Chapter 15: Days of Peace
Days passed and Nona was running back home. Today in class, she learned something amazing and couldn't wait to share it with her mother and little brother. Opening the door to her house, she suddenly became quiet when she saw the two of them sleeping soundly on the living room floor. Gently closing the door, taking off her shoes, and slipping off her backpack, she went to join her family.
Laying onto her side, she playfully tapped Ichiro on his cute little nose, giggling when his sleeping face scrunched up in annoyance. Pulling out a paper butterfly she made in art class from her skirt pocket, she played around with it with her hand as if it was fluttering in the sky. Her face lit up when her little brother woke up. Seeing the paper butterfly, his tiny arms flew into the air, trying to reach it. Nona silently cooed as she lowered her arm to let her brother touch the butterfly. Grabbing it, he started to wave his arms around, accidentally hitting her on the shoulder.
Rolling to her stomach, she brushed her finger around Ichiro's chubby little face, tracing it. The touch made the baby squirm as he began to put the butterfly into his mouth. Quietly laughing so as to not disturb her mother, Nona got up and picked up her little brother.
"That's not something you can eat, Ichi!" she whispered in a mock scolding way.
In response, the baby boy threw the paper butterfly onto the ground before putting his hand into his mouth. Shaking her head fondly, she gently pulled his hand away from his mouth, walking over to the sofa to put on socks onto his tiny fists. Ichiro whined quietly, moving his clothed arms around.
"When did my little riceball grow into a wonderful young lady...?" Ennea groggily questioned, sitting up and rubbing the sleepiness away from her eyes.
"Because you and Dad raised me!" Nona chirped happily.
At the mention of her husband, the woman smiled softly at her daughter. "Your father would have been proud of you." Looking over to a shrine built for Roku, her gaze softened as she murmured longingly, "If only he was here with us..."
Feeling her daughter's tiny hand on her finger directed her attention onto the little girl. She had a sad smile on her face as she insisted, "He is here with us. In here," she pointed to the woman's chest.
With her finger, Ennea gently stroked Nona's head, acknowledging and agreeing with her little riceball's claim. When Ichiro became fussy, the woman laughed lightly, moving her finger to pat his head. The boy needed to be spoiled with love from his mother and sister.
Getting up properly from the ground, the woman suggested, "Why not have a picnic tomorrow? So we can enjoy our family time?"
"Yes! That's a perfect idea!" Nona agreed, nodding her head eagerly. "Can we go to the hills?"
Ennea paused at the question before giving her an answer, "Of course, little riceball."
Putting Ichiro into her mother's hands, the girl giddily jumped up and down before running over to the phone to call her friends. All of them agreed to the idea of having a picnic since the weekend tomorrow will be in perfect weather. Planning the time of the meeting and a specific spot, the activity was finished. Ending the call and placing the receiver back in place, Nona went to the kitchen to start preparing for tomorrow's event.
With Ichiro tucked into the living room bassinet, Ennea watched her daughter pull the ingredients from the fridge and place them on the counter. Because of her size, she had to keep going back and forth between the two places, sometimes the ingredients were too big for her to carry. It puzzled the woman why children were the size they were. Even she didn't understand why she had grown so much as an adult.
Seeing her daughter trying to get a carton of milk, the woman walked over to the fridge and grabbed it for her. "What do you want to make, little riceball?"
"A cake!" Nona exclaimed.
Nodding her head, Ennea went to grab the equipment to help make it. There were only adult-sized tools and utensils in their household. Due to her daughter's size, baking a cake on her own would be difficult. So she planned to help with the more difficult parts such as mixing and putting the cake batter into the oven. She could trust Nona with the pouring of flour and cracking of the eggs, though she expected spills to occur along the way.
"Are we ready?" she asked the girl.
"Yes!"
~oOo~
The next day, the Tsukumo family went to the hills at eight in the morning. Already, Nona could see her friends already there, waiting for her. But what caught her attention were the hot air balloons that Deka and his father were setting up. She'd seen them before during festivals, but that was when they were in the sky. Never had she seen them tethered to the ground. Seeing the Town Head setting up and the height between him and the air balloon looked... a bit jarring. As the leader, the Town Head was the tallest of the adults in the Haven. To see the air balloon being a few feet taller than him was... surprising.
"Nona!" Elfie called out, waving her hand.
Smiling at her friend, she picked up her pace, rushing over to hug her. "El!"
"Aw, how are you doing?" the twelve-year-old asked.
"You saw me yesterday! Why are you acting like you haven't seen me in a while?" Nona laughed.
"Because...! Seventeen hours is just too long! I missed you!" Elfie whined with a mild complaint.
Ignoring her friend's antics, Nona pulled away from the hug to help her mother hold Ichiro as she spread the blanket over the grass. The other children started to put their picnic baskets on the cover. Some of them started to take off their sandals to feel the dirt and grass under their feet.
Trois had approached Nona, greeting her and her little brother. The ten-year-old looked at the older girl in front of her. Trois was really nice and sweet. However, she was almost like an outcast, even if she had joined their circle of friends. Seeing that her brother was reaching out to the twin-braided girl, Nona looked up at her curiously.
"Do you want to hold him?" she asked.
Trois' face lit up at the suggestion. "Can I?"
"Of course!" Nona answered as she carefully handed Ichiro over to the girl.
Trois was careful in handling the baby boy, cooing softly as he just stared at her with wide eyes. Looking over to Nona, she replied in a hushed voice, "He's so cute!"
"He is, isn't he?!" Nona agreed giddily before leaving her with her brother. "My little dumpling of a brother!"
Walking over to the others, the girl greeted her friends. Maru and Milli also greeted her, asking if she was alright. Although the question was redundant, Nona understood that her friends were worried for her. Even when things seemingly went back to normal, there was that underlying fear. Regardless, she assured them that she was fine before entreating them to have some food from the basket. The children agreed before running past her to join the others.
Walking over to Deka, Nona watched silently as he was putting supplies in the hidden compartments of the basket. She knew that he knew she was there. He just wasn't talking to her at the moment.
"Hi, Deka," she greeted.
"Hey," he gave a short greeting.
Nona blinked. Despite she didn't want to believe it, it almost felt like he was avoiding her a little. She had noticed while they were in school. They would talk normally, but he seemed a little distant from the group lately.
"Did I upset you?" she asked.
"What?!" he exclaimed, finally turning around to look at her in alarm. "Why would you think that?"
"Because it looks like you're keeping your distance from me," the girl pointed out.
"No, I-" he sighed. Looking at the hot air balloon, then at the picnic, then at her, he asked, "Want a ride?"
"I don't know how to pilot it," Nona admitted truthfully, confused at the unexpected suggestion.
"It's okay, I'll teach you," he extended a hand out to her. "Unless you're hungry and want to eat first, then I understand."
Nona turned around to see her mother and friends sitting on the blanket, eating and enjoying the food. However, if she was being honest, she wasn't feeling hungry yet. Turning to face her friend again, her eyes flickered onto the hot air balloon. Besides, she'd never flown one before. It seemed interesting to try. Returning her gaze to the boy, she gave a nod to his idea.
Taking his hand, she was led to a ramp to enter the basket. With Deka removing the ropes that kept the balloon grounded, he soon followed her inside. Without wasting time and wanting her to learn, the boy decided to give her full reign over the aircraft while he coached her.
"So what you want to do is..." he began.
Nona followed all his instructions. They were simple and to the point. He wasn't ordering her around to make it stressful and he even gave tips to make her fly the air balloon more efficiently. Very soon, they were taking off, gently floating off the ground. Two handles of different colors were dangling at the roof of the aircraft. The red one was meant to add more fuel to the fire, meaning that it would keep the air balloon in the sky, and possibly raise it higher. The blue one controlled the vent or disk-shaped flap at the top center of the envelope to help descend the air balloon.
The girl was advised that she should gently pull on that specific handle for a gradual descent. Otherwise, pulling it roughly will cause the entire flap to be pulled down, resulting in a hasty crash. Urged to give it a try, Nona followed his advice, pulling on the blue handle gently. She could see the flap opening, letting a little air out as the air balloon slowly went down. Letting go of the handle, the flap closed itself and they stopped descending. She understood now. If she had pulled on the handle roughly, the flap wouldn't be able to go back to its original position, letting all the air out completely.
She was then directed to the two hanging strings on the opposite side of the burner, connected to the cable system. Pulling any of them would help tilt the hot air balloon in the direction she wanted - almost like steering when riding a bike. After trying everything, Nona simply enjoyed the blue sky and the clouds that came their way. It felt weird to feel the clouds. They were very misty. It would ruin Milli's idea of what clouds were since the seven-year-old believed that they were made out of cotton candy.
Being at this high altitude reminded Nona of the time when they were on the giant wheel. After looking down at their town, she turned around to see her friend looking pensive.
"Did you and your father set this up... to prepare for the disaster?"
The question brought the boy out of his thoughts as he stared at her in shock, "You remembered?"
"I've never forgotten," she admitted.
Deka merely shrugged, "There's not much we could do. I don't know when that time will come, but I want everyone to enjoy the time we have left."
"Have you told the others yet?" Nona inquired. At the shake of his head, she continued, "Not even Elfie or Maru?"
She was surprised at the truth. Aside from her, those two were among the closest in his circle of friends. "I wanted them to be blissfully ignorant of it so they can enjoy everything to the fullest."
At that answer, Nona came up with a conclusion about the way her friend had been behaving. "Do you regret telling me? Because it will always be at the back of my mind and would be of inconvenience if I try to enjoy myself?" He didn't look her in the eye, but his silence told her everything. With a quiet sigh, she went over to hold his hand. "I didn't regret listening to it. I was happy that you told me."
"You do know... one day, it's possible that you can never return here again? One day, you might have to say goodbye to Aunt Ennea?" At his questioning, he looked her directly in the eyes. They both knew what Roku's death had caused them. They were aware of what Ennea's absence did to her.
Nona slightly averted her eyes but she gave a shaky nod. She knew. She knew what that meant. At the Haven, children's safety was put first. When that day arrives, it is most likely that all the adults will die, trying to save their children as possible. She knew. She couldn't pretend she didn't know. One day, she'll have to say goodbye to her mother. She didn't want to, but she was aware.
"I know," she answered, her voice shaking. "I know what will eventually have to happen. When that day comes, I'll be terrified. I'll have to say goodbye to her."
Saying goodbyes was sad, especially if it was forever. It leaves feelings of anger, sadness, and resentment. They were painful because she was going to have to leave someone behind and move on. It will be heartbreaking because she had lived at the Haven for a long time.
Feeling gentle fingers wiping away her tears, she looked up at Deka. He had a remorseful look on his face as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry that I upset you."
"You didn't. I'm just... coming to terms with it."
She could feel and hear his long sigh. "Let's get back down to the ground. I'll take care of it."
Releasing her from the hug, the teenager started to gently let the air out by pulling on the blue handle. Navigating it, he got the aircraft to land nearly at the exact spot before it lifted off the ground. Lowering the flame to prevent it from producing gas, he jumped off to tie the rope onto the planted anchors on the ground. After tying the knots tightly, he grabbed a plank and made a ramp by placing it between the edge of the basket and the ground. A moment later, Nona joined him on the ground.
She gave him a small smile before the two of them went to join the others at the picnic blanket.
~oOo~
Luckily for them, there was still plenty of food left to eat. Wanting to pass the time, the children decided to think of a game to play. When Deka and Nona were on the air balloon, the others had already played a game of Werewolf, so that was out. They could play musical chairs, but that suggestion was quickly tossed out the window because of the lack of chairs. Tag? Deka and Nona were still eating and it wasn't fun if all the participants weren't there. All games that require physical endurance were out for the moment. Charades? It didn't sound more exciting in Elfie's opinion, so that was out. Likes and dislikes? Most of them knew about the other with Trois still being new, having joined their group over a month ago. It didn't seem fair to her. Plus, they like to know about their new members through actions, not words.
After a few minutes of going back and forth of thinking of a game to play, Trois eventually came up with an idea. "How about truth or dare?"
"That's... a good idea!" Elfie complimented.
"Who should go first?" Milli questioned. "To ask the question?"
Trois suggested, "The person who was chosen will be the one to go."
It was agreed among the children to play in that order and have five rounds. Of course, there were certain rules, from the game itself and made-up rules to guarantee no one gets hurt. If the chosen player lied when picking 'truth' or was unable to complete a dare, there would be a harmless punishment awaiting them. As for the made-up rules, it was agreed that the dares are fun and not hurtful. There couldn't be any dares that would make the players feel uncomfortable or put them in harm's way. As for the truth, it couldn't be anything too personal that the player wouldn't want to share.
With those rules established, it was time to play the game. Since Deka was the eldest in their group, he was the first to ask anyone he wanted to pick between the two options.
"Hmm..." he tapped his finger onto his chin as his eyes lingered on one person, "Maru! Truth or dare?"
The nine-year-old scoffed at the question, crossing his arms. "Dare."
"Alright. I dare you to kiss Trois," Deka smirked smugly.
The boy's eyes widen in shock as Elfie pumps her fist in excitement before giving the Town Head's son a high five. It dawned on him that Deka knew that he would never pick dare had Elfie been the one to ask him the question. So when the teenager directed him with the choice, he had let his guard down, and this was the price for it. Awkwardly, he eyed the girl whom he had a crush on. Trois smiled at him, not looking embarrassed or bothered by the dare at all.
Seeing such a smile caused the boy's face to flush pink as Milli and Elfie were making fun of him, cheering for him to complete the dare. How humiliating! Wasn't the rule stated that the dare shouldn't make the player feel uncomfortable? Well... it wasn't that Maru was uncomfortable with the idea... but it would be so embarrassing to complete! Oh, he plans to get revenge against Deka for daring him to kiss Trois! Wait... he was simply told to 'kiss' the girl. However...
Getting up from his spot, he stood in front of the taller girl while everyone watched in anticipation. Even Trois looked at him curiously. The boy initiates by extending out his hand. Catching on to his plans, Trois reached out hers with a look of amusement on her face. Holding the girl's hand, Maru planted his lips on the back of it as everyone else groaned. Technically, the boy completed his dare. He just didn't complete it the way they wanted.
After returning to his spot, Maru looked at Deka and stuck out his tongue. "Nice try. Nona, your turn. Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Okay... Do you plan to leave Haven one day?"
Leaning back against the grass to stare at the sky, the girl pondered the question. "For now, I plan to stay. But I think when I grow up, I would like to see the world... so yes, I might plan to leave Haven one day. Keep in mind that my decision isn't fully set in stone."
Maru simply nodded as Nona directed her gaze at Milli. She asked the question and the young girl had picked dare. Trying to think of something creative, the ten-year-old tapped her finger against her chin as she looked up in thought. Finally, she snapped her fingers, smiling as something good came to her mind. She had dared the little girl to keep an ice cube in her mouth until it melted.
"Aw! You're so mean, Nona! I don't like to keep cold things in my mouth!" Milli whined but begrudgingly got up to go to the cooler. Returning to her spot, she showed everyone the smallest ice cube she could find before popping it into her mouth, shivering on the spot. When the game didn't continue, the youngest child realized she had to pick someone to ask the question. It was hard to speak with an ice cube cooling the insides of her mouth, but she tried to ask the question, directing her gaze at Trois. "T-Truth... or dare?"
Everyone turned their eyes at the ginger-haired girl, who responded without much hesitation. "Dare."
"Ooh, how bold of you, Trois!" Elfie cheered.
"I-I... dare you to serenade Genji-sensei when we return to school on Monday!"
Everyone gasped at such a dare, turning to the dared girl to see her reaction. There was no expression on Trois' face. It was like she was trying to process what had been told to her. Finally, her eyes widened and her mouth slightly parted in shock. Dread was creeping into her chest. That was a difficult dare and quite honestly, she didn't expect Milli to think of it.
Genji-sensei wasn't a mean teacher per se. However, he didn't radiate that feeling that said that they could come to ask him anything. It was what made him somewhat unapproachable. And she had to sing to him?! In front of everyone to hear? Wait! Milli never said that I had to sing in front of the class or at a specific time!
Finding such loopholes, a smile graced the girl's lips as she regarded Milli with a friendly look. "That was a good dare. I look forward to completing it." Sarcasm dripped from her words.
Surprise was etched on the young girl's face at her pleasant, nonchalant demeanor. She wasn't sure if she should feel annoyed or awed. Then, Trois turned her attention to Elfie who, of course, chose dare. The preteen was given the most daring of all dares.
"I have to do what?!" Elfie asked, completely blown away by the demand.
"You have to kiss that tall cute boy from class 6-A on Monday in front of everyone in the classroom," Trois repeated. "Simple, right?"
"Uh-uh! No way!" the preteen disagreed, her head furiously shaking back and forth. Immediately, she pulled Nona close to her, wrapping her arms around the girl somewhat possessively. "The only one I'll be kissing is Nona or Ichi."
An impish grin spread on Trois' lips as she turned her attention to the rest of the group. "I guess this calls for a punishment?"
Everyone nodded in agreement while Elfie stared down at her, trying to get a clue on her facial expression. When she didn't get any, she boldly declared, "Bring it on!"
The mischievous glint in her eyes was now dancing as Trois quickly decided on a punishment. "Get splashed with icy cold water."
When the punishment was proclaimed, Elfie's determined face faltered, turning into confusion. Everyone else had nearly the same expression as hers. Icy cold water? Where would they get that? As if reading everyone's thoughts, Trois stood up on her feet and talked over to the cooler where they had been storing their drinks. It had been sitting outside for a long time now and as she peered down, most of the ice had melted. Looking back to the players, Trois playfully patted the cooler with a big smile on her face.
With a groan, but preferring this punishment over her dare, Elfie got up and stood far away from everyone while Trois asked Ennea for help dunking the girl. With the adult's help, she placed the cooler just a few inches from her head. Had it been placed higher, she worried the large chunk of ice would fall and cause a concussion. With the countdown of three, the cooler tipped as cool water gushed out and splattered on Elfie's head.
Everyone watched in amusement as the preteen immediately let out a shriek, her body shivering as a piece of ice managed to get into her clothing. Ennea quickly grabbed a spare blanket from the basket and dropped it over her shoulders as Elfie managed a 'thank you' with chattered teeth.
Glaring at Trois who was giving her an innocent smile, Elfie directed her attention to the eldest member of their group who hadn't had their turn yet. "Deka, truth or dare?" she inquired with a shiver.
The boy simply had mocked concern as he pretended to be in deep thought. "Hmm, one truth and four dares so far? And the person who will be demanding of me is Elfie? It's obvious that I should go with 'truth'."
"Ohhh! How lucky you are to evade me!" Elfie puffed her cheeks and sent a scowl his way. Crossing her arms, she pouted, "Fine! Future Town Head-sama, what exactly are you hiding from us?"
At such a question, both Nona and Deka became tensed as all the lighthearted atmosphere started to dissipate. Unsure how he would respond, Nona worriedly glanced over to meet his gaze. She could see firmness and determination fixed in his eyes. Of course, he could ask to take the punishment if he didn't want to answer the truth question, but she wasn't sure if he would want to pass on revealing vital information.
Nona took her eyes away to look at Elfie. Despite that childish act she had earlier, all traces of it were gone. Her face was stoic and stern. She was waiting. Waiting for his reply. From that look, the girl knew. Her friend wasn't asking for some embarrassing secret. Unfortunately for Deka, he never usually hides things from his friends.
She must have felt something was wrong so she used this chance to learn about it. What are you going to do, Deka? Returning her attention to the boy, Nona also waited for his response.
To everyone's surprise, he opts for the punishment. He was made to do one hundred push-ups and everyone watched as he started well at first before slowing down and needing to take breaks. It took him an hour and lots of long breaks in between to complete his punishment before he could finally relax his sore muscles.
Grabbing a soaked towel from the basket, Nona offered it to the teen, who gratefully accepted. Unsure of what the others thought about this failed truth, she turned to face her friends, trying to see what expressions were on their faces. They didn't seem to be bothered, except for Elfie. The older girl kept her stern gaze at Deka before changing her expression. The tension radiating off of her was gone, replaced with the usual cheer.
"Well then, shall we continue?" she suggested as a chorus of 'yes' responded.
After three more rounds of truth or dare, it was now noon. With everyone full and having rested well enough, all the kids got up to play more active games. Playing tag, hide and seek, and more! They played and played until they grew exhausted from chasing each other, unanimously deciding to take a rest. The kids would alternate between active games and passive ones. They played a variety of games and activities until it was getting close to late afternoon. Wanting to return home early, everyone helped pack away everything in the panic basket.
Offering to take all the children home, Ennea carried all of them in her arms. The only exception was Nona, who was safely tucked in her mother's dress pocket taking care of Ichiro.
The walk was slow as the children wanted to take in the view of the crimson-red sun setting in the orange sky. They all whispered in awe at the beautiful scenery. Not wanting her baby brother to miss this, Nona gently woke Ichiro. The baby grumbled, opening his eyes. However, upon seeing his sister, the adorable thing forgot about his interrupted sleep.
"Look over there, Ichi," Nona gestured. The baby didn't move his head, but she could see him shifting his eyes to the scene that everyone else was watching. "The sun is very pretty, isn't it?"
Ichiro responded with an excited gurgle, which earned a smile from everyone nearby. The first stop was at Trois' house. The braided-haired girl was settled to the ground by the adult. Before she entered her home, she turned and gave everyone a wave. The children and Ennea returned the farewell before going to the next stop. One by one, the children were dropped to their houses until it was just the Tsukomo family.
"Did you enjoy yourself today, little rice ball?" Ennea asked as she unlocked their house. Taking her children out of her pocket, she noticed her sleeping son. "Tiny dumpling is already knocked out?"
"Yep!" Nona answered quietly. "And, yes, I did enjoy myself today. Thanks, Mom."
Ennea responded by gently patting her daughter's head. "Of course. I love you two." Bringing the basket to the kitchen to clean the inside up, she inquired in a soft tone, "Are you hungry? I could fix something real quick."
"I'm not really hungry," Nona replied, feeling a yawn coming. She brought a hand to cover her mouth before looking at her sleeping brother in her other arm. Seeing his peaceful face made her feel tired, too. So sinking into their mattress didn't sound like a bad idea right now. "We're going to go to bed. See you tomorrow, Mom."
"Alright, I love you two," Ennea repeated.
Halfway up the stairs, the girl smiled at her mother, "We know. Love you, too."