The Japanese Politician's Woman

Tuesday

"SHHH! Inouye-san, is this true, are you calling off the wedding for Imaruru-san's daughter? Are you having an affair with her?"

"What about the rumors that you are doing this to further your political career?"

"Excuse me." Kenta said quietly, hushing the crowd immediately, "I will respond to your questions, first of all, I did not call off the wedding, it was Kyoru-san, as for the reason, I can only imagine it to be rage. I did not have any, I repeat, any relations with Ms. Hino, I was not in contact with her at all. As for your second question, I will respond by telling you the truth, I am resigning, from the party and from politics, how you interpret this I do not know, but I can only tell you that it proves one thing, this is not for my career. Imaruru-san, my mentor, will receive my resignation letter this afternoon, so, I must take my leave and write this letter."

He took one long look at them, waved and turned to leave ignoring the questions that were being asked. As he walked into the sunshine, he looked the victor, the hero, the reporters sighed as they thought 'how romantic', that a politician with such a bright future would leave it all, for love.

10:00am

The door slid open revealing Rei, changed into her Shinto clothing, sitting quietly, expectant of an entrant, although not quite the one who was standing there. She nodded her head, and he entered without making a sound.

"You kissed him."

"I know that Yuuchuiro, I wanted to."

"He's engaged."

"He wasn't, not anymore."

"Why?"

"Because… I've loved him since I had my senses."

"Why not me?"

"I don't know, you're kind, so patient to me when… I know I haven't been easy to live with, I know that, but you were always there for me. I don't know why, love is… it's so undefinable."

"I've loved you since the first time I saw you. That's why I stayed, you know."

"Yuuchuiro, I see you as an older brother, nothing more, I'm sorry you thought that way about me. I never knew, and if I did…" she bowed her head, "I'm so sorry."

"I see."

"Don't give up, she'll be very lucky."

"I wish you the best of luck Rei-chan."

"Thank you."

Yuuchuiro got onto his feet and bowed, Rei returned his bow but would not meet his gaze… she was ashamed of what had just occurred, and she was seriously wondering whether she had made the right choices.

10:50am

"Rei?"

"Ojii-san, I disappointed you."

"On the contrary, I am very proud of you. You have changed a man's life for the better, how can I be disappointed?"

"I am making the same mistake as kaasan, I am thinking that I can change a man's life by love, but in the end, I'll end up like kaasan, burnt…"

"But you flourish under fire, child, you are a flame yourself, and Inouye-san has the affinity for fire, he feeds the fire, and the fire protects him."

"Then we will both get burnt."

"No, you can handle the fire, I've taught you tend to it ever since you were a child."

"Are we still talking about the fire ojii-san?"

"Does it matter? Rei, the life of a Shinto isn't always a life of solitude, we are here to give people hope, some peace in the busy city, and most important, to lead lost sheep back home, and bring them in tune with the tranquillity that life was meant to be. It might seem like a small deed, but both your mother and you set out to bring back one sheep, and where your mother might have failed, I believe that you will succeed."

"Why so much faith in me?"

"Because at least you chose someone who can speak of his feelings, and because he has a passion that he has forgotten, your father had love but no passion - at least you have something more to work with."

"Was otou-san ever truly in love with kaasan?"

"Of course he was, my daughter would have never married for anything less. But she wasn't like you, she was never as alive, as vibrant as you are, and he never spoke of love, he was never head over heels… he was too rational, and she let him have his way. They knew they were in love, rather than acting like they were in love, maybe that's why you doubt it." Grandpa took both of her hands in his in a paternal way, and stroked the back of her hands with his thumbs, "but you, you will want to act like you are in love, and he has to do a lot more to earn your heart than to have him know that he is in love."

"He's going to lose everything ojii-san, everything that he worked for."

"Not if you have anything to do with it." He smiled at his granddaughter's worried gaze, knowing full well that her strong temper might save the young man's career.

"I don't want to beg otou-san."

"He's not a bad man, I never liked him, but not because he was a bad man, I disliked him because his priorities were wrong and he never knew it, and he still doesn't know it. I dislike him because no matter how I try to warn him, he'll laugh it off as an uneducated old man trying to tell an educated man what to do with his life, but I don't hate him enough to want him to regret. No matter how askew his view on life is, no matter how strange his priorities are, deep inside him are morals, morals that no one can change, and those morals are good morals, and that makes him a good man."

"But he has to wake up and start smelling the roses."

"And like I said, you might succeed where you mother did not. Rei, you want a man to love you with all his body, soul and mind, you want him to want you so much that if you did not exist, he would not… Rei, don't expect any less and they will give it to you, both Inouye, and your father. Demand to be heard, and demand to be listened to - you will bring these lost sheep home, somehow, I know you will find a way."

Rei's eyes suddenly became ablaze with animation, she turned her hands around and held her grandpa's hands in her own, squeezing them gently, bowing, she touched her forehead to the ground, "arigato ojii-san, I know what I have to do now."