Post by Mndlss Cltst #2 on Mar 22, 2008 21:59:23 GMT -5
Part one of epilogue of an rp me and Mantorch had. =3
<<<333
If anyone said that he was tired, it would be an understatement. He was flat-out exhausted.
Kaori Taiki would love nothing but to stay in bed all day, or perhaps relaxing on his favorite plush lounge chair with a case of Budweiser. His three daughters would stay in the house where he could keep an eye on them, and his paranoia wouldn't be as high as it was now. Unfortunately, though, with the lives that he and the girls had to keep on living, that was an impossible wish. His oldest daughter, Oriah, was expecting friends over to work on a History project (which doesn't worry him too much except for the fact that he has to leave for work in a few minutes). His middle daughter, Hikari, was out at a Youth Group field trip and left before he woke up (which was around nine, so she left pretty early) so he didn't get a chance to tell her to stay home. Finally, his youngest daughter, Anya, had ballet practice to go to, and not wanting to worry the young girl any more than necessary, he finally agreed with himself to drop her off at the dance studio on his way to work. She, along with the other two girls, were already worried about his strange behavior, and they had the right to.
Even though middle-aged Asian man magically made it home the previous night and collapsed on his bed without saying a peep to anyone (which left his daughters in a cloud of concern), he had difficulty sleeping and every half hour his eyes would shoot open. With the lack of sleep, he was a walking zombie throughout the morning and always had a mug of coffee cradled in his hands. The coffee, combined with his insomnia, made him very jittery and restless as if he was paranoid about something. And he was.
His right hand was marked with three pale circular scars, arranged in a triangular pattern. It looked like he has had them for an extensive period of time, but in fact he was cursed with them since the previous day. Each "scar" represented the souls of his daughters, and if one were to disappear...
"That is my promise, Kaori. You will know with your own eyes when your own arrogance has caused the death of your children. When each soul is snuffed...a scar shall disappear. If you still doubt me, simply wait. You shall see the truth with your own eyes."
Archibald's warning made the single father nauseas. Kaori flat out refused to become the mad scientist's "subject," and the price was the threat of losing the only souls keeping him from cracking and becoming mentally insane. And, of course, it would be all his fault. It was always his fault. His brother's past betrayal was his fault, the death of his first and only wife was all his fault, the possible loss of his girls would be all his fault...
"Daddy?"
Startled, Kaori jumped out of his self-loathing daydream, causing some of his coffee to spill onto his loose jeans. It burned his sickly-pale flesh under the denim, but he appreciated the brief distraction from reality.
With a groan, he sat up from his slumped position. "Yes, Sweetheart?"
Standing in front of him, dressed in pink ballet tights and a pair of grey sweatpants, was Anya, her long brown-red hair in a loose ponytail and a brush in her small hands.
"Daddy, it's almost time to go," she said, almost reluctantly. Kaori blinked a few times before comprehending her words and nodding.
"Yeah, I realize that, Honey." His fingers dug into his thick messy brown hair to scratch his scalp and was about to stand up when Anya cleared her throat. The redhead held the brush out and it took a few seconds for the father to understand her silent message. "Why don't you ask your sisters?"
Anya frowned. "'Kari's out at her church thing and Oriah told me to fuck off."
Kaori visibly flinched. It was typical for the seventeen-year-old to be so...hostile. "Don't use that word again," he warned.
"Which one? Fu-?"
He silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Yes, that one. I don't want to hear you use it."
"But Big Sister always uses it. Why can't I?"
"She's long overdue for a good grounding, and you're too little to be using those kind of words." He placed his mug down onto the coffee table and patted his lap. The young girl climbed on and made herself comfortable, handing her father the brush during the process.
At her request, Kaori split her hair and braided it into a pair of french pigtails, and once he was done the girl turned around and gave him a sad look.
"Daddy, what's wrong?"
Kaori was taken aback. "Uh-what?"
Anya placed her hands on his shoulders. "You're a mess, Daddy, and you've been acting weird and...not you." She proceeded to fix his collared shirt and his black tie. "You're a mess. Why don't you wear a different pair of pants? These ones are dirty."
Truth be told, Kaori didn't give a damn and had grabbed the first clothing articles he spotted on the floor. He didn't feel too particular about his appearance today. "I'm outside the workshop today. I have to supervise the construction of the back gardens of that corporation I told you about a few weeks ago. Remember when I asked you to help me design the gazebo area?" Anya nodded. Kaori was a landscape designer specializing in public and commericial areas, and the little girl loved it when her father let her help out.
"Yeah, Daddy, I remember." She let out a sigh, the loose tie now knotted neatly, and wrapped her arms around his neck into a tight hug. "Daddy, really, what's wrong? I never saw you smile once today, and it's making me sad. Is it because of me and 'Kari and 'Riah?"
"Wh-what?" he stuttered. "O-Of course not! It's just...stress. I'm just going through a lot right now. Something came up yesterday and I'm not handling it too good. It's doesn't involve you or your sisters whatsoever." Yes it does, but I don't want to burden you... He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back, earning another sigh from the small girl.
"Okay, Daddy." The two were silent for a while. Kaori was enjoying the moment, and he felt himself calm down. He stole a quick glance to his right hand, relieved that the three scars were still there. Hikari was still out there doing her God stuff and Oriah hasn't collapsed yet.
Anya, meanwhile, nuzzled into her father's neck, breathing in his familiar scent that was mixed with caffeine, cologne, a hint of sweat, and...was that alcohol?
"Daddy!" She pushed herself upright and looked into his eyes, the two sharing the same bright-green irises. "Have you been drinking again?"
Kaori stared back, blinking slowly before smiling sheepishly, his first smile of the day. "Like I said, Sweetheart." He cupped her head in his hands. "I'm going through tough stuff right now. But I promise," he hastily added before she could retort, "that I won't do it again."
She frowned. "...Okay...pinky promise?" Anya held out her pinky, which Kaori took into his own before pulling her into another hug.
"Pinky promise." He gave her a quick smooch on her forehead and patted her back. "Come on, we should get going before we're late."
"Okay, Daddy." She slipped off her perch on his lap and retrieved her bag. "Oh, and Daddy?"
"Yes, Sweetheart?"
Anya gave him a stern look. "You need to shave. Your face is scratchy and uncomfortable."
Kaori let out a hearty laugh. He definitely felt a lot better.
<<<333
If anyone said that he was tired, it would be an understatement. He was flat-out exhausted.
Kaori Taiki would love nothing but to stay in bed all day, or perhaps relaxing on his favorite plush lounge chair with a case of Budweiser. His three daughters would stay in the house where he could keep an eye on them, and his paranoia wouldn't be as high as it was now. Unfortunately, though, with the lives that he and the girls had to keep on living, that was an impossible wish. His oldest daughter, Oriah, was expecting friends over to work on a History project (which doesn't worry him too much except for the fact that he has to leave for work in a few minutes). His middle daughter, Hikari, was out at a Youth Group field trip and left before he woke up (which was around nine, so she left pretty early) so he didn't get a chance to tell her to stay home. Finally, his youngest daughter, Anya, had ballet practice to go to, and not wanting to worry the young girl any more than necessary, he finally agreed with himself to drop her off at the dance studio on his way to work. She, along with the other two girls, were already worried about his strange behavior, and they had the right to.
Even though middle-aged Asian man magically made it home the previous night and collapsed on his bed without saying a peep to anyone (which left his daughters in a cloud of concern), he had difficulty sleeping and every half hour his eyes would shoot open. With the lack of sleep, he was a walking zombie throughout the morning and always had a mug of coffee cradled in his hands. The coffee, combined with his insomnia, made him very jittery and restless as if he was paranoid about something. And he was.
His right hand was marked with three pale circular scars, arranged in a triangular pattern. It looked like he has had them for an extensive period of time, but in fact he was cursed with them since the previous day. Each "scar" represented the souls of his daughters, and if one were to disappear...
"That is my promise, Kaori. You will know with your own eyes when your own arrogance has caused the death of your children. When each soul is snuffed...a scar shall disappear. If you still doubt me, simply wait. You shall see the truth with your own eyes."
Archibald's warning made the single father nauseas. Kaori flat out refused to become the mad scientist's "subject," and the price was the threat of losing the only souls keeping him from cracking and becoming mentally insane. And, of course, it would be all his fault. It was always his fault. His brother's past betrayal was his fault, the death of his first and only wife was all his fault, the possible loss of his girls would be all his fault...
"Daddy?"
Startled, Kaori jumped out of his self-loathing daydream, causing some of his coffee to spill onto his loose jeans. It burned his sickly-pale flesh under the denim, but he appreciated the brief distraction from reality.
With a groan, he sat up from his slumped position. "Yes, Sweetheart?"
Standing in front of him, dressed in pink ballet tights and a pair of grey sweatpants, was Anya, her long brown-red hair in a loose ponytail and a brush in her small hands.
"Daddy, it's almost time to go," she said, almost reluctantly. Kaori blinked a few times before comprehending her words and nodding.
"Yeah, I realize that, Honey." His fingers dug into his thick messy brown hair to scratch his scalp and was about to stand up when Anya cleared her throat. The redhead held the brush out and it took a few seconds for the father to understand her silent message. "Why don't you ask your sisters?"
Anya frowned. "'Kari's out at her church thing and Oriah told me to fuck off."
Kaori visibly flinched. It was typical for the seventeen-year-old to be so...hostile. "Don't use that word again," he warned.
"Which one? Fu-?"
He silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Yes, that one. I don't want to hear you use it."
"But Big Sister always uses it. Why can't I?"
"She's long overdue for a good grounding, and you're too little to be using those kind of words." He placed his mug down onto the coffee table and patted his lap. The young girl climbed on and made herself comfortable, handing her father the brush during the process.
At her request, Kaori split her hair and braided it into a pair of french pigtails, and once he was done the girl turned around and gave him a sad look.
"Daddy, what's wrong?"
Kaori was taken aback. "Uh-what?"
Anya placed her hands on his shoulders. "You're a mess, Daddy, and you've been acting weird and...not you." She proceeded to fix his collared shirt and his black tie. "You're a mess. Why don't you wear a different pair of pants? These ones are dirty."
Truth be told, Kaori didn't give a damn and had grabbed the first clothing articles he spotted on the floor. He didn't feel too particular about his appearance today. "I'm outside the workshop today. I have to supervise the construction of the back gardens of that corporation I told you about a few weeks ago. Remember when I asked you to help me design the gazebo area?" Anya nodded. Kaori was a landscape designer specializing in public and commericial areas, and the little girl loved it when her father let her help out.
"Yeah, Daddy, I remember." She let out a sigh, the loose tie now knotted neatly, and wrapped her arms around his neck into a tight hug. "Daddy, really, what's wrong? I never saw you smile once today, and it's making me sad. Is it because of me and 'Kari and 'Riah?"
"Wh-what?" he stuttered. "O-Of course not! It's just...stress. I'm just going through a lot right now. Something came up yesterday and I'm not handling it too good. It's doesn't involve you or your sisters whatsoever." Yes it does, but I don't want to burden you... He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back, earning another sigh from the small girl.
"Okay, Daddy." The two were silent for a while. Kaori was enjoying the moment, and he felt himself calm down. He stole a quick glance to his right hand, relieved that the three scars were still there. Hikari was still out there doing her God stuff and Oriah hasn't collapsed yet.
Anya, meanwhile, nuzzled into her father's neck, breathing in his familiar scent that was mixed with caffeine, cologne, a hint of sweat, and...was that alcohol?
"Daddy!" She pushed herself upright and looked into his eyes, the two sharing the same bright-green irises. "Have you been drinking again?"
Kaori stared back, blinking slowly before smiling sheepishly, his first smile of the day. "Like I said, Sweetheart." He cupped her head in his hands. "I'm going through tough stuff right now. But I promise," he hastily added before she could retort, "that I won't do it again."
She frowned. "...Okay...pinky promise?" Anya held out her pinky, which Kaori took into his own before pulling her into another hug.
"Pinky promise." He gave her a quick smooch on her forehead and patted her back. "Come on, we should get going before we're late."
"Okay, Daddy." She slipped off her perch on his lap and retrieved her bag. "Oh, and Daddy?"
"Yes, Sweetheart?"
Anya gave him a stern look. "You need to shave. Your face is scratchy and uncomfortable."
Kaori let out a hearty laugh. He definitely felt a lot better.