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Lilly Route: Conflict; 2-4: Road Trip

Jan 23rd, 2014
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  1. I stare out the window of the passengers side of Akira's car, glaring at the scenery as it passes. Misha is slurping loudly at a can of soda and Shizune had been staring daggers at the back of my head, but I haven't cared enough to check and see what was wrong with her.
  2.  
  3. The ride seems longer than when I took the cab to try and stop Lilly from getting to the airport. Maybe it was the excitement, the nervous wreck that I was on the trip over that made it seem to pass so quickly. Now it feels like it drags on forever, with blank landscapes rushing past my window like a repetitive movie screen. Akira drives in silence, her sunglasses over her eyes, not even having turned on the radio.
  4.  
  5. Without warning, Shizune slaps me across the back of my head.
  6.  
  7. I snap to alertness and shake myself out of my thoughts, rubbing the sore spot on my skull.
  8. "What was that for?" I shout back at her, knowing full well how pointless it is. She can see my expression though to tell how angry I am.
  9.  
  10. Akira looks up in the rear view, her attention momentarily taken off the road. I glare at Shizune full bore, she glaring right back at me, her glasses like sights on a pair of gun barrels. She makes some hand signs which Misha has to catch halfway through, nearly dropping her can in the process of translating. "That's not nice at all! Shiichan wants to know why you're riding in our car and not with Lilly. She's also calling you some mean names." Misha signs several times. "I'm not saying that, that's rude! You're terrible, Shiichan."
  11. "There wasn't enough room."
  12. "Then why isn't she riding with us? There's room in here~!"
  13. "Her father didn't want her riding with Akira driving."
  14. Akira shakes her head and scoffs at my words. "I've been driving her places for six years, what does he care?"
  15.  
  16. Shizune keeps signing, still looking annoyed with me. "Shiichan did not go to all the trouble of inviting you to her home to have you spend time with us! Aww, I hope he spends time with us, at least a little while...."
  17. "Then why did you invite me to your house in the first place?" I ask sharply through Misha.
  18.  
  19. Shizune gets circumspect
  20.  
  21. "Come on, Shizune, out with it. Is this some underhanded plan you have? Do you have student council work at your house you need help with? That's the only reason I can think of that you would be this nice to me."
  22.  
  23. Misha laughs and Shizune looks disappointed with me. "Can't I do something nice once in a while, Hiichan?" the pink haired one says. "Is it so hard to believe I would want you to enjoy your summer instead of being all alone at Yamaku?"
  24. "Well, it does seem uncharacteristic of you."
  25.  
  26. Shizune blinks in surprise and looks to Misha who is waiting to speak for her, then at Akira who has begun to pay more attention to our three way conversation.
  27.  
  28. Shizune fishes out of her pocket her ever present pad of paper and writes something down, handing it to me, folded so no one can see it. It reads, "If I can make other people happy, then I'm not such a terrible person, right?"
  29.  
  30. She takes it back once I've read it and puts it and the pad back in her pocket.
  31.  
  32. I smile at her in gratitude and at her sudden shyness over her motivation. It must be hard to maintain such a cold exterior when all you really want to do is make the people around you feel better. "Thank you, Shizune."
  33. She blushes and shrugs, beginning to sign again. "It seemed the best way to handle Lilly. We still don't get along very well, but if you are there, we won't have to interact as much anymore. Harsh but fair, Shiichan!"
  34. "So I'm here to distract Lilly for you?"
  35. Shizune nods after Misha finishes. "You are running inter-ference between us. It is the best option for our mutual coexistence!"
  36. "You seem pretty intent on making sure the two of you get along."
  37. That impish smile creeps back onto Shizune's face. "Shiichan considers it a challenge to her honor! She's won't lose to Lilly!"
  38. I blink. "Are you saying that getting along with Lilly is a game to you now?"
  39. She grins, showing all of her teeth and Misha laughs. "When Lilly was leaving, Shiichan wished for them to leave on ami-cable terms. Now that she is staying, Shiichan must live up to the obligation she placed herself under. To do otherwise would be a failure on her part!"
  40. "You're... competing to see who is the friendliest?"
  41. Shizune adjusts her glasses. "I beat her to the punch on our recon-cili-ation, I'll beat her again. Letting her boyfriend stay the summer over at my house? She'll never do anything to match that! If we start fighting again, I won't let her claim it was because of something I did!" Misha laughs, the car shaking with the sound. "That's pretty clever, Shiichan, if a bit sneaky~!"
  42.  
  43. "Well, whatever your motivation was, Shizune, thank you for it. We owe you one."
  44. Shizune grins at me. "You'll both pay us back sooner than you think, Shiichan~!" Misha chimes. "Graduation is just around the corner~! You promised~!"
  45. I groan in pain. "You're going to make both Lilly and me chip in on the work, aren't you?"
  46. "Don't worry, it's still a few months away. You and Lilly will have plenty of time to be lazy together until then!"
  47.  
  48. I don't say it, but I don't have any plans on being lazy with Lilly anytime soon. "Well, whatever. Thanks. I'm looking forward to it and towards this summer. It's pretty cool of you to offer this for me. I hope your family doesn't mind?"
  49.  
  50. Shizune looks sideways out the window. "It took some explaining, but it's mostly okay with Shiichan's father. Hideaki has not stopped talking about you!"
  51. "Really? How come?"
  52. Shizune rolls her eyes and Misha grins. "You left... an impression on him after your sudden visit. I'll say! You're all he seems to talk about, Hichan! Shiichan's father even wanted to meet you!"
  53. That surprises me. "I don't see why."
  54. "Hideaki told him about how you showed up in the middle of the night, demanding to know where Lilly was! Hideaki was impressed, so was Shiichan's father."
  55. "Huh. Well, it'll be nice to meet your dad, Shizune, and I guess it'll be cool to see Hideaki again. I should thank him for his help."
  56.  
  57. I spend a few moments to think about the people I'm about the spend the summer with. Lilly is my top priority and I still don't know how to catalog her father. Akira has always been cool, there's no problem there. As for Shizune's dad, I'm a little eager to meet him myself; with a daughter like Shizune and a son like Hideaki, there's no telling what kind of a person he is. If his son and daughter are any indication, he could be anything between some sort of male model or a tycoon billionaire, though that seems to be Mr. Satou's department.
  58.  
  59. A thought occurs to me that I can't stop from nagging at my thoughts. "Hey, what's up with your family, anyway? I mean, is your dad like Lilly's dad?"
  60. Akira glances at me, then back at the road.
  61. Shizune watches Misha signing, then glowers back at me. "No," Misha says for her. "Shiichan's father is nothing like her uncle. Her uncle is a successful, driven, powerful and respectable man. Shiichan says her father is none of those things. Aww, that's sad, Shiichan. I like your dad! He's funny~!"
  62.  
  63. I'm shocked by Shizune's answer and the meanness in it. Despite Misha being able to translate satisfactorily, her voice is always happy and bubbly in it's speech. I think there was some venom meant by Shizune in her words. "I take it you and your dad do not get along?"
  64.  
  65. Shizune smirks. "That is putting it lightly. If the situation had not forced it, Shiichan would rather not spend the whole summer at home. Mr. Hakamichi and Shiichan...." Misha trails off when Shizune stops signing. Shizune sighs and begins again. "Shiichan gets along better with her uncle."
  66. "I can see that. He even knows sign language."
  67. Shizune nods. "He took the time to learn. Shiichan understands it was for his business, his connections to Yamaku, but she says it is flattering."
  68. "I remember he said something to you in the limousine. What was it?"
  69.  
  70. Shizune blinks in surprise at my memory. She stealthfully looks at Akira with a guilty glance, then pulls out the pad of paper and writes something, handing it to me once more.
  71. "He said he was proud of me," is what it says.
  72.  
  73. She snatches the paper back from me once I've read it and for a moment, a conflicted expression passes by her face, but she crushes it and the paper quickly. "I am only worried about what will happen when my father and uncle meet for the first time in so many years," Misha says as she begins to look crestfallen. "If what you said is true, then so am I, Shiichan."
  74.  
  75. I recall Shizune ranting about 'treaties' and 'blood being spilled' and 'open warfare.' I hope she was making a big deal about it, but Shizune doesn't strike me as one to exaggerate on such an important topic regarding her family. Having met Mr. Satou, I can only imagine the aftereffects of the meeting if Shizune's dad is anything like Lilly's.
  76.  
  77. If he reacts like he has to me not knowing the person I am, I can only imagine what it will be like when he meets someone he actively dislikes. "Then why invite Lilly's dad along at all?"
  78. Shizune looks put out and doesn't sign at first. When she finally does, she seems reluctant. "Shiichan was... tricked."
  79. "Tricked?"
  80. Shizune looks like she wants to curse, clenching her fist before her face dramatically. "My uncle is a very clever man. He asked me about my father, how he was doing. Then he steered the conversation towards the family business, started asking me things I could not answer. I attempted to get him to other topics, to distract him, but he is a very adept manipulator. I am ashamed that he... defeated me."
  81.  
  82. Lilly's dad got one over on Shizune? Truly, a formidable conflict.
  83.  
  84. "Since Shiichan had invited you, he backed her into a corner," Misha continues. "If she did not extend the same hospitality to him, being a member of the family, it would be a grave insult! Her honor demanded she comply! Now her father and Mr. Satou are on a collision course of her making."
  85.  
  86. Mr. Satou practically invited himself to Shizune's home knowing that Lilly and I would be there, despite Mr. Hakamichi and their relationship. I hope Mr. Satou didn't go to all this trouble just because of me!
  87.  
  88. This leaves me with more questions I need clearing up. "I'm confused. They know each other, how are they related?"
  89. Akira pipes in for the first time. "They're brothers."
  90.  
  91. I've never gotten the full story of Lilly and Shizune's family, so now is as good a time as any I guess. "Brothers? But Shizune and Lilly have separate surnames."
  92. Akira grins, almost a grimace. "It's complicated, kid. You got some time?"
  93. I nod in confirmation.
  94. Akira sighs, resigned to lay out whatever their family drama is. "Okay, here's the deal; my father, Hiroyuki Satou, and Shizune's dad, Jigoro Hakamichi are brothers. Same family; the family name is Satou."
  95. "The why is Shizune's name different?"
  96.  
  97. Akira cringes, a bit hesitant. "Like I said, it's complicated. They grew up together, but they hate each other. They'll argue about everything and neither one of them can stand to let the other get ahead in life. My father and Jigoro have always competed against one another; my father got good grades, Jigoro got better grades. Jigoro graduated in the top percentile, my father graduated at the top of his class. My father gets a good job with a great company, Jigoro starts his own business from the ground up. They're always comparing themselves to each other and gloating about every accomplishment they can hold over the others head. It's gotten so bad, they can't even be in the same room for long without it becoming a fight."
  98.  
  99. I can't help but grimace myself at the news. I can only imagine they would hate each other after all of that and how hard it must be on the family as a whole for two brothers to be at the others throat like that all the time. I catch Shizune watching Misha sign Akira's words and she doesn't look happy. I guess she doesn't like her family's problems shared with outsiders. "That doesn't explain why Shizune have a different name then Lilly, though."
  100.  
  101. Akira looks up in the rear view mirror at Shizune. She looks back at her after Misha signs and Shizune gets a sour look on her face, eyes downcast. She nods, giving Akira silent permission. "It's because of Shizune's mother, Mayoi Hakamichi," is all Akira says.
  102.  
  103. I haven't heard a whisper about her mother in all the time I've known Shizune. I briefly spoke to Lilly's mom on the phone and I had been confused to realize that she was from Scotland, meaning that the family connection was between their fathers. I wonder what it is about Shizune's mother that is so secretive?
  104.  
  105. "Mayoi Hakamichi; she had no brothers and no living relatives, so when Jigoro and her got married, they merged their companies and taking her name was part of the deal. I hate saying it this way, but Mayoi was loaded. It's not common nowadays, but Mayoi was old fashioned and insisted he take her name. Jigoro eventually agreed. That put him way ahead of my father in their stupid little game of oneupmanship. It wasn't until my father got promoted and transferred to Scotland that he was able to get the lead back from my uncle."
  106. "Shizune's parents married for business?"
  107. "No, no, not at all, those two... well, I won't say. It's not my place and it's complicated. That's Shizune's to share if she wants."
  108. "Will I get to meet Mrs. Hakamichi?"
  109.  
  110. No one says anything. Even Misha stops signing, but from the look on Shizune's face, she doesn't need to finish.
  111. I change the subject quickly.
  112.  
  113. "Okay, so Mr. Satou and Hakamichi are brothers. They don't like each other. Akira, you and Lilly's mother is from Scotland?"
  114. "Karla. Thomson was her family name."
  115. "Right. Jigoro married Shizune's mother, took her name, that's why they're different. Mr. Satou met your mom because of his job?"
  116. "Yes."
  117. "Lilly mentioned they met at a conference in Inverness where your mom was a journalist. So what does your father do, Akira? Is he in journalism as well, is that how they met? Or is he a lawyer like you are?"
  118. Akira looks conflicted for a moment. "Not exactly. He's an attorney, it's a little different, but he doesn't practice often anymore. He's an executive in the company we both work for. He's also pretty well invested in the clients that we represent."
  119. "What sort of clients?"
  120. Akira looks more uncomfortable as I continue to ask questions. "Different... stuff."
  121. "What kind of stuff?"
  122. She sighs at my interrogation. "My father... look, Hisao, the stuff my father does isn't exactly... the companies we work for, you can't just nail it down, they're into a lot of things. Our biggest client is based in Scotland and mostly deals with medical technology."
  123. "Is that why your dad was on the Yamaku Foundation?"
  124.  
  125. She nods, taking a turn down the road, going over several bumps, big hills and a little river rolling past the window, slowing down as we approach a gas station. "Sort of. He got connected to Yamaku through our company but only after Lilly was born. It's not just that, though, it's a lot of other things, he's got fingers in a lot of pots; currency exchange, medical research, diamond mining in Africa, private security; if there's money to be made, my father and the company we work for are into it."
  126. My ears start to burn. "Did you just say private security?"
  127. "Yeah."
  128. I blink, hesitating for fear of what she'll answer with. "Like... mercenaries, soldiers for hire, that sort of stuff?"
  129. "No, of course not. Well, sometimes. When people need to protect themselves in scary places, we make sure it's done all legal. If it can't, well, sometimes my father is the one who... makes it legal."
  130.  
  131. Holy crap....
  132. Memories from last night rush into my head and fill it with horrible implications. "Akira, is your family in the Mafia?"
  133.  
  134. Akira slams on the brakes, making the tires squeal and screech. Shizune flips out, grabbing onto my seat for support, her seat belt straining. Misha screams, but it comes out as an amused, warbling laugh and I grip the door handle as the car does a one-eighty and ends up on the side of the road, sliding into the gas station parking lot, dust and pebbles thrown everywhere outside. My heart pounds in my chest and my mouth doesn't react when I want it to, my scream choked in my throat. "What was that for?!"
  135.  
  136. Shizune is throwing signs madly at Akira, interrupting them by slapping the back of her chair in anger. Misha chortles in breathless laughter.
  137.  
  138. Akira grips the steering wheel and turns a very steady eye on me, her voice tight. "Hisao, I like you. You're good for Lilly. Hell, you're the best thing to ever happen to her, so I'm going to give you a little bit of advice; if you said that, asked my father that, you wouldn't last long enough to regret it. So you had better think twice before you open your mouth around him. There are things that it's just safer for you not to know."
  139.  
  140. My throat goes very dry with Akira's implications. "You're not serious, are you? All this time, your family... oh, you have to be joking, right?"
  141. Kenji's claims about Lilly's family couldn't have been true, could it?
  142. Oh, crap, what else was he right about?
  143. Are the feminists real? Are women really out to get us? Is there some sort of conspiracy going on at Yamaku? My whole life perspective has been thrown into disarray!
  144.  
  145. Kenji was right, I'm a dead man!
  146.  
  147. Akira leans close to me. "Hisao?"
  148. "What?"
  149. "Hisao?"
  150. "What!?"
  151. She smiles like the cat who caught the mouse. "Calm down, you nutbag. My father isn't some super-villain, even if he is a villain. He's not in the mob and neither am I; where the hell did you get that crazy idea?"
  152. I blink in disbelief and sputter a reply. "Then... why did you stop the car like that?"
  153. "I need a pitstop. I have to go to the bathroom."
  154.  
  155. Shizune is still throwing signs and if looks could kill Akira would be dead three times over. Misha laughs and takes a while to tell Shizune what Akira said.
  156.  
  157. "That isn't funny! I have a heart condition!"
  158. "You'll be fine, don't be a baby," Akira says, undoing her seat belt, smiling at me.
  159. "For a minute there I thought you were being serious, like your dad had some sort of secret, underground volcano base!"
  160. "He doesn't need one after the space station with death laser he built. You want me to get you anything from inside?"
  161. "Yeah, a new pair of pants."
  162.  
  163. Ten minutes later we're back on the road.
  164.  
  165. Akira sips from a can which I hope isn't beer and Shizune and Misha both grabbed some snacks. I didn't want anything. "Sorry about that, Hisao. You need to lighten up," Akira jokes.
  166.  
  167. I glare at her, still upset about her stunt.
  168. "Listen," she continues, "our jobs are complicated. It's best that you not ask about it. Father barely talks business with me and we work for the same firm! Try to not stick your nose into my father's business, it'll save you a lot of pain and discomfort. You'll have your hands full dealing with him personally without getting involved professionally, trust me on this."
  169. I shrug and sigh in acceptance. "Fine, I guess. I still feel like I don't know how to act around him. Everything I do seems to turn around and bite me in the end."
  170. "The feeling is mutual," Akira says.
  171.  
  172. She looks up in the mirror at Shizune and Misha. "Hey, Misha, can I ask you a favor?"
  173. "Um, okay. What is it?"
  174. "Could you tell Shizune I need to talk privately with Hisao? Could you, you know, stop telling her what we're saying? Ignore us for a little while?"
  175.  
  176. Misha looks confused, then explains through sign. Shizune is displeased and downright angry to be left out of things, but eventually she relents and fishes a book out of her bag and begins reading, a little sulky attitude because of her exclusion. Misha puts on some headphones and begins listening to music entirely too loud, so much so that I can just make out the words over the engine hum.
  177.  
  178. Akira turns back to me. "I guess that's as alone as we'll get." She looks down at the steering wheel and looks almost sad. "I want to apologize, Hisao."
  179. "For nearly killing me with your car?"
  180. "No, for some stuff I did that I shouldn't have."
  181. "What are you talking about?"
  182.  
  183. Akira looks out the window, a conflicted look on her face. "I have a confession, Hisao. When I first met you, I didn't think much of you. To be honest, I thought you were just one of the misfits that Lilly seemed to always pick up. People she surrounded herself with because she thought she could protect them or fix them. She did it all the time when she was young, it's how she made friends. She was always finding the strays and bringing them home. When you started hanging out regularly with her, I just thought you were some guy chasing after her skirt that I'd end up having to chase off. So I...."
  184. "What's wrong?"
  185. She looks terrible guilty. "I dug into you, your past and did some snooping."
  186. "Excuse me?"
  187. "You were hanging out with Lilly, I had to know who you were. If it makes you feel better, I did the same with Hanako." She looks aside for a moment, shamed and regretful. "Anyway, I found out everything I could, just to make sure you were decent, you know? Nothing a job interview wouldn't do. I peeked into your records from Yamaku, just to make sure you weren't some delinquent or something. Like I said, my father has friends there, I just wanted to make sure Lilly would be okay, to have an idea what she was getting herself into. It's nothing against you. Thing is, I knew a lot about you before Lilly told me, shared stuff with me. And when my father arrived in Japan...."
  188. I narrow my eyes at her, suspicion starting to grow.
  189. "I told him," she finally says.
  190. "You told him? About me? Like what?"
  191. "Everything; your parents, their jobs, about... your condition."
  192. "My heart? You told him that? That's how he found out?"
  193. "I'm sorry. It's the way he is, he would have gotten it one way or another. It's what he does, there are no secrets from my father. If he didn't find out from me he would have gotten it from Yamaku, Lilly or from you. He'd have weaseled it out of you one way or another."
  194.  
  195. I lean back in my chair and cross my arms. "That isn't fair, Akira. You had no right!"
  196. "I know. I'm sorry, Hisao. I like you, you're a good guy. Lilly was right to pick you. I just want you to know what you're getting yourself into."
  197. "What, with your father?"
  198. She nods slowly. "I already explained it, this family is screwed up, Hisao, and you're about to be dumped into the middle of it. I just want you ready for this."
  199. I glower. "Yeah, well your father already dislikes me."
  200. "Why do you say that?"
  201. I shrug reluctantly. "We had a... talk when you left the other day."
  202. Akira looks at me very seriously. "What did he say?"
  203. "He just...."
  204. "Hisao?"
  205. I shrug, turning away from her to stare out the window. "He said some rough stuff. Talked about my heart, about how he was going to get to the bottom of how I got involved with Lilly. And he...."
  206. "Hisao, tell me now."
  207.  
  208. I rub my shoulder, the muscle still tender. I think about what Mr. Satou called me, 'a limping gimp with a droopy heart.'
  209.  
  210. God, it hurts just to remember it. I don't even want to repeat it. "He poked me pretty hard. With his cane."
  211.  
  212. Akira's face flushes red, but I don't see her react otherwise. Her fingers tighten on the steering wheel and I hear the leather creak as she stares out the windshield.
  213. Is this Akira when she's angry?
  214.  
  215. "Yeah," she says, her voice a controlled whisper. "He does that."
  216.  
  217. I look at her. "Did I do something wrong? Did I do something to make him dislike me?"
  218. "Hisao, you kept Lilly in Japan. You changed her mind and she went against his wishes. That's more than enough reason for him to hate you."
  219. "'Hate me'? You're joking, right? It was Lilly's choice!"
  220. "Maybe, but my father is a planner, Hisao. He directs people and wants to know what they are doing at all times. He likes it when things go according to plan. You threw a wrench into his work with Lilly. You think we went to Scotland just to visit our aunt? That's not the only reason. He does everything for an ulterior motive. He wanted to see how we would react, what his friends would think of us, if his business partners liked me. We spent most of our time in Scotland meeting friends of the family and people my father works with. He wanted to see how we would be greeted, to test the water and see it was positive. Then he offered me my promotion and Lilly the chance to move to Scotland. Not that it was much of a choice, it wasn't really a request. When she eventually turned down his summons, how do you think that made him feel? Now he has to explain to all his friends and partners that the good daughter everyone was so impressed with wouldn't be joining them. To him, that reflects poorly on his reputation. Our family motto should be, 'if it's uncomfortable, don't talk about it in front of company.'" She looks at me very levelly. "You insulted him."
  221. "It was Lilly's choice!" I repeat.
  222.  
  223. "That doesn't matter. You're the reason she's staying, you're the one at fault. For all my father's flaws, he loves Lilly more than anything. He can't accept that this is her fault, so you have to be the one to blame. You must have done something to cause this. He wants what he thinks is best for Lilly and in his opinion that is not staying here with you. To him you're trying to steal her from the life of comfort he's had ready for her for years. You're a disruption to his plans and that makes you an obstacle to be removed."
  224.  
  225. I can't believe what she's telling me! She makes it sound like this is some sort of competition between me and him for Lilly's affection! I know Lilly wants me and her father to get along, but how can I make friends with someone who starts with that sort of impression of me? It almost seems impossible! "What do I do?"
  226. Akira laughs unpleasantly. "Find a cave and hide until he leaves?"
  227. "How long will that be?" I ask, seriously considering the option.
  228. She groans, a worrying sound. "He's taking a sabbatical from work. He has no plans on going home anytime soon."
  229.  
  230. I look at my feet as if they have a solution, but I find no bright ideas waiting for me. "What about... what about your mother? You said you would try and call her, did you get into contact?"
  231.  
  232. Akira sneers and turns away. "She was no help."
  233. "He said it was on her behalf he came here."
  234. "He is here on her behalf, for her 'own good'. Mother wants Lilly in Scotland, so father does whatever he can to make that happen. Trust me, Hisao, my mother is not going to be a help in this situation."
  235. "How come? Maybe if Lilly explained to her what she wanted, your mother could change his mind. She seemed nice when I talked to her on the phone, she seemed pretty reasonable."
  236. "She is nice, she's reasonable and pleasant. My father is forceful and demanding, but my mother is the opposite, she's very gentle and kind, that's where Lilly gets it. She's also a pushover. The problem is, Hisao, that my father may love her very much, but he doesn't listen to what my mother says and she's never been one to argue with him. Our family is very patriarchal, always has been. Truthfully," Akira says with another sneer, "my mother is little else but a trophy wife."
  237.  
  238. I'm stunned by all the malice Akira has towards her family. I knew she was bitter about her father, but it seems she has nothing but contempt for both of her parents. "Why would you say that?"
  239. "Because it's true. She gave up a great career to get married to him. She let it all go because he didn't want a wife who worked for a living."
  240. "But she's your mom, she raised you."
  241. "Hisao, I practically raised myself. It wasn't until Lilly was born that my mom became hands on."
  242. "Lilly told me a story about your dad and her spending time together."
  243. "Yeah, he was always busy with work, but he made time to be with her when she was young. Lilly mellowed him out, he used to be a real jerk before she was born. Imagine what growing up was like for me? After all the years in Scotland, he's back to what I remember him as. Did you happen to see that thing he does? Where he snaps his fingers?"
  244. "I think so, yeah. He snaps his fingers and Lilly finds his hand."
  245. "It's a game they played, to teach Lilly to find sounds, so she would face people right when they talked. He was always doing stuff like that, playing games and making her practice to help her deal with her sight, find little shortcuts to teach her how to look normal. That's important for him, making sure our family was 'normal'."
  246.  
  247. I don't think it's jealousy in Akira's voice I'm hearing over her father spending so much time with Lilly when they were younger, but there is something, something she's not coming out and saying, like a deep seated resentment she's keeping in check. It feels like everything she and her father say is less than the whole story, like they're telling me the truth but in a sneaky way. Maybe it's a lawyer thing, but it'll take me some time to get used to this way of talking. I'm not used to this much double talk among family. "Then what do I do? You make it sound like there isn't a thing that can be done to change his mind."
  248.  
  249. "In all the years I've known my father, he's only changed his mind once and he didn't have a choice in that matter." She looks at me and smiles. "Still, Lilly loves you. If anything could alter his opinion of you, it would be that. For all his flaws, Lilly is important to him. If he thinks she'll be all right here with you, then you might have a chance."
  250. "What do I do?" I ask eagerly.
  251. She sighs and leans back in her chair. "Okay, lets go over a few things. He's going to take you aside to have a 'man to man' talk, I'm sure of it. Really, he's going to try and shake you down."
  252. "Okay, what's he going to ask?"
  253. "Everything. About you, your schooling, your parents, even your condition."
  254. "He already knows all of that, you said so."
  255. "Doesn't mean he won't ask anyway. He'll want to hear it from you, get the story straight from your lips. He's a lawyer; just because he already knows something, doesn't mean he won't try and wring it out of the person he's cross-examining."
  256. "You're starting to sound like this is a court case."
  257. She smiles wickedly. "It is, Hisao, and you're the defendant. You have to make your case to him. Don't worry, you got me to prepare you for your day in court."
  258.  
  259. Akira starts asking me question she thinks her father will want to know about, stuff about me and my family, my history. She checks my answers and offers better suggestion, ways to say things that will go over smoother, coaching me on how best to say something in a certain way. Most of it seems petty, but some of the questions throw me off. "What do you know about Catholicism?"
  260. "Nothing."
  261. "You should learn."
  262. "You can't be serious...."
  263. "He will be."
  264. "What does it matter?"
  265.  
  266. Akira smirks. "Hisao, you're cute, but you're taking this sweet, dumb guy act too far. You do know that Lilly and I both got sent to a Catholic school by our parents, right?"
  267. "Yeah, she mentioned that."
  268. "And that Lilly wears a cross?"
  269. "Well, yeah, she said he gave it to her."
  270. "You see his tie tack?"
  271. "It's... like Lilly's necklace, but with a big diamond."
  272. "Mother gave that to him when he converted before their wedding. She's Catholic."
  273. "He's Japanese."
  274. "A Japanese man who works for a Scottish company and got married to a Catholic woman in a Catholic church and is himself Catholic. Get it? Just making sure. Hisao, my father is very strict about this sort of thing, it's how Lilly and I were raised. This is the sort of stuff he'll grill you on. When he started working for a foreign company, he adopted all of the customs to fit in, to get ahead; he wears European suits, he talks like them, he does business like them, all to make it so that he could fit in and get to where he is now. I told you, he likes 'normal'. If he spoke in English, you wouldn't catch his accent."
  275. "I guess that's why your family is bilingual, huh?"
  276. "He's trilingual, he knows sign language."
  277. "Right."
  278. "With smatterings of German, French and Italian to round it off. It's good for business."
  279. I bury my head in my hands. "Oh, God."
  280. "Don't say that around him, he'll tear into you for blasphemy," she grins.
  281.  
  282. "Well, what am I supposed to say? I don't know anything about this sort of stuff! English is my worst subject!"
  283. "All right, all right, just take it easy. I know it sounds like a lot, but he's a hard man to impress and he know what he likes. Listen, there isn't much we can do with you to make it any better."
  284. "Thanks, Akira, I feel much better knowing that," I respond sarcastically.
  285. "I'm not trying to insult you, just trying to prepare you. Don't let him talk you into a corner, all right? He'll use your words against you, do the same to him. Never say anything without leaving yourself an opening to escape. He's going to talk down to you, Hisao, but don't let him. Stand up to him, be confident. Don't let him see that you're afraid of him or he'll know he's beaten you."
  286. "You make it sound like a game."
  287. "For him, Hisao, this is a game, and you're playing for high stakes."
  288. I glare at her in defiance. "I don't need to compete with him for Lilly."
  289.  
  290. She looks back at me and tilts an eyebrow. "You will from now on."
  291.  
  292. ----------------------------------------
  293.  
  294. Conflict: 2-5:
  295. http://pastebin.com/8ih134tr
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