Sitting at a desk was a woman, the only light being an oil lamp beside her that cast it's flickering light around the room. Her quill quietly scratching at the paper in front of her while her fingers danced on a very old, mechanical calculator. The whole time, the only other sound being that of a clock ticking away as minutes turned into hours.
Finally, she put down the quill down and looked first at the calculator and then at the paper. Several moments passed before she removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. And then she slammed her hand down, "DAMMIT!" Placing her head against the desk, a sob escaped from her throat as she put her hands on her head, "Dammit all..."
When the woman raised her head, it revealed a face that looked like she was in her forties. On it were wrinkles from stress and some of her reddish hair was turning grey from much the same. Even then, she was a beautiful woman, though she had tears in her eyes from what was on the paper in front of her. After staring at the paper with some tears in her eyes, she wiped at her eyes and leaned back in her chair, "Dammit all to hell" Rubbing her face, she shook her head and turned to a photograph with a weak laugh, "We're in the damn red again... looks like instant ramen... or fishing I guess."
The photograph, which was of a five tailed Kitsune in a uniform similar to the IJN didn't answer back. Unlike many such photos, this one did not move and never had. Looking at it and the woman, there was a resemblance though she seemed to be a hundred percent human besides slightly pointed ears. Expression falling, she looked at the photo before taking it in one hand, "Sorry, Ojii-San. I'm trying, I really am, but..." Sighing, she slumped some in pure exhaustion, "I don't know how much longer I can go on like this."
Of course, she did not get an answer, but then she never expected it. Instead, she just got up and walked to the shoji screen after blowing out the lamp and pushed it aside as she began to wander the darkened halls of her family home. Once, it was a bright and cheery place from what she had been told. Her family made it their home for generations, ever since it was built at the beginning of the Edo Period.
Granted, for Kitsune that did not mean much.
Now though... now, it was empty and cold. She was the only one who now walked its halls, alone. The last of her family as far as she knew, a Hanyou. A child from a human father and kitsune mother. As she walked, she looked down at her grandfather, Captain Kaito of the Magical Battleship, Yamatai, the only one to serve Magical Japan really.
Captain Kaito, the Butcher of Schjetnan Reef.
Captain Kaito, the War Criminal.
Unlike some in her position, the woman never did deny what her grandfather had done. In fact, she considered what he had done wrong, even if she understood why he had done so. Part of her mind drifted back years before, when she was young, and listening to her mother explain...
"Otou-San... your Ojii-San, was once a good man. Proud perhaps in the ways that some are, but a good man. But then, your Oba-San was murdered, and make no mistake, that was what happened to her. I was just a kit at the time, but I remember it well as it was easy to read between the lines. They didn't even have the decency to return her body to us, claiming that the spellfire destroyed it. Otou-San... became cold afterwards, hard. Where once there was joy, was now a deep, abiding rage. Where kindness once set, only hardness now lay. He was filled with wrath and hate for the Americans for what they took from him. Which was why when he was offered the chance to take his revenge, he leapt at it..."
There were similar conversations with her mother, until one day a year after she graduated Mahoutokoro when she came home. Her parents marriage had always been slightly troubled to some extent, being arranged. Mainly due to the reputation of her grandfather. While he was dead, MACUSA did not forgive nor forget what he had done and made sure to demonize him as much as they could though he had done far less than some. It affected their family greatly. And a few months before that day, her parents marriage had imploded, with her father leaving. That day, she came home to a silent home...
And to this day, she could sometimes hear the sound of rope swaying in the breeze, creaking...
Quickly shaking off that thought, Akimi shuddered a bit and held the photo closer to her and hurried past a window that looked out on a burned tree stump. Finally, she reached a small room and walked in. On the floor was a futon that she sat down upon and thought before looking at the picture, rubbing one thumb along the worn frame. She should hate the man, despise him and what his actions had brought upon the family. How it has brought it to this...
But she found herself unable to. Rather, she felt sad for how the actions of a few had destroyed a good person. She felt sympathy for him, though that did not make what he did right in her mind. Despite that, she could not bring herself to hate him, just feel disappointed in what he had done. That said... she did look up to who he had been before her aunt's death. From all the stories that she had been told, he was a good person before the female Kitsune's death changed him into someone unrecognizable, not helped by how Kamo and his group took advantage of it.
With a sigh, she placed the photo on a table and laid down in her futon before closing her eyes and tried to get some sleep, despite the thoughts chasing one another in her mind. Worries and fears warred within her head, but... somehow she fell asleep.
It was day when she awoke and slowly got up with a sigh, bags under her eyes from little sleep from dealing with everything. With a nod, she gave a weak, sad smile to the photo, "Good morning, Ojii-San... today is a new day, hmm?"
Placing her glasses on, she stumbled out of her futon and threw on some new clothes before making her way to the kitchen. Upon walking in though, she blinked a bit at the sight that met her. Mainly that of a woman whose hair was almost purple depending on how the light hit it. And though she looked younger then Akimi, she was actually the same age, "Miu-Chan? What are you doing here?"
Eyebrow raised, the other woman held up some food, "I decided to drop by and bring you some food, Akimi-Chan. After all, you're a friend and I need to make sure that you are eating properly." Catching her friend's expression though, her own fell, "Akimi-Chan? What's wrong?"
About to say something, the auburn haired woman paused before sighing. Rubbing her face, she gave a self-depreciating snort, "What else? Funds." Coming over to the table, she sat down and looked at the other woman, "What else could it be?"
Gently, Miu reached across the table and placed her hand over her long time friend's, "Do you need some help? Because I am sure that I could get something and... I thought that you were making enough money?"
Sadly smiling, Akimi shook her head, "I was. And that is the keyword there... was." Looking up, she thinned her lips, "Mahoutokoro."
That brought a wince to the other woman, "Ah, because Kyoto is getting it back up and running."
Just nodding, Akimi sighed and frowned, "Hai. Right now, I've been keeping myself afloat by tutoring people and the like due to the school having been shut down. You know that Kyoto has... issues hiring me due to Ojii-San. Even though I have stated that I never supported his actions." Snorting, she shook her head, "I was lucky to get a job as a lowly clerk in the Diet, until the war. And then, suddenly, I was replaced by that bastard's son as he needed a job due to being a 'Hero' of Mahoutokoro..."
Sneering, Miu narrowed her eyes some, "Yes, a hero... but running with one of the first groups of the evacuation."
Only rubbing her face, the other woman looked at her friend. It was true, the young man had been a Prefect at Mahoutokoro and his father had been her boss. As he needed a job, especially with all the press circling, his father had fired her and put him in her place. Which meant that she was out of a job, and nothing that she could do would help. Mainly because she was a Hanyou, though she looked perfectly human. And Kyoto was leery of hiring her own due to her grandfather, not helped by how one of those involved there was her father and... disliked her due to words she had with him after her mother's death.
Also, it did not help that MACUSA's efforts to absolutely demonize her grandfather for "Starting the war" was extremely effective.
Looking across at the other woman though, Akimi had to smile slightly. Despite all that, she did have friends as shown by the other Hanyou. Miu's mother was a crane and it showed in some of her features, such as how her hair had a slight feathery appearance. Like Akimi, she had been fired from her job in the Diet when the economic slump hit and a number of families used the Diet as their own personal fiefdom to keep their family members from not needing to take "Bad jobs". Unlike her, though, Miu had managed to get hired in Kyoto as part of the "Ministry of Flight", though a low level clerk who handled brooms and the like.
Both of them were close even now, so many years after they went to school together. The two had bonded over both being Hanyous and facing the racism that occurred to it. And Akimi was thankful for that as her friend had often supported her in small ways. Granted, sometimes she wished that she had been born as a full Kitsune like her mother instead of a human despite how things were... Once more, she felt a warmth in her chest towards her friend for all her help. Suddenly, a laugh escaped from her and she shook her head, "Maybe I should just have you move in and pay rent with how often you're here."
The other woman perked up some and gave a shrug, "Actually, that might not be a bad idea. It'll be just like old times before you moved back home when we were roommates. And while my pay isn't much... I can at least help you a bit." Jerking back, Akimi was about to say something when Miu shook her head, "Don't. I know that you're close to losing your family home and that is all you got left, Akimi-Chan. And that it would kill you were that to happen. And with you likely losing your own income... I am more than willing to step in and help." She than gave a slight grin, "Besides, it will be like old times, and this is a lot better than my crappy apartment I got."
Glancing away, Akimi blinked away a tear, "Thank you."
Simply reaching over, Miu smiled some before grasping her hand, "It is fine, Akimi-Chan. You'll see, everything will turn out fine, and one day maybe you'll have little feet pattering these walls..." Seeing her friend's expression fall, she frowned, "Akimi-Chan?"
Bitterly smiling, the other woman shook her head, "By adoption, maybe. I... just got word recently that, well... it is too late for me to have children. All the stress and such made that start early."
Closing her eyes, Miu sighed, "I'm sorry."
With a deep breath, Akimi let it out, "Don't worry about it, none of it is your fault. I should have tried something earlier, but..." This time, the reason her eyes watered was not due to happiness at all, and she decided to clear her throat, "So! I heard that there was an event that you were excited about?"
Eyebrow raising at the sudden change in subject, Miu didn't say anything about it. Instead, she gave a small smile, "Actually, I am. Somehow, people got Junyou and Hiyou to come and speak at a Onmyouji seminar. I've actually got tickets and was wondering if you wanted to come."
Oddly, there was an very strange feeling at hearing at that. As if... accepting it could send her life, both their lives, down a different route. Lips twitching, Akimi internally snorted, 'What have I got to lose at this point?' Smiling, the Onmyouji nodded, "I'd love to, thank you."
For some odd reason, she had the feeling that things would turn out well.
