Her Son:
I do not own The World Ends With You, Square Enix does!
Written for Twelve Shots of Summer - Week 11...
Ever since the day he was born, Chise loved her son. Although it was just him and her, she cherished everyday she spent with her son. After all, he was everything she had wished for.
Ayumu was quiet and shy, and Chise felt she was to blame for his personality. It was because she never had the courage to take him outside, especially after the incident where a patron of hers smoked in her house when Ayumu was in the room. She had bought a no-smoking sign to prevent anymore of the same incidents, but she always felt wary of taking Ayumu outside ever since.
Chise didn't like the idea of leaving her son alone, especially how he was blind like her. He could fall down the stairs, hurt himself if he bumped into furniture, or he could even eat something he shouldn't and choke! All the possibilities of Ayumu being harmed made her want to hug her boy and never let go. She knew worrying like this wasn't healthy, but hearing her son choking, screaming, and wailing that day made her dread that her son would always be in danger.
Her best friend, Mitzuki, was the only person who she felt was acceptable to interact with Ayumu. Ayumu seemed timid of her, but he didn't mind being around her. Some days Mitzuki tried to encourage Ayumu to speak, and some days Ayumu did. Mitzuki even asked her if Ayumu would like to have a play date with her son, but Chise always refused. She couldn't help it, even if Ayumu didn't spend time outside or around people, she felt sick at the thought of letting her son being around anyone that could hurt him...
Even Mitzuki's son...
That's why she bought Ayumu some toys to play with, but the music box she bought (upon recommendation of Mitzuki) outshone them all. Ayumu never seemed to get tired of winding up his music box nor did he cease to giggle in glee when it played... But she couldn't help but feel it couldn't replace a person, despite her efforts to sway him away from them.
It had come to her attention one day when she took a nap on the couch, or at least tried to... Ayumu wanted to be near her, and she tried to shoo him away and encourage him to play with his toys. Instead of doing what she expected, Ayumu merely brought his toys over and played right in front of the couch, even trying to hold her hand as she tried to rest. But that had to have been why she was restless on the couch as he happily made that compromise, even if he didn't understand what a compromise was.
Chise understood one thing that day: Ayumu didn't like being alone.
When Ayumu was almost four and a half years old, Mitzuki came over to ask her about something. Chise sadly had to leave Ayumu alone, but she made sure he was somewhere safe. So when Mitzuki arrived that day, Chise was surprised when her friend brought her son, Yoshiya Kiryu, as well... The boy was well-behaved, which was reassuring to some degree, but she had paid no mind to his presence when she conversed with Mitzuki. But when she realized Yoshiya was gone, she found to her shock that he managed to find Ayumu, and was helping him windup and listen to his music box.
Just seeing her son shyly interacting with Yoshiya made her feel scared, she wanted to pull Ayumu away and protect him... but she didn't. She felt awed at how well they were getting along, something about the way they behaved around each other seemed almost... remarkable. Ayumu had never spent time with another child around his age before, but he was doing so well with Yoshiya. And when Mitzuki left with her son, Ayumu kept asking about 'Yosuwa' and was saddened that he was gone.
She noticed that Ayumu didn't play as much with his toys as he used to after that day, he merely wound up his music box and babbled on about how Yoshiya taught him how to 'wind it up right'. Just the way he sounded made her painfully realize that Ayumu had taken a shine to Yoshiya.
Mitzuki called her a few days later and had asked if she could take Ayumu to get a haircut with Yoshiya. Chise was concerned about the idea, remembering the time with the patron who smoked as Mitzuki explained her plan. Other than a haircut, she would buy clothing and lunch for him, mentioning that it would be a 'fun outing'.
Chise always admired Mitzuki's spirited personality, but she felt firm with her decision to keep Ayumu inside. So she right away chose to decline on the offer. It wasn't until Mitzuki gave a speech about how Chise should think about Ayumu's childhood that Chise realized that the lifestyle she gave to her son had been unhealthy, all because of her fears. She reluctantly agreed somehow and before she could gain more information about it the call had ended.
That night she felt as though the decision she was convinced into was wrong, but Mitzuki had reassured her so much that Chise couldn't help but feel indecisive. She thought about how her son interacted with Yoshiya, remembering how happy Ayumu was with him... She couldn't figure out if she was being overprotective or was overreacting, but somehow that moment she remembered seeing her son with Yoshiya swept away some of the worry she had whirling in her mind. And that moment made her feel somewhat relieved as she fell asleep.
The next day she woke Ayumu up earlier than usual, getting him prepared for the day she had feared. Of course her son was confused and sleepy, he kept asking her why he was woken up so early, but she couldn't summon the energy to answer any of his questions nor get him excited for the outing he would have.
When Mitzuki had arrived, Ayumu instantly expected Chise to be with him from what she sensed inside him. But she had to explain to him, swallowing the worry she felt, that he would be okay and she couldn't come along. If she did, she felt that her protectiveness would shroud the outing with unwanted negativity. Ayumu didn't seem to want to leave after he found out she wouldn't go with him, but she had to whisper to him to behave well and tear herself away from him, as painful as it was to hear him call out to her forlornly.
As soon as Ayumu had left with Mitzuki and Yoshiya, Chise finally let herself cry. She could only hope Mitzuki was right, only hope that it would be okay. But deep down, Chise knew she needed to be more lenient with letting Ayumu go out and explore the world. She had to put more faith in her child...
Ayumu didn't just need her, he needed more than that. He needed people, she wasn't blind in seeing that. And as hard as it was to admit, she knew it was the right thing to do.
- END -
I hope you enjoyed the story! =3
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EeveeGen9988: I know it's short, but it's a lot better than throwing out another 9000 and or up piece... Plus... brain, needs, recovery, from, editing, Odds and Ends... *flops over*
I did this one for [Gardening]. Now I know there wasn't any gardening in this piece, but I instead tried to reflect the idea of a garden. Chise would be the gardener, she is responsible for making sure the plants (or children) are nurtured and taken care of. Ayumu would be the plant, seeing that he is growing up in the care of Chise. Now, you may water the plant, give it nutrients... but in the end, the plant won't always grow the way you want it to! Such as Chise's decision to isolate Ayumu so he wouldn't be affected or hurt by the outside world, but somehow she affected Ayumu instead by taking care of him and making him get used to contact with another person... IRONY! ...Everyone gets the idea, right?