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| Yes ... They ARE. |
My "Gaijin" American Boyfriend
A Lucky Star Fanfiction
by
C V Ford
Tadao knelt at the low table mulling over the last half hour as Miki & Inori looked on in concern. A bombshell had just been set off in the houshold. Matsuri phoned only just before. She was bringing her new boyfriend over to meet every one ... An American.
"And neither of you knew about this?"
"It's news to me Dad," Inori answered. "I'd just gotten the call."
"You both go to the same college."
"I'm a junior, she's a sophmore. We don't have the same courses so we hardly see each other even when we're there at the same time. It's a big campus."
"I remember her mentioning there were some foriegn students in her classes. One in particular was helping everyone with their physics work. He could be the one."
Tadao looked over at his wife. "There wasn't any indication she was getting close to this boy? She mention ANYTHING?"
"I remember Matsuri mentioning him a couple times but only in passing regarding her studies. He was helping anyone who needed it as I recall. If she said anything more I would have told you ... Right after telling HER."
Tadao squeezed his wifes' hand in reassurement.
"She mentioned his name was ... Jack," Inori volunteered.
"Jack ... ," Tadao spit the name out.
"Yes," he thought. "Sounds like those gutteral monosyllabic nick names they're so fond of."
Though he had little sympathy with the right wing parties/factions of his country, as a Shinto priest & manager of his shrine at that, he felt, KNEW, it incumbent upon him to instill a pride & sense of oneness/affinity in his children as to what it was to be Japanese. While he wasn't overly strict, he still went to great pains to steep them in their culture. Even going so far as to have all four as Mikos ... shrine maidens. By modern Japanese standards his family was large what with his countrys' zero population growth. His friends kidded him about his trying to repopulate Japan single handed. He would usually retort about his wife having SOMETHING to do with it.
His thoughts went from his concern about his daughter to that of the past. He remembered the stories his grandfathers & great grandfathers told him of the Pacific War. Of the insane Americans ways of waging war & the cruelty on both sides. Few prisoners were taken by either & it was by the grace of the gods his relatives survived. The stories of the lean times of the Occupation didn't settle well with him either.
He felt himself fortunate to have missed that.
The periodic news stories of problems with American servicemen on Okinawa were no help either.Like many of his countrymen, he wished them gone. With a real military of their own they wouldn't "need" them.
A commotion at the front door brought him out of his thoughts. Getting up, he & Miki went to the hall.
"Oh, hi Dad!" Tsukasa greeted.
The twins arriving from school. Tadao let out some breath.
"Hey Dad!" Kagami exclaimed "You're not gonna believe who we ran in to on the way here."
"Matsuri ..."
"Uh ... yeah."
"With her new boy freind!" Tsukasa piped in. "He's really kool!"
"Cool ... ," Mr. Hiiragi looked on & thought. "Dear, sweet, deferential Tsukasa. And Kagami doesn't seem too concerned either. I'm going to have a long talk with EACH of my daughters ... especially Matsuri ... If I can make her stand still long enough."
"We ran into them at the convenience store," explained Kagami. "She's gonna make us all dinner! Your favorites too!"
As if it wasn't enough that Matsuri would do what she was doing. Now she was parading herself & the foreigner around the neighborhood for all to see. Tadao doubted dinner would make up for anything. In fact he doubted there would be ANY dinner that night.
"Uh ... Dad ... " Kagami asked. " ... something wrong?"
"I want you both out of the way for the next hour or so. Stay in your rooms."
"Wait ... Dad. This isn't about-"
"Just do as I say ... Something needs to be done."
"O ... Kay-"
"Wait! Sis! Don't you think we-"
"Come along Tsukasa," Kagami chided as she grabbed her arm. "THIS is serious ..."
Partway down the hall Tsukasa started in again.
"Why not just TELL him? He didn't look happy ... AT ... ALL!
"Are you kidding? This is gonna be fun!" Kagami put on her mischeivious grin. "Keep your eyes & ears peeled. Those two're gonna be here real quick & I don't wanna miss this!"
"Oh!" Tsukasa laughed. "You're right! This is gonna be good!"
"When we hear 'em at the door, we sneak down here real quick. Shoot! Forget just waiting, I'm gonna watch for 'em!"
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Tadao & Miki stood silently in the hall as they observed their second daughter enter the house. Inori waited at the kitchen entrance, also tense. No matter how well it was handled, it was not going to go well. Though polite, it was to be plain to Matsuris' would be suiter that he was not at all welcome.
Still holding a couple store bags, Matsuri kicked off her street shoes as she greeted her parents.
"Mom, Dad?" She noticed their expressions as if she fully expected their demeanor. Though she smiled, her tenseness was also detectable. No, this was not going to go at all well.
"We understand you have someone you want us meet ..." Tadao said businesslike unsmiling
"Uh ... Yeah ... he's ..."
A stumbling at the door drew everyones' attention as they observed a figure, bent low picking up a bag while keeping the door propped open with one foot. His other arm wrapped around a cake box.
Tadao frowned. No. This was not going to be easy but it had to be done.
"Uh ... Mom? ... Dad? ... I'd like you to meet a fellow student of mine."
The intake of breath from the parents was audible.
"Jack ..."
The young man stood upright, looking straight at Tadao, a pleasant smile on his face.
"Nakamura ..."
Setting the bag down though still holding the cake, the young man did a reverential deep bow & spoke.
"Mr. & Mrs. Hiiragi ... I'm most happy to meet you both. Matsuri has told me so much about you ... "
His Japanese was flawless.
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"I tell you," exclaimed Kagami. "Mom & Dad had to be absolutely freaking out! The way Dad was acting when Tsukasa & I got home was really cold. Like he was getting ready for a real knock-down, drag-out."
Lunch period, the twins recounted last nights' events to the others.
"So they had absolutely no idea he was ... ?" Miyuki started to inquire.
"Thought he was a really waspy gaikokujin huh?"
Tsukasa looked over at Konata. "Wasp-y?"
"Uh ... European looking ..."
"Whatever," Kagami retorted & paused. "It'd be just like Matsuri only to mention he was from America. Inori relayed the message to Mom & Dad & it'd be easy to assume the rest. I think she did it on purpose so Dad would out & out object from the start to soften him up for the rest. Jacks' being gonsei still means he's American after all."
"One of ... ," Konata, in sepulchral voice, paused for dramatic effect. " ... the ... OTHERRRRRRR!"
"Come on Konata," chided Miyuki. "This IS serious."
"Yeah ... I know but," Konata returned. "I just wonder about the way things are though. I mean ... With science & genetic testing & all, you could be more Japanese than the Emporer himself & STILL be an outsider."
Miyuki sighed as as the more tradition bound twins looked at the diminutive one as if she pulled a mortal faux pas.
"And God help the guy if he was one of the Buraku."
Kagami let out a deep breath. "Yeah ... It IS much more than that. There are some things we need to fix socially. But that's gonna take some time ... Way long after WE graduate ... ."
"It seems Jack's not as much as on the outside as we thought." Tsukasa stated, getting back to the subject."
"Oh?"
"Though Jacks' part of his family emigrated to the States around the turn of the last century, they still kept close ties. Even going so far as to get their childrens' names in the family registries here."
"And they really kept up on heritage." Kagami stated. "Though Dad didn't show it, he was really impressed. He was absolutely grilling him before, during AND after dinner."
"We all were sis. About EVERYTHING!"
"Hey! I might wanna meet this guy." Konata piped up. "There's a whole lotta questions I might ask him."
"Uh ... yeah," Kagami rolled her eyes. "We're talkin' REAL culture here."
"So what do his parents do?" Miyuki inquired.
"They're both with the U.S. embassy staff downtown. Translators & protocol."
"Explains why his Japanese is so good."
"So ... uh ... " Konata questioned, "your parents OK with this guy?"
"Wellllll ... ," the 'elder' twin speculated. "It seems, for the moment ... the Jack/Matsuri relationship is on a reluctant probation. You know how my Dad is. He was burning up the phone lines this morning, checking on his bona fides. If they're half as good as they might, I don't see how Dad could say no."
"Oh I think things'll be OK."
Kagami looked over at her sister.
"How's that?"
"It's what Dad said to Matsuri after Jack left."
"What was THAT?"
"At LEAST he's right handed."
"No one's perfect, Tsukasa."
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Storyline (only) copyright © 6-20-13 C V Ford
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