Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 4 (The Oumeno Menace)

Under Pressure (End)

   "That is enough!" Aunt Akiko cried. 

   "You're not trying to turn her into a proper lady, Aunt Akiko!" Kokichi pressed, ignoring his aunt. "You're trying to turn her into yo-"

   "I SAID ENOUGH, ALREADY!!!" Aunt Akiko yelled, shooting up from her chair. Tears streaked down her face. She glared at Kokichi, who eyed her right back, his stare firm and bold. "What do you want from me?!"

   "I want you to tell me the truth, Aunt Akiko," Kokichi said in a calm, yet firm, voice. "Tell me why you're doing this to Kiki." Aunt Akiko sniffed and sat back down. She wiped a tear and looked up at the ceiling wistfully, as if gazing into a distant memory, then slowly began to speak.

   "When I was little, around Aki's age, I wanted to play the violin to gain the attention of my father, who loved the instrument very much," she said. Kokichi sat down on his aunt and uncle's bed as he listened to her. "And ballet was something I loved dearly, as it helped me forget my troubles at the time."

   "What troubles?" Kokichi asked.

   "The troubles of living in my older brother's shadow," Aunt Akiko said. "How my parents adored him. They adored him because of what an amazing actor he had become at such a young age. He was a child actor that the nation fell in love with. I, on the other hand, never got a chance to be a ballerina, or take violin lessons because my parents were always more invested in my brother. No matter what I did, they were always more interested in him."

   "I see," Kokichi said. "Where's your brother, now?"

  "Oh, he's starring in movies overseas," Aunt Akiko mumbled. "He's married to a successful screenwriter. They had a child, I think. A boy. He should be a teenager at this time, I do believe. And I think he is still here in Japan. I just don't know where. Anyway, I never got the childhood that I wanted, so I suppose I grew up rather bitter. It didn't help that my first child was a miscarriage. I began to despise my brother. He had such a perfect life. I kept thinking why I couldn't have the life that I wanted. I...I know that sounds selfish, but I couldn't help but think it. And once I had Aki, I just wanted to know."

   "Know what?"

  "What it was like to have the childhood of my dreams," Aunt Akiko said. "If I wasn't able to see it for myself when I was a little girl, maybe I could see it through Aki's lens. If I could see it through her eyes, I would no longer feel like I had missed out. And if she received the praise and adoration that I didn't get before, I would be receiving it along with her."

   "You can't do that, Aunt Akiko," Kokichi said. "Kiki is her own person, not your clone. It's not about you, anymore. You have to think about your daughter and her wants and needs." More tears fell from Aunt Akiko's eyes. 

   "But...what about all the praise and adoration she receives?" Aunt Akiko asked tearfully. "Is that not enough for her?"

   "She doesn't want praise and adoration," Kokichi said. "That's what you want. She needs a healthy relationship with her mother. And you need a healthy relationship with your daughter. Anybody can be praised and adored, but not everyone has a healthy relationship with their parents. Don't turn into your own parents, Aunt Akiko. Be involved in Kiki's life, but don't forget that she's her own person." Kokichi patted his aunt's hand comfortingly. He stood up and walked out of the room, leaving his aunt alone to stare after him and think about her situation. 

   ***

  The next day, Kokichi went to Kiki's school to pick her up again. He waited at the front entrance until a swarm of children came pouring out. He spied Kiki. This time, she was wearing her hair in her usual pigtails, instead of just the one ponytail. She smiled happily and ran up to him.

   "KOKICHI!!" she cried, giving him a big hug. 

    "Hahahaha, hey, Chibi-Kichi!" Kokichi laughed, hugging her back. "I see you're wearing your hair in pigtails today!"

   "Yeah! My mom didn't let me do that before, but last night after you left, we had a talk," Kiki explained. "She apologized to me and asked if I wanted to play the violin, and if I wanted to be a ballerina. I told her how I felt about it, and she said that she'd start letting me try out things that I wanted to do! I even showed her my painting I did with Angie a few days ago! She said I did a good job, and that if I wanted to pursue art, or anything else, she'd be proud of me!"

   "That's awesome, Kiki!" Kokichi said. 

   "And it's all because of you, Kokichi!" Kiki said. She gave him another hug and sighed happily. "You're my hero," she said softly. Kokichi smiled gently and looked at her.

   "Nah, I'm not your hero, Kiki. I'm just your cousin who cares," he said. "I love you, that's all. And I'm willing to fight for you. I don't want you to miss out on how cool of a kid you are." He stroked Kiki's cheek, which was wet with a sparkly teardrop.

   "I love you, too, Kokichi" she said. "I'm so glad you're my cousin."

   "You, too, kiddo," Kokichi said with a smile as they shared one more hug.