12 – Open Your Eyes, Man!

Odion was in a pickle.

He stopped bringing his wallet with him after he was questioned by a police officer last week, and now he carries cash with him while following us. This wasn't something he could tell Ishizu, however. Him carrying nothing but cash despite their enormous wealth being on their Duel Point cards? That would only be more suspicious.

I found out because of the giant wads of Yen he had on his desk in his room. He leaves his door open, so it wasn't hard to spot. He seriously looks and acts like a gangster at times... 

One would think that a run-in with the police would have been enough to stop him...but not so for Odion.

I still can't help but giggle every time I think back at the sight of him being questioned by 3 police officers. A giant man in a trenchcoat standing at a street corner leering into a restaurant... No wonder he got the cops called on him! I saw it all from the window of that family restaurant on one of our dates. I do my best to suppress a sudden laugh at the memory. 

"You...really were following us, weren't you?" Ishizu asks, crossing her arms.

Odion stops trying to lie, knowing that he was caught. He, instead, opts for silence. 

"And you lied to me about the laws regarding dating Toshiaki too, right?" She scoffs, barely even a question at this point. 

Again, Odion does not move or say anything. 

"I am not sure why you thought lying to me was necessary, but guess what? It backfired. Toshiaki asked me to be his girlfriend this morning, and, with all this out in the open, I want you to be the first to know that I am accepting. We are dating now. Your lie failed to stop it from happening." She says, walking over to me and smiling down at where I was sitting on the couch. She turns to give her brother a smug look with crossed arms.

I stand quickly and pull her in for a hug. She might be saying this to spite him, but it was still great news for me! Was it a bit childish? Probably, but I wasn't complaining. 

"I cannot allow you to do tha-" Odion tries, but is interrupted by a yelling Ishizu.

"Who told you that you could control my decisions? Who told you that I was not allowed to date who I wanted? Who told you to stalk me like some common criminal!?!" She screams at him, the anger and hurt from being lied to coming to the forefront. 

As nice as it was to see him get what he had coming to him, I was not trying to break apart their family, so now was the time for me to step in.

I hug Ishizu close, burying her face in my chest. She, once again, fights me for a second, clearly wanting to say more, but she settles down after I refuse to let go of her.

Odion scowls and starts moving to break us up, but I shake my head in the negative at him. He glares at me but stops nonetheless. 

I step back from the hug and lift Ishizu's chin so that her eyes were on my own. 

"He did it because he is a brother who cares about the wellbeing of his sister," I answer her. 

She starts to balk at that response, but I interrupt her with a quick kiss...which earns a growl from Odion. 

"His methods were wrong, but the intention to protect a sister he loves was there." I continue. "He only wanted to make sure you were safe and not being taken away by some unknown man."

Ishizu obviously wants to argue more, upset as she was, but my words give her pause. She takes a deep breath and thinks about the situation a bit more. Odion stares at me uncomprehendingly for defending him but is still clearly angry at our closeness. 

"Still...He shouldn't have lied to me or followed us around. And," she says, turning away from my embrace to look at her brother, "You should have just talked to me about it. How can I trust you after this?"

Odion looks down in shame. "I'm...sorry. I...I just wanted you to be safe."

"I am safe. Toshi keeps me safe." She says simply, snuggling into my embrace again.

Odion looks like he swallowed something sour at that comment. 

"Rasha...Can I have a few moments alone with Oberon?" I ask, tentatively.

She raises a delicate eyebrow at me, but, after a moment of thought, nods and makes her way towards the stairs. "Sure. I need to reapply my makeup after this anyways. We are still going on the date, right?" 

"Of course," I answer, kissing the back of her hand before I let go of it. 

"Okay then. Behave. Both of you. Especially you Oberon!" She commands with a warning tone as she ascends the stairs once more. 

Odion and I stand in awkward silence for a moment watching her form disappear up the stairs. Once the click of a bedroom door is heard, I sit down with a sigh. I wave at the other couch and Odion takes a seat, slowly.

"Look..." I start. "I don't know why you think I am not good for her, but can we come to some sort of compromise here? I love her. I want to be with her, and I want her safe and happy as much as you do."

"You don't know anything about her." He says with a sneer on his face.

"Oh? Enlighten me then. Based on the year I spent with her, I am fairly confident in my resolve." I say, directly challenging his statement. 

This conversation was not going well and I had no time to plan for anything. I was fully winging it at this point. I had no idea what to do right now, but I felt like trying to hash it out with Odion would be the best thing, not only for me but for Ishizu as well. 

Just as I was starting to think this whole thing was futile, Odion responds to my question.  

"Rasha...Is carrying a greater burden than you could ever understand...Their mother...Our mother died giving birth to Namu. She was the only kindness that either of us knew in that place. Our father was a cruel and malicious man who, after the death of his wife, treated Rasha and me like dirt. In his eyes, the only sibling that mattered was his son and heir." The atmosphere was suddenly heavy as he spoke and I had to do my best to remember the plot points from the anime.

"Our father was murdered 6 years ago." He continues, "Ever since then, Rasha has been the one keeping the family running. At the age of 13, she was the head of our family and in charge of all the major decisions. She did a fine job with it, but it weighed heavily on her. She lost her vibrant personality and became much more serious and mature. Her dedication and perseverance had a big impact on me. I was inspired by how she took everything on without complaining and tried my best to emulate that while I had my hands full raising Namu. I admit that I was never much help to Ishizu."

He pauses, his eyes unfocused, lost in the sands of time.

"Then you came, and over the course of a couple of months, she became a completely different person once more. I have never seen her happier or more lively than when she was with you. The atmosphere of the family was reversed as well. People smiled more as they saw our clan leader smiling. There was laughter and merriment where there was once only quiet reverence and solitude. In that one year, she enacted several new amendments and rules to help diversify our estate. Suddenly, our servants were in managing positions and were doing a better job than anyone could have ever imagined. We have prospered and gained much since that year, but none more than Rasha - For she was the one who spearheaded these changes past the opposition."

"Our clan elders are set in their ways, Toshiaki. They have always been against any alterations to tradition whatsoever, but Rasha would not hear it. She forced these new rules through, making many of them deeply angry and resentful of her. The main argument against it was that she only made these drastic changes...so she could have more free time to spend with you. Sure, it worked out for the best, but she changed our entire family structure and traditions, just to spend more time with you. How could that not be dangerous? How could I not be worried?"

"It scared me. This time it turned out fine, but what of next time? If one year with you could have such an impact, what other changes would happen if she spent even longer with you? How would your further influence affect our family? You could be the catalyst that leads us to ruin, just as quickly as you lead us to prosperity. You became a threat, Toshiaki. A threat to our family, our traditions, and our future. The elders spoke to me at length about this and warned me of the dangers you pose."

"This is why I have been following you. This is why I don't approve of your relations with Is...Rasha. To make sure your actions don't lead to our family's downfall. To protect Rasha from herself. To protect the legacy of our parents and ancestors. There are things you don't know, Toshiaki. It is not as simple as her being in love. There are serious consequences on the line."

He finishes his speech and looks at me severely. 

I scoff at him. Really! The arrogance of this man!

"So, because she is in love, her decisions were compromised? Because she wants to spend time with me, we will bring ruin to your family!?!" I demand, trying not to yell in anger.

"Yes," Odion says simply as if it was obvious. 

I cannot take it anymore. I stand up and shout, "Then that shows how little you truly know about her! She only did those changes because she wanted to spend time with me??? No, you moron, she had been planning them for years! Learning about her family's situation and trying to come up with modern solutions to help. How could the brief time she spent with me in bazaars and looking at ruins possibly have resulted in that? What sense does that even make?" I demand from the tall Egyptian man. 

"You are grossly underestimating Rasha's capabilities. She has one of the most brilliant minds I have ever known and she had no outlet to show it! She never felt her thoughts were good enough to bring them up because she didn't think people would listen to them. She couldn't rely on you, her brother, to back her up! Do you have any idea how suffocating that must have felt? How much pain she was hiding behind that false maturity? All I did was tell her that I thought her ideas were brilliant and gave her something you, her family, never did. Do you know what that is, Oberon?"

He raises his eyebrows, but his scowl remains. "What?"

"Confidence in herself! She was forced into a position she never asked for and told to do things she had no knowledge of prior. She was a puppet to those same elders you say she offended. And to top it all off, she felt isolated from her family. From you and Namu! She had no confidence in anything she wanted to do and no one to rely on to help her build that confidence! She was like a doll, just doing what she was told and never expressing herself. How could you want your sister to live like that? How can you claim that this change in her personality is anything but a good thing!?!" I scream at him, unable to hide my anger any longer. 

His scowl falls from his face, confusion replacing it.

"But...She...She never-" Odion tries to make excuses, but I interrupt him.

"What? Talked about her insecurities!?! Yeah, that is kind of how they work! Why would she willingly come to you to express her concerns and doubts when you had never shown her any support!?! She was 15 when I met her and she was so overwhelmed and lonely that she willingly ran away with me at every chance she got! Did none of that sink in for you?"

"The person you and your elders want her to be and the person she is are not the same. She is not an object that you can control as you like. She cannot replace her father and should never have been expected to in the first place! I know that you have your strict traditions, but she is who she is, and I think that she is a wonderful person with bright ideas and a voice worth hearing. I fell for who she really was, not the 'Perfect Figurehead' you wanted her to be."

I take a deep breath and recenter myself. Shouting at him would change nothing.

"So what now, Oberon? Now that you know your sister was suffering under the pressure that you only added to. Now that you know that all of your misgivings were just regurgitated remarks from old fogies who wanted to control her and your family. What will you do now? Do your traditions and the words of others truly matter more to you than the happiness and fulfillment of your sister?"

Odion was silent. He looked down at the ground and clenched his fists. 

"I love Rasha for who she is, not who others see her as. I want her to be happy and to be the best version of herself that she can be. I care about her family and her traditions, but I want to see her smile as well. That is what is most important to me. What is most important to you, Oberon? Will you stop following people who never cared about you or her in the first place? Can we put aside our differences and agree to protect her together? As two people who love her?"

He, again, says nothing. Looking at the floor with white-knuckled fists. 

"Think about what is truly important to you. I hope that you will see the error of your ways and apologize properly to her, regardless of what you decide on with me." I say and then walk away.

Odion remains on the couch, deep in thought and extraordinarily pissed off. Though this time...it was aimed inwardly.

I make it up the stairs and was about to go and knock on Ishizu's door when it opens suddenly and an arm pulls me inside before closing the door again.

I don't even have time to comprehend the situation as I am pushed up against the wall and kissed forcefully and passionately. 

Several long minutes pass with me in heaven and the outside world fading away to white noise. There is only me and the desperate Ishizu, who must have been listening in on my conversation with Odion downstairs. 

Eventually, we part, and both gasp for breath. Ishizu then smiles at me, a broken but happy smile, as she buries her face in my chest. 

I hold her close to me as I feel her form tremble and hear small sobs. I run one hand through her silky black hair as she slowly calms down and we eventually part. 

Her face is entirely red and she quickly grabs a towel nearby to wipe away her ruined makeup. 

"S-Sit on my bed. I will be done in a bit...You really did a number on my poor eyes today..." She says with a derisive chuckle.

"I would do anything for you," I say, smoothly, eliciting a cute yelp and tomato-faced glance from Ishizu.

***

After she was ready again, we had a wonderful date out on the town. Our first real date as a couple. Visiting stores, an aquarium, eating several different types of foods, and just enjoying each other's company. 

Ishizu didn't speak more on my conversation with Odion, but she didn't need to either. Her happiness and relaxed nature spoke volumes in and of itself. 

We return home late in the evening, after seeing a Rom-Com together, and when we opened the door, we encountered the reverse of the situation this morning. 

Odion sat on the stairs with his head in his hands. When he hears us enter, he stands quickly and walks up to Ishizu.

There is an awkward moment when he almost hugs her but realizes this is not the right time for that. He instead bows deeply and announces,

"I have been a fool, sister. I am truly sorry for putting others before you. I will reflect on my actions and support you with my full ability from here on out. I don't know how I can make up for it...but I will do anything I can."

Ishizu purses her lips and her face turns dark for a second...but she sighs and lets it go in the next instant. 

"Just...Take care of Namu. He needs you more than I do." She says after a pregnant pause.

 "I will do my best. If you need anything from me, you need only ask...I intend to support you in all things moving forward. You are...family. You should have always come first." He promises, finally rising from his bow.

Odion ascends the stairs, heading towards his room which was completed last week, but pauses halfway up. He doesn't immediately turn around, but he speaks nonetheless.

"Toshiaki. I approve of your relationship. Not that you need my approval...But..." Here he turns and the face of a demon stares me down from above.

"If you hurt her, I will kill you."

Saying that, he finishes walking up the stairs. 

I smile bitterly after him and Ishizu hugs me close. 

"Thank you for today. Really, it was one of the best days I can remember having. Ever." She says, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Of course. I will do whatever I can for you and to protect your honor." I answer as if it was nothing.

She leans in and kisses me softly. Then she pulls away and heads up the stairs herself. 

"I'm joining you in bed tonight. Think of it as a reward." She says with a confident swagger.

My heart stops. 

Ishizu stumbles and spins around red-faced. "N-N-Not like t-that! I just meant for kissing and snuggling! That is all, got it!?!" 

I nod several times, this was already much better than I thought it would be.

"We definitely need to wait until you are 18 for that..." Ishizu mumbles to herself and continues her way towards my room.

I smirk at her and I stare openly at her ass as she walks up the remainder of the stairs. She looks over her shoulder, aware of my gaze, and blushes, hurrying into my room.

I am totally fine with taking things slow for now...But I have a feeling she will not be satisfied with just kissing for long...

'We will see how long you can hold out, my dear.' I think with a mischievous grin on my face.