"Sakura-chan? Sakura, wake up, you dozed off." Kero-chan's voice roused
Sakura from her slumber, and she opened her eyes, blinking the sleep out of
them, and staring dazedly up at small orange creature hovering a few inches
above her face.
"Hoe?" Shaking her head to clear it, she sat up straight, and promptly banged her elbow on the dresser she'd been leaning against. "Ow."
"You okay?" Kero-chan floated down and landed on her lap, peering at her arm, which she was now rubbing furiously.
"It's nothing," she murmured, yawning slightly, before pulling herself to her feet. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Not long," Kero responded, taking to the air again, before settling behind her math textbook, resting his paws on the edge. "You haven't finished your homework yet. Otherwise, I wouldn't have woken you. You seem so tired lately."
"Yes, well, junior year is hard," Sakura said defensively, squatting down next to her textbook, and feeling around on the floor for her pencil. "So much homework." She gave the textbook a disdainful look. "Too much."
Before Kero had a chance to respond, Fujitaka's voice came up from downstairs.
"Dinner, Sakura!"
Gratefully leaving her homework, Sakura rose and ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where her father was already seated at the table. "How is the work going?"
"So much!" Sakura exclaimed. "But it's fine." She pushed her spoon around in her soup, not really feeling like eating. "How was your day?"
"Good." Fujitaka, also, did not eat as readily as usual. After a few seconds, he asked, "Are you feeling well? You look." He fumbled for the word, looking from Sakura's face down to the table, and back again. "You look unsettled," he said finally. "Is anything wrong?"
Sakura hesitated before answering. "It's not the same without Touya-kun."
With a sigh, Fujitaka leaned forward. "Sakura-chan, he's been gone for a year now."
"I know." It was Sakura's turn, now, to be interested in the table. "But he was always here on my birthday."
"Why don't you call him?" Fujitaka asked reasonably, swallowing his mouthful of soup.
"I did!" Sakura exclaimed. "I did. But he wasn't home. Brother is so busy, now."
Shrugging, Fujitaka pushed away his bowl of soup. "Ah, well. Try again later. Are you finished?" Sakura nodded, and her father removed the soup bowl, depositing it in the sink, before doing the same with his own. "What are your plans for this evening?"
"Just more homework." Sakura stood up, and turned to leave.
"All right, but get some sleep," Fujitaka admonished, calling out to her as she climbed the stairs. "You don't want to be too tired tomorrow."
* * * * * * * * * * * An hour later, Sakura closed her book, and leaned back against her pillows, careful not to disturb Kero-chan, who was curled up beside her, fast asleep. Checking the clock, she discovered that it was already 11:00. "Sorry, daddy," she murmured, realizing she'd broken her promise not to stay up too late. Not that that was particularly uncommon these days.
Tossing the book off the end of the bed, she snuggled down into her cushions, and rolled over on her side to look out the window. The sky was pitch black, now, except for one little star, shining off to the right of her vision.
"Starlight, starbright, first star I see tonight."
This was silly, she thought, laughing to herself. Turning sixteen tomorrow, and she was still reciting little nursery rhymes.
"I wish I may, I wish I might."
Sakura missed those days when everything was all right, when she could smile, and laugh, and do silly things, and no one would care, because she was just a cute little girl. She missed being able to hug her stuffed animals when she was sad, and to sing little songs to herself when she was happy. There was much to be said, she decided, for being a little child.
"Have the wish I wish tonight."
And what would she wish for? In all honesty, there wasn't a lot that Sakura lacked. She was cute, with good friends, and a loving father. She went to a good school, and her grades weren't bad. She had nice clothes, and nice things.
So she would wish for.
"Someone to come, so I won't be lonely," she finished, on the end of a long breath.
"Sakura?" Kero-chan was awake, his little eyes squinting at her out of sleepy lids. "Did you say something?"
"No, no, nothing," she assured him, switching out the light. "Goodnight."
* * * * * * * * * * *
For the first time in several years, Sakura woke up on time. Kero-chan was, frankly, astonished.
"You sure have been acting strange lately," he commented, as she rummaged around in her drawers for her school uniform clothes. "Getting up early, finishing your homework on time."
"What are you saying exactly?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrows at Kero. He, intelligently, chose not to respond, but to go back to watching television in the corner.
"Anyway, it's time I started being responsible," Sakura continued loftily, struggling into her skirt. "I am, after all, almost finished with high school, aren't I?"
"You've still got two years to go," reminded Kero absently. "Don't get cocky yet."
"Hmph." Swinging open the door, Sakura stepped out, turning and saying over her shoulder, "Maybe I just won't bring you breakfast then."
"Hey!" Kero called after her, but she was already heading down the stairs.
"Morning daddy!" She said cheerfully, hugging Fujitaka, who was at the kitchen counter, working on breakfast. "Morning mother," she added, turning to bow to the photo.and then stopping.
The photo in the frame was not only of her mother, as it usually was. This time, her father was there, too, in his younger days, holding Nadeshiko's hand. They were laughing, and Nadeshiko was wearing a beautiful white dress.
"This was directly after our wedding," Fujitaka said quietly, coming up behind her. "I don't think you've ever seen this one before, have you?"
Sakura shook her head. "Mom was always happy, right up until the end, wasn't she? Even when she was sick?" She'd always believed, always wanted to think that Nadeshiko had been happy when she'd gone, so that she'd be happy in heaven, looking down, watching her children grow.
"I think so," Fujitaka agreed. "She'd be so proud of you today, Sakura. Sixteen years old.she'd be so very, very proud of you." He hugged her again, and not for the first time was Sakura glad that he was her father, and that he'd stayed with her, and taken care of her all by himself, even after her mother died.
"I love you, daddy," she said.
"Happy birthday, Sakura-chan."
"Hoe?" Shaking her head to clear it, she sat up straight, and promptly banged her elbow on the dresser she'd been leaning against. "Ow."
"You okay?" Kero-chan floated down and landed on her lap, peering at her arm, which she was now rubbing furiously.
"It's nothing," she murmured, yawning slightly, before pulling herself to her feet. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Not long," Kero responded, taking to the air again, before settling behind her math textbook, resting his paws on the edge. "You haven't finished your homework yet. Otherwise, I wouldn't have woken you. You seem so tired lately."
"Yes, well, junior year is hard," Sakura said defensively, squatting down next to her textbook, and feeling around on the floor for her pencil. "So much homework." She gave the textbook a disdainful look. "Too much."
Before Kero had a chance to respond, Fujitaka's voice came up from downstairs.
"Dinner, Sakura!"
Gratefully leaving her homework, Sakura rose and ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where her father was already seated at the table. "How is the work going?"
"So much!" Sakura exclaimed. "But it's fine." She pushed her spoon around in her soup, not really feeling like eating. "How was your day?"
"Good." Fujitaka, also, did not eat as readily as usual. After a few seconds, he asked, "Are you feeling well? You look." He fumbled for the word, looking from Sakura's face down to the table, and back again. "You look unsettled," he said finally. "Is anything wrong?"
Sakura hesitated before answering. "It's not the same without Touya-kun."
With a sigh, Fujitaka leaned forward. "Sakura-chan, he's been gone for a year now."
"I know." It was Sakura's turn, now, to be interested in the table. "But he was always here on my birthday."
"Why don't you call him?" Fujitaka asked reasonably, swallowing his mouthful of soup.
"I did!" Sakura exclaimed. "I did. But he wasn't home. Brother is so busy, now."
Shrugging, Fujitaka pushed away his bowl of soup. "Ah, well. Try again later. Are you finished?" Sakura nodded, and her father removed the soup bowl, depositing it in the sink, before doing the same with his own. "What are your plans for this evening?"
"Just more homework." Sakura stood up, and turned to leave.
"All right, but get some sleep," Fujitaka admonished, calling out to her as she climbed the stairs. "You don't want to be too tired tomorrow."
* * * * * * * * * * * An hour later, Sakura closed her book, and leaned back against her pillows, careful not to disturb Kero-chan, who was curled up beside her, fast asleep. Checking the clock, she discovered that it was already 11:00. "Sorry, daddy," she murmured, realizing she'd broken her promise not to stay up too late. Not that that was particularly uncommon these days.
Tossing the book off the end of the bed, she snuggled down into her cushions, and rolled over on her side to look out the window. The sky was pitch black, now, except for one little star, shining off to the right of her vision.
"Starlight, starbright, first star I see tonight."
This was silly, she thought, laughing to herself. Turning sixteen tomorrow, and she was still reciting little nursery rhymes.
"I wish I may, I wish I might."
Sakura missed those days when everything was all right, when she could smile, and laugh, and do silly things, and no one would care, because she was just a cute little girl. She missed being able to hug her stuffed animals when she was sad, and to sing little songs to herself when she was happy. There was much to be said, she decided, for being a little child.
"Have the wish I wish tonight."
And what would she wish for? In all honesty, there wasn't a lot that Sakura lacked. She was cute, with good friends, and a loving father. She went to a good school, and her grades weren't bad. She had nice clothes, and nice things.
So she would wish for.
"Someone to come, so I won't be lonely," she finished, on the end of a long breath.
"Sakura?" Kero-chan was awake, his little eyes squinting at her out of sleepy lids. "Did you say something?"
"No, no, nothing," she assured him, switching out the light. "Goodnight."
* * * * * * * * * * *
For the first time in several years, Sakura woke up on time. Kero-chan was, frankly, astonished.
"You sure have been acting strange lately," he commented, as she rummaged around in her drawers for her school uniform clothes. "Getting up early, finishing your homework on time."
"What are you saying exactly?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrows at Kero. He, intelligently, chose not to respond, but to go back to watching television in the corner.
"Anyway, it's time I started being responsible," Sakura continued loftily, struggling into her skirt. "I am, after all, almost finished with high school, aren't I?"
"You've still got two years to go," reminded Kero absently. "Don't get cocky yet."
"Hmph." Swinging open the door, Sakura stepped out, turning and saying over her shoulder, "Maybe I just won't bring you breakfast then."
"Hey!" Kero called after her, but she was already heading down the stairs.
"Morning daddy!" She said cheerfully, hugging Fujitaka, who was at the kitchen counter, working on breakfast. "Morning mother," she added, turning to bow to the photo.and then stopping.
The photo in the frame was not only of her mother, as it usually was. This time, her father was there, too, in his younger days, holding Nadeshiko's hand. They were laughing, and Nadeshiko was wearing a beautiful white dress.
"This was directly after our wedding," Fujitaka said quietly, coming up behind her. "I don't think you've ever seen this one before, have you?"
Sakura shook her head. "Mom was always happy, right up until the end, wasn't she? Even when she was sick?" She'd always believed, always wanted to think that Nadeshiko had been happy when she'd gone, so that she'd be happy in heaven, looking down, watching her children grow.
"I think so," Fujitaka agreed. "She'd be so proud of you today, Sakura. Sixteen years old.she'd be so very, very proud of you." He hugged her again, and not for the first time was Sakura glad that he was her father, and that he'd stayed with her, and taken care of her all by himself, even after her mother died.
"I love you, daddy," she said.
"Happy birthday, Sakura-chan."