Tokyo Deception

48

        The heat of the August morning was starting to grow as morning turned into afternoon. Mimi lay on the floor of tiny house that only had one room in it, looking out the opened door and she smiled as she thought "this is the perfect place for me" because she was going crazy with grief. Despite the objections from the family Mimi had taken to spending her days alone in the tiny house where the previous generations of the Kanzaki family had locked away in exile the women they deemed crazy.

Hatori thought it was funny when Mimi told him the only place she could get any peace and quiet was in that tiny house, and he didn't mind Mimi spending the day in there as long as she was back home when he got back from work. Kyoko gave up making a fuss after the third week of Mimi's self imposed exile and decided Mimi would get bored eventually and leave the tiny house when the weather got colder. Shigure was the only one who openly objected to Mimi hiding away in there, but after Mimi told him to go to hell and mind his own business he also gave up.

After Mimi and Shigure had that argument Misato insisted they cut their visit, which was supposed to last a week, short and they left the next day. Shigure and Misato were supposed to stay for the August festival because Misato had never attended any of the festivals in Mito, but when she made such a big fuss Shigure gave in and they left. Mimi could have sworn Misato turned green every time Shigure brought up Mimi's name but she was too depressed to care.

Mimi rolled on her back and looked up at the sky, the peaceful solitude helped Mimi's heart not to feel so heavy and it was the only time she felt she could breathe easy without an enormous amount of pressure weighing her down. The sound of someone walking on the gravel that surrounded the tiny courtyard broke the peace. Mimi sighed. She really was not in the mood to put on a fake happy face.

Mimi was not expecting to hear the voice that spoke and she froze with shock and anger. "Amelia what on earth are you doing on the floor of this tiny shed?" Claudia asked in a disgusted tone.

Mimi rolled on her side trying to decide if she was even going to acknowledge that woman. After a few minutes Mimi eventually decided to reply, "What do you care Claudia."

"You're right, I don't care. It's just a shock to see you here lying on the floor in a robe in the afternoon. Truth be told this is how I always imagined you would end up. Laying around in squalor," Claudia answered in a delighted tone as she drank in what she perceived to be her daughter's fall from grace.

"For your information it's a yukata not a robe and perfectly acceptable to wear you pompous ass. Now I know you didn't come all the way here to talk to me about fashion so why did you come? If memory serves, I was not your daughter anymore and you never wanted to see me ever again." Mimi said in a cold tone. Having to watch her sorry excuse for a mother take pleasure in her misery pissed Mimi off.

"If I had any other choice I would not be here Amelia." Claudia replied unaffected by her daughter's cold attitude towards her.

With every second that passed Mimi was getting more and more annoyed by the whole situation. She sat up and faced Claudia and said "Stop calling me that. My name is Mimi. Get on with it and spit whatever you came here to say out, then leave me in peace women." Mimi's expression was dark and menacing which made Claudia take a step back.

Claudia could see her daughter was in real pain and to her utter surprise and amazement it stoked the dying embers of what little maternal feelings for Mimi she had; feelings that Claudia though had long been extinguished. Before Claudia could think; those maternal feelings took hold over her whole body and she instinctively stepped closer to Mimi and reached out her hand to try and touch Mimi, but instantly stopped when Mimi recoiled away from her.