Round and Round We Go

Chapter 2: And Years Pass by as the Carousel Spins Around

A/N: We'll be having snippets of Riko's childhood as the year passes by until she becomes a teenager, and then time skips, probably. Hope you guys have fun reading this :)

One year old...

I don't think that my first year was anything too usual. I permanently lived in a cradle the whole time with my mother looking after me every few minutes. Simply put, it had been a cycle of eat, play, sleep and then repeat.

Oh and I found out that my father was a basketball coach for a team!

And surprise, surprise, bitches.

I really am Aida Riko.

In the flesh.

"Honey," I hear father call up my mom from somewhere in our house. When my mom called out, he said, "I'll be preparing the dinner tonight."

"What?" Mother's voice had always been calm and composed, even if she seemed totally confused. She asked, "But haven't you already been cooking since a month ago?"

"U-uh." I can imagine my father sweating bullets, heh.

"Are you perhaps implying something, dear?" The steeliness in mother's voice was without a doubt sharper than any knife. She was walking towards the kitchen, I can hear her footsteps.

"No, it's just-"

God, why is father so pathetic. I decided to help him out. This time.

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

Mother immediately ran to my cradle, already forgetting about her former conversation with father. She immediately took me from the cradle and gently cooed me on as she whispered, "Baby Riko, don't get Mama's cooking ability, okay?"

When I tilted my head in question, since that's the only thing I can do, really. Mother had pink color tainted on her cheeks as she winked and added, "I can make food explode, that's unique, ne?"

Somehow, I probably made a sign of agreement because mother simply chuckled and continued to coo on me. After a few minutes, she let me down into the mat and looked at me fondly, "You are our greatest blessing, Riko."

Wow. That was something that I haven't heard since a long time ago. And this is coming from my mother. I looked down and went to crawl without any direction in mind.

Mother chuckled again as she said, "Look at that, you're getting shy on me now, aren't you? My adorable, little Riko."

She let me crawl for a few minutes and hold on to several random objects before she went after me and gently placed me in her arms again. She looked at a nearby alarm clock and said, "It's sleepy time, Riko. Want Mama to sing you to sleep?"

I cried out, "Yappa!"

She took it as a positive, which it is, and then she began to sing. Her song tonight was something of a fairytale. It was about a princess who found her prince after overcoming so many miracles. It was only a matter of time before I felt my eyes getting heavier and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night or maybe early in the morning, I hear a shuffle near my cradle. It was father and he whispered to me, "Thanks for saving me back then, Riko-chan. Papa loves you so much."

I didn't respond because I should still be asleep but I was without a doubt, feeling giddy as damn and high as fuck that night.

Two years old...

They taught that I was the cutest thing on earth. And that I was an absolute genius for being able to speak, kind of. If they only knew that this second shot at life, I'm sure that they wouldn't really be surprised. Not only that but my life leveled up to potty training as well as lego blocks and small balls. Cool, huh?

"Oh my," I hear the voice of an old lady approaching me. When she looked inside my cradle, I almost burst into tears. Almost.

But damn.

I miss Grandma and Grandpa.

The old lady's smile was kind and her eyes were crinkled with age and probably wisdom. She held me up high near the lights and she beamed, "This child is the most brilliant thing in the world."

Oh god.

I can remember Grandma saying that to me back then.

Since last year my old life had become quite blurry, except for my knowledge of this world. Now, memories are flooding me once again and I'm trying my absolute best not to cry nor tear up. I wouldn't want them to think that I'm scared of this other Grandma.

She pulled me back down then held me closely into her arms, she sang me a song. Her voice was raspy with age but it was still beautiful and despite my lack of knowledge about feelings other than sadness, I can just feel the love emanating from the song.

I can feel it in the air, in the room. It is circulating around, letting it become one with the two of us as both me and Grandma became one in our hearts. This instant connection was strong and at its full force.

As she walked around and continue to sing, I felt peace within me. Peace for my past, peace for my present and peace for my future. As she held me in her old hands, I can feel her heartbeat from her chest, thumping so loudly and rhythmically.

She swayed to her melody and really, I feel calmer than most of the times I blanked out, and mind anyone, I blank out A LOT. She was whispering sweet nothings to me and it was the most adorable and sweetest thing in the entire world. At the moment, I decided to always find time for my Grandma when I grow up.

As we were about to get to the ending of the song, a man barge in. It was actually an old man and...

...he reminds me of my Grandpa.

With him here and Grandma cradling me in my arms, I really wasn't able to help it when I cried out loud as tears of joy filled my eyes.

Grandma sent a glare at Grandpa's direction and shook her head, "You scared her."

"Iyeeeh!" I shook my head wildly.

Grandpa was gaping as he said, "But I brought toys..."

A smile formed on my tiny lips and I managed to blurt out, "Grandma! Grandpa!"

Their eyes widened and Grandma smiled, "This girl will be a genius."

"She's a little angel." Grandpa stated and Grandma nodded her head in agreement.

Three years old...

Father is coming home less and less on time. Mother is worried but he IS the coach. So, I guess that it's going to be a given. Mother went and beautified me with these cute clothes that looked adorable in me. Really, how was Riko such a tomboy with such a fashionista for a mother?

"Ne, Riko," Mother smiled at me from above the small bed and she looked giddy and excited as she picked me up. There was a gleam in her caramel eyes as she excitedly informed me, "Today, we are going on a mother-daughter bonding day!"

I managed to smile but... What is that?

"A-ano...?" I tilted my head in question and she squealed at the sheer adorableness, or at least that's how she worded it.

When she was done looking at me with very, very sparkling eyes, she told me, "We're going on a shopping today!"

Oh. Cool.

Unlike tsundere girls who say they hate shopping but are actually itching to buy entire mall for themselves, I got to admit earlier on, I like shopping.

Especially clothes.

And cakes.

No one would forget the cakes.

I think that I looked a little excited myself, probably, because mother was grinning so widely it was funny. She patted me twice on my head and said, "Well at least, you're game for it, Riko."

"B-but," I looked around and noticed the absent father figure. When mother looked at me curiously, I blurted out, "Papa?"

"Adorableeee!" Mother pinched my cheeks gently as she gave me a smile. There was a second sadness in her eyes as she explained, "See here, Riko, Papa is going overtime because right now, his team is in the Nationals!"

There was pride in her voice but a little bit of sadness?

"Ohhhh." My lips formed an O and I nodded my head twice.

She smiled at me with twinkle in her eyes as she gently took up my eyes and she excitedly rambled on, "It will be very, very fun. We'll go to malls, Riko. And did you know that Mama used to be a high-end model? I go to a lot of fashion shows before I had you and Papa. Mama knows how to look good so I'm sure that we can fine the best pieces to help you look your best, not that you don't already look adorable."

I beamed and she continued with her ramble, "And you know what's best after a fun day of shopping, Riko? We'll be going to the cafe! I'll order a lot of sweets for the both of us and it's going to be only our little secret."

She winked at me as she went out of the room, taking my hand as we went outside the room.

I can just feel that today will be one of the best days in my entire live.

Reincarnated or no.

Cause I have two lives.

Four years old...

The shopping trips are getting less and less frequent as the days pass by. It doesn't help that I can notice and observe that mother is getting paler. And I knew from experience that it is never a good thing. I want to help and explain to them and research but I'm young and I don't think someone will actually take my words seriously. I'm angry and sad and miserable at the same time.

"Mama, can I-" I stopped midway as I walked in mother's bedroom as I carried my tiny, little self.

With my pajamas on me and holding my teddy bear who somehow became my best buddy, I saw mother on the bed, breathing slowly and rigidly.

I wanted to get out of the room immediately because I can just feel that something is wrong but at the same time, I also want to run to mother and tell her that everything's all right and that I really, really don't think that anything bad will happen to her.

But I did neither.

I simply stared. At her pale cheeks and even paler form in the bed. Sweat up in her eyebrows as she had trouble breathing.

Her form reminds me of melancholy and something, probably misery. I looked at her and for some reasons, my eyes swell up.

Is it because I'm sad?

Ever since I came here, I knew. I knew that something bad would happen but it's the first time since I was reborn that I felt this.

Perhaps I've became way too carefree. Or may I'm just being a pessimist, thinking of things like this. Thinking too much of things that might not even happen.

I...

"Oh, Riko," mother called me out and all my thoughts simply disappeared. When I looked at her, she gave me a gentle smile, "You didn't tell me that you're here."

"Sorry," I looked down on the marble floor

"Mhmmm," I saw her shaking her head from my peripheral gaze. She sat up her bed and patted the seat next to her as she asked, "Sit down next to Mama, ne?"

"Yay!" I mustered up the brightest, most encouraging yell I can muster at the moment as I ran up to her and sat at the lavender sheets of her bed.

"That's my girl," mother said with a gentle smile as she touched my hair and continued to caress it. She looked at me for a little while and she commented, "You know, Riko, you've became such a strong and beautiful girl."

"Mama's beautiful, too!" I smiled at her with my brightest ones since a while.

She smiled back at me. She was so serene and really, really beautiful. I really don't have any doubts about her stories of being a model during her past. It was so much befitting of her. If I was adorable, I probably got it from her.

But as I stared a her, a sense of foreboding flooded me.

No.

Five years old...

I knew it. Mother died. My mom died. Again. Why do these things happen to me? I thought that I could be freer here, that I would have a complete family. Guess that it was just a fantasy and there's really no one else but me, reincarnated or not.

This isn't fun. Nothing's fun anymore. Why do these kind of things even happen? This is...

I feel my tears fell from my cheeks in time with the rain that accompanied mother's funeral. It was solemn and it's pitter-patter was in accordance to the beat of my almost-wrenched heart. There was no way for me to be happy right now. No way at all.

I can see the streams of people walking with us as we walked to the cemetery. There were all kinds of people that attended and I am pretty sure that I don't know majority of them. Not that I actually needed to know them, anyhow.

The place where the ceremony for mother's burial was located on a white room. It almost looked like a hospital room, which is saying a lot about my utter dislike for it. I hate hospital rooms, but this place, I hate it even more.

The beautiful flowers in their pretty little vases looked so annoying right now, that if I had the strength to, I would have kicked them all off their pedestals. I can feel the bright petals of each and every single one of them radiating warmth but honestly, all I can feel now is the cold.

I almost felt numb.

The people that come and go, paying their respects to the coffin of my dead mother. I wanted to shout at them. But I didn't. It was futile anyway, and it's just a waste of time. Both mine and theirs. It's not like making a scandal right here would make my mother proud anyway.

I am so tired...

I felt myself collapsing as I hear my father shout, "Riko!"

A/N: This ended in a sad note. But we'll be chronicling more of Riko's life in the next chapter, which would be updated next friday. That being said, our weekly updates for Round and Round We Go would be during fridays. Thanks for the support and I hope at you'll review :)