Nakanaide-hen

Chapter 2 Salvation

Akasaka rubbed his eyes sleepily. Even if he had such a job as a police, demanding to be alert, he had never been a morning person. He yawned and rubbed his eyes again. He felt as if he was just going to go back to sleep when he heard the familiar giggle of Miyukies voice. Realising that his daughter was already awake, and might be playing with who knows what, he quickly got up and out of the bed room. The moment he opened the door the scent of friend eggs reached him almost as a shock. He stopped for a moment to remember what was really wrong. But as a single parent of course he was full with worries of his childs safety, those he hurried across the apartments livingroom floor and into the kitchen.

-"Miyuk!- He was stopped in his sentence and remained standing at the entrance to the kitchen watching the scene.

-"There's no need to worry Akasaka-san. I happened to wake up early and decided to start breakfast. Nipa." Akasaka breathed out a sigh of relif as he saw that, apparently, Rika had full control over the situation of making breakfast and looking after Miyukie, entertaining her as well it seemed.

-"I never expected that you of Rika-chan. Handling everything so much by yourself."

-"I'm a bit used to it. There's not a problem Akasaka-san." He finally dropped his worried look and returned the smile to her.

-"But I shouldn't let kids do all these things. It makes me ashamed as a parent."

-"I don't mind helping. It makes me very glad." Her head returned to the eggs and turned one of them over. "Akasaka-san must've had it troublesome on your own." That last comment left a silence hanging over the kitchen. It was finally broken by Miyukie who now was tugging at her fathers pyjamas pants.

-"Daddy. I like Rika-oneechan, why hasn't Rika-oneechan lived with us before daddy?" Akasaka smiled at that and bent down in front of her and lift her up.

-"Well Miyukie, Rika-chan was living somewhere else before."

-"And now she's living with us?" The little three-year-old girl chipped, seeming mentally convinced that Rika was already a part of the family in that way small children are.

-"Well." Akasaka could feel torn between telling his daughter the truth and break her heart; or doing to opposite. As always compromise is the best solution. "She's staying here for a while."

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Rika felt how her lips was drawn up in a smiling hearing the conversation between father and daughter behind her back. Miyukie was giving of the same warm feeling like Akasaka. She was easy to hold close to her heart.

-"Nipa! It's done!" She got the eggs of the frying pan and onto a plate. "Mii, if I know you were going to wake up I'd done something more then just eggs with pepper and salt." Rika said, making it sound like she talked to herself, but was obviously meant to be heard.

-"No, no, no Rika-chan." Still with her back turned towards them she could feel his expression being flushed with embarrassment. It just made her smile more to herself.

-"Well it's ready for taking then. I should just set the table." But before she got of the small stool she had been standing on Akasaka had already put down Miyukie on the floor and started doing that himself.

She didn't protest, he couldn't know that she knew allot about house keeping, maybe even more then he did. So instead she turned her attention to Miyukie, who had now sat down on the floor blinking at her. Rika went over to her and patted her on the head.

-"What does Miyukie want more then eggs?"

Satoko.

Her face looking slightly disturbed from Rika patting her head, like she would be much older then her or something.

"Stop it Rika don't treat me like a kid you to. How can I ever grow up to a fine lady if you keep treating me like a kid?" She turned away trying to look as independent as possible. But somehow, Rika knew that she was torn up inside. Torn up because there was no Satoshi; and she was alone, there was no one to pat her head any longer.

-"Milk." Rika found herself snapping back to reality.

-"Miii Like a cat then?"

-"Cat?" Miyukie tilted her head, her big eyes looking questioning.

-"Yes, the ones that say "Nya. Nya" " Rika illustrated a cat paws motion in front of the little girl, who, as on cue, started laughing and then reached out both of her, still a bit chubby, arms against her.

-"Rika-oneechan. Hug!" Unable to resist the unstained love coming from the little girl Rika lift her up in a hug and started caring her towards the kitchen table that was all set for eating. Rika placed down Miyukie on the child's seat and seated herself on another chair, looking across the table seeing Akasaka, who was still looking over that everything was in place while scratching the back of his head slightly.

-"Rika-chan." She looked up from her breakfast.

-"Mi?"

-"I'll show you around a bit later. Tokyo must still seem like such a big city to you."

-"I'd like that very much." She said with a shiny smile.

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Rika was in a somewhat daze sitting in the backseat of the car with Miyukie. Both of them were looking out the windows as they slowly moved forward at Tokyos highly trafficked streets.

-"We're going to kindergarden. There's a pink wall at kindergarden." Miyukie said suddenly sounding very proud. Rika smiled and listened to what the child had to say as she continued. "I like the pink wall very much, it's very pretty."

-"Nipa! I'm sure of that. I'd really like to see it sometime."

-"Rika-oneechan."

-"Hai?" Rikas voice now as sunny as her smile. A slightly strained smile but in overall fully enjoyed and happy.

-"Why do you say "Nipa"?"

-"…………"

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Miyukie seemed sad to leave Rika in the car when Akasaka took her into the kindredgarden. But in just a few seconds she had seemed to loose herself talking with her father. Rika breathed out and laid herself out in the backseat, eyes closed letting the sun shine in through the window. She didn't really keep track on time but soon she heard his voice.

-"Rika-chan?" She got up and rubbed her eye just a little.

-"How did it go Akasaka-san?"

-"It went just fine Rika-chan. How about coming to the front seat now? We're going to……" He looked thinking, probably pondering of what child activities she might like. She found herself warm on the inside from such genuine concern and decided to save him the situation.

-"I'd like to go to the zoo. I haven't seen that many special animals."

-"Right. The zoo it is then." He took Rikas hand and helped her out of the car, closing the door behind her and opened the front one. She got into the seat and got her belt on.

-"So what kind of zoo do you want to go to?"

-"The nicest one. Nipa!"

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It was actually nice to have Rika-chan here. It was as if I finally came to understanding in how worried I'd been over her. After all she did predict her own death and many other deaths of others. In truth I would have wanted to ask her about them. But something kept me from doing that. I just wanted to grasp the time we had right now. Fearing that if I didn't, it might just fly away from me.

She looked at the city going by us with such clear eyes, taking in everything she saw. Her small hand hell onto mine gently as she reached out to pat the horse on its nose carefully.

"You're eating well horse-san?"

The feelings around her were honest. And the look on her face was happy. Carefree in a way I cannot recall seeing it before. She was acting, as if she was a bluebird set free from its cage.

"Ice cream, mint with chocolate flavour please. Nipa!"

I never thought she would adjust this quickly to be honest. She came yesterday and is already acting like she's been living with us for several years. I didn't think village people could adapt to the city so quickly. But that was in truth irrelevant.

-"Akasaka-san?" Her hand still tucked in mine.

-"Yes Rika-chan?"

-"I really like it here. It's like, as if, I've come to a real family."

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"A real family."

What doesn't make the Houjo family, or the Sonozaki family a real one?; and what of the Furude family, isn't that a real one. The one you abounded. Furude Rika.

Rika sat strait up in her bed, no she wasn't panting or anything. Just a startled waking. She looked over her shoulder, out the window. She could see the moon shining clearly. That dream had been chasing her for the latest two nights now. She carefully got up and tapped across the floor, pass Akasakas futon and then Miyukies. She carefully opened the door and just as carefully, shut it behind her. And then she allowed herself to pant. It had been two weeks now. Two weeks since she came here, and with the exception of that time when she saw Satoko on the first day, and this very night; everything had been comfortably silent.

But now the voice had spoken to her again. Why was she so upset? When it had spoken to her before she had accepted it without a problem, she had nothing to fear from the voice, for as long as she had been in-

She cut her own thought of and closed her eyes. If she simply ignored it maybe it would leave her alone eventually. Maybe it would allow her to search for happiness. She pinched her eyes even harder.

Back when she lived in Hinamizawa she had listened to the voice instructions, to Oyashiro-samas instructions, she knew that in the long run they served for a greater good, right?

Right? Since when had she even wondered if she could question Oyashiro-samas will? She shut that thought out as well, was she turning stubborn? Then she, half ran and half walked, across the floor and over to the kitchen were she looked up a glass and turned on the water. She would crawl back to bed later, but now she needed something to drink.

Yes, it would all go well. These people were so kind to her, she kept them so close, she'd do anything to keep them save, and she'd do anything to stay with them. They truly had, in such a short time, become her family, her way out.

She sat down on her futon, the glass half full in her hands, she eyed over at Akasakas sleeping form and she could also hear Miyukies light breathing on the other side of him. Ones again she looked up at the window and the full moon; then back at Akasaka; and then back at her own glass in her hands.

Drip………Drip………Drip

-"…..Mii…." She said in a low tone to herself as she rubbed the tears from her eyes with her pyjamas jacket arm. (I shouldn't be crying. I have finally found happiness.) Even if she wanted to smile she couldn't. (Then if I am not the one crying. Whose tears are these then?) "…………..Satoko?"

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