Suggested changes: {before : after}
On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 11:47:22 -0400 DB Sommer <sommer@3rdm.net> wrote:
The Tendou woman made a placating gesture. "There is no need for
alarm. Kachiko was in an accident a while ago. However, the doctors
assured us her leg will heal enough that she will be able to walk
normally."
"It will never heal enough for things to return to normal," Kachiko
said bitterly as she headed to the back porch.
It must have take some time for her to accept it even that much. I
would have expected her to develop a one-leg version of her martial
art if she'd lost the leg completely. Losing Hayato to Sakura
certainly contributed.
"I'm sorry," Kachiko said sincerely. Soun found himself nodding in
agreement. He could appreciate such parental manipulating like few
others. Why couldn't parents stay out of their children's affairs and
let them live their lives as they would?
Is that scary laughter I hear in the background?
It was only after she was out of sight that Soun slowed down, still too
angry to truly feel regret over his actions. He was in the right. He
knew it. She just had to accept that he should be allowed to know more
about her.
Being in the right's a very bad sign, for him.
Michiru watched her son get dressed. "Why on earth did she call you at
this hour? Did you knock her up? You'll have to take responsibility
and get married immediately."
She sounds so hopeful.
"And {than : then} I had my," her voice caught for a second. "I had
my accident. It was bad. Real bad. My knee was permanently messed
up. All my plans for what I was going to do for a career after
graduating were over. Just like that. In a split second, it was all
over for me and my entire life changed. You can't know what it's like,
having fate take away the only thing you've wanted your entire life.
No one can, unless it happens to them, and I wouldn't wish that on my
worst foe.
"As well you should," Kachiko said in deadly earnest. The facade broke
down quickly, and she laughed. There was a bit of sorrow in it, but it
was the sort that was being released, rather than being bottled up and
allowed to fester like an infected wound. "Anyway, that's why I don't
like to talk about my past. There's nothing good in it. Not anymore.
One thing I've always been good at was blowing off stuff that happens
to me and moving on beyond {them : it}. That's what I had to do, and
that's what I've done. I've left everything behind in order to go
forward. Those that cannot let go of the past will be consumed by it,
and I won't let that happen to me." Determination was set her features
now. Despite the pain that was still present, it was obvious she was
looking past than and toward hope for the future.
She laughed and punched him lightly in the side. "I'm sure the old man
would blow up at the idea of 'his little girl' rolling around with some
guy and banging her brains out."
On the gripping hand, his parents would be estatic. He still wouldn't
want them to know though.
Kachiko's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you saying you don't want to
get married to me?"
A very good time to recognize the right answer when told.
Soun considered what she was saying (and she was saying, rather than
asking, regardless of phrasing it like a question). He hadn't really
given the matter much thought, thinking there was a ways to go before
that came up. Kachiko was the one who defined where their relationship
stood, and Soun followed without complaint. That was all right with
him, as far as he was concerned. He made a much better follower than a
leader, and Kachiko was remarkably {straight forward : straightforward}
in stating where she felt their relationship was and exactly how far
she was willing to go. Now she was stating it again, asking him if he
was ready for the next step. Did he want to make the arranged marriage
into a real one?
He was just coming back from having to {relive : relieve} himself (not
surprising, given the copious amounts of alcohol Saotome had been
toasting to him) when he spotted his parents standing near the entrance
to the reception hall. They were out of earshot, but Soun could tell
by the animated gesturing of his father that something had him highly
agitated. Kentaro only reserved hand gestures for the most trying of
times.
Unless he's a zombie, though then reanimate would probably be better.
Kachiko's eyes goggled at the sight as she snatched the money out of
his hands. After flipping through the ream of bills, they disappeared
into a fold of her kimono. Soun decided it was just as well. His wife
had made it very clear she would be controlling the finances of the
house. She had a certain appreciation for money, one that bordered on
greed without actually going over it.
On which side?