Jealousy

[akitosama]

Who: Akito, Emmeline
What: Meeting and sorting out their differences
Where: small park near the Sohma house
When: After their conversation in Emmy's journal
Rating: unpredictable! (unlikely to be that high.)

Comments

[lady_rotterdale]

Emmeline had reached the park a bit earlier than she had intended, which meant she got to find a suitable place to station herself, in order to see Akito before she was herself perceived. Usually she wouldn't bother with such measures, but the other young woman seemed more hostile than was even reasonable, so she wasn't going to take any chances.

This park was familiar to her. It was the one where she had first met Shigure face to face - and learned of the curse, although that had been quite by accident. The memory made her smile a little, even though it was bittersweet. He had been kind to her, then and after, helping her whenever she needed it. He was like... what she had used to think an older brother should be.

Upon spotting the other, she toyed momentarily with making Akito wait for her. But it suddenly seemed a cruel thought - the young woman looked defenseless, as if being out in the open was to be entirely out of her element. Sighing, Emmeline moved to join her.

[lady_rotterdale]

Emmeline heard the lie just as easily as Akito must have been giving it. Her smile softened. "As you say, miss."

Better to agree with her, for now, on this, at least. People could get touchy when you insisted they loved - or didn't love - someone. She'd learned that the hard way. But what she wondered at was why the other woman had bothered to lie so obviously. Even listening to her voice, Emmeline could tell that she didn't mean it. She must love him terribly.

[akitosama]

Akito looked away from Emmeline. Suddenly she wanted the focus drawn away from her. She didn't want to discuss subjects like that openly with this woman - with anyone.

But what could she talk about? She knew very little about Emmeline, barely more than her name - and all she could think of that they had in common was Shigure - not that Emmeline's relationship with him was anything like as personal as Akito's. The younger woman might like to think it, but she was wrong!

Of course, they didn't necessarily have to discuss anything. Akito let a glower pass over her face, hiding away the unease she'd felt before. She was quite content to sit there in silence until they decided to leave. Or at least she would have been, had there not still been issues that had to be sorted out.

"How much did Shigure tell you about my family?" she asked.

[lady_rotterdale]

Emmeline smiled at the irritated look on Akito's face. Always best to remain cheerful. "About your family? Hardly anything. I've met him, of course, and Ayame, and you. I know there are more members of your family, but that's all I know."

No need for Akito to know she knew about the curse. After all, Shigure had warned her never to speak of it with anyone, no exceptions. She was quite certain she'd never have known of it if h hadn't let her hug him. Well, not exactly let, but close enough.

SHe didn't know anything else about the Sohma family, except that Kiyoshi was Ayame's child and that was hardly relevant to the conversation. SHe felt badly for the boy, even though he represented something she wanted to hate with all her heart.

[akitosama]

"Hn." Akito expected that Emmeline was keeping something back, but that suspiscion was instigated more by her dislike of the woman than by anything Emmeline had actually said. "How surprising. You must have not been inquisitive enough."

[lady_rotterdale]

"I didn't particularly care to pry into his business. It's certainly not my place," she answered smoothly, watching the suspicion pass over Akito's face. Reasonable, but not actually well-founded.

[akitosama]

Akito gave her a derisive look. "How well-mannered of you. A pity you didn't decide to keep to your place in all matters." She had come near the Sohmas - near Akito's own Juunishi - and although she would not admit it, the god felt threatened by her, just as she had felt Tohru pull the Juunishi away from her. In truth, Emmeline had not mentioned meeting any of the others - and there were less of them here, of course - but she had got close to Shigure; closer, Akito suspected, than mere friendship. And if Shigure were still present here, she would have taken instant steps to put an end to it. As it was, that wasn't necessary. But she wouldn't let this calmly calculating woman keep any treasured memories of him.

"As it happens, he mentioned you to me," she lied calmly, watching Emmeline's reaction.

[lady_rotterdale]

"Really?" Emmeline asked calmly, face blank of surprise as well as anything else but her sweet smile. She couldn't imagine for a second that this was the truth - after all that he'd gone through to, it seemed, keep their acquaintance as downplayed as possible, she couldn't see him just telling someone. Not even this woman.

[akitosama]

She didn't get the reaction she was hoping for. That Emmeline would not get affected by Akito's words was incredibly irritating - she wanted to feel she had the power to affect this woman, but everything Akito had said so far had been met with a smile, or a light brush off. Emmeline Rotterdale was almost infuriating! Akito suppressed the anger, however, and continued. "Yes. Not often, of course - but a couple of times. As the Head of the family, I do require him to tell me everything. I'm sorry to crush any ideas you may have had, but he didn't think very highly of you." Her tone did not sound sorry in the least.

[lady_rotterdale]

"I never suspected he did, really," Emmeline lied back smoothly, her smile still in place. Now she was absolutely certain that Akito was lying. Shigure was many things, she was certain, but he was not a bad person. He would not have said anything bad about her when she had done nothing damaging to him. He wasn't that sort of person. She was quickly figuring out that her lack of reaction was angering Akito more than her actual responses, which must have been why she had resorted to making things up. She wanted a reaction.

Emmeline wasn't going to give her one.

[akitosama]

"Really?" Akito raised her eyebrows. She was surprised that even that had failed to touch Emmeline. Perhaps Akito had been wrong in thinking that she cared about Shigure. But he had let her live in their house - surely that showed a degree of closeness that - Akito didn't want to consider it. Emmeline must be lying to her. That filled her with outrage, despite her own much stronger lie.

"You don't seem particularly upset by that," she commented, not quite managing to keep the anger at the other woman out of her voice. "But of course - you probably don't experience any close relationships." Not like herself and her Juunishi.

[lady_rotterdale]

"I should be upset upon learning your fabrications of his opinion of me? I would have to be a much weaker woman for that. And as I said - you're upset, so I forgive you," she continued, sweet as before, completely calm.

Maybe Akito would lash out at her for being so horribly calm and composed about absolutely every thing and every lie that passed between them. Well, it wasn't her fault if the other woman couldn't control her temper.

[akitosama]

"Fabrications?" Akito cried indignantly. "Are you accusing me of lying?" She felt angry, and bitter at it - it was Emmeline who was the lier, Emmeline who had wormed her way into the family home and Shigure's confidences with cleverly placed words. Just as she was doing now. The woman's lack of reaction was too much to bear. How could she sit there being so polite?

"How dare you," Akito hissed coldly. "You are the one who has told lies. You are the one at fault. And yet you still think you can point your finger and accuse me." She meant every word, even though she had spoken before knowing clearly that she was lying. The affront at being accused made her feel justified in her words to Emmeline. She would not tolerate this woman's lack of respect.

[lady_rotterdale]

"Miss, I'm shocked that you can sit there and say such things about Shigure," she said calmly, allowing her smile to slip just enough to look reproachful. "He's such a gentleman - I can't imagine him saying something like that to you. We were on good terms."

"And as to your insistance, ma'am, that I am lying to you: You have yet to bring any sort of actual accusation against me. I haven't lied to you. And perhaps it is because you know that, that you cannot think of anything to say. Simply being angry that I have caught you out of your own lies is not justification enough for accusing me."

"That is to say, I haven't heard of such baseless accusations coming from the mouths of anyone but children." It had to rankle that Emmeline said it all with a smile.

[akitosama]

Emmeline's words stung her. She spoke to Akito as no one had dared to speak to her in many years - and Akito found it hard to formulate a reply. Had the other woman been angry, she would have been able to make a retort easily enough, but Emmeline's constant politeness floored her. It was like - it was like Shigure, Akito realised, although somewhat more proper and less mocking. She didn't want to feel reprimanded by this person, or to be made to feel that she had done wrong. She could do as she wished! That right had been hers from birth. To feel as if she were in the wrong - that was unfair.

Too much. Emmeline was using the fallacy of respect to pay her disrespect, and it was too much. "Shut up!" Akito snapped at last. "Just shut up! I've had enough of listening to you and your twisted words. Just stop it!" She wanted to walk away, but she felt unable to leave the bench - so she sat motionless, her shoulders rigid, her hands at her side clenched into fists.

[lady_rotterdale]

Emmeline sat quietly, hands folded, until Akito's outburst was finished. Then she turned earnest eyes on her. "Miss, you give me the impression that you believe I should respect you. But, to be completely honest with you - as I do endeavour to be at all times - I simply cannot show you the respect you believe you deserve from me, unless you can respect me as well."

She tilted her head to the side, smile returning, soft and understanding this time. "I know that it is perhaps difficult for you to even comprehend, but in order to be worthy of someone's respect, you must learn to respect them, and yourself."