demanding." Jiro said this without the right..."kick" to his voice to make it sound, in a way, sarcastically whiny, but it was still out of character for him. Seeing the questioning amused expression on Mitsuko's face, he checked himself. I'm doing it again. It seems like Ichiro is coming back to haunt me. He smiled at her. "With you around, I can enjoy anything."
Mitsuko's amused look turned to one of skepticism. "Right. No one devotes their entire life...sorry, existence, to one person's presence."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Mitsuko paused, searching for the right way to say it, "well, what I'm trying to say is, I want you to enjoy what you have and what is given to you even if I'm not there with you. Because let's face it, I'm not going to be around forever."
Now Jiro looked frightened. He was absolutely terrified, and as this showed on his face, it scared Mitsuko.
"What do you mean you're not going to be here? Are you leaving me?"
Mitsuko mentally slapped herself. This was such a sensitive subject she should have prepared him for it. But there she went and said it without warning.
"What I mean is...is that eventually, in like sixty years or so, if I'm lucky, my body will wear out and I'll die. It's a simple fact of nature."
"Will I die too?"
Mitsuko paused. Well...oh shoot. How on earth am I going to answer that one? She decided to go for it. "Not in the way I was referring to. My body is...organic, biodegradable...and yours is metal. I'm sure yours will eventually give out because all," she didn't want to use the word machine because of all the bad connotations it had with Jiro, "man made things do. But I doubt it will be when I die. I'd bet you will outlive both Masaru and me by a few generations or so."
"You sound so...comfortable with it." Mitsuko noted the slight disgust riding on his voice.
Mitsuko reached up and ran her fingers through his wild black hair. "That's because I've accepted it, Jiro. Whether it be by illness, injury, or old age, I know that some day I will die."
Jiro shook his head violently and grabbed Mitsuko's hands with his own. "I don't like that."
"Who said I did? Just because I've accepted it doesn't mean I have to like it. I don't. It's just one of those things that's going to happen and no one can stop it. Like aging. I will grow old and my appearance will change with age. Not everyone is timeless like you are, Jiro."
By the look on Jiro's face Mitsuko could tell he was angry. Angry at what she didn't know. He rose from the couch and left the room. Mitsuko had an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. She had this feeling he was going to something rash. Or at least attempt to.
Mitsuko jumped as the phone rang again. Wandering into the kitchen she answered it.
"Hello?" She asked, attempting to sound cheerful.
"Is Masaru there?" A friend from school no doubt.
"Yes, just a moment." Mitsuko placed the receiver down on the counter and went into the hallway. "Masaru!" She called from the foot of the stairs. A door opened upstairs with a creak.
"Yes?"
"There's someone on the phone for you."
The door closed and Masaru came to the head of the stairs. "Who is it?"
Mitsuko shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't get a name."
Masaru ran down the stairs and into the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hey."
"Dude, was that your mom who answered the phone?"
"Hey Ryo. No, that was my sister. My mom's dead."
"Whoa. That sucks."
"You're telling me. But now it's no big deal."
Mitsuko stood outside the kitchen smiling to herself. She heard Masaru go on about his awesome "big brother" Jiro, and how he conveniently left out that Jiro wasn't exactly human. Oh well. There were just some things better left unexplained.
Jingle, jingle, jingle...ah, the cat was coming down the stairs. According to the veterinarian, Shadow was still considered a kitten because he was still under a year old. Mitsuko bent down and picked him up. Shadow meowed. Mitsuko stroked his back and remembered when they first got him. It was barely into the new school year at Masaru's first school and a girl in his class told him that her cat had kittens. Masaru came home practically begging to get one. How could Mitsuko refuse? Their father was still recuperating so Mitsuko was still in charge of the household.
Shadow was not only the runt of the litter, but the only one that as different in color. The mother cat was a gray tabby and so all the kittens were gray tabbies. All except Shadow. The odd-ball black and white kitten.
As soon as Shadow was old enough to go home with them, he took to Masaru. He would follow Masaru around the house, but he couldn't get up the stairs by himself. Poor Shadow would just sit at the foot of the stairs and cry until Masaru came back and carried him up. What a pair.
Mitsuko let the cat down at his food bowl to eat and went to look for Jiro. She found him sitting on the back porch, staring out into the expanse of trees. She knew he knew she was standing behind him, but she didn't know why he hadn't acknowledged her yet.
She sat down next to him. After several failed attempts to get him to respond to her, Mitsuko got an idea. She stood and crouched in front of him, hands on her hips and a mock serious grin on her face.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
This startled Jiro and he came to life. "Uh...no...I mean, I don't think so. What do you mean?"
"It's an old saying when someone's being too quiet and unresponsive. I want to know what's on your mind."
Jiro gave her a small smile, one so very reminiscent of a year ago. A smile that tried to hide his perpetual sense of sadness.
"Mitsuko..." he began. "I realize that what you said about death is truth, because I know you and you wouldn't lie about something like that. I have this feeling that something is going to happen, and I don't want you to get hurt. I want to enjoy the time I have with you."
"What?" she asked, thinking he wanted something.
"I was just looking at you," Jiro answered. He paused and what came out next just slipped out without conscious thought. "Is that a crime?"
Mitsuko stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, and then began to giggle. Jiro hung his head when he realized he'd slipped up and began to unconsciously act like Ichiro again. Part of him wished he'd been around Rei more. Perhaps being quiet is better. He started to rise, but Mitsuko jumped up and pushed on his shoulders, forcing him back onto his backside with such strength that surprised even her.
"I don't think so," Mitsuko said, leaning over him. "You're going to tell me where in the world you picked up that smart alec personality trait."
Jiro turned his face away from her. "I'd rather not."
Mitsuko plopped down on his lap. This surprised him and he involuntarily looked back at her. He saw her determined expression and gave in. "Okay. Look, he was a friend of mine. He was incredibly headstrong and had a big problem with authority."
"So, he just rubbed off on you?"
"Yeah..." he said after a moment. "If that means he affected my personality."
"Yes, it does," Mitsuko said. "Jiro, I don't mean to pressure you, but you disappeared for a year and never got a hold of us. It's natural that I'm curious about where you went, the people you met. But if you're uncomfortable with telling me anything, just say something and I'll understand."
Jiro smiled at the young woman sitting innocently on his lap. "I love you, Mitsuko."
She gave him a small, comforting smile as she leaned in close and rested her forehead against his. "Ditto."
"Ditto?"
"It means the same thing?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like if you said, 'I'm hungry,' and I was too, I could say, 'Ditto.' It would mean, 'I'm hungry too.' Do you understand?"
Jiro thought for a moment. "So you love me too?"
She nodded. "Yep. You hit the nail on the head."
"I take it I got it right?"
Mitsuko smiled. "Yeah, that's what that means. Exactly right."
Out of the blue, thunder rumbled loudly and caught Mitsuko off-guard. She screeched and got as close to Jiro as she could get.
"Are you okay?" Jiro asked.
"It's going to rain," Mitsuko gasped out.
"I know. It's been overcast for a while now," Jiro commented. "I guess you want to go inside now?"
Mitsuko nodded and climbed off his lap. The sky practically fell out just as they stepped inside.
Masaru appeared in front of them. "Ah man! I heard the thunder, but I didn't think it would actually start raining again!"
Mitsuko reached out and ruffled her little brother's hair. "Who was on the phone?"
"It was Ryo. He's my best friend from school," Masaru replied as he straightened his hair.
"Masaru, why don't you go get the project you were working on?" Mitsuko suggested.
Masaru smiled and ran up the stairs.
Jiro looked at Mitsuko. "What project?"
Mitsuko took him by the hand and led him to the living room. "He has a surprise for you." She went over to one of the windows and pulled open the brown curtains. Rain fell in torrents outside. "Oh, I almost forgot..."
"What?" Jiro asked, coming up behind her.
Mitsuko turned from the window to look at him. "The ceiling in tou-san's study sometimes leaks when it rains hard. We haven't had the chance to get it fixed."
Masaru came running into the living room. He was carrying Jiro's broken guitar. Where he previously had it taped it was now super-glued. He had a big smile on his face as he held it out to Jiro.
"I fixed it for you," Masaru said as Jiro carefully took it from him, "since that mean Saburo broke it."
Jiro sat down on the couch and gently strummed the strings. The fact that it had been shattered and glued together aside, the guitar was amazingly on pitch. Jiro played a scale and marveled at the instrument. He had forgotten how much he missed it.
Mitsuko smiled at Jiro as he began to play. Masaru had climbed onto the couch next to Jiro.
He kept playing as a knock sounded at the front door. Mitsuko left the room and walked down the hall to the entrance foyer. She opened the door and was met by a tall, dark haired young man. In a quiet, deep voice he asked, "Is Jiro here?"