Finally, a chapter…

Chapter 12: Kishiria

Mid-April, U.C. 0070

Another month had passed, and Sakura's condition had improved somewhat. Ghinius was overjoyed at any improvement in her condition and looked forward to every day he spent with her. But he couldn't go and visit her today, even though it was a Saturday. Today he needed to get some much-needed rest and relaxation, though that might be difficult. Garma was coming over yet again, and this time his older sister was invited as well. She was invited because their father had business to attend to, and he didn't want his youngest children getting in the way. But Ghinius knew that Garma's sister, Kishiria, wouldn't be too much trouble. She was only three years younger than he was and she also went to his school. And she could even help keep Garma and Ayna under control, he figured. So maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.

Ghinius had awoken at about six o' clock in the morning, after having fallen asleep at around midnight. He had been up all that time pondering and worrying about the day ahead, and by the time Ayna was up he was certainly not very well-rested. As soon as she was up, Ayna came running into Ghinius' room, singing, "Garma's comin' over, Garma's comin' over,"

Ghinius just sat up and groaned, "I know damn it! I was up all night worrying about it!"

"Ooooooh, that means we're gonna' bug you extra, Oooooooh," Ayna squealed.

"You better not," Ghinius mumbled as he got out of bed. He got up and walked slowly downstairs as Ayna followed in close proximity. Norris was awake as well, and greeted them when they got downstairs. Their breakfast was already on the table, and Norris did his usual routine of making sure Ghinius took his daily cocktail of pills. But Norris could tell that Ghinius hadn't had much sleep, and inquired him about it.

"Sir, you look tired," He said, "did you get enough sleep?"

"I'm afraid not," He yawned, "I fell asleep at midnight; woke up at around six,"

"Yeah, so me and Garma are gonna' bug him extra!" Ayna butted in.

"Ayna, don't say that! How would you like it if someone was irritating you when you've had only six hours of sleep," Norris lectured Ayna.

Norris, Ghinius, and Ayna spent the rest of their breakfast in silence. Afterwards, Ayna ran off and sat down next to the front window. Ghinius eventually sat down next to her, and the two said nothing until Ghinius remarked, "So, I see you're waiting for your boyfriend,"

"He is not my boyfriend!" Ayna yelled, "and even if I had one, at least he didn't dump me like your girlfriend did!"

Ghinius immediately began to feel rage towards Ayna, and was about to say something very vulgar to her when he remembered that she didn't know anything about what really happened to Sakura. So, he just kept it in and said nothing. Ayna didn't say anything after that, either. This silence went on for about thirty minutes or so, until a car pulled up in the driveway and Ayna squealed, "They're here, THEY'RE HERE!"

"Oh God," Ghinius muttered to himself as Garma, Kishiria, and their eldest brother Ghiren got out of the car. Norris walked to the front door to greet them as Ghinius and Ayna stood up.

"Hello Sir Ghiren, I see you drove your siblings here today," Norris said to Ghiren, "doesn't your father usually drive Garma here?"

"Well, my father was busy," The twenty-five year old man stated, his siblings standing quietly behind him, "and I see that Ghinius and Ayna have grown quite a bit since I last saw them,"

"Yeah, when you last saw us, big brother hadn't gone through puberty yet!" Ayna butted in, "You know it took him three months to crack his voice and..."

"Ayna, BE QUIET! I bet you don't even know puberty is!" Ghinius shushed Ayna.

"I guess I'll be leaving," Ghiren said, "Garma, Kishiria, have fun," He then walked back to his car, got in, and drove off. As soon as he left, Garma and Ayna ran off, leaving Ghinius and Kishiria alone in the hallway.

Kishiria was dressed in baggy black pants, red converse, and a black T-shirt that read, "Save a cow, eat a vegetarian". Her reddish-brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and her fingernails were painted with black nail-polish. For a minute, Ghinius and Kishiria just stood there, not saying anything. But then Kishiria stated, "So, I presume you're Ayna's brother,"

"Yeah, and I presume you're Garma's sister," Ghinius replied.

"Yup, Garma told me about you; he says you're always being mean to him,"

"Yeah well, he and Ayna can be quite annoying sometimes," Ghinius shrugged, "You want to watch TV or something?"

"I guess," She said, sounding bored. They walked off towards the living room, but before they got there, Kishiria announced that she was hungry.

"Hey...Ayna's brother, I'm kinnda' hungry; where's the kitchen?" She said.

"Follow me," He sighed. Ghinius wasn't exactly thrilled to have Kishiria around, but at least she wasn't nearly as irritating her younger brother. So he led her to the kitchen and soon as they walked in she began to look through the cabinets and the fridge. She eventually found a bag of chips in the pantry, which she proceeded to open and indulge in.

"So," Kishiria stated between mouthfuls of chips, "where do you think my brother and Ayna ran off to?"

"Eh, they're probably in Ayna's room trying to kiss or something," Ghinius replied.

"Hey!" A small voice squealed from behind the doorway, "we aren't trying to kiss; unlike you and your ex-girlfriend,"

"Ayna! When did you get down here?" Ghinius said feeling rather agitated.

"A few minutes ago," Garma piped in. They both walked out from behind the doorway and came into the kitchen. It didn't take long for Garma to notice his sister munching on the chips, "Oooooooh, you're gonna' get fat, sis, if you keep eatin' those chips, Ooooooh," He said sing-songingly.

"Shut up, Garma! Don't make me come over there and kick you in the groin!" Kishiria responded. Her threat seemed to work because Garma immediately shut his mouth and ran off with Ayna.

"Hey, um, Kishiria," Ghinius mumbled, "when are you going to be done with those chips?"

"Now," She said as she stopped eating and put the chips back in the pantry. The two resumed staring at each other until Ghinius broke the silence.

"So, what do you want to do now?" The blond inquired. Even though they were close in age, Ghinius had no idea as to what the young girl might want to do. She was essentially still a child, so he tried to think about what entertained him when he was her age.

But the only thing he could remember was the pain of constant illness. He had few friends at that age due to the fact that he was out of school so often, and when he was actually in school, the other children tended to shun him. They didn't want to be around him because they didn't know what to think about him. They told all sorts of rumors about him; that he had AIDS, that he was just feigning illness to get out of school, that he was going to die, and other things of that nature.

However, Ghinius did remember one boy who at least attempted to associate with him. His name was Yuri Kerane, a tall, brown-haired boy a year older than him (though they were in the same grade, on account that Yuri was held back in fourth grade). He went to elementary and middle school with Ghinius, but once they entered the ninth grade they went off to different schools. At the time, they were almost polar-opposites. Yuri was tall for his age, and Ghinius was always small and frail. Yuri was very outgoing, sometimes to the point of rudeness, while as Ghinius was shy and kept to himself. Ghinius sometimes wondered what became of Yuri, but lately he had been so busy with other things that he didn't care.

Ghinius reminisced about these things for a moment, only to be interrupted by Kishiria answering his question.

"I guess I want to go check out your room," She stated.

"Okay," He shrugged, "c'mon, it's upstairs," He then led her upstairs to his room. Upon entering, Kishiria immediately took notice of the various origami models on the desk. She also noted that the room was very well-kept, so she figured that Ghinius must like things organized and clean. It reminded her of her eldest brother Ghiren, who was quite meticulous when it came to things of that nature. But she focused her attention back on the origami models, and therefore walked over to the desk to look at them.

"What's this?" She questioned as she picked up an origami flower.

"A paper flower," Ghinius replied.

"There are a lot of these paper things; did you make them?" Kishiria questioned further as she picked up and looked at more of them.

"No, I didn't," Ghinius stated as he started to think about Sakura.

"Well, who did then?" She asked curiously.

For a moment, Ghinius didn't know how to answer. Should he tell her about Sakura? He didn't really like telling other people about her because it made him depressed. But he knew he had no other alternative; Kishiria asked and therefore should get an answer.

"Um, my girlfriend did," He replied slightly upset.

"Cool, these things are neat," She commented, continuing to rummage through Ghinius's things. She eventually found the box where he kept the letters from Sakura and picked one up. Ghinius soon became uneasy; that was his business and no one else's. Kishiria began to read it silently, and all the while Ghinius was anxious as to what she would say.

"Kishiria, I don't really want you reading…"

"Is this from your girlfriend too?" She interrupted.

"Yes," Ghinius stated nervously. Kishiria continued to read the letter, and was beginning to get a grasp on what was going on.

"What's this about hospitalization? Is she sick or something?" Kishiria asked.

"Yes, she is," Ghinius answered solemnly, "she has leukemia,"

"Oh," Kishiria put down the letter and sat on the bed next to Ghinius, "I'm sorry,"

"It's okay," He murmured.

"How is she doing?"

"Well, her doctors' say that she's getting better, but we're not out of the woods yet," Ghinius replied as he picked up an origami bird. He put it down after a few moments and lay down on his bed.

"Does your sister know?" She questioned.

"No, I haven't told her. I think she's too immature and wouldn't understand it," Ghinius replied, "like when our father died,"

"Your father died?" Kishiria asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, when I was fourteen. My mother abandoned us when I was nine and my dad got so depressed that he started doing heroin and drinking," Ghinius said depressively, "one day, he disappeared, and we got a phone call that someone had found him passed out on a sidewalk somewhere. He was taken to a hospital, but he died a few days later, never regaining consciousness. The doctors determined that it was a heroin overdose, but they didn't know if it was accidental or intentional. Of course, Ayna didn't really understand what had happened to him; after all, she was only seven,"

"It must be hard," Kishiria replied, "not having your parents around,"

"Yeah, but I got used to it," He said, "but I don't know what I'll do if Sakura dies,"

"You mean your girlfriend?" Kishiria commented.

"Yeah," Ghinius answered, "that's her name,"

"Well," Kishiria stated, "you just have to keep praying for her, and you can't focus on the negatives,"

"I know, but it's hard not to dwell on the what-ifs; if I lose her I won't really have anyone left,"

"You'll have Ayna," Kishiria pointed out.

"You know," Ghinius smiled slightly, "Sakura said almost the same thing to me when I visited her a few weeks ago," He then turned to Kishiria, "but if I lose her I still don't think Ayna would be much comfort,"

"Yeah, she IS only ten, and like you said, really immature," Kishiria stood up, "what can we do now?"

"I dunno, we could go find Ayna and your brother," Ghinius stood up as well, "and see what they're up to,"

Ghinius and Kishiria walked off and headed towards Ayna's room, but found that Garma and Ayna were elsewhere. Ghinius then led Kishiria out to the backyard, where they discovered them playing in the mud. The ten-year olds knew that this was something they were not permitted to do, so when they noticed their older siblings they immediately attempted to flee.

"Garma, get your ass over here right now!" Kishiria shouted to her younger brother, who then turned round and slowly trotted back. Ayna followed unhurriedly because the two knew that they were in trouble. A few moments later Norris walked out and immediately took notice of the situation, not ceasing in the least to scold Ayna and Garma.

"Miss Ayna, what do you think you were doing!" Norris scolded, "and you too, Garma, what were you thinking?"

"We were playin' in the mud," Ayna stated reluctantly.

"Well, you two march inside and clean up," Norris gestured towards the back door, "and take off those filthy clothes. I bet your father is going to be REALLY pleased when he hears about this, Garma,"

"Are you gonna' call him!" Garma panicked.

"What do ya' think, stupid!" Kishiria stated sarcastically.

Garma and Ayna plodded gloomily towards the back door, only to be stopped by a loud, "Ayna! Garma! Don't even THINK about going inside like that," Norris boomed, "you're going to have to take off the muddy clothes on the back porch,"

Ghinius, who had been silent for a most of the incident, laughed quietly as Garma and Ayna stripped down to their undergarments on the porch. Once the children were denuded, Norris went inside, taking the soiled clothes with him to be washed. But as he left, he instructed Ghinius to hose the children down. Ghinius didn't waste a moment in getting the hose and turning it on, but just as he was doing so the ten-year olds ran off.

"Garma, Ayna, get over here right now!" He shouted at them, "do you want me to get Norris out here again?"

Ayna and Garma stopped upon hearing that; if Norris came out, they would be in even bigger trouble. They walked slowly towards Ghinius, who proceeded to hose them down.

"Eeeeeeeh, it's cold!" Ayna squealed as the water hit her.

"Well, now you know not to play in the mud wearing your good clothes," Ghinius remarked slyly. Once he finished cleaning the children, Ghinius walked off. But once his back was turned, Garma whispered something to Ayna, who went and turned on the hose again. Within seconds, Ghinius was sopping wet and the youngsters were in hysterics. Ghinius turned to face them angrily, cursing, "Damn you Ayna, damn you Garma!"

"Ooooooooooh, he said the'd' word at us," Ayna chirped. Kishiria chuckled to herself as Ghinius ran after their younger siblings, Garma still spraying him constantly with the hose. But her laughter ended abruptly, because her brother soon sprayed her as well.

"Damn it Garma! You soaked my good clothes!" She stated as she began to run after them too. The four minors continued to run about, Ghinius and Kishiria tried to catch their siblings and Garma and Ayna tried to evade and further torment them. Their antics went on for a few minutes more until Garma and Kishiria's father walked into the backyard, looking considerably angered.

"Garma, what do you think you're doing!" He yelled, causing his son to stop in his tracks.

"Um, well, we were just playing," He replied sheepishly.

"Norris called and told me all about it, you were playing in the mud and ruined your good clothes," Degin Rodo Zabi (Kishiria and Garma's father) boomed, "both of you, get in the car NOW! Garma, you can't even begin to imagine how much trouble you're in,"

"What's gonna' happen?" Garma panicked.

"Well, for one, I don't think you're going to be coming over here for a while," Degin stated as his children got in the car reluctantly.

Garma waved solemnly at Ayna from the car as they drove off. Once the Zabis were gone, Ghinius and Ayna went back into their home. Norris walked out from the laundry room and instructed them to change into something dry for dinner, which they did promptly. Dinner was on the table when they came back downstairs, but they ate it silently. After they were finished, the siblings went back upstairs to prepare for bed. It was already getting close to artificial night, and Ghinius was by now exhausted from the day.

Ghinius walked into his room and plopped down onto the bed. Even though he was tired, he decided to write to Sakura. He grabbed a pen and paper and began to write. He wrote of the day and other things that had been going on, about how Kishiria liked her origami, and about the "mud" incident. He told her the usual about how he wished she were better and was looking forward to seeing her. He wrote it in his delicate, almost feminine handwriting and finished it off by telling her he loved her. He put the finished letter on his bedside table, turned out the light, and almost immediately fell asleep…

Well, what do ya' guys think about that chapter, eh? First one without Sakura being physically in it, so I think it was interesting. As always, I would LOVE some reviews, so PLEASE do so. Anyway, I hope ya'll liked all the cameos in this chappie, so, um, yeah.