Nemo: . . . Uh, All I can say is. . . that someone died in this chapter. . .
Enjoy the depression...?
A period is too strong,
A comma is too weak,
That is why we use a '-'
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, besides, Kanoko & Katsuo. . They are my FC's {FC=Fictional Characters}
As Hikari was dropped off in front of her home by Kei's driver, she skipped her body over the fence since she did not have her house key or fence key.
She stood still in front of the door absorbing the crisp spring air and let out a refreshing sigh that shuddered through her vocal chords.
The morning birds had flew off the nearest tree a few feet away from her.
She averted her eyes to a shadow against the blinds of the window, was it her brother?
Her eyes fell harder towards the slender figure. She stepped closer towards the door of her house.
She heard sobbing from inside as she stood in front of the main entrance into her home. She felt nervous through her guts.
She attempted to pick at the lock and she succeeded. She slowly opened the door quietly, making a suprising entrance. There, beside her was a portrait of her beautiful mother. There was a small vase of lillies and food spread out in front of the portrait.
W-What's this doing here? Mom? Mom.. Mom!
The young teenager girl felt her heart was aching drastically. A wound had been carved through her heart and could not be patched up. She quietly stepped around the house and found her father lying on the couch, leaving marks of dried up tears across his face.
I'll wake him up later... Hikari felt her tears grouping together as quickly as possible, with her suitcases still sitting outside and her duffel bag hanging around her shoulder she didn't bother putting them away first. She dared herself to enter the kitchen, she would usually find her mother cooking or cleaning the kitchen, this time. .. She wasn't there. She looked around the counter, finding her brother's face soaking with tears.
She suddenly dropped her duffel bag.
Her brother choked out his welcome as he continued to sob. "Hikari... Welcome home... Mom is-"
"She's st-ill h-he-re righ-t?" Hikari's feet went numb, trying to support her body weight by leaning over the counter. She hadn't noticed the salty liquid running down her cheek. Her light skin went pale as the light that seamed through the blinds reflected her thin face against the water filled up in the sink.
Her older brother said nothing.
"Liar..." Hikari shuddered uncontrollably as she fell to her knees.
Hikari felt her body sink into a paralyzed state, yes- She loved her mother.
She didn't want to speak, no. She didn't want to eat, no. She just wanted to sit there and believe her mother was still alive.
The still doll lied there under the thin light seaming through the blinds and cried herself to sleep against the clean tiled flooring of the kitchen, along with her brother that suddenly got up, too tired to cry, and went up to his room to freeze on his soft bed with the window that revealed the daylight.
2 Hours Later
Hikari's eyes batted up and down, she quickly sprang her body up as she lay on the couch. She looked around the room and found cake that said "Welcome home!" with flowers embroidered around the cake- representing a border.
Her father looked at her as he turned the volume of the television down and gave a sorrowful smile.
"Welcome home-Hikari." Her father's tone was low and light.
". . . I'm back. Mom- . . She's still here right? Please tell me she is!" Hikari wanted to prove how sad she was, but there were no tears left to be poured out.
The father's expression darkened and lowered his head, only to shake his head as a no.
The least you could do was lie to me. . . Hikari closed her eyes- checking if she was still sleepy.
"What happened..."
"Cutting vegetables, heart attack, knife stabbed through her heart, almost a miss."
"I see. . ." Hikari did not dare to think of what had happened.
"If only I were here. . . I don't want it to end like this. . . " Still, no tears had trickled over her soft, red cheeks.
"It wasn't your fault."
"I know! But I'm upset that I was happy over vacation and a tragedy stuck over here..."
"Your mother would want you to be happy though."
"Yes, but she would also want me here with her before her final hour. She died- only to see Atsushi and you."
That's right, it's only Jiro, Atsushi, and I left. . . No more Masako Hanazono. . .
Jiro Hanazono didn't say anything, he felt defeated against his daughter.
Hikari found the window blinds opened and clenched together upwards, and instead of revealing the day light, the sun was moved downwards against the skyline- Soon it would be the sunset.
"I'm going to go out for a spring walk before the sunset begins. I'll be back before it's dark."
"That's a good idea, I'll start on dinner." Jiro's heart felt weight being pulled inwards as he thought of Masako's lastest dinner.
Hikari slipped on her flats and stepped outside, ignoring her suitcases sitting outside and jumped over the fence and began to walk away from her house.
In 30 minutes she was near the park, she stood in front of the park that had rows of trees around it and remembered the time when she was a little girl around the age of 7 and she held onto her mother's firm hands and she always played with her mother on the small slide in her mother's arms and being pushed as she swung through the air on the swing-set.
Hikari recalled on staying at the park for hours.
Hikari touched the swing-set chains, she plopped her bottom on the seat and swung a few times. Ignoring the time she swung during the vacation. She swung to remember her mother in honor, in appreciation and in love.
Hikari snapped back into reality and she put on a sad smile, giggling to herself the time where her mother tripped over a rock and she was so embarrassed that little Hikari also tripped to be embarrassed with her.
Hikari noted that this place was also the time where she met Akira. Akira was a petite, young child. Always teased by boys that had liked her because of her elegant presence and long silky hair. She was seen on the swing-set alone as a girl or boy that was the same age as her would approach her shyly but be too afraid to speak with her.
An immature young Hikari then approached Akira, confident in being her friend. At first Akira was stubborn and embarrassed, wanting some alone time by herself as she sat on the swing-set with her fitting dress. Hikari didn't stop, in a few minutes Akira had been comfortable with Hikari around her.
Hikari and Akira became good friends within 2 hours, Hikari would push Akira and treat her like a princess and Akira would share her sugar cookies with Hikari.
They were best friends.
When it was time to leave, small and weak Akira had sobbed as she was hand-in-hand with her mother as they got inside the car. Hikari would run with the car moving, smiling at Akira until she'd stop crying, then promising that she'd see her again some day.
Hikari found herself sitting on the swing's seat. High in the air, admired by the little children that were on the monkey bars and slides.
Before anyone got hurt, she settled the swing-set down.
Hikari had enough for today, all she wanted was some sleep.
Her body moved towards home, walking as the sun was starting to set. She stared up into the sky as she had walked. The red part of the sky had blended in with orange, soon mixing into yellow as the time flew by hours the sky had turned black, points of light were painted over the dark navy sky with a full and glowing moon.
She took in her suitcases and carried it into her room once she reached home, then coming down to have her dinner.
As she got to the table she didn't want or feel like speaking. Through her whole meal, it was only cricket chirping through the breeze. No one spoke. No one cried. Only prayed to Masako Hanazono.
Once Hikari was finished with her plate, she set her dish and silverware down into the sink- to be cleaned for tomorrow.
She scurried up stairs and into her room, her room was organized and tight, she flopped her body onto the futon and missed sleeping on a bed. She pushed the curtains aside so she could gaze at the moon and opened her window to let the cool midnight wind run through her room to bounce of the walls and make the temperature drop.
Hikari wanted to drift into the pitch black darkness that was flying in her room, but no matter what she couldn't go to sleep. She stretched out her legs and arms for half an hour and tried again but she didn't feel sleepy the slightest bit.
She rolled over countless times.
Again, for 2 hours straight. By then she was unable to move, unable to stand up.
She then, closed her eyes and went to bed... And was then interrupted by the cellphone ringing in her duffelbag.
Who's calling me at this hour!? Oh, it's only 8:25PM.
She checked her cellphone's caller ID and it came from Katsuo.
"Katsuo!?"
"Hey there Hika! I heard you got back on vacation and. . . I hope you know what had happened while you were gone..."
"Yeah- I do now. I don't think I can cry any longer, haha... Katsuo? Is that all you wanted to say to me?"
"W-Well, yeah. And also- If you need a shoulder to cry on, just call me over WHENEVER. Wherever, I don't care. I just want to be the one who is willing to listen to your worries and struggles."
"Didn't I just say I can no longer cry? But thank you, I mean it. It means a lot to me- Katsuo."
"Yeah, I know. Now, you sound kind of tired. I'll let you get some rest. Good night. Sleep tight."
"Don't let the bed bugs bite?"
"-Yeah. See you later." Katsuo ended the call- Leaving Hikari wondering if Katsuo really meant it, whenever or wherever, he'd be there for her. Then with those last words of the day she fell into slumber, ready for the next day.
The Next Morning
Cries from the cicadas during the morning sunrise.
Hikari yawned obnoxiously. She smelled bacon and eggs coming from down stairs. First thing she thought was 'Mom's Food', but after that her bright morning smile had faded. The temperature that lingered around the room from the night was freezing cold, no sign of warmth in the room only the resources of warmth such as the futon. Hikari moaned as she attempted to stand up, only to get colder by the minute.
As Hikari had stripped her pajamas down and dressed in her school uniform she heard a knock from outside her door.
"Yes? Come in!" Hikari had thought her voice had been a bit croaky since it was morning.
Hikari's brother Atsushi Hanazono stormed in with his bed-head hair. With a bright smile to start the day, he called Hikari down for breakfast.
"Yeah! I'll be down soon."
Hikari adjusted her tie comfortably and stepped quickly down the stair steps.
"Good morning Hikari."
Hikari noticed a kind yet sorrowful smile placed over her father's pained expression, but she ignored the fact.
"Mornin'. Bacon and Eggs! Yeah! GO PROTEIN!" Hikari glanced at her brother around the corner who was seen bowing and praying to her mother.
"Oh yeah, dad, I'll be right back, I have something to do."
"Praying to your mother?"
"Yeah. Do you mind?" Hikari's eye brows had narrowed down- nervous enough to zoom away from her overpowering fatherly presence.
"Mind!? Of course I mind Hikari!"
Hikari flinched backwards; How can he say that!?
"Hikari, he's just kidding, of course dad doesn't mind, I mean; Dad would be very angry with you if you didn't!" Atsushi walked passed Hikari and settled down at the table, ready to eat breakfast.
"Oh phew, gosh that scared me a tad bit."
"Well hurry now! You don't want to be late for school but also be meaningful to mother." Atsushi stuffed his face with eggs, the yolk had spilled out from the corner of his mouth, the milky yellow liquid had spilled on his plate, soon to be dried and stuck against the glossy shine of the plate with a delicate abstract pattern.
"I gotcha covered." Hikari called back, now in front of the small shrine of her mother. She clapped twice and closed her eyes sending her best prayers to her best mom.
'Mom. . . Do you hear me? It's Hikari, your daughter. I just came back from vacation. It was a TON of fun. As I got back home, I wanted to greet you first, but it turns out that you weren't there. When I heard the news my tears had kept pouring out, my tears were similar to waterfalls, they fell on and on and then-I had no more tears left although my heart was still aching pretty badly. You see mom? Did you see how important you are!? Please. . . Please, if only the gods would send you back. . . Please. . .
Hikari had still kept her eyes closed, this time Hikari was wrong, there were more tears, more tears than yesterday. She stiffled out a short gasp so she could get her cries of pain out of her mouth but then silenced her, not knowing her father and brother were around the corner of the wall seperate the shrine and kitchen- witnessing the painful scene of a daughter-mother relationship.
Hikari forced a smile. Every time she forced one, they would immediately go striaght back to a large frown that was drowned in a depth of lament.
Smile, smile, smile Hikari. Mom, do you see me smiling? Is it okay to smile on the 2nd day of you not here? Will you be angry with me if I don't show how much you mean to me by not smiling? I am in an utter melancholy state. I love you mom. . . I LOVE you!
A pause of silence had been put in the end. Hikari had been whimpering small sobs through her delicately shaped mouth.
Then, she finished her prayer; Even though I don't know how to show you how much I want you to be here with me presently I want to say I will smile, because I will look into the future and see myself as a young woman as you were and think to myself 'Who was this wonderful woman that lead my life so perfectly?' Oh yes, that was Masako Hanazono, my idol, my hero, my cook. . . My mother.
Hikari stood up stiffly and walked back into the kitchen, fixing her face and hair that framed her appearance from any redness.
"You took a long time over there.." Jiro noticed her red cheeks and red eyes. Crying huh?
"Yeah! I'm fine now!" Hikari made a REAL grin. I know, my mom will stick with me through thick and thin even now. She'll be watching me. .
"Haha, I've got to get to school now. See you later." Atsushi tucked his two feet inside his school shoes and walked out the door getting ready to face the drama at school.
"Bye bye big brother! Hey, dad?" Hikari turned her head to her dad-catching full attention.
"Yes?"
"Am I supposed to smile today?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, mom is gone now. . It would be disrespectful to smile like it's no big deal right?" Hikari showed her dad her usual smile.
"The sunflower that has wilted but is placed in the meadow with the others has no affect on other sunflowers unless the seedlings of the sunflower had flew away to mate, ready to bloom more sunflowers correct? Those seedlings may think that the adult sunflowers not related to the wilted sunflower is no big deal since there is so many of them anyways but they're both half and wrong. The seedlings of the wilted are important to them since they have lost a member. Only the intelligent ones would care." Hikari's father set a bowl of rice down.
". . . Huh?"
"To put it simply, you can only smile if you tell your mother first and you must state a reason." Jiro smiled.
"Oh. . . Well, time to go to school!"
"Take care. Hikari-"
"Yeah?"
"Will you be okay?"
"I'll be fine dad! I believe mom- is still here-. I'm a strong girl- no, young lady!" Hikari then dashed off into the distance on her way to school.
"God, I hope that girl is okay. What do you think. . Masako?" Jiro turned away and resumed eating his bowl of rice.
Hahaha, Masako died. Oh wait, that's not funny. D:
I know, I know this was a boring chapter. That's okay, I need to update more often anyways! Psssht!