One More Time
Reina didn't think her day could get any worse after the disastrous strategy meeting with the managers. They wanted her to re-activate PLAY with just her and Sayu. Reina refused. It was pointless without Eri there, and Sayu just couldn't handle the parts that were Eri's. With her own load, Reina couldn't exactly shoulder everything either, unless she rewrote and remixed the tracks just for the two of them.
Which Reina rejected. Flatly. The higher-ups didn't understand. They weren't the ones working with Sayu, Reina thought bitterly. If nothing else, Tanaka Reina was incredibly harsh and exacting when it came to work. Anyone who couldn't match her, or at least make the effort to do so, was useless to her. She knew Sayu was trying, but it didn't help that her cousin was tone deaf half the time and flat for the other half. It wasn't a very charitable assessment, but Reina was not known to mince her words.
The meeting hadn't quite come to blows, but there was a great deal of shouting. There might also have been chairs thrown. No visual record would ever released. Even the minutes would have to be carefully edited to leave potentially scandalous portions out.
So it was in a great deal of ill temper when Reina stormed out of the building, flagged the first taxi she saw, and ordered it to head for home. Whenever she got into one of these moods, her first recourse was to head home and stuff herself with ice cream. A lot of ice cream. And then proceed to watch TV until she passed out from sheer exhaustion. She was strange like that.
Just the thought of ice cream and TV made her feel marginally better. She had a number of recorded drama serial episodes she had yet to catch up with, so she might as well. Never a better excuse than an attack of bad temper to catch up with her TV habit.
Or so she thought. Life had a way of screwing you over when you least expected it. She never did get to start on her ice cream when she got home. No, instead she was here in her kitchen warming up some milk and wondering just what she had done in her past life to deserve the confusion thrust upon her in this one.
On the bright side, at least no one was killed. So she comforted herself. She really didn't want to have to tell Ai that she ran her daughter over. Our daughter, a traitorous little voice reminded her in the snidest way imaginable, making Reina narrow her eyes and mime stabbing the imaginary voice in her head with the spoon she was holding.
No, it was not possible. They were both girls, for god's sake. It was a biological impossibility. Reina might have been indifferent to school, but she remembered that much. Male plus female plus sex equals babies. It was not so complicated an equation to follow. It goes to follow that what Ai told her could not possibly be true...
But it was also too damn ridiculous to be a lie. The microwave beeped. Reina opened it, reached in, and started swearing in every single language she knew (one, but she had somehow mysteriously picked up swear words from other languages without actually knowing them). Blowing on her scalded fingers, she reached for the oven mitts with her good hand and pulled the cup out with a ferocious glare.
Riho was Ai's daughter. Reina wanted to smack herself for not noticing it any sooner. The way she spoke and carried herself --- that was all Ai. She put the cup on the tray, and poured some juice for herself. She would have liked milk too, but that was her last bit, and she felt like the kid could use it more than she did, given the scare from earlier.
The brat had sustained nothing more serious than a few bumps and bruises. A couple of scratches on her knees and elbows too, which Reina herself had treated with the first aid kit after bringing the kid home. Riho was hardy, she had to give her that. She had regained consciousness before they even made it to a hospital, and the kid had even refused to go to one, insisting that she was fine. So Reina had simply given in and offered to take her home, which the kid surprised her by refusing as well...
Which somehow led to her bringing the kid to her own home instead. It was the first time she'd done that, she reflected. Her house was meant for a single occupant, and it showed. She literally only had one set of everything she needed for herself in the kitchen. The only exception was the garishly pink cup that Sayu had planted on her very first visit. Her cousin had reasoned that since Reina was so intent on being anti-social, the only way she was going to be properly entertained whenever she chose to barge in without invitation was to bring her own things to use. Thus far, other than the cup, Sayu had also brought chopsticks, a couple of bowls, and her own plate. All cheerfully designed and completely out of place. Reina stuck them in a cupboard, out of sight. Her own utensils were a lot more elegant in comparison. Even if she did still have giraffe-print curtains. But that was a completely different matter altogether.
At least Sayu's foresight allowed her to actually serve the kid a drink without using her own cup. Reina was quite particular about that. She never let anyone touch the things she used. Despite her seemingly careless image, she was actually a cleanliness freak deep down. And that meant no sharing of her things. Reina hoped Riho liked pink. Reina liked the color herself, but having it so offensively bright and in your face was a little disconcerting. No wonder her cousin loved it.
Precariously balancing a very full tray (for some reason, she had absently thrown in just about everything she had thought remotely necessary, so now there were cookies, chocolate and various sweets jostling for space alongside the cup of milk), Reina stepped back into the narrow hallway leading to her spacious living room.
Her home was bigger a space than she strictly needed, but she hadn't exactly gotten the extra space for herself. Neatly sidestepping her dozing cat (who was occupying the exact center of the hallway with all the imperial majesty of his name), Reina wondered again if she could get away with bringing her other cats to her apartment here in the city. Then again, King didn't take very well to sharing, which made the point moot.
As she trotted past with her very full tray, her trusty feline companion opened one eye to track her progress, then yawned widely as he arched his back, rising with the motion. Reina wasn't alone when she finally reached the sofa where Riho sat, but the little girl had...fallen asleep?
Carefully putting the tray down, Reina stared down for a moment, lost in thought. The kid really could sleep anywhere, her head lolling to one side in what must be a totally uncomfortable position, but it didn't change the fact that the kid was sleeping. Contentedly. And snuffling in a way not unlike a kitten.
King took stock of the unknown person, having been hiding in a corner when Reina first brought Riho in. He was always lurking somewhere unseen, and Reina never bothered looking around for her cat, trusting that he was somewhere around. In a way, she understood that King would show up when he wanted to, just as she did whatever she wanted when she wanted. They made a good pair, master and pet, king and queen of their own realm.
It always amused Reina to see her cat assessing strangers, however rare they were in her home. King never took to Sayu, ignoring her cousin whenever the narcissistic bunny tried to coax him into her lap. He didn't dislike her, he just didn't care. Sayu always complained, but she never stopped trying to win him over. It never worked, but at least King knew enough to not scratch her. Not after the first time anyway.
So it came somewhat to her surprise when King obviously decided that Riho was acceptable, as he wound sinuously around the girl's limply outstretched legs a couple of times before leaping right onto her lap.
That woke Riho up, and she quite nearly fell off the sofa in her surprise. Only sharp reflexes saved her from a tumble, and she found her hands full with 8 pounds of fur in her lap. She blinked, then sneezed. Reina winced, hoping that King wouldn't scratch in retaliation. He hated being sneezed on.
King purred instead, placing one paw on Riho's nose as if to comfort her instead. Reina blinked. So did Riho. The little girl placed one tentative hand on the back of the cat's head, stroking almost hesitantly, then with greater confidence. The purring intensified, and Reina watched with no small amazement as her uppity cat curled up peacefully in Riho's arms, his head resting on her chest. That was quick. Not even she had gained his trust so easily. Then again, he was but a half wild stray when she first saw him. He was only a bedraggled kitten back then, a hissy ball of fur that didn't even back down when backed into a corner by an overenthusiastic puppy.
That was a long time ago, and that kitten was now a lot older. Positively ancient actually, in cat years. Reina couldn't help the small smile quirking her lips. No doubt the puppy that had led her to him was equally advanced in years, if not already deceased. The thought was slightly depressing, but Reina shook herself out of it by addressing Riho.
"That's King. He seems to like you." Riho looked up at Reina, still petting the mass of black fur sprawled in her lap. Reina flopped down next to the kid, reaching over to tickle her cat's tummy, and grinned as King twitched his tail, opening one eye to stare at her.
"We have a dog named Prince, back home in the country." Riho rubbed King's exposed tummy, and the cat yawned, settling comfortably on the girl's lap. "He's old though, so he sleeps a lot. I like your cat, Tanaka-san, he's so cuddly." Riho added the last as if on an afterthought, earning another deep purr from King as she continued rubbing his belly.
"He acts like a big kitten even though he's old." Reina commented, earning another sharp glare from said 'kitten'. She sometimes wondered just how smart her cat was. Riho's revelation that Prince was still alive though, brought another broad smile to her face. If not for that dog, she would never have met her cat.
"I wish we could have brought Prince over with us, but he's not really in good health anymore. Mama had him since he was a puppy. He's older than me too, actually..." Riho was silent for a moment, and King raised his head, meowed once, questioningly, prompting the girl to smile.
"Don't let him con you into giving him anything. He's a trickster, that one." Reina warned. King gave his owner a haughty look, then leaped off Riho's lap with all the dignity of his name. They watched as he disappeared into the next room, tail held high.
Reina turned her attention back to the quiet girl by her side. The kid looked pale, which could have been an aftereffect of the accident, but the troubled look on her face gave her the sense that there was more to it. Riho sighed, fiddling at the hem of her school uniform, when a cup was thrust in front of her nose.
"I hope you like milk." Reina looked on as Riho accepted it with a small word of thanks. They fell back into silence, before Reina finally broke it again, irritably.
"What's eating you, kid?"
Riho looked up, startled. To Reina's surprise, Riho's eyes were more than a little watery, though the brat was obviously holding back her tears with all the bravery a not-quite-yet-twelve year old could muster. Impulsively, Reina reached forward and pulled the kid into an embrace, patting her head in a comforting gesture.
"What's wrong?" Riho had gone stock still in Reina's arms, but Reina could feel the minute trembling in the little girl's shoulders. Prudently, she removed the half empty cup from her hands and shoved it onto the coffee table. Riho's face was hidden in Reina's shoulder, and there was a muffled sob.
"Tell me." Reina all but ordered, feeling a surge of protectiveness over the kid in her arms.
"Mama...I...I don't know." Riho admitted. "I think Mama met my Papa. But...Papa hasn't come. And Mama didn't want him to know about me. What if Papa doesn't want me? What if Mama hadn't wanted me? I'm scared..."
The words spilled from trembling lips, raw with fear and uncertainty. Pushed past her last barrier of endurance, Riho couldn't hold the tears back, great wracking sobs that heaved her tiny shoulders with every breath. She looked lost and pale, and Reina held her tightly, not knowing what to say or do, but feeling her pain keenly.
"It's alright. It's going to be ok..." Reina found herself saying quietly, repeatedly, trying to calm the crying child in her arms. She felt out of her depth here. It was the first time she had to comfort someone like this. She felt an irrational wave of anger at Ai for some reason. What had the woman done to her kid? It felt easier to target her frustration and confusion at that person. Reina really didn't want to contemplate her own possible role in this.
It took a while, but after Riho had finished sobbing out her fears, Reina found herself rocking a sleeping child. She felt worn out too. Who knew watching an emotional meltdown could be so exhausting?
At least she hadn't started crying along with the kid. Reina didn't let her emotions take over so easily, even though things could still touch her on occasion. On this one though, it had been an imperative that she be the pillar of support for the vulnerable Riho.
Gently laying the comatose kid down on the couch (she certainly hadn't the strength to carry the girl without dragging her half the way), Reina tiptoed to her room to wrestle her blanket away from King, who had arbitarily claimed it during her absence. She earned a scratch on the back of her hand for her efforts, but one of the cat's ears would not be twitching proudly for a day or two in return. She returned with the blanket and spread it over the sleeping kid, taking a step back and looking over her with something approaching maternal satisfaction. Then the scratches on her hand twinged, and she winced, reaching for the first aid kit she had earlier used on her guest.
Reina pondered the recently disinfected scratches on her hand and wondered if she should slap a band-aid on it. Her gaze drifted over to her phone on the counter. It was not the first time she did so, since Riho first stepped into her home. She returned her gaze to the tiger striped carpet, its very presence a fierce splash of colour in an otherwise austere setting. She liked the carpet, even if it didn't quite go along with the pale rose and sharp angles of her living room.
Sitting cross-legged on the self-same carpet, it didn't take her too long to make a decision. She left the scratches well alone -- they had been disinfected and it would be enough, she had survived King's claws before -- and approached her phone. Her phone, that had a number.
Riho had given it to her, weeks and months ago, before she had even known that Ai was her mother. Sensible child that she was, she felt that it was good to inform the adults in her life about who to contact in the event of emergency. So she had given her mother's number to Reina -- Sasaki already had it, since he did have access to the company's personnel records -- simply because it was "the right thing to do". Reina had entered the number without giving it much thought. She certainly wouldn't have any reason to call the brat's mother, or so she had thought at the time. She had anticipated that, if nothing else, Sasaki would handle any emergencies, or Moriya would. That's what the managers were for.
She most certainly had not anticipated it becoming a matter of personal concern, and Reina hated the fact that the role de-evolved to her by default. She tried treating it impersonally -- telling herself that any mother would be worried about their child and she should at least inform A--the mother, she corrected herself, her lips compressing to a thin line.
She was doing what needed to be done, or so she told herself as she fired off a curt message that had all the sensitivity of a stroke patient in the 4th year of his coma. Then, in a turnaround just as abrupt as her message, placed a call to her manager and informed her that all her calls for the night would be diverted to her, no questions asked. Then she hung up.
Reina wondered why she felt a sense of vindinctive triumph after setting her phone to divert all incoming calls, but brushed it aside as unnecessary. She trusted her instincts. Striding over to the windows that were the entirety of one wall of her living room, she breathed out slowly, allowing the tension to ease out of her as her usual confidence came back to her. In fits and starts at first, to be sure, but it returned, because she refused to worry. Such a concern was beneath her. She was Tanaka Reina, she could most certainly do whatever the hell she wanted and get away with it. Somehow.
The city beneath seemed to wind sluggishly amidst the neon tenements interpersed with the claws of high-rises surging towards a muggy sky hanging heavy in humid pregnancy. The heat would be oppressive out there, Reina knew. Here in the comfort of her apartment, climate control kept it at a comfortable temperature, so that she never had to break into sweat. She rarely did anyway, even when work called for more physical exertions. Her cool detachment was often mistaken for arrogance, but Reina had little patience for the fools who simply assumed that. They might even be right in their whispers, she thought vehemently, resting one clenched fist against a pane. She refused to be anything less than proud of what she had achieved. All she had, she had earned with her own hands, her own ability. She had succeeded despite her privileged background, not because of it.
So what if her mother was the controlling interest behind half the publishing industry in the Kanto region? Reina certainly didn't see any reporting biased in her favour. Oh, certainly, the more damaging scoops somehow never made it to press, but Reina had her own connections to achieve such an erasure. She had clawed her way to success, ensconced in a swanky apartment high up in a flashy district. She owned everything in here, with the possible exception of the little girl sleeping on her couch...which might not even be an exception at all.
That kid. Reina turned once more to regard the tiny figure huddled under her favourite blanket. Without conscious thought, she found herself crouched next to the plush couch, absently combing strands of silky long hair from the kid's face, wondering about her own conflicting feelings towards her. Riho was cute, she admitted to herself. She was brilliant in her own right, though still unpolished. A diamond in the rough. Reina had never had thoughts of a legacy past her own career and the songs she had written that would be immortalized in memory. Now, looking down at the peaceful, if tear-streaked, face of this sleeping girl, she felt as if she could see a future for the first time.
Reina had no idea why she felt like her heart would break as Riho shifted in her sleep, clutching the blanket in tightly clenched fists, murmuring a soft "Mama" that would have been missed had Reina not been right next to her. The tiger-striped carpet bunched under her suddenly tight fingers, and Reina had no idea how long she stayed there, on her knees, until the doorbell rang.
Somehow, Reina was not surprised. With all the unhurried calm she could muster, she headed towards the door. The short distance felt like a thousand miles, and she felt King's eyes watching her from behind. Letting out a slow breath, Reina opened the door.
Dark eyes met hers, and Reina wondered how a woman could age so quickly in such a short span of time. Yet those eyes were still lively, still tense and alert as they locked with her own. Reina nodded sharply, giving nothing away, as she swung aside to allow passage in.
They said nothing as her guest all but kicked off her shoes and removed the waterlogged jacket that had to be peeled off. Reina reached out to take it, but her guest showed no signs of giving up the threadbare material, her hair hanging as limply as the soaked cloth folded over one arm.
And yet, despite everything, Reina thought she had never seen anything more wonderful.
They continued on in silence, Reina half a step behind behind the anxious guest who simply barrelled ahead with all the subtlety of a steam engine. They stopped by the couch where Riho slept, and Reina watched without comment as the engine simply ran out of steam, the sails literally collapsing without any wind to propel them, as a relieved mother sank to her knees beside her now located child. Reina thought the woman might cry, but was surprised, maybe even a little disappointed, by the lack of reaction.
"Thank you for finding her." Those words held an undercurrent of sincerity so strong that Reina felt herself dragged along by it, unable to fight the tide. She inclined her head, murmuring some platitude or other she couldn't quite remember. She watched as one trembling hand traced the slumbering planes of the little girl's face, invested with an emotion that Reina couldn't properly identify. She did, however, feel an inexplicable surge of jealousy. She suppressed it. It was not worthy of mention, let alone demonstration. She simply stared, uncomprehending.
Reina wanted to yank the woman to her feet, push her away, do something to her -- but the only thing she found herself doing was fold her arms, the very expression of indifference. Her insides screamed for action, but she stood rooted to the spot. Where were her clever retorts, those sharp barbs she had planned from the start? Reina was mute when it mattered, unable to overcome the barrier that mother and daughter presented to her.
It took a third party to break the tension, and that while not even being awake. Riho stirred briefly, her face distressed in some nightmare only she could see. Her mouth opened, as if in a soundless cry, and closed with a gasp and a single word that froze both adults in place.
"Papa..."
Slowly, deliberately, the kneeling mother looked up at the frozen shock on Reina's face, her face bland, perhaps mildly amused. Reina recovered in a snap, her face hardening despite the flash of pain that greeted her expression.
"The kid needs a father." Reina said slowly, her features neutral. On the floor, on her knees, Ai smiled in response. A quiet smile of private amusement.
"She has one." Ai tilted her chin upwards, defiantly, as if challenging Reina to contradict her. Their gazes clashed fiercely, neither willing to back down. Ai pronounced the next words carefully, every syllable bearing the full impact of a runaway freight train.
"Only if Papa will take responsibility."
Reina felt her face twist, noted with irritation the light of laughter flashing in those damnable eyes. She closed her own eyes briefly, clenching and unclenching her fists to regain control. Her counter was impeccable, betraying nothing of her internal dilemma.
"Only if he knew of such a responsibility." The 'he' held approximately a dozen years of accumulated bitterness, and fell with all the grace of an anvil on Ai's head. Reina noted with satisfaction the involuntary flinch, setting her jaw proudly as she waited for the next salvo.
"I love you, Reina."
That was the last thing she had expected to hear. It was not a confession. It wasn't even an apology or even an explanation. It was simply a statement of fact. There was no surrender in those dark eyes, no remorse. Just a plain honesty that was searing to gaze upon.
It was Reina's turn to flinch, but her body also reacted before she could think, her arms slamming down on Ai's shoulders as she sank into a crouch half on the older woman's lap, her eyes fierce and wild as she stared into Ai's unflinching eyes.
"Then you should. Never. Have. Left." She spat the last few words, her fingers digging painfully into the bare shoulders of her former lover. Ai took the pain without complaint, her hands reaching to pull Reina closer to her.
"I'm sorry, Rei..." She was not apologizing for leaving, they both knew. Only for the pain it caused. Reina shuddered, a gasping breath that made her shoulders shake. She felt Ai's arms tighten around her, a familiar embrace she hadn't felt in so long, but had never forgotten.
"I hate you." Reina bit out, her forehead resting against Ai's. They were not looking at each other, but into each other. Ai bowed her head.
"I know." They stayed silent for a moment, then Ai spoke up.
"That's our daughter over there." Reina said nothing, but Ai thought she could feel one eyebrow raising. Reina chuckled lowly, turning her head slightly to watch the troubled sleep of the kid.
"It's impossible." She said flatly, and Ai felt her heart sink. But Reina wasn't done yet. Her eyes remained fixed on the sleeping child, calculating.
"You'll have to tell me how."
Ai felt like she could hope again. Reina turned fierce cat eyes back on her, eyes that Ai always felt secretly thrilled by, with the feral light dancing in them.
"I'm still upset with you. Don't think you're forgiven. Not so easily."
Ai felt herself smile. How could she not?
"Thank you, Reina."
Thank you for giving me a chance. For giving us a chance.
On the couch, Riho shifted restlessly, watched over by both parents, for the first time since she was born. She could not know. She would not know, not now. When she settled down, it was with the cool touch of her mother's hand on her brow, smoothing away her fears. It was her "father" who bore the brunt of her weight as they carried her to the bedroom. When she woke, she would not be alone. But she never was to begin with.
It was one step to mending a broken family. Who knew where it would lead?
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That was exhausting.
Topic: 私のアホ家族(My Stupid Family)[24/6 - Chapter 25: A Series of Unfortunate Events] (Read 94031 times)