sunmoonandspoon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sunmoonandspoon) wrote2007-02-26 03:17 pm
sunmoonandspoon) wrote2007-02-26 03:17 pm
Entry tags:
Kids, Ch. 5
If anyone's been reading this, then I'm sorry for the wait. I was working on a challenge fic, as well as homework and a few other things, so this took longer than anticipated and I'm sorry. I hope that this chapter turns out to be worth the wait!
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Kids
Chapter Five - Hot Tea With Sugar
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She's dozing by the glow of the television, the top of her daughter's head touching her knee. Apparently the movie they'd put on had been boring, since neither had stayed up for it. Now it's late and a Viagra ad's blaring, the phone is ringing and Sachiko doesn't know why. Who'd be calling at this hour? Who even calls this house anymore?
It could be important so she feels for the phone, finds it just before the ringing ends. "Hello?" she says, the dredges of sleep still clear in her voice. For a time she hears nothing but static and heavy breathing, she's about to hang up when the caller speaks.
"Hello," he says, "is this the Yagami residence? I'm not sure if I have the right number."
"You have it right," she says, "this is Sachiko. Who's this?"
There's a stretch of silence and she debates hanging up again, she doesn't want to kill the phone bill with somebody who won't speak. She gives him one more chance, another greeting and he says, "I'm sorry. I'm just…not entirely sure why I called anymore. This is Ryuzaki and ahh…how are you?"
Sachiko blinks, says she's fine, thanks, did he want to talk her husband? To her surprise he tells her no, says that actually it was she who he wanted to speak with. "What for?" she asks, not that she minds or anything she's just…confused. She'd been hoarding ingredients for him all day; it seems strange and vaguely suspect that she's in his thoughts as well.
"I, uh…I…" he trails off, clearly this is hard for him and it gets Sachiko grinning, his awkward reluctance to speak reminds her of Light as a child, screwing up the courage to ask for a toy he say on television. "I want you to come over," he says, "I mean if it's not too much trouble. You don't have to I…I just want you to."
And she nearly bursts out laughing at that, it was probably the cutest thing she's heard in years. She stops herself before agreeing though, asks if this has anything to do with Kira. "I refuse to involve myself in any of that, so unless I'm a suspect and I'm under arrest, I'm not coming. If it's about the case, I mean."
"It's not," he sniffs, sounding offended. "I can talk about other things. I just…I'm not really sure, I just want you to come here. Sorry. Once again, you're under no obligation."
She glances down at her sleeping daughter, determines that she'll never miss her, no one will, and she agrees. Says, "yes, yes I'll come and see you. Just tell me where to go."
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L turns the phone off, stops himself from throwing it out the damn window. What the hell was that? He had had absolutely no intention of inviting her over, he hadn't even meant to call her really, he'd just meant to use the phone. He'd wanted static silence, not a visitor, how is he supposed to handle having her here? He's socially retarded, less so than she likely thinks he is from that display, but still. He can't even touch on the subject of work, he doesn't know how to make small talk and socialize!
He panics a bit, bites his nails to the nub and comes close to hyperventilation. And then he thinks that this is silly, if he calms down he can get through this, all he has to do is scare her off of ever visiting again. He's always himself but he'll be himself even harder, exaggerate the traits he's told are odd. L's stoked for this, he can absolutely take her on. This won't be social, this'll be a challenge, an investigation of sorts, he can probe her on Light and make use of this!
Perfect. He can take his hands from his mouth now, breathe evenly. This he can handle. This he can do.
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Sachiko arrives dead tired, not sure why since she's done nothing all day, but whatever, all she plans to do in there is talk. She's vaguely guilty, practicing unnecessary stealth as she pads through the hallways. She shouldn't be here, not without telling Soichiro, not without telling the kids. As she heads for the door this claws at her brain, her hand is shaking when she knocks but she ignores it. She's not here to do anything wrong, just to talk and just to see him. And she's allowed to visit anyone she wants.
Ryuzaki lets her in, standing with his back at an almost horizontal angle. He mumbles a greeting, sits with his knees drawn up as far as they will go. "Do you want tea?" he asks, fiddling with a sugar packet he's found on the table. She doesn't but she tells him yes, not wanting to deny him the pleasure of serving her. When her children were young they'd pout and cry when she didn't need help from them, and when she asked for it they'd ignore her. Somehow she expects the same from Ryuzaki.
He makes the tea, holding everything at jackknife angles. It's clear he means to be extreme, he spills the hot water and burns himself because you just cannot hold cups like that. So he pops the afflicted finger in his mouth and keeps working, probably knowing that this still won't work. Sachiko laughs, tells him to cut out the faking and just make the tea.
Ryuzaki bristles, turns around. "This is how I always make tea," he says. "This is the first time I've ever spilled anything. The vibrations from your footsteps probably threw me off or something…why don't you sit down?"
"Sure," she says, flopping onto the couch and watching him dither. This is a much nicer couch than her own, which makes sense since it's hotel property but still: it reminds her that she needs a new couch. It's easier to think about upholstery than about why Ryuzaki insists on repeatedly spilling boiling water all over himself. But she does wonder, and she also wonders why he asked her here in the first place. She's about to ask when he finally turns around but then she doesn't, his hands are blotchy and throbbing and they look like they hurt. "You should run those under warm water," she suggests as she purses her lips. "It'll help."
"I know that," he says, "I was just giving you your tea first-here." And he shoves the steaming mug in her face, walks to the sink to soothe his hands. His face isn't meant to face the ground like that, it's a wonder he can even see where he's going. She sips the tea, waits for him to join her, perch on the couch like an awkward bird.
"So was there any special reason you wanted me to come here?" Sachiko asks, sipping slowly at the tea. It's hot as hell and if the incineration of her tongue is any indication then Ryuzaki's hands must be killing him. "I know you said you didn't know, but maybe you've got your thoughts together now. Are you alright?"
He nods, says he just felt like it, it was a whim that he shouldn't have acted on. "I apologize," he tells her, "and I'm fine. I guess we can just…talk. Or something. It's fine if you just want to go home."
"Oh no, that's okay," she says, not sure if that's what he wants but not caring. She'd rather be here than home, home is lonely and Ryuzaki's amusing. "It doesn't really matter why, I was just curious. So…" There's a silence, no one's sure what to say and Ryuzaki's not trying, he's just dumping sugar into his own mug of tea. It's excessive, she'd have stopped him if he were her kid but she doesn't, she has no right to dictate what he eats. But she does comment on how much he likes sugar.
"Mmm," he grunts, "I do. I know it's not the wisest of dietary choices, but it's the only thing I actually like. I'm told I have the taste buds of a child. Are your offspring the same or have they moved onto liking other things?"
"Well Sayu's always liked everything," Sachiko says, pleased with this turn in conversation, she likes to talk about her kids. "Seriously, I could feed the girl wasabi and she'd be fine. Light was always much pickier…when I was breastfeeding him I couldn't eat most of the foods I liked or he'd start screaming, and I could never get him to eat vegetables…but he's gotten over it. He'll eat pretty much anything now."
Ryuzaki laughs and she isn't sure why, but she's laughing too in a minute. He prods her on her children; she's pleased to speak because no one asks her now that they aren't tiny. She isn't ready to move past this yet, talk about herself or him or anything really, just her kids. And mostly Sayu too, his excessive interest in Light is a little scary. He knows him and he's only seen Sayu once or twice, but still she feels more comfortable talking about her daughter. They talk long into the night, Sachi rambling on about her babies and Ryuzaki nodding along. "I'm sorry," she says, "I've been on about this for a while now. You could probably care less about my kids…were your parents as doting and obsessive as I am?"
Ryuzaki blinks, says quickly that of course they were, that's practically a requirement of parenthood, right? And then he stops the conversation, sips for ages on the tea that's grown lukewarm. Sachiko fights the urge to apologize, she's clearly touched a nerve but it's best not to acknowledge that she has. She stays quiet, drinks what's left of her own tea, and they sit watching each other 'til Sachiko falls asleep.
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As soon as she's drooling contentedly, he stands up, kicks the wall, hopes this violence doesn't wake her up or break his foot. He's screwed up again, he can't seem to think rationally with this woman, and he slips up and admits things there's no need for her to know. She hadn't believed him about the whole parents thing, she probably thinks he's been horrifically abused, or that he killed them or something insane. She probably thinks he's insane. Also, his hands are killing him, and she's still here, she's sleeping on his couch and he'll have to deal with her in the morning.
Maybe she won't come again, though. And maybe he won't be devastated when she doesn't.
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That last bit was written under the close scrutiny of my dog, Mischa, so hopefully her sneezing on my keyboard somehow improved the quality of this chapter! This was the first one where they actually make an effort to spend time together, so I hope I did that milestone justice. Writing about L trying to deal with purely social interaction is such fun. Please comment, and I'll try my best to get the next chapter out soon!
(Ahahaha, I don't feel like threatening you guys today, so you get my ff.net author's notes!)
----------
Kids
Chapter Five - Hot Tea With Sugar
----------
She's dozing by the glow of the television, the top of her daughter's head touching her knee. Apparently the movie they'd put on had been boring, since neither had stayed up for it. Now it's late and a Viagra ad's blaring, the phone is ringing and Sachiko doesn't know why. Who'd be calling at this hour? Who even calls this house anymore?
It could be important so she feels for the phone, finds it just before the ringing ends. "Hello?" she says, the dredges of sleep still clear in her voice. For a time she hears nothing but static and heavy breathing, she's about to hang up when the caller speaks.
"Hello," he says, "is this the Yagami residence? I'm not sure if I have the right number."
"You have it right," she says, "this is Sachiko. Who's this?"
There's a stretch of silence and she debates hanging up again, she doesn't want to kill the phone bill with somebody who won't speak. She gives him one more chance, another greeting and he says, "I'm sorry. I'm just…not entirely sure why I called anymore. This is Ryuzaki and ahh…how are you?"
Sachiko blinks, says she's fine, thanks, did he want to talk her husband? To her surprise he tells her no, says that actually it was she who he wanted to speak with. "What for?" she asks, not that she minds or anything she's just…confused. She'd been hoarding ingredients for him all day; it seems strange and vaguely suspect that she's in his thoughts as well.
"I, uh…I…" he trails off, clearly this is hard for him and it gets Sachiko grinning, his awkward reluctance to speak reminds her of Light as a child, screwing up the courage to ask for a toy he say on television. "I want you to come over," he says, "I mean if it's not too much trouble. You don't have to I…I just want you to."
And she nearly bursts out laughing at that, it was probably the cutest thing she's heard in years. She stops herself before agreeing though, asks if this has anything to do with Kira. "I refuse to involve myself in any of that, so unless I'm a suspect and I'm under arrest, I'm not coming. If it's about the case, I mean."
"It's not," he sniffs, sounding offended. "I can talk about other things. I just…I'm not really sure, I just want you to come here. Sorry. Once again, you're under no obligation."
She glances down at her sleeping daughter, determines that she'll never miss her, no one will, and she agrees. Says, "yes, yes I'll come and see you. Just tell me where to go."
----------
L turns the phone off, stops himself from throwing it out the damn window. What the hell was that? He had had absolutely no intention of inviting her over, he hadn't even meant to call her really, he'd just meant to use the phone. He'd wanted static silence, not a visitor, how is he supposed to handle having her here? He's socially retarded, less so than she likely thinks he is from that display, but still. He can't even touch on the subject of work, he doesn't know how to make small talk and socialize!
He panics a bit, bites his nails to the nub and comes close to hyperventilation. And then he thinks that this is silly, if he calms down he can get through this, all he has to do is scare her off of ever visiting again. He's always himself but he'll be himself even harder, exaggerate the traits he's told are odd. L's stoked for this, he can absolutely take her on. This won't be social, this'll be a challenge, an investigation of sorts, he can probe her on Light and make use of this!
Perfect. He can take his hands from his mouth now, breathe evenly. This he can handle. This he can do.
----------
Sachiko arrives dead tired, not sure why since she's done nothing all day, but whatever, all she plans to do in there is talk. She's vaguely guilty, practicing unnecessary stealth as she pads through the hallways. She shouldn't be here, not without telling Soichiro, not without telling the kids. As she heads for the door this claws at her brain, her hand is shaking when she knocks but she ignores it. She's not here to do anything wrong, just to talk and just to see him. And she's allowed to visit anyone she wants.
Ryuzaki lets her in, standing with his back at an almost horizontal angle. He mumbles a greeting, sits with his knees drawn up as far as they will go. "Do you want tea?" he asks, fiddling with a sugar packet he's found on the table. She doesn't but she tells him yes, not wanting to deny him the pleasure of serving her. When her children were young they'd pout and cry when she didn't need help from them, and when she asked for it they'd ignore her. Somehow she expects the same from Ryuzaki.
He makes the tea, holding everything at jackknife angles. It's clear he means to be extreme, he spills the hot water and burns himself because you just cannot hold cups like that. So he pops the afflicted finger in his mouth and keeps working, probably knowing that this still won't work. Sachiko laughs, tells him to cut out the faking and just make the tea.
Ryuzaki bristles, turns around. "This is how I always make tea," he says. "This is the first time I've ever spilled anything. The vibrations from your footsteps probably threw me off or something…why don't you sit down?"
"Sure," she says, flopping onto the couch and watching him dither. This is a much nicer couch than her own, which makes sense since it's hotel property but still: it reminds her that she needs a new couch. It's easier to think about upholstery than about why Ryuzaki insists on repeatedly spilling boiling water all over himself. But she does wonder, and she also wonders why he asked her here in the first place. She's about to ask when he finally turns around but then she doesn't, his hands are blotchy and throbbing and they look like they hurt. "You should run those under warm water," she suggests as she purses her lips. "It'll help."
"I know that," he says, "I was just giving you your tea first-here." And he shoves the steaming mug in her face, walks to the sink to soothe his hands. His face isn't meant to face the ground like that, it's a wonder he can even see where he's going. She sips the tea, waits for him to join her, perch on the couch like an awkward bird.
"So was there any special reason you wanted me to come here?" Sachiko asks, sipping slowly at the tea. It's hot as hell and if the incineration of her tongue is any indication then Ryuzaki's hands must be killing him. "I know you said you didn't know, but maybe you've got your thoughts together now. Are you alright?"
He nods, says he just felt like it, it was a whim that he shouldn't have acted on. "I apologize," he tells her, "and I'm fine. I guess we can just…talk. Or something. It's fine if you just want to go home."
"Oh no, that's okay," she says, not sure if that's what he wants but not caring. She'd rather be here than home, home is lonely and Ryuzaki's amusing. "It doesn't really matter why, I was just curious. So…" There's a silence, no one's sure what to say and Ryuzaki's not trying, he's just dumping sugar into his own mug of tea. It's excessive, she'd have stopped him if he were her kid but she doesn't, she has no right to dictate what he eats. But she does comment on how much he likes sugar.
"Mmm," he grunts, "I do. I know it's not the wisest of dietary choices, but it's the only thing I actually like. I'm told I have the taste buds of a child. Are your offspring the same or have they moved onto liking other things?"
"Well Sayu's always liked everything," Sachiko says, pleased with this turn in conversation, she likes to talk about her kids. "Seriously, I could feed the girl wasabi and she'd be fine. Light was always much pickier…when I was breastfeeding him I couldn't eat most of the foods I liked or he'd start screaming, and I could never get him to eat vegetables…but he's gotten over it. He'll eat pretty much anything now."
Ryuzaki laughs and she isn't sure why, but she's laughing too in a minute. He prods her on her children; she's pleased to speak because no one asks her now that they aren't tiny. She isn't ready to move past this yet, talk about herself or him or anything really, just her kids. And mostly Sayu too, his excessive interest in Light is a little scary. He knows him and he's only seen Sayu once or twice, but still she feels more comfortable talking about her daughter. They talk long into the night, Sachi rambling on about her babies and Ryuzaki nodding along. "I'm sorry," she says, "I've been on about this for a while now. You could probably care less about my kids…were your parents as doting and obsessive as I am?"
Ryuzaki blinks, says quickly that of course they were, that's practically a requirement of parenthood, right? And then he stops the conversation, sips for ages on the tea that's grown lukewarm. Sachiko fights the urge to apologize, she's clearly touched a nerve but it's best not to acknowledge that she has. She stays quiet, drinks what's left of her own tea, and they sit watching each other 'til Sachiko falls asleep.
----------
As soon as she's drooling contentedly, he stands up, kicks the wall, hopes this violence doesn't wake her up or break his foot. He's screwed up again, he can't seem to think rationally with this woman, and he slips up and admits things there's no need for her to know. She hadn't believed him about the whole parents thing, she probably thinks he's been horrifically abused, or that he killed them or something insane. She probably thinks he's insane. Also, his hands are killing him, and she's still here, she's sleeping on his couch and he'll have to deal with her in the morning.
Maybe she won't come again, though. And maybe he won't be devastated when she doesn't.
----------
That last bit was written under the close scrutiny of my dog, Mischa, so hopefully her sneezing on my keyboard somehow improved the quality of this chapter! This was the first one where they actually make an effort to spend time together, so I hope I did that milestone justice. Writing about L trying to deal with purely social interaction is such fun. Please comment, and I'll try my best to get the next chapter out soon!
(Ahahaha, I don't feel like threatening you guys today, so you get my ff.net author's notes!)
Mischa
Just curious. ^_^ Is your dog named after Hannibal's little sister?
Your story looks very good but I don't want to read it for fear of spoilers. What anime is it from?
Hope you're having a good week. I'll talk to you soon. ^_^
Re: Mischa
No, my dog isn't named after Hannibal's little sister...sadly I've yet to see anything that has to do with Hannibal, even though I hear it's really good. I had no idea the sister was named Mischa! No, we just named her that because I liked the name. She's our first pet NOT to be named after anything, actually. We have a cat named Pikachu (self-explanatory), a cat named Roxanne (named for a song by the Police), a cat named Lola (named for another song), and a dog named Joey who was named for Joe Strummer (The Clash). So yeah! I really wanna see those movies now.
About my story, it's from Death Note, which is my latest obsession. It's pretty awesome, and I highly recommend it. I fangirl L so hard. (My icon here is him.) The story isn't too spoilery, it takes place very early on in the series, so what I'd be worried about is not understanding what's happening, not spoilers. If you want to read I'd be thrilled, and if you decide to and you have any questions I'll be glad to answer!
You have a good week too!
Re: Mischa
As for Hannibal...those movies are awesome! I still have to go see the new one, Hannibal Rising, in theaters. I've seen the other three and they are beautiful, frightening, artful works.
Hannibal's sister, Mischa, is not mentioned in the movie Hannibal, but only in the book. She's a more important character in the book Hannibal Rising, which I've nearly finished reading, so perhaps they will show her in the new movie that's based on it.
The books are really good too--well, Hannibal is. I don't care for the novel-versions of Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs so well. But they're still worth checking out.
I don't mind that you commented on my entry, actually. I'm glad you did. And about that, I think you're right. It's refreshing to hear something sensible that isn't coming from my parents, if you know what I mean. I probably will end up sticking with it. It sounds like we have the same problem. ^_^ I'm glad you've found a good solution for yours (pursuing a degree in Education). I need to work hard, and decide what is really most important to me, and what I am willing to sacrifice.
Thanks again! ^_^
~Liz
no subject
(Anonymous) 2007-02-28 11:46 am (UTC)(link)I've read it in one go. I think it is the best chapter you wrote.
I liked it so much!
no subject
READING about L trying to deal with social interaction is JUST AS fun! :D I love this. I do. I love this fic so much that I want to marry it and raise a family of tiny little ficlets together. If, for any reason, you don't finish it, I will hunt you down and carve your heart out with a wooden spoon. Well, look at that! I managed to threaten you because of your failure to threaten me! Life's little give and take. It's touching.