120Grotesque Puppetry
By Lord Raa
Disclaim-me-do: Belgian cows cannot be wrong.
Part 6
Keitaro walked to the toilet, his mind occupied by alternating thoughts about the loss of his grandmother and the recent confession from Tsuruko Aoyama.
He failed to look where he was going and tripped over his own foot, landing face first into the chest of Tsuruko herself, knocking her over.
"Mughdhjg!" the ronin said, his mouth covered in the cotton of the kendoist's gi.
"See!" Naru declared smugly. "Now you know what we have to put up with!"
"..." Tsuruko paused for a moment, wondering how things could have turned out had she married for love and not for politics. 'No, I shouldn't think such things!' "Indeed."
Keitaro blinked as he fumbled for his glasses, accidentally brushing up against Tsuruko's bound breasts. After a moment, he was able to see the situation he'd gotten himself into.
"Ack! I'm sorry, Tsuruko-san! It was an accident! I wasn't looking where I was going!"
"I think this could be classed as evidence for the defence," Kitsune commented dryly.
"I suppose it could, after all, Keitaro-san did trip over himself and he has a good reason for being distracted," the married Aoyama said, quickly getting to her feet and helping Keitaro up.
"That's not..." Naru trailed off under the glare she was receiving.
"I know what you meant, Narusegawa," Tsuruko said sternly. "But I have some good news for you."
"You do?" Kitsune asked, her voice thick with scepticism.
"Yes."
"Well, what's the good news?" Naru demanded as Motoko approached.
"I'm not going to kill you. Only inflict terrible pain on you."
Naru and Kitsune froze.
After what felt like an eternity, Tsuruko smiled. "That was a joke; there will be no violence here today. But in all seriousness, I need to discuss a few details with the relevant parties before I can reveal anything more than you might be able to avoid jail time and have that huge debt written off."
"H-how?" the ash-blonde asked.
"I'm still working out the details, Miss Konno. Now, if you'll excuse, I have an important phone call to make."
The following morning, Kanako Urashima arrived at the Hinata Teahouse.
"Haruka-san?" she called out.
"I'm here, Kanako-chan," the smoker said, opening the door. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm ok," Kanako smiled. "H-how's Onii-chan?"
Haruka took a deep breath. "It's complicated, Kanako-chan. Come in and take a seat."
Kanako stepped inside and sat in the nearest chair. "What's happened to Onii-chan?"
"Well... you know how Keitaro is," the spinster said as she sat at the same table as her adopted cousin. Kanako's face didn't show any trace of humour. "Ok. A few days ago, he wasn't feeling too well, but he's feeling better."
"What was wrong with him?"
"He was just feeling a little stressed, that's all."
"Oh. As luck would have it, I recently read about a good way to relieve stress," Kanako replied, her expression softening to a sly smile.
Haruka had a good idea what the girl in front of her was suggesting. 'Still, I guess that she's far from the worst option...'
"So, how's Onii-chan getting on with the residents?"
"The tenants were reluctant to accept Keitaro as their new landlord," the smoker admitted. "But things have calmed down now."
"That's good," Kanako smiled. "I was worried that they'd try to hurt Onii-chan."
Haruka winced and quickly looked away, but her cousin saw the expression.
"Which one was it, Haruka-san? Which one of them do I need to make pay for hurting Onii-chan?"
"It's not what you think, Kanako-chan, honestly. You can't just go in there and threaten to hurt them."
"Oh really?" Kanako said sceptically. "Well, then why don't you tell me what the situation actually is? You know, so I don't accidentally stab them in the face for hurting Onii-chan."
"Wait here while I make some tea, Kanako-chan," Haruka instructed as she rose from her seat. She returned with tea. "As I said, it's a complicated situation."
"Then you'd better start talking me out of stabbing people in the face."
An hour later, Tsuruko walked to the teahouse and knocked on the locked door.
Haruka opened the door and saw who it was. "What can I do for you, Tsuruko-san?"
"I'm here to discuss an alternative solution to the situation," the kendoist answered.
"What, you mean other than slitting their throats?" Kanako asked from her seat.
"You must be Kanako Urashima. I'm Tsuruko Aoyama," Tsuruko greeted politely.
Kanako eyed the woman suspiciously for a moment before responding. "Ah, Tsuruko Aoyama: you're the married woman that's hot for Onii-chan, aren't you?"
"Yes, but it's not as simple as that," Tsuruko insisted. "But I'd like to talk to you and Haruka-san about making things better."
"Take a seat and I'll make some fresh tea," Haruka said closing the door behind the kendoist.
"So, what's you clever plan to make Onii-chan happy?"
Taking her seat opposite Kanako, Tsuruko smiled. "It involves helping and supporting your brother."
"Really? Well, my plan involves getting rid of everyone who hurt my brother," Kanako said in an even tone.
"You love your brother, don't you, Kanako-chan?"
"Of course I do. I would do anything to make Onii-chan happy. We're going to marry and run the Inn together."
The kendoist nodded. "An appealing prospect, Kanako-chan. However, there is a small problem with your plans for the future."
Kanako glared at Tsuruko. "What are you talking about?"
"It is forbidden for people who have been adopted into a family to marry a member of that family."
"What?"
"It's against the law, Kanako-chan. The authorities felt that too many people were being taken advantage of by families," Tsuruko explained.
"So you're saying that I can never be with Onii-chan?" Kanako asked, her eyes narrowing. "Because that's the same for you."
"I'm saying that you can never be husband and wife, not that you can never be with your brother."
The adopted Urashima smirked humourlessly. "And I suppose that you happen to have a 'solution' to my 'problem', do you?"
"I do," the kendoist bowed respectfully. She lifted her head and looked Kanako in the eyes. "Your brother is a good man, one who has been wronged and deserves a lot more than he has received. And if you will hear me out, I believe that it will be a suitable arrangement for all involved."
In her room at the Inn, Motoko was meditating on something her sister had said the previous day.
"Why would Aneue suddenly ask me to take full responsibility for what happened to Keitaro?" she asked herself. "Just what is she thinking?"
She thought back to when she'd planted the evidence in Keitaro's room to get rid of him.
"No, I shouldn't have done that to him. I was wrong, this is his inheritance, his legacy and I tried to keep it from him! What if someone had done the same to me?
"Why was I so stupid and selfish and childish?"
Motoko slumped to the floor, tears leaking from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Keitaro-sama..."
Shinobu opened the door to see Kanako, Haruka and Tsuruko standing in front of her.
"Good morning, Shinobu-chan, we're here to see Motoko," Haruka smiled.
"Y-you're not going to hurt her, are you?" the chef asked, fearing for her friend.
"No," Tsuruko said reassuringly. She looked around and saw that there was some dusting to be done. "Who is on dusting duty today?"
"N-Naru-sempai..."
"Is there a reason why she's neglecting her duties?" Haruka asked.
"I don't know, I've been working in the kitchen," Shinobu explained, trying to back away from the expected wrath.
"Don't worry, Shinobu, no-one is going to be hurting anyone," the kendoist insisted calmly.
Kanako, however, didn't look so enthusiastic about that. But before she could protest, Haruka placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Is Motoko in her room?" the smoker asked, tightening her grip on her cousin's shoulder.
"Y-yes."
"I'll go in first," Tsuruko said. "You two speak with Keitaro-san."
Kanako slipped out of Haruka's grip and ran off to her brother's room.
"I best keep an eye on her," Haruka sighed, leaving Tsuruko to walk to her sister's room.
Motoko sniffed when she heard the knocking at her door. She blew her nose and took some deep breaths to compose herself.
"Enter."
"Motoko-han, I... have you been crying?" Tsuruko asked, quickly closing the door behind her.
"N-no," the younger sister lied unconvincingly, looking away. After a moment's uncomfortable silence, she admitted the truth in a quiet voice. "...a little..."
"Why?"
Motoko sighed. "..."
"Was it for what you did?" Tsuruko asked, her arms folded across her chest.
"Yes, I... I didn't think about what I was doing, I just...," the younger sister trailed off as she tried to articulate her reasoning. "I was unhappy with a man being around so many women, I never wanted him to be seriously hurt or for him to lose his legacy."
"I see," the married swordswoman nodded.
"Yes, I am genuinely sorry for what I did to Keitaro-sama."
"Sama? Keitaro's suddenly gone up in the world," the married sister smirked teasingly.
Motoko blushed, but remained silent.
Tsuruko went to her sister's side and embraced her. "You're finally beginning to understand the wider world, Motoko-han."
Motoko sniffed, happy that she'd managed to connect with her sister. After a moment, they broke their hug.
"So, yesterday, what did you mean when you said that you wanted me to take full responsibility for what happened to Keitaro-sama?"
"It's part of a lesson that teaches you the importance of sacrifice. It also saves your friends."
"Onii-chan!" Kanako shouted as she rushed into her brother's room.
"Wha?" Keitaro dumbly replied as he saw sister diving towards him. "Kanako-chan?"
"Onii-chan, I've missed you so much," the young woman said as she started to snuggle up to her adoptive brother.
"I've missed you too, Kanako-chan. How are you holding up?"
"I'm more worried about you, Onii-chan. I heard from Haruka-san and Tsuruko-san about what happened. How could you let them hurt you?"
The ronin sighed. "I can't hit a girl, Kanako-chan. It's not right."
"You could've kicked them out," Kanako countered. She lifted her head. "You know, like they tried to with you."
"I can't just kick girls out onto the street, what if something bad happened to them?"
"You worry about other people too much, Onii-chan. You should worry about yourself more."
"I know, Kanako-chan, I know," Keitaro replied as he finally returned the hug his sister was giving him.
"I wish we could stay like this forever, Onii-chan," Kanako sighed happily.
The pair remained like that for several long moments before the girl sighed again. "You still like them, don't you, Onii-chan?"
"Yeah," Keitaro admitted, he looked up to see Haruka standing in his doorway.
"Keitaro, we need to talk."
"Are you sure that this is a good idea, Aneue? I mean, Keitaro-sama has no reason to go for this..."
"You mean, other than it will allow your friends to leave without crippling debts or that it keeps you from marrying some pompous old man?" Tsuruko countered. "I agree that if Keitaro-san was a more vindictive person, then he would be sabotaging you to extend your punishment in the most humiliating ways he could think of. But he's not like that.
"He asked me not to get involved because he thought that I shouldn't have to put my life on hold to sort out his problems."
Motoko sighed. "I... but even if he was to agree to m... you know, what would become of me?"
"Are you saying that you would neglect _those_ duties? Well, I must confess that I am more than willing to fulfil those for you. If Keitaro-san asked me this very minute, I would happily do what he asked of me," Tsuruko said sincerely.
The younger sister blushed heavily as she processed her sister's words. "A-Aneue! That's... I mean... I can't believe you'd say something like that!"
The married sister took a deep breath. "Motoko-han, I'm sorry to say that your friends have already been neglecting some of their tasks. Because of that, I'm going to have to take more drastic measures. If you confess to being the ring leader and that you coerced them into helping you with threats of force, I will let them go."
"And you'll just let them go, 'let them go'?"
"No debts, no criminal charges, they just have to keep away from Keitaro, you and everyone else at the Hinata Sou," Tsuruko said solemnly. "And if you really are sorry for what you've done to Keitaro-san, then this would be an excellent opportunity for you to make amends."
"But would Keitaro-sama even want to...?" Motoko trailed off. She closed her eyes and considered the implications of her sister's plan. "If it is the best way to make amends, then I will do it, Aneue."
"I knew that you'd make the right decision, Motoko-han. Now, let's get you cleaned up before we speak with Keitaro-san and the others.
Five minutes later, there was a knock on Keitaro's door.
"Come in," he said, struggling to get Kanako off his lap.
Tsuruko Aoyama entered. "Good afternoon, Keitaro-san."
"Tsuruko-san! W-what can I do for you?" the landlord smiled nervously.
The kendoist noticed how close Kanako was to her adoptive brother. She turned to Haruka. "Haruka-san, have you spoken with Keitaro-san about my suggestion?"
"I have," the smoker confirmed.
"So then, Keitaro-san," Tsuruko said, "what's your answer?"
"Is this really the best way?" Keitaro asked.
"I honestly believe that it is, Keitaro-san."
"Ok then, I'll do it."
Motoko gathered Kitsune and Naru together for a quick chat.
"What's up, Motoko?" Naru asked.
Kitsune just yawned, much to Naru's annoyance.
"I've just spoken with Aneue," the kendoist said, "and we've found a way to get out of this."
"Now you've got my undivided attention, Motoko," Kitsune smiled. "What do we do?"
"Blame me."
"What?"
"If you blame me for this, say I threatened to hurt you and throw yourselves at her mercy then my sister will let you go," Motoko explained.
"But this wasn't your fault, Motoko-chan," Naru replied. "We all agreed to do this; it wasn't just one of us."
"I know, Naru-sempai, I know. But what else can we do? I don't want to see you hurt or in trouble, so if you've got a better suggestion, now's the time to tell us!"
There was an uncomfortable silence.
Motoko sighed. "Aneue's plan means that if you two leave, you'll be free. No debts, no police problems, you just can't be in Tokyo
"But... how can I go to Toudai?" the brunette asked.
"There are plenty of other colleges in Japan, Naru. Besides, I didn't see you dusting earlier," Kitsune countered. "Look, I feel bad that you've got to give up on Toudai, but we can make a fresh start."
"Where will you go?"
"I've got an aunt in Nara," the ash-blonde said. "We can crash there until we get sorted."
"Ok," Naru sighed, "I'm in."
Kanako strolled around the Inn, looking for those that thought that they could get away with hurting her brother.
She ended up in the kitchen, where Shinobu and Kaolla were tidying up after lunch.
"Hi there."
"Oh!" Shinobu squeaked in surprise. "I didn't hear you come in, Kanako-san."
"Who are you?" Kaolla demanded. "Why are you scaring Shinobu like that?"
"I'm Kanako, I'm Keitaro's sister. You must be Kaolla Su. I hear you like to kick Onii-chan in the face."
"It's not what you think, Kanako-san," the chef insisted. "Kaolla's just energetic."
"Keitaro's fun!" the blonde princess declared happily. Her expression turned sad. "I felt sad when Keitaro left."
Kanako nodded, now gaining some idea how Kaolla saw her brother. "I know what you mean; I had to leave Onii-chan."
"I'm not sure that's the same thing," Shinobu said to herself. "W-what's going to happen to Naru-sempai, Motoko-sempai and Kitsune-sempai?"
"There's going to be an announcement in the TV room at 5 about the changes that will be going to be around here."
Five o'clock finally arrived, much to the relief of the residents. As they filed into the TV room, they noticed Kanako fussing over her brother, while Motoko had fixed her gaze onto the floor.
"Now then, if you're all sitting comfortably, we'll begin," Tsuruko said, clapping her hands together. "Motoko-han, is there something that you wish to say to everyone?"
"Y-yes," the younger Aoyama said, trembling slightly. She bowed down, touching the floor with her forehead. "I apologise for forcing Narusegawa-san and Konno-san to go along with my plan to remove Urashima-san from the Hinata Sou.
"My actions have brought shame upon myself, my clan and my friends and I beg for forgiveness."
"What does this mean for us?" Kitsune asked.
"In order to protect you from Motoko's influence," Haruka said, "It's been decided that you must never see her again and that both of you must leave the Hinata Sou."
Naru sighed. "But what about Toudai..."
"Just because Motoko apologised, it doesn't mean that you don't bear any responsibility for what happened to my brother," Kanako accused. "I heard how you liked to slap him around."
The brunette looked down at the mats on the floor in shame.
"Yeah, don't think that I can ever forgive you for that. You have to leave by 9:30 in the morning. Anything of yours that's left after that time will be either sold off or burnt," Kanako explained.
Haruka gave her friends a reassuring look. "Don't worry about any rent arrears; we're wiping out any monetary debts."
"But we better not see you in Tokyo again. Ever."
Tsuruko shot a disapproving look at Keitaro's sister, but it was ignored. She sighed. "I'm sorry for accusing you of conspiring to hurt Keitaro-san, but if you had explained the truth earlier, this whole unsavoury episode could have been avoided."
"W-what about me?" Shinobu asked. "D-do I have to go too?"
"No," Keitaro answered. "You and Su-chan can stay if you want to."
"Yay! I'm staying with Keitaro!" the blonde princess declared. "You have to stay too, Shinobu!"
"O-ok, Su-chan, I'll stay to help S-Sempai," the chef said, blushing. After a moment, she looked at Haruka. "W-what's going to happen to Motoko-sempai?"
"Don't worry about me, Shinobu-chan, I will be alright. I must accept my punishment for my actions," Motoko said, trying her best to sound calm in the strange circumstances.
But inwardly, the young swordswoman was in turmoil. Her sister's plan to save face for her clan had merit, but there were certain aspects of it that still troubled her. Especially what Kanako Urashima might do.
"Then it is decided," Tsuruko said after taking a deep breath. "You will pack your things and leave before 9:30 tomorrow morning. After that, I wish you well in your lives, but it would be best if you were to never to return to Tokyo."
"That's fine," Kitsune smiled, inwardly cheering that she had gotten away with her crimes against Keitaro. She looked at Naru, who seemed more reluctant to leave the Hinata Sou. She leant in and whispered in her friend's ear.
"Naru-chan, sorry about Toudai, but do you really think that Keitaro's sister will let us stay here? She looks like she'd try to kill us in our sleep!"
Naru was clearly conflicted. She'd spent years studying to get into Toudai, in fact she'd planned to sign up for the next round of entrance exams. But the looks Keitaro's sister was giving her and Kitsune were unsettling.
Especially the way she drew her finger across her throat and pointed it at her.
"Ok, we accept your terms."
Dinner was a quiet affair. Everyone kept to themselves, generally avoiding any small talk.
Motoko, Naru and Kitsune in particular refused to look towards Tsuruko or any of the Urashima family.
Kanako kept casting appraising looks over them, wondering what it was about them that her brother liked. 'Their bodies,' she decided. 'Onii-chan must have seen one of them in half-naked.'
"Motoko," she said, causing the younger kendoist to jump slightly. "I want to talk with you tomorrow, after your friends have left."
"Y-you do?" Motoko asked, trying to recover her nerves. "What about?"
"It's about the future."
The following morning, it was clear that Naru hadn't gotten much sleep. She was bleary-eyed and sad that she was being forced out of the place that she'd grown to know as home.
Kitsune, however, was looking like nothing was wrong. She gathered up her things and gave Motoko a goodbye hug.
"Let us know when we can come back, ok," she whispered into Motoko's ear.
The younger Aoyama blinked in surprise at that request. 'Has she learned nothing?'
Naru sniffed before hugging Motoko. "Thank you for doing this, Motoko-chan."
"You're welcome, Naru-sempai."
"Well, it's time for you to go now," Kanako said, interrupting the scene. "I'd hate to have to throw you two down the stairs."
"Kanako!" Haruka chided.
"You know I'm joking, Haruka-san. You know I'd love to-"
"That's enough, Kanako-chan," Keitaro said. "Goodbye, Naru, Kitsune."
"See y'all around," the ash-blonde waved before descending the steps.
"I... goodbye, everyone," Naru said before rushing after Kitsune.
The two girls were passed on the stairs by the mailman. He handed Keitaro the bundle of letters.
"Here you go."
Keitaro thanked the man and sorted through the delivery. It was mostly bills, but there was one letter that was marked up with the logo of a legal firm.
"I... is this what I think it is?" he asked.
"I'd say that it is, Keitaro-san," Tsuruko nodded. "Perhaps it would be best to read it inside."
"Ok."
Keitaro sat down as he read through the letter. He went pale before speaking a soft voice. "I... I'm going to inherit the Hinata Sou and its grounds..."
"Do you mind if I have a look, Keitaro?" Haruka asked. She felt her knees go weak and sat on the couch next to her cousin. "F-f-five hectares..."
"What?" the Aoyama sisters squeaked in unison.
"I... Keitaro-sama is going to have five hectares of land in Tokyo?" Motoko asked breathlessly. "I nearly stopped that?"
"Yes," Kanako said, still unhappy with the fact that Motoko was still around her brother. "Motoko, follow me, we're going to have our little chat now."
The younger Aoyama swallowed nervously, but followed Kanako to a more private location.
"W-what is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Kanako-san?"
"First of all, I don't think I could ever forgive you and your friends for what you did to my brother." Kanako held up a hand to stop the kendoist from interrupting her. "When I said 'talk', I meant that I would speak and you would listen and obey.
"Second, you should thank your sister for her brilliant plan. If it wasn't for Tsuruko-san, I would be plotting your death right now."
Motoko bowed her head, but remained silent.
"That said," Kanako smirked, "I think I could learn to accept you and Tsuruko as my sisters-in-law."
The end
Pre-read by Chi Vayne and previewed on various intertubes.
If you're not entirely satisfied with the ending of this story, please return it, with the receipt, to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Until the next time.
