I know, it's fast! I'm inspired to write, so who knows when the next one will be… hopefully soon! I'd like to thank anyone who helped with the Chinese and Japanese aspects of this, particularly "Jimu," Kevin, and Phil. And I hope you guys all like the new characters… you'll meet a lot more soon! Whee, I love OCs XD And kudos to those of you who guessed right about Azami's parentage…as if it weren't obvious!
- SporkGoddess
Doshite Ja Nai
Chapter 5: Imouto
Suddenly, Daren opened the door and came inside. He looked exhausted. "I'm just in here to use the bathroom. Dad's not too happy about it. He said it's a weakness to succumb to your body so easily. But I can't help it... oh no,"
"I'm sorry sweetie, Sanae's in the shower."
Daren's face fell. "Are you kidding me?"
"She'll be out soon," Rain tried to tell him. But Daren wasn't listening. He was too busy kicking the door, out of which was emanating loud singing.
"Sanae! Get your butt out of there!" The boy yelled.
His response was more singing.
"SANAE!"
"Kiss me gooooodbye, I'm defyyyyying gravity!"
"MOOOOM!"
Rain rolled her eyes, wiped her hands on her apron, and knocked on the door. "Sanae, can you let your brother in to use the bathroom?"
"I'm almost done, I promise!"
Not too long after, though it seemed like hours to Daren, the door opened and with a cloud of mist his older sister appeared. Daren ran into the bathroom, and Rain shook her head.
"Sanae, I wish you'd be a little nicer."
"Is it my fault he's stupid enough to train for seven hours straight?" Unlike her siblings, Sanae was the only one to have successfully resisted her father's rigorous program. She learned only what she wanted to; after basic self-defense she had refused to learn anymore and eventually he'd given up on her.
"Don't insult your brother like that. Some of us are better at different things, that's all." Rain never quite knew after whom her youngest daughter took. Like her mother, she loved reading and did very well in school. She planned on following in Rain's footsteps and becoming a doctor. But she was stubborn and outspoken, like her father.
Sanae was about to respond, when the phone rang. She answered it.
"Jun's Rice Balls. If they're circular and edible, we've got 'em!"
"Sanae!" Rain rushed over and grabbed the phone. "I'm terribly sorry about that... "
"Rain? Do you know Mandarin? I don't know if you want people to hear what I'm about to say."
"Cecil!" Rain gasped, lapsing into Mandarin. She knew the language adequately, from her days in the Gundam Fight.
Meanwhile, Sanae stared at her mother who was speaking in a dialect she didn't even know her mother knew. Of course, it made sense, now that she thought about it. Her parents had been in the Gundam Fight, she knew, though they hated talking about it. Once a year, though, they met with others who had been in the tournament with them. It hadn't happened yet this year, though. Sanae wondered why.
The timer went off, making her jump but Rain was too engrossed in her conversation to notice, so Sanae rushed over to turn off the stove. After doing so, she sneaked a peek at her mother, and saw that she looked as if someone had told her a colony was falling. She hoped that the news wasn't bad. Finally Rain hung up the phone, and barely after she'd done so Domon and Daren stepped inside.
"Is lunch done yet?" Sanae's father asked.
"Lunch... oh! I forgot to turn the stove off!" Rain looked alarmed, but relief flickered over her features when she saw that Sanae by the stove. "Oh, thank you, Sanae."
"What was that abou..." Sanae began to ask, but Daren cut her off.
"Mom! Dad taught me such neat stuff!" Domon had barely broken a sweat, but Daren was soaked. Rain laughed.
"Why don't you go get cleaned up before you sit down, you two?"
Sanae made a face at her brother. "Yeah, you're gross." Her mother gave her a warning look.
Daren and his father complied and after making sure they were out of earshot, Rain turned to Sanae.
"Do you remember your sister?"
Azami and Sanae were only a little over a year apart, but as different as night and day. And it wasn't just Sanae that Azami was different from, it was the entire family. Well, actually, she was nearly a carbon copy of their father, but they had completely different ideals and fought almost every other minute.
For reasons that Sanae could not entirely understand, her sister loved the Japanese culture. She insisted on speaking Japanese at home. She hated whenever Sanae, who loved Chinese fabrics, bought a Chinese jacket or a cheongsam. Unfortunately, their father hated Neo Japan. Rain tried her best to raise her children with an awareness of their culture. They owned kimonos, knew the language, and customs. They celebrated White Day and Golden Week. Azami's love of a nation that her father hated caused Azami to leave home when she was sixteen years old, Sanae fifteen, and and Daren nine. It wasn't a secret to anyone in the family, but it was rarely discussed. Domon was still mad at her, and had pretty much disowned her. So it was like Azami had never existed.
But Sanae remembered her. In her haste to leave Azami had forgotten a lacquered Japanese comb that her mother had given her at a young age and she had worn on special occasions. Sanae had kept the comb, but didn't wear it herself. There were many Japanese superstitions involving combs. Accidentally breaking a comb or a tooth was considered bad luck and if given as a gift hardship might afflict the recipient. To pick up someone else's comb, meant that you could be visited by their suffering.
Not that Sanae believed in that silly superstition, mind you. She only kept it hidden because her sister made her so mad. Stupid girl, she thought, even Daren had more brains than Azami. Daren didn't remember his oldest sister, and often when out of earshot of Domon would ask Sanae about her. He seemed to view her as a sort of idol, since Azami had been an excellent martial artist. Sanae hoped that he wouldn't follow in Azami's footsteps. Was she the only kid in the family with some common sense? She hadn't cried when her sister left. She had thought that it was inevitable, and was glad that Azami was imposing her ideals on someone other than her family.
But now, they had found Azami through an old friend of her parents. She was in Neo Hong Kong, and a member of Doshite Ja Nai. Sanae didn't know much about the organization, other than the meaning of their name, but her mother explained that their goal was to bring back the Gundam Fight and get Neo Japan's rights back. It sounded perfect for Azami. She wasn't terribly surprised. But she was surprised by what her mother told her.
"Sanae," Rain said, "I want you to go see her."
"What?"
"You were the closest to her."
"No one was close to her!"
"Please, Sanae. Just try. It will be easy for you to get to the colony, in fact, you can stay with Sai Sici's family. Do you remember him? He's known you ever since you were a little girl. It's summer, so you won't miss school."
"He's one of the council members, isn't he..."
"He's an old friend of ours," her mother said. "But you can't tell your father or your brother where you're really going. Okay?"
"Why so secretive?"
Rain looked down at the ground. "Your father hasn't forgiven her yet. And your brother worships her. He might try to go with. I can trust that you won't get suckered in by the DJN."
"What makes you think she'll come back?"
"She won't, I'm sure. But I want to know how she's doing. Surely she won't reject a visit from her little sister."
Sure she will, Sanae thought grudgingly. But she knew that this was important to her mother.
"Fine."
Rain smiled. "I'll get you a ticket to the colony. If your sister leaves the colony, or if you as soon as school resumes, come home."
"Okay. Do I need an alias?" She said this jokingly, but in reality she was thinking "What the hell did I just agree to?"
cheongsam (aka qi pao) is a beautiful 20th century Chinese dress, the kind with slits up the sides and the Mandarin-style collar