Sight and Sound - a Prequel Series

[Blank Mage]

Lot of activity on here recently, so I figured I'd bust out some works I've been throwing together over the weeks. This one is a bit of a writing exercise, so it's not the best I can do, but I'm getting tired of striving for perfection when mediocrity is so tantalizingly close, and far more relatable. Sorry the formatting is a nightmare, but these things are hard when Shizune is involved. (And when Blank is involved, Shizune is involved.) Enjoy! Or don't. I'm not the boss of you.


The Girl and the Doll
---------------------------

Father is arguing again.

That's the same as it's always been, though. Father argues with everyone, all the time. He'd argue with me more if I could hear him, but I don't think he likes arguing through other people. Hideaki doesn't talk much, either, so it's harder to argue with him. He argues with Morimoto-sensei most. Morimoto is the one teaching me sign, and he's very nice. He says that Father thinks he's too nice, but that doesn't make any sense, because being nice is good, isn't it?

What's different is that today, Father is arguing with someone new. She's very pretty, and younger than all of the other people Father yells at, and it looks like she's yelling, too. They don’t seem very angry, so I’m not worried. Morimoto is nearby, so I tug on his shirt and ask what they're yelling about.

[Satou-san needs someone to watch her sister, and she's asking your father if he can.]
As if on cue, I notice the girl cowering behind Satou. It looks like she's my age, and she's just staring at the floor, which is weird, because I think the house is more interesting than the floor is any day. Maybe she likes floors.

The older pretty girl kneels down, and talks to the younger one. The younger one looks like she's going to cry, but she nods. She’s probably scared of Father, (everyone tells me he sounds scary,) but I’m sure he’ll be too busy to bother her. The older girl bows, and begins to head towards her car, leaving the younger girl behind. Father yells a little more, and then he heads back to his study. Sensei sighs (I know what that looks like!) and heads over to the girl.

[Shizune, this is Lilly. Lilly is blind, so she can't see you. Lilly, Shizune is deaf, so she can't hear you, either. Shizune, would you make a little noise?] I give a clap, and the girl turns to face me with her eyes closed, and makes her way over unsteadily with Morimoto's help.

[Um, hi,] I sign, not knowing what else to do. I grab her outstretched hand with both of my own, and she looks happy to know where I am, even though she still looks like she's going to cry. She says something, and I look at Sensei.

[She says it's nice to meet you.] After a moment, she says something else. [She says it's her first time meeting someone she can't talk to, so she was wondering if she could touch your face.]

I give a confused look. I mean, it's not like she can't, but that's kind of weird.

[Lilly can't talk to you, and she's a little scared, so she wants to know what you look like. You know how you can feel shapes like your block set? Lilly can do that with much smaller things. For her, writing is a lot of little bumps.]

I look back, amazed, and nod quickly. Lilly's hands reach out, and slide across my face, as though she was wiping it off with a towel. It tickles, and it was already pretty funny, so I laugh. Lilly looks surprised, and then sad. Maybe she doesn't laugh very often? Eventually, her hands go back to mine, as though she just likes holding them.

[She says you're very pretty.]

I shake her hands off of mine to reply. [She's way prettier. Her hair is yellow, and she's already really tall.]

I wish I was that pretty.

Sensei tells her what I said, and she looks embarrassed. [So, now that you've met, why don't we head over to the game room? I'm sure there's a game in there that we can all play.]

Sensei and I think about it as we make our way over to the game room, but I can't think of anything I can play with my eyes closed. Sensei thinks harder, though, and comes up with another idea.

[Shizune, would you like to learn some new signs?]

I give an angry look. I don't have any lessons today! And besides...

[It would be mean to practice signs when Lilly doesn't have anything to do!]

Sensei only smiles. [Ah, but these are special signs! They're signs you feel, not ones you look at. If you got really good at them, then even Lilly would know what you were saying.]

Lilly and I have mirrored looks of disbelief.

[Awesome! Super awesome! Signs you can see with your eyes closed! I wanna learn them!]

Lilly nods seriously as well.


The Hero and the Princess
------------

{So, loud and bright are the same thing?}

Lilly nods slowly. {I think so. It’s loudest during the day. It tells me where things are. But if something is too loud, sometimes I can’t tell where it is.}

I’m lucky that my usual signs and special contact signs are so similar, or I wouldn’t be able to pick them up so fast.

{Yeah. I need light to see things, but if it’s too bright, looking just hurts my eyes. Like the sun, or light bulbs. Hey, do you know about the sun?}

{Of course I know about the sun. It’s warmer in the sunlight. I hear If you look at it too much, you end up like me! Do you know about music?}

{...Not really. I think drums are cool, though. And I have manga, which is probably better than music anyway. I have this one manga- um, I don’t know the sign for it. But the hero is super-cool! He can punch rocks apart.}

Lilly looks confused. {Why?}

{He’s an alien. He’s super-strong.}

{But why punch rocks?}

{Because he can! That’s the coolest thing about him! Don’t you want to do cool things like that too? To be able to punch bad guys and shoot beams and fly around?}

Lilly’s brow furrows in thought, despite my perfect argument, and signs slowly.

{...I don’t think I want to do any of that. It sounds scary.}

My jaw hangs open, and I tighten my grip on Lilly’s arm.

{No, it’s awesome! You can’t be scared of bad guys, otherwise they just beat you up, and then people like me have to show up and punch them anyway! If you’re scared of things like that, then how are you gonna save the day?}

{I’d probably call an adult. That’s what Nee-san says to do, and she’s stronger than I am. And your father has a sword! Why not get him to fight bad guys instead?}

{Because that’s not what heroes do!}

Lilly has a very silly idea of how to be a hero, and it really bothers me somehow.

{Look, Lilly, you can’t just count on other people all the time. You gotta solve your own problems sometimes! Once you can take care of yourself, you can start helping others too! But none of that’s gonna happen if you just leave everything to the adults!}

Lilly pulls her arm back and crosses them, an unhappy look on her face. Well, whatever. I always knew Lilly was a scaredy-cat, but I’m strong, so I guess it’s up to me to look out for her. She probably wouldn’t be much good at punching rocks anyway. She might make a decent swordswoman, though.


The Optimist and the Pessimist
--------------

{It'll be fun!}

{What if we get lost? Or, or kidnapped? Or mugged?}

{No one is going to mug a blind kid, Lilly. Even criminals have standards.}

{Shizune, I'm being serious!}

{So am I! We spend all our time sitting around the house, playing stupid games that neither of us even like all that much. There's a whole city out there, and the train station is only a half-hour walk from here. I've done this dozens of times. We'll be back way before it gets dark. Or quiet. Whatever, back before nighttime.}

Lilly shifts uncomfortably, but it’s not hard to tell she’s shivering a little bit. Her signs are a bit funny, too, probably because she isn’t concentrating hard enough on them.

{Why can't we just stay here? I don't mind the games. I think they're fun.}

{One time. Just one time, and if I'm wrong, you never have to do it again. We don’t even have to go as far as the station. We can stop by the dog park and play with some of the pets, buy some ice cream, there are even a few streams deep enough to swim in nearby.}

Lilly looks as though I just suggested ritual suicide for funsies.

{WIthout a lifeguard?! How would I know if you were drowning?!}

I roll my eyes out of habit. {Oh honestly! I'm not going to drown. It's a stream, not an ocean. If you’re going to pick things apart like that, how do we know a meteor isn’t going to crash into the game room? Or a bookshelf falls on us? What if I trip and fall on my father’s sword? It’s super dangerous around here. We should go play in a stream. Where it’s safe.}

{Shizune…!}

I pull my arm away, and fetch my outdoor shoes, loudly clomping my way to the front door, while Lilly holds a fierce internal debate in the foyer. I’m leaving either way, but I’d rather play with her. I slowly open the door, and Lilly finally decides to grab her walking stick from nearby. I give a loud clap in place of a cheer, running back to guide her to her own shoes.

-----

The walk takes longer than I expected, since Lilly is so slow. It would probably be faster if she just stood on the back of my bike, but she just crosses her arms and refuses to argue about it whenever I say that, so for now she just holds my elbow while I lead the way to the park. She probably hears the dogs long before I even see them, so she probably knows we’re here when I stop by the grass’s edge.

{So, what do you want to do first?}

{Turn around and go home.}

{You really shouldn’t spend so much time indoors, you know. You’re already way too pale.}

{I’m Scottish. This is normal.}

{Oh, stop being upset! It’s gonna be fun, I promise. And when have I ever lied?}

{Just now, I think you did.}

I stop walking and throw my arms up for a moment before roughly seizing her hand again.

{Fine, then go home! It’s about thirty minutes back the way we came, house on the left. I’m going to go play with a puppy, and you’re gonna sit in a room, in the dark, by yourself, until Akira-nee-san comes to pick you up.}

Lilly tears up a little, and I suddenly feel a little bad for being upset.

{I don’t want to be by myself! And I don’t want to go! Why do you always do this whenever I don’t want to do the things you want to do?!}

{Because you don’t want to do anything! All you want to do is sit around and talk all day! There’s a thousand fun things to do, but you’re too scared to try any of them unless I’m making you! And if you would just be a little braver, I wouldn’t have to!}

Lilly flinches all of a sudden, tearing her arm away and taking a quick step back. I wonder if I didn't go a little too far, but before I can fix it, a hand grabs my shoulder. I stifle a yelp, jumping away and turning around before I even have time to figure out what happened.

There’s a stranger behind me, an adult, and he looks angry.

Oh man, Lilly was totally right, we’re getting mugged.

Fear and determination weld my hands into fists, and I put myself between Lilly and him, pouring killing intent into my glare. If he’s gonna try anything, he’s gonna find out the hard way not to mess with a Hakamichi. I wish I brought Dad's sword.

The guy pulls back a bit, arms crossed, an angry look still on his face. He’s talking, but I have no idea what he’s saying, and I glance back at Lilly for a second, who’s really crying now, but saying something herself. All I can do is stand my ground and wait for an opening. Seconds pass as their conversation continues, and his look changes from anger to something neutral, maybe even sorry? I risk lowering my guard for a moment to urgently tap Lilly’s shoulder. She grabs my arm.

{He thought you were bullying me and beating me up and he wants to know where my parents are so I said scotland but I wasn’t supposed to tell him that and now he wants to call them but I don’t know their number and I forgot Nee-san’s and I don’t want to be in trouble I don’t want to be in trouble-}

I pull my arm away before Lilly breaks my wrist, and turn back to the adult, who’s just confused as hell now. He isn’t as scary as he was before, but he’s still an adult, and I don’t trust him. If I was by myself, I’d just run away, but I can’t leave Lilly behind. I’m gonna have to figure this one out. Keeping an eye on him, I fish my notepad out of my backpack and write.

I’m deaf, so I can’t hear you. What do you want?

I throw the notepad onto the ground a safe distance away, where he picks it up and reads it. He gives me a skeptical look. Lilly grabs my arm again.

{He wants to know why we’re out by ourselves.}

{Tell him it’s none of his business, we don’t talk to strangers.}

I don’t talk at all, but whatever.

A moment later, the man seems to relent, and Lilly’s grip loosens just the smallest amount. Another moment, and he gives a small bow, and starts walking away. I guess whatever Lilly said must have convinced him to leave us alone. I wait until he’s a few dozen yards away before I recover my notepad and turn my attention back to her. She’s really a mess.

{...C’mon, let’s go play with the dogs. There’s-}

{No! I don’t want to be here! You promised! You promised! I want to go home!}

Lilly collapses on the spot and starts crying in earnest, and I bow in apology towards the guy as he glances back at us. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. It was going to be fun. I kneel down next to Lilly and give her a little hug to let her know I’m sorry, and she latches on to me like a magnet, her body jumping with every sob. I tear up a little myself in sympathy.

{Okay. Let’s go home.}



The Oni and the Angel
-----------

[Lilly, meet Shiina. Shiina, Lilly.]

It’s weird having Misha introduce herself in the third person, but it’s faster than the usual contact language, and I’m not about to place sentiment over practicality. I'm having some trouble figuring out who's talking when, but I think Misha and I can work those things out when she's gotten the hang of the basics.

With Misha's odd little introduction over, Lilly bows, more deeply than I think is needed, really. For her own part, Misha seems awed by my Amazon princess of a cousin, and I can't help but feel a little vicarious pride at that. After a moment, Misha gives me Lilly’s response.

[“It’s nice to meet you, Shiina! I’m glad to hear my cousin is finally making friends.” Um, I think that was just because she couldn’t talk, but hopefully I can fix that! Well, I mean, not fix it fix it, but, I mean-]

Misha’s fingers collide, and I almost chuckle at the nostalgia. Lilly gives a sympathetic look.

[...ow… okay, sorry. Lilly says she hopes so, and “I’ve heard you’ve joined the student council.” Actually, Lilly, we both did! I’m trying to learn to interpret, and I hadn’t joined a club, so, I decided to follow Shicchan! It’ll be good practice.]

Misha’s signs are slow, nowhere near fast enough to keep up with a conversation, but she’s learning with prodigious speed, almost as quickly as I did. I give her a moment to collect herself before replying, my signs slightly exaggerated.

[Lilly already knows this, but I’ve always wanted to join the Council. I didn’t think I’d get the chance to attend a high school that had one. It’s a pleasant surprise.]

Lilly nods at Misha’s translation. [“I wish you luck, then. I’m sure you’ll make a great” um, important… person?]

[‘Leader’. You can spell it if you don’t know the word. Thank Lilly for me, if you would, but I don’t need luck. Effort is more important, and I know how to put in the effort. Those guys on the council aren’t going to know what hit them. Has she joined a club yet?]

[.....Lilly says she joined the tea ceremony club. I didn’t know we had a tea ceremony club here...]

I laugh silently. [Why did I even bother asking? Of course Lilly would join the tea club, she’d probably have founded it even if there wasn’t one. You can tell her I said that.]

Lilly smiles in that exasperated way of hers.

[“I won’t say it was a simple decision. I’m the only first-year who’s joined, and I’m afraid the club may be forced to” -!?- “more members aren’t found. I suppose I’ll have to search elsewhere. Feel free to send anyone looking for a club my way.” Sorry, I don’t know that one, and I didn’t have time to spell it...]

[‘Disband’, probably. You’re doing fine, really. But I’m surprised, I’d think Lilly would have so many fans the tea club would have to move outdoors just to accommodate them all. Has my perfect cousin lost her edge?]

[“It’s… complicated. You may have noticed that many of the first years are very insulated or emotional. I’ve heard some very… distressing things since the term started, and I'm having some difficulty getting to know people. I've had one girl run away before I'd even gotten a word out.” I’m sorry, Lilly. Maybe I could help?]

Lilly and Misha hold their own little conversation for a while, but neither looks very hopeful about their options. A few moments later, Misha resumes signing with a look of apologetic realization. [Lilly seems really upset that she can’t do more to help everyone with their issues... Is she gonna be okay, do you think?]

I give the statement some genuine thought, going over Lilly’s dejected figure with a critical eye.

[...Yes and no. I think she’ll have to learn how to tackle the problems she can solve rather than beat herself up over the ones she can’t... there’s a lot of baggage in this school, and she’s probably going to try to carry most of it. It’ll be pretty hard on her for a while, but she’ll toughen up eventually. I mean, worst case scenario, she gets a little depressed, and then she’ll get through it. She’s not the sort to do anything drastic.]


The President and the Adviser
--------------------------------------

I’m not startled by the tap on the shoulder, probably because I’m never alone these days. I suppose that’s going to be the story of my life going forward; I don’t think I can ever go back to notepads now that I’m used to having an interpreter on hand.

Turning from the window, I find it’s not Misha, but Lilly, and with a sterner look than I’d expect from her, no less. These days, a stern look is about as angry as Lilly is willing to get in public.

If she was any more composed, she’d be an orchestra. Not that I’d know, right?

{What’s the matter?}

Her expression darkens almost imperceptibly, another shade of neutral, a volume of unspoken criticisms with a very pleasant dust jacket. I wish she’d just have the guts to be honest once in a while.

{I would have hoped you’d know. Ayase was crying when she left yesterday.}

I blink in surprise. I barely remember what the discussion had been about, let alone what I might have done to bring someone to the point of tears.

{...Over a class project proposition? Why?}

...was apparently not what I should have asked, as Lilly’s grip tightens ever so slightly.

{Why? You called her project a ‘waste of time, resources, and effort’, and then suggested she ‘focus on her strengths’ rather than pursue ‘unrealistic goals’!}

My pulse quickens at the accusations, a shot of anger helping to arrange my defense. I’m almost happy Lilly has taken to the field; this is a battle I can fight, a solid obstacle as opposed to the formless, backbiting gossip that I’m told follows me wherever I go.

Okay, {first off, her proposition called for almost double what the budget will allow, and second, I won’t petition for the use of the gymnasium on a school play that has no script, cast, or crew! If she wanted me to give her project more consideration, than she should have given it more consideration. Or am I wrong?}

{It isn’t a matter of right and wrong! It’s simple courtesy, Shizune! You could at least apologize before completely tearing down someone’s ambitions.}

{Apologize for what? I’m not the one responsible for the decision, it would never have gotten approval with the faculty even if I gave it a pass anyway! That should just be obvious! And why does it matter so much, anyway, she can just spend that time getting it ready for next year.}

Lilly’s sightless glare breaks, her expression becoming more complex.

{Ayase may not be here next year.}

Oh, honestly! {...be that as it may, it doesn’t make her proposal any more realistic, Lilly. I’m sorry, but just because Ayase might not… have the best odds, it doesn’t change the rules. I can’t give preferential treatment based on medical prognosis.}

Lilly’s anger is almost gone now, but what’s left is far more concerning.

{...And how am I supposed to tell her that, Shizune?}

{You’re asking me?}

Lilly almost smiles, a tragic look of bitter acceptance.

{...Of course not. That’s what I’m here for, isn’t it? Smoothing things over.}

Lilly breaks away before I can think of a response, slowly tapping her way to the door. In profile, I see her say something, perhaps to herself. I have no way of overhearing it, of course. Lilly and I have the luxury of keeping our thoughts private, for better or worse.

...I just attacked my own forces, didn’t I?

The Prosecutor and the Defendant
-----------

Lilly stands in the doorway, a silhouette against the bright hallway lighting behind her. I'm sure she knows I'm in here. I'm sure she knows that she's blocking the only way out. And I'm sure that she knows we can't communicate at this distance.

But her expression says everything.

I glare back at her, tears stinging my eyes. I'm not in the mood for this kind of condescension. Irrationally, I sign back at her.

[How is this my fault? What was I supposed to do, huh? What, did you want me to lie to her? I don't love her, Lilly, and unlike you, I can't just fake feelings at the drop of a fucking hat. I know she's miserable, we both are, but you’re gonna come in here and treat me like shit for it, perfect fucking Lilly judging from her highest fucking throne! Well, maybe we can’t all be like you, have you thought of that?! Maybe SOME of us have trouble communicating because we’re fucking DEAF! Do you think I enjoy having no one to talk to, being stuck outside looking in, watching everyone else, watching you laugh and smile and chat with all your goddamn friends?! You think I don’t want that?! Has it ever occurred to you that I could really use some moral support now and then, or are you too busy gossiping about me to notice?!]

[Well you know what? FINE! I’ll be the villain, and you can be the hero, and never the twain shall fucking meet! Tell all your friends about how I’m terrible to everyone around me, I don’t give a shit anymore, it’s not like I’ll hear about it anyway, right?! I hope you find someone who buys your bullshit ‘ojou-sama’ routine, because I don’t fucking need it! I don’t need you!]

[You HEAR that, Lilly?! I DON'T NEED YOU!]

I sign it with all the force I can muster, pulverizing the air, hoping to somehow print them on reality itself. Lilly only glares at me, and gives a single, unknowable parting shot.

Then she's gone, and I'm alone again.

...and maybe that’s in everyone’s best interest.



Shizune and Lilly
-----------

Misha bursts through the door with all the force and speed of a breach-and-clear.

[Shicchan, Shicchan! I'm done putting up the flyers!]

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. I had only assigned her the task half an hour before. If it was anyone else, I would have automatically assumed that it was done haphazardly, but Misha is too eager-to-please for that.

[Misha, you shouldn't run in the hallways. We only just scolded Ibarazaki for that, didn't we?]

Misha laughs her 'nervous' laugh, face angled downward and slightly to the side.

[I didn't mean to, but then I thought about you not being able to talk, and I felt really bad, and I ended up hurrying by accident! But it's okay~ because I was really careful!]

Well, it's true that Misha has never caused an accident, so I decide to drop the issue. It's a bad example, but given our workload, perhaps haste is in our best interest. I’ve already been forced to drop many of the projects I was hoping to implement for this year’s Tanabata. To make matters worse, the student body is becoming increasingly reluctant to lend a hand. Bending a few rules on hallway etiquette is a small price to pay for the sake of the school’s upcoming festival.

[...Fair enough, but keep it to a minimum. The last thing we need is to undermine our own authority.]

[Right right~! So, what’s next on the list?]

[Stalls. We can pull the completed ones out of storage once my Dad-]

My hands coast to a stop as the door behind Misha opens, sucking the air out of the room in the process; Lilly elegantly taps her way to the desk with a look of grim resignation. Misha doesn’t seem to notice the ice forming on the windows, instead cheerfully greeting my nemesis. I take some small satisfaction in seeing her flinch at the noise.

[Hiya, Lilly! It’s been a while! Here to rejoin the Student Council~? You know we could always use a hand, Tanabata is just around the corner!]

I glare at Misha, Lilly’s expression toughening as well.

[“I’m afraid I’ll pass.” Aw~ “I’m only here to deliver my class's forms. You’ll have to recruit elsewhere. I suggest the freshman; there might be a student or two among the first years Shizune has yet to berate.”]

She pauses, as if thinking to herself. Misha’s face becomes neutral, translating on auto-pilot as the sparks begin to fly between Lilly and me. She was never one for confrontation, especially between two of her friends, but it’s part of the job.

[“Actually, I’m sure my cousin is far too thorough to allow such novice mistakes. You may have to travel as far as the neighboring town.”]

[Tell her “the neighboring town is probably the closest place where she hasn’t slandered me into the ground, so yeah, I may have to.”]

[“You think I’m responsible for this? I’m sorry, I thought I was the blind one.”]

[No, you're just short-sighted. Thanks for the paperwork, Lilly, I’ll get right on misplacing it for you.]

[“I don’t know why I-” oh hang on.]

I’m already spooling up some wrath before I realize what was said, leaving my hands hovering awkwardly in front of me as Misha pulls her phone from her pocket. Obviously, I have no idea what she’s saying. She shoots me an apologetic look and ducks towards a corner, leaving Lilly and me standing in the middle of the room like an electrical storm unable to ground itself.

After a few moments of this forced stalemate, I take Lilly’s arm.

{Is she going to be done anytime soon?}

{It doesn’t sound like it, no. You have my form; I’ll be taking my leave.}

{Yeah, I’ll see you around.}

Lilly begins to break away, but stops, her hand lingering on my wrist. Her head tilts towards Misha, as if listening for her position.

{...I don’t care how you run this council, I’ve washed my hands of it. But if you insist on stringing her along like this for another year, so help me, I’ll pry her away from you myself. She doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment, and we both know it. She’s not your servant.}

{I never said she was. No one is forcing her to do anything.}

{You can’t pretend this is healthy, Shizune. She’ll break. No, she already broke, and now she’s just barely holding it together, and you’re just letting it go on like that. A word of advice; you can’t rely on others to solve all your problems for you. Otherwise people like me have to step in and do it for you.}

Surprise breaks through my anger, making me forget what I was going to say.

{...How the hell did you remember that? We were, what, 8 years old?}

Lilly smiles, but the disappointment is impossible to miss.

{I really admired that about you, you know. You always said you’d be strong for the sake of others. A hero. Of course I remembered. What I want to know is, when did you forget?}

With that, Lilly takes her hand away, bowing slightly before making her way out.

...Lilly and I have very different opinions on how to be a hero, and it really bothers me somehow.

[Mirage_GSM]

sparks begin to fly between Lilly and I

leaving Lilly and I standing in the middle of the room

"Lilly and me" - both times.

NIce stories, and the formatting wasn't really that bad.

One minor thing though: IIrc Lilly didn't live in the dorms in her first year.

[Blank Mage]

Hopefully, I'll have the Lilly side written in a week or so.

[Blank Mage]

Actually, Lilly's segments are coming out much longer than Shizune's, so I think I'll post them as I finish them. Lilly gets all the dialogue, after all. I don't plan on mirroring all the same scenes, but I'll make an exception for the first one.

Noise and Silence
------------

I don’t want to be here. I don’t like this, I don’t like any of this, I want to go home where I know where the walls are.

“Look, I know you’re busy, we both are, but I can’t reschedule this damn trip, and I won’t be able to get a job if I have to drop out of school. God help me, but you’re the only person in this country I can trust. It won’t even be a week, alright?”

“Then why didn’t you arrange a babysitter ahead of time? Lazy! And now you’re presuming to use my house for the care of your sightless family? Do you think I relied so heavily on the goodwill of my family in raising my daughter? Of course not. Absurd.”

My sister growls in frustration, making my throat tight and my eyes hot. I don’t want to listen to them, either.

“Okay, first off? You weren't a damn teenager when you had Shizune, and if you’re implying I don’t care about Lilly, I’ll swear to God I’ll smash a window on my way out. I wouldn’t trust a babysitter with her for more than a day, and Lilly wouldn't trust her either. Second, I don’t have the time or the resources to pull that kind of shit- sorry, Lilly- so don’t give me that. Now are you going to help me, or am I going to have to send my sister back to goddamn Scotland?”

It’s finally quiet, which is a little better than it was before they started yelling, but now they can hear me crying, which is probably making Akira sad.

Maybe she should be sad, says a voice in my head, and I do my best not to hear it. Akira crying is the last thing I want, even if I think it sometimes. I hope she knows that. I’ll just have to be better so she doesn’t have to.

“...Fine. I expect you to ask permission next time, rather than forgiveness. Perhaps I can browbeat Hiro with this should I have the misfortune of dealing with him going forward. I can’t say Lilly will be entertained, but she’ll be fed and safe at the very least.”

Akira sighs heavily. “Thank you. I seriously owe you one, and I’ll pay you back once I get a chance.”

I hear my her bend down, taking a knee in front of me.

“Lilly, I’m heading out now. I’ll be back in a few days, as soon as I’m done with this trip. I know Hakamichi is scary, but I promise he’ll keep you just as safe as I will, so be good, okay? If you are, I’ll take you out to do whatever you want, so I want you to think about what you want to do then.”

“I want ice cream.”

“That’s a solid choice. Once I get back, then.”

She sounds like she’s going to cry a little bit, too, which means I’m not doing a very good job. I try to toughen up, but I’m not sure how I look. I nod so my voice doesn’t sound weird, and lean into the hug I get.

Then she straightens up, and her footsteps fade into the distance, ending with the clap of a car door, leaving me standing alone, until Uncle’s voice crashes against me, making me jump and curl up at the same time.

“Right! I realize you’re not the most self-sufficient person I’ve had to look after, but if I managed with Shizune, then I suppose this should be a walk in the park. I’ve walked many parks, and been attacked by wolves in the process, and even then I finished walking. That’s an important lesson, girl, and I hope you remember it. By the time you leave this house, you’ll be stronger for it. Not as strong as me, but that shouldn’t concern you. Wolves should concern you. They’re fast, and smart, and many packs can still be found in the European wilds. But I will fight what you cannot. That is what it means to be a guardian. Do you understand?”

No, I really don’t, I know even less than when he started talking, only now I’m afraid of wolves. But I’m a good girl, so I nod.

“Excellent. You’re a good listener, unlike my own children. Perhaps I’ll adopt you, and finally have a worthy receptacle for my paternal advice.”

I don’t know what ‘receptacle’ means, but please please please don’t adopt me.

“Morimoto! See to it that my daughter is introduced to her cousin. I have work to attend to. Any further inquires may be directed to my secretary.”

And just like that, my guardian marches off. I don’t think Akira meant to lie to me, but she was wrong; my Uncle isn’t going to keep me safe at all, and now wolves might get me at any time. I didn’t even remember to say goodbye before she left. My eyes heat up again.

“Hello, Lilly.” It’s a gentle voice, but it’s a stranger, and my parents told me not to talk to strangers. He’s a friend of Uncle’s, so is that okay? Is a friend of a friend still a stranger? I don’t know. Nothing here makes any sense. I back away from the voice, unsure of what I should do.

“My name is Morimoto, but you can call me Sensei if that’s easier. I teach Shizune sign language, and I guess I’m looking after you for a bit.”

I remember hearing about ‘Shizune’, Akira told me she lived here, and that she was my age. She also told me she couldn’t hear anything, no matter how loud it was.

“Shizune, this is Lilly. Lilly is blind, so she can't see you. Lilly, Shizune is deaf, so she can't hear you, either. Shizune, would you make a little noise?”

I look towards the sound of his voice, and after a moment, a loud clap echoes against the walls, followed by silence.

I carefully feel my way forward; I don’t know where anything is here.

“Would you be okay with me helping you?” asks Sensei, and I think about it. If he was a bad guy, he wouldn’t ask, since he could just kidnap me right now if he wanted to. So I nod again. A hand takes my elbow, guiding me towards the source of the clap, stopping after a few feet.

“Shizune says hi.”

I can hear the sound of breathing in front of me, and it’s scary. I don’t know what she sounds like, because she doesn’t sound like anything, she’s just standing there watching me, like the monsters from the movies Akira doesn’t think I can hear from upstairs. Before my fear gets any worse, I feel a pair of hands grab mine, and I’m happy to know they feel normal. I know she’s normal, she’s as normal as I am, but it’s still scary. Maybe…

“Um, Sensei, can I touch her face…?” It sounds dumb when I ask like that, but I’m not sure what else I could do.

“...Shizune says it’s fine.”

I reach out, finding a chin, and work my way up from there. She’s got a small nose, and short hair, but other than that she really is just like me. The way she leans into my hands and closes her eyes reminds me a little of a puppy. When I get to her neck, I finally hear her laugh; it sounds all wrong, like it might be the first time she’s ever tried it. I hope it’s not. Once I have a good idea how she looks, I take her hands again, to prove to myself she’s still there.

“She’s really pretty.” Shizune’s hands leave mine, and I can hear them moving around in front of me, like she’s casting some kind of spell.

“Shizune says you’re prettier, since you’re taller and have yellow hair”, Sensei tells me.

Is yellow hair prettier than Shizune’s? It feels the same to me.

“Well, now that you’ve met, let’s head to the game room? I’m sure there’s a game in there we can all play.”

Shizune’s footsteps skip off faster than I thought anyone could go, stopping a few feet away.

“Lilly, can you think of any games you’d like to play? Ones that Shizune can play?”

I don’t play many games, and I don’t know any I could play with Shizune. I shake my head after a while as we follow Shizune’s footsteps, bounding from side to side, forward and back as she waits for us to catch up.

“...well, I have an idea. Lilly, do you want to learn sign language? It’s what I use to talk to Shizune, and there’s a version you can use even if you can’t see.”

I almost stop in my tracks. I can talk to people without talking? That sounds really neat. I’m sure Shizune would want someone to talk to. I know I’d be sad if I couldn’t talk to anyone. And I could use it to talk to Akira secretly! I nod.

“Great! Shizune might already know some of this, so you can ask either of us if you need help. Hold out your hand for a second, and we’ll start with the alphabet…”

[swampie2]

I haven't been able to poke in and read for a while, and I come back to a blank piece, it's like my birthday.

I'm really liking it so far, I can totally see Shizune as a tomboy. Keep up the great work man, I'm looking forward to more from Lilly's side.

[Jake Zero]

She does kind of act like one.

[Oddball]

Very interesting, although using the word Sensei and the honorifics feel out of place here.