As we Know, What we Know

It was strange. That day. Well, it was yesterday. I don't want to make it seem like a long time ago, but still. Something in me had told me to follow that feeling, the knot that sat in my stomach ever since I met with the Devil himself, Rin's dad. I mean there were worse people, and he doesn't strike me as a bad guy, but I can't say I approve of his ideals. Wanting to take away feelings and replace them with some numbing agent, a pill. Or at least that's what we hypothegized, hypothesized? I don't know.

"What are you thinking?" Rin asked me, rolling over to face me with that look she always gives me. I can never get tired of it.

"I don't know."

"You don't know, or you don't want to say?"

"Both, because I don't want to sound dumb. But beyond that, a lot of things don't make sense. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." I forgot to say, but we're in Rin's other apartment that's in Sendai. They have one in Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai...just an apartment frenzy. If Monopoly was real life, oh yeah, it is. But who doesn't love silk sheets. No complaints.

"Hmph, okay, try to make it make sense. Because we really do have to talk."

Shit. I was ho-"And don't think I'm not pissed, because I am. But I will let you finish your point first."

"No, no. It's clearly not as important as what you have to say. Speak."

"Don't talk to me that way. If we're going to have a conversation, let's have it. Without the resentment and hostility. That was kind of rude."

"Ok. I'm sorry." I think it's the first time she's ever corrected me like that. Maybe I am a sub. I kinda like it. In the next life, I want to be born as -

"Why did you bring her? You know how I feel about her."

I thought she was going to let me speak..."Uh...well, I don't know. I feel like-

Okay. Stop Shin!

You have 3 choices of how to respond:

A.) I don't know. I feel like it was an impulse decision and I sort of felt sorry for her. She's apart of all this too, you know?

B.) I don't know. I feel like there was something that told me that you both needed to be here in this moment, with what's going on together. Fate almost, if you will. 

C.) I don't know. I feel like you have a bad idea about her. 

 you have a bad idea about her." Wrong answer? Shit, maybe they were all bad answers. It's fate, I was destined to be a dense character. 

"The wrong idea about her? Please tell me. How many relationships of mine has she ruined? How many times has she lied to make me look out to be worse than I am? I'm so tired of it. My whole family tries to make me out to be something I'm not because I'm the one who "ruined the family" (sidenote, because you didn't see it, but they were very aggressive air quotes), not their actions and general sneakiness and dishonesty. Why would her own father run from us if he was up to good things? Why is that she specifically always targets the relationships I want to have? Why is my dad keeping secrets from me about something that's so close to our family? And now he's involved you. I don't know if meeting you was a good or bad thing."

"You don't mean that do you?"

"Why did you sleep with her? If you thought anything of me, I mean, even just a little bit, you wouldn't have done it."

This is true. I can't refute that. Honestly, just honestly speaking, Ritsika is just hot. She seduced me! "She seduced me."

"That's it? She seduced you? I don't know how many guys have approached me like that and I never thought that I only had sex with them because they seduced me. It was an active choice on my end."

That's weird. I thought she never had sex in her life and was waiting until she met me. Don't take me so serious but help! I don't know how to respond. "Uh, well. If it means anything, I'm sorry. On a real note, it kind of just happened and I wasn't thinking about it. I was caught up in the moment, and I guess I felt a bit jaded."

"Jaded? How so?"

Maybe there's two dense characters? "I mean, this entire time, you claim to not have known me, but wait, you do and you're a fan of my work and wait, your dad made me his mark that was to be recruited by you, but no, even bigger, there's a conspiracy theory that involves one of the biggest fables ever told and now I need your help to save the world but I'll never tell you what's at stake or proof that it's real-

"It is real."

"I let you finish."

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"And you got me fired. I'd say we're even."

I feel like that hurt her, because the look she gave changed, the expression dropped in her face. With that, she turned her shoulder to face over to the other. She has a tendency to shut down when things don’t go as she planned, mostly when it’s emotional because with her ideas, I've never met anyone as determined and self-trusting as her. 

Well, that was silencing. 

“You know,” she spoke, still with her back turned towards me, “…I did tell you all that time ago that it had to be something believable so that my dad would believe it.”

The audacity of her sometimes drives me crazy. Like who gave you the right? It wasn’t her choice to make. Even if I didn’t like it, or want to be a professor because of the limitations, it still allowed me to chase my dream. 

“You know, I never liked being a professor. My parents always instilled their values of higher education & I guess I’ve been following their path for me since I was 11. I started college when I was 13, finished under grad at 17, my masters at 19 and just recently became a professor last year at 23. With a phone call you took away 8 years worth of work for a conspiracy theory. And wait, wait, wait,” I held my hand up towards her because I know what she was about to say as she violently turned around to face me, 

“Let’s say it is true. Let’s say the myth of the Seven Trees exist and there’s six seeds in the world to collect to try and find a pathway back to the First Tree. So what? What then? You understand what your dad wants to do. And how dangerous that would be. Hypothetically, we’ll even say you found all 6 of said seeds. What would you do?”

“I…”

“Well, I honestly hadn’t thought that far-“

“And it’s because of that you’ve let your curiosity get other people involved, letting your greed for curiosity ruin the lives of others. I can’t say what it was that made me sleep with Ritsika, nor will I say it was the right decision but at least she didn’t pretend to see me for what I could be to her.”

“But isn’t it better to have someone who wants to see you reach the heights that only you could? Okay, let’s forget about the whole you sleeping with her thing for a second because it still makes me feel,”

You brought it up…women. No, it’s just this particular woman that happens to drive me crazy, in all ways imaginable. 

“…I don’t know. Whatever. The fact that she had sex with you first before WE did. It’s not everything but it’s not nothing. And I admit, because you’ve never heard me say it, but yes. I was a part of that. You getting fired from the University of Ottawa. In my mind it was so legitimate, this plan to take down my father because YES, what he wants to accomplish is nothing short of brainwashing. We’re humans. We need to feel, to get hurt, fail, feel despair, laugh, cry, and most of all, struggle to find out what it means to be a human. A creature that no one knows how it came to be but has become something that we all want to know. The not knowing is the purpose because we get closer and closer until we can taste it and realize the taste isn’t what we were after, it was the smell. The allure of pursuing something so deeply that it made our soul shake. And I’m not going to lie, many have it worse. I mean look at where we’re at. But if there’s something I can offer by letting people know the truth, then I’ll do anything to do it.”

“But did you have to fire me for that? It was a pretty nice gig.” I smiled. I can’t fault her for her logic. It’s a part of the reason I l*** her. Wait, no. I don't mean that. 

"I'm sorry. I let myself get carried a-"

Immediately, Rich came in the door and busted it down. Well, not literally, but it felt like it. What was so important that he had to come in now of all times? Actually, it was getting a bit heavy for me, and I think she's right. We definitely do need to talk. And maybe the whole point of these things is to find who's really worth fighting with or better said, fighting for. Who knows, really.

"You guys gotta check this out-oh. Am I ruining a moment?"

"Yes." We said in unison, looking at each other. And maybe it's only now that I'm realizing that even through our shortcomings, we were finally starting to get on the same page. 

"Well, I'd let you finish or actually I wouldn't even care what you would be doing if this wasn't big. Hurry up! It's on the news. TV downstairs." An apartment with stairs and a whole landing in the middle of the floor plan. Must be nice. Maybe I should keep her around. Money purposes, of course. It's not like I'm in l*ve with her or anything. NO.

We rush downstairs to the living room where there's an L shaped couch that sat a TV in front of it on a black mahogany, no mahogany is brown, maybe it's just wood, but to the right was a window that led to the patio outside where Ritsika was standing, looking off in the distance. Something in me wants to go talk to her, but I just can't. I don't want to get any more in the middle than I have to. 

"Welcome back to Tokyo TV2 w-"

"Why is the channel for Tok-"

"Shh!"

I just got shh'd. Definitely starting to think I'm a sub. Hmm, what an interesting development.

"Osaka Industries has been one of the leading produce, fish, and general electronics exporters for Japan within the last 10 years. Many Japanese rely on and trust in the leadership that has been provided by this international company, accounting for upwards of 30% of the country's GDP alone. There has been speculation of developments within Osaka Industries expanding into the pharmaceutical sector and today, CEO of the international giant, Osaka-sama, is making an announcement regarding the rumors of our investigative findings. Have a listen:

In that moment, the screen turned towards Rin's dad, or not dad, who was standing in front of a podium, surrounded by press, a million cameras, two bodyguards on the outside of the stage and two white lab coat doctors standing right by his side. I truly wonder what I have to do with all this. To the extent he would go all the way out his business to meet me twice. Send his daughter to recruit me to become a scientist for him. Leave evidence behind and telling his daughter what he was going to do even though not once has he thought to include her in on anything. Even beyond my purpose in all this, does he think he's already won?

I remember he said something strange once. He had told me the longer I stay around Rin the easier it'll be for him. Looking at her, I could tell she was distraught or the very least, equally as puzzled as I am. Yet, it's her I want to stay with. Find out if what she really believes is true. I'll wait for that. As long as I can. 

"Good evening my fellow citizens of this country-"

"Rin, did you know about this?" Ridge asked.

"Yes. Only that he was preparing a speech today. I have no idea what he is going to say." Even more than that, I hope it's not what I think.

"Today, I only come with a dream. A proposition to all of my fellow countrymen who share the same ideas as me. As humans, there has always been something that has bounded us to Earth. What I am referring to isn't exactly gravity, even though literally true. Speaking that way. The dream I propose is more beyond what the eyes can see, that the ears are able to hear, the nose wishing to smell. But something real. A common story we are all told as children, then we tell our children, and them to theirs is that of the one that is The Seven Trees. As is the cycle of life; nothing uncommon and something rather benign. Routine, even. That being said, there's a limit to what we can accomplish as we are currently, and I believe the reason that it has not only been passed down correctly and accurately according to modern data and scientists but has survived, is the deep-seated desire for us to transcend what we are living into being. A state of Gods."

He's crazy.

"What if it was real? What if trees like these existed right underneath our noses the whole time without our knowledge, held captive and secret by our governments to control us? Manipulate us. Guide us into thinking whatever they want us to think while being sick enough to ignore it with a bit of entertainment? I for one, have dignity. First as a human, then as a man, then a fellow Japanese like you. To make it brief, I hope you will all support us in the next phase of moving into pharmaceuticals, expanding our business one by one. "There isn't a way without a why" is the motto our company lives and dies by, always seeking to be on the cutting edge of innovation, research and technology. Mgh-Mgh, excuse me. Even I don't know if I should say this, as in the feelings that are creeping up are telling me no, but my commitment to humanity is screaming yes. With the coming year, we are running clinical trials to remove effects of diseases related to the eye such as Stys, glaucoma, cataracts, iris damage, and above all general blindness. This pill has the potential to not only remove the damage of eyesight issues, but completely reverse effects immediately if all goes well with our first rounds of tests within animals primarily. This is also a preventative measure as well, ensuring that you'll never receive any issue related to the eye, remaining only your eyesight forever. My team of scientists have been working to develop this for almost ten years, finally gaining all the resources and support necessary to be able to contribute in such a grand way to humanity is a dream of any person who cares as deeply for science and the advancement of our species like I do. We hope that you will continue supporting us as we move into the next phase."

With that being said, I could only look over at her smiling. Not the one I hold so close to me, but the one of adventure. 

"It's real. It really does exist."  

***