Yzak's Theodore
"Where could it be?"
Little Yzak madly hopped as he splinted down to each of the four walls of his room. He scrubbed his hair with his small hand furiously, darting his eyes down to the last dust his room was collecting. Kicking anything his bare foot was touching, he tried recalling all the places he had been to yesterday. It was with him last night, and right the next day, it was nowhere to be found! What kind of place is he running in here, anyway? He stomped his feet badly as he made his way out of his room, shedding a frown of scrunched-up face out of disgust at the sight of the clutter he, himself, had made just minutes ago. He turned the knob, squeezing it with his grip tightly, pulled it, then after the opening, a loud slam was heard, making the room faintly grumble. For someone who is only five years old, he was indeed too strong for his age.
He felt hot air evaporate from his head, exiting through the smallest of his pores as he walked down the halls of their humble home. His joints were moving at its limits as he dragged his tiny legs forcefully towards to none other than his beloved mother.
"Mummy!" he cried as he paced faster, not letting a mere second pass him by, enduring the problem.
Ezaria Jule's eyes widened at the sight of her dear son now stomping while sniffing as of then. She hunted down each of his details, concluding that her silver-haired handsome son was suffering another of his "end-of-the-world" dilemmas. She smiled inwardly, putting down the basket of laundry she was carrying. Brushing a stray hair covering his eyes, she mustered all the attention she could give to her Yzak down to the last bit of his problem.
Ezaria's motherly figure approached him with calming hands, conserving the minutes of getting their distances nearer. Yzak sped up, begging for his mother's assuring and comforting hug as he returned the gesture. He swayed his hands up, slowly wrapping it around his mother's legs, asking for a hug.
She chuckled to herself, thinking what problem was he encountering as of now. She could not help but wonder why Yzak was not angry as he usually was, which was a trait she could not figure out how he obtained it. As far as she knows, she did not tolerate him to be like that, end of conversation.
Ezaria bent down to grant her son the hug he wanted so badly. Cupping him right in her arms, Yzak wrapped his around her back, making him a lot more snuggly and at ease. He sighed cutely, letting out a baby breath as he did. He thought such things as what if his mother leaves him. He would probably faint by the next second, and then die after two minutes had passed.
"What is the matter, Yzak?" she asked, eyeing him more motherly as the little one released from the connection. She pulled away by mere centimeters, and then gazed at her handsome son.
"Mom…mom…mummy…" he cannot squeeze the words between sniffing and his tears breaking out from his eyes one by one. Ezaria had shot him a look to be less pathetic and start doing something instead of crying. She eyed him more strictly now, urging Yzak to act more manly.
"Mom…he is gone." he said as he fought back tears, but began sniffing too loudly. He exaggerated the "he" to tell his mother what he was talking about. The five-year old thought that the wall had invisible ears, so his mom and him always refer to him as an exaggerated pronunciation of "he". Ezaria always hides a few laughs out of his little imaginations, really.
Yzak hid his face, burying it under his hair covers as he fiddled with his red jumper. He looked away fast; ignoring the reassuring look his mother was giving him. Being a stubborn as he normally was, he didn't want to go for his mom's help in the first place. Once, little Yzak had packed all his things up and wanted to run away from home because his mother was helping him with a math homework he knew much about. He thought his mother was underestimating him, but when Ezaria showed him almost half of his answers were wrong, along with evidence, he brushed off the idea. He sped up to the room and threw all the things everywhere…back to their original places. The red sock goes to the second cabinet, the yellow one hangs on his desk, and his shirts were flying every where, occupying each space left.
"He is?" she asked, trying to sound shocked, opening her mouth in utter unbelief of the statement. She fought back her laughs as Yzak sadly nodded at her, telling her that it was really a "BIG" problem. Brushing his hair neatly, she smiled at him, acknowledging him that everything would be perfectly all right.
"Don't worry, Yzak. He will show up after your favorite cartoons. Maybe he does not want to disturb you when you sing with Big Bird or Elmo."
"But mummy!" he tried protesting, demanding her to go looking for him right at this moment. "We always sing together! And with him, no one, not even the walls' invisible ears could hear my off-key tunes!" He wailed again, convincing his mother to stop this insanity right at this moment.
"Yzak."
The five-year old smiled sadly as he quickly got the idea. He turned his back on her, frowning as he did. He began stomping his feet again, resuming his walk towards the living room. His jumper stretched viciously, producing a rip down at the middle of his butt, with him being unaware. Ezaria giggled at the sight of his son's underwear showing bare at her. Clutching her stomach to prevent her from further laughing, she eyed the basket she left minutes ago, struggling to carry it down at their laundry room.
Yzak pouted as he blew up his red cheeks thinking that he lost again. He heaved a sigh of defeat as he approached the living room, grabbing the remote control and then pressed the "on" button on the device with his puny finger. He cannot believe his mother blew him off again. It was a matter of life and death and she chose to ignore him! It was so terrible, he felt his eyes turn puffy, missing him beside him. They would always sing together, and they would even dance in galore, without the invisible ears hearing him, but there he was, all alone…a Sesame St. show without any friend to sing with him! He watched as the opening scene was unfolding in front of him, Big Bird flashing his humongous flock of feathers in front of the screen. What's the use of watching it when you're with no one! He was not allowed to sing without anyone with him, he swore to him and his mother. A Sesame St. show was more of a drama genre with the silver-haired boy sitting in the big couch all alone.
He rested his head on his chin, beat with boredom as he watched each scene with his half-opened eyes. For once, he never felt so uninterested with Cookie Monster's new punch line. They all looked like a bunch of crazy men in mascots running around the television here and there. He did not take a sip from his milk nor did he take a bite from any of his cookies. He was going to share it with him; he always did so. He just stared at the screen, allowing gallons of radiation fill up his face, not completely registering what was showing right in front of him.
Ezaria passed by the living room, grabbing more and more baskets of dirty and smelly clothes to wash. She was running late for schedule, since she had to go to a meeting conference at ZAFT by the next half an hour. And she still needed to wait for the niece of her friend in the council. Her schedule was completely hectic that she did not have time to go looking for Yzak's he. He will have a playmate later on, and he will forget all about it. She caught a glimpse from his son, still feeling awful having to watch the show without him. She shook his head, smiling at the thought that Yzak could actually turn out to be a loyal friend. She walked towards his room then, brushing off the thought.
Yzak was still there, lying at the couch, and was not watching the stupid show anymore. There were still another hour and a half to go, and he was not planning to powder his face full of birds, and whatevers showing in front of him. He just stared at the ceiling. He held up his hands high, eyeing his small fingers where he used to hug him. Oh, how he missed him. The cookies were gathering dust and his milk was drinking itself. This was the most miserable thing that could ever happen to a five-year old.
Gazing at the bunch of the sweet-smelling fresh batch of cookies, he cannot help but drool a little. He grabbed one fast, without anyone noticing, swallowed it as a whole, making his mouth bulge to form a lump from his cheeks.
As little Yzak eyed the hallways, he saw his mother, getting dressed up with one of her fancy coats she always wears. He sees most of her friends wearing them, too. Maybe it was a mother's trend, he thought. Though the coats really look the same, and the color was so lame. His mother turned to the mirror, brushed her hair a little, and then paced towards the living room.
Ezaria walked up to Yzak, telling her the common rules of her five-year old son when leaving him alone in the house. She opened her mouth, but hesitated seeing his face displaying a look of dismay. He was missing, and she didn't even have the heart of staying in the house with him. She sat next to him, patting his back gently.
"Don't worry, I promise you he will show up after Sesame St."
Yzak's eyes lit up momentarily then returned to a frown. There were still another hour until he shows up. He tilted his head away from her, but Ezaria had prevented the act, planting a gentle kiss on each of his cheeks. The silver-haired five-year old pretended he hated it as he brushed his cheeks. He stuck out a tongue, making her mother chuckle. Ezaria stood up, but before she took her first step, Yzak grabbed her hand with his baby soft ones.
"I love you, mummy."
Ezaria replied a sweet smile for her son as she continued walking for the door. Taking the last step, the doorbell began ringing incessantly. She smiled inwardly, thinking that Yzak's problem would weigh less with a new playmate. She opened the door, greeting the two brunettes with the sun flashing right at their backs. It was about time. She greeted her friend's niece and invited her in. She told him Yzak was in the living room, being miserable and asked the niece a favor of cheering him up. She just nodded. As Ezaria closed the door, the new playmate explored the house as she looked up for the living room.
It was a very complicated house, but she managed to locate the living room not too long. She saw a round head covered with platinum hair lying lazily on the couch, unbelieving that he was actually bored watching Sesame St. She muttered annoyed words out of her mere breaths as she resumed walking towards the couch to introduce herself.
Surprised, Yzak jumped at the sight of a girl now gawking at him, blocking the television screen in front of him. He wanted to wave her away, thinking that she might be the new playmate his mother was talking about. He didn't hate her, but he was way too irritated to talk. And now it was supposed to be a girl who would always talk about dolls.
Seeing his brows arch downward at the sight of her, she smiled sweetly in return, which made him blush a little bit.
"Hi!"
"Hey." He grunted.
"Why aren't you enjoying Sesame St.? It's so fun! And I do not know any child who breaths properly that hates it." She said, using quite jumpy tones while speaking.
"He is gone." He mumbled as he looked away from her.
"Who's he?" She asked, folding her arms right in front of her chest.
"I'll tell you, but don't tell it to anyone okay?"
She gave him a confused look, but nodded happily. "Okay!"
Yzak bit his lip as he leaned awkwardly, thinking twice if he should tell a girl his biggest secret.
"It's Theodore, my teddy bear."
"Oh my god!" she gasped her wits off. She had covered her mouth at the mention of such tragedy fallen to a very young child of the age of five.
"You play with a teddy bear, too?" he questioned her, thinking that he wasn't the only one still playing with a teddy bear.
"Of course I do! What do you want me to play with, dolls? Never mind!" Yzak was quite surprised at her own opinion. At the first time in his life, he found a girl who was not playing with a doll, and even better, she was playing with a teddy bear! He flashed his smile, which he rarely does, flashing his teeth with two still missing. Holding out his hand, he asked her to introduce himself to his new playmate. And she nodded a lot more jumpy now, holding out a hand of her own, too.
"I'm Yzak! What is yours?"
"I'm Shiho Hahnenfuss!" she smiled, grabbing her hand and began swishing it up and down dangerously, which made Yzak like her even more.
The two five-year olds sat beside each other, slouching lazily on the couch as they began on munching on the cookies and drinking in the same glass of milk, leaving a milk moustache hanging. The two laughed at each other, hanging both their feet up to the low table. The playmates suddenly stopped, seeing Elmo and Big Bird sprout out of nowhere. The two exchanged excited looks as the next number flashed in front of them.
And so, the entire house echoed their voices as they sang with each other, playing with the tune of the two humongous weird creatures dancing in the television. Shiho impersonated Cookie Monster, while Yzak with Big Bird. The two laughed almost an eternity. They were completely like this for the whole hour. They were dancing crazily, each one thinking that he or she was covering their off-key tunes. They played with each other, coating the boring hour with excitement.
!#$&()+\ ?"+
Ezaria guiltily turned the doorknob, expecting Yzak welcoming him with complaints between frowns. Sure, she had brought him a playmate…but a girl? She sighed, entering the lit halls with her friend to fetch her niece.
She brushed her hair back as they walked towards the living room, smiling at her friend. Never did she expect such surprise, though.
Up there was Yzak…no, Shiho…no, Yzak…where is Shiho? There she is…then where is Yzak? Her friend scratched her head at the sight of confusion, as the same as she. They both scrambled to the living room, curiously figuring out what the two were doing.
Yzak and Shiho were laughing crazily, jumping at the beady-soft couch and began waving at them. Yzak was smiling which clawed Ezaria's spine. This was beyond belief, but she was glad that it did happen. Yzak was happy…with a girl? Ah, never mind.
The brown-haired girl got off and raced to her aunt as soon as their eyes met. They both hugged each other tightly, as well as Yzak and Ezaria. The two elders had tea for just a couple of minutes and then the two had decided to pay thank you for the hospitality they had given them, as well as their goodbyes.
"Hey, nice meeting you, Yzak!"
Yzak pouted as he eyed Shiho now at the edge of their doorway saying goodbye. Now he lost another friend. He looked away again, pretending that he didn't have fun playing with her. He saw her aunt dress her up with a beautiful coat that made her prettier. He felt faint blush paint his cheeks as he watched them from the corner of his eyes.
"Is anything the matter, Yzak?"
The little boy did not reply. He ignored the question. He hated goodbyes, really. He was not good with it, too. He was saying goodbye to the only breathing girl who does not play with dolls. Immediately, Shiho gave in a giggle as he pushed little Yzak to turn her way.
"Call me when you find him, okay? We'll play with her." She said, holding out her pinky while winking.
Yzak's eyes lit up, returning her gesture, as to seal their promise to each other.
"You bet!"
Unexpectedly, Yzak neared Shiho, hugging her in a tight embrace. His small hands had managed to wrap it around her, which made him grin.
"Yeah, I bet, too." Shiho said, still smiling sweetly.
Ezaria smiled evilly at the sight of the five-years olds' scene uncovering right in front of her. Her friend returned the smile as she held out her pinky in their own fashionable but mysterious way…no one would know.
"Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
The door shut right in front of the two Jules; Ezaria locked it up, while Yzak returned to the living room, still having to clean up their mess. He ran towards the room, so fast that he was unaware of the object that would make him trip.
"OW!"
He fell face first, feeling mad, angry blood rushing through his veins the moment he would look at the object. He turned back, trying to identify the thing.
"THEODORE!" he screamed as he ran to it, hugging it too tightly that made the stuffed bear slightly squeezed. A tear prickled down at his cheeks at the sight of his best friend with a patterned cloth patched on his back on the bottom, revealing the same pattern as his underwear.
"See, I told you he would show up after the program…"
Yzak felt proud of his mother, being a part-time fortuneteller. He could still not imagine an Yzak Jule without an Ezaria Jule. He embraced his mother and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. They both laughed at the sight of Yzak's kiss mark and Ezaria's…let's just say, milk mark.
The mere laughing made Yzak jump for more. He stretched up to the limits of his wardrobe again.
RIP!
END
EPILOGUE
Yzak was watching the rerun of the episode he and Shiho were watching last night. Theodore was beside him, still as speechless as he always was. The little boy had complained over a toothache since he baked another one for Shiho. The screen displayed Big Bird and Cookie Monster again, sprouting out of the ends of who-knows-what.
"Sunny day…nanana…"
Yzak smiled again, recalling how he and Shiho sung the song perfectly, with no off-tunes.
"You know what, Theodore? I thought girls were stupid… And I still think that."
Theodore sat there, still not speaking.
"But Shiho is a cool one…so she's not a girl."
No response.
"You know what? I'll call her tomorrow, and I'll tell her I had found you!" he exclaimed, but immediately returned to his quiet personality. He bent down and mentioned in a hushed whisper, "You will be playing with Theodora!"
And Theodore killed his butt sitting there.
"I know I have to marry someone when I grow up because all grown-ups go crazy. But she'll be just like you, Theodore. She will be brown-haired."
Yzak grinned idiotically as he returned his gaze to the screen.
Theodore had a world of his own, hearing what his best friend had said.
"You'll never know, Yzak."
Tsewet