Reviews?! *blink blink* There's more reviews for the first chapters of this than there were for
"What if"! *cheers* I have an audience! Sadly though, for Arcanine at least,
she didn't write the first review.... *pats Arcanine on the back comfortingly*
There's always next time... The most common thing in every review seemed
to be "Tasuki?! Called Patrick?! ARGGGGGGHHHH!" That's kinda my take on
the whole thing too. Don't worry, I referred to him as Genrou in "What
if" so it won't be permanent... we all hope. *gets chased around by a furious
Tasuki* Anyway, it's been a while since my last chapter so I thought I'd
better tell you, I've been flat out studying for exams. It's the second
semester now and I have an extra line of maths on top of my other subjects.
I'm probably going to have be a social recluse for the rest of the year
to keep up with my work and exams! *wails sadly* And I won't get as much
time for anime related stuff, fanfics and writing in general! *chews on
a wheat-free cookie sadly* On a lighter note, I've made an improved recipe
for buckwheat pancakes, better than the one written on the pancake mix,
and it tastes better than wheat pancakes! :-p
Genrou and Kouji
Chapter 1 - Mother Wolf
Standing at the airport, eyes scanning the list of flights, four year old Patrick at her side, tugging at her skirt, Sorcha moved forward, following the line, until she finally reached the front.
"Is he...?" Sorcha asked. The woman gave her a sad, sympathetic smile.
"Not today, I'm sorry," she replied, as Sorcha trailed off. Sorcha's eyes filled with tears.
"Isn't there any booking under the name of Finn O'Malley? Any at all?" she pleaded, already knowing answer.
"There is no booking under that name and never has been, I'm sorry," the woman replied, sounding troubled and a bit embarrassed. Sorcha's tears stopped and she felt cold.
"He's deserted me," she said, hardly believing it.
"Maybe you should go sit down, have a nice cup of tea," the woman at the desk suggested helplessly, sounding distressed. For every day, for over a month, she'd seen Sorcha line up and always ask the same questions just to get the same answers.
Whoever he is, he doesn't deserve her, she thought, watching the girl and child walk off, the child chattering, the mother as if in a trance. Hikari sighed and wondered what had happened. Sorcha, who was walking to the airport cafeteria, was wondering the same thing. Where had it gone wrong? For four years, it had all been perfect, like a fairytale. When Patrick was born, nothing could have been more perfect. She stayed at home, making their apartment, although small, beautiful, and looked after Patrick while Finn worked. They were happy. Then Finn left, a year ago now, to make the trip back to Ireland and farewell his dying father...
"Are you okay?" asked the woman from the desk. Sorcha read the nametag. Hito Hikari.
"Yes, fine..." Sorcha stammered.
"You're not. My shift has ended, do you want me to stay here with you?" Hikari asked, kindly. Sorcha nodded dumbly. Hikari sat down and smiled at Patrick.
"And who is this young man? Your little brother?" she asked.
"He's my son," Sorcha replied. Hikari's eyes widened, as Sorcha looked no older than twenty, but didn't comment.
"I'm four!" Patrick said, holding up his hands to show her. Hikari smiled.
"Nearly grown up," she smiled. Patrick beamed at her.
"I'm Patrick!" he said, enthusiastically. Sorcha snapped.
"Don't say that! You're not Patrick! That's what he called you! You're Shun'u and don't you forget that!" she shouted at Patrick. Patrick/Shun'u's eyes filled with tears at the sound of her angry tone and he nodded dumbly. Sorcha realised she'd scared him with her tone of voice and started to cry again, feeling hopelessly unable to cope.
"Yes Mama..." Shun'u said, "don't cry, Mama! It's okay, Shun'u is a better name! Really! I like it, Mama!" He pleaded with Sorcha, not understanding the reason for her tears but feeling scared that his mother was crying. She wasn't meant to cry, she was meant to be the brave one, not him.
"Is... he, Finn... your husband?" Hikari asked, tentatively.
"We were going to get married once he came back from Ireland... but he's not coming back, is he? He's not coming back. He won't ever come back..." Sorcha sobbed.
"You don't know that..." Hikari said, awkwardly.
"It's hopeless! When I spoke to him on the phone, 6 weeks ago, he said he's send a letter and that would mean he'd be home in a week! That was 5 weeks ago! 5! And the money stopped coming through a month ago. I don't even have his phone number! He's dumped me..." Sorcha wailed.
"Did the letter... say anything? GIve a reason?" Hikari asked.
"I don't know, I can't read English," admitted Sorcha, "only speak it." She'd learnt English only by talking with her moth, but, living in Japan, had never thought it necessary to learn, being already fluent and unlikely to use the language. Sorcha looked sadly at Shun'u, who had lost interest in their conversation, like little kids always did, and was playing with a toy car.
"What am I going to do?" she asked, pleadingly, "I'm running out of money and I've only been here for a year, all my friends are in Osaka, not this place." Hikari looked sympathetically at Sorcha, feeling as if her heart would break.
"I don't know," she admitted, "but I know this, you have a son, fight to keep him." Hikari pulled a piece of paper out of her blazer and wrote something on it before handing it to Sorcha.
"I have to go now, my parents are expecting me, but here's my phone number, and the address of a cafe that needs a waitress. If you need a job, try there. Good lucky, O'Malley-san. I am sure your fiancée will come soon," Hikari said, before leaving. Sorcha stared downa t the piece of paper in her hands, a number and an address. She realised that she didn't even remember Hikari's last name, let alone why Hikari, a complete stranger, was helping her. She also realised that her pride would never let her call Hikari, she just couldn't do it. But as she turned the paper over in her hands, she felt a twinge of hope.
"Come on, Shun-chan, let's go find this
cafe, then," she said, standing up. Shun'u gave an enthusiastic cry, happy
that his mother seemed happier, and Sorcha filled with optimism. Of course
everything would be alright! It had to, didn't it?
**************
"Hello!" came the voice from behind Sorcha. Sorcha spun around, wondering who could have possibly recognised her at the daycare centre. It was Hikari, with a small child by her side, who was chattering away with Shun'u.
"Hi," Sorcha replied, awkwardly. Hikari subtly examined her. There was still the ghost of the depressed woman from four months ago showing, but on the whole, she looked much better. Hikari had almost missed her coming to the airport. After their first meeting at the airport cafeteria, she had come only four more times, each with a longer gap between, until she finally gave up all hope and stopped all together. Sorcha now was smiling faintly at Hikair and she smiled back.
"How are you? Did you get the job?" Hikari asked, not probing Sorcha for not phoning at all in the four months she hadn't seen her. It was none of her business, she was just a stranger.
"I've been better," sighed Sorcha, "and no, I didn't get the job, but I found one at a noodle-bar. It's part time, a daytime shift, so I can pick up Shun'u. Is that your boy my son is talking to?" Sorcha changed the subject quickly. Hikari shook her head.
"Don't I wish! Isn't he sweet? He's my partner's first wife's son. Apparently she dumped him on her ex-husband, my boyfriend, even though he's not his child. But he keeps Kouji, he's generous. I take Kouji-chan to daycare," Hikari explained. At that point Shun'u ran up to Sorcha and gave her a hug.
"Hello Mummy!" he called then pointed to Kouji. "That's Kouji! He gave me a cookie!" he said, by way of explanation, and then asked, "can he come and play?" Sorcha looked at Hikari.
"Sure, why not?" Sorcha replied.
"Now?" Shun'u asked eagerly. Sorcha shrugged.
"If that's okay with Hito-san," she said, hesitantly.
"Please, Hikari-san!" pleaded Kouji, joining in. Hikair nodded and both boys cheered. They ran and played through all the short walk home. orcha let them into the apartment and closed the door quietly as both boys ran straight to Shun'u's room. Sorcha sank down on a chair at the table.
"I don't know if I can stay here much longer. The rent's too expensive and I've got to pay for Shun'u's daycare and our food. I'm nearly out of money, so I'm enjoying it while I can," Sorcha sighed.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Hikari replied, politely, then added, kindly, "would you like me to help you house hunt?"
"Why are you so good to me?" asked Sorcha, suspiciously, "You don't even know me." Hikari shrugged.
"It costs nothing to be nice to people. Maybe I was thinking of how I'd feel in your position. If you don't mind my saying so, you look young to be a mother. I'm twenty-six and I still don't know how I'd cope being a mother," Hikari replied.
"You've done well by Kouji," Sorcha pointd out.
"He's so cute!" enthused Hikari. "He seems to have adopted me as a second mother! I don't see how any mother could have abandoned him. Perhaps thats another reason I wanted to help you." Hikari said, thoughtfully.
"I thank you for your kindness," Sorcha said, politely but stiffy. She was touched by Hikari's kindness but wasn't quite sure what to think of her yet, nor how to express it.
"Can't your parents help you with money?" Hikari asked, after the resulting pause. Sorcha clenched her fists.
"I'd never beg them for money! They'll never find me, I'm using my Japanese name now... or rather a Japanese version of Finn's last name and my name," Sorcha replied.
"Aren't you already using your Japanese first name?" asked Hikari, surprised. Sorcha shook her head and gave a ghost of a smile.
"They're both pronounced the same way though. My name is 'Sorcha', an Irish name, and my Japanese name is 'Sora', as in the big blue thing over our heads that rain falls from. I write 'O'Malley' as 'Omari'," Sorcha explained.
"And Shun'u is Patrick?" asked Hikari. Sorcha nodded.
"Will you teach him English?" asked Hikari.
"He's already bilingual but I won't speak English to him. If he wants to learn it later on, that's his choice alone," Sorcha sighed.
"It seems like you're letting him waste an opportunity," Hikari replied. Sorcha shook her head.
"I see it as giving him a choice."
***********
Shun'u
When I asked Daddy why my hair was orange, he laughed. When I asked Mummy, she cried. I saw her cry like that when Daddy went away. I won't ask Mummy again, it makes her sad. Mummy is sad a lot now. I'm being really good but she still is sad. Maybe she is hurt, because she cries a lot. I'm being a big boy. I'll find out where Mummy is hurt and make it better but I don't know where she is hurting. Maybe she is scared., We're playing a big game. We even moved houses to make it better, and in the game, I'm Shun'u, not Patrick, and I can't speak English. I don't like the game any more. We're in a smelly little house and eat yucky food. Mummy looks really sad when I speak English, too. Maybe she's forgetting English. Maybe that's why Daddy went away. I'll be careful so I don't forget English took, otherwise Kouji-kun and Hikari-san might go away. I talk English to Bran at night and he talks back. Bran is really smart for a teddy. Daddy gave him to me to fight the monsters in the dark. Bran says Daddy will be back soon so I need to know English to talk to him.
*********
Kouji
My friend Shun'u has bright orange hair. When I firs' saw it, I thought it was on fire an' tipped my juice on his head. Mean ol' teacher yelled at me an' made me stand in the corner but Shun'u gave me my cookie back cos I'd only been helping. We tried to change his hair with mud but it didn' work an' his Omari-san got angry at him. Shun'u asked his Ma why his hair is all funny but she didn' tell him. Hikari-san says it's cos he's Irish but we dunno what Irish is. Maybe it's to do with peaches. Shun'u loves peaches and carrots an' they're orange so he's stopped eating them. He don' drink milk either, he did once at kindy an was sick. His Ma says he's "lactose intolerant". She taught us those big words an what they mean too! It means he can' drink milk, so when we have milk, he has orange juice. The teachers were real cross when he didn' drink it today. They said we're big boys now an' gotta drink all our drinks cos big boys eat an' drink everythin' they're given otherwise they don' let them go to school. School sounds like fun, with lotsa kisd to play with. Hikarisan says we're really brave because we're not scared like the other kids, but that's cos we got Bran. Shun'u says he fights off monsters for us so we'll be sage. I wish Pa would get me a teddy like that, Shun'u says Bran talks and my teddy doesn'. It's not fair!
**********
"The boys are good friends, we should put them in school together," Hikari said, sipping her tea. Sorcha looked at her in surprise.
"Are you sure? I thought you would put Kouji in a more expensive school. Your partner certainly can afford it," Sorcha replied. Hikari shook her head, dismissively.
"It hardly matters for five year olds how much prestige their school holds, as long as they learn. Let's not split the boys up. Besides, it means I can take Shun'u to school when you have early shifts. You can change shifts and get a better pay," Hikari said. Sorcha smiled.
"Thankyou, Hikari-chan," she said, gratefully. Shun'u and Kouji ran up to her suddenly.
"Home free!" Shun'u called, triumphanty. Kouji whined pathetically.
"Awwww! No fair, Shun'u! You're too fast!" Shun'u poked out his tongue and clung firm to his mother's arm.
"No, you're too slow!" he called back. Hikari and Sorcha gazed at them both in amusement.
"Playing tag?" Sorcha asked. "That would make me the safe point, right?" Shun'u and Kouji nodded. Sorcha got up, and, with her free hand, picked up the teapot. "More tea?" she asked Hikari.
"Yes, please," replied Hikari. Sorcha started walking to the kettle and Shun'u shuffled along beside her. Sorcha laughed.
"Are you just going to hold on all day now?" she asked.
"Yep! I'm not going to let go ever!" Shun'u declared.
"Hey! That's cheating!" Kouji complained.
"Don't worry, he's have to let go! I'm going to the toilet!" Sorcha said, grinning. Shun'u gulped as she gently pried his hands loose. Kouji stepped forward.
"I ain't giving you no time! You're too fast!" he said. Shun'u let go of his mother and shot off across the room and latched onto Hikari.
"Home free!" he declared, triumphantly. Kouji whined and said,
"That's not fair! I'm not playing anymore! Let's watch TV!" Shun'u scowled at Kouji.
"We don't have a TV, remember? Mummy, can I have a TV for my birthday?" Shun'u asked. Sorcha's departing figure sighed.
"We'll see,"
**************
Shun'u
School isn't that fun after all. Everyone keeps pointing at my hair and yucky girls want to touch it and touch Bran. Bran doesn't like being touched and I had to stop him biting people. People called me fire-head and gaijin at recess. I don't know what a gaijin is, but it doesn't sound nice. The teacher was nice, she gave me a lolly and the class sang about ducks then she told us a story. Lunch was scary, one of my teeth fell out! The teacher told me to put it in my pocket and Kouji and I were real scared because if all my teeth fall out, I won't be able to eat, I'll have to drink milk like a baby and I can't drink milk! Bran said I should try to glue it back in. I'm sitting in the sick room now. The lady won't believe me when I said it was Bran's idea. Bran's a mean teddy, he got me in trouble. Hikari just came in because Mummy is at work.
"Why did you swalllow glue? You could have been sick! You could have glued your mouth shut! How we have fed you?" Hikari fussed. I held up the tooth.
"It was Bran's idea! My tooth fell out!" I said. Hikari laughed.
"You don't need to do that, silly!" she said. Hikari then told me about the tooth fairy and I went back to class. The teacher told me I was really brave because I didn't even cry ad gave me a gold star sticker. Maybe school isn't so bad.
*************
"It's been a year now and they don't have any other friends," said Hikari to Sorcha, sounding worried. She kept one eye on Kouji and Shun'u who were charging on ahead, the other on Sorcha's face.
"Just as long as they're not being bullied," Sorcha said, calmly, "I'm not worried." Hikari looked at Sorcha.
"You don't have many friends, do you?" she asked. Sorcha shook her head.
"I never did. I left most of the ones I had in Oaska. I don't keep in touch with them, it was too hard at first, after Finn left and when I moved. None of them really seemed to care about me anyway. The ones from high school snubbed me after I got pregnant and the ones I made after Shun'u was born didn't know me long enough to really care. I've never been popular, it's hard, being a gaijin."
"You're not really a gaijin, you and Shun'u were raised here," Hikari said.
"Try telling everyone else that. They see our hair and think 'gaijin'," pointed out Sorcha, with a sigh. Shun'u ran past Sorcha and in his rush, dropped Bran. Hikari scooped the bear up and handed it back.
"He still keeps bringing it to school," she commented, "you usually are at work so you don't see, but he never forgets it." Sorcha's eyes softened.
"That's Bran," Sorcha said, "one of the
only things Shun'u has to remember Finn by. All we have for proof he was
ever with us are Bran and the photos.... and the letter, of course. I've
kept it too. Silly, isn't it?" Hikari didn't comment.
***********
A little girl came up to Shun'u and Kouji in the playground, one day. She inspected Shun'u from all angles in fascination and said,
"I like your hair. I want hair like that. How did you get it?" Shun'u grinned, showing the two large adult teeth in his mouth among the milk teeth.
"I dunno, I was born this way," Shun'u repied, not used to being complemented on his hair. He'd been expecting a taunt. The girl considere his answer.
"Oh," she said. She turned to include Kouji in her gaze.
"My name is Neko, will you be my friends?" she asked.
"Yep!" Kouji said.
"Okay," Shun'u said, then added, hesitantly, holding out his teddy, "Bran likes you, do you want to hold him?"
*********
"An' Kouji'll be the Daddy and I'll be the Mummy and you'll be the baby!" Yuki said.
"No fair!" Neko protested, "How come I always have to be the baby! You're always the Mummy!"
"That's cos I'm the big sister and your not!" Yuki declared, poking her tongue out at Neko.
"I don't want to be a dumb ol' uncle! I want to be the pet wolf!" Shun'u said, defiantly. Kouji decided being a wolf was much more interesting than being a father and started complaining.
"Aw, how come you get t' be a wolf?"
"Cos I said so first!" replied Shun'u, happily.
"Then I'm a cat! Like my name!" said Neko, eagerly.
"I'll be a rabbit then," said Yuki, grudgingly, while wondering what had happened to their game of Family.
"What'll I be then?" wailed Kouji, "Bran is already the bear!"
"You could be a wolf too," sugested Shun'u, "cos wolfs go in herds."
"Ya mean, wolves hunt in packs!" giggled Yuki. The six-year-olds glared at the nine-year-old and an evil glint entered Shun'u's eye.
"Good thing you're a rabbit then, because we need something to hunt!" he said. He charged towards Yuki, howling in a wolf imitation. Kouji and Neko followed, giggling, and Yuki ran off, squealing, half-afraid. What with his two oversized canines, his only adult teeth, Shun'u looked almost as if he had fangs!
************
"Aaaaaoooooooo! Look Mummy, I'm a wolf!" Shun'u said proudly, later that day when his mother came to pick him up from school. Sorcha laughed.
"Wolf-pup, more like!" she said, affectionately, scooping him up onto her back, "I guess that makes me Mama-wolf!"
"Uh huh! An' Neko's a cat an' Kouji's another wolf!" Shun'u enthused.
"My! A whole pack!" Hikari giggled.
"That's us! A wolf pack!" said Kouji, happily.
"In that case, we'd better return to our
den quickly!" laughed Hikari, waving goodbye to Sorcha and Shun'u.
Skipsida's Ravings:
This raving will be kinda informative, for once!
Sora means sky, in case you didn't get the reference to the "big blue thing" (the ocean isn't above our heads, in case you didn't guess...)
Bran, the name of the teddy, is the same name as an Irish hero is legends. That's probably why Finn and Shun'u named it that way. Bran is kinda based on my teddy, Kim, I used to say he could talk and he could too. He hasn't been very talkative lately, maybe I just can't hear as well as I could when I was little. I haven't stopped believing.
The airport scene struck me as pretty tragic, the way Sorcha clung onto hope for that long then finally gave up. I came up with the idea of Hikari, the observer, for that reason. She works there every day and would have seen Sorcha and felt sorry for her. Hikari means "light", and I thought it was kinda appropriate for the role Hikari has. She is one of the few kind people around in the story. I'm being realistic, I don't think anyone would really help Sorcha. It takes a rare person to help like Hikari, I have yet to meet one.
I loved writing all the scenes with little Shun'u and Kouji, they're just cute! Couldn't you just imagine them as kids, being naughty? Man, they are definately going to be naughty later on, just you see!
Hey, Neko-chan! You get an insertion here!
Yes, I know, the other people will be coming soon, but considering the
roles you have in the story, it might be hard to plonk you in places. Still,
Neko-chan is kinda funny in here anyway. I once had someone come up to
me and say "My name is [name], are you my friend?" I didn't know who they
were and thought they were looking for someone and had mistaken me for
them and said, "No, maybe one of them is." Oops. Hey, I was only about
three at the time!
There hasn't been much of a plot so far,
all the little scenes were basically to show how close Sorcha and Hikari
get, as well as putting a backdrop on Genrou and Kouji's friendship. They
really have known each other forever, or at least, they have in my version
of their reincarnation.
A ravings special: Skipsida's first anime convention!!!
It's a miracle! There's never been an anime convention before in my city, this was the first one and I got to go! *cheers*
Sorry, I just have to tell the world about it! ^_^
It was cool, with probably the whole otaku population of my state present (considering my state only has about 2 million people and not all of them are otaku, it's not that hard. I'm guessing about a few hundred people showed up). There were DVDs and plushies for sale, some were really cute and I found a shop where I might be able to buy a Nuriko plushie! YAY! I'm going to the National fencing championships in January and because my foil is named "Yanagi", I wanted a mascot, now I can get one! *happy dance* There were no Fushigi Yuugi DVDs for sale but thats okay, I've found a shop where I can buy them. Dubbed, unfortunately, but I might be able to find them subbed somewhere.
Anyway, I watched lots of anime (Oh My Goddess - dubbed *cringes* the voices sucked! I liked it better subbed! And Cowboy Beebop was good, we watched it subbed) and generally mingled with the crowd. It was at one of the universities so there were lots of university aged people. It was weird, I found someone there I haven't seen for years, a freaky guy with glasses, who was one of the few other anime-fans I knew at the time. What was good was the cosplay. I didn't know there was going to be one or I would have come as Nuriko... oh well. There wasn't even a Hotohori to glomp :-( But the costumes were wicked, there were about five Sakuras though, and an Asuka, among others. I wish I could have come in costume, oh well! Frogi, my sister, probably regretted the fact there was no Tamahome to glomp -_-;; I worry...
So, all in all, it was brilliant! Sorry,
the title is "Skipsida's Ravings" and this is the raving part of it! :-p