A Snippet of Autumn
"And all at once, summer collapsed into fall." – Oscar Wilde
A/N: So… How do you write about autumn and winter as you melt in hot temp 'cause you live near the equator?
….you don't, you get writer's block *ba dum tss*
A short chapter where I struggle to write about seasons I've never experienced before in my life as someone who thinks 30 minutes in a room at 24 C (or 75 F) is cold (at least that's what the AC says). Turns AC up to 26 C and it's warm. Apologies for this very late update and apologies in advance for cold season inaccuracies… (ヾ;￣▽￣)ヾ
Anyway, onto that autumn season story!
"Winter is coming next!" - me from last chapter lol
Nope! :D Fall!
Tis, but an extra scene from the fall season!
It was cold one autumn morning. A blonde female warrior and a melon-headed little girl found a giant worm in a familiar little hut. There in the middle of that humble home, a worm made from a blanket the size of a teenage girl. It was lying down on the floor where a bedding was made for sleeping.
Kohaku was feeling a bit exasperated finding her dearest friend clearly still in bed. She had half expected this earlier when the leaves on the trees turned orange and red. What a pleasant surprise it was that Kuuki had persisted, going with them to the Kingdom of Science, and helping out with all the crafting.
Suika, on the other hand, was a little worried for the black haired girl turned worm.
"Kuuki…" The elder blonde calls the bed worm. In response, one end of the worm shakes, what was presumably its head, in a clear no. Kohaku sighs. It wasn't totally unexpected.
Meanwhile, having never seen this side of Kuuki surprised the little girl. Worried, Suika asks. "You okay, Kuuki? Are you feeling sick?"
This time, a face pops up from the blanket worm. Wild black strands of hair going in different directions on her forehead. Blue eyes peaked up at her two visitors by the doorway. Finally appearing was Kuuki, the selective mute resident of the Ishigami village. She looks up at Suika's helmet-covered head and shakes her head no more insistently at the mention of an illness.
It was a bit hard to explain without the worry of her voice failing her. She opted to turn her blue gaze to Kohaku who understood and offered an explanation.
"Don't worry, Suika." Kohaku crouches down, placing her hand on the little girl's shoulder in comfort. "Kuuki's just feeling lazy 'cause of the cold weather. I'm actually surprised she's lasted this long without it. I almost forgot altogether."
The worm immediately nods her head in agreement at Kohaku's jab. It seemed a bit too aggressive. But all things considered, it was true!
"Let's go, we'll leave Kuuki for now." The older blonde said as she stood up. "See you later, Kuuki." She waves her hand in goodbye to her friend as she leaves the hut. Even though it was still autumn, well, Kuuki had always been weak to the cold, anyway. Kohaku's eyes narrow in thought.
Suika follows Kohaku after she said her goodbye to the black haired girl.
Unseen Kuuki waves her hand, or at least tries to. Momentarily forgetting her current disposition, her hand confined inside her cocoon of comfort. Soon, her two visitors leave the hut and she goes back to her lie on her side with the intent to hibernate on this one cold day before braving the incoming harsh winter.
Over at the Kingdom of Science
The two girls were greeted by their fellow comrades upon arriving at the familiar clearing.
"Huh? Where's Kuuki-chan?" Upon seeing a missing member from the girls, it was Gen who quickly inquired.
Kohaku huffs at hearing the same repeated question. When she and Suika had crossed the village bridge earlier, Ginrou had asked the same thing. And Suika had answered the same thing.
"Kuuki turned into a worm!" Bless the cutie pie with her arms raised up in cheer.
"Eh? Nani…" Gen blinks at hearing Suika's response. He wasn't the only one feeling confused, everyone else present were. The same way Ginrou and Kinrou had reacted. There was clear confusion all around.
Kohaku steps in to explain. In the exact same words. "Ah ha ha, what Suika meant was Kuuki's taking a day off."
This time it was the present crafting team's collective voice that reacted with Chrome being the louder of the two scientists. "EHH?"
"It can't be helped. Kuuki's always been weak to the cold and gets lazy." The blonde shrugs. "I'm even surprised she lasted this long, coming out here." Kohaku crossed her arms as she defended her friend.
"Mah, she's been working near the furnace everyday." Senku quips in, scratching the back of his head. Even with some missing members at the moment, he calls out to the group. "Time to work!"
Kuuki's unexpected absence would cause them to have to readjust their workload. Well, the craft's team workload anyway… The modern scientist thought.
"Well, that's surprising. Considering, Kuuki's been coming over at night too." Chrome supplies as he follows after their science leader. He says it outloud so nonchalantly, totally unaware that a certain overprotective blonde had no idea.
"Ah, sou da nee." A step behind the brown-haired scientist was a dual-color haired mentalist.
A little girl with a melon helmet wanders after them. "Ehh. Kuuki's been going here at night."
Upon hearing those words, there must be some joke at play here. "Kuuki has been doing what now?" Kohaku felt like the ground beneath her feet disappeared. "She's been going here? Alone? At night? Where there's 3 guys!"
The little happy line of members stop their trail to look back at her.
"Are?" Gen sweats in nervousness at decoding the darkening aura surrounding the blonde female. He cautiously asks. "Kohaku-chan, hasn't Kuuki-chan told you?" Had he known beforehand, he himself would have shut Chrome up.
There was a vein that started to throb at her temple, as far as Gen could see. Even so, Kohaku smiles at them, albeit very awkwardly. "She hasn't." Ah, her smile was twitching, Genwarily observed.
Chrome replies to the visibly darkening Kohaku. "Haa, it's not like you haven't done the same, Kohaku." A brave and foolish soul, this one is. The frown on his brow tells the mentalist that Chrome was simply confused.
"That's different. It's Kuuki we're talking about." Kohaku insists.
"Oi, we got work to do." Senku shouts back at their bickering forms in irritation. Just in time too, Kaseki had arrived at the clearing.
Since when did Kuuki keep secrets from her? Kohaku could only huff in frustration. The next time she sees her friend, those cheeks won't survive. She vows in her heart with a vengeance.
Achoo!
The girl that was lying around her hut with her blanket wrapped around her body when she sneezed unexpectedly.
No way… Kuuki thought as she sniffled, she hoped she wouldn't get sick. It would suck! And she just tried to reassure Suika that she wasn't sick. Karma for skipping a day of the Science crafts team?
Or, maybe, going to the Kingdom of Science at night wasn't the best of ideas, especially that winter was coming soon. But she needed to make her supply of papers to write... They could hardly make them during the day when they were already too busy with everything else.
Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any follow up sneeze. Only the sudden itch of her nose caused her to sneeze.
Granted, everything so far in the Kingdom of Science has been a lot of fun. She was learning quite a bit about things from Senku and the other residents. Things she had never thought to exist. Things that she didn't think would work. But, being too busy during the day, she could hardly write anything. Her hands were far too busy trying to shape this and that with various science tools.
Ah…
She was suddenly overcome with the feeling of wanting to massage her cheeks. There was a phantom pressure on her cheeks that made her hands reach over the sides of her face. As if Kohaku had just got her hands on–
Blue eyes blink before widening in sudden realization.
Oh dear…
She hasn't told Kohaku yet that she had been coming at night to the Kingdom of Science. They had been very busy as of late and could hardly find the time to talk. Kuuki looks to the side, over at her collection of woodcarvings. She had hardly made much progress in recreating her old collection. Still, she had already made the effort to start as blue eyes caught on to her latest carving.
Still…
Kuuki stares at the ceiling of her hut. Her plans to nap for the day proved to be futile as her body had grown accustomed to working everyday for the past weeks since she had joined the Kingdom of Science.
I can't seem to nap…
The black haired girl sighs. To think I was up late at night too…
Had it been before joining the Kingdom of Science, she would have more than enough time to nap all day and be up all night. Now, she's wide awake in this cold morning and was wide awake just last night too. She burrows herself deeper into her covers as she stares wide awake at her ceiling again. Still…
I wonder what everyone's doing now.
"You suck at this, Gen." Chrome complains aloud at the glass the mentalist was trying to shape. Not only was it too small and had an odd shape, it was nothing like what they were trying to make. "Nothing like what Kuuki does."
"Chrome-chan, I'm no Kuuki-chan though (ore wa Kuuki-chan jya nai yo)." The mentalist huffs at the stone age scientist. Well, who could blame the brown haired scientist? Someone with total recall can make each and every piece she carves from wood an exact copy!
…
"Oh-ho." The old man Kaseki breathes out upon arriving at the work area they had reserved from creating the glasswork for the light bulb project. Once he saw that their little crafts team was missing a member, he raised an eyebrow but didn't further comment. Well, back to the original 3 man team, he supposed.
As the hour went on, it became quite clear they needed an extra hand. The old man ropes in the mentalist/bystander who had been watching from the sidelines this whole time even without much prompting from their science leader.
Fortunately for the crafting team, the modern timer Gen couldn't say no as he helplessly stepped up to fill in. Very, very reluctantly on the part of the mentalist.
How very unfortunate, Gen huffs.
…
"E-eh? Kuuki-san is not here…" A small blonde girl had come up to the group, or specifically, Suika, in search of the aforementioned older girl. When they had confirmed Kuuki's absence, the girl called Namari visibly deflated. If Gen remembers right, she was someone who would come up to Kuuki and would have a quick chat. Well, as many words that could be exchanged between two shy and quiet people. A shy Namari and a selectively mute Kuuki… That would make an interesting conversation to listen in on.
Then, afterwards, Kuuki would give the child several sheets of paper to the other's clear delight. Gen wonders if he should say something to Kohaku about it but from the looks of the paper clutched within Namari's hands, it didn't seem like he needed to. Not that it was any of his business. There was a sketch of Kuuki in those papers, when the mentalist caught a brief glance. A stylized cartoonish sketch, much different from Kuuki's realistic style. Gen could see why the two made quick friends to be fair.
An elderly voice pipes in. "Oh my, is Chisso-san's daughter not around?"
It seems that their little craft team member has built quite the reputation. Or had it always been there? Gen wonders.
…
"Oi, Gen. We gotta remake this." Chrome shouts at him, bringing the mentalist back to the present.
Gen could only sigh. He reluctantly gets to work again. His hands were busy once more. He lets his mind wander freely still.
How long had it been since Kuuki had joined them and it was clear how everyone had managed to find themselves relying on the quiet girl. Making the exact same copies of what was shown to her once. Gen suspects whatever mumbo jumbo Senku decides to spout, Kuuki most likely can recall to the exact detail. In writing, of course. She would probably be able to instruct everyone in place of Senku, giving time for more thinking and planning on the scientist's part. Maybe when they get the writing lessons to the villagers? Or Kuuki verbally starts speaking. Whatever comes first, Gen supposes.
As for him, the mentalist has easily and happily skipped some of the crafty difficult work. Who would need his help when Kuuki does all these crafting processes better?
Hmm.
Maybe, if he asks Senku-chan the process of making cola in Kuuki-chan's presence, the girl's obvious curiosity for science could push her to try to make the drink? He'd happily volunteer to taste test it!
Ahem, he better be careful in wording it of course. Lest he incurs the wrath of Kuuki-chan's feline guardian.
So, it would seem that he, too, will willingly rely on the selectively mute girl.
I'm bored.
The black haired girl paused.
Who would have thought… Kuuki rolls over to her other side. She should probably just make use of her time in her little abode to carve, or maybe, go to the Kingdom of Science. Instead of trying to catch that sweet, sweet sleep, right? Wrong!
Once more, Kuuki opts to bury her head under her covers. How embarrassing! Having no other companion but her thoughts, she now realizes the extent of…
She stops her thought process and slowly uncovers a little bit of the blanket for her eyes to catch her latest finished carving. It was a very important carving and once again it reminds her of–
The girl rolls to lie on her back. She tries to get that sleep by trying to close her eyes.
Gah!
How could she sleep after all that occurred yesterday! The black haired girl could freshly recall it at the back of her mind! It was during these moments when she didn't appreciate her eidetic memory!
On top of her embarrassment, there was guilt hanging onto her chest whilst she inadvertently lied to Suika and Kohaku, by omission! She wasn't exactly feeling lazy…
She was trying to avoid… Ahh.
It was midday yesterday at the Kingdom of Science.
When Kuuki had a brief moment to catch a break, seemingly out of nowhere Kohaku pops in right beside her.
"Kuuki~!" Her blonde friend greets her rather cheerfully. A hand was placed on her shoulder. "What are you doing?"
Kohaku… The black haired girl blinks upon seeing her friend. Isn't she busy with gathering and hunting?
Her hands stopped from what they were doing as soon as she suddenly felt someone's hand on her shoulder. Lest she hurt herself from her handheld tool.
While her breaks were brief and very few, she started making use of the short period of time, carving some small things she had before the fire engulfed their village.
Blue and green orbs stare at what was in the black haired girl's hands. An unfinished sunflower rested in those hands.
A familiar voice pipes in. "Wow, Kuuki-chan, goi-su~ You're really good at wood carving, huh." The resident mentalist praises her out of nowhere. Both girls were totally caught unaware that Gen was listening in on them.
Kuuki flushed at the unexpected praise. Her cheeks and ears were feeling warm all of a sudden. What's all this? She wondered.
"Of course, that's Kuuki for yah!" Kohaku proudly responds to him as if she was the one being praised. "She's great at wood carving." The blonde would never let any praise go unnoticed by her friend! This is all to boost Kuuki's confidence!
Kuuki flushes even more at the pride her friend was displaying for her. Mou, Kohaku! The warmth on her cheeks doesn't leave.
Gen sweat drops at the proud blonde warrior. It has now become a norm for Kohaku to praise Kuuki as the days go by ever since the selective mute joined them. However, despite continuously selling the other's good points, the blonde remains unwavering in her protectiveness. Ehem. Back to the topic at hand, the sly modern timer turns back to the dark haired girl, he resolutely tries to inquire. "Nee, nee, How long have you been carving, Kuuki-chan?"
Seeing as Kohaku turns to her instead of answering for her, Kuuki reaches for her clipboard to answer. Her two companions wait patiently for her. A feat she had greatly appreciated from everyone after all this time.
A long time
She wrote. For their blonde companion, Gen reads it aloud.
There was a pause before the mentalist asked curiously. "What got you started?" There was a genuine tone of curiosity in his voice that pushed Kuuki to open up about it.
This was something she had mentioned to Kohaku before, from long ago. From the looks of her friend's face, Kohaku does remember. The blonde remained quiet letting her decide whether to answer or not, fully knowing that this was a personal reason.
My mom's precious treasure from my fatherwas Kuuki's answer. She shows off the clipboard to the curious Gen who reads it out loud for Kohaku's benefit.
Ah, but it got destroyed in the fire. She frowns upon remembering, still she wrote it down. Once Gen finished reading that line, she turned the side of the clipboard with the paper to herself. To expand further on what the treasure was.
In the middle of writing, her hands stopped in the middle of writing.It was a piece of wood with strange marki–
Eh…
Her sudden immobility catches her companions off guard. But she was no longer paying attention to them. Her mind's eye was seeing something else entirely. Her eyes were seeing and hearing the past very briefly.
"Mama, what is this?" Her childish voice rings in her ears. Her small hands were clutching a piece of wood. It was big for her hands at the moment.
"Oh my. That's Mama's most precious treasure from your Papa~" Her mother's voice tickling her ears as the older woman answers all the while cooing at her. Her mother takes the piece of wood from her hands. "See these markings here. Mama will tell you what it means once you get older, my little sky~"
Blue eyes stare up at her mom. There was a soft smile on her mother's face as those calloused hands traced the strange markings on the wood. Little Kuuki frowns at the scene.
As a child, she had no idea what she felt during that moment. All she knew was that she was overcome with a very strange feeling. As she grew older, she realized what that strange and never felt before feeling was. Simply put, it was jealousy.
It was the first time she saw her mother smile that way at something or someone other than herself. Little Kuuki was overcome with the need to make something better than that piece of wood. She started to learn how to carve, vowing to make something that would cause her mother to smile the same way with her own work. She'd facepalm at herself in embarrassment, but there was something else occupying her mind at the moment.
"Mama will tell you what it means once you get older…"
Ah, but that would be impossible now. Kuuki thought, finishing her sentence to show to her friends.
"Kuuki-chan says. It was a piece of wood with strange markings." Gen reads. He hums as he wonders what sort of strange marking they were.
Kohaku tries to remember that particular piece. "Ah, it was the one that was always hanging on the wall of Kuuki's hut before it got destroyed in the fire." If she remembers it right, it was rectangular, nothing too spectacular in shape. Kuuki had made more spectacular things in the past. The only thing that made it a bit special was the intricate markings. Neither she nor Kuuki herself knew what it meant.
Kuuki nods in answer. Yeah, that one. She may never know what it meant–
Her blue eyes soon widened. No, it couldn't be. She frowns in deep thought on her face that causes her two companions to exchange a look at each other. The conversation stops, but it could no longer continue when Chrome calls Kuuki over to continue working on the kingdom's latest project.
It was later that night that the girl got her answer.
That night, Kuuki approached the Kingdom of Science with the intent to ask the red-eyed scientist. Her frown from the afternoon still graced her face. She'd trust Senku to answer her honestly, which was the only reason why she didn't ask Gen in the first place. Maybe the mentalist would answer her honestly, but she'd rather not take any chances that the mentalist would lie.
When she found the modern scientist alone in the middle of the clearing, she breathed deeply. She had made up her mind to ask before coming anyway. After exchanging a nod in greeting, the two night owls of the Kingdom of Science, proceed with their own work. Her, on her paper making and Senku on whatever project planning he had.
Upon reaching a process where her hands were free, she reached over for her clipboard inside her satchel. Kuuki briefly stares at her writing before tapping twice on Senku's arm to catch his attention.
Feeling the taps on his arm, Senku turned to her clipboard to see what she had written.
Senku, what does kanji look like? Was what the clipboard said. There was a strange look in Kuuki's eyes if Senku was observing her. Fortunately for the girl, he wasn't staring at her but at her words on the paper.
Unaware of her original intent, Senku misunderstood. For the modern scientist, he thought that maybe Kuuki had grown impatient that they hadn't found the time for writing lessons. She was that eager to learn? He contemplated what to show to Kuuki. He reaches over for the charcoal in Kuuki's hand and proceeds to write down his own name.
千空
Once he finished, he turned the clipboard back to show the kanji to his companion.
Seeing the characters, Kuuki's eyes widened. What were the chances… Even more so, as soon as Senku verbalizes what he had written, pointing at each character as he did each syllable.
"Sen (千), Kuu (空)" The namesake of the written kanji said. Senku scratches the back of his neck. "Mah, this is just two of them among 3000 characters. We'll get to them, it'll be a walk in the park for you."
He looks over at the silent girl who took the charcoal from his hand.
Kuuki's mind was elsewhere. The same… Her hands moved to write what was next.
Upon finishing her writing, she showed her words to him, only for Senku's turn to be shocked.
What does this mean?
空気
"Kuu 空 ki 気. That says Kuuki." Bewildered, Senku reads the characters out loud. He hadn't taught her that. Heck, he hadn't taught her any kanji yet aside from his name.
The girl looks down at the writing, upon receiving confirmation of what she had suspected. Kuuki could hear her mother's words, her chest welling up with emotions.
"Mama's most precious treasure from your Papa."
Suddenly, something wet runs down her face. To the surprise of her and her companion.
As soon as Kuuki realized, she tried her best to erase them. Before any more tears try to run down her cheeks. And maybe, possibly from further bothering Senku. Eventually, Kuuki looks away as she tries to rub the tears away from her eyes.
That simple piece of wood from her father to her mother. It held that much meaning but she had held negative emotions against it, in a weird attempt to one up her own father.
Her tears wouldn't stop from falling from her eyes.
Ah…
How badly she wanted to see her mother right at this moment. She had never thought about how she too would want to see her father. A man she barely remembers.
Her tears wouldn't stop. She realized at that moment, the weight of what she always knew.
My father from the future named me. He was an outsider.
The onslaught of tears continues. A part of her can only think as she silently cries. How embarrassing!
A heavy hand was placed on the top of her head. It was probably an awkward attempt at comfort.
Nonetheless, she greatly appreciated it. Therefore, once she calmed down, she hurriedly stood up, bowed to Senku in thanks and ran away from the Kingdom of Science. All the while forgetting her paper making that night.
How warm were her ears that night despite the cold night.
Last night, actually.
Kuuki sweat drops at her horrible and embarrassing demeanor. This would probably be her true karma for eavesdropping on the scientist himself from– Nevermind, that was so long ago already!
Ahh, now that she thought about that was the real reason for this lazy day wasn't it…
Her head turns to the side to look at her Mama's wooden treasure with 空気 carved on it. From her papa…
For the first time in a long time, she wondered what her father was like. She remembers too little of the man. Maybe, if she tried hard enough to search her memories she might remember something.
まだ しらない きおく の どこ か で
"Somewhere in my still unknown memories"
Finally, when she least expected it, she dozes off.
おなじ つき の した で よりそってた
"We were huddling under the same moon."
It was mid afternoon when Kuuki opened her eyes. She blinked up at her ceiling whilst the fog of a dream soon eluded her.
She frowned as she sat up. When she fully awakens, Kuuki decides that enough was enough! Enough with the guilt and overthinking as her companions. How mysterious that she was already missing the Kingdom of Science…
Still it was a bit cold for her. Her blue eyes caught on to the blanket that pooled at her waist as she sat upright.
She was already weird enough right, what's one more incident.
Wrapped in her blanket, she made her way outside her hut to the Kingdom of Science she went to.
"Over there, it's Kuuki!" Suika's cheerful voice echoes around the familiar clearing. Beside the melon helmet girl, Namari calls out. "Kuuki-san."
When the people present hear, they all turn to her figure wrapped up in her blanket. Before she could imagine how ridiculous she must have looked, someone beat her to it.
Eh? Kuuki was taken aback as the first to bombard her was Gen?
"Kuuki-chan!" The mentalist approaches her first.
There were tears running down his f-face… The step forward she was about to take pauses and would almost become a step back when a voice follows up after the modern timer.
"Kuuki-chan! Kuuki -chan!" A familiar blonde guard whines at her with the same comical tears. G-ginrou?
"Gen! Ginrou! Stop running away!" Chrome calls after the two. Kaseki stood beside the brown haired scientist. There was an air of something surrounding the two craftsmen.
In tandem, both Gen and Ginrou cry for help. "Please save us, Kuuki-chan!" E-eh…
"Oh-ho, Kuuki, you're finally here!" Kaseki calls for her. The two males crying for help jumps behind her? The aura changes between the two craftsman.
What happened?
"Ehh, Kuuki's here." A familiar voice springs up with a dark tone.
K-kohaku, you're scaring me… The blonde stands beside her. Kohaku's hands were somewhat reaching over to her face. What'd I do!? I just got here.
It was Kuuki's turn to mimic Gen and Ginrou this time. Hie! Before those hands could grab a hold of her cheeks, Senku's words cut in, saving her.
"Oi, enough. We've got work to do, now that Kuuki's finally here!"
A/N: They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Wrong! Er, it's not always true! I grew nervous as the days went by without writing anything! I came out blank and blanker as the days and weeks went by. Had 2 bouts of writer's block. First, do I really want to skip autumn? Why did I say winter next?! You can see what won, as autumn is a great writing material for progress! A lot of things can happen! Like this sort of extra chapter. With a sneak peek of what went on…
Back to fall/autumn, do people wear coats immediately? How cold is it? How warm is it? I literally sweat in a bucket of writer's block in the hot weather in deep contemplation. Cause i had no idea. Then, waaait, this wasn't exactly Kuuki's first autumn and winter… Well, that got me writing but then a lot happened irl like my birhtdya, sky kids occupying my brain, brain went fast forwarding to future plots. Then i rode a plane :| Tbh, the majority of this chapter was written on my phone ( ._.)
Now thanks to Kuuki's dad, the two are literally the 空 (sky) couple! for our fic! 千空気 SenKuuki yeeeeey! To the person who commented about her dad, here's a sneak peek ;D
Anyway, in the previous chapter I got two spams accusing me in AO3 of using AI to write this fic! I blanked then laughed seeing them. Seriously, if I do use AI, I wouldn't be agonizing this much over a chapter right :D I'm not gonna stop anonymous comments btw.
To my actual and dearest readers, you guys brighten up my day with a view, a hit, a comment and a kudos! I can never thank you enough! Thank you for waiting patiently for this chapter! Uploading this from a different timezone lol