Reach For The Stars (Emi, Christmas Fic)

Inspired By: http://imgur.com/vU6SPTm

The whole house smells like cookies and cinnamon. Outside, the ground is covered by snow and ice, but inside is the warm glow of green and red over doorways, garland and holly decorating every frame, berry scented candles and gingerbread houses in every corner.

Emi drags another box towards her, sitting on the floor cross legged, throwing it open and tossing unwanted layers of packing paper over her shoulder. The tinkle of glass and metal ornaments come from inside, an attempt to find a particularly meaningful object. Around her are more boxes waiting to be sorted through, a huge mound of decorations piled around in a circle. With a little bit of music, the only thing she would add to the scene would be a huge fireplace, making the whole scene perfect. Since they don't have one, she guesses she'll just have to make do.

I wonder if they do that burning log on the television? she thinks.

From the kitchen, she can hear her Mom humming to herself, busy at work preparing the meal for later. Nurse and Hisao will be coming over to visit for a few days, so she started busying herself early this morning making a large meal for everyone over the holiday. Mom always did love Christmas and ends up going overboard every year. The last few days have been a whirl of shopping, decorating and preparing for the holiday. She even bought a daring and festive dress of green velvet and white trimming just for the occasion. Emi thinks it might have something to do with Nurse, but she thought it was better if she didn't ask.

She doesn't blame her Mom for going over the edge with the festivities. It's been years since they celebrated Christmas together in any special way and when Emi made the suggestion of Hisao and Nurse staying for a few days, Meiko correctly took it as permission from her daughter to bring out all the old decorations from the garage and bring some of their old family traditions back to life.

The last few years...Emi never felt much like celebrating during the season.

Still shuffling through the box and its contents, Emi begins lining several of the delicate ornaments in a row off to the side to clear some space within; a tiny rag doll made from tissue and filled with something that once smelled sweet, now a pleasant, musty aroma. Next comes a large and spiny looking object made from a foam ball that looks like something from another planet and next a glass dove with a blue ribbon around it's neck. (Mom will want to put that one on herself.) Next comes a tiny bicycle riding elf and a large snowflake made from popsicle sticks, glue and glitter. There's a few store bought bulbs, red and green and silver spheres that are polished to a mirror shine, but almost everything in the box was handmade by Emi herself through various grades and Christmas seasons, each one marked with a tiny pen when and what age it was created in her Mom's delicate handwriting.

Some of them are marked by another hand.

At the bottom of the box, Emi tosses aside a red hat with a white ball of fluff at the end. Underneath, she finds what she's looking for.

----------------------------------------

Emi clutches the star to her chest, keeping it from her Mother.
“No! Not yet!”
Meiko smiles patiently, leaning down to face her daughter on the level. “Emi, don't you want to finish decorating the tree?”
Emi turns away, hugging the star tightly. “We can't put the star on! Not till' Daddy gets home!“

Meiko stands and sighs, hands on her hips. “But don't you want Daddy to come home and see it looking pretty for him when he gets back from work?“
Emi shakes her head, her twin pigtails bouncing back and forth, whipping around her face. “No! We can't put the star on until he comes home!”

Meiko looks at the tree and sighs. The tree is well decorated from the bottom half down. Every branch and bough is covered with ornaments, at least until half way up where it becomes barren of any sign of Christmas cheer.
Emi can't reach that high.
“Well, shouldn't we put more ornaments on?”

Emi looks cautiously at the tree, looking it up and down. “It's perfect!”
“But...”
“I told Daddy I would decorate it all by myself! The star is last!“
“But there's so much space left!“
“I like it!”
“But it's naked! I can help you, if you let me lift you....“

Emi scampers away from her Mom as she tries to pick her up, moving to stand between her and the tree, guarding Meiko from putting anything new on the branches. “No! I can do it by myself! Only Dad can pick me up! I'm not short!”

“Emi, I wasn't trying to say you were too short, you know that,“ Meiko says cautiously. It's a touchy subject. ”Shouldn't we put more on the tree? It looks so sad being half empty!“

Still clutching the star, Emi looks at all the empty space. There is plenty of room left and there are still ornaments she could put on. She knows Mom means well, but she just doesn't want the help. She can do it on her own, it's her responsibility, Dad said so.

Emi takes another ornament from the box, a tin soldier, and starts to search for an appropriate place to put it. Santas and stars and snowflakes are everywhere, leaving no space for the tiny soldier to sit and be on guard.

Emi looks up at the higher branches, empty, but out of reach. Standing on her tip toes, she reaches with one hand, the other still tightly around the star, trying to touch the lowest of the upper branches. She hops, bounces, tries to stretch, holding the ornament at the very tips of her fingers, brushing and grazing at the tempting branch, her tongue sticking out in concentration.

The front door opens and Emi falters, falling down to the carpet with a crash. A few empty boxes break her fall and she manages not to land on the star, keeping it safely and gently held in the arms.

“Emi, are you all right?”
Meiko starts to move towards her daughter, but the little girl is already on her feet and dashing from the room, out of the living room, through the kitchen, down the hall and into the front room at full tilt!

She slams into a mans legs and wraps her arms and the star tightly around him.
“Hey! There's my little rocket ship! What have I told you about running in the house?” the man asks.
“Not when Mom is around!“ she replies excitedly.
He ruffles her hair playfully. “Exactly. But don't tell Mom I said that.”

Emi holds the star up above her head proudly. “Dad! Dad! We need to put the star on the tree! Mom tried to do it without you, but I wouldn't let her!“ She shoves the star up towards her father, hopping up on her toes. ”See? I saved it for us! Just the two of us!“

Her Dad smiles broadly, picking her up in his arms and placing her effortlessly on his shoulder. “Don't tell me you need my help?”

Emi growls, kicking as she does. “I don't need help. I can do it by myself! I just wanted you to put it on, too. We do every year!“

Dad laughs, carrying her through the house, Emi ducking under the low ceiling. “Well, thank you very much, Emi! That was very thoughtful of you.“

The two enter the living room, Meiko smiling at the pair. “Hello, dear.”
“Our daughter says you tried to do my job for me,” he smiles.
“I only thought to have the tree done when you got home.“

Emi's father is a very tall man and he leans down to kiss his wife, prolonging the contact between them. “Thank you.“
“You're welcome. How was work?” Meiko asks, her cheeks colored.
“Terrible. I'll be glad once the season is over. Three of my coworkers suddenly came down with 'seasonal allergies' and called in sick. The 'Christmas Flu' strikes again.“

Meiko purses her lips. “You do enough as it is. Why don't you use some vacation days and take the whole week off?“

He smiles and winks. “But if I'm not there, who will save the world of insurance claims from catastrophe and disaster? That place would fall apart without me.“

Emi wags her feet back and forth atop her father's shoulders. “Dad is a superhero! He doesn't need a vacation!”

Her Dad playfully grabs her by the stomach, tickling her ferociously as she giggles and cries out delightedly. “That makes you my sidekick!”

He lifts her up, holding her in the air, high above while Emi holds the star out in front of her. “To the tree! To the tree!” she cries!

Emi's Dad makes whooshing, flying sounds, bringing his daughter closer and closer to the top of the tree. Coming in for a landing, he holds her just above the top of the branches. Emi carefully, almost reverently, puts the star atop, crowning the whole project with a sense of accomplishment and finality.

With a bounce, her Dad puts her back on the ground, Meiko stepping up beside him and wrapping an arm around her husband.

Emi looks at the tree very proudly, fists set on her hips. “It's perfect!”

Dad eyes the empty space halfway up. “Do you want to put some more on here?”
“No!”
“There's a lot of space left.“
“I know! I'm still growing! I'll get it when I'm tall.“
“Are you sure?”
Emi lifts her head back, looking at her father crossly
“I said it was perfect, didn't I?”

Dad laughs, grabbing her head and messing her hair up vigorously. “You're right. It is perfect.”

----------------------------------------

Emi picks the star out of the box. It has a few dents, a couple stains on the metal and one of the shiny arms is bent back a little, but it still glows and shines from the inside and is as perfect as it ever was.

Emi holds it close, looking up at the tree, the ornaments scattered about the branches, an empty, but slightly smaller space than in years past near the top.

She decorated it herself every year, that was her job, her responsibility. But to finish the task, she needed Dad's help to put the star on.

This was the first year in many that the tree would be complete.

----------------------------------------

“Emi?”
Meiko looks up the stairs cautiously.
“Emi?” she calls again.

“What?”
Meiko flinches. Emi sounds upset.

Her daughter comes down the stairs, slowly. She's still getting used to the legs and stairs have been the hardest part about them, second to still being unable to run.

And of course....

Meiko watches her daughter struggle to come downstairs, while she tries to keep her face straight. She has to be strong for Emi, to not let her know that she wants to break down and cry every time she sees her daughter dealing with the difficulty of her injuries.

She tries not to stare, not to worry about her, but she's already missed almost a whole year of school, forcing her to be held back. And when her rehabilitation is finally over, she'll be going to a new school away from all of her old friends and familiarities. As a Mother, it's hard and difficult to not talk about it, to not have anyone she can go to with the worry and burden. If Nurse hadn't taken a special interest in Emi, Meiko doesn't know how she would ever learn to cope.
When do the injuries become a disability? What can she do or say to give back all the things her little girl has lost?
An eleven year old shouldn't be forced to lose so much all at once.
It isn't right.

“I...wanted to know if you wanted to do anything today,“ Meiko asks.
Emi stands at the bottom of the stairs, head down. “Why?”

Meiko hesitates. “It's Christmas.”

Emi looks up at her, her face grim. “So?”

Meiko hesitates, trying to force a smile, hands behind her back. “I thought...you would want to do something. Maybe go out and eat at a restaurant? Or go shopping?“ Meiko smiles hopefully, pulling a star from behind her back. ”We could look for a tree and decorate it.“

Emi stares at the star bitterly. “What's the point?”
Meiko's face sinks. “Emi, please. I know it's hard, but you've always decorated the tree before.“

“I won't be able to finish it. I can't reach the top.“
“But maybe I could....”
“I don't need help!”

Emi slaps the star out from her Mother's hand, the object clattering to the ground. Meiko gasps and steps back in alarm, holding her hands to her chest.

“I don't want to decorate some tree and I don't want to play with any stupid stars! I'm not a little kid anymore! Stop trying to cheer me up, it's not going to work! Who cares about Christmas or presents or ornaments?! Just stop acting like everything is all right! It isn't, so stop trying to fix things!“

Emi heads back upstairs, pulling herself by the handrail more than walking.
Meiko watches her leave, trying not to weep over what her daughter is becoming.

----------------------------------------

Emi winces, seeing the bashed in side of the star.

She shouldn't have snapped at her Mom like that. She's apologized every year since then. Generally, Mom knows that Christmas isn't something Emi wants to talk about, probably why she was so excited and went over the top when Emi said it was okay to celebrate this year.

Mom deserves that, Emi thinks.

The front bell rings and Emi smiles, placing the star on the sofa and hobbling to her feet, pulling herself up with the assistance of a nearby chair. She rushes carefully out of the living room, through the kitchen, down the hall and into the front room as fast as she dares without her running blades on, her plastic legs clicking as she moves.

Emi throws the front door open, revealing two huddled figures on the front doorstep. One wears a long leather jacket and a Santa hat on his head, a broad, goofy smile on his face and a cardboard bucket of chicken under his arm. The other is shivering pathetically, hands clenched under his arms, teeth chattering, wearing a thin jacket, unsuited for the weather. Both of them have bags for staying overnight.

“Ho, ho, ho,” Nurse laughs in a mocking, deep bellow.

Hisao lifts a shaking hand. “H-hey, Emi.”

“What happened to you?”

Nurse grins. “The heater in my car broke. Genius here thought his windbreaker would be good enough.“

Hisao is still shivering as he tries to shrug.

Emi groans. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Let me inside, give me a blanket, something warm to drink and check my fingers for frostbite?“ He shudders from a blast of wind. ”Please?“

“Get in here,” Emi says with a roll of her eyes.

She moves aside and Hisao rushes in, rubbing his arms vigorously. They take off their coats, but Nurse keeps the festive hat on.  “You're just in time,” Emi says. “I was almost done with the tree!”

Hisao grins, his teeth chattering. “Cool. Need any help?”

Emi smiles. “Sure. Why not? I guess you can lend a hand.”

Emi turns to Nurse and spies the bucket he brought. “Mom is cooking a meal.“
“I know. I thought I would contribute. I like chicken.“
“They don't really eat that in America for Christmas. You know that, right?“
His expression turns sour. “They don't?“

Emi rolls her eyes. “Mom is in the kitchen. Act surprised; she's wearing a new dress.“

With a glint in his eyes, Nurse glides off towards the sounds of Meiko cooking and humming happily.

Emi turns to Hisao, the poor guy still trying to get some feeling in his arms. “Did you really forget a decent jacket?”
“I didn't think I would have to endure the entire trip here in the freezing cold! I should have known when Nurse picked me up and the windshield was covered in frost I was in trouble.“

Emi sighs. “I guess I know what I'll be getting you for Christmas. Too bad I already did all of my shopping. I already got you your present.“
“Right about now I'd be happy unwrapping anything warm.“
“It'll be plenty warm when I put it on and you unwrap me.“

Hisao blinks. “What do you mean?”
Emi sighs. “You really are a dumbass, aren't you?”

Emi stands up as far as she can, using Hisao's shoulder to get near his ear. His cheeks turns crimson and he doesn't feel so cold anymore when he hears about his 'present' for Christmas.

“Oh, well, I think I'll enjoy that. And is this a one time offer or can I return it? Can I get a gift card in exchange?“

She punches his shoulder and latches around his arm. “Jerk!”

Emi drags Hisao towards the living room. “Come on,  I want to finish the tree!”

The room is in disarray, boxes spread out all over the place, as many decorations waiting to be put up as there are put in their place.

“Emi, why do you have so much Christmas stuff? It looks like a department store in here!“
“Mom loves Christmas! She's always been really into the holiday since....“ she stops and grimaces. ”It's a family tradition,“ she finishes quickly.

Hisao shuffles and nods, not going near the subject.

Emi smiles and pushes him towards a large box, overflowing with tinsel. “Come on! You can put some of this up while I plug the tree in!“

The two go about the task of decorating the room even more than it already is. Bright strings of lights, wreathes and green and ribbons hanging from every empty space of wall. Several times Emi calls Hisao to put something up high where she can't reach it and Hisao relies on Emi to tell him exactly where everything should go.

“Hisao, the polar bears go on the left side of the table! The snowman goes in the center! Come on, this is simple stuff here! Haven't you ever decorated for Christmas before?“

“My family was never much into this stuff, to be honest. I spent a few Christmas' by myself at home.“
“That's awful! Spending Christmas alone should be illegal!“
“My Mom and Dad were always busy with work. We didn't spend much time together over the holidays“
“That's no excuse for your ignorance! Why do you think I invited you? It's about time you give some attention to your Christmas education. If you spent half as much time on learning this stuff as you did....like, the falling trajectory of meteorites, or something, I wouldn't have to hold your hand the whole way!“
Hisao is about to open his mouth and point out that what she said doesn't make sense. He opts out, thinking it better not to criticize.
“Forgive me for not knowing the particulars, this is our first Christmas together!“
“First of many. You'd better be a fast learner! This is important stuff!“

“How am I supposed to keep these things straight? There's so many of them! Do you really need all these decorations?“ Hisao pulls a Santa head made from pipe cleaners out of a box. “I mean, really? Some of this stuff is just,” he starts to say before Emi interrupts him.
“Watch it, buster! I made this stuff myself when I was little!“

Hisao puts the handmade ornament down slowly. “...lovely and finely made too! Wonderful craftsmanship....”

Emi grins with a tiny glare at him. “Like I said, Mom loves Christmas. She's kept everything I've ever made and kept track of what grade I was in. She's never thrown anything out.“

Emi picks the star up from the sofa and holds it out. “And this is the most important one of all.”

Hisao takes it from her when she hands it over, turning the object over in his hands several times. “This is really old. Is this an antique?”

Emi nods. “It's been in my family for a long time. It was my job to decorate the tree every year. The last thing we did was put the star on.“

Hisao looks up at the top of the tree. “You'll need some help to get this up there.”
“I know. Dad always lifted me up.”

Hisao stops, clamping his mouth shut, clenching the star in his hands. Emi smiles. He's so cute when he gets like this. He still walks around the subject like it were made of glass. She doesn't blame him, his reaction is natural after what she put him through over it. Now he just shuts up and doesn't say anything for fear he'll open his loud trap and say something stupid again.

Poor guy.
She's been awful towards him.

Emi puts her hand on his shoulder. “Want to help?”

Hisao looks down at her and nods, a little smile on his face.
With Hisao steadying her, Emi stretches with the star in her hands, reaching upwards to put the star on the tree. With a little help, and a couple inches courtesy of Hisao, she slips the star up top and crowns the tree, the glittering star on top of the world.

The two of them smile in satisfaction at their work.
Hisao spies the barren branches left after Emi's decorating and points to them.
“Can I put some on these here?”

Emi nods, looking up at Hisao. “Sure. You're good at filling in the empty spaces.”
Hisao looks down at her, blinking a few times before he smiles.

“Thanks for letting me help, Emi.”
“Not a problem, Hisao. I still have some growing to do.“

Emi grabs him by the collar and yanks him down into a kiss.

They're interrupted by Nurse, poking his head into the room. He snaps his finger and hisses at them. “Hey! Hey! Knock that off, you two! I'll get a water bottle and spray the both of you! This is Christmas, stay on the nice list!“

Hisao turns red and Emi turns away, hands innocently behind her back.

“Come on,” Nurse says with a smile, “dinner's ready.”

----------------------------------------

Later that night, with the lights off and the Christmas tree lit up, Emi sits on the floor of the living room, flipping through channels on the television.
“What are you looking for?” Hisao asks from the couch, still trying to digest all the food from dinner.
Emi sighs and tosses the controller away in disgust. “A burning log.”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind.”

Emi crawls over to the couch and climbs up on the cushions, pressing up against Hisao, his arms wrapping around her. She settles in with a sigh and takes particular pleasure in the way he rests his chin on the top of her head.

“We're pretty lucky that your Mom and Nurse went out shopping for last minute gifts. It gives us the chance to spend some time alone.“
Emi smiles, a tiny, conflicted look on her face. “Right, shopping. I'm sure that's what they wanted to go and do.“

Hisao chuckles. “I'm not complaining. It lets me have you all to myself.”
Emi laughs. “Please! You wouldn't know what to do with me if you had me all to yourself for too long.“
“I wouldn't mind trying to figure it out.“
Emi cranes her neck back and kisses him.
They separate, resting their heads against one another.  “Merry Christmas, Emi.“
“Merry Christmas, Hisao.“
He lifts his head and grins. “Oh, that reminds me! Now would be a great time to give you your present.“

Hisao unwraps himself from Emi and grabs his overnight bag, rummaging through it's contents. Emi sits on the couch, trying not to look too excited about getting a gift from her boyfriend, but she makes little kicks and gently chews her lip in anticipation.

Eventually Hisao pulls out an envelope, decorative with red lining and a green ribbon on it, and hands it to her nervously. “Merry Christmas, Emi.”

Emi flips the envelope around in her hands a few times. “What? No giant boxes? No parades? No fat guys you hired to dress like Santa and break into my house?“
“Well, if I could afford that stuff, I'd get it for you. But I think this will be special for both of us.“

Emi excitedly tears the envelope open and slips two small pieces of paper from inside. She finds them to be train tickets.
Emi reads them.
“Hokkaido? What's in Hokkaido?”
Hisao smiles. “Makomanai Stadium. From the Olympics. I thought you and I could go on a trip there for the rest of the winter break.“

Emi's eyes light up. “The Olympics?”
“Well,” Hisao says with a shrug, “the winter Olympics.”
“Oh! I don't even care!”

Emi throws her arms around Hisao's shoulder and hugs him as tight as she can. “That is so awesome!”
“I'm glad you like it, Emi,” Hisao says, wrapping his arms around her. “I thought you and I could go ice skating where the Olympians did.“

http://imgur.com/cgTcUKY

“But, Hisao,” Emi says pulling back, “I don't have any skating prosthetics.”
“Well that's already handled! I talked to Nurse and he got you....“ Hisao goes red and shuts his mouth.
Emi gently slaps him in the shoulder. ”You big dummy! You just gave Nurse's gift for me away, didn't you?“
“Sorry,” Hisao says bashfully. “Don't tell him I ruined the surprise. He'll be pissed.“

Emi smiles. “I can act shocked.”

Emi looks at the tickets in her hands, grinning like an idiot. “I don't even know how to skate!”

Hisao shrugs. “Neither do I. I figure we can learn together. I never liked running until I started doing it with you. You made it fun. So I guess learning anything with you would be worth it if we do it together.“

Emi looks up at Hisao and stares for a long time at him. “Do you have any idea how sweet that sounded?”

“Did it? I had hoped it didn't sound stupid.”
Emi hugs Hisao again, biting her lip, a little dampness in her eyes. “It was far from stupid. Thank you, Hisao!”

They hold each other for a prolonged time before Emi starts to chuckle menacingly.
“What?” Hisao asks.

With a devious grin, Emi smiles at Hisao, all teeth. “Now I feel really good about giving you your present. You deserve it after this.“

Emi hops up from the couch, leaving Hisao stunned in silence. “Stay right, here, okay? Don't follow me.”
“It'll be hard not too.”

Emi scampers out of the living room, leaving Hisao with the Christmas tree.

For a while he sits on the couch expectantly, trying to maintain his composure, ideas and thoughts rushing through his head. Soon he looks to his left and see a large, plastic Santa staring at him with harsh, judgmental, glassy eyes.

Hisao faces Saint Nicholas towards the wall.

No need to be careless.

A few minutes pass and a loud bang comes from upstairs, something fairly heavy falling to the floor above.

“Emi?” Hisao calls out.

After a couple moments, he stands and makes his way up the stairs towards Emi's room. He knocks on the closed door. “Emi? Are you okay?”
“Don't come in!”
A few shuffling sounds come from the other side of the door.
“Emi, are you all right?”
A moments pause. “I'm...having trouble putting it on.”
“Do you...need help?”
A moment of silence. “Yeah.”
“Okay, I'm coming in.”
Hisao opens the door and peeks inside, finding a large bump in the center of the floor, covered with a sheet. From inside comes Emi's voice. “These damn stocking won't fit over my stupid legs! Could you...?“

Hisao kneels in front of the blanket covered Emi.

“Don't peek,” she warns.

Slowly, one of Emi's legs emerges, clad halfway up with sheer, green hose.
Hisao gulps. He shouldn't find Emi's prosthetics so attractive, but nonetheless, he feels his heartbeat increase.

This is how people get fetishes, he muses regretfully.

Hisao carefully pulls the stocking up and over Emi's knee, closer and closer up along her legs.

“There's a little strap you need to connect.”

Hisao latches the delicate connecter. Once finished, he tries to see what else is under the blanket, but a hand emerges and slaps his wandering fingers away.

“Not yet!” she cries.

The leg withdraws and the next one emerges, which Hisao fixes likewise and secures.

Now fully covered by the blanket, Emi huffs. “That wasn't nearly as hard to do when I bought it. Now, get back downstairs! No peeking!“

Hisao quickly retreats, fanning himself off from the little glimpses he got of Emi under the blanket.

Soon enough, back in the living room, he hears Emi call down. “Ready?”
“Ready,” Hisao says in a hoarse whisper.

He can hear Emi walking down the stairs and towards the living room. When she steps in, illuminated by the Christmas tree, Hisao holds his breath.

Emi's hair is down, which he always likes. On her ears are a pair of festive, bell shaped earrings which twinkle when she walks. The dress is very short and red, fuzzy white trimming along the bust and skirt and she has long, white gloves which go from just below her shoulder to the tips of her fingers. Finally, her legs are clad in the sheer, evergreen tights Hisao had just helped her put on.

“What do you think?” Emi says, twisting back and forth. “Pretty sexy, huh? I'm just glad they had it in my size. The girl at the counter wasn't sure they had it!“

Hisao coughs. “It's...great. Really great! Where did you get it?”
“I bought it from a little store in the mall! It's cute, right?“
“Very cute,“ Hisao mumbles, his eyes locked on Emi's exposed thighs.
“Good! I saw it in the window when me and my Mom were shopping and I had to show it to you!“

“You...went lingerie shopping with your Mom?”
“Ew, no! We split up to do our own shopping, cover more ground!“

Hisao has a glassy look in his eyes. Emi throws a stuffed polar bear at him. “Stop that!”
“Stop what?”
“You know what! You were having an internal montage or something of me and my Mom in skimpy clothes!“

Emi glares viciously.

“You better have been thinking about me the most!”
“Of course!” Hisao gasps. “Only you! I didn't even notice she was there!”
Emi smiles. “Good.”

She walks, more saunters up to him, and climbs into his lap, crossing her legs demurely.

“Now Hisao, tell me; have you been naughty? Or nice?“