Kitoko woke with a start, the tears falling freely from her brown eyes. She looked around her room, and her gaze fell upon a picture frame on her nightstand. "Daddy..." She whispered to the picture, and picked it up off her nightstand. She gazed down at the face she barely remembered, her father, Toya. In the picture, there were three, him, Kitoko, and her mother, Aya. They were all smiling, and laughing, yet, that laughter was short lived. Kitoko remembered that day. The picture was taken three days before her father vanished from existance. Leaving nothing behind, save his family, and a black choker with a silver cross. She dried her eyes on the corner of her bed sheet and shook her head.
She clambered out of her bed and stood, walking over to her mirror. She brushed out her short brown hair and walked out of her room, down the hall, and into the bathroom. She took her shower, her thoughts on her re-occuring dream--no, nightmare, of her father's dissapearance. She wraped herself in a bathrobe and padded back down the hall to her room, leaving a trail of water behind her.
She dressed in her school uniform in silence. The white button down, the black, pull-over vest, and black pleated skirt, then dried her hair. She stared into the mirror, the eyes of someone else staring back. She whirled around, thinking someone was behind her, only to find her room empty of life save Kitoko.
"Daddy?" She called out tentativly. Had her father come back to her and her mother? Was he really alive? Then that grave she visited every year was a fake! She looked around more, and poked her head out into the hall half-expecting to see him standing there, waiting for his little girl.
She withdrew herself back into her room, and listened. The house was silent. She looked at the clock on her wall. No wonder the house was so dark and quiet. It was four in the morning! She pulled her socks on, up to her knees, and walked silently out of her room. "He's not coming back." She scolded herself quietly. "He's dead."
She entered the living room and looked up. The light in the kitchen was on. Kitoko approached the kitchen and peered around the corner. Yuhi was at the stove, pouring in some vegatable or other. He had his headphones on and was whistling along to a popular tune. Kitoko drew back and leaned against the wall. Did he ever leave? Since when did he have a key to thier house?
Her thoughts were interuppted as Yuhi came around the corner and saw her. He lifted his hand and pulled his headphones out of his ears. "Well good morning Kit. What're you doin up so early?" He asked in his overly friendly, 'I'm talking to a little kid' voice.
"I never said you could call me Kit. Only my mom, my friends and my father are allowed to call me that." She said emphasising the word father.
"Oh... well I thought that since Aya calls you Kit, it wouldnt matter if I-" But he didnt finish his sentence. Kitoko cut him off.
"Well you can't. Your not my father, and you never will be, got it?" She asked and walked away, back into her room.
Who does he think he is? Calling her by her nickname all of the sudden? How rude. Hes in her house, taking over her life, and trying to be her father. Its been like this all month! When was he just going to give up? Kit looked up as someone knocked softly on her door. She looked around and walked over to the door, leaning up against it, as if to hold it in place. "Who's there?" She asked as she listened to the steady breathing on the other side of her door.
"Kit? Honey? Its me." Her mother called out to her. "Can I come in?" She asked as she turned the door knob.
Kitoko removed herself from the door and allowed her mother to open it. "What is it?" She asked with an innocent tone. "Mom?"
"Honey... come over here and sit down." Aya said quietly as she walked over to her daughters bed and sat down. Kitoko did as she was told and waited. "Kit, you know that Yuhi has always been there for us, right?" Kit nodded and remained silent. Her mother continued. "And he loves us both very much. Right?" She nodded again, and waited for her mother to continue, when she didn't, Kitoko spoke.
"Where are you going with this?" She asked bluntly.
"Honey... in May... remember around the twenty-fifth? Yuhi took me out to dinner?" Aya asked, and looked at the ground. A nervous habit that Kitoko recognised as something bad was about to happen. Her mother was going to tell her something she didnt want to hear.
She wasnt going to wait for the invite of bad news. Instead of waiting to hear her mother out, she stood up, and stalked out of the room. No way was this going to happen. Not here, not now. She wasnt going to listen to her mothers bad news.
She clambered out of her bed and stood, walking over to her mirror. She brushed out her short brown hair and walked out of her room, down the hall, and into the bathroom. She took her shower, her thoughts on her re-occuring dream--no, nightmare, of her father's dissapearance. She wraped herself in a bathrobe and padded back down the hall to her room, leaving a trail of water behind her.
She dressed in her school uniform in silence. The white button down, the black, pull-over vest, and black pleated skirt, then dried her hair. She stared into the mirror, the eyes of someone else staring back. She whirled around, thinking someone was behind her, only to find her room empty of life save Kitoko.
"Daddy?" She called out tentativly. Had her father come back to her and her mother? Was he really alive? Then that grave she visited every year was a fake! She looked around more, and poked her head out into the hall half-expecting to see him standing there, waiting for his little girl.
She withdrew herself back into her room, and listened. The house was silent. She looked at the clock on her wall. No wonder the house was so dark and quiet. It was four in the morning! She pulled her socks on, up to her knees, and walked silently out of her room. "He's not coming back." She scolded herself quietly. "He's dead."
She entered the living room and looked up. The light in the kitchen was on. Kitoko approached the kitchen and peered around the corner. Yuhi was at the stove, pouring in some vegatable or other. He had his headphones on and was whistling along to a popular tune. Kitoko drew back and leaned against the wall. Did he ever leave? Since when did he have a key to thier house?
Her thoughts were interuppted as Yuhi came around the corner and saw her. He lifted his hand and pulled his headphones out of his ears. "Well good morning Kit. What're you doin up so early?" He asked in his overly friendly, 'I'm talking to a little kid' voice.
"I never said you could call me Kit. Only my mom, my friends and my father are allowed to call me that." She said emphasising the word father.
"Oh... well I thought that since Aya calls you Kit, it wouldnt matter if I-" But he didnt finish his sentence. Kitoko cut him off.
"Well you can't. Your not my father, and you never will be, got it?" She asked and walked away, back into her room.
Who does he think he is? Calling her by her nickname all of the sudden? How rude. Hes in her house, taking over her life, and trying to be her father. Its been like this all month! When was he just going to give up? Kit looked up as someone knocked softly on her door. She looked around and walked over to the door, leaning up against it, as if to hold it in place. "Who's there?" She asked as she listened to the steady breathing on the other side of her door.
"Kit? Honey? Its me." Her mother called out to her. "Can I come in?" She asked as she turned the door knob.
Kitoko removed herself from the door and allowed her mother to open it. "What is it?" She asked with an innocent tone. "Mom?"
"Honey... come over here and sit down." Aya said quietly as she walked over to her daughters bed and sat down. Kitoko did as she was told and waited. "Kit, you know that Yuhi has always been there for us, right?" Kit nodded and remained silent. Her mother continued. "And he loves us both very much. Right?" She nodded again, and waited for her mother to continue, when she didn't, Kitoko spoke.
"Where are you going with this?" She asked bluntly.
"Honey... in May... remember around the twenty-fifth? Yuhi took me out to dinner?" Aya asked, and looked at the ground. A nervous habit that Kitoko recognised as something bad was about to happen. Her mother was going to tell her something she didnt want to hear.
She wasnt going to wait for the invite of bad news. Instead of waiting to hear her mother out, she stood up, and stalked out of the room. No way was this going to happen. Not here, not now. She wasnt going to listen to her mothers bad news.