> > Also, historically the atmosphere between Akiko and Chiaki is different. There's more of a friendly atmosphere (though occasionally that atmosphere has been taunted by Akiko's coldness). And Chiaki has argued with Akiko in the past to the point where other minions would slide quietly out of the room, expecting violence...but then there was none.
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> I don't recall that happening in a story, and I don't believe it would be a good thing to introduce. Regardless of any personal relationship, there was a definite chain of command to be respected, and Chiaki doesn't strike me as one who would take an insulting action in front of an audience.
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Not an audience of strangers, for sure. Chiaki is much too reserved for that. In front of "family", though (like Midori, and maybe a couple of trusted soldiers), she might argue with Akiko a bit. Midori is probably used to it, but the soldiers might get a little nervous.
> Masamune plays a delicate game when it comes to her self image in that she does not usually go out of her way to threaten and inspire fear in those she deals with, like other crime bosses might. However, the world of organized crime is one where the jackals are always circling, looking for signs of weakness, and if she doesn't keep up a powerful front she'll have to spend time and resources fighting them back. Chiaki would know that, and be smart enough not to contribute to any appearance of weakness by displaying open insubordination.
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As I said, never in front of strangers. If at all, in her private home or office, and in front of only trusted "family". Which would be kind of funny, because of those who witness Chiaki arguing with or contradicting Akiko, the retribution for speaking about it might be worse from Chiaki.
Chiaki does feel and speak highly of Akiko, so even with their occasional butting of heads, she believes Akiko's accomplishments are worthy of respect. That's why anyone who calls Akiko a criminal in her presence gets a lecture.
> > The closest I can think of to explain the way I've written Akiko and Chiaki together is like Akiko, being the older of the two, behaves like an older sister to Chiaki. Chiaki argues with Akiko, and never quite complies exactly with instructions - there must have been a dozen times when Akiko wanted someone killed and Chiaki found some other way to deal with it, or Chiaki went behind Akiko's back to do something without being asked. But Akiko allows it because she secretly knows Chiaki is very smart, maybe smarter than herself, and gets results. And possibly because Chiaki is so fiercely loyal, even as she's stuck on her own beliefs.
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> As I mentioned before, Akiko looks for the right shaped peg to fill each hole. If she wanted someone killed, she would not mention it to Chiaki at all, as Chiaki doesn't want to kill. It is no great trouble to find someone who does.
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I meant that there were probably a dozen times when Akiko's instant reaction was to have someone killed, but Chiaki headed it off with a better solution. That could be considered defiance, but not disrespect. Akiko might have been impressed with the solutions as well.
> I would doubt that Akiko has outright lied to Chiaki... but I see no reason why she would have told her everything she was doing as well. As far as the sister aspect goes, if Chiaki saw her as a big sister then it's quite plausible that Akiko specifically shielded Chiaki from the dirtier aspects of the business so that the samurai could keep her hands relatively clean.
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It's probably a big game. Chiaki does know everything Akiko does, but chooses not to focus on it. Akiko knows Chiaki doesn't want to focus on it, so she doesn't push the issue.
> From Akiko's perspective, she gave Chiaki all sorts of advantages, made honorable use of her talents, never asked her to do anything that went against her nature, and allowed her to walk away to live her life after it was over. If Chiaki should disapprove of how Akiko handles the rest of her affairs and turn on her, using what she learned in Akiko's service against the crime boss, then Chiaki would be the one leading a great betrayal.
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Chiaki has never led any kind of betrayal - that would be the ultimate dishonor. No matter what Akiko is, she took care of Chiaki, and the samurai remembers that forever. The worst thing Chiaki would ever do to Akiko is stop talking to her, if it came down to it. But then she would feel bad about that too.
> Akiko is not and has never been a "good" person. She was created to be a antagonist, albeit a reasonable one. She is dangerous, and she is a criminal, but she has shown a sense of honor and has generally been left alone by the LL because there are far worse that could take her place. Rupert's assessment of her mental make-up is largely correct... Akiko is broken on the inside, and there are some things she's simply not capable of... and true empathy is one of them. She is missing a big piece of what many would call a soul, and compensates through extraordinarily disciplined thinking, often passing up the immediate gratification in exchange for long-term goals.
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What might be interesting is if Chiaki knows that too. Maybe Chiaki maintains her friendship with Akiko even after working for her is done because she believes she's partly Akiko's conscience. Maybe because she helped change Akiko's mind a few times, or helped her see the other side of things. Chiaki may even believe that someday she'll be able to save Akiko's life through that.
