2: Picking Up The Pieces
Kai and Nya's interaction before Sensei's fateful visit, just months after their father's death.
700-ish words.
Losing his father was probably the hardest thing Kai's ever had to put himself through. But he did it. Not just for himself, but for his sister. He isn't much older than her himself, but now with the only adult in their lives gone, he's as much of a parent either of them are going to get. Which… doesn't sit right.
In the days following the funeral, Kai and Nya were hovered over by well-wishing (albeit distant) relatives who knew the family enough to mourn their loss, but not enough to take a couple of traumatized children under their wings. So once the crowd (if you could call just a dozen or so people that) cleared out, it was just Kai and Nya. Alone in a dark shop ready to go under.
If anything brought Kai out of his slump, it was that fact. The blacksmith shop was his father's pride and joy, and may lightning strike Kai dead if he lets it slip out of his hands so easily. So he scraped together what he knew and what money he had and he and Nya reopened it. The first few customers came mostly out of pity, but Kai wasn't about to turn the money away. Pride doesn't exactly feed a family or pay the bills. But as time dwindles on, so do their funds.
It's been months since the funeral, and Nya frowns at her accounting book as her brother pounds something into shape behind her.
"Kai…"
He barely pauses to breathe, his face scrunched in concentration at the misshapen piece of metal beneath his gloved hand. "Yeah?"
"I know it's only the second week of the month, but we're making even less than we did in the first three days of last month."
A sigh slips past Kai's lips. "And?"
"And," Nya continues with a forlorn glance at her brother. "If we don't pick up sales, we're not going to be able to keep our lights on, much less afford food."
Kai finally tugs off his gloves and welding helmet, tossing them onto the floor in a movement that makes Nya jump. "I can hardly figure this out in the first place. How am I supposed to make anything good enough to get us the money we need?"
A sympathetic smile touches his sister's face as Nya hops down from her stool and approaches him. She rests her hand on Kai's arm, and it takes a second of tension for him to decide not to shrug it off. "We'll find a way, Kai. We always do. Besides, your stuff isn't that bad."
Kai scowls. "Only because dad made all these molds," his auburn gaze flicks around the shop, filled with brutal reminders of the man who once commanded it. He'd made it look so easy- like it was a walk in the park to pick up a lump of metal and turn it into a tool or a weapon. How is Kai supposed to fill such big shoes?
A grim breath falls from Kai's lips as a smoldering coal pops and finally goes out in its hearth. An ominous sound that only fills Kai's stomach with more dread. "It's going to take a miracle to get us back on our feet."
"Or just a couple of generous customers," Nya says hopefully. Her eyes flick to the horizon with a softness that doesn't spread to her brother. "You never know, Kai. The next person to walk up that path might just be the person that changes our lives for the better."
"Right," her brother rolls his eyes. "And just like that the pigs down the road will grow wings and fly."
A smile quirks Nya's lips. "You never know, Kai. You never know."
Next one-shot has not been planned, so pretty much anything goes. Reviews/requests are gladly appreciated and beyond highly considered. Do not be afraid to leave your thoughts!
- Fell_and_Fallen -
