Disclaimer: Sunrise

Nothing angsty here. Enjoy!


Yamanashi, 2011

"Cagalli, look! A shrine!"

Kira half-ran to the front of the shrine, followed by his sister Cagalli.

"Kira, Cagalli. Here, put this on the offering box." Their mother, Via hold out two 5 yen coins.

"Thanks, mother," They throw the coins to the box and then both of them tried to reach the rope for the bell. Via was casually following them, holding a camera recorder.

"Mother can we take picture in front of the Shrine?" Kira asked as they finished with the prayer.

"Sure, wait a sec," Via stopped the video and change the camcorder to picture mode. "Get ready," she called out. Cagalli stood on Kira's left, put her left hand on Kira's shoulder, while Kira put his right one on Cagalli's waist. His other hand was making a victory sign.

"Oh, what a nice picture! We should put a frame and decorate the living room with it." Via looked at the result.

"Can I have a copy too?" Cagalli said, jumping up and down, trying to see the result.

"Me too," Kira followed, holding his hand up.

"Of course, let's make one for each of us," Via smiled, and put her camcorder back to recording mode.

"Where is father?" Cagalli asked.

"I think he was looking around the souvenir shop," Via looked behind them, where the souvenir shop was. "Do you guys want to go there?"

"Yeah!" They both answered together.

Walking away from the shrine, they walk back toward where they came, the observation deck of the Mount Tenjo, where you could see a nice view of the famous Mount Fuji. In front of the shop, just before they walk inside, something fell on the tip of Cagalli's nose.

"Huh?" She mumbled, and looked up to the sky. And she saw more falling to the ground.

"It's snowing!" Kira shouted.

"It is!" Cagalli shouted back, throwing both her hands to the sky.

"No wonder it was quite freezing even if it's the end of March," Via murmured. She put her video on record again, filming her twins dancing in delight of the snow. "Careful there."

"Oh, it's snowing," they heard someone said behind them.

"Father!" the twin ran toward their father, who was holding something. "What is that?" Kira asked.

"Here, I got you some meat buns from the shop." Ullen handed them each a bun.

"Thanks, Father," the twins thanked him and started munching on the treat. "It's warm and yummy," Cagalli said, mouthful.

"Cagalli, don't talk with your mouth full," Kira said.

"You still have some in your mouth either!"

"Now, now, swallow before talking, you two," Ullen reprimanded them.

Kira and Cagalli stopped bantering, nodded once while looking at their father with sorry eyes, and resumed eating the buns. Not far from them, their mother Via was watching the interaction while suppressing her laughter, her right hand holding the camcorder, filming.

After some running around, a few pictures taken, a few moments admiring the view, and some looking around the souvenir shop, they decided to go back to the ropeway down bound.

"Ah, Father, can I buy this?" Kira held up a blue-white key strap. It was the shape of small humanoid doll, but the head was the shape of Mount Fuji, with crying face.

"Why are you choosing that one? It's weird," Cagalli commented, holding one in front of her.

"Eh? But I think it's cute," Kira said, disagreeing with his sister. "It's cute because it's weird," Kira explained while smiling, like there was nothing wrong with his logic. "Look, there is a female one," Kira held the same doll with different color, pink.

"No, I don't want the pink one," Cagalli protested.

"Then you can have the same color as me," Kira pulled another strap with same color.

"Why this one? Can't you choose something cuter than this?"

"But I like this one…." Kira mumbled. He jutted out his lower lip. "I wanna have a matching strap with Cagalli-nee…"

There, he said the magic word again, plus the pouting lips.

"Okay, okay, I'll wear it," Cagalli sighed. She was the older one, so she was supposed to give in to her brother, her mother always said. But even without her mother saying, she was already weak to her brother.

"Yaaaay," Kira shouted, hugging his sister.

"We'll buy two of this strap, and then we'll go back to the hotel, okay?" Ullen took the straps they wanted, and went to purchase it.


Saitama, 2020

"Cagalli, its lunch break time," Dearka called out to her.

Looking away from her work, Cagalli stood up. "Yeah, I'm going there now," she answered and put the wire and wire-hooker she was holding to the tool belt on her waist. As she walked to where Dearka was, she pulled the gloves she was wearing and slipped it in the same place. Together, they walked out from the workshop toward the small office building, heading to the locker room.

Maruyama Kogyo, the company where they worked now, was a company specialized in reinforcing bar (rebar) supplier for building, as well as installing the rebar cage. Cagalli's job was usually just making the rebar cage, by connecting a few steel bars with wire, while Dearka usually bend the steel rebar using a machine. Both of them had experience at the actual building project too, though the boss, Kisaka, would only let Cagalli go when they were in extreme need of an extra hand.

"I'm going to the convenience store, you need anything?" Dearka asked her.

"Hmmm," She thought for a bit, and then shook her head. "Nah, I don't need anything." Cagalli said and walked toward her locker, putting her hard hat inside. From there, she retrieved the lunch box she had prepared beforehand, and headed to the office kitchenette.

The company was mainly divided into two parts, the office and the factory workshop. Since it was mainly handling the rebar for building, of course the workshop was bigger than the office, and it also used to store the goods. Near the entrance of the company, was a small office, consisting of the actual office where the marketing staffs work, the locker room, where the employee store their stuffs, and the kitchenette where they can take a breather, with separate room for lunch.

"Yo, Cagalli. Good work today," someone called out to her as she arrived at the lunch room.

"Ah, Murdock-san. Thank you for the hard work," she answered him. And then she could hear a chime ringing from the microwave. Murdock opened the lid and pulled his lunchbox out.

"Here, I'll put it inside for you," He said, holding his hand out to Cagalli."

"Thank you," she handed him her lunch box. Murdock set the timer and turned it on. He walked to the dining table while Cagalli waited for her lunch box to warm up.

As her lunch box was done, the door opened and Dearka came in. "Oooh, everyone is here."

"Is that convenience store lunch box again, Dearka?"

"I can't make home-made cooking like Cagalli or have wife like you, Arnold san," Dearka gave him a somewhat bitter laugh, taking a seat beside Cagalli. He already warmed his lunch at the convenience store.

"Ask Miriallia to make one for you," Murdock said from his seat.

"Miri is busy with her study and her work at the café." Dearka opened up his lunch box, and so was Cagalli. "Bon appetite." They said, and started digging in.

"By the way, Cagalli, are you still working at the cafe every weekend?" Murdock asked Cagalli this time.

"Yeah, but I'll resign around the end of the month," she answered in between her meal.

"You do that. You are taking the Upper Secondary School Proficiency test this year, right? You should focus on studying."

"What? Cagalli, you are taking the USSP?" Dearka suddenly asked.

"Eh? I didn't tell you? I'm planning to go to college. That's why I work here; I'm saving to apply for a degree." Cagalli turned her head toward Dearka now.

"Is that so? If you are taking the test this year, then you are planning on enrolling next year? What course are you taking?"

"I'm still not sure, actually." she answered, a little bit nervous, "I have two options, but still not sure which one would be the best."

"I see," Dearka said, "Me too, I'm planning on retaking the uni-exam next year," he added, "I bet it will be too peaceful if you are not here, Cagalli," Dearka said as he ate his lunch again.

"Oh, are you missing me already, Dearka?" Cagalli teased.

"Now that I think about it," Murdock said from his seat. "Cagalli has been here since… where has it been? Three years?" he held up his hand and tried to count in his head.

"Two years and a few months," she answered for him. "I came here around early April two years ago."

"Ah, and I came around October," Dearka added. "I'm older than her, but she's my senpai." Dearka sighed, and Cagalli elbowed him lightly.

"Oh, Cagalli, if I'm not mistaken, Andrew's crew is going to be back today," Arnold, coming from the kitchenette holding a large bottle of cold barley tea. Sitting back in his seat beside Murdock, he poured the tea onto his glass. "Did you hear anything from him?"

"Huh? No, I don't think so," Cagalli pulled out her phone from her pocket. "Ah, the battery is dead again!" she exclaimed, "I'm sure I charged it last night," she pushed down on the power button. "Oh, it's on again." She waited for her phone to reboot. "Ah, Andrew san sent a message earlier."

"Cagalli, you are still using that old model? It looked like a salaryman company phone," Dearka commented as he saw Cagalli's phone. It was a flip-phone, a type of phone usually used by old people around sixties and over. A small blue doll strap was hanging on her phone, shaking discreetly as Cagalli tapped on her phone.

"My Grandpa worked so hard to buy me this, and my Grandma chose this for me, so shut up," Cagalli snapped. She flipped her phone close and put it back in her pocket.

"I don't mean to dis your grandparents or anything, Cagalli," all the workers there knew some of Cagalli's story; part of it was that she was raised by her grandparents before she came here, and she loved them dearly. "But if they are still here, I'm sure they they would want you to have nicer things, and would work hard for it, for you," Dearka added, "You are going to take the USSP)2 exam and enroll to college. Don't you think a smartphone would benefit you more? You can search for any information anytime, anywhere. You can use it for learning, and many other things," he explained to her.

Cagalli just stared at her phone. She didn't want to spend her savings on something she didn't really need. Her phone had been working well, until recently, that is. She would often find her phone turned off by itself, even when she was sure to turn it on, or making sure she charged her phone in the night.

And another reason was because she couldn't part with the phone her grandparents had worked so hard to get it.

Almost like he knew what Cagalli was thinking, Dearka added again, "You don't have to throw it away, you know. It's a memory item with your grandparents. You can still keep it, and get a new one."

"That's true. Get that thing called smartphone and started using that messaging thing, what was it called again?" Murdock interjected, trying to remember the name while holding his chin.

"Lime messenger?" Dearka asked.

"Yeah that. My daughter spends so many times with that thing," Murdock said again, sighing. "But you are still young, Cagalli. You are eighteen, you are supposed to be at school, playing with your friends, get a boyfriend, going out…"

"I don't need those things, Murdock-san," Cagalli waved her hand, disagreeing with him. "Well, aside from being at school, that is. But I need to work hard now so I can move forward and go to college to study, I don't have time for those things."

"Well, that's true, but still…" he sighed. "You are a cute girl, you shouldn't be here surrounded by old men," he laughed.

"I'm not an old man, old man!" Dearka protested.

Cagalli laughed at them. She took the barley tea and poured a cup for herself. "I'm okay though," she sipped her tea. "I don't really want to hang out with boys."

"That's because you don't have that much friend outside of your workplace. Do you have any other friends beside Ahmed, Dearka and his girlfriend?"

"That's enough about me!" Cagalli protested. "When I go to college I'll make friends and hang out like the crazy teen nowadays. There, happy?" She gulped the rest of her tea. Of course she was half joking when she said those things, only saying that so they will stop nagging at her. Cagalli knew they all cared about her, and what they were saying was true. Ever since the boss accepted her here, she worked so hard, afraid they would decide that she was not capable enough and threw her away, while she needed the job because she had no one else to turn to. Well, she had Andrew, but she already bothered him enough by living in with him. She would be forever grateful for that, and would ensure she wouldn't burden him with any other things.

"Enjoy your college life next year, Cagalli. Like I said, you're still young. I hope for the best for you," Murdock said, closing the conversation.

"Thanks, Murdock-san," Cagalli answered, standing up from her seat. "Thanks for the meal," Cagalli said, and then walked to the kitchen sink to wash her lunch box.


"I'm home."

"Oh, welcome home, Andrew-san" Cagalli greeted from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready soon. I prepared the bath already, so you might want to take a bath first before dinner."

"Aaah, thank you so much, kiddo. You'll become a really good wife someday, I'm sure." Andrew Waltfeld walked straight to his room and dumped his bag carelessly and walked back to the front room, their living/dining room.

"Thank you for your hard work today. And where did that come from?" Cagalli scoffed, though she admitted she sounded like a housewife welcoming her husband. But suddenly she shivered.

Getting married and having a husband was far from what was in her to-do list, at all. Not after what had happened to her parents. No, she didn't even want to think about it.

"It just came to my mind, seeing you greeting me like this," he laughed shortly. "I'll be using the bath first." He waved to Cagalli. And she continued with the dinner preparation. When she put the ingredients together in a pan and stirring them together, Andrew came from the bath.

"What's for dinner?"

"Beef and potato stew," Cagalli said, still busy stirring the stew she was making.

"Ooh, that sounds nice. Can't wait," Andrew opened his phone while waiting for Cagalli to finish her cooking. "Oh, it's Aisha."

"Aisha san is calling?" Cagalli asked, half turning her body to see Andrew.

"Nah, she left me a message. I told her I'm finally back in town after 3 months away."

"Will you be going with her somewhere this weekend?" Cagalli asked, Aisha must have missed Andrew after being apart for so long. They would usually went somewhere when Andrew had time.

"That's the plan. Will you be okay alone at home?"

Cagalli scoffed, "I've been alone here for 3 months, Andrew-san."

"I know, that's why I asked. Maybe you want some company?"

"It's okay. Next month the application for the USSP is open, so I'm planning on studying as much as I can. The test is not until this November, though. But still, I had so much to catch up. I'll be busy with myself, so you go and have fun with Aisha-san."

"You sound so busy for an 18 year old, Cagalli. For once in a while, just go and enjoy your life," Andrew sighed, seeing the child he had been staying with for the past 2 years. It felt like yesterday when he founded her in the park bench, huddling over her own figure, almost freezing to death in the rare cold night of March.

"What's with all the people today? The old men in the factory all said the same thing to me." Cagalli put the stew on two bowls, and bringing them to the table.

"They are looking out for you, you know." Andrew walked to the fridge and pulled out a can of beer, while Cagalli was handling another bowls, filling it with steaming rice.

"I know, they mean well. Oh, by the way I'm going to go with Dearka on the weekend."

"Where to?"

"Ikebukuro, I think. He said he's looking for something to give for Miri, for their anniversary. He wants a girl opinion. I think he was asking the wrong person," Cagalli sighed.

Andrew laughed out loud. Mirialia was not that much of a girly girl, but Cagalli was downright a tomboy, he thought. If she wore a boy's outfit, one could mistake her as a boy. "Go and have fun for yourself, Cagalli. Eat out, hang around, and don't think about this old man or your job or the test for a while. Just have fun."

"I will, just because you guys won't stop telling me this." She plopped down on her zabuton—sitting cushion—and clapped her hands. "Bon appetite." And she started digging in on her dinner. Andrew did the same, occasionally looking at the girl in front of him, whom he had been thinking as his own daughter now.


AN:

)1. Certificate for Students Achieving the Proficiency Level of Upper Secondary School Graduates: a test for someone who didn't finish their high school education, or didn't go to HS, so they can continue to Uni.

)2. USSP test (Upper Secondary School Graduates) is my self-made abbreviation for the test mentioned above. It's too long of a name.

What do you think of Cagalli here? Kira is going to school, while Cagalli's not, despite being the same age.

See you next time~

Cheers~