Once Upon a Boring Day
Summary: One day, Orochi's too busy to play. What to do, what to do… Sheena Kuchinawa bonding. Fluff and an oneshot just cause I'm too lazy to separate chapters. P
Disclaimer:I do not own Tales of Symphonia, Namco does.
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"Orochi, can we play today?"
I blink and look up to see little Sheena. I know that when she says 'play' she really means 'train.' She looks at me pleadingly- I'm pretty much the only one close to her age who'll play with her.
I stand up from a squat and ruffle her short hair affectionately. "Sorry Sheena, I've got to do work today."
She pouts, but doesn't let loose an ear-splitting tantrum or whine like some of the other children in Mizuho would have. "So what are you doing today?" she asks politely in that little kid way.
"Gardening for Mother," I answer before kneeling back down into the dirt, intending to continue pulling out troublesome weeds. Sheena watches me for a moment before bending down as well and tugging vehemently on a strange fuzzy one.
"Can I help?"
I sigh. "Sorry, little one, but this training's just for me." I continue talking even though I see her disappointed face. "Does the Chief have anything for you to do?"
She shakes her head after letting go of the plant with a small sigh, little strands of flyaway hair drifting around her face. "I already did today's yesterday."
I quirk an eyebrow. Either she doesn't have much to do at all or she's just an extreme workaholic even worse than me. Right. I had to do some other things yesterday as well... and then the day before I fixed the roof... and the day before that I gathered herbs for Mother and cooked... Sheena really has been bored lately.
I shake my head with a shrug. "Well, if you really want to play with someone, I'm sure Kuchinawa isn't busy."
She makes her version of an ugly face and I suppress a laugh. Sheena knows that she shouldn't whine, but I can read her mind just by her expression. I turn back to gardening and I hear her shuffle off a few minutes later, her small feet kicking some loose dirt around.
"Hey, what were you doing over there by my big brother!?"
"None of your business, you nosy-"
"What did you just say?"
"You didn't let me finish so I didn't say anything!"
"What were you going to say!?"
"I'm not telling you!"
This went on for quite some time. I did my best to ignore them, but it really is quite difficult to concentrate on tasks when there are two squabbling children right behind you. It amazes me how many insults those two are able to think of and throw at each other without using any twice. I suppose I should step in and stop them--people are starting to steer clear of this area--but isn't this training for a ninja? Being able to ignore distractions? So I continue working, trying to ease the roots of the troublesome weeds out of the soil without disrupting the plants with a right to be there.
---
Finally, a thick, sulky silence settles over the general area. Then I hear a huff of annoyance (most likely Sheena), the sound of feet plowing their way through dirt and grass, and then another pair charging their way towards me.
"I hate her! She's always so 'I'm right and you're wrong,' and she's always walking around like she's so special just because she's the Chief's daughter, and she's not even really related to him, and she's always so-"
I roll my eyes at Kuchinawa's little rant. Good thing he couldn't see my face and that my back was towards him.
Not two seconds later, my little brother squats down next to me where Sheena was just a few moments ago. "So anyway, Orochi? Can we train together today? You didn't yesterday, or the day before yesterday, or the day before yesterday's yesterday."
I almost laugh at his wording but restrain myself.
"...hey! You're doing that face again! That 'I'm laughing at you' face!" His eyes narrow in anger. "What's so funny, huh?"
"Kuchinawa, that hot temper's going to get you into trouble someday," I chide serenely, continuing to tug mercilessly on a snaky weed, not answering his question.
He looks at me sullenly once again. Kuchinawa has way too much time to practice the sulky face. "Well, whatever," he says after a swift silence. "Can we train together today or not?"
"Most apologetic, dear brother, but I promised Mother that I would finish this today."
"Oh. Kay." He watches me for a minute before leaning over and catching hold of a tiny weed that had barely time to sprout. "Can I help?"
I instantly compare this conversation to the one I had just minutes before with little Sheena. "No, this training's just for me. Doesn't the Chief have something you can do?"
He lets out a gusty sigh that blows loose chunks of dirt away. "No. I did all of today's yesterday because someone was too busy training to train with me. It's not fair," he continues after viciously ripping a weed out of the dirt and sighing once more when I stare at him hard-eyed for tearing up the soil. "How come Mother and Father always pick you for all the training? I always have to go to the Chief and do other people's work." He nibbles unhappily on the inside of his cheek but doesn't reach for another offending weed.
This day is really not going well.
"Well," I answer, "if you really must know, I'm not the one to ask. Mother and Fa-
"Yeah, I know, I know," he grunts to me.
I sit back a little on my heels and examine my meticulously done work. Only a small quarter of the garden Mother is growing is completely weed-free... then suddenly, a thought comes to me- I do believe the evil side of my is stirring, but this is for both of their own goods. "Well..." I say musingly, meaning to draw my brother's attention.
"What?" he grumbles.
"If you're really, really bored..." I tease.
"Yeah, I am," he admits, staring up at the cloudy sky.
"Well... Sheena's pretty bored too."
"So?"
"Kuchi, Kuchi, Kuchi," I say, purposely using his pet name that he so hates. I feel his glare on me (actually using it in PUBLIC! Oh, the horror!), but I continue anyway. "Sometimes I doubt that you're really my brother."
His lips twitch into a sulky look. "Stop insulting me and just get to the point," he says through pursed lips. "And I'm not a loudmouth," he adds as an afterthought in regards to his pet name given by Mother because he talked so much when he was about Sheena's age.
"Well," I say airily, waving my hand in the strange, random way that so-called 'nobles' always do, "I was merely suggesting that you and Sheena get together. To train."
"What?! Me? Her! No!" he yells out, breaking the clean quiet with his short, unintelligible thoughts. I laugh at his shocked expression.
"It was just a suggestion," I say, shrugging a shoulder and turning back to work. I swear I will get this done by midday, a half hour away! I vow solemnly before throwing my entire efforts into de-weeding the vegetable portion.
Kuchinawa had jumped up during his elegant speech of four words, and I could just see his eyes boring into the back of my head for suggesting such the horrible thing. I chuckle quietly to myself and survey the view before me. After a while, my little brother by a few years plows away, uprooting grass as he "walked." Too bad the effect was slightly off because Sheena had already gone through the same area. At least she won't be too hard to find for Kuchinawa, I think quite cheerfully to myself, now having no doubts whatsoever where my brother was traveling towards.
And now I have no distractions that can keep me from completing my mission by noontime.
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I'm curled up, knees drawn up to my chest, all by myself cause Orochi won't play with me today and I don't have any chores to do cause I already did tomorrow's today again and I can't get anymore today because I have to give everyone else a chance and I can't hog all of the jobs.
So I'm by myself.
And then I hear someone coming! It sounds a little like Orochi, but I can also hear all of these rocks and pebbles skittling and chunks of dirt and grass flying around.
Uh-oh, I think Grandpa found out that I wrecked the ground again… I start to pick my nails nervously.
But Grandpa's heavier than Orochi, and this person who is most definitely not Orochi because Orochi's heavier than this person and doesn't walk funny and doesn't kick things around and doesn't grumble and doesn't walk so loudly is coming towards me.
I think it's Kuchinawa.
Yuck.
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"N'yeaaaah, I'm better than you," I taunt.
"Shut up," she snaps back, jumping to her feet and pulling more of those flimsy little cards out from her pocket.
"Ha, don't you know that swords and shuriken and stars are waaaay better than your stupid cards?" I say, whipping some stars out from my pockets.
"Shut up. You're the one being stupid."
What did she just call me?!
"What did you just call me?!" I yell, feeling my face scrunch up.
"I called you stupid, stupid!" she shoots right back. "Stupid, stupid loudmouth!"
"Shut up! I'm not a loudmouth! And I'm not stupid! You're stupid!"
"I bet you don't even know why you're stupid!"
"Of cour- I mean, I'm not stupid!" Maybe she didn't hear me...
"Ha, you even agree you're stupid!"
Too bad she did.
Now she is SO dead for calling me that!
"Well, I'll show you who's not stupid!" I scream at her, brandishing a star. I pick a good spot where I know her defense is really bad--actually, her defense is just stupid so I coulda picked anywhere, but then she's really fast, too-and chuck a couple stars toward her, jumping as high as I can go, just like how I saw Orochi do it. A big grin flashes across my face.
"Com'n'out, Corwine!" Sheena yells before speeding to one side to avoid my attack, the last mana threads of her Summon disappearing.
Uh-oh.
---
"See Grandpa, I am better than stinky Kuchinawa," I proclaim to Grandpa. Kuchikuchi squirms around on the ground, but Corwine's so heavy for such a little Summon that he can't get up.
"Ha ha, I see!" Grandpa laughs and I laugh too. Kuchikuchi's face is turning the color of his practice clothes... hee. But he couldn't yell at Grandpa 'cause he's the Head Head most Chief, so he had to just look mad. 'Sides, I think Corwine was crushing his air supply.
I walk over to Kuchikuchi happily and scoop up Corwine into my arms. "You were sooo good today!" I giggle happily into his fur. Kuchikuchi gets up all grumbly and asks Grandpa if he can leave but walks out before he can say anything. I shrug a little and look at Grandpa. "Can me and Corwine go play?"
He smiles at me, all of his wrinkles getting all deep. "Sure, Sheena."
I say thank you nicely and bow before going outside.
"Wow, that was one good fight, Sheena!" Corwine says to me after I dropped him down.
"Yeah! It was lots of fun." I start humming a little then look around to see if anyone else is watching. I didn't see anybody, so I figured I was safe. "Hey, Corwine?" He stopped too.
"Yeah Sheena?"
"Don't tell anybody this, but it's really fun to train with Kuchikuchi! He's really good."
Corwine fox-smiled and I giggled.
I can't wait to play with Kuchikuchi again!
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...And they lived happily ever after. And very not bored anymore.
End.