Jewel Diaries Chapter 5: Garnet Part 1 of 3, a finder series fanfic

Title: Jewel Diaries – Garnet (One Shot – Part 1 of 3)
Author: kyouruhi24
Fandom: Viewfinder

Rating: PG-13 for this Part

Warning: Don't try anything you read here at home.

Characters: Asami/Akihito, Fumiko(OC), Kirishima, Suoh, Nuriko(OC)

Timeline: Takes place years post Pray in the Abyss.

Summary: Precious moments with the Asami Family (in no particular order).

Fifth Installment: Akihito was having problems dealing with the additional member of their family. Asami as usual took everything in stride. Choice #3

PART 1: In which Asami learned the 'karma' of lying to child.

Author's Note: Part 1 of 3. New installment as determined by majority vote. Jewel Diaries is a One-shot series, so expect more to follow.

When he was in university, Asami deemed it beneficial to take additional classes on Human Behavior, particularly Psychology. Keen observation had brought him far enough, but he perfectly knew that such skill alone was a weak guaranty to maintaining his life. After all, the world he grew up in was unpredictable—never hinting that the air his lungs breathed, in and out, might just be the last.

As far as he could recall, the most difficult experience back then was spending three consecutive summers in several hospitals for the mentally ill as a volunteer. Dealing with a number of patients with erratic dispositions gave him an insight on seemingly simple things that could make people tick and react in a specific manner. Those days proved extremely useful in the succeeding years—two instances of which were permanently inked on his memories.

First was when he found himself the last man standing after the war that wiped out his clan had ceased, and second was during the months immediately following Fumiko's birth, going home to a lover who had completely forgotten his meaning to Asami's existence.

Unconventional methods had been used to overcome both, but only those utilized in the latter forever engraved guilt onto his core.

Now though, Asami thought in consternation, those years of hard-earned knowledge and experience seemed to have failed him since the current situation was completely out of his hands. For six years, he tapped on them time and time again in order to understand his daughter's idiosyncrasies and strange way of thinking just a little bit.

"Can they be eaten?"

Obviously, it didn't work because Asami still had no idea.

Pretending not to hear the question, he surveyed the surrounding area with a critical eye. The glass house maintained the atmosphere of a typical Tropical Garden, containing plants of varying sizes, some shrubs, the usual ferns, orchids, hoyas and other tropical flowers whose names he knew Akihito mentioned one time before, but just couldn't remember if he had listened at all.

Nonetheless, said group of flora certainly kept the perfect temperature and moisture required by the structure's inhabitants.

Asami knew there was something amiss when he woke up that morning with some pamphlet for a 'Scorpion and Tarantula Exhibit' sitting next to his head. Apparently, his little girl was still a novice at being subtle since the invitation—no, the demand—that they go was quite blatant, evident from the thirty other leaflets he found strategically scattered around the bedroom (and inside the bathroom).

Of course, he conceded, having agreed to visit the zoo from time to time in exchange of indefinitely putting an end to the debate of acquiring a pet for the precocious child.

However, as the minutes passed by, that decision was slowly proving itself to be very, very unwise.

Golden eyes scrutinized the Red Clawed Scorpion currently digging through the sphagnum moss and substrate littering its tank, wondering just what feature of the arachnid's segmented body his daughter found considerably appetizing.

So far, nothing he had seen tempted his taste buds.

"That's a rather good question," the Arachniquarium employee declared, his gleeful tone apparent. "As a matter of fact, deep fried scorpion is a traditional dish from Shandong, China(1). Locals and foreigners alike rave on its crispy texture and bacon-like taste."

At this, blue-grey eyes rounded with interest.

"Also, Canadian survival expert Les Stroud was shown eating live bark scorpions in one episode of Arizona Desert in Discovery Channel." Grinning excitedly, he continued, "It must have been good if he could smile broadly while crunching on the juicy leg."

It was clear those details were very close to his heart.

Asami, on the other hand, frowned not appreciating those pieces of information.

And for good reason.

From her spot, just a foot away from the glass tank holding the eight-legged creature she now dubbed 'Aka-chan'—reminiscent of its mighty red color, Fumiko looked up and directed a very hopeful glance at her father. "Dada, can I also hav—"

"No." Asami cut in, sharp eyes trained on the ecstatic tour guide, quite tall but skinny and smelling distinctively of the nasty swampy odor of sphagnum moss.

Unfortunately, since he was no member of the Androctonus genus in taxonomy, to his venomous glare, the young man was impressively immune. Indeed, it was difficult to intimidate someone who preferred the company of death stalkers than living and breathing humans.

He turned instead to the blonde pulling his arm.

"No eating of arachnids," he repeated, stare firm and unyielding.

Fumiko huffed, crossing her puny arms. "Why not?"

"Because—" Asami trailed off, the remaining 'I said so,' leaving a bitter taste on his tongue.

"That's not an answer, Dada."

A patient sigh. "Scorpions kill people, squirt. Logic dictates you don't eat anything that can end your life."

Asami deemed the answer simple and sensible that his six year old daughter wouldn't find difficulty understanding. However, Fumiko was not Akihito's daughter for nothing as the stubborn little minx maintained her position and justified, "But he just said deep frie—"

"That was in China. We don't have them here."

The blonde deflated, having missed that part. "Oh."

Even the pout was a perfect copy of her younger father's when upset, indicating a forthcoming stormy dark cloud.

Wanting to be helpful, the tour guide opened his mouth again. "Actually sir, we do sell fried scorpions to select guests. If you don't mind, I could get one for your daugh—"

But his words fell on deaf ears as Asami was already leading his daughter away, this time armed with a powerful bribe. "Come on, squirt. I thought you wanted to see the crocodiles."

The effect was immediate.

Fumiko perked up, bright smile lighting her face, and nodded vigorously, all thoughts of ingesting scorpions or anything else with eight jointed legs forgotten completely.

And permanently, Asami hoped.

"Oh, yes, Dada! Let's go visit Midori-kun."

Agreeing with the plan, he lifted the little girl who demanded 'Up, Dada.' to his arms and smirked in amusement at the dirty trick he used.

Oh well, at least the tantrum was avoided.

And that was Asami's first mistake of the day.

Midori-kun was actually an adult saltwater crocodile measuring about seventeen feet from snout-to-tail and weighing about two thousand pounds. The scales covering its body were wrinkly green while the eyes were of striking yellow. And unlike his other companions submerged in the pond, he opted taking cover under the shades of a nearby tree.

However, Fumiko's rapt attention was not focused on those particular attributes.

At the moment, the subject of her intense study was the crocodile's wide gaping mouth, sharp and pointed teeth peeking from around the edges, and more importantly, the presence of a small grayish bird playing inside said open space.

It was the second most amazing thing she had ever seen.

Next to Pocky.

"Dada, Dada! Look over there!" She twirled around her father's embrace and pointed towards left of the pond, petite body giddy with excitement. "You see that, Dada? I didn't know crocodiles and birds are very good friends."

Arms tightening more securely around his vivacious charge, Asami merely raised an eyebrow at the scene embodying simple camaraderie like in those cartoons about some lion and a pig—warthog, his mind corrected—Akihito watched with their daughter on weekends. (2)

However, Biology had done its job and taught him better than that.

"No, they're not friends." Because in his reality, lions wouldn't frolic with food and sing 'Hakuna Matata.'

They devoured them.

Fumiko turned to her Dada, not pleased with the contrary reply. "How come? Midori-kun likes playing with the bird too, see? He didn't bite it at all, so they must be friends." She insisted as if the opposite was ridiculous to assume. Then another bright idea came to her again. "Dada, maybe I could also play—"

"No."

The girl frowned, exasperation mounting over. That was already the second time she didn't get her way. "Why not?"

To his credit, Asami managed not to smile at the obvious frustration.

"Those two," the older father explained, gesturing towards the animals in question, "are in a symbiotic relationship. I don't think it's in their nature to consider the arrangement as something akin to friendship."

Clearly, despite the zoo being a Kid Friendly Zone, he wasn't one to mince his words.

Fumiko considered that remark for a while, finding herself lost in its meaning. "What does sym-bio-tic mean?"

"They benefit from each other," was the matter-of-fact reply. "Notice how the bird keeps pecking on the areas around the crocodile's mouth? It's feeding off the scraps of food and leeches attached to the jawline and tongue. In return, the crocodile gets to have his teeth cleaned." A shrug. "It's a win-win situation."

Wanting to confirm his answer, the blonde glanced at the scene again.

"Oh." She didn't notice that before. Then, as though seeing her father in a new light, the look she gave him now was of pure admiration. "You're so smart, Dada."

Asami smirked, incredibly amused. "Why, thank you, squirt."

Coming from his six year old daughter, that praise ought to mean a lot.

With a shrug, he added, "Besides, I don't think they'll want to play with you anyway."

Taking no offense, Fumiko just gazed at him in wonder. "Why is that, Dada?"

"Well, are you a crocodile?"

"No." She countered, wrinkling her forehead, puzzled by the silly question.

Asami agreed. "Of course not, because little girls like you clean their teeth with a toothbrush." He continued. "Then, are you a bird?"

"No."

"Indeed, because birds don't sneak out of their bed just to get their favorite snacks at midnight." A pointed look. "Sounds familiar, squirt?"

Fumiko's smile was angelic. "Oh, not at all, Dada."

"I'm sure." The twitching of his lips confirmed that he knew of her supposed-secret excursions all along. "So, you understand my point? As long as you're my little girl, playing with birds that dine with reptiles is out of the question." Asami punctuated his statement with a nip on her cute nose, causing her to giggle.

"Alright." She acquiesced. "So, I just have to wait until I'm as big as you to do that. Right, Dada?"

"Right." Asami nodded his assent, successfully hiding a crafty grin.

"Promise?"

An easy smile. "You have my word."

After all, Akihito only stood about 5 feet and 9 inches.

Hence, the possibility of that ever happening was actually nil and nonexistent.

But she didn't know that.

A glance to the wrist not being clutched by his daughter who was currently standing on the spot nearest to the pond, told Asami that it was now a quarter till four o'clock. It had been more than half an hour already but Fumiko was yet to break her pensive stare and move on to other animals up for exhibit.

They had left earlier for some snacks—wherein Asami watched with morbid fascination as the little girl devoured a huge packaged meal meant for adults—but to his dismay, still returned to and lingered in the company of crocodiles.

The blank mask on his face perfectly hid his boredom—because really, if their visit to the zoo was just about dangerous and wild animals, Asami was more of the feline persuasion.

However, unbeknownst to him, feeling bored was his second mistake of the day.

"Dada, why are they in a cage?"

Asami arched a brow at the seemingly rhetorical question—having studied about the 400 Japanese soldiers whose deaths were allegedly caused by saltwater crocodiles during their retreat in the Battle of Ramree Island way back in 1945(3).

But his daughter was only six who unfortunately inherited her other father's defective sense of self-preservation, so he indulged her and considered it a legitimate subject of inquiry (4).

"So there's no possibility of escape."

Her head tilted up to meet his gaze. "But won't that be a good thing? "

Eyeing the large, sharp-toothed and carnivorous reptiles warily, Asami knew that was never a good thing.

"I don't believe so, squirt."

Fumiko frowned. "Why not, Dada? Animals have feelings."

"For hunger, fear and pain, yes, but anything other than those remains up for debate."

She understood the words but didn't change her ground. "Well, I still believe they want to be free and not caged like that." The little girl batted big blue-grey eyes prettily at him, tapping on her charms. "Like you and I. Daddy, too. And Uncle Kirishima and Uncle Suoh and Aunt Nuriko and Grandpa Minoru and Great Grandma Son—"

"I get it, squirt." Asami interrupted, knowing it would take them hours before his daughter finished listing all their relatives and acquaintances.

She beamed at him. "So, you'll set them fr—"

"I didn't say that."

Her glare was petulant. "But you just said—"

"Fumiko."

She huffed and released his hand in favor of crossing her arms in front of her chest, face looking indignant but still promptly silenced herself.

Then two minutes later, "I don't like it when you do that."

Asami looked at his sullen daughter, confused. "Do what?"

"That. Say my name like that."

"Oh?"

This time the amused smile appeared unbidden on his lips. "And may I know why?"

"Because," the little girl gestured exasperatedly as if talking with another child, "it always means I won't get what I want."

Hm. Asami was not aware he had been doing that, but the sentiment she attached to it was really interesting.

"I see."

Another glance to his watch informed him it was half past four o'clock. They had to leave now if they wanted to make it just in time for dinner.

So, clearing his throat, deeming the previous issue resolved, Asami reached out and offered a hand to his daughter. "It's getting late. We have to go home now, squirt."

And that was Asami's third mistake of the day.

"I don't want to."

At precisely one o'clock, the limousine dropped them off in front the fourteen-hectare parcel of land—the Tomoeda Zoological Park and Tropical Garden—managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Both were in good spirits for that sunny Tuesday afternoon since the place was noticeably less crowded than the usual traffic that swarmed the place.

From then until the current hour, the day had been surprisingly pleasant, so this sudden defiance came out as a real surprise to him.

"What do you mean 'you don't want to'?" He felt his temper rising.

"It means 'I'm staying here.' Aka-chan and Midori-kun will get lonely if I leave them alone."

Asami rubbed his temples, feeling a headache crawling in. "They have zoo keepers for that, squirt. You don't have to stay with them."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't have to." The tone used was a clear warning.

Fumiko scowled, not liking that she was not getting her way.

Again.

She knew her Dada was getting upset because he very rarely used that stern voice on her.

Well, too bad, because she was upset too.

The day was definitely not turning out as she expected. "But they don't even talk to them. I've been watching and waiting for the 'shookippers' to do something until finally I got tired of waiting because they wouldn't do anything!" The aggravation she felt shown by the increased decibels accompanying every syllable.

Ah.

So that was it.

With realization sinking in, Asami's entire demeanor relaxed. Once again, he had to remind himself that his daughter was not some obstinate and selfish kid. He and Akihito must be doing something good in raising her, since most, if not all, her outbursts were about events that offended the principles she valued or wounded the inherent goodness of her heart.

"Well, it's indeed unfortunate that other people don't understand a crocodile's needs like you do, squirt. But they can't be really blamed for that since it is human nature to stay away from things they fear or those that they don't understand."

A simple lesson she might remember when facing the world a few years from now and feeling maybe exactly like that crocodile.

As a realist, Asami knew perfectly well that shielding anyone from all the ugliness of the world was impossible.

But as a father who had previously dealt with the insuperable in order to protect his lover, he would do everything to make sure even the impossible couldn't stop him now.

The smile he gave Fumiko was patient as he braced himself for the reply.

"Are you siding with the enemy, Dada?" The glare she sent him was suspicious.

Well,

he should have expected that, seeing as his daughter was still a child.

Asami hid his laughter with a cough. "No. That's not my intention at all."

She inclined her head, expression satisfied. "Then, do you think if Midori-kun and the others learned the way I did, the 'shookippers' will talk to them?"

Somehow, he doubted that.

"Animals can't talk, squirt."

"That's not true. Luddy is an animal but he can talk just fine."

"And who is this Luddy—" Asami cringed, thinking the name undignified, "—that you speak of."

Fumiko threw him an incredulous look. "You don't know Luddy? That's weird coz—"

"—because," Asami corrected.

"—because he always talks about you every time I see him."

"Oh? Just how often is that?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, eyebrows furrowing a bit in thought. "Maybe twice a month? Sometimes more."

Asami nodded. "So who is this person?" Inwardly, the older man was already planning to meet this Luddy and have a nice long chat. He didn't like the thought of another boy talking to his little girl without his consent.

Not that he would give it anyway.

"Silly, Dada. Luddy is not person. He's Aunt Nuriko's pet bird!" Then she paused, having seen birds not like Luddy. "The talking kind of bird, Dada."

"You mean a parrot."

Blue-grey eyes rounded at him. "You are really, really smart, Dada. Even I didn't know that."

Then, as if fully comprehending the implication of her father's reluctance to agree with the plan, her pretty face crumpled into a very telling pout. "So what do we do now, Dada? Since Midori-kun is not a parrot, then how can he learn to talk so the 'shookippers' will know what he feels?"

A cigarette.

This conversation was making Asami itch for a cigarette.

"How about we do this?" He proposed instead, having ceased indulgence with the cancer-stick since the kid was borne. When certain her attention was on him, he continued. "We will visit Mido—" Asami halted, refusing to utter the childish name, then tried again. "We will visit your crocodile and scorpion friends when both our schedules permit. Next time, we can even come with your Daddy to take pictures."

The smile she gave him was big and radiant. "That's a great idea, Dada! Then I can—"

"In exchange—" Asami interrupted, already anticipating what the other would say "—no more attempts at teaching animals to talk or making others do the same for you. Reptiles, arachnids or whatever animals that strike your fancy will open their mouth and talk only if they want to converse with you. Wait for them to start. No pushing against their will." He paused, letting the words sink in. "Are we clear on that?"

Fumiko stared at her Dada, silent and unmoving as she mulled over his terms and conditions. It was only when she found a loophole that the happy smile, a brighter one, returned to her face. "All clear, Dada. I promise to do nothing you don't want me to do."

"Good." He knew the words were sincere, but golden eyes still regarded her with caution. Nonetheless, he held out a hand. "Then let's go home, squirt."

This time, his invitation was accepted with grace and enthusiasm.

There was no remorse that another dirty trick was used to get what he wanted, especially if it concerned his daughter's own safety and well-being.

Well, Asami did promise they would visit the zoo again.

When his work allowed it.

Concluding that it wasn't his fault Kirishima already had his schedule booked for the next three months, Asami felt comforted he didn't need to worry about such visit anytime soon.

And that was his fourth and final mistake of the day.

A few short days later, Asami found out the ramifications of lying—no, omitting the truth, his mind amended because he was never the type to lie (directly)—to an innocent kid.

Quiet evidently, years of practice dealing with Akihito, a certified man-child, was not enough to prepare him for the current dilemma.

A dilemma that would continue to exist for the next twenty years.

Well, thirty actually, if he was really that lucky.

A tired sigh.

But thoughts of his younger lover's near return prompted a sensuous smirk to curl on his lips. Soon. Certainly soon. Without doubt, he would spend a lot of time exploring every nook and cranny of the delectable creamy skin and enjoy pounding on that delicious, deliciously round and perky ass.

Bewilderment and annoyance at the unexpected turn of events immediately disappearing, Asami left the men to their jobs and retraced his steps to the office, the gears on his head running and busy making a Pleasure-filled To-do list.

When dinner came around that night, the list already reached number twenty.

All labeled 'Payback.'

Tomorrow morning, he would start on another one.

'Give Credit where Credit was Due.'

With the guaranty of course that Asami would be the one and only beneficiary.

Because indeed, there was no such thing as rest for the weary.

END OF PART 1

Notes:

(1) en. wikipedia wiki/Scorpion

(2) Reference to Lion King

(3) Historical Notes are from Wikipedia

(4) Asami-sama, ordinary people just call that childish curiosity.

Part 2: 90% complete / Part 3: 50% complete

Author's Notes: I really hesitated putting up the first two paragraphs (Asami doing behavioral study in a Mental Ward) since my brother kinda pointed out that it might be perceived as offensive by other people. Nevertheless, I stuck to it since as aptly put by creamymint and ichigojae when I asked them about it, Asami isn't exactly the humanitarian type of person, so even doing volunteer work was actually and still for his own benefit. Thanks to you guys. =)

So yeah, reason for putting said paragraphs: It's like a sneak peak of another one-shot about Asami and his clan—"Heart of the Wicked: Blood Ties."

Thoughts on the first part?