Since getting full custody, Satsuki has been occupying herself with reading. It wasn't anything she'd find in her vast library. As she has never thought the need of needing this specific type of literature, not when she didn't know the extent of her sister's abuse and neglect. Things have been moving steadily, there were the good days, and there were the bad days. Sometimes, Ryuuko would be compliant and communicative. At other times, she'd be anything but. She'd push and resist everything, rejecting all attempts of trying to communicate with her; often staying in her room and refusing to participate in life. It was, as Satsuki found out during one of her late nights researching the matter, a normal behavioral pattern of children in Ryuuko's circumstances. What Satsuki was dealing with is some fifteen years of emotional and physical neglect and abuse, and those two have brought their own sets of difficulties and challenges. Satsuki didn't blame her sister for her turbulent emotions, as regulating them was not a familiar territory she was taught how to handle. What Satsuki is dealing with, the main topic of the several books she ordered, was forming a bond with the mistreated teen and hoping she can use this particular method in fixing what have been broken long ago.
Despite it's absurdity, it made sense. Being shuffled around from place to place, failing to bond with any single person during her crucial formative years, having a great mistrust of adults—Satsuki never blamed her sister. She has been witness to one incident of what her sister dealt with her entire life. It was a system where the strong fed off the weak, and in an institutional system, the weak had nothing in their disposal to defend themselves with. A mere small lamb amidst a pack of hungry wolves. Under such conditions, the small lamb would reject anything presented to them, as they know it would be used against them, it would be fleeting, good or bad, it didn't matter. A hard shell would be formed, dispelling and rejecting any attempt to reconnect. Been there, done that, their wounds still bleeding, they want to protect themselves and not accept any form of nurture and love. Ryuuko wasn't mistreated at the school only. Satsuki is no fool; she knows that the orphanage inflicted its own horrors on the young girl. If anything, the frequent nightmares Ryuuko suffered from told far more than she'd ever let on. It's not a strange occurrence for Satsuki to wake up to check on her sister, only to find her tossing and turning in bed, trying to escape the clutches of a nightmare that had her in its grip.
It was unsettling; Ryuuko hardly slept through the night on most days. The distance between the two rooms prevented Satsuki from knowing when her little sister was being tormented by one of those nightmares. She did make it a habit to check on Ryuuko as much as she could throughout the night. But that was a hit-or-miss, as she could not predict when a nightmare would occur. At the same time, she didn't feel right about leaving matters as they are, the thought of leaving her sister alone to battle those demons that come out to play in the dead of the night— No, something must be done about it. The idea came to her suddenly; she nearly laughed at how obvious it was, and how long it took her to reach it. It was simple, a basic tool used for this purpose only. It was perfect. The purchase was made quickly, the small box delivered to the estate before the sun was down on that same day.
"What is this?" Ryuuko sat in bed, noticing the white and blue object sitting on the bedside table, not far from where the ticking clock sat.
"A baby monitor."
"Ba— Are you saying that…"
"Don't run wild with the idea. You get bad dreams, I need to wake you up or, at least, do something about it."
"But they're just dreams, you don't have to get up for that."
"Humor me, baby sister. Let me worry about waking up at all hours of the night. Now, I believe it's someone's bedtime." She adjusted the blankets around the somnolent girl.
"Good night, Ryuuko."
"G'night…" With Senketsu held in her arms, Ryuuko was soon fast asleep. All thoughts of the baby monitor and Satsuki's disrupted sleep out of her mind for the time being.
The room is pitch dark.
Despite the blinding darkness,
She could feel the walls pressing in on her.
Suffocating her.
She was tossed in here moments ago.
An aftermath of—
One thing or another.
The stairs to the tower were long.
Her knees ached.
Can't stop walking.
Must keep ascending.
She was dragged by the arm.
Big hands holding onto her.
Fingers digging on her skin.
Marking it.
Bruising it.
Hurting it.
Thrown into the dark room.
Lock in place.
Jiggling of the keys.
Sealing the door shut.
Fading footsteps echoing in the hall.
She'd be left here alone.
It only got worse from there.
The sounds were too loud.
Some coming from outside.
Some from inside her cell.
Turning around
Finding nothing
Amidst the dark.
Too loud.
Too close.
What is it?
Where is it?
Her back to the wall.
It's cold and dark.
She's scared.
She wants out.
She'll behave next time.
Won't get in trouble.
Never ever.
'Open the door!'
Gotta stay quiet.
No one is here.
No one can hear her.
She'd be left all alone.
Chocking on her own sobs.
Trying not to wake the monster lurking in the dark.
If she's quiet enough it would not see her.
'Open…'
A whisper.
'….be…good…'
Promises, promises.
The don't believe her.
Not anymore.
Darkness would fade.
Light seeping in.
The cell is no more.
"Wake up, shhhh, it's only a dream."
Satsuki's arms would be around her.
Dispelling the cold of the darkness.
If only she knew.
It was not a dream.
Warm arms and a kind voice.
A hand wiping at the tears.
Promises of safety.
Darkness fades.
Warmth takes over.
Next time her eyes are closed.
There is no cold dark cell.
No monster waiting in the dark.
No teeth sinking into her flesh
Tearing it apart
Piece by piece.
This time
Satsuki's warmth remained with her.
Eyes drifted shut,
No more scary places.
This time its light and warm.
Unlike the now sleeping Ryuuko, Satsuki would be a while before she could follow suit. She heard the alarmed mumbles and whimpers through the monitor she kept on her own beside table. Upon arriving at her sister's room, she saw the tears and the light sobs that plagued her sleep. Waking her up wasn't easy. When Ryuuko's eyes shot open, she still didn't register the fact. Nightmare and reality were intricately interwoven together, confusing the alarmed girl. Satsuki could only hold her close, hoping that the touch would somewhat ground her sister, calm her down enough, slow down the rapid beating of her heart. Eventually, they'd both be asleep. Their physical closeness reassuring both sisters that it was okay to let go. That the other was right here, close by and present. Two separate heartbeats beating in unison, creating a rhythm that both found addicting.
It wasn't all black with no white spots, however. The two of the them have somehow found a middle ground to get physically closer. Ryuuko's apparent rejection was but a defensive mechanism, a wall she has built around herself for the purpose of self protection. It was, however, beginning to crack at some spots, as seen by her less than subtle attempts at finding her sister, and spending time together near her bedtime. Satsuki has found out that it was during this time that her sister was mostly accepting of any sort of closeness. Ryuuko would settle down, both sets of their eyes locked together as they talked about their day. At times, Satsuki found that the rocking chair was a great asset in easing the younger of them into relaxing. After Satsuki had used it that one night, she found herself using it often; the rocking and physical closeness doing their job at easing Ryuuko into sleep. Besides that, it was their time to spend alone together. At times, Ryuuko would head to the small bookshelf and pull one of the books, spending few minutes reading chapters of fairy tales she has never got to learn about before.
It began one day, Satsuki returned home early, while Ryuuko was still taking her last lesson for the day. Satsuki went to her room, freshened up and returned downstairs by the time the newly assigned teacher was about to leave. She was keeping a close eye on her progress, talking with the teacher once a week and noting any issues that needed to be solved.
"Aside from the complaining and the theatrics, Ryuuko is doing well. As things are, she would have no problems keeping up with the classes at Honnouji Academy. As long as she keeps up her current level of work." It was a promising prospect, the diminishing anxiety playing a great role in making the lessons more beneficial, as the teen discovered that sloppy work meant repeating it over and over until it was satisfactory, and nothing else beyond that.
After the teacher took her leave, Satsuki called her sister, telling her to get her shoes on as they were going to head out for a little outing before dinner. Satsuki would drive them to the small coffee house she spotted one day. It was located atop a tall hill, the small building sitting near the edge of the cliff, the outside seating area facing the ocean that lay beneath, providing visitors a breathtaking view in addition to the quality handcrafted snacks and drinks. As she was driving back from work one day, Satsuki spotted the cozy place and decided to bring her sister to it, as she didn't really go out much if it wasn't with Satsuki.
"Do you come here a lot?" Ryuuko was curious, the place was unlike anything she has ever seen. Not that has seen a lot in the first place.
"No, this is my first time trying it. Although the reviews it has gotten are very solid. The chocolate brownie being their signature dessert and apparently, a must try." Satsuki wasn't into this sort of thing. To her, a well brewed pot of tea is the perfect pastime, the chocolatey dessert? That's for Ryuuko to enjoy.
"Really? They do have a lot of different cakes here." She was eyeing the menu carefully, her eyes seeking a certain flavor that she happened to enjoy a lot. It wouldn't be a citrus explosion, but she settled for a slice of lemon cheesecake, and a lemonade. The two, consumed together, should satisfy her sour cravings, even though the intensity of it won't surpass the surge of taste she got when munching on an entire lemon.
"Do you know the story of Alice?" The question came out of nowhere.
"Alice in Wonderland?" Satsuki was a tad confused.
"Mhm."
"I do. What are you asking this for?" It certainly wasn't their usual topic of conversation.
"Do you know the full story of Alice?"
"I have read it in the past, a long time ago. But yes, to answer your question, I do know her story." She wondered where this was coming from.
"There was a bit about Alice and a rabbit hole in one of the textbooks I was working on earlier. It sounded…Interesting."
"You never read the story before?" Silly question, of course she didn't.
"No."
"If that's the case, and better than me telling you an extremely brief version of the story, we can head to the bookstore and pick a copy of the story."
"Okay." She's never been to a bookstore before, she kind of looked forward to the unexpected visit.
"It closes late, there will be enough time to browse different isles and sections, you can pick out as many books as you want." Ryuuko wasn't big on reading. Sure, she enjoyed her comics, but those were hardly called books. She did enjoy the small book collection in her room, she mostly read those with Satsuki at night before bed. Maybe if she finds this book on Alice in Wonderland, she could read it with her sister tonight before bed.
The setting sun retreated behind the ocean, painting the entire scenery with a stark orange bright light. They lingered in their seats, not verbalizing delaying their return to the car as the view was quite astounding. Prompting them to sit and continue their light chatter. As the horizon took in a purple hue, indicating that the day has officially ended, the two sisters rose from their seats and took slow steps towards the car parked not far from the small structure. The early night air had a nice chill to it, nothing cold, but it provided a pleasant rawness.
The drive from the small coffee house to the bookstore wasn't a long one. It was mainly due to the location of the coffee house, as it was located off the main road that leads to the buzzing city, its location being close yet secluded from the noise and traffic, providing tranquility and exuberance to its patrons. But that part is done and over with now; Satsuki has had her fix of tea, and Ryuuko had eaten half of the cheesecake slice she ordered, it was time to head to their second, unplanned, destination. Satsuki would note that her sister was more interactive; agreeing to go out and enjoying herself, engaging in conversation and wanting to try something new. She would not comment on it, opting to leave things going in this pleasant direction. She almost felt like speaking about it would break the magical spell that was holding it all together. So, for now, she will refrain from broaching the topic and see what Ryuuko is going to do once they were inside the book store.
Once again, Satsuki was grateful for the small crowd that was in the bookstore. The time, and the fact that it was a weekday, both indicating that indeed, not a lot would be present as the store at this time. Picking one of the small shopping baskets near the entrance, Satsuki led her bewildered sister to the fairy tales isle. Ryuuko was indeed confused, the bookshop was huge, with endless shelves packed with different books. She wondered, how could anyone find a specific book they want amidst all of these books. As sh stood there, looking from one shelf to another, not knowing which direction to go, and which isle to start exploring, she felt her sister, taking her hand, slowly directing her towards a certain isle with a sign that read 'Fairy Tales'.
Ryuuko was very interested to say the least about how she felt while they looked through the stacked bookshelves. She kept a sharp eye on anything that started with 'Alice', spotting several books but none were the book she was looking for. On her end, Satsuki was about a couple of steps behind the shorter girl, giving her space to look at the books and to find what she was looking for. It was partially this reason, and it was partially her amusement at merely watching her sister flipping through several books, turning them in her hands and reading the small description at the back. Ryuuko did eventually find Alice in Wonderland, but when she did so, she already had several books stacked together, each one appealing to her in its own way.
"Satsuki, I found the book, but…Those also…" She trailed, not finishing her sentence. She was uncertain of her sister's reaction. Satsuki did say they'd come here to pick a book, not several books.
"I will return the others." She could still save this.
"Ryuuko, there is no reason to return any book you find interesting. To be frank, I would encourage you to look through several more shelves and pick as many books as you want."
"For real?" She needed to double check, no use of getting her hopes up only for it to end up being a great misunderstanding.
"Yes, Ryuuko. Now come, I think I know what other books would appeal to you." Ryuuko placed the four books in the basket, and followed her sister towards the isle she was leading her to. As she did previously, Ryuuko looked at several books before settling on two; one had an interesting cover, and the other got her attention with its title and synopsis. She might start on it once her lessons are over the next day.
"I'm done." She declared, looking at the small collection of books she scoured for the day.
"Are you sure this is everything? Would you like to look at more books?" Satsuki wasn't in a hurry to leave, her sister seemed to enjoy herself, flipping through the pages of the books and getting engrossed in different story lines, collecting different books and wanting to read them at her leisure time. It was certainly a good start. Satsuki made a mental note to add the bookshop to the list of places to take Ryuuko to, to have a good time and enjoy herself with all the books.
"Not really, this is all I want to take."
She wouldn't push her to either look at more shelves or to look for more books. Ryuuko was ready to leave, having had enough of being in the bookstore looking at different covers and spines. Time does fly quickly when one is busy, and their short visit has ended up being an hour full of moving between several shelves, picking and returning books as Ryuuko considered which ones appealed enough to her to read when she felt like doing so. As things were, Ryuuko did spend some time before bed reading some pages from a book she enjoyed. At times, she'd be laying in her bed, reading before putting the book aside and falling asleep. At other times, she's silently let Satsuki do the task, pushing the book in her older sister's hands and pulling her blanket up, covering half of her face, leaving only her eyes visible as she listened to one of the stories that were placed on the bookshelf from before she came to the estate.
By the end of the hour they spent browsing books, the small crowd has diminished in size, making for a quick stop at the checkout desk to pay for the days's purchase. Ryuuko carried the bag, a content expression on her face, the closest thing to a smile that Satsuki could recall in all the time she had Ryuuko staying with her. The light mood remained during the mostly silent car ride, none of them feeling much up to a light conversation. A comfortable silence accompanied them until they pulled over the main door of the estate. Ryuuko picked up the bag and hurried up the stairs, eager to display the new additions to her small collection of books. She stacked the older books on the right side, leaving enough space for the new ones on the left side. Satisfied with their arrangement, being lined up alphabetically, she went back downstairs, ready to meet her sister for dinner.
What followed dinner was the usual nightly routine the two sisters stuck by. After her bath, Ryuuko returned to her bed, smoothing the comforter as she sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Satsuki to come. Since they got in the car, she has been mostly quiet, not feeling up to saying much, as if their earlier outing had taken most of her energy. She was content, however, her silence now so unlike how it was days ago. Satsuki's arrival pulled her out of her trance, she looked at her approaching sister. She hopped off of the bed, she was by the bookshelf, looking it it and retrieving the book she wanted to know about for two days now. The older sister took the book given to her, her yes falling on the girl on the cover. With her long hair, falling through the rabbit hole, an array of different items lining the big drop, transferring her from the world she knew to another completely foreign for her. It was not so unlike what happened to Ryuuko, as she, too, have experienced a great shift in her life. Being taken from her old life of abuse and neglect, and starting with Satsuki where things would, hopefully, turn to the better.
Ryuuko settled under the covers, her eyes not leaving her sister as she listened to the story of Alice, who was sitting on the river bank with her sister, enjoying themselves before Alice's curiosity led her to follow the rabbit down the mysterious hole. Satsuki glanced at her sister every now and then, it was the longest stretch of Ryuuko remaining awake since slipping under the covers. Satsuki was nearing the end of the first chapter, and she couldn't help drawing a parallel between the sleepy girl and the young heroin of the book; personal identity, understanding the crazy happenings in the world around her…She smiled faintly, closing the book and memorizing the page she stopped at. Ryuuko was sleeping, at last, a certain stuffed rabbit resting on the pillow next to her. Brushing the thick tresses away from her forehead, Satsuki planted a soft, brief kiss in their place. Returning the book to its shelf, she left the room, keeping the bedside table's lamp on, keeping the room illuminated softly.
A/N: Here is some fluff to counter the past two chapters~