Post by Seito Risa on Sept 3, 2013 22:51:45 GMT -5
Clouds rolled overhead. The fall season was in full swing. This was not what he expected to be doing. He had never, in a million years, thought this would be how the Fall would begin.
He walked with Risa's Mother through the well maintained area, remaining on the marked paths. The two traveled in silence. Birds flew overhead, but not a sound from them. Even the wind, blowing lightly into their faces, failed to make a sound. Finally they turned and walked a path Ichiro was familiar with. Risa's father rested here. As they approached the family plot Mrs. Seito stopped and dabbed at her eyes. Ichiro stood silently by. The past few days had left him drained of emotion. He was totally numb from head to toe, and found himself wishing the same for Mrs. Seito. Finally, she nodded to him and he offered his arm. This time she takes it with both hands and they approach the headstone of Risa's father. They stop and Mrs. Seito sets to brushing away the leaves of the fall, tidying up the small area. Ichiro says a prayer aloud, the two of them bowing their heads.
Mrs. Seito stood and returned to his side, again clutching his arm tightly. They proceeded down the path, a direction Ichiro had not walked before. Eight feet from where Mr. Seito lay another gravestone lay. This time they both knelt before it. This stone was fresh, not weathered, and the leaves of the Fall had gathered around it in a wreath of brown, red and gold. Ichiro reached out, gently stroking the carving in the headstone.
Here Lies A True Friend, Daughter and Companion.
October 5, 1990 to September 9, 2013
Seito Risa
Ichiro's eyes seemed drawn to the name, Unable to tear them away. He knew he had failed. He felt Mrs. Seito's arm around his shoulders.
Mrs. Seito: "It's okay, Ichiro. It's okay..."
=====BAM=====
Ichiro sits bolt up right in his bed, covered in sweat, the rumble of thunder still fading, the sound of rain pattering against his window. He looks around. The unfinished dresser, purchased when an IKEA store was discovered, sits across the room from him. His alarm clock's cool blue numbers glowing back at him from atop it. Shortly before two in the morning. He takes a deep breath and exhales. Two such dreams in the same night. Something was severely effecting his Chi. His immediate thought was to call his mentor, but he was not in the dreams at all. The second had been walking with Risa's mother, the first with Risa herself, as they approached a stone that had read another name. This disturbing series of dreams left him unnerved. He looks at the box on his small desk, the package from Osaka. He gets to his feet and crosses over to the box and opens it. Pulling out a pair of Tsai he returns to his bed and settles upon it cross legged. he grips one in each hand and sets them before himself on the bed, their blades crossed. This formed for him a focal point. His eyes closed he begins a soft chant, focusing his disturbed energies on the Tsai before him. After fifteen minutes, his eyes flutter open. Calm. Control. The subconscious plays tricks on a tired mind. Certainly his would qualify. His constant distraction of trying to identify who was responsible for the vandalism of Risa's dressing room had kept him from sleeping entirely as well as he might have liked. Quietly he lifts the Tsai, pausing to provide thanks to them, and to the one who had given them to him. He returns them to the box and carefully folds the flaps over.
He pads out of his bedroom and down the hallway toward the bathroom. Risa's bedroom on the other end. Passing by the bathroom he stops in the doorway and leans on the door frame, his navy blue pajamas helping him blend into the early morning darkness. Risa lay in her bed, covers wound around her like a cocoon. On the bedside table sat a matching mate to his own alarm clock. By that, a baseball sat in a display case, the faded kanji still visible. He smiles at the baseball, remembering catching it, keeping Risa from getting a fouled off fast ball in the face. He stayed there quiet for nearly five minutes, until he saw her move, heard her sigh in her sleep. Deciding to move on before his presence was enough to wake her, he heads for the bathroom. Doing his business, he washes his hands and looks at himself in the mirror. He makes a mental note to shave when showering in the morning and gets a drink of water in his cup. Turning out the bathroom light he pauses to let his eyes acclimate to the darkness before opening the door and padding down the hallway. He gets halfway to his room when he hears it.
SR: "Ichi-kun?"
He stops. He had been caught. Spinning on the ball of his right foot he walks quietly to the doorway. Risa looked cute, and about half her age, hair disheveled in an impossible fashion. The light blue pajama shirt she wore askew by about four inches. He had the odd visual of her as Cindy Lou Who pass through his mind, causing him to smile.
I: "Sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."
Risa scooted to a seated position, rubbing at her eyes.
SR: "Something wrong?"
Ichiro shakes his head in the negative.
I: "I had a disturbed dream. I was meditating to calm things down when Mother Nature decided to place a call to me."
Risa nods, sliding back down to the pillow, pulling covers up, apparently satisfied.
SR: "I hope you didn't miss your aim, being half awake."
He grinned. A running joke between them.
I: "I aim to please, Risa-kun."
If she realized the change in ending from -chan to -kun it didn't register on her face. She yawned, a truly adorable sight, and then snuggled back up to her pillow.
SR: "You haven't missed yet."
Ichiro nods. He considers stepping in and tucking her in, but she already has begun to snore softly. She was as relieved as he to finally have furnishings. Things that were their own.
I: "Sleep well, Suzume."
He smiles, turns and walks back into his bedroom, returning to his own bed. He tries to settle in, but it takes time for him to get comfortable. Eventually, he, too, begins to snore softly.
He walked with Risa's Mother through the well maintained area, remaining on the marked paths. The two traveled in silence. Birds flew overhead, but not a sound from them. Even the wind, blowing lightly into their faces, failed to make a sound. Finally they turned and walked a path Ichiro was familiar with. Risa's father rested here. As they approached the family plot Mrs. Seito stopped and dabbed at her eyes. Ichiro stood silently by. The past few days had left him drained of emotion. He was totally numb from head to toe, and found himself wishing the same for Mrs. Seito. Finally, she nodded to him and he offered his arm. This time she takes it with both hands and they approach the headstone of Risa's father. They stop and Mrs. Seito sets to brushing away the leaves of the fall, tidying up the small area. Ichiro says a prayer aloud, the two of them bowing their heads.
Mrs. Seito stood and returned to his side, again clutching his arm tightly. They proceeded down the path, a direction Ichiro had not walked before. Eight feet from where Mr. Seito lay another gravestone lay. This time they both knelt before it. This stone was fresh, not weathered, and the leaves of the Fall had gathered around it in a wreath of brown, red and gold. Ichiro reached out, gently stroking the carving in the headstone.
Here Lies A True Friend, Daughter and Companion.
October 5, 1990 to September 9, 2013
Seito Risa
Ichiro's eyes seemed drawn to the name, Unable to tear them away. He knew he had failed. He felt Mrs. Seito's arm around his shoulders.
Mrs. Seito: "It's okay, Ichiro. It's okay..."
=====BAM=====
Ichiro sits bolt up right in his bed, covered in sweat, the rumble of thunder still fading, the sound of rain pattering against his window. He looks around. The unfinished dresser, purchased when an IKEA store was discovered, sits across the room from him. His alarm clock's cool blue numbers glowing back at him from atop it. Shortly before two in the morning. He takes a deep breath and exhales. Two such dreams in the same night. Something was severely effecting his Chi. His immediate thought was to call his mentor, but he was not in the dreams at all. The second had been walking with Risa's mother, the first with Risa herself, as they approached a stone that had read another name. This disturbing series of dreams left him unnerved. He looks at the box on his small desk, the package from Osaka. He gets to his feet and crosses over to the box and opens it. Pulling out a pair of Tsai he returns to his bed and settles upon it cross legged. he grips one in each hand and sets them before himself on the bed, their blades crossed. This formed for him a focal point. His eyes closed he begins a soft chant, focusing his disturbed energies on the Tsai before him. After fifteen minutes, his eyes flutter open. Calm. Control. The subconscious plays tricks on a tired mind. Certainly his would qualify. His constant distraction of trying to identify who was responsible for the vandalism of Risa's dressing room had kept him from sleeping entirely as well as he might have liked. Quietly he lifts the Tsai, pausing to provide thanks to them, and to the one who had given them to him. He returns them to the box and carefully folds the flaps over.
He pads out of his bedroom and down the hallway toward the bathroom. Risa's bedroom on the other end. Passing by the bathroom he stops in the doorway and leans on the door frame, his navy blue pajamas helping him blend into the early morning darkness. Risa lay in her bed, covers wound around her like a cocoon. On the bedside table sat a matching mate to his own alarm clock. By that, a baseball sat in a display case, the faded kanji still visible. He smiles at the baseball, remembering catching it, keeping Risa from getting a fouled off fast ball in the face. He stayed there quiet for nearly five minutes, until he saw her move, heard her sigh in her sleep. Deciding to move on before his presence was enough to wake her, he heads for the bathroom. Doing his business, he washes his hands and looks at himself in the mirror. He makes a mental note to shave when showering in the morning and gets a drink of water in his cup. Turning out the bathroom light he pauses to let his eyes acclimate to the darkness before opening the door and padding down the hallway. He gets halfway to his room when he hears it.
SR: "Ichi-kun?"
He stops. He had been caught. Spinning on the ball of his right foot he walks quietly to the doorway. Risa looked cute, and about half her age, hair disheveled in an impossible fashion. The light blue pajama shirt she wore askew by about four inches. He had the odd visual of her as Cindy Lou Who pass through his mind, causing him to smile.
I: "Sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."
Risa scooted to a seated position, rubbing at her eyes.
SR: "Something wrong?"
Ichiro shakes his head in the negative.
I: "I had a disturbed dream. I was meditating to calm things down when Mother Nature decided to place a call to me."
Risa nods, sliding back down to the pillow, pulling covers up, apparently satisfied.
SR: "I hope you didn't miss your aim, being half awake."
He grinned. A running joke between them.
I: "I aim to please, Risa-kun."
If she realized the change in ending from -chan to -kun it didn't register on her face. She yawned, a truly adorable sight, and then snuggled back up to her pillow.
SR: "You haven't missed yet."
Ichiro nods. He considers stepping in and tucking her in, but she already has begun to snore softly. She was as relieved as he to finally have furnishings. Things that were their own.
I: "Sleep well, Suzume."
He smiles, turns and walks back into his bedroom, returning to his own bed. He tries to settle in, but it takes time for him to get comfortable. Eventually, he, too, begins to snore softly.