Chapter 5: Dear Agony
(Emily's POV)
I pressed myself harder. I needed to go further. I had only been out of practice a week. How was my body trying to fail me after only twenty minutes? I didn't stand a chance of making this thought a real thing if my body didn't choose to co-operate. Then you make it! The voice in my head snapped. Push through! I did just that. I focused on the playlist I had playing and ignored the pain in my legs. As if sensing my need, the song 'I Will Not Bow' by Breaking Benjamin began to play.
"Talk about perfect timing." I muttered as I let myself fall into the piece. Just as he sang, I would refuse to bow. I would not break. I would shut the world away. I would survive. I would push through it all until I was on top.
The next couple songs in the playlist just went by. It was when another Breaking Benjamin song titled 'Dear Agony' began to play that I felt my heart skip. Could I handle this piece? At first, I tried to go with it. It was slow & easy to follow. On the other hand, because it was so slow, I couldn't help but focus on the lyrics. You were made to make it hurt. Disappear into the dirt. He was singing putting someone to rest as I had done only days before. I could feel the emotions I had stuffed down then begin to emerge from their cage. No! This cannot happen! I tried my best to shove it down and go back to dancing, but the chorus soon began to play where the singer was pleading for his emotion to let him go, and it only seemed to fuel my own. Agony…. Let go of me! Suffer slowly! I made a promise at that site that I wasn't going to give in. I wasn't going to cry. I would suffer slowly. I would not give in!
I pressed trying to get the song out of my head, I returned to focusing on the pain in my legs hoping to tune out the song before the gate erupted. It was the verse where the singer began to apologize asking if it was the way it had to be that broke the cage letting my agony free. Though I continued to dance, I could feel the tears rolling from my eyes. Leave me alone! God let me go! I'm blue and cold. Black sky will burn! Every line spoke directly to me as I felt my form break & my knees go weak, but I didn't' fall. I kept going.
Love pull me down. Hate lift me up. I loved them. As much as we fought and hated each other I loved them and missed them.
Just turn around. There's nothing left. As I went into a small spin I knew well that I was alone. No one was here. Nothing was left of the life I knew before that day. Even though I wished this was all a dream and I'd have them standing behind me, nothing was there. Nothing would ever be there.
Somewhere far beyond this world, I feel nothing anymore. I felt myself stumble. Once my world stopped spinning, I could feel it. The wanting to feel numb as the agony took me over. The emotions I tried so hard to shove down and pretended didn't exist exploded from within. I wanted to feel nothing, but I had worked so hard to hide it that it all came back in vengeance. My knees gave out underneath me as I cried.
How long would agony stay latched onto me? How long until it buried me alive? How long would this haunt me? How long would I have to pretend that just the thought of knowing my family was gone didn't hurt? I just let it go as the tears I had kept trapped for so long came flowing out. I had been fighting myself for years now. I had fought not just my recent loss, but the pain I had been pretending didn't exist since I was pulled from school. I pretended the days of studying didn't hurt. I pretended not seeing Devan for years didn't hurt. I pretended that the constant arguing and bickering with my mother didn't hurt. I pretended not to be hurt with her insults. I pretended that having my dream denied didn't hurt. I pretended that being in his shadow for all these years didn't hurt.
But God! It hurt! It hurt like Hell!
"I'm so sorry... Devan I'm sorry!" I cried for the one I missed most of all.
With my attention averted, I never saw the door to the room I was in slowly open or the person that stepped through getting a front row seat to the whole display. Nor did I see them stand there for a moment before leaving just as silently as they entered.
(Mokuba's POV)
So maybe she wasn't what I thought. There's no way what I just saw was fake. If she were really here as some weird way to get back at Seto for taking everything from our step-father, she wouldn't be crying like that. Who was Devan? What had happened? I slowly backed away from the door and turned to go back to the side of the house Seto and I were in. Maybe Seto could tell me. I really didn't bother to ask, but now I wanted to know.
Why was Emily Mikoro here?
I came up to my brother's office when I overheard him talking to someone.
"So there is no way out of this then? I'm stuck with her?" I heard Seto ask aggravated.
"Not exactly..." Another voice replied. Were they talking about Emily?
"Well which is it? Can I or can I not get this girl out of my house?" So he was talking about Emily. I waited outside listening. Maybe I'd get the answers I wanted this way instead of bothering Seto about it.
"While you were flying back, I did some looking for any living family."
"Go on.." Seto stated smoothly.
"Her paternal grandparents are still alive and funny enough live in Domino City. They are in the same house they've owned for the past fifty years." The other voice explained.
"So are you telling me that if they made a claim for the girl, I could just hand her to them?"
"If they'd make the claim yes, but I don't think it will be that easy.."
"Why would you say that? It's their granddaughter!" My brother scoffed.
"I stopped by to let them know of her arrival into town, but the moment I mentioned her father, they swore they had no such family. They have this idea that Izuo Mikoro died over twenty years ago. That being said, they refused to acknowledge Emily as his daughter."
"Considering Izuo Mikoro was alive until a week ago, I find that hard to believe. Are you sure you have the right family?"
"Y-Yes sir. I'm positive. All of Izuo's old school documents from when he was in the area had that same address listed as his own. The only thing I can think about is disownment."
"Disownment? Why would they disown him? Izuo Mikoro had just started his own business back then. He was doing well and making a good name for himself." My brother argued.
"His wife sir..." The voice pointed out.
There was silence. Though I didn't quite understand what was going on, I did understand enough to know that Emily's father had died a week ago. But his name was Izuo not Devan. Who was Devan? Had both of them died last week? Is that why she was so upset?
"Not sure why that didn't come to mind." My brother finally spoke up with a sigh.
"It's not an issue this day in age sir. But twenty years ago? A newly successful man like Izuo Mikoro wanting to marry an American woman could have easily been a big deal. His parents are from a generation that probably would have prohibited such a proposal on the spot especially considering they were both from the Hiroshima area."
"Well that only adds insult to injury. If Izuo went against their wishes he was as good as dead to them I'd assume?" My brother asked softly.
"That's all I can think of. It would explain why they wouldn't acknowledge the girl as their own. Not only was her father probably disowned, but Emily is also bi-racial to a nationality her grandparents probably have no good words for."
"Send me what you know. I'll see what I can do with it. " My brother sighed.
"Y-Yes sir! It's on the way." The voice replied just before I heard I heard a dial tone.
Not wanting to get caught, I quietly stepped away and made my way towards my room. From what I did overhear, I could guess that Emily was here because her dad died last week, and somehow our house was the next place for her to go. It would have to do something with the fact that she said our fathers knew each other. Though there was still a lot left unanswered, I would have to wait to get that another day.
(Emily's POV)
I was up just before dawn in order to call into the New York office for any relevant updates prior to their end of the day. I managed to assemble some of the directors and discuss the options we had in terms of relocation seeing I was now in another country. Given the circumstances, I didn't want to put much money or resources into relocating MI, but I wasn't about to let someone else take it over either. As it stood, we would probably open a satellite office here in Japan where I would oversee operations and see any clients who didn't prefer an on-site negotiation.
I put a call into my dance teacher back home and he said he would look into any contacts he had in this area that I could probably see to continue my lessons. I would hopefully have a call back from one of them by the end of the Japanese day. From there, I would hope to get information on the better dance school in the area. If Kaiba was going to 'make' me attend a school that might as well have been a waste of time, I was going to make sure I got something out of it. While I did all that, I was scanning through some sites for local corporate realtors who might be of assistance in my MI debacle. After making several calls on that front, I had a meeting with one scheduled over dinner tonight.
Satisfied with my current progress, I spent the rest of the morning walking around the house taking note of where the important things were. It felt weird walking through the house alone. Both Kaiba boys were gone by the time I finished my calls leaving me with the house staff. Though I got odd looks from most I saw, no one questioned my presence. At one point, I tried to entertain myself with some of the local television programming back in my room. I immediately turned it off after finding their version of GSN and could have sworn the image scared me for life.
Glancing at the clock, I noted it was only one PM local time. I had another four hours until I had the dinner meeting with the realtor, and if Japanese schools were like American ones at least another two hours until at least one of the Kaiba brothers came home. Though chances are it will only be one. A company can't run itself, so Kaiba probably heads there right after class. I thought to myself. More reason that I needed to get this relocation done. I needed something to do. This sitting on my rear unable to do a damn thing seeing everyone at the main office was sleeping was horrid.
"Well, there's always taking a stroll around town." I muttered to myself as I walked over to my bag and grabbed a change of clothes that were more suitable to be out in public with. As I was getting ready to head out the door, my cell rang in my pocket. Taking note of the foreign number, I picked it up before the second ring.
"Mikoro?" I spoke up.
"Emily Mikoro?" The caller questioned.
"That would be me." I replied as made sure I had everything else I needed to leave.
"Good! I'm Tachi Yorimo. Mr. Cross sent me word that you had moved to the area and were possibly looking into finding a local instructor?" The man explained.
"It's not 'possibly'." I shrugged checking myself in the mirror real quick, "It's a definite Mr. Yorimo. I'm looking into that as well as any suggestions as to a school in the area for dancers. I was hoping for something like this country's version of the SAB?"
"Well, Cross sent me some of your recent work. It shouldn't be a problem finding you the right school. It just depends on how far you are willing to travel Ms. Mikoro."
I gave an agitated sigh as I thought through the limited options. "I'd say keep it local if we can, but if there is a better ranked school the next town over don't hesitate. I just need to check what restrictions my... relocation... has put on me."
"Well there is Tachibana Ballet School, but that's all the way in Tokyo. If that is too far, there is Morishita Academy that is in the next town over from Domino. Both are well placed and have a long reputation of feeding into our country's biggest dance companies." He explained.
"And I would assume both have high standards for applicants?" I asked.
"Of course, but like I said Cross sent me some of your recent footage so I don't think that should be a problem."
"And are either taking new applicants seeing we're part-way into the school year?" I clarified.
"Not sure about Tachibana, but I can make calls to Morishita to arrange a formal audition. I happen to know one of the school's directors."
Thinking the choices over, I realized going to and from Tokyo on a daily basis would probably be too taxing considering I now had MI to deal with as well. That and if this man had a personal in on the more local school, it would only increase my chances of success. I knew that now being in Japan would limit my opportunities, but that was something that could be easily overcome with enough work.
"How soon do you think I could get the process started with Morishita? I am somewhat on a timeline and would like to prioritize this task." I questioned.
"I can get the audition pretty quick, but I would suggest working at my studio for about a week before we send you that way. If that's alright with you?" Yorimo suggested.
"A week is cutting it close." I muttered thinking about Kaiba's deadline. He did only say I had to choose my school within the week and apply. I couldn't help it if the application process took more than a week. I sighed thinking it over quickly, "But it will have to work. I'm actually heading into town now to take a look around. You mind if I stop that way?"
"Sure. We can get you set up here. Our first afternoon class is at four if you can make it before then."
"No problem. What is the address?" I asked grabbing a pen from my purse and a piece of paper from the desk in the room.
Once I had the address, we ended the call giving me a moment to think things through again. I could stop by Yorimo's studio first then I could do some poking around town until it was time to meet the realtor for dinner. "Well so much for being bored this afternoon." I muttered grabbing my headphones and walking out the door.
