Koros45 doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
Loose Ends: Fatherhood
He left the coat in the closet. He'd be inside today. Kiryu wasn't usually the head cook in the house, but he found it was unfair to keep having one of his own children try to provide for her foster father and younger brother. Kiryu knew it was time for him to accept the responsibilities as parent, and he'd start with learning how to make basic meals.
Kiryu walked to the kitchen in a long sleeved shirt, black pants, and one of the departed mother's aprons. It felt a little taboo, wearing the clothes of someone who died, but the children and townsfolk didn't seem to mind Kiryu wearing the dead husband's suits to Sunday church either.
He had a basic cook book in his hands, it was in English, but that wasn't his problem.
"What do these kids like again?"
He sorted through the cupboards, looking for anything easy to make. It was in vain, and it showed. Most of the food had already been consumed. Kiryu sighed. He guessed he'd halve to read the dang book.
West and Nico were both at school. They came home at separate times, as Nico was older and got up earlier. She came home first too.
Kiryu glanced at the ingredients. He was shocked how he didn't know what a tablespoon was. Not that he had the benefit of a foster parent of his own, but Martha would always offer him meals when he was a child. Now it seemed she'd be laughing at him if she knew what he was doing.
"Good afternoon, Kiryu!"
There was Nico, always polite and submissive, avoiding conflicts and arguments when she could. She was thirteen, and was the easiest to keep track of. She seemed to understand Kiryu's frustration of replacing the children's' father.
Kiryu gave a faint smile.
"How are you, Nico?"
The girl entered the kitchen, leaving her backpack on the table. She had large dark eyes, and smooth skin. Kiryu wasn't sure whether she had a natural tan, or if she had inherited the pigment from her father. Her long dark hair clung to the back of her white shirt.
"I'm alright."
Kiryu had heard that phrase more times than he cared to count. Still, Nico seemed to mean it today.
The man patted her on the head, as he wasn't sure how to show proper affection to either of the children yet. That, and there were rumors that he lived with them for far darker reasons than to make sure the children were still able to live a normal life.
As Kiryu returned to his cooking, the door opened again. This time it was West. The boy had taken his father's death extremely hard, and it was difficult to speak to him without Nico present.
West's footsteps were heavy as he trudged inside. Him mouth was a grim line that Kiryu had seen countless times on other faces in the Satellite.
It was always a challenge for Kiryu Kyosuke to talk to West anything. Also the boy still idolized him, he expected Kiryu to know how to do everything. Kiryu stared the boy in the eye as West walked in the door.
"So, how did it go today?"
West kept his head down, his brown hair drooping over the shape of his forehead.
West set his backpack on the large, dark brown table in the center of the room, before opening it and hurling a book and several sheets of paper on the table.
"I got homework. Just some multiplication and division though. "
"Tell me if you need any help on it."
Kiryu got back to dinner. He was never the best cook in Satellite, or Satisfaction Town, but tonight was a special occasion.
The tall man kept at the stew, chopping the vegetables, and measuring the water and broth appropriately. He wasn't sure what to think about it, but cooking was important, if one was to satisfy the stomachs of his family and himself. And there were a few ingredients missing.
"Nico. West."
Both children turned to the man as Kiryu walked towards them.
"I'm going to get some food and supplies at the market. I'd appreciate it if you came along."
West sighed and pretended to do some equations, waving his pencil as if writing on invisible paper. Nico gave an apologetic smile.
Kiryu turned and retrieved his black long coat from the closet. He grabbed his Duel Disk from off the mantle it rested on and attached it to his arm. Satisfaction Town was a friendly place, but the occasional person would act up. The Shinigami was without a doubt the best duelist in the parts, and one duel from Kiryu was all it took to quiet them down.
The problem was that West didn't want to go. Kiryu would feel better if they went with him, the kids were young, and he didn't want anything happening to them.
But it was also difficult for Kiryu to force them into anything. As a child, he knew what it was like to have a bad upbringing, and after being kicked out of his own home for refusing to get drugs for his parent, Kiryu ran off. It was a rough childhood, but he never felt any remorse for the choices he made. West and Nico had two good parents, and it was hard for the former gang leader to fill even one of those roles adequately.
Kiryu closed his eyes. They were smart kids, and they had been through some rough times, but Kiryu felt like they had become too important to leave alone for a moment. In a swift motion, he tapped both children on the shoulder. After he got their attention, Kiryu spoke up.
"I said I'd appreciate it if you came along."
West straightened up, and there was confusion in his eyes. Kiryu never spoke up to anyone, and the boy hadn't seen Kiryu ever get angry. It wasn't something he wanted to see, especially if it was directed at him. The boy grabbed Nico's arm and hoped that they'd be gone for a while. He wanted to get school off of his mind.
Kiryu made sure that the door had been locked and the trio made it to the marketplace, more or less as much of a mall as it was a trading post. The unique building was just one of the many things Satisfaction Town had to offer. Kiryu led the children through the busy place, making sure Nico's hand was in his own.
The soup supplies were all easy to find and Kiryu noted with some embarrassment that the marketplace also sold canned soup. Nico reassured him that a home cooked meal was better than canned food. Kiryu glanced at the time. They had a half hour to kill, and he had some cash he wanted to spend. They started in the movie aisle, and Kiryu chuckled as he picked out a Lord of the King: Second Rising from the rack. It would be fun to Jack Atlas in action, and even more fun to laugh at the silly things he said with the kids. West wanted to get an action figure, and Nico wanted marbles.
Kiryu complied with the requests and the three shuffled in line to pay for their things. Once in a while, people would whisper that the Shinigami was at the store but Kiryu paid them no mind. He paid for the goods with the money he made as a hired gun, glad that some of it would be put to a family's happiness.
They walked home in relative silence. It wasn't much, but it was a good life.
Kiryu redoubled his efforts at the stew and managed to put it together in under three minutes. He put it on the stove, and let it heat for few minutes. West had opened the action figure and was flying it around the kitchen while Nico took her marbles to her room.
"West?"
West put the plastic human figure on the table before he addressed Kiryu.
"Yes?"
"Try this."
West took a spoon from Kiryu and filled it with the soup before putting it to his lips.
"It's hot!"
"That means its warm enough. Did I add enough salt?"
"I don't know! It's too hot to taste."
"Hmmmmm. Well I suppose that means we'll eat in a few minutes."
Kiryu set the table for the three of them and walked to Nico's room. The house wasn't huge, but compared to where Kiryu lived as a teen, it was a palace. The electricity worked, everyone had a room, a soft bed, and plenty of clothes. Nico's room was up a small flight of stairs that went above the kitchen.
He entered her room. She was setting up the marbles in a pattern. There was something magical in her concentration as she pushed one of the glass spheres into a spot only she could see on the washed out carpet. Kiryu watched her for a few seconds and then his eyes drifted to the room. Nico's room was like West's, brown furniture and blue wallpaper adorned the walls and three of the room's corners. There were a few dresses in her open closet, but she also had some pants and black jeans. There were a few toys on a shelf she had, but mostly books.
Kiryu was glad that some of Nico's things weren't stereotypical things a girl would own. Nico seemed to ignore her beauty, but Kiryu knew she'd pay more attention when puberty eventually occurred. For now, the girl was simply content with her marbles.
"We'll eat soon. I'm going to tell West to wash up."
The girl turned quickly, and stood up.
"Please knock next time."
"Sorry. Didn't mean to intrude."
"It's ok. Just knock next time."
The girl strode by him and Kiryu sighed. This was something he wasn't used to. The manners and politeness were foreign to him up until now. He followed her downstairs.
Both siblings were quiet as Kiryu set the table for the three of them. This was a first for him. The man poured them tea and they ate. The soup was ok, good even. Kiryu surprised himself. He didn't think he could do it. They ate quickly and quietly. By the time Kiryu went to get seconds he found it was almost gone.
"Kiryu let them finish off the soup, watching in silence as they ate the meal he had made. It had felt good, to make something as a gift for someone else, another thing he hadn't done in a long time. When they were finished, he cleaned the dishes and silverware while Nico helped West with his homework.
Kiryu supposed it wasn't much, but he was satisfied.