Sunday afternoon, August 7th – Hisamitsu Estate
Shinako was enjoying an afternoon tea in the garden with Obāsama and Maya. This was a test for Maya, as proper tea etiquette was still important in certain circles. Those circles were places Maya would likely be treading as the future matriarch of the Hisamitsu clan. So, she was doing her best with the lessons from these two women.
However, the test was not only for Maya. The new maids were tasked with serving the ladies while the more experienced maids watched their juniors' every moves. In a situation such as this, their goal was to be attentive without being obtrusive. In fact, it would be a significant accomplishment if future tea guests never remembered the maids being there at all.
As the exercise was coming to a close, Shinako felt the device in her pocket vibrate and she knew it was time to wrap this up. The next event was about to begin and, unbeknownst to Maya, it would be far more important than the tea party.
"Obāsama, Maya-sama, forgive me for this interruption but it is time to receive some guests."
Oh who is coming over? Was what Maya was about to blurt out, but the way Shinako had referred to her as 'Maya-sama' was a clue that her evaluation was not over just yet. Just as Maya would eventually face such a short-notice or even no-notice event in the future, Shinako had apparently cooked one up for her today.
Obāsama was less forgiving though. For Shinako to have arranged a surprise test for Maya was one thing, but Obāsama was still the matriarch and should have been told about this. I will have words with that child when this is over.
Regardless of Maya's dread of yet another test, and Obāsama's ire at Shinako's lapse in judgment, the three of them left the garden together and went to the front porch to receive their guest… or guests. One of the Hisamitsu estate sedans pulled up to the steps.
Maya's nervousness was building. So far, all of these exercises had either been with people that Maya knew or Noto had been with her. Noto was not here now and she worried that Shinako and Obāsama would rely on her to perform the initial greetings. She had learned a lot under their tutelage but there had been a pretty big experience gap between her humble suburban beginnings and being able to represent the estate of one of the most powerful families in Japan. Knowing that most of her friends were on their way to America at the moment, she wondered who this surprise visitor could be… and prayed that it might be someone she knew.
The door opened and a tall foreigner stepped out. Maya almost gasped when she recognized the visitor as The Major. Her delight swelled and internally she was executing a fist pump and shouting, Yes!
Obāsama was worried that Shinako's judgment had become worse than what she had previously thought when the major turned back to the car and retrieved… a baby, or rather – an infant. For a moment, she was stunned at the size of the child.
"Welcome to the Hisamitsu estate, Major." Maya only barely remembered her etiquette. She was using almost all of her willpower to keep from running over to look at the child in the carrier.
"Is that… little Ryan?" Obāsama asked.
"It is indeed, Obāsama!" The Major gestured back toward the car where a maid in livery different from what the Hisamitsu staff wore, was carrying another carrier with another child. The Major continued with the introduction, "And I have also brought with me, young Tatsuya."
"Oh… oh my!" Obāsama was so thrilled to see the infants again, all thoughts of reprimanding Shinako had been lost.
"Please forgive this old Nebraskan if my greeting does not meet the sophistication required in the presence of such noble ladies, but I am exceedingly grateful for the invitation to your lovely abode." The Major said, then bowed politely.
"No." Maya shook with the old memory of the first time they met, but the others were curious about her comment. "You should never have to wait for an invitation. You… you have done so much for me… for my family and my friends. I could never repay all of that. So… at the very least you should always feel welcome here."
The porch was silent while everyone took in the emotions that had been in Maya's words. But Maya herself suddenly felt that she may have overstepped.
"Well… I actually cannot speak for this house, but you are always welcome wherever I am."
"I appreciate your consideration and regard, child… but you were right the first time." Obāsama said as she put an old hand on her grand-daughter-in-law's arm. Then she told The Major, "The time will come soon when this young lady will speak for this estate, but for now it is still this old woman. Yet I could not have expressed my feelings any better than she did just now."
"Thank you for your hospitality." The Major replied to both Maya and Obāsama.
Then there was a pause while no-one moved. Maya turned to glance at Shinako but she was staring back and looked a little displeased. Why is she displeased with me? Oh no! It's me! They are all waiting on me. Why can't I remember these things? Clenching her fists to try and get her emotions under control, Maya completed the greeting and gestured for the maids to descend from the top of the stairs and help to bring in the luggage and the babies.
Not long after the newly arrived guests were settled into their rooms, Noto and Haruta showed up and took The Major away to discuss one of the projects that Noto was considering. Obāsama was gently rocking a sleepy infant, while Maya was starting to panic about what needed to be done next with four babies to take care of.
"What are you doing?" Shinako asked the anxious girl directly.
"What do you mean 'what am I doing'? Of course I'm trying to make sure that all the babies are cared for. After they wake up, they'll need…"
"Stop." Shinako said with a single hand raised as if directing traffic. "Before you go haring off, running yourself into the ground, I need you to stop and think about a couple of things. Namely: Who are you, where are you, and what is it that you really need to do?"
"Well obviously, I need to…"
"Stop." Shinako shook her head and told the struggling girl, "Try again, but make sure to answer the questions in the order that I asked them."
The order she asked them? What was first? Yes, who am I? Well… I'm Kihara… no. I'm Hisamitsu Maya. "I'm Hisamitsu Maya and… I'm at the Hisamitsu Estate."
"Yes, that's right. And what is it that you need to do now?" Shinako prompted.
"I need to… make sure that the staff will be taking care of the infants appropriately. But…" Maya knew that Shinako wouldn't want to hear her say this but it was something that had been gnawing at her for quite a while, "it just doesn't feel right to have them do the things that I could do."
"Maya-sama, imagine the conductor of a symphony. Let us imagine that he is a talented musician in his own right. He can play the piano, the violin, and the flute. Obviously, he cannot play them all at the same time, can he?"
"Well no, but…"
"Even if he plays one of those instruments while leaving the others for other talented musicians to play, what then of the leadership? Can he still give his attention to all the different parts of the orchestra?"
"No." Maya admitted.
"The harmony will be lost. The symphony will break down into disarray, and the prestige of the organization will be lost."
"I understand now." Maya bowed her head.
"Maya-sama, I am not trying to lecture you and make you feel incompetent. I know that you can cook, and you can clean, and you can change diapers. Yes, I know that you can do all of those things."
Maya looked back up into Shinako's eyes and saw compassion instead of disdain.
"I want you to know that all of those things are easy… compared to the task that has been appointed to you."
"They are?" Maya's eyes opened wide when she considered that those easy things had already made her feel inadequate.
"Indeed. You must leave those easy things to others as you will be responsible for so much more."
"More?"
"Think of it. Not just the comfort and well being of your family and the occasional guest. You must also manage the grounds, the stables, the house itself, and any events that happen here. To do that, you will be responsible for your family and guests, but also all the employees who work here as well. These are the responsibilities of the Madam of the house."
"Ah… I see." Maya knew that Obāsama had done all of those things, but she thought it was because she was alone. Until now, she had assumed that Noto would always be there to watch over her shoulder. She shuddered at the potential for failure and how it could affect so many people's lives, "Shinako-san… I wasn't born into this kind of existence. I don't know if I can do this. To be responsible for so many people is…"
"Do not let your origins worry you," Shinako made a cold laugh from her memories of the years that she served as Obāsama's executioner, "many have been born into the elite level of the family and proved completely useless. They always thought that people would do whatever they told them because of their birth. It is actually refreshing to me to work with someone who realizes that they will have to work hard and that those who work for them are people too."
"You… you think I can do this?" Maya asked.
"I do. And to make sure, I promise to be by your side until you are confident in your abilities."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"I must warn you… it may be a long time." Maya worried.
"I don't think so. Your husband thinks you will have all of this mastered before you graduate from college."
"Ah!" For a moment, Maya's panicking brain immediately jumped to believing that she would be struggling to get her degree for more than a decade. Fortunately, the more reasonable parts of her psyche prevailed before she could convey that concern.
"Shinako, Maya." The elder Hisamitsu's call ended their conversation when they looked over to her and saw her waving them over.
Obāsama was old, and her hearing wasn't what it used to be, but she could tell what was occurring between those two. And perhaps it was time for Maya to observe an object lesson.
"Obāsama, you look very contented like that." Shinako quietly commented on the sleeping little boy in her lap.
"It is indeed a great joy to rock an infant to sleep in my lap again. But that is not why I called you over."
Maya stiffened, worried that the matriarch would now have some critical words for her too.
"You are not wearing your corset." Obāsama observed.
"How could you…" Maya wondered how the old woman could tell what she was wearing under a yukata, but she corrected herself and replied, "No, Obāsama. I… wasn't aware that you knew of that… project."
"I wasn't aware of a project. Only that Noto had made it your responsibility. I had thought that you were loyal to him now. Are you having a falling out so soon?" Obāsama asked.
"I shall see to it immediately." Shinako bowed and quickly left the nursery.
Maya's attention turned back to the old woman when she heard quiet laughter.
"Employees know they can be replaced. And because of that, they can usually be counted upon to do their duties. But family members…" Obāsama took a deep breath and sighed before continuing, "you'll have to watch family members. Even the ones that are close to you."
"Y… yes, Obāsama."
Out in the garden, Noto, Haruta, and The Major were having a talk. Haruta told his friend and his mentor about his plans to go to college, and to try and rebuild his family business.
"That sounds like a fine plan, Haruta." The Major told him while patting him on his shoulder.
"Yeah, I don't know what I would have done if Muyuki hadn't figured that out.
"You're a solid worker, Haruta. I would have hired you." The Major told him.
"Really?" Haruta sounded thrilled to hear that.
"On that topic," Noto addressed The Major, "how would you like to work for me?"
"I already work for you." The Major sounded a little confused.
"No longer as a part timer. I want you on as regular staff." Noto told the older man.
"What would I be doing?"
"Did you ever hear of the role that Shinako-san used to perform for Obāsama?"
"You mean, as the troubleshooter?" The Major was fully aware that the other members of the family referred to her as the executioner, due to her mission to trim off the non-performing parts of the family businesses. "Would the rest of the family even listen to a gaijin?"
"I suppose some of them may take that route, but I will accept that choice as a decision to leave the Hisamitsu business line and go their own way… after they pay off their outstanding contracts."
"Ho?" The Major chuckled, "Noto has learned to play hardball."
"Huh?" Haruta did not catch the hardball reference.
"It means that he isn't pulling his punches any more. No more excuses. No more second chances."
"Well… I'm not that much of a monster yet. I would still give someone a second chance, but there won't be any more chances after that." Noto's words sounded like he was trying to be a little lenient, but the tone was firm.
"I appreciate the offer and I am interested. Of course, I'll need to talk it over with my wife before I make a decision. So, how soon do you need an answer?"
The conversation moved on, with Haruta wondering when he would be joining the family club that everyone else seemed to be jumping into. The Major laughed and told him not to be peer pressured into such a thing, but admitted that it was not a lifestyle change that he disliked.
Noto too had many things to be thankful for. He thought back to that brief conversation he had with Ryuuji and Haruta outside the ramen restaurant, when they were talking about their futures. Things had not gone the way any of them had imagined, but not terribly either. A liberal arts dream had turned into a business goal. Editing a music magazine had become learning to run an enterprise. All of those dreams seemed to have been rerouted. Still…
Through the windows he could see his cousin Shinako talking to his wife, Maya. I am married to Maya and… and we even have kids. Well, that's something I wouldn't have imagined to achieve back then. I may have had to trade off a couple of dreams but in the end…
Noto's thoughts took a long pause while he watched Shinako and Maya through the windows. They seemed to be talking about something serious. Maya looked like she had an important decision to make and yet, he could tell that Shinako didn't have all of Maya's attention. Or perhaps it was an unconscious impulse of the pregnant woman's mind to gently stroke her belly where her next child was slowly growing. There were still two trimesters yet to go, but he was already looking forward to celebrating their growing family.
So this may not be the future I thought I wanted, but in the end, I wouldn't trade this for anything!
.
Monday late morning, August 8th – San Francisco
Sumire Kano, now Sumire Kitamura, awoke before her husband which was unusual. She could hear his deep breathing next to her while her eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was her own hand on the soft pillow and the shiny ring on her digitus annular. But the ring wasn't the only change that had come back from Japan with Sumire.
Sumire Kitamura here in California.
Kitamura Sumire back home in Japan.
Sumire rolled over onto her back and lifted her hand up into a sunbeam to watch the additional sparkles that radiated from the metal and jewel. A smile played across her lips while she admired the gleaming accessory and thought about the new names she would be using.
Mrs. Sumire Kitamura or Mrs. Kitamura here.
Kitamura-san back home. But… Yūsaku is also Kitamura-san.
Hmpf. Not fair. We have kun and chan for children, so why can't we have an equivalent to Mrs.? Sumire was more than a little envious of the way the western version actually showed off her marital status. I wonder if that's true though, she wondered as she gazed at the sparkling ring, did they invent 'Mrs' so married women could have a special title, or is 'Miss' special because it announces the unmarried girls?
Bringing her hand back down and propping herself up on one arm, she watched Yūsaku's gentle face for a while. He looks so much younger when he is asleep. I wonder how much longer he will keep that youthfulness. Hmm… I wonder if I look younger when I'm asleep. I should ask him about that. But… that can wait for later.
He had seemed worried before he went to sleep and the peaceful look on his resting face was a welcome sight. It really bothered her that he could always tell what she was thinking by looking at her but she couldn't do the same. That wasn't new though – and it wasn't just her husband she couldn't read. Sumire knew that she had always been bad at figuring out what other people were thinking. Unless it was as obvious as a brick to the head… or witnessing someone getting rejected after their confession, she was clueless.
…witnessing someone getting rejected after their confession… Sumire knew that she had been very lucky that day. In her perch atop the stairwell roof, she had witnessed something that had cried out to her for action. A boy had summoned up all of his courage, laid his soul bare, and confessed his love to a girl… only to have his feelings crushed in an instant.
To the two potential lovebirds on the rooftop, this might have been a marginally memorable day for them to reminisce about when they were older. But for Sumire, it was a clarion moment. Although she had nothing to do with the proclamation or the rejection, there was something about what she witnessed that told her that this was an opportunity that could change her life. It was as if the scene had been lit by stage lights and she could hear a director giving her a cue to perform her lines.
There was no hesitation before she jumped at the opportunity to capture the dejected first year student and give him a worthwhile challenge to take his mind away from the sting of rejection.
And what a capture that had been! Sumire smiled at the memory. She had been stunned by the competence and energy of the young first-year. Working with him in the student council had been a joy. Watching him building his confidence while they worked together was a source of pride. She had wanted the student council to become a respectable force with the goal of turning it over to a competent person when she left the school. Sumire had never doubted that Kitamura Yūsaku was that person. She had been certain that all of his efforts had also been for the betterment of the school, and for the student council too. But she had been wrong about that.
I was so stupid! Sumire reflected on that dreadful day when Kitamura had done the unthinkable. In front of the entire assembled student body, he had announced his love for her. She hadn't seen it coming. She hadn't been prepared. Suppressing her shock as best she could, the only thing she could do was to try and diffuse the situation by making it all sound like a joke. The trick had seemed to work for most of the school.
But not for Kitamura.
Nor for his friends.
One of those friends came after her with challenges of logic and ethics. Sumire had no clue that Kitamura even had friends like that.
The other friend came after her in a much more physical way.
She hadn't seen that coming either.
Interpersonal skills. Sumire rolled that phrase over in her mind. Both Yūsaku and her counselor had told her that she needed to work on her soft skills. Do I really have to though? If Yūsaku can figure people out and just tell me, then that should work too, right?
But she was aware of the fatal flaw with that plan. She would have to rely on Yūsaku to tell her what he was thinking too, because she wouldn't be able to read her own husband. Dammit, why is this so hard?
However, as weaknesses went, poor social skills wasn't one that would get in the way of her goal of getting into the astronaut program. Memory issues on the other hand…
"Unh." The reminder of that particular weakness spawned a sigh of despair. But at least that weakness was changing.
Because of you, Yūsaku. Sumire stroked his hair around his ear and wore an expression that was a complex mix of a smile and a frown. On the one hand, she was glad that the person she loved was willing to help her out with her weaknesses. But on the other hand, she didn't like the fact that she needed his help so much – and that she had those weaknesses in the first place.
Weaknesses… Do you even have any weaknesses? Sumire wondered about her husband. He was always there for her, always ready with the things she lacked. As long as she had known him, she had never seen him exhibit a single weakness. Or maybe I did, and I just can't remember it… because of my pathetic memory. Dammit!
Her expression had slipped into more of a scowl now, but she was at least aware that her ire was a result of her own reflections. Her eyes shifted so that she was looking at Yūsaku's reflection in the window pane. None of this is your fault. I know that you are doing your best to help me and… I really appreciate it. I only hope that, with my pathetic social skills, I will be able to tell you how much I appreciate you.
Oh, I know! I can make you breakfast! Having come to that decision, Sumire eased herself out of bed and hurried off to the kitchen. Of course, she had forgotten that another of her weaknesses was cooking…
Yūsaku awoke with a start and a bit of panic that there was a fire in the apartment. His hand reached out to wake up his wife, but he found only an empty place. At the same time that he wondered where Sumire was, his nose had determined that the acrid smell was coming from burning food. A moment later, his mind put all the evidence together and he came to the conclusion that Sumire is trying to cook… again.
Yūsaku smiled at the fearlessness that his wife showed when she tried again and again at things that she wasn't very good at. I'd better go rescue her. She's probably pretty flustered by now. But first…
Yūsaku reached for his phone and checked the flight information that Ryuuji's mom had sent him. As expected, their flight was on time. So now I need to find out if my dear wife has created another inedible calamity. From the smell, I'm guessing she did.
He was right. Sumire had tried to make one big omelet that she could cut in half and they would both share. Her thinking went that if the volume of ingredients doubled, then so should the temperature and the cooking time. Despite the logic that she had employed, the food had refused to cook correctly. The bottom and sides of the omelet were blackened while the middle was still a soupy mess.
Yūsaku entered the kitchen to find his wife trying to dig out the cooked parts and plate them. He couldn't help but smile and wonder at her. He considered quietly leaving the room, but they were on a schedule today and wouldn't have time for her to finish the angry excavation.
"Hey." he called out quietly and watched her go stiff.
Sumire froze. She hadn't heard him approach and it was too late to hide the evidence from him. Drooping her shoulders, she decided to say, "I'll have the good parts out soon."
"We don't have time. You need to get dressed. I'll make us a couple of bagels and some coffee. Then we have to head out for the airport."
Airport? Sumire almost said aloud. She hadn't remembered that they were supposed to go to the airport until just then. Dammit, I did it again! Jamming the fork into the crunchy part of the omelet, she stood and declared, "I'll be getting ready first then."
She ran back down the hallway to their bedroom and started changing into the clothes that Yūsaku had laid out for her the night before. When she reached for her clutch purse, she saw an envelope that was laying underneath it and only then remembered putting it there – and why she had done so.
Thirty minutes later, the two of them were on the BART, heading for the airport. Sumire checked her purse while the train rattled along. Next to the wallet was the letter that had been waiting for her when she returned from Japan. It was an unexpected letter, and one that she could not ignore. Pursing her lips in thought for a moment, she came to a decision. Letting out a breath she asked, "I wonder if they are through customs yet?"
"Hardly," Yūsaku checked the time on his cell phone and explained, "they probably haven't even started descent yet."
"Huh? Then why did we rush out of the apartment so fast?" Sumire asked.
"Well, I just don't like to be late." Yūsaku realized his mistake. There was no way that he could tell her that he just wanted to get away from the smell of the burned omelet and cookware. Unfortunately, there was no way to hide what he had in mind, and it was a bad idea to make Sumire skip meals. "The BART exit before the airport is San Bruno."
"Oh?" Sumire knew there was a mall at that stop but she hadn't been there. It wasn't close to the college after all.
"I've heard that they have an inexpensive Japanese restaurant there. I thought you might want to try it."
"Inexpensive…" Sumire said sourly. It seemed like the Japanese restaurants in San Francisco had all been either unbelievably bad or unbelievably expensive… or a combination of those two. She also didn't miss the fact that he was now saying they had time to stop and eat when he had previously told her that there was no time for her to fix the meal she had been preparing.
"Whether or not it is any good, there is also a little French place that specializes in Choux." Kitamura baited.
"Choux?"
"Cream puffs, but big ones. Really stuffed full of cream."
"C...cream puffs, you say?" Sumire tried to keep the excitement and desire out of her voice but it wasn't easy.
"And a Starbucks."
"A… a real Starbucks?" Sumire hated that her voice had gone up a half octave.
"Yup." Yūsaku smiled.
"I… I don't know if… um…" Sumire was trying her best not to appear too excited but her efforts were coming apart quickly. Internally, she marshaled her will power to make Yūsaku try a little harder to convince her.
"You'd better decide quickly, San Bruno is the next stop." Yūsaku commented.
"Yes! Let's go! Now!" Sumire barked the words out rapidly and then blinked, realizing what her husband had just done. "You played me."
"Yes, I did." Kitamura confessed quietly.
"I was too easy." Sumire said analytically.
"Well…" Kitamura tried to avoid confirming that but…
"Tell me the truth, Yūsaku." Sumire demanded.
"You were easy." he nodded. He watched her sigh and her eyes were cast down for a moment, until he asked, "Do you still want to stop for Starbucks and cream puffs?"
"Of course I do!" Sumire reflected that she might have been too easy for Yūsaku's manipulations, but she still wanted that cream puff!
Twenty minutes later, the two were seated in the food court area with their prizes. Yūsaku arrived with a beef bento box that they would share, while Sumire…
"What," Yūsaku saw that she had a coffee in each hand, and a small grocery bag full to the brim hanging from one arm, "what have you done?"
"Well… they had so many varieties… I mean… well… they all sounded so delicious!" Sumire knew she shouldn't have bought so many but she was hungry and… they all looked so delicious and… she didn't want to admit her loss of control to Yūsaku.
"Look at this." Yūsaku handed his phone over to his wife. He had pulled up the nutrition information on the delicacies she had just purchased.
"Eep!" Sumire gasped at the numbers.
"You will have to jog for forty-five minutes to burn off just one of those Choux. How many did you buy?"
"Four...teen." Sumire admitted.
"All right. Choose one for you and one for me." Yūsaku told his wife. He could see her about to object to wasting food, but he had a solution already, "We will give the rest to our friends – as soon as they clear customs."
"Unh…" Sumire groaned but she knew there was no other way; unless she was willing to go jogging for nine hours. "Fine, but we have to split our two cream puffs. I want to taste at least two of their flavors."
The beef bento box had been much better than either of them had expected. As with everything else in America, there was a lot more meat than what they were used to in a bento box, but that wasn't really a bad thing. The only complaint would be the dreaded Curse of California. Also known as a California Roll – it was a sushi without any fish and, to the refined Japanese sushi palate, it was utterly lacking in character.
"I can't believe California actually put their name on this thing." Sumire said as she put her half eaten piece back in the box.
"I suppose it's… filling?" Yūsaku speculated.
"Oh? Then you can have mine." Sumire offered.
"Yeah – no thanks." Yūsaku put his half eaten piece back in the box as well. Changing the subject from the disappointing sushi, he asked, "Have you picked out which Choux we'll be trying?"
"I decided on two that should be distinctly different." Sumire pulled the two out of the bag and placed them on the small table between them. "Mango Mango and Sea Salt Oreo."
"That does sound pretty different." Yūsaku admitted as he reached for the Mango Mango.
"So, you prefer the mango over the Oreo flavor?" Sumire asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not necessarily. I just want to finish off with the chocolaty one."
"How calculating." Sumire dismissed his ploy while unboxing her treat.
"It's just a matter of perspective. I want to appreciate the things that I like." Yūsaku explained before taking a bite of the fruity pastry. Not usually a fan of the fruity treats, he was surprised at how good it was.
"Well, speaking of the things you like…" Sumire raked some of the cream and custard onto her finger then licked it off before finishing her thought, "when are you going to make amends with your best friend?"
"Ryuuji?" Yūsaku asked as he slid the rest of the mango cream puff over to his wife.
"Of course." Sumire confirmed as she slid the rest of the chocolaty cream puff across the table in return. "I heard that you were pretty vicious to him before you… came after me."
"Sure, but that was a long time ago. We've met since then." Yūsaku said. Then he raised the Choux to his lips and took a big bite of the creamy pastry.
"When?"
"At the wedding, and at the Kendo match." Yūsaku recalled before taking another bite of the chocolaty Choux.
"Hah? Just because you were in the same place at the same time doesn't mean you had a conversation… or made amends!"
"All right, all right." Yūsaku put both hands up in an appeasement gesture, "You win. I promise to have a heart-to-heart talk with him while he's here."
"You'd better." Sumire threatened him while he took the last bite of his Choux.
"I will." Yūsaku committed.
Satisfied that she had finally won an argument with Yūsaku, she looked down at the pastry in her hands and wondered when she had acquired the mango one. She only remembered tasting a bit of the chocolaty cream from the tip of her finger and now… Dammit, he played me again! Well… at least the mango one is really good. Ugh… he probably knew I would like that one better too.
.
Monday late morning, August 8th – 10 kilometers over the Pacific Ocean
Ryuuji woke up and looked over the small wall to check on Ami. She was still comfortably snoozing but it wouldn't be for much longer. The cabin lights were already starting to come up and the descent announcement would be crackling over the speakers soon. When that happened, it would signal the end of their long sleep. The blankets and pillows would be taken up and their small beds would be converted back into passenger seats.
Sitting up, he looked around to see who else was up and saw Deena and Hisako standing next to each other. Huh, I guess I hadn't noticed that Hisako doesn't look so tall when she is standing next to Deena. Maybe it's because she's usually standing next to Nanako… Ryuuji's sleepy thoughts were broken when he saw something odd.
Hisako raised her phone and took a picture of something. Wait a minute… they aren't next to their seats. What did they take a picture of? Isn't that… Taiga's seat? Nooo if she wakes up and sees this… we don't need to cause a scene on an airplane!
Even as he tried to figure out what was going on, Nanako joined them and had a look on her face as if she were looking at an adorable basket of kittens. Curiosity, getting the better of him, pushed him to go take a look as well. By the time he had his slippers on and was out in the aisle, his mother was also leaning over the short wall to get a good look.
"Wha…" Ryuuji started to ask but was quickly shushed by all of the girls there. His mother silently waved him over and pointed down into the not-so-private sleeping space. His eyes opened wide in surprise. Aiko-chan was cuddled close to Taiga in the close confines of the narrow bed. They were facing each other with their noses almost touching. Where their orange hair spilled over the pillows, it seemed to mesh together like a mane of orange flames. Their facial expressions were not so dissimilar when they were asleep like this and they truly did look like sisters.
Hisako's face took on an interesting expression and she raised her phone to take several more pictures. Nanako's smile broadened and she started silently pointing out different angles for Hisako to get additional shots.
Ryuuji wondered if he should put a stop to it, but Hisako was one of the few people he didn't have to worry about, when it came to weathering a Taiga storm.
"Ladies and Gentlemen…" the descent announcement crackled over the speakers, sending all of the voyeurs scattering back to their seats while waking up some of the others. The attendants came by to awaken those that hadn't been disturbed by the announcement.
Ryuuji saw that Ami was up and hurrying off to the restroom, so he took a moment to quietly ask the tall Aussie, "Deena-chan, I would have thought Aiko-chan would have been with you?"
"Hah, I would have liked that, but these beds are too small. I barely fit in mine by myself!"
"Y… yeah." Ryuuji blinked but didn't comment that he had thought the bed was pretty roomy. Yeah, she's eight or nine centimeters taller than me… but is that really so much of a difference that she felt cramped?
It wasn't long before Ami was back from the bathrooms and looking quite refreshed. For a moment, Ryuuji wondered if they had a shower on the plane, but decided it was probably just the capabilities of someone who knew how to look good for the camera, or for her fans.
"You'd better hurry or you're going to miss breakfast." Ami warned him out of his daydreaming. She waited until he had left for the bathrooms before opening the letter to glance through it once more.
It had been from Minori and she had sent a copy to Sumire as well. She told them how awful she felt, and how helpless she had been at doing anything to save Ryuuji. For Sumire's benefit, she recounted the story of how Yusaku had hit Ryuuji with a student desk before announcing that he was giving up and leaving for America to chase his own dream. But her continuing sadness was knowing how the friendship between Yusaku and Ryuuji had been destroyed.
The letters had been a plea to make things right. She hoped that the two could reconcile and maybe, in years to come, they could be friends again some day. But to get that ball rolling, they would need a push. That was where she wanted Sumire and Ami to step up. If Sumire could give Yusaku a push, and Ami could give Ryuuji a push, then maybe… maybe their friendship could be salvaged.
Ami sat looking at the letter and considered her own feelings. Ryuuji had been pretty out-of-it back then and she wondered just how much he remembered of what had happened. She remembered it well and she was pretty sure Yusaku would remember that day pretty clearly. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt about that dumb jock's request. Sure, it would be nice if they could be friends again, but to ask both of them to forgive each other and themselves for letting things go so far… "Impossible."
"What?" Ryuuji surprised Ami as she hadn't heard him come back.
"Oh! Uh… nothing." Ami quickly hid the letter back into the bottom of her purse. Her guilt at hiding the truth from him nagged her into giving Minori's proposition at least a try. "So hey, San Francisco. That's where Yūsaku and Sumire are, right?"
"Well… technically Sumire Kanō is Kitamura Kanō now. So I guess we should call them Yūsaku and Kanō."
"Ugh… I've known him my whole life. It's kind of natural for me to call him Yūsaku, but calling her Kanō..."
"Calling her Kitamura-san would be confusing though."
"Kanō...san?" Ami proposed.
"I guess that could work. But..."
"But what?"
"We're in America now. They don't use suffixes."
"Ugh, how barbaric."
"Um… actually, our use of suffixes is a leftover from when we had a rigidly stratified society."
"That's not what I want to hear right now." Ami grumbled.
"Fine then, how about this – if it's just us, we'll talk like we're still in Japan and you can use san all you like."
"That works!" Ami was glad that had worked out but felt like she was forgetting something.
"So did you want to visit them while we're here or something?" Ryuuji asked.
"Erk!" Ami remembered the original goal and tried to sound innocent again, "Yeah, that would be nice. And then, you know, maybe you and Yūsaku could get together and hash things out."
"What things?"
"Well you know, stuff."
"What stuff?" Ryuuji asked absently while putting things back into his carry-on bag and getting ready for the landing.
"Ah! Jeez Ryuuji, you know… unresolved stuff!"
"Whoa, why are you getting upset?"
"I'M NOT UPSET!" Ami shouted.
A number of passengers looked over and one of the attendants started to come near.
"She's pregnant. Sorry." Ryuuji told everyone quickly.
Ami watched with incredulity as everyone seemed to accept that excuse. Even the female attendant smiled with understanding and went back to her station. "What the hell?"
"What?" Ryuuji asked quietly while helping his fuming wife back into her seat.
"You tell everyone I'm pregnant and it's a universal excuse for inexplicably acting like an enraged baboon?" Ami asked testily.
"Have you ever inexplicably acted like an enraged baboon when you weren't pregnant?"
"…" Ami was about to bring up that one time at the ski resort but a lot had happened to push her buttons back then so… the answer to his question was, "No."
"Pregnancy causes surging hormones and mood swings. It's a medical fact and common knowledge. That's why people will accept the excuse."
"I still don't like it. Nobody says something like that about guys."
"Sure they do."
"Like what?"
"Boys will be boys." Ryuuji gazed across at her dumbstruck face and quickly explained before she started screaming at him. "Look, girls get that hormone overload during pregnancy and sometimes during their periods, right? But boys get it as soon as puberty starts and it doesn't stop until…"
"Until when?"
"I'm not sure. I'll have to look that up."
"You mean… it's happening to you right now?" Ami gasped.
"Yep."
"It's happening to you all the time you're awake?"
"It even happens in my sleep. That's why my dreams are so… never-mind."
"What? Tell me!" Ami demanded.
"You really don't want to know." Ryuuji could tell that she didn't like that answer or the evasion so he added, "Even if I wanted to talk about those dreams with you, it wouldn't be in a public place like here."
"Ah… oh… okay." Ami realized that there were indeed a lot of ears around them at the moment, but she wasn't ready to let the subject drop just yet, "Still… if it is really happening to you all the time, then you should be insane by now."
"On the contrary," Ryuuji responded, "when it is happening to you all the time, you are forced to figure out how to deal with it – or go insane."
"Hmpf, sounds like you're bragging now."
"It's nothing to brag about. It's just a survival instinct. The old adapt-or-die imperative."
"Seems like a pretty narrow mutation."
"It's not a mutation and it's really not that narrow. It is linked to the difference in the way men handle relationships with other men and why they are more likely to do stupid risky things… that most women wouldn't do."
Ami had to agree with him about that last point. She could remember boys doing some crazy stupid things that girls seemed to intuitively know better than to try. But the relationship part…
relationships with other men…
Ami put her head in her hands, realizing that she had derailed herself once more. Before that could happen again, she asked Ryuuji, "Just promise me you will talk to Yūsaku."
"Okay."
"I mean it. Really talk to him. Work things out."
"Um, okay?" Ryuuji didn't see what there was that needed to be worked out but it seemed important to Ami.
"Seriously Ryuuji! No matter how tough it is or how long it takes…"
"Okay okay, I promise. But hey, San Francisco is pretty big. I doubt we'll just run into them while we're there."
.
Monday early afternoon, August 8th – San Francisco
San Francisco International Airport
Deplaning had been easier than what Ryuuji had expected, and going through customs had been pretty easy too. One of the agents wanted to have a brief word with Yuri-sensei, since she was the registered guardian for the minors on the trip. But it had been mostly informational and was over with quickly.
Not long after that, everyone in the group caught up with each other and made their way to the baggage claim. Fortunately, the walk from the customs and immigration area to the baggage claim wasn't nearly as long as the walk from the gate where they got off the airplane to customs. Yasuko and the girls that worked out with her were okay, but the others were starting to feel like they had just finished a marathon.
"I'm so tired." Aiko sighed while rubbing her eyes. Even though she had been asleep for a long time on the plane, her body was having difficulty adjusting. After all, it was about four in the morning back in Japan.
"Hup!" Deena grabbed the girl off her feet and carried her like she would a tired child.
"Ah, Deena-chan!" Aiko-chan was startled at first. For a moment there was her pride at stake – that she wasn't a baby any more. But it was Deena-chan… and being held like that made her feel warm and safe… and she really was tired. So, instead of indignant resistance, the girl's arms hugged Deena back and her head rested on the big Aussie's shoulder.
Taiga bit back saying something snide. It was hard though. Since Aiko-chan looked like an older version of herself, she didn't like the idea of her doppelganger being carried around like a child. In the middle of trying to phrase her dissent more delicately, her thoughts were scattered when she too was suddenly picked up.
"Ah, Ya-chan!" Taiga's arms flapped as she was spun around and held fast to Yasuko's chest.
"Sorry, Taiga-chan!" Yasuko started with 'sorry' but she sounded super happy instead of remorseful, "I got so jealous when Deena-chan got to hold a cute little girl. And, well… I just want to spoil my Taiga-chan a little. Is it okay?"
...my Taiga-chan…
Taiga's brain was on overload and she couldn't answer just yet.
"Onee-chan, she looks a little big for you to carry around." Hisako observed.
She was right. Even though Aiko-chan was a bigger girl, Deena wasn't having nearly the trouble holding onto her since she was herself, a very big girl.
"You might be right," Yasuko said sadly while struggling to hold onto Taiga the way she wanted, "sometimes I really wish I was bigger like Deena-chan or you."
"Oh? Do you think I could pull it off? Let's see!" Hisako easily lifted Taiga away from Yasuko and pulled her into a carry as if she were a much younger sister.
"HEY!" Taiga screeched. Being held by Yasuko was one thing but…
"Oh quiet down." Hisako said dourly while pulling Taiga into a better position, "We're half a world away from anyone who knows you. Don't get your panties in a knot."
"Um… actually…" Ami tried to say something but one of the overhead speakers was announcing something about rules in the baggage claim areas.
"Put me down!" Taiga demanded.
"Come on, can you give me just one minute to see what it might have been like to have a little sister?" Hisako huffed. She was about to release Taiga but surprisingly, the girl she was holding onto calmed down.
"It's actually… not so bad… to have a younger sibling." Taiga said quietly. She thought about it and decided to be the bigger person, figuratively. "You can have one minute."
"Really?" Hisako sounded genuinely surprised.
"Just one though!" Taiga emphasized. After all…
"There's no-one here that would know me so…" "Oh no, Taiga!" "I never thought I'd see this!"
The three comments came out at the same time. The first was Taiga paraphrasing Hisako's mistaken assumption. The second was Ami, realizing it was too late. The third was Kitamura Yūsaku, just before he raised his camera and took a series of pictures of Hisako and Taiga…
Taiga being carried like a child. Click!
Taiga looking surprised at unexpectedly hearing a familiar voice. Click!
Taiga flailing about while blushing from the embarrassment. Click!
Taiga launching herself at the person holding the camera with a dangerously crazed look in her eyes. Click!
That final shot being the last picture that camera would ever take.
Hisako laughed so hard, she had to clutch at her sides, but most everyone else was a little worried at Taiga's act of vengeance. Ami stood off to the side, watching Taiga jump on the camera again and again – while having a nostalgic moment of her own.
"I remember… you did that once." Ryuuji quietly said to Ami.
"Yeah, but to a stalker – not a friend." Ami wondered if the tiger might eventually feel some crushing guilt for the little rampage she was having now.
"I'm not worried about it." Yūsaku shrugged his shoulders, "it's a disposable camera."
"What are you guys doing here?" Ryuuji asked as Yūsaku and Kanō drew near.
"Your mom sent us the flight information, so we decided to meet your party here. You didn't know?"
"She must have forgotten to tell me about it." Ryuuji glanced over at his mother, but she was busy trying to get Taiga to calm down.
Ami glanced over at Kanō and gave a brief nod. She was trying to convey that this would be a good time for the boys to talk, but the former student council president was still bad at reading people.
"I… I brought Choux… if anyone wants something sweet." Kanō held up a large bag by its twine handles while the questions descended on her.
"Choux, what's that?"
"Something sweet huh?"
"What does it look like?"
Ami brought her hand up and massaged her temples at the other girl's cluelessness, but noticed that Kanō's bag of treats might have the effect she was hoping for. Taiga stopped attacking the partially dismembered camera and Hisako stopped laughing and gathered around the bag Kanō was holding.
"Here's your chance to work things out." Ami said quietly to Ryuuji, but it turned out not to be quiet enough.
"Has Ami been pestering you to work things out with me?" Yūsaku looked like he was figuring something out. He glanced over at his wife, but she was busy answering questions about Choux and translating the flavor tags on each of the pastry boxes in her bag.
"Yeah, she has." Ryuuji looked at his wife, but she had no activity to hide behind, so she suddenly became interested in the airport information board that displayed when the luggage should be arriving.
"It seems we were the victims of a little conspiracy." Yūsaku made a small laugh then turned back to Ryuuji, "Well… since there are people who are concerned, I guess we should get this over with."
"Yeah." Ryuuji agreed. He turned back to Yūsaku but he knew that Ami was listening to every word.
"You all right, Ryuuji?" Yūsaku asked.
"I'm good. You?" Ryuuji replied.
"Never better!" Yūsaku raised his fist in front of him, which Ryuuji met with a friendly fist bump. "Okay, now that we've taken care of the heavy stuff, what does your schedule look like while you're here?"
"WHAT!" Ami gasped in disbelief. "I'm good, you're good, and a fist bump! And… and that's it!"
"Er… I don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing. Is there something else we need to do?" Ryuuji asked innocently.
"You… you have to talk out your feelings. There has to be denial and anger and bargaining and… and all that stuff!" an exasperated Ami glared at both of them.
"Ami-chan," Yūsaku tried to hold back his grin, "that's grief, not reconciliation."
"It's the same thing!"
"No… well, not for guys it's not." Ryuuji countered.
"Then what is involved in guys' reconciliation?"
"Acceptance and forgiveness, I guess." Yūsaku replied.
"Then that! Do that!"
"We did that." Ryuuji replied.
"When?" Ami demanded.
"Just now." Yūsaku answered.
"No no no no, that was barely a greeting! There should be some seriously emotional discussions about your frustrations, despair, and depr…" Ami stopped herself before saying depression.
"Aren't those some of the stages of grief again?" Yūsaku asked.
"Yeah…" Ryuuji looked at his wife with a bit of worry, "Ami, Yūsaku didn't die. He just moved to America to follow his heart." Ryuuji explained as if filling someone in on part of the movie they missed when they went to the restroom.
"I know that!" Ami did her best not to yell in the crowded baggage claim area, but it was taking a lot of willpower.
"Then why…" Ryuuji started to ask but Yūsaku stopped him.
"Oh, I think I know what this is!" he hit his fist down into the palm of his hand with the sudden understanding. Getting both of their attention he continued, "This is an example of the differences between the masculine transactional bonding model and the feminine emotional bonding model."
"The wha… oh! The difference between male and female friendship characteristics." Ryuuji asked.
"Exactly!" Yūsaku gave Ryuuji another fist bump. "We covered that in a sociology class last year. And to think that I would be witnessing an example of it first hand like this."
"We just covered it last spring. I thought it was just a bunch of psychology puff, but it looks like you're right."
Both of them turned to Ami as if waiting to see what she would say next.
"Don't!" Ami glared at both of them as she called them out, "Yūsaku, Ryuuji, don't you dare treat me like some kind of laboratory animal in a social science experiment!"
"I have to say… even if you're mad at me right now, I am so happy to see you being yourself now." Yūsaku replied with something that was seemingly unrelated.
"What?" Ami was having trouble keeping up with the conversation shift.
"You've completely thrown away that old airhead persona now, haven't you?" Yūsaku smiled tenderly, "There has been no trace of that old personae in the last several interviews I've watched. So, it's really gone then?"
"Yes." Ami was a little shocked at how emotional Yusaku's comments had been, "You really didn't like that airhead act, huh?"
"No, not at all." Yūsaku didn't hold back, "It was embarrassing to the point that it was sometimes painful for me to be around you."
"Ryu…" Ami was about to turn to her husband for support but his comment squashed that.
"Me too. I didn't hate her, but I didn't like her at all back when she was doing the airhead act."
"Ryuuji?" Ami seemed on the verge of tears.
"You shouldn't be offended or saddened by this." Ryuuji told her as he moved closer and took her hands.
"Why not? Lots of people liked the airhead Ami, you know!" she pouted.
"None of them knew the real you. All those other people knew was that vapid marketed image. So listen to what your childhood friend and your husband are telling you."
"What?"
"For those of us that know the real Ami, a facade would never be good enough. We want the real thing. Because the real you is precious to us."
"Oh Ryuuji…" Ami stepped into his arms and desperately tried not to start crying in such a public place. But the heartfelt words had made quite the impact on her.
A few meters away, Yūsaku picked up the broken remnants of his disposable camera while keeping an eye on his childhood friend and the best friend he had made in high school. It seemed like ages ago that he had asked Ryuuji and Taiga to help him fix Ami, and fix her they did. Turning the other way, he saw Taiga close to his wife. She had a half-eaten Choux in her hands and was happily devouring the other half.
Kanō on the other hand… Yūsaku walked over to his forlorn looking wife and asked, "What's the matter?"
"N… nothing." Kanō looked away but Yūsaku put a finger under her chin and turned her head back to face him.
"Kanō?" The voice was soft but the tone was stern.
"It's just… all those flavors. I really wanted to try them all."
"Oh?" he looked into the bag and saw that she still had several left, "All of them… today?"
"Yes." she pouted.
"Well… I suppose that would be much more efficient."
"Yes… efficient?" pouting turned into puzzlement.
"Since we have student passes for the BART, my plan was for us to go to that place every Sunday. We would order a new flavor to share between us, and have it with coffee from the nearby Starbucks. It would have been a regular date for just the two of us."
"We… we could do that!" Kanō pleaded.
"Let's see," Yūsaku began calculating, "there were fourteen flavors available today. We had two at the mall and there are several left in your bag. I guess we have Sunday dates for another two months or so."
"Two?" Kanō looked into the bag, gave a grimacing expression as she made a hard decision, then pushed the bag onto Taiga and told her, "It's my treat. Share these with your friends."
"I didn't know you liked Taiga?" Yūsaku barely kept himself from laughing.
"Who's Taiga?" Kanō asked, then showed him her empty hands and declared, "Anyway, there are now twelve flavors we haven't tried. That means you owe me twelve Sunday Choux dates, buster."
"I could never win against you." Yūsaku said while giving her a bow of concession.
Kanō folded her arms and wore a victorious grin for almost a minute before the realization set in, Dammit… he played me again!
.
Monday evening, August 8th – San Francisco
San Francisco Fashion Week
"I'm sorry!" Deena was looking stressed again. She could see that Ami and Ryuuji wanted to catch up with their old friends, but there was no time. As soon as the carrier for her cell phone stabilized, she got a burst of messages concerning designers and events… that started in mere hours.
Ami had offered for Yūsaku and Kanō to ride with them, but they also had to get back to their studies. So, quick farewells were said and the two groups went their separate ways.
"It's okay, Deena. We came here for work, not play." Ryuuji tried to assuage the Aussie's guilt, but the tall girl still looked like she was crumbling.
"We needed to get away from them anyway." Ami added, "Taiga can't be around Kanō for too long or she gets the urge to kill again."
"What?" Deena looked up to see if Ami was joking.
"Dumbchi!" Taiga started toward Ami, but Yasuko grabbed her from behind.
"Did you never hear the story about the day the tiger attacked the student council president? It is a wonderful tale. Shall I tell you all about it on the way to our ride?" Ami told them gleefully while leading most of them toward the taxi and limo connections.
Ryuuji let the gaggle go and walked behind the others with his mother and Taiga. But they weren't so far behind that they couldn't hear Ami telling the story.
Taiga was about to scream again but Ryuuji stopped her this time.
"You should let her tell the story."
"Huh? Why?"
"Think about it. No matter how it's told, you are a hero in that story." Ryuuji said quietly behind his hand.
"I'm the hero?" Taiga's only thought was how she got violent and attacked another student.
"Our friend was disgraced and crushed. The rest of us couldn't do more than sympathize with his pain, but not you…"
"...but not Taiga." Ami had the others enthralled with the story. Aiko-chan was especially attentive to hear about the daring deeds of her nee-chan. "She sent everyone away and followed the villain into her own den – a third year classroom. Armed with nothing but a wooden sword, she attacked. Kanō was strong too - and armed with a shinai, but she didn't have the spirit of the tiger. The crash of the weapons echoed up and down the third year hallway. Eventually, both of them had lost their weapons and were down to brawling with fists. Even then, Taiga knocked down her opponent who was twice her size, and then jumped on top of her so she could keep up the attack. Kanō was battered and bruised, but Taiga kept attacking until she was able to force a confession out of her."
"Kanō? The villain was Kanō-san? Isn't she the one who just gave us the Choux?" Suzume asked.
"That's right." Ami answered.
"And the guy… that was Yūsaku-san? But wait… they're married now?" Hisako asked.
"That's right. And that never would have happened if it hadn't been for Taiga going HAM on that idiot girl." Ami winked.
"Woooow!" Aiko-chan turned around and saw that Taiga had just entered the vehicle. She ran over to her and hugged her tight, "Nee-chan, you're amaaaaaazing!"
"She's like a Cupid… but with brass knuckles." Deena worried.
"Eh?" Taiga now wished that she had been there to hear the whole story.
"Let's get seated everyone! It looks like we're getting ready to move." Yuri told her charges.
According to the text on Deena's phone, a limousine had been sent to the airport to fetch them, but it looked a lot more like a small bus than a limo. Then again, considering there were ten people in their party and they all had luggage, perhaps that wasn't a bad plan.
Some of the seats on the bus faced each other. Yasuko and Deena sat next to each other opposite Aiko-chan and Taiga. Astonishingly, Taiga didn't even seem annoyed at how the younger girl was leaning into her. Yasuko was concerned though. She didn't like the way Taiga's eyes didn't seem to focus.
"Taiga-chan, are you okay?"
"She… she said I was amazing." Taiga almost seemed to be glowing.
"Hmm…" Ami then looked concerned.
"What?" Ryuuji asked her quietly.
"I'm worried about Taiga now. If she gets like this from one little compliment, what's going to happen to her when she's on stage and people are cheering?"
"Oh that. Nothing to worry about." Ryuuji assured her.
"How can you be so sure?"
"She only gets like that when the praise comes from someone she likes. If it's from anyone else, she would probably just say something snarky and move on."
"Yeah… that does sound like Taiga." Ami agreed after recalling how Taiga brushed off the compliments from their High School duet at the Christmas festival. She was much less worried after recalling that memory and Ryuuji's assurance.
The bus took them directly to their hotel which was, fortunately, just across the street from the venue. There was even a sky-bridge that connected the two buildings. Looking through the big tinted windows of the hotel's upper lobby, Yuri couldn't get a feel for the weather outside. She was able to find a display showing that it was sixty degrees outside.
"Sixty degrees, we'll die!" Yuri started to panic.
"That's Fahrenheit." Deena reminded the anxious school teacher, "Sixty Fahrenheit is only about Sixteen Celsius."
"Oh, Fahrenheit… right." Yuri took some deep breaths to calm down.
"Why are you so nervous anyway?" Deena asked Yuri as she took her arm and helped guide her across the sky-bridge along with everyone else.
"I'm just worried that they are going to ask me to model again. I'm really not ready for that. I mean… the last time was worse because I was wearing a dress that cost more than my annual salary. And… it was so weird to wear that designer stuff… at least for me."
"Um… do you want the good news or the bad news first?" Deena asked.
"Unh… just tell me." Yuri already sounded crestfallen.
"You will be expected to model, but the clothing this time is from designers for 'real' people… so they won't be super expensive."
"But… do the designers know that I'm p...pregnant?" Yuri tried to get out of the gig, but to no avail.
"They do… the designers of the clothes that you are going to wear have maternity lines, so…"
"Oh gods… I can't believe that fashion designers in a foreign country know that I'm pregnant. This all feels so surreal." Yuri moped.
"Y… yes." Deena chose not to let the poor teacher know that it wasn't just the fashion designers. A rather significant part of the government of that 'foreign country' not only 'know' of her pregnancy, but are keeping tabs on her health.
"Yuri-sensei!" Hisako descended on the worried teacher in a good natured, but rough way, which was very much like her character. Putting her arm around the older woman and pulling her close, she asked in her recently mastered English, "What the hell do you have to be worried about, huh? You are just going for a walk in some nice clothes with a bunch of friends, yes?"
"But…" Yuri's nervous voice started to reveal her doubt.
"What? Are you saying we are not your friends?" Hisako now demanded, and sounded a bit like a Japanese street ruffian.
"NO! I mean… you are all my dearest friends!"
"Then who better can you be with now, huh? Everywhere you go, you will be surrounded by your friends, yes? This should be a cake in the park!"
"Ah, yes… a cake in the park." Yuri smiled at the idiom gaffe, but had to admit that she felt better now.
.
Wednesday evening, August 10th – San Francisco
Buena Gardens Amphitheater
"It's… not as big as the concert place in Australia." Ami observed.
"Yeah… those things are up to the event planners. I don't think they are expecting a huge crowd." Ryuuji agreed.
"Aren't they supposed to have a good sized Japanese population around here?" Ami frowned.
"They do, but it's like back home. Most of them are older."
"Here too huh?" Ami was familiar with Japan's dropping birth rate issue. It had been a topic that their university seemed to emphasize in most of their social science classes.
"If we draw a big enough audience, they plan to move us to a bigger venue for the Friday concert." Ryuuji shrugged. There wasn't much else he could do.
"Eh, it'll be fine," Ami gave a last look at the outdoor arena where they would be performing and turned back toward the building, "Let's see what Nanako has for us, shall we?"
"Us?" Ryuuji blinked.
"Us," Ami smiled, "you don't think she is going to leave out her only male model do you?"
"Er," Ryuuji wanted to beg off, but he knew that even Yuri-sensei had acquiesced to Nanako's plans, "I guess I can't really say no, can I?"
"No way, buster! You're going to be out there with the rest of us!" Ami took Ryuuji's hand and pulled him along. "Besides, do you want to be the one that has to explain why you get a break but Yuri-sensei still has to go out there?"
"Ah-no. I don't want to do that." Ryuuji decided that dressing up in one of Nanako's creations one more time wouldn't be all that bad.
.
Thursday afternoon, August 11th – Takasu Grandparents' Residence
The time difference meant that their friends back in Japan would be watching the show in the early afternoon of the next day. Three of those viewers were gathered around the television in the home of Ryuuji's grandparents.
"The show's coming back on, Seiji!" Ryuuji's grandmother called out to her husband who was still making himself a snack in the kitchen.
"Just hit the record button on the remote for me." he hollered back. Under his breath, he muttered that it didn't matter anyway. Their grandson was the manager, so… "we won't be seeing him on the show anyway. And sitting through this performance will be agonizing since the kind of music that kids like these days is just awful."
"Oh! Ryuuji's on stage! He's on the stage now!" his wife was squealing like she was seeing her favorite movie star.
"What? Are you sure it's Ryuuji?" he asked while hurrying out of the kitchen.
"Yes, of course I'm sure!"
"But why would he be on stage?" the grandfather rushed into the living room, only to stub his toe on a table leg and drop his plate of snacks.
"Klutz!" a bird's voice cackled from where his cage hung behind their chairs.
"Don't you start!" the old man yelled at the bird.
"Stop yelling at Inko and look at your grandson!" the old woman cajoled her husband.
"Which one is… oh." He stopped, not because he had found his grandson yet, but he had found his daughter. She was very happy and obviously just as healthy. It was obvious because the clothes she was wearing were inappropriately revealing… at least according to his standards. "Our daughter is a grandmother now. Shouldn't her behavior be a bit more… refined?"
"Pom-pous!" Inko screeched.
"YOU!" Takasu Seji was about to leap out of his chair to confront the rude bird but his wife grabbed his arm.
"There he is! There he is!" she cried out excitedly.
"Where…wow!" After turning back to the screen, he saw a very well dressed young man with perfect hair and surrounded by lovely women. It was true that he hadn't been involved in his grandson's life until the last few years, but just one look told him that his wife was right. "What is he saying?"
"I don't know. My English is too rusty, but it looks like he's introducing the next song."
"Pompous, pompous, pompous, pompous, pompous." Inko muttered while walking from one end of the perch to the other.
Seiji tried to enjoy the show, but he could hear what the old bird was muttering.
The big screens behind the singers were showing pictures of Aiko-chan riding a big black horse… or was it Taiga? It was hard for him to tell, since they looked so alike. The song sounded more like a ballad or a love song than the fast and peppy song that had come on before it. Having been thrown off by Ryuuji's English introduction, Seiji was surprised when he realized the song was in Japanese and was telling a story.
"This is more like it. Young, pretty girls singing a song with meaning." he smiled, feeling pleased.
"Per-vert!" Inko again delivered a crushing verdict on the old man.
"Damn bird!" Seiji growled. He really wanted to vent his frustrations to his wife about that accursed bird. First, they took it in when Ryuuji was going through the depths of depression. Then Ami was pregnant and the doctor said it would be best not to have a bird around. After little Tatsuya was born, the doctor didn't want a bird or a cat around the infant… so it stayed with the grandparents. He was getting angrier the more he thought about this until he was startled out of his musings by his wife's worried shout.
"Oh no!" There were tears running down her cheeks and she was reaching out to the television.
Seiji looked up at the screen and saw a startling scene. The melody of the song played on but the singing had stopped. Taiga had crumpled into tears and would have fallen to her knees if two of the taller girls hadn't grabbed her. The camera's pulled back and Seiji could see that his daughter and that teacher-friend of hers were rushing toward the singers.
Yasuko took Taiga into a hug while Aiko-chan turned to face the audience.
"Gomen'nasai. I ask that you forgive my onee-chan. You see, this song is about her. The loss in the story is hers. And I will beg her forgiveness for asking her to sing this song with me tonight. It was wrong of me… I never meant to make her cry. I promise not to ever sing this song again, onee-chan."
"No!" Taiga pulled back from Yasuko and faced Aiko-chan. Her makeup was ruined and her cheeks were still wet with tears, but she staggered back to her microphone with clenched fists. "I… I want to finish this song. I need… to finish this song!"
"Onee-chan?" Aiko-chan asked worriedly while Taiga pulled the microphone out of the stand and held onto it with both of her trembling hands.
"I need to do this… please." Taiga meant for the question to be to Aiko-chan but the microphone was live and her words went out to the audience. Her sorrowful mood was shaken a little when she heard the loud supportive cheering.
The band wrapped up their instrumental interlude and brought the song back around to where it had been interrupted. Taiga's hands gripped the microphone a little tighter as she tried to keep her emotions in check. But calming hands touched her shoulders and whispered advice gave her the courage she needed for what she wanted to do.
"Don't hold it in Taiga-chan. Let your feelings pour out through your voice. I know you can do this."
The moment arrived and she was able to do just what Yasuko told her to do. The words no longer just told a story. The audience was washed with strong feelings of joy, triumph, and satisfaction. But the storm clouds gathered and the audience could also feel Taiga's building fear, and finally her crushing sorrow. At some points, Taiga screamed the words while at other times they came in sobs, but it worked.
The audience was applauding and screaming for more, but this had been the last song of their set. The proud grandparents watched as Ryuuji walked onto center stage and said something to the audience in English again. The show started rolling the credits while all of the girls assembled on the stage with Ryuuji and bowed to the audience. After the performance bow was over, Ryuuji continued talking. All of the girls moved in close to him, to give the audience their photo opportunity for a group shot.
Unable to understand what was being said, Seiji instead focused on all the pretty girls that surrounded his grandson. He had quite changed his mind from his previous stance that all this performance foolishness was just getting in the way of his education. Here I am, envious of my own grandson now! Heh… I wonder how difficult it is to do that? "I wonder if I could manage a bunch of singers?"
His wife turned to glare at him and that was his first indication that his last thought had unfortunately been spoken aloud. He prepared himself for a stern lecture from his wife but the condemnation would come from behind.
Inko quietly made a tut tut tut sound and then loudly screeched, "BAKA!"
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Glossary
BART: Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rail based transit system. Not actually that impressive when compared to the Japanese rail infrastructure, but impressive by most other standards.
Gaijin: (often derogatory) used to describe a person not of Japanese appearance.
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Afterword
Thank you to everyone who has made this journey with me. I have received many comments over the years and I treasure all of them. Yes, even the ones where people angrily tell me they are quitting the story because only Taiga can be the best girl. Admittedly though, I have a fondness for the ones where the reviewer tells me that my story has made them see Ami in a better light.
This was my first attempt at writing several non-canon characters into a story and it was an eye opening experience. I was constantly wanting to dive deeper into their stories, but I was determined to keep the story focused on the central characters. I hope they weren't too distracting for you.
If you have the chance, please read some of my other fanfictions. I have stories on Clannad, Golden Time, and a short work on Arifureta. I have definitely enjoyed writing these stories and the experience has given me the courage to try and write some original fiction.