All characters with names belong to Clamp's CCS. Those with none, are freebies.
Autumn Leaves
Chapter 4 of 5
Ottosan and I vividly remember that day. When our Fates intertwined and turned.
It was a fine Sunday morning. The weather was so fine that Okasan commented that it would be such a waste not to go on a picnic.
Of course it was only a suggestion, but I loved picnics! Without further ado, I was in the kitchen, making three sandwiches, and packing them messily in a basket. "Ottosan!" I called, rushing upstairs. I found him in the attic (which his he had converted to a study). He closed the very old book he was reading the moment I came puffing in. "`Kasan said let's go on a picnic!"
"A picnic, you say?"
It was hard getting him off his chair once he sinks his mind in a good book. But when he glimpsed Okasan by the door, the book was forgotten, and a picnic it was.
"Let's go, let's go!" I pulled them both, one hand for each of them.
My mother, as usual was smiling and giggling as she let her headstrong son lead. Ottosan paused to get the car ready but Okasan stopped him.
"Let's walk this time?" she asked in a sweet girlish voice.
So the car was forgotten and we took a leisurely stroll to the park.
It was the season when the Sakura trees are in full bloom. We chose a shady spot below the oldest and biggest tree. Once in a while, a breeze would blow making pink petals float magically in the air. It was a beautiful scene, and she loved every bit of it.
Her luscious hair snagged many flowers, but she didn't seem to mind. Once in a while though, Ottosan tenderly brushes them off, and she would softly laugh and dreamily close her eyes.
"If we have a baby girl, I want her named Sakura," she mused.
I watched my father pause in his ministration. There was a look of confusion in his face, then surprise, then finally… he laughed! I seldom saw Ottosan laugh! He's always so reserved, so composed. But now, here we were, in the park, and he was laughing! The sandwich lay on his lap, forgotten.
"A baby?" Ottosan's voice quivered with happiness. "Are you saying…?"
She gave him the most beautiful smile and nodded.
"This… This is…" Ottosan searched for words, but no words could be enough. He took her in his arms and whispered, "I love you…"
I think I averted my eyes. I was still uncomfortable with "mushy" stuff. Now that I have you, I think I understand that moment better now. Heh. Imagine my reaction if you say you're gonna have a baby!
<Toooh-yaaaA!!!>
The moment was broken when all of a sudden, the sky clouded up, and a light drizzle began to fall.
We immediately packed up. Ottosan covered Okasan protectively with a coat.
"Touya, come here!" he called after me. But I was already racing them home, using the basket as an umbrella.
The shower turned into a full-blown storm that night. News said that the weather was unexpected, and everyone was advised to stay home.
I lay in bed shivering, unable to sleep. I burrowed under the blankets, but it was useless. I sniffed and blew my nose. It must be the storm, I thought. I might've fallen asleep because when I woke up, Okasan was beside my bed, looking very worried.
"His fever is high…" her voice was soft, as soft as her hand on my forehead. Why was her hand so cold? I wondered.
Ottosan appeared at her side. He looked sick, too. When he checked my temperature, his hands were almost as warm as me. I closed my eyes. I was beginning to get nauseous.
"I'm going to call the doctor," Ottosan said as he rose ungainly on his feet. She tried to steady him, but he refused the help.
"`Kasan? What's with 'Tousan?" I asked weakly, there seemed to be grains of sand in my throat. And the light was hurting my eyes.
"Shhh, he's just caught a cold, " she smiled, but it was different from her usual smile. She brushed the hair away from my eyes. It was soothing in a way. Somewhere in the background, I could hear my father on the phone…
"He's coming," he announced weakly. He was steadying himself on the wall, his hand massaging his temple…
A blinding flash of lightning knocked off the electricity. A deafening roar of thunder followed.
One moment, Ottosan was standing, the next moment he was down on the floor. Then to my horror, that brilliant blue light around him dissipated.
At the same instant, my body flailed in agony. I can't feel anything except these shards of glass passing through my skin…
"Touya!" Okasan screamed, then more loudly, "Fujitaka!"
I wanted to reach out to Okasan for comfort, but when I reached for her, she wasn't there anymore…
My hands passed through her. Then these creatures, like the one I saw in the camp, were after me again… they were coming from everywhere this time. Like water rushing from an opened dam, they came.
It's terrible… I thought I put them all behind. And now, they're here again.
"Touya…! Touya!" she cried.
For a moment, her voice called me back, and I used that opportunity to cling to her. She must've gotten hurt, but she didn't flinch a bit.
"Okasan, help me, onegai!" I screamed as I continued to hold on to her. The memory of the shadow surfaced, its soulless eyes, its gaping nothingness… I trembled in terror…
She embraced me tightly trying to protect me from the danger she couldn't see. She covered me with her arms, and whispered, her voice in pain as she saw how helpless she was now, "I will protect you To-ya… I promise…"
That was the last time I held her.
<<To Be Continued>>
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