One-Shot #10 Isolation's Price

The door creeked open, allowing a fine flow of pale blue light to stream into the dark room. Hazel-grey eyes peeked into the room, trying to see through the darkness. Opening the door a bit more, the young girl stood in the door frame.

Her thick curled brown hair fell over her shoulders in a somewhat messy way. She was wearing a pink night gown and held a stuffed animal in her arms. It was the famous Pokémon: Pikachu. Worried, the little girl looked through the room again before she stepped in, stepping into the shadows.

In the darkness, she could see a bed. Or maybe she couldn't see it...maybe she just knew it was there. The air, it tingled with a strange electrical feeling. The girl could hear the slightest buzz in her ears. It gave her such a profound sense of sorrow, she was tempted to cry and get out of there as soon as possible. But no, she couldn't. She had to stay. She had to do what she came here to do.

On the bed, there was a still form. It was hard to see in the dark, but she knew it was a man. A tall man with curled brown hair, identical to hers, although short. The man was lying face-down in the bed. He had been lying down for the past four days. He only left to go to the bathroom and cook food. His face was burried in a pillow. He was wrapped in heavy blankets, creating a certain cocoon of safety you'd expect to see on a nine year old. This little girl often did the same thing with her blankets when she felt sad.

"Dad?... Dad, get up. Please." She shook his shoulder lightly. As a response, she got a distorted and annoyed grunt. Sliding off the bed, she walked over to the night stand. On it, there was a folded yarn scarf, striped grey and blue. She took it in her hands, burrying her face in it for a bit. Turning back to her father, she spoke again.

"Daaaad I've got your scarf! I'm gonna go now!" This time, there was movement in the darkness. A long black limb, slick and semi-transparent, extended from the man's back, reaching over to pluck the scarf from the girl's hands. Without lifting his head, he spoke. Due to his voice already being quiet, it was difficult to understand. Especially through the pillow. "Sakura...stop."

Sakura pouted. She climbed back up on the bed, lying down next to her father. "Dad...I'm hungry. It's dinner time! We have to eat." A few seconds of silence followed. With a heavy sigh, the slender managed to sit up. His sky blue eyes fell upon his daughter. She looked up and frowned when she saw his eyes were pinkish.

Getting out of bed, he took his scarf and shoved it over his shoulder without much thought. It wasn't even wrapped around his neck, just hung off his left shoulder. He slowly walked out of the room, dragging his feet across the ground. Despite this, he still made no sound as he walked. He winced as soon as he entered the light. That had a tendency to happen whenever he would spend so long laying in the dark.

Getting to the kitchen, his daughter following him, he started to try to make food. Giving up as soon as he picked up a single thing out of the fridge, he sighed and decided to cook noodles instead. Sakura sat at the table, looking at him intently. She waited a few seconds before she got up and walked over to him, hugging him.

Tom flinched from the contact, not really expecting it. He looked down to the little girl and slowly, he relaxed, wrapping his arms around her. He lifted her off the ground and held her tightly, as if she would dissapear if he let her go. She wrapped her arms around his neck, taking the time to adjust his scarf.

He set her down, continuing to monitor his noodles. As soon as they were ready, they sat down to eat. They ate in silence. Daughter devouring every thing, all the way down to the last drop of broth in her bowl. Father, barely picking at it with the tip of a fork.

Worried, Sakura walked over to her father again. "Dad...You have to tell mom about this." Suddently, he tensed, fear flashing in his eyes. He looked up to his daughter, thinking. Finally, he spoke. "Kura... I can't. I just can't. I chose this. This is the price I knew I would have to pay for our bond."

Even before he had chosen to link himself to Sarah, he had known that she wanted to be a biologist or a paleontologist. Both those jobs required travelling. Lots of travelling... He wanted to be a vet. Being stationary, in one city, going to one clinic with one office. He knew what this would mean for them. It would mean isolation of the mind... But even then, he had never thought it would feel like this.

Sakura hit her little fist on the table, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Why not?! You're all hurt! I don't like seeing you sad and hurt. It makes me sad and hurt too." Tom looked at her. Only now, he registered the harm it did to her. He picked her up in his arms again. "I...I'm sorry. But I can't. Your mother...this is her job. This is what she always wanted to do. If I told her... she'd quit. I couldn't bare to let that happen."

When a pair was linked, their minds became like one. Being so far appart, it was like half of yourself was gone. It was like losing half of who you are. Sarah, being human, did not feel the effects of the bond as much as Tom did. She would be sad to be far, yes, but never so miserable that she could never leave the bed. On the other hand... Tom was a slender: Creatures that thrived off their mental powers. Isolation of the mind felt like having all your emotions, everything you are, drained right out. But he'd never tell her...He had never told her. He couldn't destroy her dreams just for his own needs.

Sakura frowned again, grabbing hold of her father's shoulders. "If you don't tell mom, I will!" He looked into her eyes again. He knew she was serious. She could never describe just how broken he was... but he knew that she wouldn't ever need to go that far for Sarah to freak out. If she knew exactly how he felt every time she went on a trip for her job...Surely, she would hate herself. He couldn't let that happen.

He drooped his shoulders, sighing again. He closed his eyes and let his head fall onto the table. He barelly missed his bowl of soup by a few inches. He weakly nodded. He had lost and he knew it. He had lost...to his nine year old daughter. Sakura patted his back lightly. "Now come on! Eat your noodles! You're like, the best cook ever. You can't just not eat them."

He tilted his head to the side, looking back to her. Even if she had his hair and those strange eyes, her face was just like her mother's. At that moment, Tom did something he hadn't done in a while. He smiled. He sat up in his chair. Slowly uncurling, he picked Sakura up with one of his tendrills, moving her onto an other chair. She giggled as he did so. Finally taking a bite out of his food, he looked back to his daughter.

He had a piece of Sarah right there with him. His mind still felt empty, but his heart did not. "Hey, Kura..." He trailed off. This caught her attention. He had used her nickname. She turned to face him, her eyes wide and bright. Swallowing slowly, he turned back to her at a speed a slug would be ashamed of. "Would you like...to play...video games with me today?"

The little girl's eyes widened at first, but then a huge grin split her face. "Yes! Oh Daddy, thank you!" She jumped up from her chair, leaping back into her father's arms. He tried in vain to pry her off his neck. "K-kura! I need to...to...breath!" Finally, he managed to wrap a tendrill around her and pluck her off. Holding her away from him, he continued to eat his noodles. Sakura crossed her arms, looking at him with a little pout. Her legs swung a little, several feet above the ground.

He looked at her for a bit before he extended a second tendrill and reached across the table. He carefully picked up the stuffed Pikachu and presented it to his daughter. She turned away for a few seconds, trying to look mad. His ability to read her aura told him this was an act though. Soon enough, she turned back and quickly snatched her little electric mouse. She hugged it tightly, not really seeming to care that she was being held up above the ground in one of her father's black tentacles.

After he finished eating, he finally let her go. It wasn't long before he was assaulted by an other hug. He smiled again. Picking her up, he walked over to the living room and sat on the couch, letting her sit on his lap. "So, what do you want to play?" Sakura tilted her head to the side, a few strands of her hair hiding one of her eyes. "Wait a second, you asked for it, you decide." Once more, he smiled. A bit of light seemed to shine through his dark soul.

"Ok... How about Smash Bros?" The little girl smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around his neck once more. This time, he didn't fight her off. She was his little piece of Sarah that he could always have by his side. He stuffed his face into her hair, inhaling deeply. She had told him it made her sad to see him sad. Then he would try to be a little less sad, even if he couldn't really do anything about it.

AN: Just a little something sweet I've been thinking of for a while. I was thinking of how Sarah's job would mean she would have to go on long trips and how that would affect the slender she married. Suddently, THIS WAS BORN. Hope y'all enjoyed :3