Defiance Delivered

With a stone hand on her back, she was led towards the adorned canopy draped in the backyard, likely for just this occasion. Underneath its shade was a dense table, both in weight and decor. The theming of the colors presented were pastels and beige. It would have been exquisite and exciting for Kimiko if it weren’t for, well… everything else.

Daichi pulled out Kimiko’s chair for her and she sat down with the utmost care, afraid to disturb any of the trinkets and cups that were placed without her knowing all of their meanings.

Her placement was beside Daichi, who, in turn, sat across from his mother and father. Erena and Razan, respectively.

His father's dark eyes looked from Kimiko to Daichi beside her. The man's black hair was parted in the front in two long strands, the rest held back tightly in a short ponytail behind him.

"Congratulations." His voice held about as much kindness as the thorns on the flowers crawling up the walls that confined the backyard.

Daichi gave a half bow in his seated position. "Do you approve of her?"

"Of course. I have always approved of the girl despite the chance that she may bare redheaded children.”

The sheer restraint her face had to uphold to remain neutral after such a backhanded compliment was more admirable than she was given any credit for. What's wrong with being a redhead…?

“She reminds me of your mother when she was young."

Like his mother? I don't want to be like my fiancée's mother, that's a little weird.

"Are you… certain?" Another man at the table Kimiko didn't quite recognize, spoke up. Something about his arrogant mannerisms felt familiar though.

Razan nodded once. "She may be different in key factors, but her disposition is the same. Submissive and easily molded."

Kimiko felt a pinch at her leg. She hadn’t even noticed that she was making a face, but she didn’t register the reprimand for what it was despite her complying subconsciously anyway.

Can he just say that about me? Is that really okay? Kimiko shifted in her seat uncomfortably and looked at Daichi to say something, but it was his mother that ended up trying to assure her.

"Don't worry dear girl." Erena said, her face stretched sideways to attempt a smile, wax that desperately needed warming. Her skin was so plastic that any expressions that would have been visible were constricted. The older woman’s hair had years of overpainted yellow, layers of time, of compromises, and her natural hair color was drowning in it. Kimiko could almost see a hand pushing out of her scalp screaming for help.

Still, the woman made of cracked paint continued with her unsolicited advice. "That's a good thing. Men like a woman who isn't stubborn."

But do I like myself like this…? Kimiko thought. She didn’t realize how much further she still needed to go when it came to her being her own bodyguard.

In the end, she only nodded as a response, though her eyes looked away from everyone now. Instead, focusing on one of the many candles in the middle of the table, she sighed silently to herself.

"Well-" The man from before spoke up. "She is prettier than your other girlfriends. It'll be worth it to spoil her with gifts to keep her beauty from fading." He shot a wink in her direction as if he were doing her a favor.

Am I crazy, or is this normal?

"Don't worry, I'll spoil her." Daichi said with better humor than she'd heard from him all day. The change in his voice made her turn to see him, her big eyes searching for any glimpse of comfort.

She felt him cup her cheek in his hand and heat rushed to her face.

"Such a pretty girl deserves to be comfortable."

His words were like a blanket pulled up until it smothered her mouth shut and all she could breathe was the air that he left for her. Still, it was a blizzard, and it was hard to toss away a source of warmth.

"Show us the ring!" His mother exclaimed, and Kimiko felt her breath hitch, unaware of what she should say.

Just then, the tea was served.

"I decided that I’ll go with her to pick one out. She's going to be the one wearing it, so it ought to be something she likes." Daichi averted.

"Good thinking. I ended up having to buy your mother a new one anyway." Razan pointed out.

Daichi's mother leaned toward the young woman with a smile of comradery. "It was so tacky."

The softness of Kimiko’s heart broke for the woman. She wasn’t happy. This woman… was supposed to be happy. It was a feeling that she knew all too well herself. It was frightening to have a twisted version of the future try to reach out and pull you in with them.

"Togai." Daichi said to the man who'd been speaking previously. "Why aren't you married yet?"

The man chuckled. "I'm only twenty. Mom and dad can wait."

Togai has changed a lot. Kimiko thought.

The last time she'd seen Togai was when he was a child. Now he was an adult and had a short modern haircut with fluff on the top instead of the middle part he used to have. He looked a lot like his mother, or rather, what she used to look like. He had her eyes and formerly brown hair, as well as her natural round face shape.

As the brunch moved along, Daichi's aunts and uncles asked him various questions. Some of his aunties would ask Kimiko a few questions, but often they were shallow, or Daichi would answer for her. Thirty minutes had felt like hours, and they weren't even close to finished with the brunch yet.

I want to go home… That thought popped into Kimiko's head again. For her, home now meant Makoto and their little apartment and silly life with vanishing fish and mischievous cats. This estate wasn't home, these people weren't home, nothing about this felt like home.

She was left wondering how she had let this happen. Why she was still letting it happen. Why couldn’t she just pull herself out of this tar she’d stepped into? The boa constrictor around her waist that made her beautiful was crushing her ribs, and their talk was stealing her voice. Finally, she found a way that she could leave without leaving.

"Um. Excuse me, I have to use the ladies' room." Kimiko said that once there was a lull, Daichi gave her directions before she excused herself to go inside.

The moment she was away from their prying eyes a mudslide of regret, depression, and disgust rushed through her and then buried her in a tomb of claustrophobia. Tears sprung through the leaks she’d tried to patch as she hurried into the room she'd originally changed in.

The drums of panic slammed their beats within her chest, emotions ready to give in to the pit of fire, and feast on the mellows of tranquility she held dear. Kimiko grabbed her phone from her purse and dialed the first number, the first person, she instinctively wanted to hear from.

…

"H-Hello? Makoto?"

"Hey, Kimiko what's up?" His voice felt like being wrapped in a warm towel after a day of swimming in a cold pool, about to eat a lunch your loved one made for you.

The tears that she’d forced back were finally given permission to leave her. The droplets slid down her cheeks in freedom.

"Oh, not much. Just at a stuffy party." She said with a half-hearted laugh, although she really was smiling despite her crying.

"What's wrong?"

His discovery stopped her in her facade. How did he know? She'd tried to sound happy!

Kimiko refused to be a burden to him, so she kept with her ruse. "Nothing! Why?"

It was silent for a few seconds.

"Mmm… I don't believe you."

"It's just some weird people is all."

"Good weird or… bad weird?"

"Em…" Kimiko's feelings bubbled up again. Her throat was tight and she already had trouble breathing because of the corset. Still, she shook her head, "I'm fine. It'll be fine, I just have to be positive right?"

"... Kimiko?"

"..."

A small whimper escaped her. He just felt too reliable to lie to effectively. In her heart, she wanted him to know, even though she felt so selfish for it. Before she could spiral, he got her thinking elsewhere.

"You know what you need?"

"Hm?"

"A pizza. I'll go grab you one okay?"

"But Makoto, I don't know when I'll be home."

"What do you like? Cheese? No, probably veggie huh?"

Kimiko finally giggled a little with a shake of her head despite him not being able to see it. "Makoto…"

"It is veggie then." He said smugly, making her giggle more. "I gotta go now so I can order it. You keep your phone with you okay?"

Kimiko thought he was silly for keeping up the joke but it made her happy even so. "Okay, I will."

She turned and looked into the mirror. Her cheeks now had two vertical streaks as proof of her sadness, but she took a breath to settle her nerves and made a brave face after wiping away the rest of her tears. Her situation felt more manageable after talking to Makoto, even if it was only for a minute or two.

Maybe things would be okay after all.

Kimiko put on a bit more of her makeup to hide any redness, then walked back outside to face her inquisitors.

To her great dismay, tea was still being served even after another hour after her return. Kimiko hadn't been able to drink any because she had been too nervous answering questions. Usually, she loved tea, but no food being served meant that the brunch was moving along at a crawl.

Kimiko reached to take her cup of lukewarm tea, but Daichi spoke before her fingers could touch it. "Do it properly."

With a nervous breath, she tried reaching for it with her pinky out, but he stopped her again.

"Two fingers pinching the handle, three curved out."

Her hand twitched in irritation at the correction. A mischievous knot stirred in her stomach, a flicker casted from Makoto’s voice from earlier.

"Like… this?" She asked, purposefully using the teacup in the exact opposite way he asked.

"No, I said-"

"Like… this?" She giggled, then put her head next to the cup.

"Kimiko."

"Liiiike this?" Kimiko reached for the cup again with a playful smile.

Smack.

He swat at her hand with a harsh slap.

Like a puppy being abused with a hat, she yipped pitifully. She brought her hand to her chest, which Togai was now shamelessly ogling. Kimiko was pouting, and Daichi did not like the look of betrayal on her face. It was too defiant, especially in front of his family.

Daichi leaned close to her ear. "I told you. To. Stop." The enunciation of each word sent her back into the hole he’d previously dug for her, a dark shadow fell over the glimpse of summer she’d attempted.

His family was staring at her, but not in the way she thought they should. Not with concern or anger towards the man who had hit her, but gawking at her for having "needed" to be hit to behave.

The sharpness of the sting on her hand turned red, while the many eyes staring at her and judging her made her wish she really were dug down deep in the ground where no one could find her. Tears made their return to her eyes in a sparkle that she was sure they probably also thought was beautiful.

“Um… um…” She whimpered. The apology she would have said was held back when the motion of someone hopping over the fence caught her attention instead.

“Do you guys not answer your door or something?”

“Makoto?”

After waiting all day for her parachute to bloom, it finally flew freely into the sky.

Now all eyes were on the strange blue-haired man. He was holding a medium-sized pizza box in his hand which he’d somehow balanced during his acrobatics. His attire was dripping with nonchalance, dark jeans, and a sleeveless black jacket with a dark green shirt underneath it.

“Who are you?” Daichi's eyes narrowed as he slowly stood up from his seat and stepped halfway around the table to see him more clearly. A moment later he looked back at Kimiko, he wanted to know how she knew this man, but it would only humiliate him further to ask.

Makoto walked over to Daichi’s former seat with the swagger of a man who didn’t let anyone guide their sails. He grabbed the chair then sat in it, and reclined his boots on the edge of the table with a thud that made the tiny cups and trinkets chatter around. The complete disrespect left the guests in shock, but Kimiko’s heart leaped in her chest, unable to take her eyes off of him.

She’d never met someone like him before.

“Get out.” Daichi hissed, but Makoto was completely unphased.

“I got a call for a delivery and I take my job very seriously.” He said.

“Delivery?” Kimiko’s quiet voice chimed in.

Makoto looked at her with a friendly smile, one that might as well have made him a knight in shining armor to her. His pale-blue eyes glanced over with a hint of seriousness as he caught sight of the red mark on her hand. Makoto had only heard the very end of what had happened but hadn’t seen the details himself. Regardless, he knew she wouldn’t want him to cause an intense conflict, it would only embarrass her further. Instead, he kept his actions deliberate and resolved.

“That’s right.” He said, then looked over at the seething stiff green bean with the lack of respect he deserved. Daichi might as well have been a walking punchline to Makoto, and he didn’t try to hide it. “Rules say I gotta deliver this pizza to the customer and their address no matter what. Unfortunately, she changed locations, so now I gotta haul both of them back where they belong.”

“Am I supposed to believe you somehow tracked her here just to deliver a pizza?” Daichi said, losing his patience with every anxious tap of his shiny shoe.

“Believe what you want.” Makoto said, leaning back further in his chair so half of it was in the air before leaning forward to set it back down with a thump, sitting upright. “But that’s what I’m gonna do.”

Razan stood up brashly. “Are you going to allow this stranger to desecrate our gathering?” His iron cold stare was directed straight at his eldest son.

Daichi opened his mouth to speak, but Makoto had already stood up from his chair while Razan was speaking. “Damn right he is.” He pulled her chair out and guided her to stand by gently taking her hand and helping her up. Then, not a moment later, Makoto hoisted Kimiko over his shoulder with one hand. Giggles sounded from her happy smile, wondering to herself if he was always this strong.

"It's my duty to take this girl and her well-earned pizza home." Makoto said with a haughty tone to mimic their own.

His parade princess was now waving her joyful farewell while he carried her towards the house. "Goodbye everyone!"

"The police will hear about this." Daichi said, and to Makoto, it was clear to see that the man had no way to cope with helplessness other than to ask others to take care of it for him.

Makoto turned around, walking backward easily with a smirk on his face. "Or, you can just, I don’t know, take her away from me. Come on, she's right here. Try it."

Daichi took a step forward, then stopped, his fists clenched to his sides.

"Heh. That's what I thought." Makoto’s snark might as well have been a hit to the man’s jaw. Disgraced, he left out the back to avoid the stares of his family.

Makoto spun back around on his heel and walked into the house through the backdoor so he could grab Kimiko’s things before he took her home. The act of defiance left Daichi’s family at a loss for what had just happened, who this man was, and why Kimiko looked happy to be taken away by this supposed "delivery boy"?