i.
He would have loved to see it.
The day that Kanra Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima got married was a beautiful one. The sky was blue, the birds were singing, and a warm breeze sent the cherry blossoms scattering over the happy couple. They- or rather, Kanra had insisted on a Western-style wedding, with the white dress and the black tuxedo and the unnecessary bridesmaids and groomsmen. The whole thing must have cost a fortune, but Kanra's fabulously wealthy father was willing to pay any amount to say that this insane girl was no responsibility of his anymore.
The whole thing was a rather amusing sight. Kanra, who barely cleared five feet, and Shizuo who was an full thirteen inches taller trying to make it so that Shizuo didn't have to bend down and Kanra didn't need a footstool to seal the deal.
Minako Ryuugamine was smiling softly- and a bit sadly, throughout the whole ceremony and the reception afterwards. She tucked a loose portion of hair behind one ear, smoothing the pale pink dress which did absolutely nothing for her. She closed her eyes and imagined what the whole thing would have been like if He had been here. Her smile wouldn't be as sad, that's for sure.
But he wasn't here. And so Minako went back to her smiling- soft and a little bit sad.
ii.
Minako never wore her hair down anymore. She couldn't bring herself to leave it down. Whenever she tried to leave the house without putting her hair up, it felt like she was betraying him in some way. Her hair was something sacred between the two of them.
When they were still young, still in high school, he would take her down to the parks scattered throughout the district. He would pick the little daisies from the soft grass around them, braiding them into her hair in small, black sections that would hang on the side of her head for days until the flowers fell out or he went to redo the braid. She would proudly display his handiwork whenever he would weave his fingers into her hair.
When he left, the petals had not yet fallen from the last daisy chain he had woven into her hair. Her hair didn't come down until all the petals had gone from their stems. For all that time, Minako didn't smile once. She didn't raise her hand in class, she barely spoke. She stared out the window as if he was about to pop up from under the window frame and tell her that it was all a joke. But he didn't.
When the last petal fell away and the stem was limp, Minako ended what some would call a brief period of mourning. The next day, she came to school with her hair in a long and simple braid. She was never seen with her hair down again.
iii.
He left her with one thing when he left. When they were children he made her a beautiful pin. It was a small, gold-coloured dragon set with tiny purple rhinestones across the back and an even smaller silver one for the eye.
He put her hair- already past her shoulders, into a beautiful even bun on the back of her head. He then stuck the pin into her hair, straight through the center of the bun, and twirled her around in front of the mirror.
Happy White Day, Mina-chan!
Minako had felt terrible afterwards- all she had given him for Valentine's Day was some store bought chocolates and an embroidered yellow neckerchief. She had given him something meaningless, and he had given her something priceless in return.
That's okay, Minako. Your smile is enough for me.
iv.
He came back once. Minako was two years out of high school and saving up for college by working three part time jobs at once. He came back to her in a flurry of emotion- the girl he had run away with had run off with another man, and Minako was his rebound.
The night they shared was passionate and heated, hardly suitable for civilised conversation. But when he left the next morning, he left her with something. He left her to stand alone in front of the parade of positive pregnancy tests on the bathroom counter a few weeks later.
Minako tried her best to support herself and to pay for good prenatal care, but that meant that she had to stop putting her paycheck away for college and instead to the hospital. Anri helped Minako through the worst of it. Anri kept her company when Minako had to tell His parents about the child she was carrying. But however good a friend Anri was, there was no replacing the father of her child.
v.
The next time he returned, Minako was almost ready to pop. He came to her door in the middle of the night, knocking hard enough to wake everyone in the complex. She had half a mind to slam the door in his face, but she let her soft side win out and she stepped aside for him to enter.
She pulled the light on, letting him see her in all her eight-months-pregnant glory. His jaw dropped at the sight of her distended belly, covered by one of his old sweatshirts and some thrift store maternity pants.
He didn't even stop to think that the child might be his.
So who's the lucky guy?
And she told him that he was the lucky guy, just eight months too late. For an instant, it seemed like he didn't believe her. But soon the instant was over, and he immediately fell to his knees. He wrapped his arms around his waist- they had always been rather long, and rested his forehead on her stomach. Then, he buried his face in the old sweatshirt and sobbed like she had never seen him sob before. He said he was sorry, that he would never leave her side again.
She stroked his hair, still dyed yellow, and told him that she had been waiting so many years for him to return. That she had never even considered another man. That she had waited for him. Then of course, the child felt the need to kick right where it's father's face was resting. It was it's hardest kick yet, and it made Minako gasp for breath and she had to sit down to massage the spot where it kicked. He knelt beside her and reached out to touch her, to stroke her hair or her face, but stopped halfway, as if he wasn't sure he was allowed to.
Go ahead. I don't mind.
He had marvelled at how soft her hair was- he had gone for so long without touching it. He cupped her face in his hands and peppered her cheeks and eyelids with butterfly kisses. She had giggled like a schoolgirl, and her- their baby was more active than it had ever been before.
And for the first time in four years, she spoke her love's name and didn't feel like she was betraying herself.
I love you, Masaomi Kida.
The next day, Minako Ryuugamine went out with her hair down, her hand firmly entwined with that of the man that she had waited for.
vi.
When Minako went into labor two weeks later, Masaomi was by her side every step of the way. From when her contractions started at three in the morning to when her water broke at nine to when it was time to start pushing at seven in the evening. When their child was born at 00:27, Masaomi was crying.
He held their child close, stroking dark hair while Minako was cleaned up.
Oh, Mina, she's beautiful. She looks just like you.
Masaomi had slowly made his way over to the bed, holding their little girl as if she was made of fragile glass. Minako had taken the child in her arms, and ran her hand across the baby's smooth skin.
Minako had never been happier than she was in that moment. Here she was, her child in her arms, and her lover holding her in his own.
And then, smiling, Minako gave a name to her child.
Hiromi Kida.
vii.
When Hiromi was introduced to the others, all of Minako and Masaomi's fears about Masaomi being rejected were utterly demolished. While they expected Anri and Kanra to be most adverse to Masaomi's return, they had actually been the most supportive.
On one condition. If Masaomi was to ever leave again, then he would never be allowed to come back.
Not only was everyone overjoyed to see Masaomi again, they also fell in love with Hi-chan- as she was quickly dubbed to avoid confusion, at first sight. Minako's mother, also named Hiromi, was crying, and Minako's father Tatsuya was smiling wider than he ever had before. Masaomi's parents, Shigan and Sakura, were nearly squeezing the life out of their son, who they hadn't seen in years.
Kanra and Shizuo's daughter, the five-year-old Kanae who Minako often looked after while her parents were working, instantly designated herself as Hi-chan's big sister. Hi-chan seemed to like Kanae, burbling happily at the sight of her 'big sister' Kana-chan.
Looking around the room, with Shinra, Celty, and Kanae still cooing at Hi-chan, who was snuggled up to Shizuo, Masaomi over at the table playing catch-up with his parents, Anri, Hiromi, Tatsuya, and Kanra talking about the latest in the news, Minako decided that she liked this. This was her place in life, her little corner of the world, and she was fine with it. She loved this place, these people.
She smiled, and she laughed to herself.
She could live with this.
A Butterfly Pin and a Yellow Scarf
Word Count: 1,672
Post Date: 5/26/15
Additional Notes:
So, this was cross-posted on my AO3, so if you see it there then don't freak the fuck out.
In case you didn't get who's who, here.
Minako- Fem Mikado
Kanra- Fem Izaya
Kanae- Shizaya child
Hiromi (Hi-chan)- Mikida child
ALSO I'M ON A GENDERBENDING SPREE DON'T QUESTION ME
I have another one-shot in the works where this universe here crosses over with Percy Jackson, so keep and eye out for that if it interests you.
Reviews are love.
Peace, Love, and Bacon,
Pwnie3