I like to thank you all for the support I've had throughout this series. Thanks for all the faves and alerts! Now we are on chapter 20! *CLAP* *CLAP* CLAP*
And I'm not even at the half way point…I'm going to be doing this series for a while…
I hope you continue to support me!
Chapter 20 Otou-san's Smile! A Reason for Falling in Love!
It seemed to be your average day in the Amusement Park. The usual blistering heat associated with the season it was experiencing drove the crowds of faceless into the many water slides and pools. Everything seemed to be just a run of a mill day.
Even the arguments were usual thing to be found in the Amusement.
"I'M GONNA GET'CHA!" the pink feline yelled as he raised his weapon and blasted water at his victim.
"STOP IT" the mouse boy, whined as he ducked under the water.
As two continued their war within the pool, Gowland continued to crank a lever on its machine, a bunch of ice falling, like snow, into a bowl. Once, it seemed to be full enough, he pulled it out of the hole and held it under a pump. His hand pressed the top and a squirt of some strawberry red liquid on it.
"Here you go, little girl," The Roleholder grinned as his hand went down for a small faceless girl to reach.
"Thank you, sir!" the girl thanked. She grabbed the bowl and ran off to a couple waiting for her.
The sight made him grin. He kneeled under to pull out a bag of frost and dumped it into the back of the contraption, filling it up so he could continue.
Your run of the mill day in the Amusement Park, well, maybe not.
Utako started at the scene, glancing from behind a tree. Her focused seemed to be mostly on the man wearing a canary yellow t-shirt, a musical staff on each sleeve, handing another frozen treat.
The child went back to hiding behind the timber. She let out a sigh and squatted on the soft emerald green grass.
"I came all the way out here, so I can see Otou-san, but I don't know what do. I want to see him but…"
There was a sudden replay on the "song", and she used that in the loosest terms, in her mind that sent shivers from head to toe.
"Okaa-san…I still don't get what you were saying…" the girl thought, as she recalled a memory.
It started with a melody. Sweet and cheerful, the sound of finger's pressing against ebony and ivory planks, rang out. Utako sat on a bench, a wide beam on her face and her little feet swinging, as she continue to watch a pair of hands to tap against the board in front of her. Soon the song stopped, leaving the girl next to the player. She was an older woman who she knew very well, and today she wanted to know a little more.
"Umm…Okaa-san can…can I ask you a question?" the child asked.
"What's wrong? You seem nervous, Uta-chan, come and tell Okaa-san all about it," her mother said.
"Well," she started, her finger causing one of her braids dance a duet. "I was sort of wondering if you tell me, what made you fall in love about Otou-san."
"What brought this up?" the woman asked. Her voice was coy, as if she knew her child's answer already, "Have you been hanging out with Masahiko-kun again?
The girl's cheeks were now as ruby as her hair. "W…What m…makes you think that?" she stuttered.
"Whenever you want to talk about romance, that cute prince is on your mind," the older woman teased. A long finger started to poke on of the apple chops.
"Okaa-san, stop it," the girl yelled out of embarrassment.
"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help myself," the adult apologized. She had a wide beam on her face, her faceless face.
"Okaa-san! You haven't answered my question!" Utako pouted.
"Alright, alright! I'll tell you!" the woman chuckled. The lass's face brightened and she crossed her arms laying them on her hoping to get an answer.
"Tell me, Uta-chan. Why do you think that I fell in love with Otou-san?" Her mother asked.
"Umm…you heard Otou-san playing and you really liked it? He is the best violin player Utako knows," the child answered.
The older female immediately burst into a fit of laughter. The room seemed to echo with it.
"What? Was I wrong?" the girl asked.
The woman stopped her chuckling and wiped her eye do to a tear sticking out at the edge. "Well, let's just say that your Otou-san wasn't exactly the best musician when I met him."
"Well, I give up. Why did you fall in love with him?" the girl sighed.
"You see, Utako, there is something special about him that always made feel better whenever I got upset. I can always find it, and it rarely ever goes away," the adult female explained.
"What is it? What is it?" Utako asked. Her arms straighten as her aquamarine eyes brightened with curiosity.
"Well, it's an easy thing to realize. But you have to find out that out all on your own," the woman finished.
"Well, Okaa-san, I've been watching Otou-san. I even somehow got into the past before you even met him. And…I still don't understand."
The girl's head as she let out a sigh. She sat down on the summertime green grass. The child used her arms as a cushion when she leaned against the tree.
After a few seconds of letting the water drops fall from her scalp down to her neck, the red-headed lass decided that the hot summer sun was unbearable unless she some flavored ice in her mouth and some brain freeze to counteract the swelter of the season. She stood up and started to stroll, hoping to get some relief.
It seemed like a simple walk from her resting point to the counter, but that thought was dashed when a massive tidal wave sprung up from the pool and washed over her. After the liquid continued to spread out, it left a soaked girl, from head to toe, standing there, spitting out some of aqua out of her mouth.
"THAT'S ENOUGH YOU TWO! YOU'RE DISTURBING THE CUSTOMERS!" The Amusement Park owner yelled at the two animal boys in the pool.
"Calm down old man, we were just having some fun! You wanted us to get along, right?" Boris slyly stated. He turned to the green-eyed boy for a reply, but the mouse was too scared and too tired to talk.
"Don't worry about me, I've been splashed like this many times before. Besides, I was feeling kinda hot anyway," the girl sighed as she rung out one of her braids.
"Utako! What brings you to our neck of the woods?" Gowland asked.
"I was coming over for something to cool me down, but I didn't want it to be from head to toe," Utako explained, as she squeezed her other carmine queue.
"Well, how about a free snow cone as an apology. It's on his tab," the ginger haired grinned, his thumb pointing at the pink feline.
"Hey, what do you mean my tab?" Boris growled, his hand squashing Pierce's head against the tile ground.
"You did just splash the poor girl. Are you okay, kid?" the man asked, bending down to check on the girl.
"I'm okay," the child assured. She let out a small sneeze with a traditional sniff to follow.
"Come on over here," the owner commanded, as he guided her over to a bench. Utako took a seat while Gowland left and came back with fluffy white towel and started to rub her crimson locks and the rest of her small body as well.
"There, that should it," the man finished. After finishing his accomplishment, the two sat sown on one of the benches.
"So do you want your snow cone now?" he asked the girl wrapped in the cloth.
"No, I'm still a little cold from the sudden down poor," she giggled. The girl rubbed her noggin a few times with the fabric.
"Then how about a song?"Gowland's trusty instrument appeared out of thin air, making the girl shiver and not from the cold water on her skin.
"I uh have to go to the restroom! SEE YA!" the panic-stricken girl came up with the dialogue, and dashed away, hoping to get away to save her ears.
"What's with her?" the man asked himself. He shrugged his shoulders and started to go back to the counter when he noticed something glitter in the bright sunlight. He slowly knelt down and picked up something round and circular, it seemed to be made of gold. The top had a blue diamond on it and the surface of the round part had a piece of music printed on it
"Looks like she dropped this," he mumbled. He started off, hoping to return the object to its owner.
Utako's relief came out in a sigh. She had escaped the man's malicious melody and for that, she was grateful. Yet, the girl felt a strange pang in her chest. She never thought the day would come when she would run away from her Otou-san.
The child exhaled, hoping to release her confusion. She sat down on a bench, resting there for a moment. Her hand started to slide into a small pocket in her skirt, when she noticed it was empty.
"WHAT? IT'S NOT HERE?" her mind screamed. All of her senses seem to heightened as she began to looked about. "WHERE IS IT? WHERE IS IT?"
"HEY UTAKO!"
The familiar male voice sent unfamiliar chills up her spine, despite its warm tone.
"I've got the worst luck…ever…" the girl thought, "I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!"
In the blink of an eye, she jumped into the nearby bushes. She held her breath and prayed that Gowland would not look over her way.
"I could have sworn that I saw her over here," the man grumbled, twisting his head around in hopes to find out where the girl was. He called her name once more, and started to wander, trying to find the child.
Once he was out of sight, Utako rose up from the foliage pool, her head bobbing on the surface. She let out the breath she was holding.
"That was close," the girl mumbled. "Now, let me see. Maybe if I go back then I'll be able find it."
That was easier said than done, because every so often when the child was searching for her precious object, which was when the owner would make his appearance. In fear of her ears bleeding, she found herself hiding, begging in her mind, that he would pass without finding her. When the man had left, the kid with braids continued to look. Yet, when the sun was sitting on the treetops, it seemed to be a hopeless quest.
"I can't find it…" the words weighed so heavy in the girl's mind she had to sit down. "That was the only thing I had to tie me to Okaa-san in this time…"
Her head, with thoughts too hefty to carry anymore let them out, with small drops spilling from her marine eyes.
Gowland planted himself down on the bench. He had spent the whole day looking for the girl but for some reason she remained elusive. His hand mined his pocket, digging into its depths and pulled out the golden object that he had found.
"Maybe she went home, guess I can go to the Tower to drop this off," he contemplated.
The man started to get up and took a few steps before noticing a sniffling sound. He glanced around, when nothing seem different, he continued to stroll on when the noise started again, only louder.
He thought, "That sounds like…"
The owner noticed the small movement of foliage a few feet from his spot. He walked over to the tree and noticed a very familiar carmine mop of hair.
"Utako?" the word came out as a question.
The girl in braids looked up from her fists and saw the man with the braid squatting down, right next to her. He noticed the tears trails on her face.
"What's wrong?" he asked, even though the man had a clear idea what was the matter.
She went back to setting her head on her knees, "I…I lost…something…I've looked everywhere for it…but I can't find it…" the lass said between her sniffing and sobbing.
After rummaging through his pocket, the man found the small box. He held it out in about eye level to the child.
"Is this what you were looking for?" Gowland questioned.
Utako peeked at the object, her aquamarine eyes widen and clumped on his neck.
She started to sob again, "Thank you…Onii-san."
"My pleasure," he replied, "So what is this thing?" The Roleholder lifted it up in the light, twisting his wrist trying to get a better look at the object.
"Let me see it," the child commanded. The adult let her have the item, slipping it into her hands. The girl turned it over, to show the small thing that stuck out. She twisted it a few times. The air suddenly filled with a light mechanic tinkling, a simple yet calm and warm tune.
"This is my music box," the girl explained, "My Otou-san gave me this a long time ago when I was really little. Whenever I get upset, or lonely, I listen to it. Since I haven't seen my family in a while, I'll listen to it before I go to bed and I pretend it's my Okaa-san singing and my Otou-san playing his violin. They always used to that for me and my siblings when we go to sleep." Her voice started to fall, and the words got farther apart, like as if her words were the lyrics to a sad song.
Something warm and large set down and Utako's evening red hair its waltzing motions messing up the hair that wasn't tied up, her light blue eyes spotted Gowland smiling right at her.
"Cheer up, Utako. You will get back to your folks. Until then Alice will take care of you. And if you need anything else, I'll help you out, okay?" the man beamed.
While taking in his words, the girl noticed something about the Roleholder. It always seemed that, excluding typical flares of temper always had a smile on his face. A smile, so warm and inviting, it made her feel like as if she never let her time.
"Oh here," he commented, as he pulled something out his other pocket. Two cards, one gold and one silver, shining in his hand. "These cards will allow you to get in free and when you get on a ride, you don't have to get in line."
A bright smile spread across the child's face. "Really? Can I have them?" she asked.
"Of course," he said, rubbing her locks once more, "Come back anytime."
"UTAKO!" a familiar female voice called out.
"That must be Onee-san, she said she would come to get me," the girl said. "I'll see you later."
"Come by anytime!" the man called as the child dashed off to the maiden waiting for her.
"Okaa-san," the girl thought, "I think I know why you started to love Otou-san. He wears a smile that cheers people up. I know this is well, because…" her small cheeks loomed red, "It's the same reason that I love Masahiko…"
There we are! A Gowland chapter! It is sort of hard to write a chapter about him since he isn't popular and there isn't much out there about unlike rest of the guys… The chapter will star an easier one to write since there two route summaries about him.
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Daisuki~!