Silent Storm
July 21st 2015
by Esile the Raven, Characters by Yuusei Matsui

The Akabane Family had a knack for growing roses. The vast backyard of their mansion was filled with blooming white winter roses. The gardeners were busily snipping the bushes, being watched by a red-haired little boy who had nothing to do in his quiet Sunday afternoon.

Snip, snip, snip...

Snip, snip...

Snip, snip, snip, snip...

The snipping noises were gentle and sharp, the kind of sound Karma enjoys, giving him tranquility. As a child, sharp things were curious objects. For Karma, things such as knives, scissors, or cutter do wonders. Cutting things can change the shape of an object.

"Young master," the soothing voice of Karma's steward, Yukihiro Shiota, crept into his vast and luxurious room. Karma didn't hate the size of his room, but he didn't really adore his mother's preference of decoration. "Your parents are coming home this evening."

A smile grew on his small face. He grinned. "Is the cake ready?"

"Of course."

"The candles! Don't forget, seven candles on top, okay? Red and green! And the Christmas tree? I want to put the star on top!"

"Absolutely, sir," Yukihiro chuckled warmly. Then, he fished out something from behind his coat. Three tickets for a newly opened amusement park across the town. "I would have to give this to you earlier. I suppose it will pale in comparison to what your parents might bring for you, but...Well, happy birthday and merry Christmas, Young master Karma,"

Karma lit up, accepting the tickets in wonder. "Three? Do you think mum and dad will come with me if I give them these, Yuki?"

"I wouldn't know, but I do hope they will,"

"I can't wait," the little boy grinned. "I want to fight with dad with a bumper car and see mum's terrified face when riding a roller coaster. I want to give them a jumpscare if we go to a haunted house, and I'm going to spin the tea cup so fast so I can see them barf! So exciting!"

Yukihiro could only laugh nervously. Above all the excitements, Karma would love, even if for once, to see his parents tormented—something he had never seen in his life. This ambition so far was still unachieved, thus Karma grew into a mischievous little boy who often torment the people around him.

The reactions he gained often disappointing, since everyone would look at him as an 'Akabane' and wouldn't dare to reprimand or fight him back.

"Now, let's clean you up and put you in your best suit. They will be coming in a few hours."

"Fine, fine, just this once!" Karma huffed, rarely doing as he's told, and followed the butler to his dressing room.

Even for a menace, a kid is still a kid; Christmas and birthday is as exciting as ever.

~.X.~

A silver Rolls-Royce made a quick stop in the front door. The servants welcomed the Akabane couple with respect, opening the expensive french-door and the couple passed without making any regards to their servants, completely absorbed in their own conversation. The twinkling lights, the hanging mistletoes became instantly futile in presence at their disregard.

"...And I still can not believe that they eat such a thing!" Madam Akabane's voice was heard from out of the dining hall. Karma stood up with a big smile, a three layered chantily cake with seven candles twinkling present on the long dining table. Yukihiro opened the door to reveal Karma's parents.

"Mum, dad, welcome back! Merry Christmas!"

"Ssh, Karma, not now. What about the next party? There are two at the same time, but I don't want to visit the Norita without you—they're horrendous!"

Without any kinds of regard, the couple took a seat next to each other, not even a look on their son's direction. Yukihiro waved to the servants to serve the dinner, as he approached the couple with the best champagne they've kept in the cellar.

"Great, we should ditch the Norita. Honestly, they're not that important as they think they are," finally, the couple continued to eat in silence. Karma hadn't touched his food, still staring at his parents with hope, his feet dangling from his seat.

"Karma-kun," his mother sipped the champagne before continuing, "I heard you aced last semester's exam. You have to keep that up for the next term," she said as a matter of fact.

"Of course, that won't be hard," Karma grinned, and tried to raise his height against the table. "You know, for my present, can we—"

"Oh, this cake is wonderful," his father commented with a smile, standing to pluck off the candles, and waved to a servant for a knife. Karma brightened at this.

"Yeah, that cake is my—"

"Honey, we should bring this to the Asano's Christmas party. This'll show 'em something." He said, blowing the candles and cutting the top of the cake.

"Um, sir," Yukihiro tried to speak, but then Madam Akabane laughed.

"You're right, Shiota. I can't go to a Christmas party dressed like this," the woman stood up and waved to a different servant for her fluffy fur coat. "Prepare the limo, we're departing soon to Hokkaido."

"But—"

"That's alright with the champagne, Shiota. Just do as my wife told you, now," Master Akabane ordered, taking a bite of the cake. "Mm, this is good. Mild, not devastating. Alright, Karma, we'll be going now, see you in a week, sports!" he gave his son an empty regard, ruffling the boy's red-head before exiting the dining hall, still enjoying his son's birthday cake.

Yukihiro returned from preparing the limo to see Karma was still sitting in the dining hall, now cutting his cake, kneeling on his chair. The steward frowned in worry and sadness, slowly approaching the boy.

"Young master..." he didn't know what to say.

"I wonder if they actually realized it?" Karma muttered, suddenly reaching into the middle of his cake, and pulled out a dynamite. Yukihiro froze. "I mean, dad plucked off the candles, as if he knew that it's where I put the dynamites..."

He dropped himself back to his seat, stared at the Christmas tree dejectedly.

"I've wasted my pocket money to buy those fireworks in their Christmas gifts, and yet, they didn't even look at them," the little boy puffed his cheeks in defeat. Karma then felt his seat was shaking. When he looked up to Yukihiro, he saw the man was hiding his teary face.

"Yuki?"

The man cleared his throat and carefully wiped his face, pulling out a lighter. He set the candles onto a piece of cake in front of Karma, and light them.

"Well...Happy birthday and Merry Christmas, Young master," Yukihiro said with a hoarse, yet warm voice. He patted Karma's head gently, a great difference than the father's passing ruffle. "Make a wish?"

Karma grinned to the man, faced his cut up cake, took a deep breath, and blew the fire along with his wish for a better birthday.

I've been wanting to write them ever since I saw that official AU poster! I think the song 'Silent Storm' by Carl Espen was a great song to describe the relationship between Karma and Nagisa...they have this internal battle against each other, but for some reason wants to stay friends...Oh right.

This is going to be gay.

I'm not sure how far I will gay them. Just. Gay.

Kindly review if you have the time~