Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Snow ❯ Some Time With Family ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Serenitychan13 
Souzou is still recovering, but for the most part, he's just happy to be home.
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.06.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 315 | Status: Completed
Souzou is still recovering, but for the most part, he's just happy to be home.
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.06.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 315 | Status: Completed
A few days later, Souzou Sagara opened his eyes at the sound of a small voice asking "Are you alright Daddy?" Midori must have been trying not to let her disturb him while he recovered. Stubborn as hell, she had obviously sneaked in to see him anyway. He smiled at his daughter and tried to sit up. He felt a sharp jolt in his stomach and lay back down, holding her hand.
"I'm fine, sweetie," he said softly. "I just have to rest for a couple of days."
She tilted her head at him, those big violet eyes shining with unshed tears. Her lower lip trembled as two little crystalline drops left wet trails on her cheek. Soon, the sobs of a young child filled the room as she fell to her knees and buried her face in her father's shoulder.
"What's wrong, Toshio?" he asked quietly, stroking her soft black hair. "I told you, Daddy's going to be alright... You don't need to worry about me."
He tilted his daughter's face up toward his, gently brushing away her tears. A quick kiss on the tip of her nose earned him a wobbly little smile.
"Come on sweetie," he said gently. "Don't you remember what I told you before I left?"
Her little face became serious and she shook her head slowly.
"Your face is too pretty for tears," he said, stroking her cheek and smiling at her. "Now let's see a smile..."
Toshio smiled brightly at him, kissed his cheek and left the room, probably to avoid any trouble with her mother.
'I can't believe I was away so long,' he thought, lacing his fingers behind his head and laying back. 'It seems like the last time I saw her, she had just picked up how to run. Glad to see she still has all that energy... her mother's fire. I don't understand why she's so attached to me... I've hardly been here with her... Surprised she remembered what I looked like...'
Lying on his back was becoming uncomfortable. He tried to turn on his side, but found that painful and soon gave up. Sleep was impossible; there was no way he could relax. From the amount of sunlight the room was getting, he could guess that it was almost sunset. He groaned mentally as he remembered that sunset meant it was time for his bandages to be changed. Midori was as gentle as could be, but still they stuck to his wound and the alcohol she had been told to use to clean it hurt like hell.
'How much longer?' he whined inside his head. 'I'm getting really sick of this. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to look at the same four walls without going out of my mind...'
His mood and his expression soured as Midori slid the shoji open, fresh bandages and alcohol in hand. She smiled sympathetically at him, sliding the door closed with her foot. He just rolled his eyes, sighed irritably and wished she would just stop trying to be so damn cheerful all the time.
Midori saw the look on her husband's face and shifted her gaze to the floor, her smile disappearing in an instant. Souzou closed his eyes, realizing that keeping that sunny smile on took a lot out of her too. His head started throbbing as he smelled alcohol and felt her soft touch at his waist. He shifted in discomfort and clenched his teeth, waiting for the sting. Sure enough, it was enough to make his whole body stiffen as his head jerked back and a soft cry escaped his lips.
"Damn it, do you have to use that EVERY time?" he ground out through clenched teeth. "What's the POINT!?"
He regretted his words instantly. Midori drew away from him, her face both shocked and sad. His body relaxed, his shoulders falling in defeat. He really hadn't meant to be so sharp with her.
"I'm only trying to help, you know," she said, fighting to keep tears out of her voice and failing. "I know it hurts. I've never had anything like this happen to me, so I don't know what it feels like to you, but I do know that it hurts."
"Midori..." he said softly. "Oh honey, I'm sorry... I know I've been a real pain about this, but I just want you to know ---"
"What?" she asked bitterly.
His heart tightened. It had been before Toshio was born the last time the two of them had a major fight. Frankly it wasn't an experience he ever wanted to repeat. He took her hand in his and, though she tried to pull away, held it tight.
"I just want you to know," he said, guilt in his voice. "That I didn't mean a word of it... I understand if you can't forgive me right away, but please do at some point..."
Midori glared at him for a split second. Then she got a look at his eyes. Those deep brown eyes shining apologetically at her made it very difficult to stay angry at him. She pouted a little at him.
"That's not fair!" she said teasingly, poking his shoulder. "You make it impossible to stay mad at you!"
When she leaned down to kiss his cheek, he wrapped an arm around her, pinning her close to him. She squeaked and froze, not wanting to disturb his unprotected wound. He tugged a little on the deep brown braid that hung down her back, smiling at her.
"Where do you think Toshio gets it from?" he asked, laughter dancing in his eyes as he let her up.
She ruffled his bangs over his face, still trying to pout at him.
"You're impossible!" she teased.
"So I'm off the hook?" he asked hopefully.
"Absolutely not!" she said, smiling triumphantly at him.
He groaned out loud.
"Then go ahead with it," he mumbled gloomily.
"It'll be over before you know it," she promised, kissing his forehead gently before soaking a clean white cloth with alcohol.
Again, he could feel his head pounding and clenched his teeth. But this time, the sting didn't seem so bad. As she helped him sit up a little so that she could wrap fresh bandages around his stomach, he saw her smile.
"What are you smiling at?" he whispered.
"It's healing up," she said softly. "There's no blood this time and the edges are smoothing out."
Souzou's eyes went wide, hope shining in his whole face.
"Are you serious?" he asked quietly.
"If you try not to bend too much," she said gently. "You can see for yourself."
Craning his neck down, he got a look at his own abdomen. She was right. The wound was indeed healing. Smiling with relief and closing his eyes, he was about to relax and fall back on the futon.
"Ack!" yelped Midori, holding the end of the bandage with one hand while she caught his shoulder with the other. "Not yet! Wait till I'm done, would you!?"
He rolled his eyes and waited. In about thirty seconds, she looked him over and let him fall back in the blankets. She looked like she was thinking about slipping in with him, but stopped herself.
"Toshio needs to get to sleep right now," she said softly. "Can she come in and say good-night to you?"
"Why do you ask?" he said, his voice low and almost sounding as if he were hurt. "Of course she can..."
Midori smiled and got up to go get their daughter. In a few seconds, a sleepy four-year-old in her mother's arms was smiling at her father and reaching out to him. When her mother set her down, she was at his side in a split second.
"Hi Daddy," she said quietly, trying not to yawn.
"Hi sweetie," he replied, taking both of her hands in one of his and inwardly sighing about how small they were. "Are you alright now? No more tears?"
She lay down and curled up beside him, resting her head on his shoulder and yawning a little.
"No," she said, her words a little muffled. "I'm alright Daddy..."
"Good," he said, stroking her hair. "Now it's time for you to sleep, alright?"
She didn't answer. Her body relaxed out of that tight little ball and she cuddled closer to him. He smiled as he felt her breathing, soft and even. Easing her into his arms, he sat up slowly and kissed her forehead before letting Midori take her to her own room.
Settling back in his blankets, he closed his eyes and waited, hovering between sleep and wakening. After about two minutes, Midori slid the shoji open then closed it quietly. Slowly, she lowered herself onto their futon and snuggled close to his side, nestling her head in the curve of his throat. Souzou Sagara and his wife fell asleep almost as soon as they felt their bodies resting against each other.
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"I'm fine, sweetie," he said softly. "I just have to rest for a couple of days."
She tilted her head at him, those big violet eyes shining with unshed tears. Her lower lip trembled as two little crystalline drops left wet trails on her cheek. Soon, the sobs of a young child filled the room as she fell to her knees and buried her face in her father's shoulder.
"What's wrong, Toshio?" he asked quietly, stroking her soft black hair. "I told you, Daddy's going to be alright... You don't need to worry about me."
He tilted his daughter's face up toward his, gently brushing away her tears. A quick kiss on the tip of her nose earned him a wobbly little smile.
"Come on sweetie," he said gently. "Don't you remember what I told you before I left?"
Her little face became serious and she shook her head slowly.
"Your face is too pretty for tears," he said, stroking her cheek and smiling at her. "Now let's see a smile..."
Toshio smiled brightly at him, kissed his cheek and left the room, probably to avoid any trouble with her mother.
'I can't believe I was away so long,' he thought, lacing his fingers behind his head and laying back. 'It seems like the last time I saw her, she had just picked up how to run. Glad to see she still has all that energy... her mother's fire. I don't understand why she's so attached to me... I've hardly been here with her... Surprised she remembered what I looked like...'
Lying on his back was becoming uncomfortable. He tried to turn on his side, but found that painful and soon gave up. Sleep was impossible; there was no way he could relax. From the amount of sunlight the room was getting, he could guess that it was almost sunset. He groaned mentally as he remembered that sunset meant it was time for his bandages to be changed. Midori was as gentle as could be, but still they stuck to his wound and the alcohol she had been told to use to clean it hurt like hell.
'How much longer?' he whined inside his head. 'I'm getting really sick of this. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to look at the same four walls without going out of my mind...'
His mood and his expression soured as Midori slid the shoji open, fresh bandages and alcohol in hand. She smiled sympathetically at him, sliding the door closed with her foot. He just rolled his eyes, sighed irritably and wished she would just stop trying to be so damn cheerful all the time.
Midori saw the look on her husband's face and shifted her gaze to the floor, her smile disappearing in an instant. Souzou closed his eyes, realizing that keeping that sunny smile on took a lot out of her too. His head started throbbing as he smelled alcohol and felt her soft touch at his waist. He shifted in discomfort and clenched his teeth, waiting for the sting. Sure enough, it was enough to make his whole body stiffen as his head jerked back and a soft cry escaped his lips.
"Damn it, do you have to use that EVERY time?" he ground out through clenched teeth. "What's the POINT!?"
He regretted his words instantly. Midori drew away from him, her face both shocked and sad. His body relaxed, his shoulders falling in defeat. He really hadn't meant to be so sharp with her.
"I'm only trying to help, you know," she said, fighting to keep tears out of her voice and failing. "I know it hurts. I've never had anything like this happen to me, so I don't know what it feels like to you, but I do know that it hurts."
"Midori..." he said softly. "Oh honey, I'm sorry... I know I've been a real pain about this, but I just want you to know ---"
"What?" she asked bitterly.
His heart tightened. It had been before Toshio was born the last time the two of them had a major fight. Frankly it wasn't an experience he ever wanted to repeat. He took her hand in his and, though she tried to pull away, held it tight.
"I just want you to know," he said, guilt in his voice. "That I didn't mean a word of it... I understand if you can't forgive me right away, but please do at some point..."
Midori glared at him for a split second. Then she got a look at his eyes. Those deep brown eyes shining apologetically at her made it very difficult to stay angry at him. She pouted a little at him.
"That's not fair!" she said teasingly, poking his shoulder. "You make it impossible to stay mad at you!"
When she leaned down to kiss his cheek, he wrapped an arm around her, pinning her close to him. She squeaked and froze, not wanting to disturb his unprotected wound. He tugged a little on the deep brown braid that hung down her back, smiling at her.
"Where do you think Toshio gets it from?" he asked, laughter dancing in his eyes as he let her up.
She ruffled his bangs over his face, still trying to pout at him.
"You're impossible!" she teased.
"So I'm off the hook?" he asked hopefully.
"Absolutely not!" she said, smiling triumphantly at him.
He groaned out loud.
"Then go ahead with it," he mumbled gloomily.
"It'll be over before you know it," she promised, kissing his forehead gently before soaking a clean white cloth with alcohol.
Again, he could feel his head pounding and clenched his teeth. But this time, the sting didn't seem so bad. As she helped him sit up a little so that she could wrap fresh bandages around his stomach, he saw her smile.
"What are you smiling at?" he whispered.
"It's healing up," she said softly. "There's no blood this time and the edges are smoothing out."
Souzou's eyes went wide, hope shining in his whole face.
"Are you serious?" he asked quietly.
"If you try not to bend too much," she said gently. "You can see for yourself."
Craning his neck down, he got a look at his own abdomen. She was right. The wound was indeed healing. Smiling with relief and closing his eyes, he was about to relax and fall back on the futon.
"Ack!" yelped Midori, holding the end of the bandage with one hand while she caught his shoulder with the other. "Not yet! Wait till I'm done, would you!?"
He rolled his eyes and waited. In about thirty seconds, she looked him over and let him fall back in the blankets. She looked like she was thinking about slipping in with him, but stopped herself.
"Toshio needs to get to sleep right now," she said softly. "Can she come in and say good-night to you?"
"Why do you ask?" he said, his voice low and almost sounding as if he were hurt. "Of course she can..."
Midori smiled and got up to go get their daughter. In a few seconds, a sleepy four-year-old in her mother's arms was smiling at her father and reaching out to him. When her mother set her down, she was at his side in a split second.
"Hi Daddy," she said quietly, trying not to yawn.
"Hi sweetie," he replied, taking both of her hands in one of his and inwardly sighing about how small they were. "Are you alright now? No more tears?"
She lay down and curled up beside him, resting her head on his shoulder and yawning a little.
"No," she said, her words a little muffled. "I'm alright Daddy..."
"Good," he said, stroking her hair. "Now it's time for you to sleep, alright?"
She didn't answer. Her body relaxed out of that tight little ball and she cuddled closer to him. He smiled as he felt her breathing, soft and even. Easing her into his arms, he sat up slowly and kissed her forehead before letting Midori take her to her own room.
Settling back in his blankets, he closed his eyes and waited, hovering between sleep and wakening. After about two minutes, Midori slid the shoji open then closed it quietly. Slowly, she lowered herself onto their futon and snuggled close to his side, nestling her head in the curve of his throat. Souzou Sagara and his wife fell asleep almost as soon as they felt their bodies resting against each other.
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