Ashynote I'm afraid I'm getting a little too rusty. Forgive. A review would be best to revive my sleeping writing goddess. (Believe me, she's been asleep for the past six years already, she needs to wake up.)
(AND NO, that was not a reference to Fifty Shades.)
ON THE VIRTUES OF PRUDENCE
A GA Ficlet
-;-
[Eight years ago, age eleven]
"Koko! You left your homework on the cafeteria table! It's not yet done yet either! Jin-jin'll give you detention if you don't finish this! Hey!"
Sumire barges in after minutes of knocking and no goofy Koko opening the door. Walking into the room, papers held carefully in both hands, she easily spots a mop of sandy-blonde hair hanging precariously off the edge of the sofa. She snorts and grumbles "Lazy jerk" then sits down at the dining table and finishes the last two Algebra problems after looking through Koko's answers for the other items.
Koko thinks it was a wish fairy who finished his homework.
-;-
[Five years ago]
Hotaru is mildly surprised to see Sumire cooking. Sumire never cooks. The scents of the ingredients always confuse the catdog too much.
"Shouda, why are you in the kitchen?"
Sumire shoots her an annoyed (but uncharacteristically soft, Hotaru notes) glare. "Koko almost burned dinner."
-;-
[Two years ago]
Lips inches apart, Koko suddenly hears the boys' thoughts calling him for a night out. He quickly pecks Sumire, apologises, then dashes off.
Sumire, who also hears the boys outside, grabs hold of the back of his shirt and roughly pulls him back into a furious, sensual kiss.
"At least kiss me properly, you jerk," she mumbles bitterly before showing Koko out of her apartment.
The kiss keeps Koko distracted for the rest of the night.
-;-
[Present day, Second Alice War]
Sumire feels a little shifty as she ties Koko's necktie. "So," she begins, "got everything ready?"
She sees the fidgeting, though Koko tries very, very hard not to. It always means he's excited. Easy for him, the jerk. She gives the tie one final pull, and Koko smiles at her.
She fights back a tear, but one look at Koko and the war is lost. She slaps his chest and cries into his neck. "Come back, you jerk. I'll kill you if you don't."
She hears him chuckle, the sound a deep reverberation in her ear. "Oh, yay, butchered in war and then murdered by the fiancee," he says, as she feels his hands wrap around her shaking shoulders. "You should stop worrying too much."
Despite herself, she snorts at his statement. "Screw you, Yome."
"Oh, you will, sweetheart, once I return."
Another slap. "Stop joking around, asshole," she mumbles, crying again. He just shushes her with a kiss to the forehead. Outside, a lavish lamborghini awaits him (always the show-off, Alice Academy never changes) , and Sumire just wants to hold Koko and never let go.
"Come back to me, soldier," she whispers at last. "You said we would never end."
"I will," Koko softly replies. "Stop worrying. This family I started with you, well... you know I was never good at finishing what I start."
And she watches as he goes away, away, away...