"'Behold, I am coming soon,
Bring my recompense,
To repay everyone for what he has done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
The first and the last,
The beginning, and the end.'"
- Revelations 22:12-13
======
Inori
Postlude - "...World Without End."
Written by Kate "SuperKate" Butler
======
They sat across the tiny table from one another, wordless and motionless as they each sipped
their separate beverages. Usually, the tiny coffee shop was bustling with activity, but the spring day
was unusually warm, leading most of Tokyo's citizens toward their yards and local parks to romp and
play, rather than sitting silent in a coffee shop.
Steam rose off the murky brown liquid that was Hino Rei's o-cha, and - even though she was
completely ignoring her drink - she couldn't help but wonder if it would ever cool off. The radio
behind the counter bleared happy lines from a J-Pop song. Normally, she would have hummed along or
tapped her toe, but today...
Today was not the day for that. It never would be.
"So, Rei-chan... How have you been?" questioned Nuzono Seiji softly, forcing a smile as he
glanced at his only daughter. His once-shaggy dark hair was thinning in the back and at the top, leaving
him with an almost patchy look. Wrinkles rimmed dark brown eyes and pale, pursed lips, wrinkles that
were only accentuated when he made himself smile. "Is school going well? And how are your dear friends?
What were their names, again...?"
She resisted the urge to roll her purple eyes, still staring down at her drink as she responded.
"Usagi, Ami, Makoto, and Minako," she replied coolly, no sign of an emotion whatsoever to her tone.
"School is fine. Sister Maria has assigned me a solo for next month's choir concert. And life..."
Sighing, she shook her head. "Life was infinitely good up until Monday. It's gone a bit downhill,
since."
The politician nodded slightly, unsure of how to counter such a comment. Normally, he would have
immediately scolded the girl, rushing in with a million reasons for why her words were wrong. But she
was no longer a nine-year-old who wondered about which God to believe in, or a spirited twelve-year-old
defending her choices. No, she wasn't any of those things. She was a frightened child, like she had been
at three, when the thunder rumbled in the distance and the lightning flashed. She was a goofy child,
running up to him at his wedding and getting ignored for her trouble.
And she was a young woman, just weeks away from her seventeenth birthday, with hopes and dreams
and prayers.
"Did you know, Rei-chan, that your mother and I gave you a middle name like Westerners tend to
do?" he questioned, catching her completely off guard. Her head snapped up, gaze locking almost
involuntarily with his. He smiled slightly and nodded, affirming the mental question she had not yet
asked. "I was thinking about doing diplomat work when you were born, you see, and we had the chance to
go to the States. So we decided to give you a middle name, just to make you a little more Western."
She frowned, her brow creasing. What was he getting at? What point was he trying to make in
such a round-about way? "What is it?" she asked softly, words nearly catching in her throat.
Seiji smiled broadly at her. She really had grown into a beautiful young woman. Somehow, though,
there was an emptiness in her bright eyes, a regretful sparkle that didn't seem to want to leave.
But maybe he could help it lose a bit of its luster.
"Inori," he responded, pulling a few folded sheets of paper from his blazer pocket and sliding
them across the table. "Your full name, when written in the Western style, is Rei Inori Hino."
Rei's eyes blossomed as sakura blossoms in spring as she glanced down at the sheets of paper
before her. "Father, you can't be serious!" she gasped, her gaze fluttering between him and the pages.
"This is - "
He nodded, handing her a pen. "An emancipation contract," he informed her, answering the
question that she couldn't bare to spit out. Purple eyes stared directly at him, waiting for more
clarification. Waiting for a catch.
Seiji sighed, his smile sad. "You are beautiful, and smart, and every time I look at you, all
I can think of is Sora." Tears started to well up in his brown eyes as he watched his daughter flipping
through the contract idly. "I ruined Sora's life by forcing her to adhere to my dreams. She loved me
enough to, but I think she was hoping that she could make me become someone I wasn't, which is just
what I'm trying to do to you, Rei-chan." He reached across the table, taking one of her hands in his
and squeezing it tightly. "I've spent the last few days thinking about a lot of things, and I've decided
that this is YOUR path. Not mine. You can walk it however you want to, and all I can do is support
you." A tear coursed down his cheek, and he did nothing to stop it. "I'll be the Papa who taught you
to stand up to the thunder, not the Papa who made you do everything you didn't want to. Not the Papa
who hurt you. Never again."
"Papa..." choked Rei, leaning across the table to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him
tightly. "Papa!"
"I'm here, musume-chan," whispered the Minister of Defense, "and I'm willing to be here as
long as you want me."
------
Spring had come at last and - for one of the few times in her life - Hino Rei found herself
striding down the sidewalk with a grin on her face and a bounce in her step. The rain from the night
before had left few puddles on the pavement as she bounded toward Sendai Hill, a ridiculous smile
upon her face.
As she had done only days before, she took the steps in twos and threes up toward Hikawa
Shrine, pausing only briefly at the Tor to send a silent thank you prayer toward Kami-sama above.
She and her father, together, had already gone to the government office to file the emancipation
contract, and the lawyers in charge had assured her that, by the time school was over Monday afternoon,
she would be officially on her own.
"I'm home!" she announced happily, her face alit with a brilliant smile. "I'm really home
for good, this time!"
"Rei-chan!" smiled a deep voice, and - before the priestess could even hesitate to recognize
it - she was wrapped up in Yuuichirou's arms, being swung around by her shoulders. Her feet and hair
flew out behind her, causing her to squeal like a small child.
As soon as the assistant priest set her down on the ground, Rei smacked him in the back of the
head. "Yuuichirou no baka!" she scolded him, her normal 'pleasantness' taking over as she watched
a newly familiar shadow emerge from the steps up to the shrine. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Eh, Rei-chan, you're mean," groused the young man, scowling slightly at her as he moved to
scratch the back of his neck. "After a whole week, aren't you glad to see me?" His frown deepened as he
looked beyond her and at the new, suit-garbed stranger standing under the Tor. "Ano... Do you know
him?"
From his spot under the prayer tree, sweeping, the priest of the shrine glanced toward the
stranger, a slight half-smile forming across his lips. "Seiji," he nodded. "Glad to see you again."
Nuzono Seiji returned the half-smile with one of his own, also nodding a polite hello. "The
shrine looks well, Hito," he replied casually, as though he was speaking to an old friend. "Just as it
was when I last saw it, seventeen years ago."
Yuuichirou blinked his hunter green eyes. "Ara, Rei-chan..." he whined, a bit apprehensive on
being left completely out of the loop.
Rolling her eyes, the miko wrapped an arm around his waist and pointed toward the man under the
Tor. "Kumada Yuuichirou, this is my father, Nuzono Seiji" she introduced with a smile, her purple eyes
shining in the afternoon sunlight. "Papa, this is Yuuichirou, my grandfather's apprentice."
The Minister of Defense bowed a proper hello toward the stammering, twitching Shinto. "Pleased
to meet you, Yuuichirou-kun. I trust you're taking good care of my little Rei-chan?"
"H-h-h-h-hai," managed the shaggy-haired one, nearly doubling over as he spoke. "I will always
take good care of her, promise!"
Laughing, Rei tipped her head back, staring up at the bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds
of spring.
"Ne, Mama?" she questioned the wind, holding onto her skirt as the breeze ruffled her long hair.
"I just wanted you to know that I'm happy. Alright?"
As if to answer her, a sakura blossom slipped from the nearest cherry tree and landed at her
feet, unmoving.
She smiled.
Today, she decided, really WAS going to be a good day.
------
End Inori.
Bring my recompense,
To repay everyone for what he has done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
The first and the last,
The beginning, and the end.'"
- Revelations 22:12-13
======
Inori
Postlude - "...World Without End."
Written by Kate "SuperKate" Butler
======
They sat across the tiny table from one another, wordless and motionless as they each sipped
their separate beverages. Usually, the tiny coffee shop was bustling with activity, but the spring day
was unusually warm, leading most of Tokyo's citizens toward their yards and local parks to romp and
play, rather than sitting silent in a coffee shop.
Steam rose off the murky brown liquid that was Hino Rei's o-cha, and - even though she was
completely ignoring her drink - she couldn't help but wonder if it would ever cool off. The radio
behind the counter bleared happy lines from a J-Pop song. Normally, she would have hummed along or
tapped her toe, but today...
Today was not the day for that. It never would be.
"So, Rei-chan... How have you been?" questioned Nuzono Seiji softly, forcing a smile as he
glanced at his only daughter. His once-shaggy dark hair was thinning in the back and at the top, leaving
him with an almost patchy look. Wrinkles rimmed dark brown eyes and pale, pursed lips, wrinkles that
were only accentuated when he made himself smile. "Is school going well? And how are your dear friends?
What were their names, again...?"
She resisted the urge to roll her purple eyes, still staring down at her drink as she responded.
"Usagi, Ami, Makoto, and Minako," she replied coolly, no sign of an emotion whatsoever to her tone.
"School is fine. Sister Maria has assigned me a solo for next month's choir concert. And life..."
Sighing, she shook her head. "Life was infinitely good up until Monday. It's gone a bit downhill,
since."
The politician nodded slightly, unsure of how to counter such a comment. Normally, he would have
immediately scolded the girl, rushing in with a million reasons for why her words were wrong. But she
was no longer a nine-year-old who wondered about which God to believe in, or a spirited twelve-year-old
defending her choices. No, she wasn't any of those things. She was a frightened child, like she had been
at three, when the thunder rumbled in the distance and the lightning flashed. She was a goofy child,
running up to him at his wedding and getting ignored for her trouble.
And she was a young woman, just weeks away from her seventeenth birthday, with hopes and dreams
and prayers.
"Did you know, Rei-chan, that your mother and I gave you a middle name like Westerners tend to
do?" he questioned, catching her completely off guard. Her head snapped up, gaze locking almost
involuntarily with his. He smiled slightly and nodded, affirming the mental question she had not yet
asked. "I was thinking about doing diplomat work when you were born, you see, and we had the chance to
go to the States. So we decided to give you a middle name, just to make you a little more Western."
She frowned, her brow creasing. What was he getting at? What point was he trying to make in
such a round-about way? "What is it?" she asked softly, words nearly catching in her throat.
Seiji smiled broadly at her. She really had grown into a beautiful young woman. Somehow, though,
there was an emptiness in her bright eyes, a regretful sparkle that didn't seem to want to leave.
But maybe he could help it lose a bit of its luster.
"Inori," he responded, pulling a few folded sheets of paper from his blazer pocket and sliding
them across the table. "Your full name, when written in the Western style, is Rei Inori Hino."
Rei's eyes blossomed as sakura blossoms in spring as she glanced down at the sheets of paper
before her. "Father, you can't be serious!" she gasped, her gaze fluttering between him and the pages.
"This is - "
He nodded, handing her a pen. "An emancipation contract," he informed her, answering the
question that she couldn't bare to spit out. Purple eyes stared directly at him, waiting for more
clarification. Waiting for a catch.
Seiji sighed, his smile sad. "You are beautiful, and smart, and every time I look at you, all
I can think of is Sora." Tears started to well up in his brown eyes as he watched his daughter flipping
through the contract idly. "I ruined Sora's life by forcing her to adhere to my dreams. She loved me
enough to, but I think she was hoping that she could make me become someone I wasn't, which is just
what I'm trying to do to you, Rei-chan." He reached across the table, taking one of her hands in his
and squeezing it tightly. "I've spent the last few days thinking about a lot of things, and I've decided
that this is YOUR path. Not mine. You can walk it however you want to, and all I can do is support
you." A tear coursed down his cheek, and he did nothing to stop it. "I'll be the Papa who taught you
to stand up to the thunder, not the Papa who made you do everything you didn't want to. Not the Papa
who hurt you. Never again."
"Papa..." choked Rei, leaning across the table to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him
tightly. "Papa!"
"I'm here, musume-chan," whispered the Minister of Defense, "and I'm willing to be here as
long as you want me."
------
Spring had come at last and - for one of the few times in her life - Hino Rei found herself
striding down the sidewalk with a grin on her face and a bounce in her step. The rain from the night
before had left few puddles on the pavement as she bounded toward Sendai Hill, a ridiculous smile
upon her face.
As she had done only days before, she took the steps in twos and threes up toward Hikawa
Shrine, pausing only briefly at the Tor to send a silent thank you prayer toward Kami-sama above.
She and her father, together, had already gone to the government office to file the emancipation
contract, and the lawyers in charge had assured her that, by the time school was over Monday afternoon,
she would be officially on her own.
"I'm home!" she announced happily, her face alit with a brilliant smile. "I'm really home
for good, this time!"
"Rei-chan!" smiled a deep voice, and - before the priestess could even hesitate to recognize
it - she was wrapped up in Yuuichirou's arms, being swung around by her shoulders. Her feet and hair
flew out behind her, causing her to squeal like a small child.
As soon as the assistant priest set her down on the ground, Rei smacked him in the back of the
head. "Yuuichirou no baka!" she scolded him, her normal 'pleasantness' taking over as she watched
a newly familiar shadow emerge from the steps up to the shrine. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Eh, Rei-chan, you're mean," groused the young man, scowling slightly at her as he moved to
scratch the back of his neck. "After a whole week, aren't you glad to see me?" His frown deepened as he
looked beyond her and at the new, suit-garbed stranger standing under the Tor. "Ano... Do you know
him?"
From his spot under the prayer tree, sweeping, the priest of the shrine glanced toward the
stranger, a slight half-smile forming across his lips. "Seiji," he nodded. "Glad to see you again."
Nuzono Seiji returned the half-smile with one of his own, also nodding a polite hello. "The
shrine looks well, Hito," he replied casually, as though he was speaking to an old friend. "Just as it
was when I last saw it, seventeen years ago."
Yuuichirou blinked his hunter green eyes. "Ara, Rei-chan..." he whined, a bit apprehensive on
being left completely out of the loop.
Rolling her eyes, the miko wrapped an arm around his waist and pointed toward the man under the
Tor. "Kumada Yuuichirou, this is my father, Nuzono Seiji" she introduced with a smile, her purple eyes
shining in the afternoon sunlight. "Papa, this is Yuuichirou, my grandfather's apprentice."
The Minister of Defense bowed a proper hello toward the stammering, twitching Shinto. "Pleased
to meet you, Yuuichirou-kun. I trust you're taking good care of my little Rei-chan?"
"H-h-h-h-hai," managed the shaggy-haired one, nearly doubling over as he spoke. "I will always
take good care of her, promise!"
Laughing, Rei tipped her head back, staring up at the bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds
of spring.
"Ne, Mama?" she questioned the wind, holding onto her skirt as the breeze ruffled her long hair.
"I just wanted you to know that I'm happy. Alright?"
As if to answer her, a sakura blossom slipped from the nearest cherry tree and landed at her
feet, unmoving.
She smiled.
Today, she decided, really WAS going to be a good day.
------
End Inori.