Koi Shiyo
"Let's Love"
Chapter 2: Nightingale:
The Red Orchids?
A month passed rather quickly and Hiro still had his weapon. However, there was a few things he noticed about his new partner.
The first thing being that Parker had a temper, one to be reckoned with. Now he knew most girl's tempers were sometimes scary but she was a horse of a different color. If the average woman's anger could be measured and compared to a natural disaster, Parker was like a... landslide. When something happened that made her mad, you'd expect her to explode like a volcano spewing volcanic lava and ash but she didn't. She would seem irritated at first but as time passed, sometimes minutes or days would pass without anything to bad happening (though you could tell that she was getting angrier and angrier the more she thought about it). And then suddenly, her temper would give way and crush anything in a 10 mile radius of her. This was damn scary to him even though he had done anything to make her particularly angry at him.
The second being that she... could do the weirdest things with her body, in the way a contortionist could. The first time he saw her do it, was during one of their training sessions. They were stretching and she took her leg and put it next to her head, in a scale as she balanced on one foot. Hiro stopped what he was doing to watch her stretch, and she didn't seem to have a backbone. When he asked what she was going, she simply shuffled through some story of how she was a dancer and a gymnast since she was practically a baby and that was her way of stretching. Which seemed to be missing some information to it's story... he believed her though because he happened to see her doing the moon walk on her coffee table when he went to study at her house.
The third and most completely confusing thing was this symbolic trademark of hers, the red orchid. Not only did she wear one in her hair, she had it tattooed on her ankle and when he asked her about it, she got kind of touchy and said it was her favorite flower. Which he also expected as a half lie, but he was okay with that, she'd tell him eventually... she only met him a little while ago. Besides all that stuff, she was a genuinely nice girl. She kept him focused and his ego from eating itself. She kept him working hard and motivated and she was also the kind of girl that he could call in the middle of the night and tell her how he was feeling. It was like having a girlfriend. Without the hand-holding, the kissing, or even the googly eyes. It was like a friend plus.
So Hiro, now being the good friend and partner decided to invite Parker to his place to watch a movie. Of course she gave him an odd look and told him that it was "something couples do" but she didn't say no, quite the contrary. She even offered to bring food, which made him happy and yet curious to what she was going to bring. He kept his room neat so having company over wasn't really an issue, the hardest part was picking a movie. He thought that maybe a horror slasher movie would be good, as most guys think that this is a good idea. Having this expectation that the girl will jump into your arms scared so that you may comfort them. Thus, Hiro being a guy that was interested in having a girl in his arms, thought that this was the route to take.
There was a knock at his door and with the excitement and vigor of a child going to an amusement park, he rushed to the door and flung it open wide; shocking the girl, how was holding in her hands, a tantalizing bowl of seven layer taco dip and a bag of chips for dipping.
"Easy boy, yank the door any harder and ya might rip it from it's hinges." She said shaking her head a little stepping past him to the table and setting the stuff down.
"You want me to take your coat or something?" He said almost rehearsed, usually she'd wear that jacket.
"I don't have one..." She said looking around and then at him. "Are you feeling alright?" She was indeed not wearing her jacket or even a coat for that matter, she was in clothes a bit more normal than the ones she wore to school. This time she had on a long fitted t-shirt and some shorts, giving him a better look at her body, she didn't have big boobs (they were quite modestly sized), small waist, but when it got to her hips, oh man! He'd already seen how her jeans fit her backside but the shorts were tortuous... such a rounded plump posterior!
"Ah! Sorry... I was kinda lost there." He said with an embarrassed flush on his cheeks.
"S'okay," She said but then turning to look at the dip. "I didn't put black olives in the dip... I don't really like 'em. But I did cut some up and put them in a baggy, if you like." She said then standing erect and pulling out a bag of sliced black olives that was in her bag with the chips.
"I... well, thanks," He started suddenly getting a little nervous, it was a girl in his house... a cute one. And they were going to be sitting on his couch, watching a movie, in the dark... alone. "Well I rented Dance of Doom on DVD..."
"Uh, I haven't seen that one. But if there is suspense, It'll like it just fine." She said plopping down on the couch, an ankle tucked under her leg, almost some sort of lazy Indian style.
Hero gave himself the pep talk and was hoping to make a movie went well... if so maybe he'd get a kiss from his cute partner.
"That's it Parker!" Cheered Alan Seid, as he watched Lena (his wife and mother of his child), help stretch the seven year old girl's leg into an needle scale position. At this time, Parker was learning gymnastics and going through contortion training, but in she was still a bit wobbly with her balance.
The girl wobbled a little bit but soon planted her toes on the mat, imagining she was like an octopus and her planted foot had little suction cups at the tip of her toes. Her mom slowly let go of her leg and clapped seeing the girl had finally found her footing. The child held it for thirty more seconds before releasing it and jumping up and down.
"I did it! When am I gonna be in the show with you guys?" The bubbly girl was training so hard so that she could be good enough to be in the act with her mama and papa.
"Soon if you keep working hard, baby. I think even my next year you'll make it into the show." Replied her loving momma. You see Alan and Lena weren't just normal parents, little Parker happened to be born into the world of performance, the clowns, the tightrope walkers... this wasn't just a circus. There were no animals, only performers and it was more like they told some story in their acts rather than just do tricks. They traveled all and there were plenty of other kids to play with; from all around the world, a nice handful of them circus performers. They never went to school a day in there lives but had private tutors come to teach them. This was the life that she knew and soon she'd become just like her other friends and even her parents, a star.
"Really? When do you think I could to the silks, like you?"
"I wouldn't push it... You'd probably start off with contortion, seeing that you are so good at it."
"Daddy's little rubber-band," The father chuckled scooping her up in his arms. "You are going to be a great big star! And when you take the stage, the crowd will go wild and throw roses at your feet. There gonna love you." He swung her around, the small lithe child giggling wildly. "That's enough practice for today, I'm gonna get you ice cream before the show starts tonight."
"Okay!"
By this time, Parker realized she was dreaming; her eyes opening at the sight of the end credits of the movie. Must have been pretty boring to put her out, that she didn't even know what it was even about. Sitting up from her slumped position on the couch, she realized that Hiro put a blanket over her and his attention was now on her.
"You missed the whole thing, that's okay it wasn't very good." He said with an apologetic smile. "Seemed like whatever you were dreaming about over there, was something really good, I think I even saw you actually smile."
"It's getting kind of late." She said with a even tone... hard to tell if she was sad, upset, or still groggy. Hiro stood up and helped her up off the couch.
"You know if you want... I can walk you back home, if you want."
"That's good," She said turning to put the half eaten dip into the fridge for him to eat later. "I think I'm ready to discuss the story behind the red orchid I have on my ankle and wear in my hair."
Hiro's eyes widened a little, she wanted to tell him now? What could have brought this about?
-Parker's POV-
At the time I was fourteen and I finally got my chance to do what I've always dreamed of doing, performing on the same stage as my mom and dad. Their grace and limberness, even their star presence seemed unattainable but with many years of practicing... I think I was almost as radiant. We were given our choreography and story, though I didn't really like the idea of me playing a girl that reliving a memory of her dead parents, my parents didn't mind it however and said that it would touch the hearts of those who had lost. So that meant I was going have to do it... and so it was called "Dance of the White Orchids"
We had probably performed this a gazillion times in front of thousands of people a week that year. I was glad to discover that my parents were right about it touching people. Sometimes after the shows people would shake my hands and tell them how beautiful it was, how they had lost family recently or even long ago and it made me happy that I was their joys, sorrows, childhood, and innocence personified. I was dancing their dreams and living their memories.
This particular night was no different to me, I was peaking out at the many people that would be watching us, already in my unitard. It was all black with some lace parts to it, black wire bustle with ruffles and lace, in a Victorian style, custom made to not get in my way when I was doing certain tricks and acts. I was supposed to be at a funeral, and they even gave me a small black veil that covered one eyes held together by some white orchids.
"Ready to wow them again?" My father said, he was dressed in white, dressed in something from the era my costume was designed as was my mother, who had her hair pulled back from her face and in her hands she held a red ball, which was apart of our act.
"Of course." I said hugging them both, waiting for our cue.
Once our act started, in a I stepped out into the main stage, slowly with deliberate steams, in my hand holding my handkerchief blotting at my eyes. The steps I made with in time with "Cristofori's Dream" Both of my parents appeared behind me and thus began our usual routine, using the ball I was playing ball one last time with them, reliving the early days of childhood. We showed the crowd that we were limber, graceful, and could balance one atop the other.
When we were getting near the end, I could see my mother sway in her position as if she were going to faint. We were a team and my father caught her gracefully as if it were apart of the act but things seemed to go wrong when my mom went completely still, she wasn't breathing and my papa yelled through the music for them to get a medic. I had long forgotten the act and rushed to my mothers side, we couldn't finish it without her, she was too crucial to our routine. The show continued, though we weren't there. That night, was supposed to be a typical night, but it was the last time I hugged my mama and the last time that our family was onstage together.
She died suddenly, at the time I couldn't believe it... Mama was so healthy and fit, she had rarely a sick day in her life. Then they told me it was because of spine trauma, how she had not been careful and overworked herself over time. I've never cried so hard in my life and Papa cried too, probably harder than me. He said he couldn't live without her, that he couldn't bare to try and that scared me.
Over the next week, we arranged her funeral. Dad seemed to slowly slip away from me in that time and I tried to be there for him all I could, to make sure he ate and slept. It seemed like all the things he had done for me as a child I did for him now. He left some of the arrangements up to me... like what dress she would wear and what kind of songs would be sung. It was the day before her wake, that I was coming home from arranging the flowers that would be at mama's funeral, at the time I decided on Lilies because she liked them, especially when they were from dad. I was somewhat glad to tell dad that I had made such a good decision, I knew it would make him smile to hear that I got her lilies.
I opened wide the door to our house, and was greeted with an eerie silence, the TV wasn't even on. "Papa! I'm home!" I called out to him and closed the door behind me. I stepped into his bedroom and I let out a blood curdling scream. I wanted to empty the contents of my stomach, but it felt like I swallowed a fist size rock. Someone had reached deep inside and held my heart so tightly that I felt like I couldn't move, or breathe, or even live another second. I screamed again, this time even louder as I cried.
My dad, laid across the bed, his blood spilled over the cream sheets, blood still seeping from his head. He wasn't even recognizable, I didn't want to look at it in further detail but I did know that half his face was blow off and in his hand he held a gun. Someone must have heard me screaming because soon I was being pulled out of the room and out of the house. The family that owned the circus took me in that night... I don't remember hardly any of that night, I was in a state of mental shock they told me. That I had withdrew into my own mind as my father did, they seemed really worried about me. I was physically ill for days after.
Eventually, I came to some days later and they welcomed me back as gently as they could. I was also in the hospital... I guess it was a lot worse than I initially thought. They told me that they postponed my mothers funeral and the flower arrangements. They thought it would be appropriate to bury my mother and father side by side together. They even offered to cover the funeral expenses, because Allen and Lena were so loyal to them, and were great performers as well as people.
None of this mattered to me, I just wept and called out for them, like I was some kind of scared child, but I knew they would never come back to me. They were really gone, both of them. The family that I had worked for since I was eight, embraced me and let me cry on them. Mr. Quintess stopped for a moment and pulled out of his pocket, a note for me... he said it was from my dad. With much hesitance and sobs trying to escape me, I opened the note:
Dear Par, my little rubber-band
If you have received this note, I want to let you know that I've gone to be with your mama.
Now baby girl, you have to understand... I loved your mother, very very much... I couldn't stand to be without her. And I know it must be hard on you, to lose your mother and then your father in such a short amount of time, and I know you are still a little girl and you don't know how to be on your own... what I did was cowardly and maybe selfish. But your mother was my meister and I'm bound to her even in death, it's always been this way. You hardly had time to grieve and in the first couple of days I saw you mature into a young woman, how you took care of me in the last few days.
Please don't hate me for the pain I've caused you, only think of me as the man you knew when your mother was still with us. Please think of the good times when you think of me. Because wherever I am, I'm thinking of you.
I want you to live like a normal girl your age does, but I know that that will be hard for you. You've been raised in the show and you are a very special person. Not just at heart, but you are the product of a meister and her demon weapon. So I have only one thing to ask of you, please live... and don't wallow in the pits of despair as I did. You have to make your own path and choose your destiny... but whatever path you take, remember that your mother and I are there, guiding you, smiling at you, very proud of you.
Love,
Your Papa
Allen James Seid
Those pure white orchids, where stained red with blood...
Hiro stood their frozen by her story, he had heard sad stories before... and a lot from Excalibur that didn't seem to match up with most of the stories he told. But her story, felt real and heart dropping... he didn't think such an awful thing could happen to a girl like her. Parker stopped at her door and turned to look at him, he had been so quiet on the way, even after he heard her story.
"Parker... I'm sorry... I didn't know." He said looking down at his feet. Parker simply shrugged and Hiro grabbed her shoulders. "No don't even try to brush it off. You still are hurting about it..."
"Yeah? Maybe I am." She said nonchalantly. "It's nothing I can really do about it... their dead now." Hiro pulled her close and held her there. "What are you doing... don't hug me. I'm not going to cry!" He just ignored her struggling and soon she went slack in his arms, her head resting on his shoulders. Slowly her harms wrapped around him and she let out a slight sob. "Crying isn't going to bring them back. I've tried... It wasn't supposed to end that way..." And she cried... for the third time since her parents died.
Little did they both know, Lord Death watched the scene before him, Spirit weeping miserably in the background at her story. He was a father too but he couldn't imagine leaving his Maka alone like that.
"Pull yourself together Spirit... we should be applauding these two students, I think they are ready to carry out their main mission as a meister and weapon." Their wavelength connection was strong, as strong as it should be. Shinigami-sama was very proud, they were ready for the task of collecting 99 kishin souls and the soul of a witch.
A/N: Sorry about the cop out... just so tired and it doesn't help that my neighbors are inconsiderate fucktards. I think I'm going to sleep now... -Dozes off-
